The demonstration plot at San Gabriel’s Plant’s Neighbors Service Center, located in Cruz Blanca served as the location for AgroProgreso technicians to conduct the new workshop.
The program’s main objective is to develop the communities’ capacities through good practices in food production, preparation, and consumption. These promote and achieve behavioral changes at both the individual and family level.
Traditionally, the term «Garden» is used in San Juan Sacatepéquez to refer to the physical space where flowers are produced. We use the phrase «Vegetable Gardens», in our program, to refer to the space where vegetables are produced for family consumption.
These gardens are small plots inside homes where vegetables grow year-round. This project mainly focuses on women. It involves training and technical assistance processes to grow 12 species of vegetables (cilantro, celery, onion, chard, beets, spinach, cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, lettuce, radish, and macuy), in a 72 square meter area.
The family garden methodology produces vegetables in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way. It can provide a family with other sellable products and complementary foods such as: medicinal plants, aromatic herbs, condiments, flowers, and others, which could generate an additional income.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), growing your own vegetables is one of the best ways to ensure immediate access to fresh, nutrient-rich, safe, and chemical-free food for a healthy diet.
To guarantee community development, Progreso and its different business units are constantly working on training and providing them with technology.
The San Gabriel plant, through Social Management and AgroProgreso, have worked on more than 500 vegetable gardens in San Juan Sacatepéquez alone.
