Urban Agriculture magazine • number 22 • June 2009

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www.ruaf.org

Promoting Access to Food in Contagem, Brazil

José Antônio Ribeiro Marilda Quintino Magalhães

Sincethe1950sContagemhasdevelopedintooneofthecitiesinBrazilwiththelargestnumberofindustries.Severalneighbourhoodsgrewinanunorganisedwayaroundthese industries,due to the influxofmigrants lookingforjobsandbetterlivingconditions.Contagemisanamazingmosaic of landscapes, with densely occupied industrialareas, residential neighbourhoods, and“urban vacuums”:remnantareasandformerlyrurallandswhichstillcontainpastures occupied by cattle, horses, goats and extensivemarshareas.Tobuildamoresustainablecity,itisimportanttorecoverandstrengthenurbanandfamilyagricultureinthemunicipality.Communitygardensdevelopedonpublicandprivateinsti-tutionalareasallowpeoplelivinginconditionsoffoodin-securitytoproduceandaccesshealthyfood.Moreover,theycontribute to building strong cities and to local develop-ment.OneofthesuccessfulexperiencesinContagemisthecommunitygardenof theSupportCentre (Horta Comuni-

The municipality of Contagem in the State of Minas Gerais, despite being known as an industrial cen-tre, has an enormous potential to develop urban agriculture. The current administration recognises this, and supports the development of agriculture as an important strategy for consolidating its Municipal Food and Nutritional Security Policy.

tária da Casa de Apoio).ThiscommunitygardenispartoftheUrbanandFamilyAgricultureSupportProgramme,runbytheCoordinationOfficeofFoodandNutritionalSecurityandSupply(CSANA),whichispartoftheMunicipalSecretariatofSocialDevelopmentofthemunicipalityofContagem.

TheUrbanandFamilyAgricultureSupportProgrammewassupportedbyRUAFthroughitsCitiesFarmingfortheFutureProgrammein2007-2008.Thisprojectaimedat“improvingtheconditionsoffamilies livingwithfoodandnutritionalinsecurityandsocialrisks,throughtheimplementationofacollectivespacefortheproductionoffruits,vegetablesandinputs using agro-ecologicalmethods, through participa-torymanagementandcommunityorganisation.

Lessons learnedApproximatelyayearandahalfafterthestartofthecommu-nitygardenproject,theresultsarequitevisible.Itssuccessdemonstratesthatcollaborationbetweenpublicauthoritiesandcivilsocietyorganisationsinpromotingsocialinclusionisimportantinlocaldevelopment.

Culture of participationAt the Support Centre a“garden group” has been set up,consistingoftwelveorganisedfamilies.Thediversegroupismadeupofyoungandelderlypeople(mostlywomen),whoare involved in social programmes. In regular meetings,planning,cropmanagementandoveralladministrationarediscussed and a culture of participation is created thatextendstoothercommunity,decision-makingandtraining

The Support Center has agro-ecological production areas as well as learning and training areasPhoto: Alain Santandreu

Urban Agriculture magazine • number 22 • June 2009 www.ruaf.org

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forums.Inthisway,theexperiencewithagricultureencour-agesachangeinthewaythatparticipantsperceivetheplacetheylivein,bothindividuallyandcollectively,andhowtheyviewpossiblechanges.

The community garden at the Support Center has agro-ecologicalproductionareas,aswellasalearningandtrain-ingarea. Participating farmers share the things that theylearnwithotherfamiliesintheregion.Theyhavecreatedanetworkthroughwhichtheycanexchangeknowledgeandexperiences, but also roots, seeds and other resources.Already30otherfamilieshavestartedtheirownlittlefamilygardens with the help of this network.Moreover, a largeproportionof theresidentsofNovaContagemcamefromthecountrysidewithlocalagriculturalknowledgethatcanbe enhanced and shared through urban agriculture.Thisactivity is thusan important strategy for integrationand survival in the city, aswell as for reducing social vul-nerability.

Partnerships Thecommunitygardencollaborateswith theMembersofthePastoral da Criança,asocialactionorganisationoftheNationalConferenceofBishopsofBrazil,whichisveryactiveatthelocallevel,actasfacilitatorsandencouragethepopu-lationtoparticipate inactivities thatpromotehealthandfoodsecurity.Because theyare trusted in thecommunity,theyhaveapositiveinfluenceondecision-making.TheRUAFprojectwasdevelopedwiththe“SupportCenterforChildrenin Need of Contagem”, a civil society organisationwhich,amongotheractivities,supportstheCommunityKitcheninNovaContagem,oneoftheregionswiththehighestratesofpoverty,socialvulnerabilityandfoodinsecuritywithinthemunicipality.

Healthier diets and increased incomeThroughweeklyvisitstothecommunitygarden,technicalfollow-upiscarriedoutbytheCSANAteamwiththesupportofEMATER1,whichispartoftheagreementwiththemunici-palityofContagem.During thesevisits, thegardengroupmeets, exchanges experiences, discusses andplans activi-ties,andundertakesjointagriculturalactivities.Everything

Notes1) Technical Assistance and Rural Extension Company of the State of

Minas Gerais.

ReferencesStrategic Planning. Food and Nutritional Security and Supply Coordination Office, Municipality of Contagem, 2006/2008Urban Agriculture and Food and Nutritional Security. Municipality of Contagem, Manual (in press), 2009 www.pastoraldacrianca.org.br

producedbythegardenissharedbytheparticipantsandthesurplusissold,whichgeneratesasmallfundusedfordailyexpenses.

Other garden groups in the city are also looking at thisopportunitytogeneratedirectrevenues,whichallowsfami-liestosaveonfoodpurchasesandconsumehealthierprod-ucts. Farmers also frequently claim that participating inagricultural activities has a therapeutic effect, not onlybecauseofthecontactwiththelandandtheplants,butalsobecauseofcollectivepractices.

Optimising the use of local resourcesTheurbangardensinContagemarelocatedonemptyareasandlotsthat,iftheyweretoremainvacant,wouldbecomedisposalsitesforwasteanddebris,andplaceswherediseasevectors,suchasratsandinsects,canfreelyreproduce.TheSupportCentreencouragescommunitymemberstochangetheir habits with respect to waste management, and,althoughstillpresenttosomeextentinthegardens,thereismuchlesswastethanbefore.

Organic waste from the Community Kitchen in NovaContagem, which serves around 300 people per day, iscollecteddailyandtransformedintoahigh-qualityfertiliserthrough composting. In exchange, the group offers thekitchenaportionoftheproduce,creatingacyclethatinte-gratestheproductionofhealthyfood,wastereductionandresourceoptimisation.

Throughtheintroductionofnewspeciesandvarietiesinthegardens,theformerwastedumpsarenowshowingincreasedbiodiversity.Oneofthechallengesofthegardensisthehighcostofcleanwater.Therefore,rooftoprainwatercollectionfacilitieswere installed,witha storagecapacityof20,000litres. Althoughnot enough for all the crops, thewater isusedinthegardensduringthedryseason.Italsohelpstoreducecosts,aswellasminimisetheimpactoffloodsduringtherainyseason.

ConclusionTheSupportCentre’s initiativesarepartof theMunicipalFood and Nutritional Security Policy of Contagem, andcontribute, together with other initiatives in the city, tocreatingasustainableandresistantcity.

CSANA/MunicipalityofContagem,BrazilEmail:csana_csana@yahoo.com.br

Promoting Access to Food in Contagem, Brazil

Horta Comunitária da Casa de Apoio – community garden part of the Urban and Family Agriculture Support ProgrammePhoto: Alain Santandreu