Urban vegetable production for sustainability: The Riortas Project in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

•The Muepo project developed continuous vegetable production methods in an urban environment.•Organic soil management techniques would guarantee the productive sustainability.•Participation methodologies should be used to empower local residents to use the allotments.

In the context of the complexities related to the expansion of the planet's urban areas and sustainability, the aim of this article is to analyze the Muepo/Riortas Project, an initiative developed between 1989 and 1996 by the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) in partnership with the Brazilian National Agricultural Society (SNA) and Rio de Janeiro's Superintendency for the Environment. After conducting interviews with the coordinators and community leaders involved and analyzing technical reports produced by Rio's City Hall and PUC-Rio, the project's main lines of action were identified as the following: the political issues, sustainable soil productivity, range of vegetable species and economic viability of community allotments. The project addressed fundamental issues, such as the need for planning tools in order to guarantee the continuous production of a range of vegetable species over time and to maintain and expand the productive capacity of the soil through organic cultivation methods. The number of allotments established by the project was much lower than the 15 that were planned. Two units were opened during the period analyzed: the Allotment School and the Santa Cruz Community Allotment. Production at the Allotment School, located at the Wenceslau Bello School of Horticulture, involved the weekly harvest and sale of 250 × 2.5 kg vegetable bags for two years running. This was enough to guarantee the allotment's economic sustainability. The Santa Cruz Community Allotment, however, did not manage to achieve economic viability over the period analyzed. Technical issues associated with the planning and management of the soil were addressed well, but empowerment mechanisms and community involvement proved to be weak during the installation and maintenance of the allotment. In summary, the Muepo/Riortas Project has established new a paradigm for urban community allotments and should form the basis for any future multidisciplinary research seeking integrated solutions for the creation of more sustainable cities.