Cultivar Energia is a corporate socio-environmental program, whose main objective is to make community gardens viable in urban spaces beneath Copel power lines in partnership with municipal governments, promoting the replacement of idle and underused areas with green and productive areas. Internally, it is consolidated as an auxiliary strategy in preventing irregular and risky occupations for the population. For the community, the main benefits are the environmental improvement of urban space, the encouragement of food security and the possibility of generating income.
The program converges with municipal public policies on urban agriculture and social inclusion, and strengthens a set of actions in favor of the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations World Organization – UN, especially with regard to SDG 2 – Zero Hunger and Sustainable Agriculture; SDG 10 – Reduce inequality within and between countries, and SDG 17 – Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development. It also encourages dialogue between public bodies and between companies and the community in the search and development of joint responses to social challenges and sustainable solutions for cities.
In 2022, 445 families benefited. It is estimated that approximately 1,700 people benefit directly and another 3,400 people indirectly, considering the average number of interactions between direct beneficiaries and third parties, who access the food produced in the gardens through donations and sales. There are currently 12 gardens in 7 municipalities in Paraná.
In 2023, the Cultivar Energia Program gained two new gardens – Paraíso Dembinski, in Curitiba, and Jardim Lolata, in Londrina. In addition, the Augusta B Community Garden, also in Curitiba, was revitalized and expanded. The number of participating families rose to 535. It is estimated that 1,956 people benefit directly from the Cultivar Energia Program, and another 3,912 people indirectly, considering the scope of the actions, the population density of the neighborhoods and the purchases and donations of products made in each garden.
In 2024, new community gardens were inaugurated: in Curitiba, Dembinski II; two in Siqueira Campos – Novo Horizonte I and Novo Horizonte II; in Almirante Tamandaré – Jardim Roma; in Londrina – Mundo Ideal; and in Foz do Iguaçu – Vale do Sol.
Horta Semear, the first to involve a partnership with a private company, Invescon, in Curitiba, also has its beds ready to start operating.
There are currently 23 gardens installed and productive in nine municipalities in Paraná – Maringá, Curitiba, Ponta Grossa, Cascavel, Francisco Beltrão, Londrina, Umuarama, Almirante Tamandaré and Foz do Iguaçu – and other new gardens in the process of being installed in Apucarana, Londrina, Curitiba and São José dos Pinhais.
Copel employees also support the program by purchasing the products produced in the gardens from solidarity shopping groups organized weekly in Maringá, at the KM3 headquarters and at the Smart Copel Hub in Curitiba. In this way, they can get to know and become important agents in maintaining the program, consuming the products and encouraging small producers. The benefits thus extend to the communities, the company and the employees in a sustainable and continuous manner.
