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Involving citizens in food production through urban vegetable gardening

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An increasing number of people want to develop a closer relation with the food that they consume. They often want to be involved in producing their own food or want to know more about the farming practices of the farmers that grow and produce it. Regional food networks can answer these needs. In addition, these networks boost local economy and can enhance the sense of community and connections between urban inhabitants.
Motivation

Almere (the Netherlands) has an active policy to involve citizens in the production of food in their own neighbourhood. The policy memorandum; 'focus on green' ('kleur aan groen' in Dutch) captures the vision to increase the involvement of the population in the 'greening' of Almere's environment. The City's ambition is to produce 10% of its food locally; neighbourhood vegetable gardens, school gardens and orchards contribute to this ambition.

Solution

In Almere several communal vegetable gardens have been established. Wageningen University & Research extracted a roadmap with concrete steps to sustainably realise communal vegetable gardens with major action themes to: i) stimulate civilian initiatives, ii) mobilise the neighbourhood, iii) embed in the institutional environment, and iv) ensure the continuation of the community garden.

Local food creates community and connection
Impact and future perspective

The roadmap forms a guidance to implement new communcal vegetable gardens within Almere and is an inspiration for other municipalities.

  • Almere (population 200,000) is the newest city in the Netherlands, built at the end of the 20th Century on land reclaimed from the sea. 
  • Almere's ambition is to produce 10% of food locally.
  • Almere hosts 20 communal vegetable gardens, 28 school gardens and 15 urban orchards.