Célio Monteiro José | The Monarch Ranger
Community gardens in the neighborhood in Trangapasso, Chimoio. Image Credit: Célio Monteiro José
TRANGAPASSO, MOZAMBIQUE — The community gardens in the Trangapasso neighborhood in the city of Chimoio in Mozambique improve food and nutritional security for the local people. Agriculture is rooted in the nation of Mozambique, as is a feeling of brotherhood. Community gardens bring together these two ideas. One of the most profound transformations brought about by these gardens is the empowerment of women and youth.
In a society where opportunities for women’s education and financial independence are often limited, these gardens offer a path to self-reliance. Women no longer depend solely on their husbands, gaining the ability to meet basic needs and provide for their child’s education. For those women left to care for their children alone, these gardens have become a beacon of hope.
For the youth, who might otherwise face limited prospects after completing their secondary education due to financial constraints and economic challenges in Mozambique, the community gardens offer a lifeline. Rather than turning to crime, many young individuals find employment and purpose among the rows of vibrant crops.
The community gardens in the Trangapasso neighborhood were built in 2013, when the first families began to occupy area. With the permission of the head of the neighborhood, these families started the garden to meet their needs. Neighbors soon joined them to produce more crops together, and the community garden began to flourish. Over the past ten years, agricultural production has saved the lives of many people, both physically and mentally.
Like the people, the community gardens developed from a precarious system using containers for watering. Many families have improved the gardens by obtaining pumps that help water the crops by taking advantage of the watercourse near the gardens. The gardens are divided into rectangular plots in which each family is provided space to grow their own crops. The gardens provide basic foods, including lettuce, cabbage, tomatoes, and onions, that complement their diet.
Another area of Community gardens in the neighborhood in Trangapasso, Chimoio. Image Credit: Célio Monteiro José
When production exceeds expectations, the families with surplus products are able to sell them at the local market, and use the money they get to buy other foods and survive. Community gardens sharpen the sense of community among people because there are families, neighbors, schoolmates and friends all growing crops in close proximity. Together, they are better able to fight to improve their living conditions. Two of the young people interviewed said that they met while growing produce in their family gardens. Their gardens were near each other, and they quickly realized they were in the same class at school. As they worked in the community gardens, they grew closer and are still best friends today.
Surplus lettuce produced by the community gardens that are ready for sale. Image Credit: Célio Monteiro José
Women benefit the most from the provision of land so that they can produce their own crops.
Their basic needs are met, which allows them to become more independent. Crime in the neighborhoods with community gardens has decreased because the gardens occupy young people who, for lack of opportunities, sometimes turn to crime. Instead, the young people who work in the community gardens are an example to others by showing that there is a path to a better life without crime.
In a nation where agriculture often involves deforestation and contributes to carbon, these community gardens stand as a place of sustainable farming practices. The families have tilled the same soil for over a decade, preserving the environment by eschewing deforestation and employing organic fertilizers. Moreover, they refrain from burning their fields and promoting responsible land use. In addition, the gardens provide various foods that combat the chronic malnutrition of the neighborhood's children, and the local market sells fresh food and fruit from the community gardens.
The community gardens are extremely important for empowering women, reducing crime by employing young people in the informal agricultural sector and even contributing to the fight against climate change because they allow families to produce food in a sustainable way in the same place for an extended period of time.
Community gardens can be a solution to reducing absolute poverty in Mozambique. They can be replicated in other neighborhoods in the region. As the people celebrate a decade of abundance, empowerment, and environmental stewardship, it is important to remember that sometimes the seeds of change are sown in the most unexpected places--right in our own backyard.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND LEARN MORE
This article won 1st place in one of our News Article Writing Competitions! Learn more about Célio Monteiro José and our other senior staff writers here.
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