Garden project gives new meaning to former asylum area

On a plot of land that was part of the old psychiatric colony in Taquara, weeds and rubble gradually gave way to beautiful lettuce plants and other vegetables. Occupied by the Arte, Horta & Cia project, linked to the Juliano Moreira Institute's Employment and Income Generation Program, the area gained new meaning by training and providing employment for patients assisted by the mental health network and the community. With the aim of ensuring sustainability and social well-being, the project has just received the Organic Compliance Certificate from the Association of Organic Farmers of the State of Rio de Janeiro (ABIO).

Integrated into the Museu Bispo do Rosário, the Arte, Horta & Cia project is the first initiative within the Rio de Janeiro Urban Agriculture Network (Rede CAU) to receive this certificate. The evaluation takes into account organic production and the quality of the service provided, in accordance with current legislation on agroecological principles.

Arte, Horta & Cia offers a semi-annual course in urban agriculture and agroecology for training. With an average duration of four months and 64 classes in total, including practical and theoretical classes, an estimated 3 participants have already benefited, including users of the psychosocial care centers of the Municipal Health Department, residents of the surrounding area and members who support the operation of the initiative.

The agroecological garden began to be prepared in 2021. At that time, the land was plowed, harrowed and stimulated with fertilizer to properly study what could be grown. In 2022, production began to gain momentum and has continued to yield food since then. In the two thousand square meter planted area with 90 beds, lettuce, kale, chicory, coriander and chives have already been harvested. Coconut, lemon and banana trees can also be seen throughout the land that has a total of 20 thousand square meters. The estimated production is approximately 300 kg per year of various crops. For the project coordinator, Marcelle Souza, the main objective is to build a critical and autonomous vision of the garden members.

– We understand participation in the garden as promoting the individual’s overall health. We encourage the emancipation of this individual in this space so that he or she can discover other possibilities outside of this territory. Our premise is to encourage a worldview that enables choices – explains Marcelle.

The project was able to help Valéria Serqueira's husband regain his independence and develop. A resident of the region for 60 years, she began to notice movement in the area in mid-2022, which was enough to spark her interest. She decided to take her husband to the project at the time, and soon realized how much he was welcomed and how much he had evolved. Vanderley de Oliveira suffered a stroke in 2018 and has had to deal with the after-effects ever since. The interaction and practice with the crop were enough to help him progress. Valéria followed each advance closely and decided to join the project as well.

– It’s a joy and I have a lot to be thankful for. My husband is a different person! Seeing how he is today, you wouldn’t believe how he was before he came to participate. The people involved in the project not only plant plants, pots or decorate things, but they also remind us that we are alive. We realize that we are someone and that we can succeed – says Valéria.

Surrounded by memories of her parents and her childhood whenever she is in the garden, Eliana Dias has lived in the region for 53 years and came to the project at the invitation of a neighbor. She already had the habit of taking care of a home garden and was enchanted by the crops. She decided to participate and, since then, each class has been a new learning experience and she was impressed by the chicory plantation.

– I learned to exercise patience, that is the great gain, to turn to ourselves and recognize our role in this world. Respect the earth and its nuances and also respect others -, says Eliana.

One of the garden’s distinguishing features is the use of social technologies such as composting, a biodigester system and a filter garden to facilitate better growing conditions and increased productivity. Part of the food planted is later used in the Bistrô do Bispo restaurant at the Bispo do Rosário Museum, where a menu is designed and prepared to serve Brazilian and natural foods. The harvest is also shared between the project members and the local community, a procedure decided every month at an assembly held among the project members to direct the actions in the space.

– This certificate was achieved during environmental awareness month, it is a recognition that shows that we are on the right path -, says the director of the Juliano Moreira Municipal Health Assistance Institute, Luciana Cerqueira.

– We have supported the garden’s desire to be recognized as a reference in agroecology and mental health, generating jobs and income within the perspective of the solidarity economy. This entire process is on the path of self-management, social participation, as well as instigating health and comprehensive well-being. The deinstitutionalization of this Institute leads the local community to occupy a social and subjective place transformed by affection where there was once pain and exclusion -, explains director Luciana Cerqueira, remembering that for a long time the land was a facility for male internment in a mental hospital and after the psychiatric reform it began to be used as a construction warehouse.

The urban agriculture and agroecology training course is in its third class. Each semester, 15 places are available for users of the psychosocial care network and local residents. To register, you must contact the coordinator of the Employment and Income Generation Program. The project aims to expand community participation, as well as expand planting and the insertion of more social technologies in the space, such as rainwater harvesting, participation in fairs and bringing together partners to exchange knowledge.

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2 July 2024

Appointments: farming garden Municipal Health Department