Last updated: March 2025
Lima is grappling with significant challenges driven by climate change, and one of the pressing issues is the shortage of green spaces. According to the PLAM 2035 report, Lima offers only 3.1 square meters of green area per inhabitant, well below the World Health Organization's recommendations (2). Moreover, food insecurity is on the rise, with Peru leading the region in this crisis (4). Compounding these issues is the lack of coordination among state actors tasked with addressing the country's food crisis (2). In response to these challenges, the Energy Network of Peru (ISA REP) has been running the "Huertos en Línea" project since 2004 in the districts of Villa María del Triunfo and San Juan de Miraflores as part of its corporate social responsibility initiatives (2, 3, 6). This project aims to establish community gardens that promote environmental awareness, reduce pollution in these affected areas (1, 2), provide food for vulnerable populations, and create income-generating opportunities through the sale of surplus produce (1, 6). The gardens are strategically located in power grid easement strips, which are often plagued by encroachment, burning, and waste accumulation—issues exacerbated by poverty, extreme poverty, and weak social organization in these areas (5, 6). Originally planned with an annual development and growth strategy up to 2011, the project has been extended year by year and has now been active for nearly two decades. Beneficiaries continue to receive technical and material support, and the number of community gardens has grown. In 2019, the initiative expanded to include two bio-gardens in the Trujillo districts of La Esperanza and El Porvenir (7, 9). The project has contributed to improving soil quality, recycling and transforming waste, enhancing landscape aesthetics, reducing burning and waste accumulation, and implementing drip irrigation systems.
Person planting greens
Ministerio del Ambiente - MINAM - https://sinia.minam.gob.pe/novedades/huertos-linea-reducir-contaminacion
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Community gardens and allotments
- Community gardens
Key challenges
- Environmental quality
- Soil quality improvement
- Waste management
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Green space creation and/or management
- Habitat and biodiversity restoration
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Social justice and equity
- Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
- Economic development: agriculture
- Employment/job creation
- Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12)
- Sustainable production
- Food scarcity / security
Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)
- Environmental Degradation
- Soil degradation and loss
- Land use and Socio-economic change
- Limited economic opportunities and local livelihoods
- Unequal availability and access to public green spaces
- Health, Well-being and Social cohesion
- Physical health harm (from pollution, wildfire, extreme temperature)
- Social fragmentation and isolation
- Resource Scarcity and Competition
- Food insecurity due to disruptions in food production and distribution
- Other
Key priorities
Biodiversity (conservation and/or restoration), Social Justice and community
Focus
Creation of new green areas, Creation of areas for food production (community gardens, allotments), Ecological restoration of ecosystems, Soil remediation and revegetation, Remediation activities of sites with very poor environmental quality, Transformation of previously derelict areas, Landfill reclamation, Knowledge creation and awareness raising, Protection of agroecology approaches (agroforestry & silvopastoral systems), Sustainable use of natural resources to improve livelihoods and food security (eg. community- based wildlife or forest management)
Project objectives
The main aim of the project is to contribute to improving the quality of life of excluded groups and vulnerable families living in the areas surrounding the company's operations (1), focusing on the generation of activities that allow women and the elderly to generate economic income favouring their inclusion in the labour system (5, 6). Other goals of the project include:
- To contribute to the development of the country through the implementation of productive units with an agro-ecological approach for reducing poverty (1, 6)
- To improve soil quality and ensure sustainable soil use (5, 6)
- To reduce encroachment under easement strips (5, 6)
- To reduce rubbish pollution: accumulation and burning in the easement strips (2, 5, 6)
- To foster income-generating activities for families living in poverty and extreme poverty (5, 6)
- To implement green areas that contribute to environmental care and the sustainable use of public space (5, 6)
- To improve the quality of the landscape (6)
- To transform and increase the productivity of spaces and people's food security (1, 6, 11)
Implementation activities
- Develop a market study on demand for plant products, technical feasibility and production costs (1)
- Focus on the marketing of surplus vegetables produced on urban farms (1)
- Technical and organisational capacity building for beneficiary individuals and families (1)
- Analysis and selection of intervention areas (1)
- Selection of beneficiary families and participatory design and construction of community gardens (1)
- Provide technical assistance, monitoring and evaluation of results and impact (1)
- Develop communication activities with the beneficiary population to follow up on the implemented gardens (6)
- Create calls for forums, workshops, events and training (6)
- Coordination with grassroots organisations and support to municipal administrations with seed donations (6)
- Communication of results to the stakeholders (6)
Communities vulnerable to environmental hazards or climate change impacts
Yes
Specification of climate or environmentally vulnerable communities
Low-income neighborhoods, Informal settlements or slums
Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities
Biodiversity restoration:
- Rehabilitate and restore damaged or destroyed ecosystems
- Restore ecological connectivity
- Public engagement
Main beneficiaries
- Citizens or community groups
- Marginalized groups: Elderly people, Women, Socio-economically disadvantaged populations (e.g. low-income households, unemployed)
Governance
Management set-up
- Led by non-government actors
Type of initiating organisation
- Private sector/corporate actor/company
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
Red de Energía del Perú (Peru Energy Grid Company) - ISA REP: implementing and financing organisation (4)
Siemens: strategic partner (2)
NGOs such as IPES or IDMA: advisory services and certifications on organic vegetable production (3)
Local government of Villa María del Triunfo (3)
Grassroots organisations: Organisations and programmes that benefit from the products of community gardens, such as social kitchens or the Programa de Vaso de Leche - Glass of Milk Programme (a social programme created to provide a daily ration of food to a population considered vulnerable)
International Cooperation, NGOs, Communities: co-sponsors (3)
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
No
... a national policy or strategy?
