CITIES WITHOUT HUNGER Germany's Team Grows Further

       

Philipp Gehlert, student of Horticultural Sciences at Humboldt University Berlin, and Maja Berger, Cultural Studies graduate, now support the association's activities.

Philipp Gehlert has been volunteering for CITIES WITHOUT HUNGER Germany since March 2017. He is in his last study semester in Horticultural Sciences at Humboldt University Berlin and will graduate in spring 2018.

"Today, more people are living in cities than at the countryside. Therefore, it is essential to take those by the hand who are worse off in urban environments", the future horticultural engineer says. "CITIES WITHOUT HUNGER Brazil's concept of helping people help themselves through organic agriculture convinces me. The School Gardens and Community Gardens mediate knowledge on agriculture and ecology, which in turn builds the basis for a sustainable future", Philipp explains.

Maja Berger has been active for CITIES WITHOUT HUNGER Germany since May 2017. The same month, she graduated from her Bachelor's degree in Empirical Cultural Studies at the University of Tübingen.

The TV report "Das Geschäft mit der Armut" ("Making a Business With Poverty") broadcast on German TV channel 3sat drew her attention to the work of CITIES WITHOUT HUNGER Brazil. "I am especially interested in the School Gardens Project. Eating habits evolve early, and children in particular are important multipliers, who, in the long run, can pass on their dietary awareness and sustainable behaviour to the next generation. Not only do CITIES WITHOUT HUNGER's School Gardens promote this awareness, but also support responsible behaviour, as children have their own tasks in the School Garden. Furthermore, they contribute to strengthening communication and interaction between children and teachers."

Maja gained practical experience in agriculture through the programme WWOOF (World-Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) in Saint-Basile-le-Grand, Québec, at the organic farm Les Jardins Marie-Bio.
 

Hans Dieter Temp at International Urban Farming Conference 2017 in Berlin

Hans Dieter Temp presented CITIES WITHOUT HUNGER Brazil's work at the International Urban Farming Conference in Berlin, organised by the GRÜNE LIGA. The conference took place from 11 to 12 of September 2017 at the premises of Heinrich Böll Foundation.

The founder of CITIES WITHOUT HUNGER Brazil, Hans Dieter Temp, reported on his organisation's work in a Food Security Workshop, focussing on the School Gardens Project and the Community Gardens Project. Together, these projects comprise 63 gardens at the moment. Alice Bischof supported Temp as vice chairperson and scientific cooperations executive of German CITIES WITHOUT HUNGER association.

The conference's objective was to show the importance and variety of urban agriculture,  and to connect international projects, organisations and communities, as well as to discuss the political and policy framework within which urban agriculture takes place.

Participants exchanged ideas and experiences through diverse formats like workshops, talks, and group discussions. The final debate tried to answer the question on the future of urban agriculture: How can urban agriculture become a firm component of sustainable urban development?

Thomas Hock, member of CITIES WITHOUT HUNGER Germany's advisory board, Esther K. Beuth-Heyer and Alice Bischof met Hans Dieter Temp to talk about the present situation of the Brazilian organisation's agricultural projects. Furthermore, they discussed the collaboration with Rotary. Rotarian Thomas Hock presents CITIES WITHOUT HUNGER Brazil's work, giving talks in different Rotary Clubs.

You can learn more about the International Urban Farming Conference 2017 here.
 

Winner of the #SaladChallenge 2017

The social media campaign #SaladChallenge raises awareness of the work of CITIES WITHOUT HUNGER Brazil. The campaign took place from 15 of August to 15 of September in its second year. We congratulate this year's winners!

The salad-loving winners share glory and honour in five categories. The photo with the highest number of likes shows Örn (33).

The photos with the highest number of salad-lovers is from Gillian, Erica, Yuka, Francis, Gina, Matheus, May, Michael, Libby, Adela and Edvin, team of the Berlin coffee shop Hermann's.

15-year-old Marlene from Berlin was the youngest participant…

…and 51-year-old Patricia from Québec was the oldest participant.

