El huerto social como estrategia para la educación ambiental

We are facing a crisis that is not solely environmental, but also social, economic and cultural, due to our model of production and consumption. The complex social reality of our time makes it necessary to approach it from several spheres of action, with education being one of these areas, since it is a profession committed to social welfare and the quality of life of individuals. In an attempt to alleviate this crisis, the creation of the so-called social gardens or community vegetable gardens is starting to be promoted. These green zones are considered generators of connections between their members, in benefit of the population where the garden is found. Our study reflects upon the role of these social gardens in citizenship, thus verifying that they have a connection with environmental education. We begin by approaching the concept of gardens, to specify the definition of social garden that we will use throughout the article. Then, and after a brief historical review, we focus on the benefits that they provide citizens. Finally, we end by highlighting the aspects why we consider that the garden is a pedagogical and didactic instrument for Environmental Education.