Date of RUAF intervention: 2005 - ongoing

Introduction | Urban agriculture in Belo Horizonte | Multistakeholder policy process | From Seed to Table | Products | Contact

INTRODUCTION: CITY CONTEXT

The city of Belo Horizonte is the capital of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. Located on the southeastern part of the country, Belo Horizonte is the third largest metropolitan area and fourth largest city in Brazil (after Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Salvador). With an extension of 330.9 km² and a population of 2.238.526 inhabitants, Belo is also characterized for not containing a rural area. The city has a political-administrative structure composed by a prefeitura (municipality), subdivided in 09 Regionais (regions) with its own and decentralized administrations (North, the Northwest, Northeast, East, West, South Center, Barreiro, Pampulha e Venda Nova).

These, in turn, are subdivided in Planning Units –PU’s- composed by urban quarters, villages and communities. Belo Horizonte presents a high incidence of areas with irregular settlements, called favelas (slums), whose population is predominantly black, of low income and with an adult population, mainly young and women, idle due to the lack of employment.

The study area of the Program Cities Farming for the Future (CFF) is the Regional Barreiro, located in the Southwest of the City of Belo Horizonte with an area of 55,54 km² and 262,194 inhabitants. Barreiro possess the biggest amount of green areas for m² in the city (43.779m²), distributed in 30 public squares of the 49 existing ones, which beyond composing the natural landscape, contributes in the maintenance of biodiversity.

TYPES OF URBAN AGRICULTURE IN BELO HORIZONTE

Agricultural activities and the raise of small livestock are regular practices in the municipality of Belo Horizonte -Minas Gerais- Brazil. These are present in various forms with diverse functions: ornamental, medicinal, cosmetic, vegetable and fruit farming.

In the two last decades, some promotional initiatives for urban agriculture have been implemented in the city and in the State of Minas Gerais. The Municipality of Belo Horizonte (MBH) promoted, in the 90s the creation of two Agroecological Experiences Centers (CEVAEs) in the East and Northeast of the city. In 1995 the Program of Urban Agriculture and Food Security(PASA/REDE) was initiated with a community building approach through the participative diagnostics and the implementation of Urban Agriculture Training for Community Teachers Program during 2002-2004.

Events as workshops, meetings and seminars had been carried in order to articulate the various sectors of the society interested in the subject. This was the context for the creation of the Minas Gerais’ Forum on Food Security and Nutrition (FMSAN) and the Metropolitan Articulation of Urban Agriculture (AMAU). There also could be observed a State-level movement around the subject through the articulation of an Urban Agriculture Reference Group, which aimed to add some experiences in urban agriculture from other State’s cities.

An advance in terms of legislation was the approval in 2006 of the State Law of Urban Agriculture in Minas Gerais. A commission, composed for the State Legislature of Minas Gerais (ALMG), organizations of the state government and of some municipalities, and representative institutions of the civil society, is working in the regulation of this law and in the definition of a group with the function to transform the urban agriculture in a State’s policy, with programs and budgets executed, assisting the 853 State’s municipalities in the debate and creation of its own public policies in urban agriculture.

MULTISTAKEHOLDER POLICY FORMULATION AND ACTION PLANNING

The implementation of the CFF Program in the city was done through a partnership between Foundation RUAF/IPES, Rede de Intercâmbio de Tecnologias Alternativas -REDE-, representing the civil society, and the Municipality of Belo Horizonte, representing the government.

The Multi-Stakeholder Fora (MSF) in Belo Horizonte and Bogota are functioning well; in 2009 they have reviewed their structure, role and mandate.

UA is now legally recognised as an economic activity. The RUAF local multi-stakeholder forum is currently working on integrating UA as component in all new urban projects and programmes related to social and economic development.

FROM SEED TO TABLE (FSTT)

The 4 urban producer groups in Belo Horizonte that participate in RUAF, have jointly chosen to improve their production and marketing of a mix of 10 different species of vegetables and herbs. Crops will be ecologically produced in both the rainy and dry season and sold on-farm as well as in farmer markets and selected stores in the neighbourhood. The producer groups will also be strengthened in their internal management, administration and external relationships.

Credit and financing studies for urban agriculture were conducted in the three cities in Latin America. Preliminary findings show that generally no specific financial products are available that are tailored to the needs of small-scale urban producers. Proposals will be made for developing such products, which may specifically target youth or women involved in urban agriculture, or processing and marketing (instead of productive) activities.

PRODUCTS

• Exploratory study report
• http://www.ruaf.org/sites/default/files/Plan Estrátegico BH.pdf" target="_blank">City Strategic Agenda

Videos

Film about Belo Horizonte's food policy
The Belo Horizonte Food Security Programme is the winner of the Future Policy Award 2009. It is the world’s most comprehensive policy that tackles hunger immediately and secures a healthy and affordable food supply for all of Belo Horizonte’s citizens. The results of this policy are impressive: The child mortality rate in Belo Horizonte has decreased by 60% in the last decade since the policy was introduced in 1993, the number of children below the age of five hospitalised for malnutrition has sank by 75%. 40% of the population directly profits from this programme. 

Belo Horizonte Growing for the Future
This video shows the process fostered by IPES / RUAF in Belo Horizonte (Brazil) in the framework of the Cities Farming for the Future programme in actively involving local governance, NGO's, social organisations and groups of urban farmers.

104 community gardens developed in Belo Horizonte (MG - Brazil)
This video (in Portuguese) shows that besides the improvement in food, vegetable cultivation also has a therapeutic purpose, and in turn a source of income for many families in Belo Horizonte.

Urban Agriculture in Belo Horizonte (MG - Brazil)
Vacant lots are converted into spaces for the public. The project "Productive Garden" in Belo Horizonte, makes urban agriculture become a city landmark in income generation and food security for the most needy families.

Productive Garden Project
The project "Productive garden" produces healthy and fresh vegetables for families in the Barreiro district in Belo Horizonte: Organic vegetables now form part of the daily diet of the inhabitants of Conjunto Pongelupe, in the Barreiro district. To produce quality vegetables at low costs, a system for rainwater harvesting is used. Partners include the Fundação de Parques, the Belo Municipality, Jota Desenvolvimento Sustentável, IPES/RUAF and SWITCH (video in Portuguese).

CONTACT

For more information on the RUAF-Cities Farming for the Future Programme in the region, contact the regional coordinator at RUAF Latin America and the Caribbean or see their website.

Click here to return to the worldmap