{"id":568428,"date":"2025-11-18T16:14:33","date_gmt":"2025-11-18T19:14:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/?p=568428"},"modified":"2025-11-18T16:14:33","modified_gmt":"2025-11-18T19:14:33","slug":"backyards-strengthen-community-ties-in-poor-regions-of-sao-paulo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/backyards-strengthen-community-ties-in-poor-regions-of-sao-paulo\/","title":{"rendered":"Backyards strengthen community ties in poor regions of S\u00e3o Paulo"},"content":{"rendered":"

Born in the countryside of S\u00e3o Paulo State, Nilc\u00e9a got married at 17 and brought a potted plant with her when she moved to the state capital. The zebra plant (Calathea zebrina<\/em>), which she brought with her 70 years ago as part of her wedding trousseau, now grows in the backyard of her home, on land she has cultivated for over five decades in the Vila Regente Feij\u00f3 neighborhood, in S\u00e3o Paulo\u2019s east zone. Over time, the neighborhood has grown around the 500-square-meter (m\u00b2) space, which, according to her, once housed chickens, ducks, rabbits, and even a horse. Today, among the fruit trees, medicinal herbs, and ornamental plants, two tortoises remain that arrived more than 40 years ago, when her children were small.<\/p>\n

Nilc\u00e9a was one of the subjects interviewed by anthropologist Andr\u00e9a Barbosa from the Federal University of S\u00e3o Paulo (UNIFESP) during a study conducted between 2022 and 2024. In the FAPESP-funded study, Barbosa visited around 20 backyards in the Pimentas neighborhood, located in Guarulhos (S\u00e3o Paulo), as well as areas in S\u00e3o Paulo\u2019s east zone, to understand the role these domestic spaces play in the residents\u2019 lives and how they withstand the rapid urbanization of cities. \u201cIn the places I visited, the backyard is a source of healing, of homemade remedy production, and a place for socializing, parties, and games,\u201d says the researcher. \u201cI didn\u2019t see a single backyard that looked like another, and they tend to mirror their owner\u2019s personality. For those interviewed, the backyard has to be beautiful, but it is a dynamic kind of beauty, full of diversity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most of those interviewed are migrants from rural backgrounds. \u201cWhen they came to S\u00e3o Paulo, they brought seeds, cuttings, and cultivation techniques,\u201d says Barbosa. \u201cBy growing plants and raising small animals, the residents maintain their connection to a rural way of life. This stems from their own experience or from that of their parents and relatives with whom they had contact.<\/p>\n

According to the anthropologist, the role of backyards in the areas visited is not limited to the domestic environment. \u201cThrough these spaces, the residents create or strengthen their network of relationships within the community,\u201d she adds. \u201cItems such as fruit, leaves, cuttings, and seeds circulate among friends and relatives in the neighborhood, and are often eagerly awaited by them.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is what happens with Eliane, born in the countryside of the state of Rio de Janeiro, and her husband Toninho, from Minas Gerais, who have lived in the Pimentas neighborhood since the land was first divided into lots, in the 1990s. \u201cEvery summer they distribute grapes around the neighborhood,\u201d says Barbosa. \u201cThe 100 m2<\/sup> area which today is their backyard is enclosed by the walls of the neighbors behind and on both sides. There, they grow grapevines and around 20 fruit trees, along with a garden of edible and medicinal plants, mostly in pots,\u201d says the researcher.<\/p>\n

The transformation of the place into a backyard, in the 2010s required a lot of work. \u201cIt was a space between the lots where a stream ran, which functioned as an open sewer,\u201d says Barbosa. With the help of their children and some neighbors, the couple channeled the stream and with eight truckloads of soil leveled the ground. \u201cConflict among neighbors, although still present in everyday life, improved considerably after the backyard was built. The other residents stopped throwing trash behind Eliane and Toninho\u2019s house,\u201d says the anthropologist.<\/p>\n

Some species, such as Saint George’s sword (Dracaena trifasciata<\/em>), lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus<\/em>), amaranth (Amaranthus <\/em>spp.), aloe vera (Aloe vera<\/em>), and guaco (Mikania glomerata<\/em>), are recurrent features in the backyards visited by the researcher. \u201cGreat knowledge of biodiversity and healthcare practices circulate in these spaces, which is often not valued by younger generations,\u201d says Barbosa.<\/p>\n

Environmental manager Guilherme Reis Ranieri had a similar feeling during the research for his master\u2019s, defended in 2019, at the School of Arts, Sciences, and Humanities of the University of S\u00e3o Paulo (EACH-USP). At the time, he visited cities such as Areias and S\u00e3o Jos\u00e9 do Barreiro, in the Para\u00edba Valley region of S\u00e3o Paulo State, to investigate how urban backyards maintained\u2014or were beginning to lose\u2014knowledge related to domestic cultivation.<\/p>\n

