Urban farming, also called urban agriculture, is all about producing food inside city limits. It has its challenges, but it also offers many benefits like increased food security, decreased waste, community involvement and more.

In the most basic of terms, urban farming is simply producing or growing food in a city or other heavily populated areas. It shouldn’t be confused with community gardening, subsistence farming, or homesteading.

The big difference between urban farming and these separate categories is that urban farming assumes a profit motive and that it’s undertaken as a commercial enterprise.

This separates urban farming out from gardening activities where the end goal is personal consumption

Urban farming gives people a chance to pursue their passion for agriculture who may not be able to move out of the city and buy a piece of land in the country. Either for financial, logistical, or practical reasons.

As people are becoming more educated about their food, where it comes from, and the effect that transporting food can have on climate change, there’s an increasing demand for locally-grown, sustainable, organic produce.

Commone urban farming practices:

Vertical farming involves growing crops in layers that are stacked vertically. This can be accomplished by growing on shelving, or on specially-modified pallets against fences or walls.

Vertical farms can be housed in abandoned mineshafts or other underground tunnels, inside of buildings, or in shipping containers.

Hydroponics

Hydroponics is any system for growing plants without soil. Instead, nutrients are added to water that plants are immersed in, or that regularly washes over the roots of the plants. Gravel, perlite, or other materials can be used to provide more physical support for the plants.

Shipping container farms

If the weather outside isn’t conducive to growing, or even if you just want a more stable pest-free environment for growing, shipping container farms are a great option.

They don’t take up small space and you can fit one in almost anywhere, even just in an unused corner of a parking lot.

Special systems can be installed for lighting, climate control, as well as other factors to create a perfect growing environment.

To discover more, follow link to the blog:

https://grocycle.com/urban-farming/

Urban gardening has exploded in popularity during the past year. Particularly for people from immigrant backgrounds, community gardens can offer an important space for participation.

The pandemic has pushed people all over the world outdoors, a trend particularly visible in cities: more and more people have explored urban forests, met friends on park benches or finally taken up urban gardening.

At the same time, the past year has highlighted how unequal the access to outdoors spaces can be. On the most basic level, this could mean the often-unequal distribution of green spaces between wealthy and poor neighbourhoods, but it is also linked to more complicated questions of social inclusion and exclusion, such as who the spaces are designed for, who feels like they can use them and who gets a say in developing them?

This is something that Anders Hagedorn and Martin Rosenkreutz Madsen have observed close up in Copenhagen, Denmark, where they are a part of Supertanker, a group developing opportunities for social, cultural and urban participation. One of their biggest projects has taken place in Charlottekvarteret, a social housing neighbourhood with the majority of its residents from immigrant backgrounds.

For years, Charlottekvarteret has had a “bad reputation” and the people living there have suffered stigmatisation. Supertanker’s work here has focused on facilitating projects to support community development and a collective identity. Creating shared outdoors spaces in collaboration with the residents is a big part of it.

In early 2020, just before the pandemic hit, the group started a community garden project, which has already become hugely popular.

“Most people here live in small flats and cannot afford a summer house outside the city. The community garden provides them with a little bit of their own space, as well as an opportunity to work on the land and produce something,” Anders Hagedorn explains.

This is particularly significant in a neighbourhood which, just like many social housing areas, is heavily regulated – people living here have traditionally not have much say in shaping their surroundings.

To find out about more initiatives of community spaces for social inclusion, follow link to the full blog:

The European E-learning Institute (EUEI) is committed to providing high-quality learning experiences and innovative educational programmes which engage learners from a range of sectors and socio-economic backgrounds. EUEI is committed to promoting social cohesion, inclusion, and sustainability across Europe, making them a perfect fit for the Nature Project.

Our experienced team of trainers, researchers and technical experts are uniquely placed to guide educators from VET, HEI, Adult and Youth sectors to harness the opportunities that innovative and collaborative e-learning and digital tools offer for learners.

We specialise in the delivering of high quality, responsive   and innovative projects to educators and learners in the topics of pedagogic approaches, entrepreneurial competences, digital skills, inclusion, and sustainability.

Meet our team at EUEI working on the Nature project

Canice Hamill- Managing Director

Canice has worked in the field of lifelong education for over 20 years and is recognised as an expert in instructional design and the development of e-learning solutions for education and training. A former trainer and lecturer, Canice utilises a holistic approach to creating innovative, interactive learning environments and works closely with tutors, trainers, and development teams, emphasising the importance of empathy and user experience in every learning solution.

Our Logician -Innovative Inventors with an unquenchable thirst for knowledge

Catherine Neill- European Project Manager

An experienced EU project manager, Catherine is an integral member of our team. She is an effective communicator and has a strong background in areas of Inclusion. The oldest of 5 children Catherine quickly learned how to lead the pack, utilising organisational skills alongside her passion for helping others, she is committed to making the world a more accessible, sustainable, and friendly place.

Our Protagonist -Charismatic and inspiring leaders, able to mesmerise their listeners.

Aine Hamill- European Project Officer

Aine plays an important role in the learning design and subsequently in evaluating the effectiveness of our eLearning products on completion. Aine is always keen to engage with her creative side and implement the newest digital tools, pedagogies, and trends into our e-learning solutions. She is passionate about finding effective and relevant ways to engage learners from all walks of life.

Our Defender-dedicated and warm protectors, able to implement ideas and “create order from chaos”.

Including our key role in the initiation of the Nature project we will also work tirelessly alongside our project partners to deliver the highest quality project results as possible. Within the project EUEI will develop the project website and be responsible for the technical realisation of the materials.

Learn more about EUEI here:www.euei.dk