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Lab-Vecinal: Neighborhood Innovation Lab

LUDiK

An integral educational program that seeks to strengthen the food security of children through their active participation in the food production process.

Municipality

AR
Córdoba, Córdoba,

Category / Sub-Category / Topic

Education, Educational programs

Type of investment needed

Grant

Associated SDGs

The challenge

In neighborhood canteens, schools and community centers in vulnerable sectors of the City of Córdoba, the consumption of fruits and vegetables is 40 grams per day. This means that children attending these spaces consume only 10% of the amount of fruits and vegetables recommended by the World Health Organization (400 grams per day).

The main challenge is to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables in children in the city of Córdoba, mainly in vulnerable sectors who are the most affected, and thus move towards food sovereignty.

The project

"We want to empower girls and boys, accompanying them in the transformation process so that they can sow the seeds that will forge their future".

The identified problem is an opportunity to develop a standardized educational and productive program that allows its scalability. An integral playful model is proposed for children, with the necessary materials and inputs to learn the different stages of the process of generating their own food, actively participating in the whole cycle of vegetable production. For the implementation of the Program, the following strategic lines must be developed:

  • Training of tutors: through tutoring and consulting meetings, 30 people will be trained in environmental education strategies, strategies for recreational and recreational environmental activities and implementation of the different production kits. In addition, the team (tutors and coordinators) will be trained in the following topics: environmental and food education, activity planning, educational games, vegetable garden, egg production, bio-compost, urban solid waste treatment, design of materials and strategies for achieving objectives. The tutor must be professionally trained and advised to be able to lead the project and guide the children in the correct performance of their tasks and accompany them throughout the educational and productive process. She/he will be responsible for data collection, following the evaluation instances proposed by the digitalized tool that will allow measuring the impact and providing information for decision making.
  • Educational space for children: trained tutors will transmit the knowledge acquired by guiding children in the learning and food production process. Girls and boys will actively participate in the production of their own food, accompanied by tutors. Four types of low-cost recreational kits will be designed with the necessary tools and inputs for the construction of: i) bio-composting, ii) urban vegetable gardens, iii) urban solid waste treatment and iv) egg production.

Each kit has the necessary inputs for its construction, educational guides, training, recreational activities and other elements necessary to develop activities. All products will be designed and developed under triple impact models, considering social, environmental and economic impacts, achieving a circular economy model. The productive and performance monitoring of the activities will also be controlled by the digital tool that will measure the impact of the program. The LUDiK Program requires a budget per child of U$D 9 per month, a reasonable cost to project and scale the initiative.

Know more...

  • Design and planning of the Educational Strategy: Design and develop the educational strategy of the Program (general objective, specific objectives, main target, secondary target, schedule of activities developed, description of materials to be used and their cost, basis for implementation, evaluation, call for work team and profile (tutors).
  • Design and Production of the Kits: Design and produce the 4 kits proposed for the Program (Bio-composting, Urban Solid Waste Treatment, Urban Vegetable Garden and Egg Production Module), with their respective tools, supplies, educational guides and planning of recreational activities.
  • Operational management/implementation: Implement the Program in the Cultural and Social Space La Quadra. This implies the start of all previously designed activities, the general coordination and operational work of the Program team. At the same time, tutors will be trained in environmental education strategies, strategies for environmental recreational and recreational activities and implementation of the kits, together with tutoring and consulting meetings. It is expected to reach 400 girls/boys per year and 30 tutors per space.
  • Control and monitoring of the program: Design and develop a digital tool to measure impact and provide information for decision making. Through this data management tool, it will be possible to follow up and analyze the Program instances by means of data uploaded by the tutors.

Expected results:

  • 400 Girls and boys learn to produce their own food, accessing theoretical/practical tools and exercising the practice in situ in a recreational way.
  • The concept of food education is redefined, the connection of girls and boys with nature is redefined and good eating habits are adopted, improving their quality of life due to greater access to knowledge and improvements in their health.
  • Spaces are adapted to favor the practice (1 space for the implementation stage).
  • The community is part of the project, feels committed and involved, the spaces are taken care of as their own by the community.
  • A change of habits is achieved in society, something potentially replicable and scalable.

Direct Results:

  • Design and production of 4 models of low-cost play kits. Each one with the inputs and materials for its construction. A total production of 40 kits.
  • 30 trainings for the tutors of the Program and educational guides (respective for each kit).
  • 40 educational guides for girls/boys (1 per kit).
  • Design and development of a digital tool and methodology for monitoring and evaluation of the program's impact (data).
  • Adaptation of the space selected for the practice to achieve the development of the activities.
  • 15 professional consultancies for tutors and project coordinators.

Indirect results:

  • 400 Girls and boys get food education, change their eating habits, learn to produce fresh, agro-toxic free and super nutritious food, under a circular and triple impact model.
  • The families of the children are involved in the change, since children are great motivators of change. In addition, motivating more families in the community.
  • Organic waste is treated, reducing greenhouse gases and reducing the amount of waste for burial.
  • Solid waste separation and classification is encouraged.
  • Improved health indices (physical and cognitive) in children and their families.
  • A statistical data management model is developed for decision making.
  • Providers contribute with other types of food that complement the diet of children.
  • Children are part of a revolution with a global impact.
  • We reduce the social gap.
  • We contribute to food sovereignty and security.