The most original photo was generated with Jonathan (26), who, with salad and surfboard, is the living prove of the all-comprising applicability of salad.

45 days are needed for a salad to grow until it can be harvested in one of CITIES WITHOUT HUNGER Brazil's project gardens. In order to make sure that gardeners can harvest after a short period of time, the Brazilian organisation counts on salad in particular in freshly implemented gardens. This is why CITIES WITHOUT HUNGER Germany chose the salad as a symbol for the #SaladChallenge to raise awareness of the work of CITIES WITHOUT HUNGER Brazil.
 

CITIES WITHOUT HUNGER Germany Mourns the Loss of Genival Morães de Farías

Genival Morães de Farías, a pioneer of urban agriculture and community gardener from CITIES WITHOUT HUNGER Brazil, died in October 2017.

Every encounter with Genival was a great pleasure. His exceptional warmth and cordiality, his philosophical perspective on the world, and his great love to "Mother Earth", as he called her, will never be forgotten.

Genival leaves behind what he wanted to leave behind. "Organic agriculture is a lot of work. But: It creates life. And one day, when I die, I want to leave behind life", he explained two years ago.

CITIES WITHOUT HUNGER Brazil's Urban Agriculture Projects Awarded "Tecnologia Social" 

The urban agriculture projects implemented by CITIES WITHOUT HUNGER Brazil were certified as "Tecnologia Social" ("Social Technology") by the Banco do Brasil Foundation (Fundação Banco do Brasil).

The selection committee of the Banco do Brasil Foundation evaluated criteria like the duration of existence of the agriculture projects, their impact on social transformation, their degree of systematisation and replicability, the priority of social and cultural values, and their contribution to environmental protection and economic solidarity.

A certification with the seal "Certificada pela Fundação Banco do Brasil" ("Certified through the Banco do Brasil Foundation") gives visibility to the agriculture projects and shows that CITIES WITHOUT HUNGER Brazil sustainably helps people help themselves. A higher visibility, in turn, can foster the implementation of similar projects, drawing inspiration from the example of CITIES WITHOUT HUNGER Brazil's urban agriculture.

The term "Tecnologia Social" ("Social Technology") designates replicable products, technologies, or methods, which are created in collaboration with local communities and effectively contribute to social transformation – innovative solutions helping to solve societal problems.

The award is supported by the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF), the World Bank Group, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UNESCO, and the Brazilian Federal Government.

Community Gardens Project Presented at World Climate Change Conference (COP23) in Bonn

The Community Gardens Project was presented at the headquarter of the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ) in Bonn. Alice Bischof from CITIES WITHOUT HUNGER Germany represented the organisation.

The Community Gardens Project is shown on the Internet portal PANORAMA – Solutions for a Healthy Planet: Promoting local success stories to inform global climate action. PANORAMA offers a public global platform to local climate and environmental initiatives, presenting them as solutions to urgent socioeconomic and environmental problems.

The portal helps decision makers from politics and economy identify promising initiatives. Out of the more than 330 solutions published on the portal so far, the CITIES WITHOUT HUNGER's Community Gardens Project ranks among the Top40 – the 40 most effective solutions.

On 16 November 2017, PANORAMA launched a new section on Agriculture and Biodiversity. The Community Gardens Project "Food Sovereignty through Community Gardens in São Paulo/SP" is one of the first five solutions that were published on the new section.

Guests of the launch event were Dr Elsa Nickel, Deputy Director General from the German Federal Environment Ministry (BMUB), Dr Lorenz Petersen, Director of Climate Change, Rural Development and Infrastructure Division at GIZ, Brett Jenks, CEO from Rare, Marie Fischborn from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and Ilona Porsché from GIZ.

Partners of PANORAMA portal are the GIZ, IUCN, UN Environment, GRID-Arendal, Rare, the BMUB, and the Global Environment Facility (gef).
 

