1. General information
Location and description of the intervention
City or FUA
Lima (FUA)
Region
Latin America and the Caribbean
Native title of the NBS intervention
Biohuerto Vertical
Short description of the intervention
The Surco district of Lima has implemented a vertical bio-garden occupying a 685 square meter area within El Aire Park. The garden comprises a 600-meter linear structure supporting 11,000 planters fabricated from recycled plastic bottles. This system yields a substantial crop production of between 400 and 1,500 varieties on a 20-day cycle (1).
Initiated by the Municipality of Santiago de Surco, the bio-garden is designed to contribute to the district's economic, nutritional, and environmental sustainability (1, 2, 3, 5). By cultivating high-protein, nutrient-rich crops, the municipality provides essential sustenance to 24 local community kitchens (1), a local market (3), parishes, and social aid organizations (1).
To optimize crop yield, the municipality has implemented specialized techniques, including seedling cultivation, harvesting, and organic fertilization, to prevent pest and disease infestations (1). Since its implementation in 2020 with an initial 7,000 planters, the project has expanded by 300% to accommodate 11,000 (1). Cultivated plant varieties include medicinal herbs, leafy greens, root vegetables, and infusion ingredients (2, 5).
Additionally, the initiative serves as an educational platform, demonstrating and spreading sustainable home gardening practices utilising recycled materials such as plastic bottles (3, 5).
Website of the intervention
https://youtu.be/RXlZ86ILKJA
Principal problems
Land use and Socio-economic change
Agriculture/ crop production
Resource Scarcity and Competition
Food insecurity due to disruptions in food production and distribution
Implementation area characterization
Climate
Arid (Desert, Steppe)
Ecosystem
Urban or built environment
Address

Jr General Suarez
Santiago de Surco 15063
Peru

Location
The NBS is situated in an area, with clear delineation of boundaries and a specific shape (polygon). The NBS project can also have more than one area location (more than one polygon, situated close by).
Area boundary (map-based)
NBS area
685.00m²
Area description
Urban (main city)
Type of area before implementation of the NBS
Other
Please specify “other type of area” before implementation of the NBS
Theme park
Timeline of intervention
Start date of the intervention (planning process)
2020
Start date of intervention (implementation process)
2020
End date of the intervention
ongoing
Present stage of the intervention
Completed
Objectives of the intervention
Goals of the intervention
- To make Santiago de Surco the agro-sustainable district of Metropolitan Lima (3).
- To contribute to the district's economic, nutritional and environmental development by producing nutritious food with high protein value (1).
- To apply organic farming techniques, avoiding the use of pesticides and chemical fertilisers (1).
- To teach the community how to grow different vegetables in small spaces and with recyclable materials (4, 5).
- To extend the life span of plastic bottles (5).
- To support vulnerable families in the district with the provision of food (1, 2, 3).
Key Priorities
Social Justice and community
Sustainability challenge(s) addressed
Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
Green space creation and/or management
Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
Social justice and equity
Environmental education
Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12)
Sustainable consumption
Sustainable production
Food scarcity / security
Implementation activities and NBS focus
Implementation activities
The implementation of the bio-garden has involved the installation of 11,000 pots made from recycled plastic bottles (1). Promoting the distribution of the vegetables produced to the 24 soup kitchens in the commune (1). In addition, specialised techniques have been applied in installation and harvesting, preparation of quality seedlings and methods of fertilisation with organic matter to avoid the presence of pests or diseases without the need to use herbicides (1). One of the examples to demonstrate the development of projects aimed at improving the health of the inhabitants of Surco is the emphasis being placed on planting moringa, which will be dehydrated and given to older adults, children and breastfeeding women to increase their iron intake (2). Likewise, the bio-garden is seeking to supply the local market in the medium term (3), and vegetables are being delivered to the ‘La Cocina del Pueblo’ project, which has been providing free lunches to the most vulnerable population in the district (3). Finally, educational videos and social media posts are being published for the population of Lima with information on how to use recycled bottles to start planting in small spaces (4, 5).
