Health as Nutrition: Greenhouse Project
What’s next?
As of February 14th, 2025, three greenhouses have been constructed in Huacahuasi. Plans for growing are still in progress, but SPP stresses the need for fiscal sustainability, effective on-ground and upward management, and the integration and leadership of local residents in guiding and determining the use of the greenhouses. SPP envisions an arrangement in which local farmers and growers of Huacahuasi directly run the greenhouses, with support from the Andean Community Partners, a different description.
Overview
Acknowledging that the issue of anemia in Huacahuasi stems from limitations of multiple dimensions, SPP initiated the Greenhouse “Fitoldo” Construction and Management Program.
The climate of Huacahuasi provides few opportunities for the growth of iron-rich foods, meaning the diets in the region largely consist of rice, potatoes, and corn (Quispe Ccoricasa, 2019).
Financial constraints reduce the ability of the village to import iron-rich and other foods. The project represents a collaboration with local residents and leaders to address the scarcity of iron-rich foods in Huacahuasi.
Purpose behind the project
In response to the high prevalence of anemia in Huacahuasi, SPP has collaborated with local residents and leaders and identified the construction of greenhouses (or fitotoldos) as an effective, financially feasible, and hopefully sustainable method of growing more diverse produce (and thus diets) in the Huacahuasi community. The fitotoldos can provide a localized tropical climate, allowing for the cultivation of fruits and vegetables which otherwise would not be possible considering the Andean elevation, cold, and wind (Quispe Ccoricasa, 2019). The greenhouse project aims to provide a sustainable and reliable source of iron-rich foods, therefore hopefully reducing the levels of anemia in the community.