Organic Urban Greenhouses
Organic urban greenhouses are an essential part of our work. The greenhouses are for family consumption not for commercialization.
In El Alto, many families have a yard where, together, we build an organic urban greenhouse and convert the space into an ecosystem for the family. Where they grow vegetables, fruit trees, and ornamental and medicinal plants.
Production is not only carried out at soil level but all the space is taken advantage of, this includes hanging plants and adding shelves to the walls, both inside the greenhouse and in the yard. Because of this it is possible to produce at least 50 varieties between vegetables, fruit trees and varieties of aromatic, medicinal plants and flowers in a relatively small space. Everything that is grown is organic and helps support the family's diet.
We principally work with women because they are the ones responsible for the nutrition of everyone in their household.
With their organic family greenhouse, the family develops and improves their sense of respect for daily life and are able to put into practice their opportunity to care for Mother Earth. The greenhouse connects families and neighbours, improves nutrition and food security, and creates a better environment for the family.
This situation eliminates their daily pressure to fight to be able to offer food to their family and unleashes their thoughts, desires and dreams to find their own road and develop the meaning of their own life.
Synergetic effects of Organic Urban Greenhouses
Better air quality
Contamination of the atmosphere is one of the consequences of climate change. Organic urban greenhouses improve the quality of the cities air. The gardeners affirm that the greenhouses “give more life”, that they breathe better air, and that they leave their organic urban greenhouses with more energy and joy.
Reduces the use of transportation
Self-consumption, sporadic sales, bartering and donations do not require transportation. Consuming local reduces food and consumer mileage as well as carbon emissions. Creating a stable mechanism of accessing good quality food products diminishes the demand for food grown in a way that is disrespectful of nature and increases the supply of healthy and fresh food.
Increases vegetation cover
Organic urban greenhouses increase the density of vegetation biodiversity and contribute to the better health of the citizens. The new biodiversity increases carbon sinks and creates more thermoregulatoring spaces, captures noise and improves the environmental quality. Every fruit tree is capable of absorbing up to 10kb of CO2 each year. Trees function like water filters, improve the quality of the soil, attract insects and other animals, and increase the biodiversity of wildlife.
Reduces waste
Families produce less waste because they consume less products packaged in plastic. The organic waste produced by the families is reused to make compost. The greenhouses use clean energy, green infrastructure and artisanal heaters (reused plastic bottles filled with water and painted black, that absorb heat during the day and diffuse it during the night). They reduce the vulnerability of the weakest urban groups and strengthen the management of responsible food production and consumption. They reduce competition for fresh water and reduce the depletion of certain minerals, such as phosphorus, by making productive use of natural nutrients. They Reduce landfill volume and therefore, methane and greenhouse gas emissions. Organic urban greenhouses bring together conditions that make it possible to live well because they generate reconnection with social and ecological systems, diminish violence, increase empowerment of women, produce food that generates coexistence, promote social and ecological justice, and consequently contribute to peacebuilding.