Type of NBS project
Creation of new green areas
Creation of areas for food production (community gardens, allotments)
Knowledge creation and awareness raising
Protection of agroecology approaches (agroforestry & silvopastoral systems)
Educational and awareness raising programs
NBS domain and interventions
Ecological domain(s) where the NBS intervention(s) is/are implemented
Community gardens and allotments
Allotments
Amenities offered by the NBS
Other
Please specify other amenities offered by the NBS
The biogarden is located inside the Parque del Aire. In itself, it is not clear whether this garden offers any amenities, but the theme park where it is located does offer some. The park offers educational and recreational experiences, such as exhibitions dedicated to aviation, especially focused on the Peruvian military. In addition, it offers green areas, toilets, and a children's play area (6).
Design elements for well-being
None of the above
Services
Expected ecosystem services delivered
Provisioning services
Food for human consumption (crops, vegetables)
Cultural services
Recreation
Intellectual interactions (scientific and / or educational)
Scale
Spatial scale
Micro-scale: District/neighbourhood level
Beneficiaries
Demographics in implementation area
The total population of Santiago de Surco is 563,862 inhabitants; the gender with the highest percentage in the district is "Women" with 51.8% (292,081 inhab.) and "Men" with 48.2% (271,781 inhab.). Of the total population, the highest percentage is found in the age group of 15 to 64 years with 69.4% (391,503 inhab.), followed by the group of 0 to 14 years with 17.1% (96,255 inhab.) and finally, the group of 65 years and older covers 13.5% (76,104 inhab.) of the population. It has borders with nine districts of Lima, making it a district with high floating population traffic, reaching more than one million people per day at rush hour. The Economically Active Population shows increasing figures, according to the National Population and Housing Census, registering an average growth of 19,082 inhabitants (7).
Regarding the poverty level by per capita income of the household in the district, the most relevant is the “High” stratum with 203,441 people, 66,237 households and 1,437 blocks, followed by the “Medium Upper” stratum with 102,048 people, 30,435 households and 613 blocks; continued by the “Medium” stratum with 15,402 people, 4,365 households and 82 blocks, followed by the “Medium Lower” stratum with 968 people, 337 households and 36 blocks. The “Low” stratum does not present a figure (7).
Socio-economic profile of the area
Mixed income
Communities vulnerable to environmental hazards or climate change impacts
Unknown
Primary Beneficiaries
Citizens or community groups
Marginalized groups
Specify primary beneficiaries
The Municipality of Santiago de Surco has developed its vertical gardens to teach citizens how to grow different vegetables in small spaces and with recyclable materials (4).
The development of this alternative (3) has benefited more than 3,000 low-income families, and it has also been focused on elderly people, children, and breastfeeding mothers (4).
Marginalized groups
Children, young people or youth groups
Elderly people
Women
Socio-economically disadvantaged populations (e.g. low-income households, unemployed)
Measures for inclusion of marginalised groups
This project's objective is to contribute to the economic, nutritional and environmental development of the district through the production of nutritious food with high protein value focused on supplying organic vegetables to social kitchens in the district (1, 3), churches and social aid organisations (1).
Specify measures taken for vulnerable or marginalized communities
Implementation of specific programs to address the needs of these communities
Provision of resources tailored to the unique challenges faced by vulnerable or marginalized groups
Other beneficiaries
Unknown
Governance
Governance arrangements
Government-led
Please specify the roles of the specific government and non-government actor groups involved in the initiative
Parque del Aire: Public theme park serving as the location for the bio-garden project (1).
Surco’s Municipality: Lead organization driving the development and support of the bio-garden. Additionally, the municipality is fostering complementary initiatives, including municipal earthworm farms producing compost to enrich the garden’s soil (8).
Community groups: Entities such as community kitchens, exemplified by "La cocina del pueblo," benefiting from the bio-garden through the provision of harvested vegetables (3).
Social aid organizations and churches: Recipients of the bio-garden’s produce, contributing to their support services (1).
Recycling plant: Supplier of recycled plastic bottles utilized as planters for the bio-garden (5).
