1 . Heavy clouds threaten rain, but this doesn’t seem to weaken the spirits of the gardeners who are cheerfully weeding in a community vegetable garden which lies deep inside Manguinhos, previously a rubbish dump.
The Manguinbos garden is part of the Hortas Cariocas project (Carioca Gardens). Launched in 2006 by Julio Cesar Barros, an agriculturist who works for the government, the project now includes 55 gardens that are located either in schools or in ‘vulnerable’ neighbourhoods, such as favelas (棚户区). The gardens produce organic food that is then supplied to feed low-income families around.
Barros explains that the expansion of the largest garden which will benefit five nearby favelas is under way. It will follow the same model as existing gardens. Each of the five favelas will provide a team of local gardeners. Half of the produce must be donated locally, but the team is then free to sell the other half, adding to the salary they receive,
Hortas Cariocas is run and funded by the government, but each garden is tended by a group of locals who receive a small salary for their work. The favela residents involved in the gardens are nevertheless enthusiastic about the project’s other benefits, such as education and bringing people happiness. “I always tell people, ‘Hortas Cariocas’ is the name of the project, but its surname is ‘Saving Lives’,” says Ezequiel Dias Areas, who manages the team of gardeners in Manguinhos. Dias Areas was unemployed for five years before getting involved in 2013. Without the garden “today I might be doing something illegal, I might be dead, I might be in prison”, he says.
Douglas dos Santos, a 30-year-old father-of-four, tells his story. “I feel valued,” he says, explaining how he learned about agriculture via the project. Despite his pride, dos Santos isn’t blind to the project’s shortcomings. He readily admits that juggling a pleasant relationship with the favela’s residents’ association is no easy task.
1. Where may the vegetable gardens be?| A．In some football pitches. | B．In Barros’ neighbourhood. |
| C．In low-income communities. | D．In local government yards. |
| A．Benefits of it are many-sided. | B．Local gardeners work for it for free. |
| C．The produce is sold by the government. | D．It is financially supported by the locals. |
| A．Negative | B．Suspicious | C．Objective | D．Not clear |
| A．Organic Farming | B．Life-saving Gardens |
| C．A Wise Agriculturist | D．Hard-working Gardeners |
