The Project “Hortas Socias” promotes the production of vegetables for elderly people in a semi-hydroponic system using coconut fiber. Water and nutrients are applied via water irrigated by a drip system for potential crop development. Cabbage leaf, cherry tomatoes, peppers, lettuce and coriander are produced without the use of any agricultural defenses. This project aims to provide safe food, promote an active and healthy aging of elderly people in a situation of social vulnerability.

This project aims to promote safe food and an active and healthy aging of the elderly person in a situation of social vulnerability. Through cultural practices it is possible to produce quality food without the use of agricultural pesticides, and distribute it free of charge to the elderly in situation of food vulnerability. The elderly also participate in the project at the time of planting and harvesting, thus having a social inclusion of this elderly person. With this project, several families are served through their elderly, taking a healthy and quality food for consumption, having a better quality of life, and thus reducing social inequality.

Sérgio Gomes Cavalcante, founder of the Project “Hortas Sociais”, is a Colonel of the Military Fire Brigade of Ceará and currently is the Secretary of the Special Coordination for the Senior Citizens of the City Hall of Fortaleza and chairs the Municipal Council for the Rights of the Elderly.
The Coordination for the Senior Citizens of the City Hall of Fortaleza is the organ that manages the gardens in partnership with NUPROCE. This initiative aims to benefit the families of elderly people in situations of social vulnerability, focusing on food security, urban family agriculture, empowerment and belonging, social inclusion and protagonism of the elderly.
As companies are held by tax assets of the People's Rights Fund of the Legal Entity, the income tax rates (1% of the income tax are charged) on a real profit basis.

The "Social Gardens" project began in 2015, as an initiative of the Senior Citizens' Coordination, in
partnership with the NUPROCE Non-Profit Entity. The technology transfer and diffusion process began
with:
1. Meetings to explain the advantages of sustainable practices in urban food production;
2. Demonstrations with the participation of urban farmers, community leaders and local technicians;
3. Technical extension aimed at urban producers (families of elderly), to ensure the improvement of
techniques in productive yards.
During the innovation presentation process, it was important to encourage a direct relationship
among all participants, and to allow feedback among technicians, family members and urban farmers.
The project has designed an alternative to guarantee family self-sufficiency.

Effective participation of more than 2,000 families of vulnerable elderly in the project, directly
benefiting about 24,000 people a year, generating an estimated annual production of 20 tons of
vegetables that started to comprise the diet of these families - in addition to the gratuity (financial
contribution) that arrived to have a significant participation in the family income of these people.
Improvements were also observed in the health and quality of life of individuals. There are reports of
elderly people who have problems with depression, chronic diseases of aging and who are feeling
much better participating in the routine of the garden. Work with vegetables is also used as
occupational therapy for the elderly with psychological problems (dementias), which have improved
noticeably. These families are experiencing a significant improvement in their quality of life, reporting
that after participating in the project they are feeding better and reaching better levels of health.
Older people with emotional problems, such as depression, are feeling more useful and begin to
occupy themselves during the day and thus they value themselves by the work they do when seeing
plants develop and at harvest time. The self-esteem of these people rises much more by the pleasant
sensation of reap what they help to plant. In addition to agriculture and food security, we are rescuing
these moments of relationship between people, through conversations, dialogues and social
gatherings. Undoubtedly, the project "Hortas Sociais" allows us to achieve results in several aspects:
production, financial, physical and psychological health and interpersonal relations.

The community garden besides strengthening the production of vegetables, in the agro-ecological
perspective of the productive yards of the elderly women, favor the sovereignty and food security of
these families. At the moment, we are conducting a diagnosis and planning of the productive
backyards of the neighborhoods Conjunto Ceará and Granja Portugal, systematizing information
about their property, agroecological practices and local water access technologies.
The project’s methodology of work is through a technical advisory of agronomists of the Federal
University of Ceará, who will monitor the development of productive yards. It is also planned among
the actions, the exchange of experiences with the State Government. Another step in the project will
be promoting workshops on food security and sovereignty, planting vegetables, violence against
women and against the elderly and productive work for families.

The estimate of investments already used in the costing of greenhouses is R $ 2.1 million, with
resources from the Municipal Fund for the Rights of the Elderly, through Tax waiver of 1% of the
amount due from companies with real profits. The structure of the social garden will be incorporated
into the Urban Social Farm and will serve as a Distribution Complex for vulnerable elderly families. It is
in an area of low HDI where it is possible to show various food safety practices.
The project “Hortas Sociais” is a great showcase of urban agriculture practices. It represents a form of
intersectoriality of food security through practices of planting, education, socialization, protagonism
and belonging.
Created from a proposal of the Coordination of Senior Citizens of the City Hall of Fortaleza and the
cooperation of NUPROCE, the vegetable garden seeks the diffusion of practices, techniques and
research in agriculture within the urban environment and also the community organization, in order
to educate social, food and environmentally the elderly population, their families and neighbors.
This is a project of broad social, economic and environmental promotion that reinforces Fortaleza's
commitment to food innovation.
Investment in new technologies for rational use of water, environmentally sound and inclusive
cultivation aims to eliminate waste, provide food security and social dynamics. The goal is to work
with no waste and follow innovation within food security, in line with the objectives of the
Sustainable Development Objectives (ODS).

This is a new and innovative project that intent to promote the development and implementation of
public food security policies, encouraging active and healthy aging in order to improve the quality of
life of the elderly in a situation of social vulnerability, promoting interpersonal coexistence promoting
urban agriculture and reaffirming the rights to food supplementation.