Expected impact:

The specialized actors that are part of the change network, will be responsible for measuring the impact of the solution according to their area of expertise, according to the 5 edges that support the structure of the program: Educational - Health - Social - Technical - Environmental.

A Balanced Scorecard (collaborative and online) will be implemented, defining for each perspective (Social Impact, Financial Resources, Children in Vulnerable Areas, Processes, Learning and Innovation) dimensions of the model, its objectives and result indicators: (i) Percentage of children who improve their perception regarding vegetable consumption at the end of the program, (ii) Percentage of children in the program who increase their vegetable consumption, (iii) Number of agreements made with strategic allies, (iv) Number of solutions implemented, v) Quantity of food produced (fruits, vegetables and eggs), vi) Number of tutors enrolled in the program, vii) Number of children enrolled in the program, viii) Quantity of organic waste composted, and, ix) Quantity of urban solid waste collected and sorted.

  • Con-tenedor Civil Association.
  • CESNI - Center for Child Nutrition Studies.
  • College of Nutritionists of Córdoba.
  • COYS - Center of Works and Services of Córdoba.
  • La Quadra Cultural and Social Space.
  • Faculty of Nutrition - Catholic University of Córdoba.
  • Alimendar Foundation.
  • AVINA Foundation.
  • INTA Córdoba - National Institute of Agricultural Technology. National Institute of Agricultural Technology.
  • Valeria Churba.
  • Alejandra Torres, Secretary of Planning, Modernization and International Relations, atorres@idesa.org.ar (Córdoba, Argentina)
  • Luciano Crisafulli, Director of Innovation, Municipality of Córdoba (Argentina), lucianocrisafulli@gmail.com
  • Ramiro Argañaraz, Innovation Advisor, Municipality of Córdoba (Argentina), rami.arganaraz@gmail.com
  • Juan Pablo Las Heras, Entrepreneur of Poniio, jplasheras@gmail.com - Argentina.
Food insecurity is a problem that affects a large percentage of children in vulnerable areas of the City of Córdoba, generating nutritional problems and putting at risk the health and quality of life of future generations. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "A person is food insecure when he or she lacks regular access to sufficient safe and nutritious food for normal growth and development and to lead an active and healthy life."

In the latest poverty report published by the National Institute of Statistics and Census of Argentina (INDEC), for the first half of 2021, in Greater Cordoba the poverty rate was 46.6% and for children under 15 years of age 54.3%. In turn, the indigence rate was 10.7% and for indigent children 16.6%.

An updated study on the geolocation of canteens and snack bars conducted by the Municipality of Córdoba revealed that there are 982 identified points in the city where children and adolescents go, once or more times a week, to pick up their meals. Although it was estimated that the appearance of the popular pots, organized by the neighbors themselves, could raise this number to 1,500.

According to studies and information obtained from our network of experts, made up of organizations dedicated to the study of child nutrition, the consumption of fruits and vegetables by children is very low, mainly in lower-income households. Information from surveys conducted by local organizations shows that most children consume on average half of what is recommended by the WHO and FAO (400 grams per day). On the other hand, according to direct surveys with actors who belong to the territory and live the problem on a daily basis, in neighborhood canteens the consumption of fruits and vegetables is around 40 grams per day. This means that children attending these spaces today consume on average only 10% of the fruits and vegetables recommended by the WHO.

Investment

(*): In kind/pro bonus

(**): Financing

Goods and inputs
Funds
Needed
Covered
Solicited

Kit Biocompostera (**)

u$s 537.04

u$s 161.11

u$s 375.93

Kit Tratamiento de residuos sólidos urbanos (**)

u$s 537.04

u$s 161.11

u$s 375.93

Kit Huerta urbana (**)

u$s 537.04

u$s 161.11

u$s 375.93

Kit Módulo de producción de huevos (**)

u$s 537.04

u$s 161.11

u$s 375.93

Services
Funds
Needed
Covered
Solicited

Diseño de Estrategia Educativa (**)

u$s 402.78

u$s 120.83

u$s 281.95

Diseño de Kits (**)

u$s 2416.67

u$s 725.00

u$s 1691.67

Capacitaciones a tutores/as (**)

u$s 1006.94

u$s 302.08

u$s 704.86

Diseño de planificación de actividades recreativas (**)

u$s 2819.44

u$s 845.83

u$s 1973.61

Encuentro de tutoría (**)

u$s 939.81

u$s 281.94

u$s 657.87

Desarrollo de herramienta de gestión de datos (**)

u$s 2314.81

u$s 694.44

u$s 1620.37

Soporte herramienta de gestión de datos (**)

u$s 2222.22

u$s 666.67

u$s 1555.55

Human resources
Funds
Needed
Covered
Solicited

Coordinador General (**)

u$s 4444.44

u$s 1333.33

u$s 3111.11

Analista Contable/Administrativo/a (**)

u$s 2222.22

u$s 666.67

u$s 1555.55

Tutores/as - Capacitadores/as (**)

u$s 11111.11

u$s 3333.33

u$s 7777.78

Consultoria (Sociedad - Educación - Salud - Ambiental - Técnica) (**)

u$s 3472.22

u$s 1041.67

u$s 2430.55

Others
Funds
Needed
Covered
Solicited

Contingencias (**)

u$s 3552.08

u$s 1065.63

u$s 2486.45

TOTAL AMOUNTS:

u$s 39072.90

u$s 11721.86

u$s 27351.04

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