Knowing and preparing the land, sowing carefully and attentively, caring for what has been planted lovingly and with the hope of reaping the results of so much work and dedication… It is no coincidence that the example of cultivation is often used as a metaphor for the educational process that takes place daily in all Salesian works, schools and presences, where Salesian educators are committed to “reaping” good Christians and conscientious citizens.
In many of these works and schools the metaphor becomes reality through projects that provide sustainable gardens developed by children, teenagers and young adults. In these projects, students play an active part the educational process: they realise their importance for the conservation and care of the environment, they reinforce the values of solidarity and respect for nature and others, they experience the collective effort to produce something that will benefit everyone…
In Pará de Minas, Minas Gerais, the São Domingos Sávio youth centre is a reference point for agricultural production of food for the surrounding communities. Since 2010, this production is carried out through the Sustainable Garden Project, in which 220 children and teenagers from 6 to 16 years of age are involved.
“In this project, children and adolescents plant, care for, harvest and consume healthy food, both at home and in the workplace. The garden serves different families and the internal consumption of students, collaborators and Salesians, ”explains the social and educational manager, Ana Paula A. Carvalho Santos.
Depending on the time of year, students are involved in building flowerbeds; soil preparation and planting; monitoring, maintenance and care of flowerbeds where vegetables are planted; harvesting and washing products. “Then they go to the kitchen workshop, where they prepare food with their colleagues. The whole process is permeated by workshops and discussions on the environment, also involving parents. The division into fields, activities and workshops takes place by age groups, to enhance learning”, continues Carvalho Santos.
In his Encyclical “Laudato Si ',” Pope Francis invites everyone to take on the responsibility of being “custodians” of our Common Home that is planet Earth. It is from this extract from his encyclical that the name "Guardians Workshop" came, at the Recanto da Cruz Grande in Itapevi, São Paulo State.
In the project, students get to understand and develop their role in caring for our Common Home; they follow the process from planting, caring for through to harvesting, until they appreciate the healthy and nutritious food produced; they understand the relationship between soil, water and nutrients; they learn cultivation techniques; they develop composting; and they contribute to the fight against hunger in families by focusing on self-production.
In this regard, social educator Rosiene says, “Being an educator of ‘The Custodians’ is an opportunity for me to be a Christian and a better citizen.”
The students in first and third years primary at the Salesian San Paolo school in Ascurra in the State of Santa Catarina have developed a project for the production of a composter and a sustainable vegetable garden, involving the disciplines of Language, Mathematics and Natural Sciences.
The children contributed to planting the garden, producing compost, harvesting and selling products to the school community to make the garden sustainable. Composting reduces waste and has allowed students to observe the nutrient cycle used for the garden, turning organic waste into new soil. The vegetable garden has contributed to learning about food, nutrition and the importance of healthy habits. In addition to the disciplinary content, the project aimed to provide knowledge and awareness to children on issues involving the environment and citizenship, strengthening attitudes for the conservation and sustainable development of our Common Home.
“The Sustainable Garden at Parque Dom Bosco is a continuous activity: once the garden is built there it will remain throughout the year, so that the new classes can continue the project. The goal is to make children and young people aware and sensitive to the fact that life depends on the environment and the environment depends on each person who is part of the planet ”, explains Liliane Silva Pádua, coordinator of the Generation 2030 Project at Parque Dom Bosco, a Salesian social work located in Itajaí, also in the State of Santa Catarina.
The idea of building a sustainable vegetable garden came when there was an increase in the number of people who attend the centre and the growing dependence on food donations to feed students; to this need was then added the need to teach teenagers and older youth the value of healthy eating and caring for the environment.
Finally, it is worth mentioning the Urban Gardens project carried out by the Jesus the Adolescent Youth Centre located in the municipality of Três Lagoas, in Mato Grosso del Sur, in collaboration with the Suzano Company and the Cargil Foundation.
Started in 2022, it has transformed a piece of free land into an agro-ecological garden within an urban environment, with the specific objective of promoting agro-ecological agriculture, improving the food quality and self-esteem of the families involved in the project and providing a generation of income to these families.
The Urban Gardens project continues in 2023, with 40 families starting the process of marketing products to strengthen their family income. A marketing point is currently being opened in the central market in the municipality of Três Lagoas and, subsequently, participants will have access to activities and courses on entrepreneurship, sustainable agriculture, environmental education and family income.
The success of this best practice, a pioneer in the sector, led the Salesian Province in question to propose the extension of the project to Campo Grande, where Casa Dom Bosco, located in the Taquaral Bosque district is the social work identified to develop a new agro-ecological garden.
