Eco-Huertos Program takes root in San Cristobal

On Saturday, October 19th, GFDD and FUNGLODE are proud to announce that Ecohuertos, a program that supports the creation of organic and sustainable vegetable gardens in schools and communities throughout the Dominican Republic, will travel to San Cristobal to impart an induction workshop for members of the Fundación Iglesia Centro de Fe y Vida Abundante. The workshop will introduce
members to the program, and help define goals, regular duties and functional details for the creation of their community garden.

This initial
workshop will lay the groundwork for the program, which will include a series of workshops and sessions that will educate members on how to create a vegetable garden, provide instruction on planting and general garden maintenance, as well as sessions on seed conservation, pollinators and pests, organic fertilizers and vermiculture.

GFDD hopes that this particular project will help provide local families learn sustainable agriculture practices that can then be applied at
home, in order to supplement diet and at the same time help generate income for the community.

About EcoHuertos
In 2012, as part of its mission to inspire young people to connect with the Earth and become familiar with the concept of local horticulture, GFDD officially launched the Community and School Gardens Program or EcoHuertos Program. The idea behind the initiative arose from the interest sparked among students
participating in talks, panels and workshops conducted by Rose Lord of Make Gardens Not War, during the I Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival.

The Eco-Huertos Program seeks to support the creation of organic and sustainable vegetable gardens in schools and communities throughout the Dominican Republic, as well as support, through practical field activities, the areas of natural sciences contained in the educational curriculum. The program also creates awareness
of the importance of a balanced diet, achieving a greater appreciation for and receptiveness towards the consumption of vegetables.

To date the program has successfully created a total of 16 vegetable gardens in 12 schools (7 private and 5 public) and 4 community centers around the country. The program also published a manual “How to Create Vegetable Gardens,” which has been in circulation since September 2012, and
can be downloaded HERE.

Now entering its second stage, the program recently launched its website: www.eco-huertos.org, and in 2013-2014 will be expanding the program to include 7 new educational centers, 2 community centers and 5 family gardens.