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The big problem with food production in Brazil and in other countries with a lot of territory, is similar.
Currently, the Brazilian GDP is formed, and one third is represented by agro-business.
We produce a lot of food, but these are commodities. And a great deal of these commodities don't
end up at the table of brazilian families. That's the case of sugar cane, soy, and other
commodities that are produced.
My name is Hans Temp. And, I am the founder of the organization Cidade Sem Fome.
Currently, I work as a project coordinator of this organization. We specialize in developing social projects
utilizing urban agriculture, community and school gardens,
and everything related to food production in urban spaces
Cidades Sem Fome has been trying to solve several problems that exist inside the communities
and in society. Inside the communities, nutrition is a problem. We see a lack of options of
healthy and fresh products in these areas. What we develop inside the income generating
community gardens is the production of healthy products, free of agrochemicals so that we
can offer them to a low-income public.
Cidades Sem Fome works in such a fashion. We have few criteria:: first we need the economic resources
then we prepare an area and these areas are always public spaces. We legalize
these areas so we can start production. And only then, after these two items have been fixed
we select the people from a given community who will work on the garden
Nowadays, we have a population of 2 million people in São Paulo who live in such conditions
These are people in their fifties or older, without any inclusion in the formal work market.
The great majority of them does not have social security, or are not assisted by governmental programs
so we also try to include these people in our projects as a way to give them an opportunity.
Inside the schools, we try to provide children with the opportunity to learn about food production
how you can produce a carrot for example, that the carrot is not ready at the supermarket, nor at the fair.
This is what we try to create, this sustainable nutrition and environmental consciousness,
while searching for agricultural principles that are in accordance with nature.
There's a UN study that by 2040, 82% of the world population will live in cities.
Urban agriculture or suburban agriculture projects like these, meet the future necessity
of producing products that really end up on the tables of families, and are produced in urban or suburban spaces.
The practice of urban agriculture is going to gain more and more importance along the years
The objective of the organization is to bring financial auto sufficiency for those involved
with the projects, through community and school gardens, and agricultural greenhouse.
The organization utilize spaces, public and private rundown areas that do not have a specific usage,
to create work opportunities for people in socially vulnerable positions and improve the nutritional situation of children and adults.
My name is Genival Moraes de Farias.
I came from Pernambuco. I am the son of a farmer from Pernambuco.
I was born in the farm, and in the farm I will die, taking care of mother nature, Mother Earh.
My name is Ivone Maria de Oliveira Getúlio.
My occupation is, I work at the garden and at home. I help, I plant, I cut, I help to irrigate, and I do that.
That's what I do. Everything that has to be done inside the garden, I take care of.
I arrive in the morning, first thing I do, I take off this hat, and I say good morning to my God, and good morning to my plants.
And then I go on and talk to my plants. From my gate all the way down. "Good morning my daughters, how are you doing?" And then I start my activity and I water the plants.
And then, what do I do? I take my shovel and garden. And I go plant my daughters. Do you know who my daughters are?
Watercress, cauliflower, lettuce, spinach, we have beets, carrot, onion, cilantro, which we sell a lot. Cilantro is our greatest demand.
It is my family. Because it is from here that I make my daily bread, you get it? I don't deny that I am retired.
But do you know how much I get? It's minimum wage. Is it possible to survive? No, it's not! And I can't just stay at home.
Or go from bar to bar, drinking. I like to take care of nature, of Mother Earth because then we live life. We don't vegetate. We live life. And make others live
Through the community gardens projects, more than one hundred people work as urban farmers, benefiting a total of 650 people.
48 professional training courses have already been organized by the organization with a total public of almost 1.000 people, who were trained on organic products planting techniques and their commercialization.
The fact that a person is occupied with an activity brings dignity to him. He knows the value of doing something good and favorable for other people as well.
We have been saying that they are not only farmers; they are people who are offering food to other people. And that brings a reward, not only financially, but also for their well-being.
Here was only trash, and tall grass, right? And now, you look here. It's only plants. It's very beautiful.
I think it's very beautiful. Sometimes, I go home, I come back here and take a look, and go back. That's my daily life.
I think it's important that people start to have a more urban view, an agricultural production inside urban spaces view.
We don't necessarily need to produce products only in rural spaces with big quantities of land, and big investments.
Organic agriculture is life. It's work but it's life. And I, one day, when I die, I want to leave a life example.
Always take care of nature. Always take care of Mother Earth. Who takes care of Mother Earth has life. Life in abundance.
Until 2013, 21 community gardens and 15 other gardens have been implemented in public schools by Cidades Sem Fome.
For 2014, the plans are to replicate this methodology in other parts of the country.
To help, visit: http://cidadessemfome.org/