Olericultura e plantas medicinais na formação de jovens em conflito com a lei: 13 anos de atividades

Abstract

The cultivation of vegetables and plants that contain medicinal properties in public places, is a practice that involves interdisciplinarity, allowing the understanding of the dynamics of the interaction between soil, water and plant. This practice comes as an economical resource in the family sphere, providing alimentary safety, information of healthy habits and of production, obtaining low cost varieties, besides being an alternative for the formation and understan-ding of young people. The present project has as objective to take and multiply the scientific knowledge through the cultivation of vegetables and medicinal plants, for youths and adolescents in reclusion, looking for life improvements, through an interaction between university and society. Through workshops and weekly courses on planting, culti-vation and management of vegetables and medicinal plants, about 15 adolescents of the Centro Socioeducativo of Montes Claros, had the opportunity to obtain the training in Vegetable farming and Medicinal plants semiannually. Up to the moment, the extension project promoted the formation of approximately 450 youths, contributing to social inclusion, so that this qualification allows that adolescents that have been in conflict with the law, have opportunity to act in the job market, more specifically, in the horticulture section. Due to its importance, the university is linked to the public sector and is committed to the social investment of young people, in order to stimulate knowledge, the development of food cultivation in a sustainable way, environmental education and mainly to the reduction of social wellbeing, guaranteeing citizenship and professional training.