Key actors - initiating organization
Local government/municipality
Key actors - Other stakeholders involved (besides initiating actors)
District/neighbourhood association
Citizens or community group
Stages of citizen and community engagement
Unknown
Level of citizen and community engagement
Unknown
Community empowerment or capacity-building initiatives
Implementation of educational programs, workshops or trainings
Participatory methods/forms of stakeholder involvement (all stakeholders)
Dissemination of information and education
Uncommon actors ("Missing actors")
Community & Social Groups
Churches and other religious organisations or faith communities
Women or Women's groups
Elderly population or elderly rights associations
Land owners
Public space owned by the city
Policy drivers
NBS intervention implemented in response to a Regional Directive/Strategy
Unknown
NBS intervention implemented in response to a national regulations/strategy/plan
Unknown
NBS intervention implemented in response to a local regulation/strategy/plan
Unknown
Mandatory or voluntary intervention
Voluntary (spontaneous)
Please specify other type of voluntary intervention
There is a motivation to become a more sustainable district, but there is no specification behind any related standard or plan (3)
Enablers & Barriers
Type of enablers
Collaboration with other projects that implemented NBS
Please provide details (e.g, name of the plan or strategy) for the selected policies or initiatives.
The Santiago de Surco district is developing parallel projects that support the development of this district, such as the implementation of five worm gardens to produce worm hummus through the use of organic waste (8)
Governace and decison-making instruments
Public - community agreement (e.g. citizen science programs; citizen assemblies)
Arrangements for governance cooperation
Unknown
Barriers
Unknown
Financing
Total cost
Unknown
Please specify total cost (EUR)
Unknown
What is/was the Cost/Budget (EUR) of the NBS or green infrastructure elements?
Unknown
Source(s) of funding
Public local authority budget
Type of fund(s) used
Earmarked public budget
Non-financial contribution
Yes
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
Public authorities (e.g. land, utility services)
Other
Please specify other source of non-financial contribution
Plastic bottles from the district's recycling plant (5)
Type of non-financial contribution
Provision of land
Provision of goods
Co-finance for NBS
Unknown
Entrepreneurship opportunities
No
Business models
Business models
Green health model
Which of the involved actors was motivated by this model?
Public actor (e.g. municipality)
Citizens / local communities
Impacts, benefits
Environmental impacts
Green space and habitat
Increased green space area
Achieved increased green space area
Increased number of species present
Achieved increased number of species present
Other
Please specify other environmental impact
Recycling plastic waste: achieved
Description of environmental benefits
- Increased green space area: "The largest vertical bio-garden in Peru is in the Surco district of Lima. There are more than 600 linear metres of panels, located on an area of 685 square metres in the El Aire park" (1)
- Increased number of species present: "11,000 pots made from recycled plastic bottles have been installed, which generate a production of 400 to 1,500 varieties of vegetables every 20 days." (1)
"In this space, 14 types of medicinal plants are planted and distributed to nine soup kitchens in the district." (2)
- Recycling plastic waste: "11 thousand flower pots made from recycled plastic bottles have been installed" (1)
Environmental impact indicators
Other indicators
11000 plastic bottles recicled since 2020
Economic impacts
Increase in agricultural production (for profit or not)
Achieved increase in agricultural production (for profit or not)
Unknown
Description of economic benefits
-Increase in agricultural production (for profit or not): "Vegetable production has increased by 300%." (1)
Economic impact indicators
Increase in agricultural production (kg or %)
300%, since 2020 (1)
Social and cultural impacts
Social justice and cohesion
Improved liveability
Achieved improved liveability
Increased access to healthy/affordable food
Achieved increased access to healthy/affordable food
Increased sustainability of agriculture practices
Achieved increased sustainability of agriculture practices
Education
Increased awareness of NBS and their benefits
Achieved increased awareness of NBS and their benefits
Social and cultural impact indicators
Number of species of locally produced food harvested (in urban gardens, community orchards, or agroforestry plots)
14 species of medicinal plants (2)
Area allocated for sustainable food production (ha)
0.0685 (1)
Description of social and cultural benefits