No
... a local policy or strategy?
No
Type of enablers
Capacity-building projects, Funds, subsidies or investment for GI/NBS in the city (available for the city or provided by the city), Other
Financing
Total cost
€100,000 - €500,000
Source(s) of funding
- Corporate investment
- Funds provided by non-governmental organization (NGO)
- Multilateral funds/international funding
- Other
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 land
- Provision of goods
- Provision of expertise
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
- Public authorities (e.g. land, utility services)
- Private sector (businesses, financial institution)
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Climate change
- Strengthened capacity to address climate hazards/natural disasters
- Achieved strengthened capacity to address climate hazards/natural disasters
- Environmental quality
- Improved waste management
- Achieved improved waste management
- Improved soil quality
- Achieved improved soil quality
- Green space and habitat
- Increased green space area
- Achieved increased green space area
- Increased conversion of degraded land or soil
- Achieved increased conversion of degraded land or soil
- Restoration of derelict areas
- Achieved restoration of derelict areas
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
- Increased visibility and opportunity for marginalised groups or indigenous peoples
- Achieved increased visibility and opportunity for marginalised groups or indigenous peoples
- 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 support for education and scientific research
- Achieved increased support for education and scientific research
- Safety
- Improved community safety to climate-related hazards
- Achieved improved community safety to climate-related hazards
Type of reported impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
Yes
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
Yes
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
Potential risks of implementation and trade-offs
Social justice and conflicts, Land appropration / grabbing, Economic impacts, High maintenance costs, Other
References
1.
Sociedad Nacional de Minería, Petróleo y Energía (2017). PDS - Red de Energía del Perú - Huertos en linea. Accessed on August 8, 2024, [Source link];
2.
Sinia - Ministerio de Ambiente MINAM (2018). “Huertos en línea” para reducir contaminación. Accessed on August 8, 2024, [Source link];
3.
Solari Pérez, K., Goicochea Medina, J., Huamán Nakamura, M., Tamara Pachas, R. (2019). El papel de las mujeres en el desarrollo de la agricultura urbana: el caso de la «Red de agricultura ecológica huertos en línea». Accessed on August 8, 2024, [Source link];
4.
Valdivia Blume, D. (2024). Desafío alimentario: Agricultoras urbanas luchan contra el hambre en Lima Sur y enfrentan la crisis climática. Accessed on August 8, 2024, [Source link];
5.
Premios ProActivo (n.d.). Huertos en Línea. Accessed on August 8, 2024, [Source link];
6.
Red de Energía del Perú S.A. (2009). Huertos en Línea. Accessed on August 8, 2024, [Source link];
7.
ISA REP (2024). Huertos en Línea de ISA REP: ¡Conoce más sobre esta iniciativa!. Accessed on August 8, 2024, [Source link];
8.
Kohn, A., Schvimer, J., Alarcón Delgado, D. (2019). AGRICULTURA URBANA EN PERÚ. Estudio de cinco casos en Lima Metropolitana. Accessed on August 8, 2024, [Source link];
9.
Revista de la Sociedad Nacional de Minería, Petróleo y Energía (2021). ISA REP reinaugura biohuertos en El Porvenir y La Esperanza. Revista de la Sociedad Nacional de Minería, Petróleo y Energía, Accessed on August 9, 2024, [Source link];
10.
Bravo Urrutia, A., Cusicuna Palma, N., Cuya Ávalos, R., Cáceres Miranda, Y. (2021). HUERTOS URBANOS COMO REVITALIZADOR DEL ESPACIO PÚBLICO VACANTE: CASO HUERTOS EN LÍNEA EN VILLA MARÍA DEL TRIUNFO Y AYLLU 21 EN VILLA EL SALVADOR. Accessed on August 15, 2024, [Source link];
11.
Red de Agricultores Ecológicos Huertos en Línea (n.d.). Red de Agricultores Ecológicos Huertos en Línea . Accessed on August 15, 2024, [Source link];
Person planting under an easement strip
PremiosProActivo 2024 https://premiosproactivo.org/huertos-en-linea/
Map of the Huertos en Línea in Villa María del Triunfo
Bravo Urrutia, A., Cusicuna Palma, N., Cuya Ávalos, R., Cáceres Miranda, Y.
Map of the accesibility to the Huertos en Línea in Villa María del Triunfo
Bravo Urrutia, A., Cusicuna Palma, N., Cuya Ávalos, R., Cáceres Miranda, Y.
Process of evolution of the space management
Bravo Urrutia, A., Cusicuna Palma, N., Cuya Ávalos, R., Cáceres Miranda, Y.
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the Naturescapes project funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No 101084341.