Last updated: April 2025
The Productive Backyards Program is led by the NGO Granitos de Paz with the goal of promoting food security and income generation for vulnerable families in Cartagena. The program supports the creation of green gardens in household yards, provide technical training in planting, plant care, and supplies, as well as guidance and support for the creation of productive gardens, it also supports the commercialization of crops, fostering social cohesion within homes and positively impacting their environmental surroundings, nutrition, and health (ref 2, 3). A productive backyard is a small plot of land dedicated to growing vegetables for the family's daily consumption, providing fresh, healthy, and nutritious food. Family labour is utilised, offering both economic and nutritional benefits. This activity helps reduce malnutrition, improve the environment, and enable the commercialisation of organic products by making use of household yards (ref 6). The program is led by the NGO and occasionally receives support from the mayor's office. The mayor's office has provided kits to the families with gardening tools, a watering can, mesh for enclosures, and seeds for 12 species, including tomatoes, sweet peppers, eggplants, bell peppers, Swiss chard, cabbage, and other vegetables. In addition to these supplies, families received training in entrepreneurship and business ideas for marketing their products, self-consumption, and all related concepts aimed at increasing production (ref 1 and 2). Currently, the program counts with 450 backyards in different neighbourhoods of Cartagena (ref 1).
Example of a productive backyard
Granitos de paz fundation
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Community gardens and allotments
- Allotments
- Community gardens
Key challenges
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Habitat and biodiversity restoration
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Social interaction
- Environmental education
- Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12)
- Sustainable consumption
- Sustainable production
- Food scarcity / security
Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)
- Resource Scarcity and Competition
- Food insecurity due to disruptions in food production and distribution
- Other
Key priorities
Social Justice and community
Focus
Creation of new green areas, Creation of areas for food production (community gardens, allotments)
Project objectives
- Promote food security and income generation project for vulnerable families in Cartagena that aims to help reduce malnutrition, improve the environment, and market organic products by utilising household yards. Backyards are incorporated with the support of a private entity, as well as the older backyards, which have also received financial support from private organisations (ref 4, 9).
- Promote participation: Participation plays a crucial role in this initiative, as families act as co-managers of their own well-being (ref. 9). The foundation includes within its activities a pillar of training and income generation, supported by the Patios Productivos program. (ref 4).
-provides the households with training focused on the nutritional, economic, environmental, and social benefits of growing vegetables in their home patios (ref 6)
- Supply and construct the necessary systems to transform these spaces into productive gardens (ref 6).
- The transformation of spaces that were previously garbage dumps has been transformed into productive backyards (ref. 9).
Implementation activities
- Open calls for the community to apply to become a member of the program (ref 1).
- Visits and feasibility evaluation select the appropriate households for the backyards (ref 1).
- Provision of technical training in planting, plant care, and supplies, along with guidance and support for the creation of productive gardens (ref 1). The beneficiaries receive technical training in planting, plant care, and supplies, as well as guidance and support in the implementation of these productive gardens to grow vegetables "We trained them through hands-on learning, and later on, there will be follow-up to ensure that it’s not just a one-time harvest, but something that continues over time" (ref 2).
- focus on the Olaya Herrera neighbourhood, specifically in the Rafael Núñez sector, as well as in other neighborhoods such as La Esperanza, El Pozón, Lomas del Peye, and rural areas like La Boquilla, Puerto Rey, and Manzanillo del Mar (ref 4)-
- Improve the food security of the population in its areas of influence through self-sufficiency in food and its commercialisation in hotels and restaurants in the city, as well as environmental restoration (ref 4).
Communities vulnerable to environmental hazards or climate change impacts
Yes
Specification of climate or environmentally vulnerable communities
Low-income neighborhoods
Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities
Biodiversity restoration:
- Rehabilitate and restore damaged or destroyed ecosystems
- Public engagement
- Other
Main beneficiaries
- Citizens or community groups
- Food producers and cultivators (i.e. farmers, gardeners)
- Coastal-dependent communities (e.g. small-scale fishers, coastal farmers, and indigenous peoples)
- Marginalized groups: Women, Socio-economically disadvantaged populations (e.g. low-income households, unemployed), Disadvantaged ethnic or racial groups, Vulnerable populations in disaster-prone areas
Governance
Management set-up
- Led by non-government actors
Type of initiating organisation
- Non-government organisation/civil society
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Unknown
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
The project is currently being led by the Granitos de Paz Foundation. They select the beneficiaries, provide the services and commercialize the products. The program was a response to a local government initiative, The District of Cartagena de Indias, through the Pedro Romero Social Emergency Plan, promoted a comprehensive public policy on nutrition and food security aimed at establishing a Comprehensive Nutrition System for the city's vulnerable population. The Granitos de Paz Foundation, as part of its income generation pillar, implemented this Strategic Plan through the development of the productive backyards project in the Rafael Núñez sector of the Olaya Herrera neighborhood in Cartagena de Indias (ref 9)
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
No
(The District of Cartagena de Indias, through the Pedro Romero Social Emergency Plan, promoted a comprehensive public policy on nutrition and food security aimed at establishing a Comprehensive Nutrition System for the city's vulnerable population. The Granitos de Paz Foundation, as part of its income generation pillar, implemented this Strategic Plan through the development of the productive backyards project in the Rafael Núñez sector of the Olaya Herrera neighborhood in Cartagena de Indias (ref 9). )
... a national policy or strategy?