CIDADES SEM FOME Brazil in Partnership with Swiss Antenna Foundation

Swiss Antenna Foundation headquartered in Geneva supports CIDADES SEM FOME Brazil in the development of a project to foster traditional, old, and Creolic plant varieties and the genetic enhancement of seedlings through crossbreeding.

In project phase I, seeds of traditional en Creolic maize and ginger varieties are planted. During the months to come (project phase II), further species and varieties are going to be cultivated, such as red, white, and pink sweet potatoes, different varieties of curcuma, passion fruit, and construction bamboo.

The project aims at strengthening traditional seed banks and to enhance the genetic basis of the plants cultivated in CITIES WITHOUT HUNGER Brazil's agriculture projects.

The traditional or Creolic seeds used have specific traits like climate resilience which are passed on from plant generation to plant generation. These seeds support farmers' independent production, since they allow for saving a share of each year's harvests as seeds for the next vegetation period.

"Our farmers will spend less on the purchase of seeds, and they will not be dependent on big multinational companies monopolising the seed industry", explains Hans Dieter Temp, founder of CITIES WITHOUT HUNGER Brazil, drawing on Letícia Garcindo (2009): Creolic seeds help farmers survive, since they make possible the production of their own food plus a commercialisation of the surplus, which helps to improve their livelihoods. Seeds represent part of the culture of a community, and are central element of farmers' lifestyles, characterised by the conservation of sociocultural practices and the creation of local and environmental identities.

More about the Antenna Foundation
 

New Areas for Community Gardens Below Transmission Lines

CITIES WITHOUT HUNGER Brazil renewed their agreement with electricity supplier EDP São Paulo and the Instituto EDP on the use of areas below electrical transmission lines for the implementation of Community Gardens.

Four Community Gardens have already been created on such areas in the region of Greater São Paulo: Two in the town of Suzano, one in the municipality of Mogi das Cruzes, and one in the municipality of Poá. Together, they comprise an area of 17,000 square metres, providing jobs for more than 50 people as community gardeners, who are able to earn an income for themselves and their families. Many of the gardeners are older than 55 years, lack formally recognised education or professional qualification, and have been unemployed for several years without any perspective of returning to the job market.

Together with the community gardeners, their families and neighbours benefit from an improved access to high quality fruit and vegetables: The gardens make fresh, organically grown produce locally available at affordable prices.

With the agreement on the use of the areas below transmission lines, the enterprise EDP seeks to foster the social integration of local residents, thereby preventing vandalism, decay, and abuse of their land as illegal rubbish dumps. The provision of urban land for social projects and partnerships between private companies and non-governmental organisations are a new form of urban development.

More about EDP (Portuguese)
 

Christmas Wish from Ivone Maria Getúlio

Ivone Maria Getúlio
Community Gardens Project | Horta Sapopemba, São Paulo/SP

“This year was very difficult for us Brazilians. Our country faced a severe political and economic crisis. However, the crisis hit me and my family to a lesser extent, because we always had access to fresh produce from our garden, and we were also able to sell a substantial quantity of fruit and vegetables the people from our neighbourhood. That way, our income was not really affected, and we were able to handle the crisis' economic impact very well. The garden really saved us! 
I wish you all a wonderful new year."

Your donation helps:

The award "Prêmio Volkswagen na comunidade 2017" benefits 800 pupils and their families

As one of the twelve winning projects of the X. competition by the Volkswagen Brazil Foundation, the School Gardens Project was awarded the "Prêmio Volkswagen na comunidade 2017", receiving 10,500 Euros. 1,250 initiatives had participated in this year's competition.

The price helped create a new School Garden at the school EE Professora Maria da Conceição Oliveira Costa in Itaquera, one of the poorest districts of the city of São Paulo. More than 800 children aged 6 to 12 will benefit. Most of them live in the nearby favela or in a run-down social housing skyscraper complex. For most of them, lunch at school is the only daily meal.

Their situation is significantly enhanced with the fresh produce from the School Garden, which improves quantity and quality of school meals. But not only the students benefit from the garden: Surplus harvest is given to the families of the poorest pupils.

