Urban Slum Garden
Twenty years ago, the area behind The Haller Park was natural forest. Today it is a mass of urban sprawl and much of this is shanty town and slums. Families live cheek by jowl in shacks made from urban debris. Goats and dogs trawl through the rubbish piled high on the side of the road, there is no running water, no electricity and no toilets.
Living in such an unhealthy environment means there is very little quality of life for the thousands who live there. Disease levels are high and income levels low - around 17 pence per family a day. Many of the children can't go to school because they have to work, scraping together a few cents to help their families survive.
Living in such an unhealthy environment means there is very little quality of life for the thousands who live there. Disease levels are high and income levels low - around 17 pence per family a day. Many of the children can't go to school because they have to work, scraping together a few cents to help their families survive.
Haller has always worked in rural areas showing farmers how they can regenerate their land and make a sustainable living in a low tech way. But we were struck by the opportunity of seeing how we might be able to help people in urban environments do the same.
The slum garden is a 10 metre square concept garden. It is designed to show practical ways families can improve their quality of life by demonstrating over thirty different ways you can produce food - and earn a living - in a very confined space. We apply the same low tech fixes as we use with rural farmers. Almost all of the materials you need to do this can be scavenged from the surrounding area. We've used tyres, sacks, rainwater and composted materials to grow food that will help improve diets. And we've demonstrated how water can be harvested and purified to help improve sanitation.
Other things in the slum garden include:
The slum garden is a 10 metre square concept garden. It is designed to show practical ways families can improve their quality of life by demonstrating over thirty different ways you can produce food - and earn a living - in a very confined space. We apply the same low tech fixes as we use with rural farmers. Almost all of the materials you need to do this can be scavenged from the surrounding area. We've used tyres, sacks, rainwater and composted materials to grow food that will help improve diets. And we've demonstrated how water can be harvested and purified to help improve sanitation.
Other things in the slum garden include:
- Household aquaponics system to grow fish and vegetables and quails
- Water harvesting features
- Living walls and roofs
- Vegetable beds made from old tyres and plastic sacks
- A wormery and compost system fed by discarded household debris
- A small hand shower
- A bio-compostable toilet
- Medicinal plants
- Solar and biogas for cooking and lighting
We've even managed to squeeze in an outside covered area with a small table where children can do homework - and families can interact at the end of the day.
There will be workshops available to demonstrate the urban slum garden for anyone coming to our education centre from the surrounding slums, which includes 28 local schools.
The idea is to help people to help themselves. We are demonstrating how even people living in the poorest conditions can have more healthy, happy and sustainable lifestyles.
The idea is to help people to help themselves. We are demonstrating how even people living in the poorest conditions can have more healthy, happy and sustainable lifestyles.
