Innovative community gardens established through inclusion in the Sarajevo University Campus
Centered around the intergenerational exchange on urban gardening, the initiative establishes an inclusive urban garden in the heart of of Sarajevo - the University Campus. Aiming to set the ground for a sustainable and inclusive future, the initiative will highly impact the daily lives of seniors and youth. By establishing the meeting point for the transmission of traditional knowledge and new technological discoveries, significant contribution to urban regeneration process will be provided.
Local
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Canton of Sarajevo
Municipality of Novo Sarajevo
Mainly urban
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)
No
No
Yes
As a representative of an organization, in partnership with other organisations
Name of the organisation(s): Center for Energy, Environment and Resources - CENER 21 Type of organisation: Non-profit organisation First name of representative: Šejla Last name of representative: Mahmutović Gender: Female Nationality: Bosnia and Herzegovina Function: President Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Podgaj 8 Town: Sarajevo Postal code: 71000 Country: Bosnia and Herzegovina Direct Tel:+387 33 745-347 E-mail:info@cener21.ba Website:http://www.cener21.ba
Name of the organisation(s): Faculty of Agriculture and Food Science Type of organisation: Other public institution First name of representative: Muhamed Last name of representative: Brka Gender: Male Nationality: Bosnia and Herzegovina Function: Dean Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Zmaja od Bosne 8 Town: Sarajevo Postal code: 71000 Country: Bosnia and Herzegovina Direct Tel:+387 33 225-727 E-mail:dekanat@ppf.unsa.ba Website:http://ppf.unsa.ba/index.php
This initiative establishes an innovative intergenerational knowledge sharing programme in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, in order to combat the loss of community and belonging especially present among senior citizens in the region. Centered around sharing the knowledge on urban gardening, the initiative establishes a community garden in the heart of the city of Sarajevo, where seniors and youth can exchange traditional knowledge and new technological discoveries within urban agriculture. The garden will be established at the University Campus Sarajevo - the former location of the Marshall Tito military barracks that were made available to the University of Sarajevo after the war. The Campus is in the process of urban regeneration and this initiative will contribute significantly in shaping the uniqu architectural ambience available to the citizens of Sarajevo, especially to youth spending most of their daytime on the Campus. On the other hand, older generations in the City of Sarajevo hold valuable knowledge on sustainable and culturally significant growing practices, yet they do not see themselves as having knowledge and skills to pass on. Consequently, given the generational divides, younger generations increasingly see senior citizens in their community as having nothing to offer. Therefore through this intervention, not only will these two important categories of society have the chance to learn together and share their knowledge and worldviews regarding issues of sustainability and culture, but moreover the initiative will facilitate the valorisation and inclusion of senior citizens through a positive and participant driven approach while rebuilding strong community bonds. The key partner on this project is the Faculty of Agriculture and Food Science, the oldest faculty at the University of Sarajevo, so this partnership will facilitate the interconnections between the informal learning programme and the formal educational system.
social inclusion
urban agriculture
community garden
knowledge exchange
intergenerational learning
Objective 1. Enhance the sustainability and resiliency of the City of Sarajevo
Urban gardening is recognized as one impactful pathway to building net-zero, sustainable, and resilient cities. As such, valorising this knowledge and acting to share it with younger generations opens an immense opportunity for intergenerational dialogue that will work towards building green futures in the city, while preserving the unique local traditions and culture of the region and recognizing the contributions of older generations. Around 17% of population in Bosnia and Herzegovina are elderly people and majority suffer from the consequences of a poor social system for the elderly in BiH (UN, 2017). In the latest Human National Development Report, the elderly are recognized as a vulnerable groups in terms of social exclusion. At the same time, the land cover in Sarajevo is under great pressure of sealing, while the share of green spaces per capita is rapidly decreasing. Through establishing the urban garden established in Sarajevo University Campus (UNSA), a contribution in resolving city's environmental, social and economic challenges will be provided.
Objective 2. Increase the tangible skills and capacities of senior citizens and youth
By creating an intergenerational learning site at UNSA, focused on sharing practical knowledge and hands-on learning, the initiative fosters exploratory thinking while building tangible skills and capacities necessary for a sustainable future. The site will play a significant role in the dissemination and acquisition of knowledge, skills, and sensitivities through the organization of systematic nonformal and informal learning activities. The informal intergenerational learning will happen through watching, doing, talking, and the telling of stories. The initiative works to consolidate both new innovations in the field of sustainability through a partnership with the academia and the important traditional knowledge of older generations.
Objective 3. Enhancing the beauty and liveability of the City of Sarajevo
Urban gardens are highly valued green spaces in cities which enhance the beauty of the community through providing a natural space in the city. Sarajevo University Campus had for a long time been a derelict space with overgrown vegetation and several old barracks that represented a security threat for the students and the whole community. In the last two years, the Government of Canton Sarajevo has invested a significant effort in cleaning up the space (overgrown vegetation with invasive species) and removing the old barracks. In the coming period, the University will undergo a comprehensive regeneration, within the Urban Projects Finance Initiative. Hence, the inclusive urban garden will highly contribute to the ongoing urban regeneration process. The garden will provide an accessible public space where citizens of all ages and backgrounds can connect with fellow community members and relax. This will be especially relevant for youth/students spending most of their daytime at the Campus and the senior generation engaged in collaborative maintenance of the garden. The mere sight at the urban community garden and its continuous progress is expected to initiate positive emotions among youth and senior citizens.