The School Gardens Project improves public school students' access to healthy food and thereby prevents malnutrition. Furthermore, gardens serve as pedagogical tools, as "green classrooms", where children gain knowledge about plants and soil.

The yearly competition by Volkswagen Brazil Foundation is directed to social initiatives which foster social development in the area of Brazil's Volkswagen sites and the city of Resende, where MAN's truck factory is located. 

Watch the two-minutes video (Portuguese) shot for the award.
 

Dieter Morszeck Foundation Sponsor of Two New School Gardens

A donation by the Dieter Morszeck Foundation rendered possible the creation of two new School Gardens. The gardens provide access to healthy food in sufficient quantity for 3,083 students living in middle to severe food insecurity.

The two public schools at which the gardens were implemented are run by the federal state of São Paulo. 800 students aged 6 to 15 attend the school EMEF José Lins do Rego, located in the district of São Mateus.

The public school EE Sapopemba in the district of Jardim Sapopemba counts 2,283 ten to seventeen year old students.

The city area the two schools are located in was classified ZEIS 1 by São Paulo's city administration. ZEIS 1 means areas characterised by favela settlements and low household income.

The low income level reduces people's purchase power for healthy food: The lower the income, the higher the share of the household budget spent on food. Fresh fruit and vegetables are relatively expensive and consequently are bought rarely.

After the implementation, planting, and the first harvests together with the students, CITIES WITHOUT HUNGER Brazil closely accompanies both School Gardens for a one-year period. After that year, gardens are usually managed by their respective beneficiaries autonomously. "For the children, the gardens grant long-term access to sufficient and healthy produce", Hans Dieter Temp, who founded CITIES WITHOUT HUNGER Brazil, explains.

The Dieter Morszeck Foundation was founded in 2016 and roots back to the traditional family company RIMOWA. "The Brazilian NGO is one of the first organisations we support", Thomas Morszeck, the foundation's chair, says. "We are glad to contribute to the School Gardens Project and provide a better nutrition and environmental education in a 'green classroom' for more than 3,000 children", he explains.

Esther K. Beuth-Heyer, chair of CITIES WITHOUT HUNGER Germany, shows how much she appreciates the partnership. "In the name of the schools and of our team I would like to thank the Dieter Morszeck Foundation for their generous support, which significantly contributes to making our School Gardens Project grow, something I could experience on site during my visit in Brazil this summer", she says.

The fruit and vegetables cultivated in the School Gardens enhance the quantity and quality of students' meals, thereby preventing diseases connected to malnutrition. Through the School Gardens and nutritional education in collaboration with CITIES WITHOUT HUNGER Brazil, healthy eating habits and an accordant lifestyle are promoted in order to obviate the consumption of industrially produced foods.
 

Christmas Wish from the School Gardens Project

School Gardens Project | Adriana Quimello | Teacher and Coordinator of the School Garden at the  EMEF José Lins do Rego, São Paulo/SP

“We are very happy with the garden at our school. The pupils, the teachers, the kitchen staff, everybody contributes to this wonderful garden. The children are excited to be outside and get their hands dirty with soil! They learn to understand how the food they eat grows in nature. That is a very valuable learning experience."

Your donation helps: 

Worldwide Interest in CITIES WITHOUT HUNGER Brazil's Greenhouses Construction Plan

Within the past year, from 13 November 2016 to 14 November 2017, the information about the methodology and construction of CITIES WITHOUT HUNGER Brazil's agricultural greenhouses were accessed by Internet users from over 90 countries.

The highest number of visitors – about 35,000 page views from 59 countries – was registered for the Portuguese version of CITIES WITHOUT HUNGER Brazil's website, 88 per cent of which came from Brazil. From Portugal, the construction manual was accessed about 2,140 times. 650 clicks came from Mozambique, making the country the third biggest interested party.

The English version was accessed 2,700 times from 85 countries. The "Top 3" countries listed in the website's statistic from which users clicked on the construction manual again ranks Brazil highest with 444 page views, closely followed by India with 433 page views. From Nigeria, the manual was opened 186 times.

