Full Title: Community Garden for Waste Pickers in Brasilia
Stakeholders: Waste Pickers working on the new Recycling Complex in Brasilia; Waste Pickers living around University of Brasília; Waste Pickers of Brasilia in General; Radboud University students; Grupo Gestão / University of Brasilia; Aalborg University.
Problem: after the closure of the dumpsite in Brasilia, waste pickers struggle to make ends meet and therefore have difficulties assuring food security for their complete nutritional needs.
SDGs focused: SDG 2 (no hunger); SDG 3 (good healthy and well-being); SDG 15 (Life on land).
Context: when they worked at the Lixão da Estrutural, the waste pickers in Brasília made money every day by selling what they managed to collect from the garbage. When the dump was closed, they started to work at the sorting centers, with their cooperatives, each receiving money only once a month and, in most cases, their income has been reduced. Most are semi-literate and some are illiterate. In addition, the majority were unable to complete their studies and do not see themselves studying anything. They see no alternative for them but to work as waste pickers and are exposed to reduced income, therefore it gets harder and harder to feed their families.
‘Community Garden’ has a vision to provide waste pickers land and tools to grow their own organic food in the Brazilian cerrado and building a stronger community. Students from universities in Europe and in Brasilia work on this project in order to reach the 2nd Sustainable Development Goal – zero hunger. With the help of the University of Brasilia and the SLU, we will reserve a part of land in two different locations: in the surroundings of University of Brasilia and the new Recycling Complex in Brasilia.
Objective: Given the scenario of nutritional security of the Waste Pickers in Brasilia, the objective of the project is to create two community gardens in strategic areas to support the waste pickers, i.e., in the surroundings of University of Brasilia and the new Recycling Complex in Brasilia.
Project Executives: Svajonė Raudonytė, Mateus Halbe Torres
Coordinator Responsible: Svajonė Raudonytė, Mateus Halbe Torres
Supervising Professors: Paulo Celso dos Reis Gomes, Cristina Aoki Inoue and Simone Simão Monteiro.
Courses involved: PSP1 (University of Brasília), SDG (Radboud University)
