Garden at Las Malvinas
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In 2008 the tour company International Expeditions made a commitment to help Las Malvinas begin the first urban garden project in order to provide environmental educational opportunities to the students living in this part of the rainforest.
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Las Malvinas, in the City of Punchana just outside Iquitos, Peru, is a public school which runs in two shifts of students due to demand and limitations of space. There are over 1,000 students, with just over 500 students at high school age, who will be the
primary users and benefactors of the garden along with their teachers. -
The goals of this garden are many: for students to develop the skills and abilities necessary to care for and protect the natural environment; for students to learn to use diverse agricultural technologies for the purpose of bringing useful projects to the home and community; and for the garden to welcome local visitors, as well as national and international tourist guests.
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The garden consists of areas for planting vegetable crops such as tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, and onions. There will be an area for tropical trees and plants, medicinal plants, ornamental plants, trees and flowers, a nursery, a composting area, and two large fish and turtle farms.
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As a pilot project, the many teaching opportunities which the
garden can provide will be fully incorporated into the curriculum of Las Malvinas School. -
The students will harvest the vegetables and fish for their own consumption and offer them for sale in the local markets. They will make practical applications of math and science; the creative arts, such as painting and drawing; and public speaking skills as they help direct garden tours.
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This year a tremendous amount of work has been accomplished in the garden at Las Malvinas by both the resident gardener and the students. It’s been a huge success and the kids just seem to love their time spent working and watching the fruits of their labor grow. In 2009 three rounds of vegetables will have grown and matured enough for market. The students have been banking the extra
money (after their expenses) and should have enough remaining for a small party at the end of the school year. Other improvements include the full completion of a maloka (gazebo) with benches for an outdoor classroom and tourist visiting area, the completion of the turtle pond and start of the fish farm, a composting and nursery area, and the beginning phase of plot signage to explain to students and guests the various plants, trees, and flowers they are observing in the Las Malvinas School Garden.
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.