The construction manual's German version was accessed 654 times, and page visitors came from 23 countries. About 60 per cent of page views were generated in Germany, and 17 per cent in Brazil. Users from Portugal and the U.S. viewed the page 36 and 35 times.

Although the number of page views can only give limited information on the actual use of the manual for the construction of agricultural greenhouses made of alternative materials, the number still shows a worldwide interest in such methodology.

Developed by CITIES WITHOUT HUNGER Brazil, the methodology for the construction of agricultural greenhouses made of alternative materials is far more cost-efficient than the conventional method, which makes use of aluminium and galvanised steel. The use of alternative and locally available materials saves 50 per cent of construction costs on average, while the greenhouses show excellent results in plant production.
 

Christmas Wish from the Agricultural Greenhouses Project

Agricultural Greenhouses Project | Francisco de Assis Neto

“This year was a great one for our family. We significantly increased our production and sales of organic leafy greens and vegetables, and we were able to construct another greenhouse with alternative materials. Our sales to supermarkets grew considerably.

The work we do has become well known in town – so well that people ask me to deliver to their homes, so twice a week I get on my van with fresh produce. This increases my income, and residents get to know our work. With the money from direct marketing I have been able to refurbish our house.

I wish you all a merry Christmas and a successful new year”.

Your donation helps:

In the context of this year's World Climate Change Conference, the donation platform Betterplace, Germany’s largest donation platform and charitable partner of CITIES WITHOUT HUNGER Germany, chose the Small Family Farms Project for a special donation campaign. 

On 15 November 2017 from 12 a.m. on, all individual donations of 100 Euros maximum were doubled by Betterplace until the 5,000 Euros budget Betterplace provided for the campaign were gone. Through the campaign, 1,030.20 Euros were collected for the purchase of an urgently needed manioc peeling machine.

The machine will benefit five family farms, who used to produce tobacco. From the 1980s on, international tobacco companies sought to persuade farmers in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil's southernmost federal state, to convert their production to tobacco, promising high yields – both financially and physically. Many farmers followed the companies' suggestion and started producing tobacco. Ultimately, many of them reaped economic and health problems. With the support of CITIES WITHOUT HUNGER, the families could diversify their production again, and get together in an organic farming cooperative.

Manioc is one of their most important cultures. The plant with its starchy roots is planted in spring, that is from September to October, and is harvested just before winter between April and May. The roots are peeled and stored in two cooling chambers. That way, manioc can be sold year-round and is a reliable source of income for the five families. This year, about 106,000 kilos of manioc were harvested.

At the moment, the manioc roots need to be peeled manually – an incredibly hard work, especially considering the high yield. The manioc peeling machine would support the work of the five small family farms in a sustainable manner.

Christmas Wish from the Small Family Farms Project

Small Family Farms Project | Rüdiger Temp

“For us small family farmers, 2017 is a year we are very proud of. The most important news is that the town hall authorised the creation of an agribusiness. Until now, the production and commercialisation of our products was informal. We could not continue like that, because our production volume has increased substantially.

We have about 100,000 kilos of manioc peeled and frozen in our two cooling chambers, and we were not able to sell this quantity without being subject to regulation.

With the agribusiness we can issue bills of sale, create barcodes for our products to state their origin, expiry date, prices, and, most importantly, our manioc production will be evaluated and released for commercialisation in the whole of Brazil by the regulation authorities such as the sanitary surveillance, or tax audit.

We have improved our facilities to work more efficiently and to have a better control of our expenditures. I think that things are going really well. The only thing that is still missing is the manioc peeling machine, because it is not easy to peel more than 100,000 kilos of manioc by hand. Not only does it take very long, it is a tiring activity requiring a lot of workforce, increasing our costs. It would be great if you would support us in our endeavour to purchase the machine.

A merry Christmas to all of you. I wish you a happy new year, and would like to thank you for your support."

Your donation helps: