The mayor of Estepona, José María García Urbano, attended today the inauguration of the first urban school garden in the city. It is a pioneering project in the municipality that the Consistory makes available to all educational centers, with the aim that students acquire knowledge about the environment, food and natural sciences.
This new space is located on a 1,000 square meter municipal plot next to the El Carmen public school, and can be used by students from all educational centers. The objective is for them to learn to differentiate the different fruit trees and plants that are grown in this environment, among other issues related to cultivation and nature.
The garden, which has begun to be used today, has different delimited areas: seven terraces, a wooden planter area and a space reserved for storage and adapted toilets. In addition, there is a covered area that will function as an open classroom for students to receive all the corresponding explanations.
The project, carried out by the Consistory, has also included the installations of the sanitation, electricity and irrigation systems. On the other hand, the City Council supplies the basic tools for garden maintenance such as rakes, wheelbarrows, hoes, showers, irrigation hoses or baskets, among others.
Assorted fruit trees have already been planted so that schoolchildren are familiar with the various types, including avocados, custard apples, mangoes, medlars, apricot trees, lemon, orange, mandarin and apple trees. On the terraces, from today onwards, 800 units of seasonal plants such as cauliflower, broccoli, cabbages, onions and lettuce of different varieties will be planted. The entire enclosure has been perfectly delimited by a perimeter fence.
The Estepona City Council has opted to create this garden because it considers it “essential” that the little ones are in contact with the earth and nature. In this way, schoolchildren will become aware of the importance of respect for the environment and the need that the natural environment is present in human life.
In addition, from a scientific point of view they will learn the development process of plant species. At the same time, children will become aware of the importance of consuming water responsibly, in addition to the benefits of consuming vegetables and fresh produce grown by themselves. To all we must add the promotion of teamwork, which will be essential for the proper functioning of this school garden.