The researcher mapped around 200 species, some overlooked by large supermarket chains, greengrocers, and even street markets. It is the case of tannia (Xanthosoma sagittifolium<\/em>), with its large leaves and rich in iron and calcium, Barbados gooseberry (Pereskia aculeata<\/em>), a protein-rich creeper, and fameflower (Talinum paniculatum<\/em>), a leafy green known for its diuretic properties. \u201cMany elderly people said: \u2018This knowledge of identifying, cultivating, and using these plants will die with me.\u2019 Younger generations associate cultivation with poverty or with being behind the times,\u201d states the researcher, who is currently finishing his PhD research at the School of Medicine at USP. The study analyzes the introduction of some of these edible plants into school dinners at public schools in Jundia\u00ed (S\u00e3o Paulo).<\/p>\n

\"\"

Tatiane Vesch<\/span>Ione and Manoel, who live in the Pimentas neighborhood and were interviewed by anthropologist Andr\u00e9a BarbosaTatiane Vesch<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

According to the 2022 Demographic Census, by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), 171.3 million people in Brazil, or 84.4% of the population, live in houses. \u201cThe backyard is a recurring feature in Brazilian homes and strongly reflects our cultural diversity, bringing together, in a single space, the Portuguese farmhouses, the medicinal plants of the Indigenous peoples, and the samba gatherings inherited from African traditions, among other influences,\u201d lists architect Sonia Wagner de Ferrer who defended her doctoral thesis in 2023 at Fluminense Federal University (UFF) about urban backyards in Jacarepagu\u00e1, in Rio de Janeiro\u2019s west zone. \u201cIn poorer households, they have historically played a subsistence role, not only through vegetable gardens and raising animals, but also for setting up small businesses or for renting makeshift structures, for example.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Jacarepagu\u00e1, houses still make up the majority, despite the growing number of apartment buildings. In the absence of a backyard, many residents end up adapting other areas of the home to fulfill the role of this space. This is the case for those living in apartments. \u201cThey create what I call \u2018imaginary backyards\u2019 in my research, within their homes, such as transforming balconies into gardens and vertical vegetable patches in the kitchen,\u201d explains Ferrer.<\/p>\n

During the field survey, the architect encountered several types of backyard: from luxury backyards with swimming pools, gourmet areas, and landscaped gardens, to rooftop backyards in favela houses, with plastic swimming pools or water tanks, where kites are flown and the women sunbathe. \u201cUnlike rooms like the kitchen and bathroom, the backyard does not have a preestablished function,\u201d says the researcher. \u201cIt provides total freedom for a wide range of uses, which are determined by the needs and wishes of those who use it.\u201d<\/p>\n

In her research, Barbosa, from UNIFESP, also investigated the community vegetable gardens created by collectives known as \u201cokupas\u201d (occupants) in Barcelona, in Spain. \u201cIt is a movement with strong political ties and since the 1980s has fought against the housing crisis and gentrification that expels traditional residents from their neighborhoods, transforming the city into an object of exploitation by the real estate and international tourism markets,\u201d says the anthropologist.<\/p>\n

An example of this is the Spanish group Desenruna, which operates in Vallcarca, a region disputed by the real estate market because of its proximity to one of the country\u2019s biggest tourist attractions, Park G\u00fcell, designed by Antoni Gaudi (1852\u20131926). There, activists occupy private land belonging to construction companies that demolished the houses of the local residents, in a process of gentrification. \u201cThe movement argues that such areas should be part of the right to the city,\u201d explains the researcher. \u201cIts objective is to ensure the permanence of the neighborhood, and the vegetable garden is the focal point of this initiative, because producing its own food strengthens community ties.\u201d<\/p>\n

The story above was published with the title “Private world<\/strong>” in issue 352 of April\/2025.<\/p>\n

Project<\/strong>
\nPlants in circulation, producing the life of the city: How backyards, gardens, and vegetable plots function as a tactic for building relationships and social connections (n\u00b0 21\/10075-4<\/a>); Grant Mechanism<\/strong> Regular Research Grant; Principal Investigator<\/strong> Andr\u00e9a Claudia Miguel Marques Barbosa (UNIFESP); Investment<\/strong> R$101,909.84.<\/p>\n

Scientific article<\/strong>
\nBARBOSA, A. C. M. M. Quintais, ro\u00e7as e hortas: Pr\u00e1ticas urbanas e ruraliza\u00e7\u00e3o nas periferias<\/a>. Iluminuras<\/strong>. Vol. 24, no. 56, pp. 217\u201344. 2023.<\/p>\n

Book<\/strong>
\nRODRIGUES, E. et al.<\/em> (ed.). Canteiros medicinais perif\u00e9ricos<\/strong>. S\u00e3o Paulo: Glac Edi\u00e7\u00f5es, 2025.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Study investigates the role of these outdoor spaces on the lives of residents","protected":false},"author":777,"featured_media":568433,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[165],"tags":[201,203],"coauthors":[5375],"class_list":["post-568428","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-humanities","tag-anthropology","tag-architecture"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/568428","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/777"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=568428"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/568428\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":568441,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/568428\/revisions\/568441"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/568433"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=568428"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=568428"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=568428"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=568428"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}