Problem Statement

With the intention of replicating the "Agroecology and Climate Change in Favelas" project in Manaus, through the call for proposals, Hub Manaus was approved, and we selected the Redenção neighborhood, within REUSA - Project for Ecological Restoration and Sustainable Urbanization in the Amazon. The project is led by women in the Redenção neighborhood, a suburb of the metropolitan area of Manaus. An important point is the issue of Amazonian cities being intersected by rivers, which locally we call igarapés. The entire city of Manaus has its urban fabric cut by these watercourses. Without urban planning adapted to the reality of an Amazonian city, historically seeking to implement urban models from other countries, the result is that these slopes with igarapés lack access to public policies, becoming vulnerable urban communities in various ways. The name of our igarapé in question is Igarapé do Gigante, where REUSA is located.

Thus, at the initiative of "Dona Cris," as the community leader and founder of the REUSA project, she began mobilizing her community in 2008, with projects for reusing solid waste, collecting PET bottles, and providing training to transform them into handicrafts, generating income for the women of the region, also working on female empowerment. Today, they have their own headquarters, are a reference in the city as social mobilizers, and REUSA is a focal point for receiving projects from various impact organizations.

Hub Manaus chose the REUSA project and the Redenção community to receive the "Agroecology and Climate Change in Favelas" project due to this history of mobilization and high engagement. The Hub has already carried out several projects with this community throughout its history, even helping in the construction of its headquarters. We consider this a positive point because it demonstrates that we already have a presence in the territory, although it has been several years since we were able to bring projects to this territory, so as a Hub, we see this call as an opportunity for reconnection. As a final criterion for choosing this community to receive the project, months ago there was a report from Lorena, a member of Hub Manaus, working on another project within the territory, which received demand from Dona Cris about the interest that the women of REUSA have in having a vegetable garden. That is, it is already a demand from the community, even before knowing about the opportunity of this call. We see this as very positive because it increases the likelihood of the garden succeeding and having a long life.

 

Target Group

The target audience is the women of the Redenção neighborhood, an area on the outskirts of the metropolitan region of Manaus, specifically within the REUSA project - Project for Ecological Restoration and Sustainable Urbanization in the Amazon. This audience includes both Brazilian women and Venezuelan refugees who work on the restoration project, who have professional qualifications in handicrafts.

 

Proposed Solution

We divided the solution into objectives:

- Mobilize residents of the region to insert and replicate keyhole gardens in the Rip Rap community of Redenção, Igarapé do Gigante, in the immediate vicinity of the REUSA project. Each keyhole garden can produce safe and organic food for up to 10 families and compost their food waste.

- Create and strengthen seed banks that have community demands. For more technical issues of agroecology and dealing with specific seeds and plantings, we will count on a partnership with a volunteer consultant, Alcineide Magalhães, and the Coletivo Puxirum dp Bem Viver, which works with gardens in the city of Manaus.

- Generate income by selling organic compost from composting their food waste.

- Insert beds of medicinal plants, both for own use and for the processing of by-products from agribusiness.

- Conduct the construction of the keyhole garden collectively, on a day agreed upon with the community, with the goal of bringing together at least 20 people between Hub volunteers and women from the REUSA project and the rip rap, bringing music and a collective snack on the day.

- Budget for the purchase of more seeds to revive the garden frequently after its inauguration.

- Prepare a final report with a description of the journey, photographic survey of the stages and final construction, and financial execution of the project.

 

Objective

Consolidate and replicate the methodology of the "Agroecology and Climate Change in Favelas" project from the Rio de Janeiro Hub.

 

Available Metrics

For the metrics, we plan to quantify the number of families and individuals directly and indirectly benefited by the project, the quantity of food generated in community gardens, and, in turn, an evaluation index by the community.

 

Collaborators:

Lucas Escobar, Antônio Neto, Gabriella Maia, Lorena Jezini, and Sandro Tavares.