Mérida government launches urban gardens for seniors

In the Campo Elías municipality of Mérida, Venezuela, the local government is implementing the ‘Cosechando Sabiduría’ (Harvesting Wisdom) program to support the nutrition and well-being of senior citizens. Through the establishment of urban productive gardens, elderly participants are cultivating crops such as sweet chili, basil, cilantro, thyme, corn, and peanuts.

These gardens are located at the ‘Augusto Rodríguez Aranguren’ dining hall, which serves 170 beneficiaries, primarily individuals over 60 facing nutritional and socioeconomic vulnerabilities. The initiative, a collaboration between the Secretariat for the Development of the Elderly and the Autonomous Institute of Food and Nutrition of the State of Mérida (Iaanem), aims to provide balanced meals while encouraging active social participation and mental stimulation through gardening and recreational activities.