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Community gardenActiveSince 2006

Hortas Cariocas (Rio de Janeiro)

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil · Operator: Prefeitura do Rio de Janeiro (Secretaria Municipal de Meio Ambiente e Clima, SMAC)

Overview

Rio de Janeiro's urban agriculture program, launched in 2006, establishing agroecological gardens in schools and vacant lots and supporting food security in favelas and vulnerable areas through composting, seedling production and food education.

Citizen participation

Residents of favelas and peripheral neighbourhoods, plus school students and staff, run agroecological gardens on vacant lots and school grounds, taking part in composting, seedling production and food security training.

Operating model

A public program run by the city's environment and climate secretariat, combining food security and income generation for vulnerable groups and supplying part of the produce to the community.

Impact

It now runs 53 community gardens and 30 in municipal schools, reaching over 20,000 students; it produces about 82 tons a year and in 2025 alone benefited 3,600 families.

Land tenure

License / permit

Gardens are established on municipal vacant lots and school grounds, run by community members under the city's environment and climate program.

Crops

  • vegetables
  • herbs
  • cassava

Scale

53 active community gardens plus 30 in municipal schools; ~82 tons of produce/year; reaches over 20,000 students

Sources(2)

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Hortas Cariocas (Rio de Janeiro) — Urban Farm DB