The joy of the garden and other urban gardens

If what we put on our table has been grown by ourselves or by local farmers, it tastes better, that’s for sure. For this reason and for other reasons such as the fight against climate change, pollution, daily stress and even consumerism, in recent years initiatives have been promoted, which have much to do with our past, such as gardens in the middle of cities. They are known as urban gardens, but precisely what they do is to remove urbanites from the reality of the asphalt, if only for a while.

There are dozens of residents of Santa Cruz de Tenerife who have found in these urban gardens a way of escape, distraction and commitment to a more real food … and have put their hands on the land, but not in the countryside, but in the city.

This trend is linked to the necessary and demanded promotion of the consumption of local products and also to the awareness of ecological agriculture, which is less harmful to the environment and promotes the natural and socio-cultural values of the island, preserving the legacy of past generations.

The Agroecological and Cultural Association La Alegría de La Huerta (
https://laalegriadelahuerta.org/
) is an example of these green initiatives. It is owned by the Reyes-García family and has an estate of more than 10,000 square meters located in the Barrio de La Alegría, in the heart of the city of Santa Cruz.

The farm, according to its promoters, has been registered in the register of Organic Agriculture Producers of the Government of the Canary Islands since 2012. It is there where they promote various activities such as teaching organic farming through supervised gardens, workshops, lectures and different events throughout the year. But the main offer of this association are the spaces themselves for each amateur farmer to plant what he/she considers within a framework of organic farming under guardianship.

In addition to this initiative, there are other projects such as Huerto Urbano Faro, in El Sobradillo, which is a space for coexistence in which various entities participate with the aim of improving relationships while promoting habits that have been lost in today’s lifestyle.

Another example is the Urban Garden in Añaza, which is run by the Good Samaritan Foundation and is part of a solidarity project in the Santa Cruz neighborhood, encouraging participation among various groups.