ORGANIC VEGETABLE PRODUCTION ON THE PERI-URBAN INTERFACE: HELPING LOW INCOME PRODUCERS ACCESS HIGH VALUE MARKETS IN LIMA, PERU

Strategies and methods have been developed in Lima, Peru to enable urban agricultural producers to take fuller advantage of the nearby location of a wide range of high quality fresh and processed food markets. Horticultural producers in the poor eastern fringe of Lima are currently constrained by a lack of technical and entrepreneurial skills and the capacity for jointly identifying and meeting demand. Through building a collaborative research and development platform among local producers, the watershed irrigation committee and the District Municipality staff, Urban Harvest has implemented three main research and development interventions to make local horticulture more sustainable and profitable, (1) implementation of “Farmer Field Schools” to stimulate innovation and learning in ecological production in an urban setting, (2) design and implementation of a “School for Urban Farmers” to strengthen and empower the producer organizations and establish new marketing opportunities, and (3) the integration of agriculture within local government administration to enhance municipal support for safe and healthy horticultural production and marketing.