Favela Fights Back With A Garden

From Rubbish Tip to Urban Oasis: The Favela Garden That Fought Eviction

In Brazil's sprawling megacities, plots of greenery are a rare commodity. For the millions living in densely packed favelas, they are almost non-existent. Yet, a settlement within São Paulo, once facing complete erasure, has cultivated an environmental revolution from a former rubbish tip. Vila Nova Esperança provides a model for how sustainable initiatives, born from necessity, can empower residents and reshape their relationship with the city.

This transformation started with the refusal of one person to accept defeat. The journey began with Maria de Lourdes Andrade Silva. She is widely known by her nickname Lia Esperança, meaning Lia "Hope". She arrived in the favela during 2003 with no previous experience of life inside such a community. The precariousness and absence of formal services were a world away from her origins in Itaberaba, Bahia, in Brazil's northeast.

Lia’s journey began not as an environmental crusade, but as a fight for survival. She channelled her energy into a project that would, unexpectedly, redefine her community's future. Vila Nova Esperança's journey is a powerful testament to grassroots activism, proving that solutions to urban neglect can often be found within the very communities most affected by it.

A Garden of Defiance

In 2022, life flourished on the 1.2-acre plot in Vila Nova Esperança. Herbs, vegetables, and flowers thrived under the care of community members. For over ten years, this garden has been Lia's devotion. Before her intervention, the area was a magnet for refuse. Located on the favela’s edge, it served as an unofficial landfill, covered in heaps of refuse.

This neglected space became the unlikely battleground for the community's existence. The transformation from a hazardous waste ground into a productive garden was not just an act of beautification. This was a calculated action, a powerful statement to the authorities that the residents were not a blight on the landscape but could be its custodians. The garden became a living symbol of their right to remain.

The Threat of Eviction

More than eight per cent of Brazil's inhabitants reside in informal settlements known as favelas, or Brazilian slums. These sprawling communities often form on the periphery of major cities, including São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. They provide homes for low-income families on precarious ground like steep inclines, making them susceptible to landslides and other climate-related disasters. Essential public amenities, including sanitation, are often unavailable.

In 2006, Lia, who was employed as a florist, discovered a legal action was underway to displace the 600 families of Vila Nova Esperança. The city's Public Prosecutor's office contended that the settlement occupied a designated environmental protection zone. Citing refuse and poor sanitation, the prosecutor’s office planned to clear the residents, reforest the land, and merge it with the adjacent Jequitibá Park. This threat galvanised Lia into action.

Mobilising the Community

Lia understood that to save their homes, they had to change the narrative. She felt a powerful resolve to take action to prevent the loss of her home and the homes of her neighbours. With other residents, she organised a clean-up of the location. Their ambition was to demonstrate that favela inhabitants could be a positive force for their immediate environment.

The first step was tackling the rubbish problem head-on. With no municipal waste collection, Lia coordinated a neighbourhood-wide effort in 2006 that evolved into a sustained activity. Residents worked together to construct a central waste receptacle to manage disposal for the entire favela. Lia maintains that environmental degradation is often unintentional, a result of insufficient information and no access to essential services. This proactive approach laid the groundwork for a more ambitious plan.

A Seed of an Idea

In 2013, following a court ruling that had temporarily blocked the eviction, Lia spoke at a neighbourhood gathering. She cautioned the 200 assembled residents that their reprieve was fragile. To secure their future, they needed to show they could live in harmony with nature. Lia explained that, without sustainability professionals to guide them on preserving their surroundings, they developed the concept of a communal garden. This green space, she proposed, would also serve as a platform for environmental learning.

The idea was met with enthusiasm by many. Support came from residents like Cícera Maria Lino, who had experience cultivating vegetables from her childhood in the northeastern state of Pernambuco. Having settled in the favela in 2002, she had been part of the opposition to the eviction and became one of the garden's first volunteers. Lino recalled that the struggle had been draining, but Lia’s leadership gave them renewed strength.

Overcoming Internal Division

Not everyone was convinced. Some residents contended the plot of land ought to be allocated for constructing additional homes. Others suggested selling it to generate money for the community. These internal debates highlighted the intense pressures on space within the favela. Ultimately, a democratic vote was held, and the majority of residents supported the garden initiative.

