INTRODUCTION:
Building sustainable health systems requires recognition of territories, local knowledge and community practices that connect health, environment and ways of life1. In rural areas of the Brazilian semiarid region, strategies such as productive home gardens, collective organization and care for nature strengthen resilience to climate change and socioenvironmental inequities2. This study aims to report a participatory experience that integrates sustainability, health and territory in a rural settlement.

METHODS:
This is a participatory qualitative study based on life stories, field diaries and audiovisual records. The experience was developed in a rural semiarid settlement with the participation of five women farmers. Activities included a conversation circle mediated by symbolic territorial objects, thematic dialogue on sustainability and scientific initiation, use of generative words, and the production of drawings and short texts guided by the question “when you think about a healthy environment what comes to your mind”. Visits to productive home gardens and sensitive listening to community narratives were also conducted. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis grounded in the ecology of knowledge and the pedagogy of hope. The study received ethical approval.

RESULTS:
Narratives and artistic productions revealed healthy environments as spaces for life production, food security, care, water preservation, biodiversity, spirituality and family coexistence. Productive home gardens emerged as central devices for food sovereignty, environmental sustainability and climate adaptation. Participants expressed concerns about pollution, pesticide use, fires and water scarcity, while reaffirming resistance practices based on agroecology, seed preservation and collective care of the territory.

CONCLUSIONS:
Participatory methodologies that integrate art, dialogue and territorial practices strengthen community protagonism and contribute to building sustainable and resilient health systems capable of protecting both people and the planet in the context of the climate crisis.