In Piedritas and Lobitos, the situation surrounding food and agriculture is dire, and numerous problems have arisen due to the climate, lack of healthy food, and lack of food in general. To combat this, our team has used our knowledge from gardening in another desert climate, Denver, Colorado, to explore the solutions possible with a community garden. This garden, using compost and recycling from Piedritas and Lobitos, would reintroduce nitrogen into next season’s crops. Using a variety of fertilization methods, such as seaweed and fish fertilizer, we can increase the life span of native, Peruvian crops, while reducing the water usage using a 3D printer drip irrigation system. The sustainability of this garden is rooted in the community, in which interactive labs in school and educational posters will build a symbiotic relationship between garden and community, developing a thriving and sustainable food source.
This project from the University of Denver has the advantages of improving the diet of the local community by increasing the nitrogen content of the soil thereby allowing more nutritious, higher protein crops to be harvested. In addition the project will encourage community involvement and cooperation, with the potential of widening the scope of the improvements to include the agricultural development of lands with poor quality sandy soils. Highly recommended.