-Improved liveability: "In this first stage, the production is aimed at the project ‘La Cocina del Pueblo’, which has been providing free lunches to the most vulnerable population of the human settlement 10 de Oro in sector 8." (3)
-Increased access to healthy/affordable food: "The Municipality of Santiago de Surco is promoting this alternative to contribute to the economic, nutritional and environmental development of the district through the production of nutritious and high protein foods, which are distributed to the 24 soup kitchens in the commune" (1)
-Increased sustainability of agriculture practices: "The municipality has been applying specialized techniques in installation and harvesting, preparation of quality seedlings and fertilization methods with organic matter to avoid the presence of pests or diseases. In this way, the use of pesticides is avoided." (1)
-Increased awareness of NBS and their benefits: "We also use the bottle to raise awareness, encouraging people to recycle and to no longer see plastic as waste, but as a tool for growing crops or for any other activity. It's time to take a closer look at how this vertical bio-garden is assembled so that you can do it at home too. In this way, you will not only contribute to recycling and reducing single-use plastic, but you will also be able to grow your own food free of chemicals and pesticides." (5)
Evidence for use of assessment
Presence of an assessment, evaluation and/or monitoring process
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
Yes
Type of indicators
Input indicators
Process indicators
Presence of monitoring/evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
Name of any specific impact assessment tools
Unknown
Use of GIS in mapping impacts
No evidence in public records
Cost-benefit analysis
Unknown
Transparency
Unknown
Justice
Community satisfaction
Positive: The majority of feedback and reports indicate high levels of satisfaction and appreciation for the NBS project within the community.
Description of locals satisfaction with the project
The assessment of the project is positive. Citizens praise the recycling of bottles, the production of organic food and, above all, its social justice component, providing food for soup kitchens.
Trade-offs & Negative impacts
Unknown
Emphasis of existing social inequalities or injustices
No information reported related to negative social justice-related impacts of the NBS project
Measures to prevent gentrification or displacement
Unknown
High-quality & Transformative NBS
Multiple impacts delivery (climate, biodiversity, just community)
No
Goal setting and impacts delivery
No, project goals were not set, and benefits were not delivered in all 3 key areas.
Long-term perspective
Yes
Cost-effective solutions
Yes
Equitable impacts
A. All stakeholders benefit fairly from the project
Transformative capacity
Social change (e.g. social relationships, networks and dynamics within them)
Magnitude of change
Incremental: shallow; that is, mostly maintaining business-as-usual approaches to adaptation
Application of lessons learned
Unknown
Perception of Environmental Change
Unknown
References
1.
Agencia Agraria de Noticias (2021). Surco posee el biohuerto vertical más grande del Perú que brinda hortalizas para comedores populares. Accessed on August 19, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];
2.
Andina Agencia Peruana de Noticias (2023). Biohuerto municipal de Surco produce 14 tipos de plantas medicinales. Accessed on August 19, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];
3.
Municipalidad de Santiago de Surco (2020). Santiago de Surco: Biohuerto Municipal ayuda a la comunidad. Accessed on August 19, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];
4.
Municipalidad de Santiago de Surco (2021). #SurcoCultiva| Conoce el biohuerto municipal. Accessed on August 19, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];
5.
Municipalidad de Lima (2022). #LimaEcológica: Descubre los encantos del biohuerto vertical del Parque del Aire. Accessed on August 19, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];
6.
Diversión en Lima (n.d.). Parque del Aire | Parque Temático Surco, Lima. Accessed on August 19, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];
7.
Bruce, C. (2023). Plan de Acción Distrital de Seguridad Ciudadana de Santiago de Surco. Accessed on August 19, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];
8.
Redacción RPP (2023). Jardineros convierten residuos orgánicos municipales en humus para nutrir viveros y biohuertos. Accessed on August 19, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];
Comments and notes
Public Images
Vertical lettuce pots
Wall of lettuce in the vertical biogarden
Facebook page Municipalidad de Santiago de Surco
A worker watering a vertical wall of planted vegetables
A worker watering a vertical wall of planted vegetables
Facebook page Municipalidad de Santiago de Surco