Community Garden app feasibility study (Paris and Brussels)

Citizens and authorities had been engaged in open dialogue (e.g., focus groups, interviews, questionnaires) about the impressions of and needs for information about community gardens to understand how this (location, responsible persons, activities) might be best delivered.

Challenge addressed

Community gardens are valuable not only for growing fruits, vegetables, and salad foods, and meeting demands for local food, but also boosting local economies and using vacant or under-utilised areas. These schemes increase access to affordable, healthy, and fresh produce in low-income food deserts, and provide unique opportunities for communities to learn about nutrition and how to grow food. They also engage younger generations, who learn from older citizens, gaining valuable hands-on experience as well as acquiring transferable skills for employment and reduce intergenerational tensions, promoting understanding and a common sense of community. Whilst there are numerous gardening apps and community garden platforms through Europe (e.g., www.bangthetable.com(Collegamento esterno)), none target these initiatives in Paris (FR) or Brussels (BE) specifically.

Solution proposed, focus area

The New European Bauhaus co-design phase aims to start conversations that rethink the way we live together. Currently, many citizens feel excluded, and co-creation in the identification and development of sustainable solutions is essential if communities are to engage with and adopt results to enjoy the wider benefits. The aim of this project is two-fold, exploring how citizens in Paris and Brussels feel about community gardens and, secondly, how they might access information about, and get involved with, local urban agriculture initiatives, using mobile devices.

Target Groups

• Residents in Paris and Brussels

• Authorities in Brussels and Paris, responsible for community garden or similar projects
  
  

Main activities / milestones

• Focus groups

• Interviews

• Questionnaire

• Partnership

• Association E-Seniors (Paris, FR)

• EuroFIR AISBL (Brussels, BE)
  
  

Outcomes

Given the benefits of urban agriculture, it is essential that residents are involved not only in planning, but also how information about these initiatives is accessed. By designing an app/ platform appropriately, citizens of all ages were able to get involved, allowing them to share gardening knowledge, contribute to organic waste for compost, support an active social life, and boost interactions with younger generations, with all the associated mutual benefits. Thus, this Community Garden Project was able to engage citizens and authorities in open dialogue (e.g., focus groups) about their impressions of and needs from community gardens and understand how locations, responsible persons, and activities, etc. might be best delivered to ensure content is inclusive, informative, and fit-for-purpose and supports access and participation in local urban agriculture initiatives