With the community's backing, a small group of around half a dozen residents started to plant vegetables. Lia admits the project grew from necessity, with little idea of how far it would go. As the garden took root, the residents started to contact non-governmental organisations and universities, seeking expertise and support to build a truly sustainable community, a model that could be replicated elsewhere.

A Pandemic's Unlikely Push

The garden's value became undeniable during the Covid-19 pandemic, a fact highlighted by the experience of Batista Santos. A security guard by trade, Santos had moved to the community in 2014 but had initially been hesitant to participate. He explained that he worked demanding 12-hour shifts and that tending the garden was physically taxing. The pandemic, however, left him unemployed. He began to take part in the garden's activities and recognised its profound importance.

Santos now describes the space as magnificent and beautiful, stating that it has truly altered his life. The garden provided food security during a time of intense economic hardship. Santos's involvement deepened, and he now holds the role of vice president within the Vila Nova Esperança residents' association. Lia has held the position of association president from 2010, a role she took on after orchestrating the successful fight against the initial removal threat.

The Battle for Green Space

In the slums of Brazil, cultivated plots like the one in Vila Nova Esperança are an uncommon sight. The favela population is increasing rapidly, a surge fuelled by a housing affordability crisis, low pay, and intense urbanisation. As these settlements grow, they become increasingly congested. The favelas in São Paulo have a population density four times higher than the city's formally planned areas. Any vacant land is quickly claimed for housing.

Urban planner Alexandra Aguiar Pedro, who works in São Paulo, explains that because favelas expand without regulation, there is almost never any forethought for incorporating green or open areas. Research from 2016 revealed that 84 per cent of homes within São Paulo's favelas lack any surrounding open area. The only common recreational spaces are football pitches. To survive, green areas must have a tangible value to inhabitants, fostering a feeling of ownership and responsibility.

A Prize-Winning Transformation

The community's efforts did not go unnoticed. In 2014, the initiative was honoured with the Milton Santos prize for social development, an award given by the municipality of São Paulo. This recognition brought significant changes. Following this, a large part of the community received connections to the official water, sewerage, and electricity networks, and roads were paved. It was a significant step towards integrating the favela with the planned urban area.

This process, which is often labelled 'favela upgrading,' forms a central plank of urban policy for the government of Brazil. However, critics suggest these top-down interventions often fail to address the root causes of poverty. Lia insists that the success seen in Vila Nova Esperança comes from the profound involvement of its inhabitants. She asserts that people must be given a voice, criticising government strategies that often exclude local communities from the planning process.

A New Government Approach

Acknowledging such critiques, Guilherme Simões, who holds the post of national secretary for urban peripheries in Brazil, underlines the importance of local engagement. He states that public engagement is vital for the successful outcome of urban interventions. Under the federal government's Periphery Life programme, a participatory action plan is now a mandatory feature. Simões, a social activist with a background in the Homeless Workers' Movement (MTST), now leads initiatives aimed at improving living conditions in Brazil's marginalised urban areas. His appointment signals a potential shift towards more inclusive and community-led development. The policy aims to treat peripheries as integral parts of the city, not as separate problems to be solved.

A Continuing Struggle

Despite their achievements and the legal victory in 2012 that affirmed their right to stay, the people of Vila Nova Esperança still live under the shadow of eviction. The legal case is now at the stage of sentence enforcement. São Paulo's housing association, the CDHU, is unyielding in its position that residents should be relocated to housing developments built in other locations. The public ministry says it is attempting to let the families remain, but this outcome is contingent on the CDHU's cooperation.

The CDHU, in turn, asserts that the removal order stems from a final judicial decision and that it plans to proceed with reforesting the land. This ongoing uncertainty creates a constant state of fear and insecurity for the residents. Santos highlights the community's enduring commitment to their home, stating they inhabit a space they are carefully maintaining and where they are protecting the local environment.

