The inauguration was attended by Edu Lyra, from Gerando Falcões
“When I was 2 years old, I almost died from malnutrition. I certainly wouldn’t have gone through this and maybe even had a better early childhood if I had a vegetable garden at my school”, is what Edu Lyra, the founder of Gerando Falcões, responded when asked about the importance of projects like urban gardens in peripheral regions.
He was present at inauguration of the Horta na Escola project, created by iFood with the support of Elo, in Ferraz de Vasconcelos, Greater São Paulo. The initiative aims to invest in promoting healthy eating from early childhood and combat The food insecurity in the community. The action is managed by Gerando Falcões.
We spoke to Edu, one of the big names in favela activism, to understand the importance of projects like this. Check out:
iFN: How do vegetable gardens contribute to food security?
EL: The mission is to fight hunger. We want to evolve, with sustainable systems that can contribute to the food chain and save people from hunger. When I was 2 years old, I almost died from malnutrition. I certainly wouldn't have gone through this if I had an urban garden at school. Maybe I would have had a better early childhood.
iFN: How important are initiatives like this one, from iFood, to combat food insecurity?
EL: iFood is very important in the Brazilian economy, in logistics, in mobility and also important in being part of the debates that matter most in Brazil. The fight against hunger and food insecurity is fundamental. Delivering food security in Brazilian favelas also promotes the fight against poverty and the reduction of inequality. We only win if we work in a network – coordinated and in a network. We “construct” our problems in a network. Therefore, we will only beat them online too.
iFN: What is Edu and Gerando Falcões’ big dream?
EL: My dream is a Brazil without poverty. Poverty of the favela only in the museum. No one was born to live for nothing. No one was born to live next to open sewers. People were born to exercise the right to human dignity.
