AGRUPAR – Quito Participatory Urban Agriculture
Quito, Ecuador · Operator: CONQUITO (Agencia de Promoción Económica) / Municipio del Distrito Metropolitano de Quito
Overview
A participatory urban agriculture program run since 2002 by the city of Quito through its economic development agency CONQUITO, promoting agroecology-based self-production of food and advancing social, climate and gender justice.
Citizen participation
Residents of Quito's poorest, malnutrition-affected areas—mostly women heads of household (~84%)—take part in family, community, school and institutional gardens using agroecology; surplus is sold producer-to-consumer at weekly bioferias.
Operating model
A public program run by the city's economic development agency CONQUITO, providing training and technical support, promoting low-cost cultivation with reused materials, and supplementing participants' income through surplus sales.
Impact
In over two decades it has set up more than 5,200 urban gardens and directly benefited over 137,000 people, and is internationally recognized as a model of participatory urban agriculture.
Land tenure
Gardens are set up on family, community, school and institutional plots, used by participants within the framework of the municipal public program.
Crops
- vegetables
- herbs
- fruit
Scale
Over 5,200 family, community, school and institutional gardens implemented; ~4,500 farmers/year, ~84% women heads of household
Sources（2）
This entry is compiled from the public sources, official sites and research below.
Related cases
Quito AGRUPAR Participatory Urban Agriculture Program
ECQuito, Ecuador
Ecuador's longest-running participatory urban agriculture program (2002–present), supporting 4,700+ community gardens in high-poverty areas. Includes vertical farming promotion.
futurepolicy.org+1
Abalimi Bezekhaya
ZACape Town, South Africa
Founded in 1982, this Cape Town non-profit supports small-scale citizen farming in the townships. True to its name 'farmers of the home', it provides training and supplies so residents of poor areas can grow organic vegetables, underpinning food security and livelihoods.
abalimibezekhaya.org.za+4
Seseragi Community Garden (Machi no Namagomi Ikashi-tai)
JPHino, Japan
A community garden in Hino City, Tokyo, started by citizens who believe 'kitchen waste is a treasure.' It collects and composts the kitchen waste of around 200 households and grows vegetables and flowers pesticide-free as a food-cycle garden. Naomi Shimpo studied its management and governance in detail in her 2021 and 2024 papers.
acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com+3
Belo Horizonte Urban Agriculture & Community Gardens
BRBelo Horizonte, Brazil
Urban agriculture rooted in Belo Horizonte's food security policy, with over three decades of experience; centred on a community-garden program created in 2017, it supports residents' production with seedlings and training.
prefeitura.pbh.gov.br+1