No
... a local policy or strategy?
Yes
(The District of Cartagena de Indias, through the Pedro Romero Social Emergency Plan, promoted a comprehensive public policy on nutrition and food security aimed at establishing a Comprehensive Nutrition System for the city's vulnerable population. The Granitos de Paz Foundation, as part of its income generation pillar, implemented this Strategic Plan through the development of the productive backyards project in the Rafael Núñez sector of the Olaya Herrera neighbourhood in Cartagena de Indias (ref 9). )
Type of enablers
NGOs/Community groups driving the implementation
Financing
Total cost
Unknown
Source(s) of funding
- Public local authority budget
- Corporate investment
- Funds provided by non-governmental organization (NGO)
Type of funding
- Earmarked public budget
- Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
- Donations
Non-financial contribution
Type of non-financial contribution
- Provision of goods
- Provision of labour
- Provision of expertise
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
- Public authorities (e.g. land, utility services)
- Citizens (e.g. volunteering)
- Private sector (businesses, financial institution)
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Green space and habitat
- Increased green space area
- Achieved increased green space area
- Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
- Achieved increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
- Other
Economic impacts
- Stimulate development in deprived areas
- Achieved stimulate development in deprived areas
- Increase in agricultural production (for profit or not)
- Achieved increase in agricultural production (for profit or not)
- Generation of income from NBS
- Achieved generation of income from NBS
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Improved social cohesion
- Achieved improved social cohesion
- Improved access to urban green space
- Achieved improved access to urban green space
- Increased opportunities for social interaction
- Achieved increased opportunities for social interaction
- Increased access to healthy/affordable food
- Achieved increased access to healthy/affordable food
- Education
- Increased knowledge of locals about local nature
- Achieved increased knowledge of locals about local nature
Type of reported impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
Potential risks of implementation and trade-offs
Unknown
References
1.
Cartagena Mayor's office (2023). PES -Pedro Romero entrega insumos para la sostenibilidad de patios productivos implementados en familias con pobreza extrema. Accessed on August 6, 2024, [Source link];
2.
Semana Magazine (2022). Cartagena: ¿de qué se trata ‘Patios Productivos’ y cómo ayudará a las familias en condición de pobreza extrema?. Accessed on August 6, 2024, [Source link];
3.
Granitos de paz (2024). PATIOS PRODUCTIVOS. Accessed on August 6, 2024, [Source link];
4.
Hernández Cotta, A. M., Turizo Arrieta, C. M. & Romero Cevallos, M (2021). International Cooperation and Urban Agriculture: Impact on Food Security of Vulnerable Populations of Cartagena. Revista Internacional de Cooperación y Desarrollo. 8(2), 152-163, Accessed on August 6, 2024, [Source link];
5.
Castellar Guzmán, Lizeth Cecilia; Oviedo Hernández, Sully Del Carmen (2013). Sistematización del proceso metodológico y estudio de impactos del proyecto patios productivos en el barrio Nelson Mándela de la ciudad de Cartagena durante los años 2010-2012. Universidad de Cartagena, Accessed on August 6, 2024, [Source link];
6.
El Bolivarense (2023). Iniciativa busca promover la productividad de patios familiares. Accessed on August 6, 2024, [Source link];
7.
Montoya Rendón, Luz Elena (2021). PLAN DE ACCIÓN PARA IMPLEMENTACIÓN DE ESTRATEGIA DE ENCADENAMIENTO “PATIOS PRODUCTIVOS” COMO PROCESO INNOVADOR PARA EL DESARROLLO RURAL Y DE PAZ EN EL CORREGIMIENTO EL CASTILLO, MUNICIPIO EL CERRITO-VALLE DEL CAUCA. Accessed on August 6, 2024, [Source link];
8.
Vega Cañate, Daily (2013). Patios productivos como una estrategia para la atención integral a la familia. Accessed on August 6, 2024, [Source link];
9.
Álvarez Ortega, Odys Paola; Rebolledo Padilla, Silvana (2016). Patios productivos de la Fundación granitos de paz como dispositivo de transformación de las relaciones de género para la equidad en las familias del sector Rafael Nuñez del barrio Olaya Herrera al año 2016. Accessed on August 6, 2024, [Source link];
some of the neighborhoods mentioned with productive backyards
google maps
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the Naturescapes project funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No 101084341.