Las Malvinas Urban Garden Project
-
In 2008 International Expeditions tour company made a commitment to help Las Malvinas School begin the first urban garden project in order to provide environmental educational to the students living in this part of the rainforest. IE has provided funds for project development and ongoing operational expenses.
- Las Malvinas, in the city of Punchana just outside
Iquitos, is a public school which runs in two shifts, due to demand and limitation of space. The 1,000 or so students, including 500 at the high school level, are the primary users and beneficiaries of the garden, along with their teachers. - Las Malvinas, in the city of Punchana just outside Iquitos, is a public school which runs in two shifts, due to demand and limitation of space. The 1,000 or so students, including 500 at the high school level, are the primary users and beneficiaries of the garden, along with their teachers.
-
The goals of this garden are many: to help students develop the skills necessary to care for and protect the natural environment, to teach students diverse agricultural techniques to
use at home and in the community, and to welcome local visitors, as well as national and international tourist guests. -
The garden consists of plots for vegetable crops such as tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, and onions. There are also areas for medicinal plants, ornamental shrubs, trees, and flowers, a nursery, a composting area, and two large fish ponds.
-
The many teaching opportunities the garden provides are incorporated into the Las Malvinas School curriculum.
-
The students harvest the vegetables and fish for their families' own consumption, and offer them for sale in the local markets. They make practical application of math and science, the creative arts, and public speaking skills as they carry out garden tasks and direct garden tours.
-
In April of 2010, a second fish pond was installed and 400 small starter fish were added. Three times a day, a specially formulated food was fed to the fish, helping them grow quickly. Three harvests were taken from July through December. As the pond was thinned, the remaining fish had more room to grow. The students helped with the harvest (by net) to collect, count, weigh, and measure each catch, calculating growth and development. The fish were sold and the profits saved in order to purchase new fish and fish food for the 2011 senior class.
-
Classes are held in a beautiful large gazebo in the middle of the garden. Areas for planting vegetables, medicinal plants, ornamental plants, and flowers, as well as composting, continue to be successful.
For more information about progress at Las Malvinas and how you can help, contact us.
To donate to this project now, click the link on the right.
