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GUANAHUERTAS

GuanaHuertas plants the seed of change

We connect with the soil and our community to regenerate together.

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ABOUT US

GuanaHuertas is a club that was born from the communities of Guanacaste. In the context of the global pandemic by COVID-19 and the loss of employment, we seek to strengthen food and nutritional security. New opportunities are built through the development of home gardens and community gardens, which strengthen our social bonds and drive us towards a system of food self-production, a sustainable economy, solidarity, and resilient local culture.

The project has been executed in three stages. The first phase of GuanaHuertas began with the delivery of food diaries to 7000 families. The second phase began in August, with the huertitas and in September the third phase was born; the community gardens.

 

This is part of a national movement called Costa Rica Regenerativa, led by the Universidad para la Cooperación Internacional (UCI), in collaboration with other local organizations such as CEPIA, Abriendo Mentes and Futuro Brillante. Thus, GuanaHuertas and Costa Rica Regenerativa are under the umbrella of the Regenerative Development global movement. Regenerating means to take environmental sustainability one step further, to revert the environmental impact that we, as a society have produced. Regenerative agriculture uses holistic methods that increase, rather than deplete, natural resources. It relies on natural processes to replenish nutrients, water, and soil to produce healthy, nutrient-rich food.

 
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BENEFITS OF GROWING YOUR OWN FOOR

Family Time

With a vegetable garden, you can strengthen the bond between the members of your family. Working the garden with children helps us to educate them about caring for the earth and to respect nature. We promote healthy eating habits and the empowerment of our nutrition.

Caring is Sharing

The garden becomes a space to share knowledge, experiences, excess of production, seeds, as well as quality time.

Connecting with Food

We literally are what we eat. We deserve to eat chemical-free, healthy, and nutrient-rich food. You can also grow the love for what you eat because eating healthy is an act of love; self-love and love for your entire family.

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Feel Better by Eating Healthier

Fruits and vegetables provide us with fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. These nutrients support the overall functioning of the body, help us prevent disease, and make us feel more energetic.

Cultivate Savings

Buying organic food can cost you 20-50% more money than purchasing non-organic products. On the other hand, if you have a 5m2 food garden you can save about 50% of what you spend on vegetables.

Connect to the Earth

We are all part of the same ecosystem; to connect with the earth is to connect with ourselves. When we give the earth what it needs, the earth gives us what we need; nourishing food, relaxing space to work in the garden.

 

"Growing your food is a revolutionary act. It's at the same time an act of rebellion and hope. A way of saying: I'm not giving up."

- Vandana Shiva

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OPTIONS FOR HUERTAS

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HUERTITAS

The huertitas are home food gardens focused on the intensive production of vegetables without the use of agrochemicals and applying methods of bio-intensive planting.

 

An exponential growth strategy is implemented. Initially, a group of people is invited to a workshop to start a huertita in a private home. Then, the people who attend this first activity go to their homes and prepare their land; we encourage them to invite their neighbors and relatives to participate in the land preparation. Once the foundations of the garden are self-prepared, the technical team of GuanaHuertas provides everything necessary for the maintenance and development of the home garden.

 

COMMUNITY HUERTAS

The community gardens are born from the communities, under the need to set the basis of a sustainable food production model, generating their own supplies, promoting volunteerism, and productive space for unemployed people. All of this, with a cultural and educational agenda that adapts to the needs of each community. 

 

In one hectare of land, we can involve around 30 families. The leaders organize the community gardens and GuanaHuertas supports this process of organization, provides agricultural supplies and training.

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THE FIRST HUERTA

FAQS

¿Qué es la agricultura regenerativa? / What is regenerative agriculture?

La agricultura regenerativa aplica conocimientos y prácticas holísticas basadas en el entendimiento de la naturaleza, con el objetivo de regenerar el suelo y los sistemas alimentarios. Los procesos tradicionales de producción alimentaria se dedican a extraer nutrientes y recursos del suelo, sin contar con estrategias para regenerar estos recursos, dejando como resultado un suelo infértil y falto de vida. Con los métodos regenerativos se devuelve al suelo minerales, materia orgánica y microorganismos, generando sistemas productivos inteligentes en donde estamos utilizando los nutrientes del suelo, pero nos enfocamos en prácticas que permitan “alimentarlo” de vuelta. Si querés conocer más de agricultura regenerativa podés revisar los enlaces de Regeneration International o de Agricultura Regenerativa Ibérica. _______ Regenerative agriculture involves the application of holistic knowledge and practices based on the understanding of nature, to regenerate soil and food systems. Traditional food production processes are dedicated to extracting nutrients and resources from the soil, without any strategies to regenerate these resources, resulting in infertile and poor soil. With regenerative methods, minerals, organic matter, and microorganisms are restored to the soil, creating integrated production systems where we are using the nutrients in the soil, but we focus on practices that allow us to "feed" it back. If you want to know more about regenerative agriculture you can check the links of Regeneration International or Agricultura Regenerativa Ibérica.



¿Qué tipo de apoyo brinda GuanaHuertas? / What kind of support gives GuanaHuertas?

Brindamos apoyo técnico, talleres de capacitación y seguimiento para la implementación de huertitas y huertos comunitarios. Facilitamos también insumos orgánicos como compost, plántulas y semillas. _______ We provide technical support, training workshops, and follow-up for the implementation of community gardens and vegetable gardens. We also facilitate organic supplies such as compost, seedlings, and seeds.



