This article was originally written in Spanish and can be viewed here.
This is the third and final post in a series of three in which HTI regular contributors shared indications that nature-based interventions are getting increasing recognition and traction in their part of the world.
Peru
Daniela Silva-Rodriguez Bonazzi, HTI’s former student, began raising awareness of horticultural therapy in Peru in 2011. That same year, she started providing horticultural therapy at a private clinic for drug and alcohol rehabilitation in Lima, Peru. The program lasted for three years. Since then, therapeutic horticulture workshops have been offered to various population groups, including burn survivors, the elderly, children in foster care, multiple sclerosis patients, parents of hospitalized children, corporate employees, and children on the spectrum.
In 2014, she developed a comprehensive training program in horticultural therapy in Spanish and founded the Instituto de Horticultura Terapeutica y Social (IHTS), initially offered to Peruvian professionals
During the period from 2015 to 2019, she delivered HT sessions to diverse population groups with varying needs and characteristics. At the beginning of 2020, the training program began to be offered to Spanish-speaking students from Latin America and Spain. So far, the training program has included students from Puerto Rico, the USA, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, and Spain. The program consists of an online theoretical component, a practical online component, and an in-person supervised practice component, which has been offered so far in Peru and Chile.
In 2018, IHTS translated the second edition of the Horticultural Therapy Methods by Rebecca L. Haller and Christine L. Capra into Spanish, making it the first textbook in Spanish. The book was published and printed in January 2023.
In April 2019, the IHTS designed and implemented the first therapeutic garden and horticultural therapy program at a local foster care home in Lima, Peru.
In January 2020, the Pan-American Association for Social & Therapeutic Horticulture (APHTS) was founded. APHTS’s mission is to foster a connection with nature as a pathway to holistic and sustainable wellness. By disseminating knowledge, conducting scientific research, and encouraging the medical community’s adoption of nature-based therapies (NBTs), we aim to create a positive impact on the health of individuals and medical professionals.
APHTS aims to create a network of horticultural therapy professionals who adhere to consistent practice standards and uphold a strong code of ethics.
APHTS is the only active association in Latin America advocating for horticultural therapy. Since June 2023, APHTS has been participating in NATURELAB, an EU-funded project that aims to expand the current understanding of the positive impact nature-based solutions (NBS) offer to society. It proposes an integrative and innovative approach to using NBTs to contribute to resilient communities with a focus on health and preventive care. APHTS plays a key role in the NATURELAB project, providing expertise in horticultural therapy and education.
APHTS collaborates with FT Hub in designing, testing, and validating NATURELAB programs and guidelines while also offering training in horticultural therapy.
APHTS manages experimental sites and performs a critical role in qualitative and quantitative evaluations, gathering data on the impact of nature on health and well-being through surveys, interviews, and observations. As part of this project, a healing garden was designed and implemented in a foster care institution, experimental site #13 (ES#13), where the NATURELAB approach (NA) will be tested.
On December 13th, APHTS participated in the 1st Congress on Research & Innovation for Non-Communicable Diseases organized by the National Institute of Health (INS), presenting “Health, Rehabilitation & Well-being Through Nature Connection.”
Chile
Chile has shown a growing commitment to integrating NBIs to enhance the well-being of its population in South America. In 2024, Chile implemented the Policy for Complementary Medicine & Well-being Practices (MC & PBS) to “contribute to the health and well-being of the population by incorporating complementary medicine and its well-being practices into the health system, ensuring quality, safety, and effectiveness, while respecting their own paradigms.”
In addition, the Ministry of Agriculture (MINAGRI) and the National Forestry Corporation (CONAF) launched an intersectoral program called “Naturaleza para tu salud (Nature for your health),” which aims to improve the quality of life for the Chilean population by fostering a physical and sensory reconnection with nature.
Through civil society, several foundations promote NBIs, including:
- Fundación Cosmos (https://fundacioncosmos.cl/) – designs and implements healing gardens.
- Fundación Inspira (https://www.fundacioninspira.cl/) – restores green areas in hospital settings.
- Fundación Rebrota (https://www.rebrota.cl/) – fosters a connection with nature for health.
- Huertas comunitarias (https://www.huertascomunitarias.cl/) – promotes and implements therapeutic community gardens in schools, rehabilitation centers, and nursing homes.
- Fundación Patio Vivo (https://patiovivo.cl/) – transforms schoolyards into learning environments through nature.
- Fundación Naturalizar (https://www.naturalizar.cl/) – offers an educational program that promotes learning through nature.
Colombia
Colombia faces significant challenges with high suicide rates and widespread mental health disorders, which pose a serious concern for the nation. In response, various organizations are exploring the adoption of nature-based interventions aimed at improving the overall well-being of the population. The Botanical Garden of Bogotá (https://jbb.gov.co/) has reached out to APHTS for a collaborative effort to train practitioners and launch horticultural therapy program.
Brazil
In Brazil, Dr. Eliseth Leão, a senior researcher at the Albert Einstein Institute for Teaching and Research (IIEP), and her colleagues investigate the relationship between health and nature through the lens of Complex Adaptive Systems. Their approach involves examining the dynamic interactions among multiple interconnected elements to understand the complex emergent behaviors that arise from such relationships. The model is designed to support nature-based interventions, taking into account the essential interdependence between humans and nature. This perspective aims to enhance both human health and biodiversity conservation in a mutually beneficial manner. The underlying interactions driving nature-based health interventions are thoroughly explored, leading them to propose a novel intervention model named “A time with e-Natureza” (e-Nature) (https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1226197).
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic has yet to implement any public policies related to NBIs. Alexandra Febles, a psychotherapist from Santo Domingo who trained at the IHTS, has developed a program called HACER CRECER that incorporates therapeutic horticulture in schools and encourages children’s contact with nature through workshops.
Nicaragua
Similar to the situation in the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua has not implemented any public policies related to NBIs. Samya Coen, a former IHTS student from Managua, collaborates with IHTS to promote a horticultural therapy training program in the Central American region. For the past several years, she has been promoting school gardens through her program, ECO HUERTOS NICARAGUA. She also collaborates with the Alianza Francesa, offering gardening courses workshops.
Uruguay
Uruguay has not yet implemented any public policies related to NBIs. Nevertheless, Karen Consuegra and Cecilia Prigue, former students of IHTS, are raising awareness of the benefits of therapeutic horticulture through their work with the elderly and youth with developmental disabilities. Their TH program is called Florecer (Flourish).
Puerto Rico
Specific policies exclusively targeting NBTs, such as horticultural or forest therapy, are not yet prominent in Puerto Rico. However, initiatives like mangrove restoration projects and integrating sustainable practices in urban planning indirectly benefit public health by enhancing access to natural spaces.
Training in NBTs
IHTS has been training professionals in horticultural therapy since 2020, offering therapeutic horticulture programs to a wide range of groups, including healthcare professionals with burnout, children, the elderly in nursing homes, and individuals recovering from addictions.
Among the trained professionals is Mirela Maganha, a pioneer in Brazilian horticultural therapy, who is actively promoting the benefits of this therapy through projects aimed at youth and vulnerable women.
In addition, IHTS has trained professionals from Puerto Rico, including psychologists from Albizu University in Mayagüez. One of them, Pedro Arocho Soto, developed a Training Manual Integrating Horticultural Therapy to Address ADDH as his doctoral dissertation. We believe NBIs are gradually gaining recognition across the Pan-American region, with increasing integration into both public policies and private organizational practices.
