EXPERIENCE REPORT: PRODUCTION OF A COMMUNITY GARDEN OF A UNIVERSITY EXTENSION PROJECT IN A MUNICIPAL SCHOOL IN PORTO VELHO, RONDÔNIA

Abstract

The object of study of this article arises from the action of the "Urban and Community Gardens: Cultivating Connections'' project, resulting in the implementation of a vegetable garden at the Manoel Aparício Nunes de Almeida Municipal School in the municipality of Porto Velho - Rondônia. In which, the central objective was to provide the right to food and nutritional education for school children, bringing a more suitable environment, guaranteeing their learning and development, the gardens serving as an extension of the school environment, and providing opportunities for integral development, including practical skills, environmental awareness and healthy eating habits. The construction of the vegetable garden was carried out through and with the help of prior planning for the recycling of materials using ecological and sustainable means, in order to preserve the environment and avoid higher costs, where a vegetable garden was created in the vertical model and a compost bin, as well reducing waste and generating a sustainable cycle at the school where food is planted and food waste is used to generate fertilizer for the plantation. Despite difficulties throughout the process, such as the search for new locations and the shortened completion deadline, it resulted in a lack of contact and results with students and the nearby community. However, it was possible to provide education, ethics, awareness, participation and environmental development for everyone involved in the project. The importance of this interaction outside the classroom was highlighted, since childhood, which will awaken in the target audience the desire to follow the example presented there, encouraging the consumption of healthier foods, and offering a discussion on environmental issues and awareness about practices sustainable agriculture, such as composting, recycling and resource conservation. Visible results were obtained, such as the complete implementation of a sustainable vegetable garden where people around can consume and continue its production, hanging on the wall where children and professionals will have easy access, together with the compost bin, which is a system whose The objective is to facilitate and accelerate the harvesting process through fertilization and reducing pollutants.