Food Sovereignty and Health

The garden is now the community's central hub, offering more than just a defence against removal. It provides a tangible solution to food insecurity, a pervasive issue in the favelas. By cultivating their own produce, including carrots, lettuce, and beetroot, residents can access fresh, affordable food. In exchange for their labour, volunteers receive a portion of the produce, and the surplus is sold cheaply to others.

This provides what urban planner Theresa Williamson terms "food sovereignty." Theresa Williamson is the executive director of Catalytic Communities. This non-profit organisation oversees the Sustainable Favela Network. She says that when people have gardens that yield food, they gain the capacity to provide for themselves. Santos confirms the garden has significantly improved life for his family and many others.

Expanding the Vision

The garden's achievements sparked further innovation. The community's next project was a library, built with a classic wattle-and-daub technique from northeastern Brazil. They sourced recycled materials whenever possible, purchasing new items only out of strict necessity. Lia proudly calls it their initial project in sustainable building.

A communal kitchen was established in 2018. Here, residents learn to prepare meals using what are known as non-conventional edible plants, or PANCs (plantas alimentícias não convencionais in Portuguese). These are native flowers, foliage, and fruits that are packed with nutrients and simple to grow in confined spaces. Williamson notes that PANCs hold exciting potential for communities where space is at a premium.

Cultivating Entrepreneurship

The kitchen quickly became a hub of entrepreneurial activity. Residents initiated ventures selling baked goods and preparing marmitas. These hot meal deliveries are a fixture of Brazilian life. This created a vital source of income for many families, particularly women. The project's impact extended beyond economics.

Lia explains that they have enhanced food security, taught healthy eating habits, and even decreased doctor visits. The garden cultivates numerous medicinal plants. The community utilises these to manage common ailments such as fevers and the flu. This holistic approach addresses health, nutrition, and economic well-being simultaneously, demonstrating a sophisticated understanding of community needs.

A Space for Women

Women make up the majority of volunteers in the garden and kitchen. For them, the initiative has become a safe and supportive haven. Williamson, who has collaborated with female-led gardening groups in Rio de Janeiro favelas, observes that powerful ripple effects emerge when women collectively oversee the community gardens.

These spaces become nexuses of mutual support. Women share information not only about gardening but also about job opportunities, domestic challenges, and child-rearing. Volunteers at Vila Nova Esperança consistently report that their work in the garden has a positive effect on their mental and physical well-being. Cícera Maria Lino expresses a constant enjoyment of her time there, visiting whenever she can.

Sharing the Knowledge

To ensure the lessons from Vila Nova Esperança could benefit others, Lia established the Lia Esperança Institute in 2018. Through this, she has travelled widely in Brazil, recounting her community's experience to other favelas, schools, universities, and local groups. Her efforts have inspired other collectives, such as Mulheres do GAU. This group of women in eastern São Paulo now operates a communal garden and kitchen of their own.

This knowledge-sharing network is crucial for scaling up grassroots solutions. It builds solidarity among marginalised communities and amplifies their collective voice. The institute is a testament to Lia’s vision, which extends far beyond the borders of her own favela. It represents a commitment to empowering others to create their own sustainable futures.

An Uncertain Future

Even with the positive court outcome in 2012, renewed efforts to displace families in 2022 have deepened the community's anxiety. The contradictory positions of the public ministry and the CDHU leave residents in a precarious legal limbo. The threat of removal remains a constant source of stress, undermining their hard-won stability.

Lino is convinced the garden is the primary factor that has allowed the community to remain. She believes that, had the garden not existed, their removal would have happened long ago. She feels that Lia's efforts have been hugely impactful, and while some residents may not fully appreciate the political significance of their green space, its protective power is undeniable.

The Power of Community

Today, the same government that once tried to evict the residents now offers jobs in the community garden through its Agriculture Work Operation Programme. This stark contrast illustrates the profound shift in perception that the community has engineered. More than 200 families receive nutritious meals from the kitchen, while the community centre provides training in skills such as needlework and crochet.

For Lia, the journey has been a lesson in the strength of collective action. The project's success, she insists, is not hers alone. It belongs to every resident who picked up a shovel, planted a seed, or shared a meal. Her simple statement that she cannot do it by herself captures the ethos of Vila Nova Esperança, a community that, faced with erasure, chose to cultivate hope.