Alice
Bischof
Urbanization is an ongoing and autonomous worldwide trend creating an ever-growing number of urban consumers while rapidly declining the number of farmers and pushing out agriculture from metropolitan areas. This process will increase in coming years, especially in developing countries where between 80% and 90% of population growth will be in cities. Environmental pollution, health problems, the construction of illegal settlements and malnutrition only represent part of future urban challenges. CITIES WITHOUT HUNGER transforms unused public and private plots of land into useful community
gardens. Our sustainable agrarian projects based on organic agriculture improve the precarious situation of the people living in the favelas (slums) in the East Area of the Brazilian metropolis Sao Paulo and create green spaces in a
densely populated urban environment.
The aim is to help and teach people to manage their own business and become financially independent. Community Gardens, School Gardens and Agricultural Greenhouses have been developed on unused and neglected public and private areas within social focal points to provide jobs and improve the diets of adults and children. In 2009 the Small Family Farms Project, the organizations fourth project, has been set up in Rio Grande do Sul, to train farmers in multiple cropping as an alternative to monoculture and help them starting new businesses in organic farming.
CITIES WITHOUT HUNGER was founded in 2004 in São Paulo by Hans Dieter Temp, who has a degree in Business Administration, and is a Technician for Agriculture and Environmental Policies. In 2013 Hans Dieter Temp was selected and awarded with the title Social Entrepreneur “Changemaker” by Ashoka. CITIES WITHOUT HUNGER has received numerous national and international awards, such as the Milton Santos Award in 2014, created to honor entities and people who have contributed with the city of São Paulo. In 2012 CITIES WITHOUT HUNGER was selected by Caixa Econômica Federal for its commitment to the realization of the UN-Millennium Goals. The organization was also awarded with the Dubai International Award for Best Practices 2010 (UN-HABITAT).