¿Qué beneficios obtengo cuando me uno al club GuanaHuertas? / What benefits do I get when I join the GuanaHuertas club?

*Pertenecés a un grupo comunitario enfocado en el mejoramiento de la seguridad alimentaria y nutricional de tu localidad y de Guanacaste. * Podés tener acceso a materiales para la construcción de una huerta: bordes de madera, compost, plantas, semillas, insumos para la protección y otros. * Recibís acompañamiento técnico con talleres para iniciar las huertitas y además insumos para el mantenimiento y resiembra de la huerta. *Tenés la opción de participar en programas y actividades educativas y culturales. ______________________ * You belong to a community group focused on improving food and nutritional security in your area and Guanacaste. * You have access to materials for the construction of an eatable garden: wooden borders, compost, plants, seeds, inputs for protection, and others. * You will receive technical support and workshops to start the gardens, as well as supplies for the maintenance and replanting of the garden. * You can also participate in educational and cultural programs.



¿A qué me comprometo cuando me uno al Club GuanaHuertas? / What do I commit to when I join the GuanaHuertas Club?

*Asistir al menos a uno de los talleres de capacitación. *Darle el cuido diario necesario al huerto (riego, siembra, protección, deshierbe, etc) *Recopilar los datos solicitados de producción y progreso de la huerta. *Participar y apoyar en actividades educativas y culturales que se organizan en tu comunidad. *Firmar el contrato de compromiso. *Promover la capacitación de mis vecinos en los talleres de las huertitas. *Utilizar en mi huerta los insumos que recibo (madera, abono, semillas, etc). *Respetar las normas sanitarias dispuestas por el Ministerio de Salud contra el COVID-19 ________________ *To attend at least one of the training workshops. *Give the necessary daily care to the garden (watering, sowing, protection, weeding, etc) *Collect the requested data on the production and progress of the garden. *Participate and support educational and cultural activities organized in your community. *Sign the commitment contract. *Promote the training of my neighbors in the workshops. *Use the inputs I receive (wood, fertilizer, seeds, etc) in my garden. *Respect norms established by the Ministry of Health against COVID-19



¿Cuáles son los requisitos técnicos para tener una huertita en mi casa? / What are the technical requirements to have a vegetable garden at my home?

*Necesitás contar al menos con 10 metros cuadrados de espacio, que reciba sol durante más de 8 horas diarias. *El terreno debe estar limpio (deshierbado y libre de cualquier residuo), fuera de contacto con aguas grises o negras y protegido de mascotas. *Es fundamental que no se inunde en ningún momento del año. _______________ *You need to have at least 10 square meters of space, that receives at least 8 hours of sun per day. *The land must be clean (weeded and free of any residue), away from grey or black water, and protected from pets. *It mustn't be flooded at any time of the year.



¿Cuáles son los requisitos para que mi localidad tenga una huerta comunitaria? / What are the requirements for my location to have a community garden?

*Presencia de una organización comunitaria que lidere el huerto y organice el proceso. *La organización comunitaria debe contactar directamente al equipo de GuanaHuertas escribiendo al correo guanacaste@uci.ac.cr *Terreno relativamente plano, de al menos 1 hectárea de extensión y terratenencia legal y al día. *Acceso a agua limpia, preferiblemente de pozo.
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*Presence of a community organization to lead the garden and organize the process. *The community organization should contact the GuanaHuertas team directly by writing to guanacaste@uci.ac.cr *Relatively flat land, at least 1-hectare extension, also legal and up to date land possession. *Access to clean water, preferably from a well.



¿Cómo está compuesta una huerta comunitaria? / How is a community garden composed?

Las huertas comunitarias se componen de: 1. Plantas e insumos para producción de hortalizas, granos, raíces y tubérculos 2. Insumos para producción de animales menores 3. Sistema de riego por goteo 4. Vivero para producción de plántulas. 5. Insumos para control de plagas. 6. Área de bodegaje 7. Soporte técnico por un año. Además, se prevé que los excedentes, luego del autoconsumo y la producción de otros recursos, sean utilizados para permitir la sostenibilidad y continuidad del proyecto. _____________________ Community gardens are composed of: 1. Plants and supplies for the production of vegetables, grains, roots, and tubers 2. Inputs for small animal production. 3. Drip irrigation system. 4. Greenhouse for seedling production. 5. Inputs for pest control. 6. Storage area. 7.Technical support for one year. Besides, the surpluses, after self-consumption and production of other resources, can be used to allow the sustainability and continuity of the project.



¿Cómo puedo unirme al club GuanaHuertas? / How can I join the GuanaHuertas club?

*Si querés aplicar para tener una huertita en tu casa completá el siguiente formulario *Si querés solicitar una huerta comunitaria, contactá a tus líderes locales para que escriban un correo a: guanacaste@uci.ac.cr *Si querés ser voluntario escribí a guanacaste@uci.ac.cr *También podés apoyar a las comunidades de Guanacaste donando aquí ______________ *If you want to apply to have a small garden in your house, complete the following form *If you want to apply for a community garden, contact your local leaders to write an email to guanacaste@uci.ac.cr *If you want to volunteer, write to guanacaste@uci.ac.cr *You can also support the communities of Guanacaste by donating here



 
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