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Rapid urbanization and population growth in the shanty towns on the outskirts of Lima, Peru, where the majority of residents live in poverty and lack access to basic necessities such as potable water and adequate sanitation, has led to serious negative consequences on both human and environmental health. These trends, which are not unique to Peru but can be seen in urban areas of low-income countries throughout the world, have particularly devastating effects on household food security and nutrition.

However, among many of Lima's poor neighborhoods, community-based solutions are emerging that tackle these problems in collaborative and sustainable ways. Food production within city limits has recently come to the forefront as a strategy to improve food security among poor, landless households. The capacity for engagement in urban agriculture is especially important when food access is compromised due to prevalent unemployment, under-employment and the fluctuating costs of basic food staples.

Child malnutrition is becoming an increasingly important concern in the peripheral poor neighborhoods of Lima. It is therefore imperative to consider urban agriculture's potential to directly address the food and nutritional needs of poor families. Current urban farming projects in areas throughout Lima are generating greater access to fresh nutritious foods and are ultimately helping to break the cycle of poverty and hunger.

Informed by local non-profit organizations and research institutes like Asociaciòn Familias En Acciòn, EcoCiudad, IPES, IDMA, Instituto de Investigación Nutricional, and Urban Harvest, as well as municipal authorities, social workers, and community-members, this project illustrates the positive impacts of local involvement in the eradication of malnutrition and starvation in impoverished urban communities.

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