Objective 4. Improving the quality of volunteering experience
The intergenerational learning site will offer senior citizens and youth the opportunity to unwind from stress, interact with other members of the community and engage in physical activities. The contribution of gardening to a healthy and active lifestyle is increasingly recognized, especially for the elderly. The improved volunteering experience will make a significant contribution to the intergenerational dimensions of the “healthy ageing” agenda. Studies have shown that senior gardeners manifest a strong sense of achievement, satisfaction, and aesthetic pleasure from their activities.
Objective 5. Improve the social position of senior citizens within the community
The value of a community comprises diverse skills being put to use everyday while each member of the community contributes to it. In modern society, as a result of a faster lifestyle, the older population which cannot follow this lifestyle has lost its natural role and has almost stopped contributing. Collaboration of young and older generations around the urban garden in UNSA will help find a better, more moderate pace in life while learning new skills, and create a space for the elderly to contribute to the community by spreading their knowledge and at the same time, learning new skills. While youth will have the opportunity to interact with older people who are regarded as positive role models and mentors, senior citizens will gain satisfaction from contributing to their local communities through helping the younger generation. Finally, including senior citizens as valued experts within this initiative will improve their social position within the community through demonstrating and valorizing the important roles and contributions they hold.
Two key actors that will be involved in the initiative are senior citizens and youth/students. Many senior citizens of Sarajevo hold valuable knowledge of gardening, including the use of methods recognized as crucial for more sustainable and regenerative forms of agriculture, such as organic, low-input and circular gardening systems, which are important for establishing and maintaining the community garden. On the other hand, youth - students from the the Faculty of Agriculture and Food Science - are familiar with the most recent technological developments in the area of urban agriculture. Through a joint collaboration, senior citizens will regain their sense of belonging to the community, while the students will learn about agriculture from a new perspective and integrate this into their professional careers and widen their perspective on the role of senior citizens in the society. Additionally, this will contribute to the re-integration of senior citizens in the community, which will give them a sense of belonging through having a purpose, and having their contributions and knowledge valued.
Through collaboration with primary schools and kindergartens, pupils will have the opportunity to visit the intergenerational learning site and participate in custom workshops designed for small children.
The civil society network in Bosnia and Herzegovina will be invited to actively participate on a voluntary basis as well as to contribute in spreading the word about the inclusive urban garden in Sarajevo University Campus and advocating for the replication of this model in other municipalities.
Local
The ongoing dialogue with the local stakeholders, primarily the representatives of Canton Sarajevo, municipalities and academia has resulted in the design of this initiative. There is an evident lack of urban green spaces where the intergenerational connections can be made and at the same time, a lot of potential in most of the urban municipalities of the Canton Sarajevo. Several sites were considered, but the final consultations with the Faculty of Agriculture and Food Science showed that the Sarajevo University Campus is the most convenient location, as all pre-conditions for establishing the urban garden in a technical sense are fulfilled. Additionally, the partnership with the Faculty will ensure the longevity of the initiative and higher possibility for replication in other municipalities.
During the early stages of implementation, senior citizens, students, primary schools, geriatric centers and centers for healthy aging will be highly involved in adjusting the planned activities, aiming to tailor it to their specific needs, as much as possible.
Regional
Regional stakeholders - the representatives of environmental institutions at the entity level will be involved and invited to participate and provide their support in considering the enabling policies and legislation for multiplying the inclusive urban garden model at the entity level.
National
National stakeholders - the representatives of environmental institutions at the entity level will be invited to participate and provide their support in considering the enabling policies and legislation for multiplying the inclusive urban garden model at the national level.
European
The representatives of the Delegation of the European Union in Bosnia and Herzegovina will be invited to participate and provide their support in advocating for replication of the inclusive urban garden model at the national level, as well as to promote the achievements of the initiative and position it as the good prac
The following disciplines were reflected in the design of the initiative:
Urban Agriculture (consultation meetings and discussion with the academia staff from the Faculty of Agriculture and Food Science)
Urban Planning (consultation meetings and discussion with the representatives of the Urban Transformation Project and project holders)
Sociology and Cultural Heritage (consultation meetings and discussion with the academia staff from the Faculty of Philosophy)
During the implementation of the initiative, an interdisciplinary discussion is expected to be initiated among the representatives (academic staff and students of the Faculty of Agriculture and Food Science (urban agriculture), representatives of Faculty of Architecture and Cantonal Planning Institute (urban planning), representatives of Faculty of Philosophy (sociology and cultural heritage. This will be ensured through the consultation and progress meetings with these key academia stakeholders.
The innovative character of the initiative is an intergenerational learning concept connected with the urban regeneration of the unique ambience of the Sarajevo University Campus. There are limited life-long learning initiatives present in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and even less that emphasize all generations learning together. Moreover, environmental sustainability education is limited, and where it exists it is presented through traditional educational models, targeting children and youth through the formal educational system. The initiative provides an engaging and experiential approach to sustainability education inclusive to all ages that recognizes and valorises the ways in which senior citizens can contribute to sustainability conversations. While urban gardens in other geographic and socio-economic contexts have often focused on issues of sustainability or food security, this initiative is also combating issues of belonging and loss of community which many community garden projects do not have as a primary focus. Bosnia and Herzegovina currently faces the challenge of high youth migration rates to Western Europe in search of economic opportunities. Beyond the social and economic problems of low youth presence such as brain drain, this migration also fractures intergenerational connections, as young people leave behind older family members who can struggle to find new connections with young people in their communities. As such, while the values of community are still strongly held in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the physical distance created between families can lead to feelings of isolation, especially since families are an important form of local community-building. This initiative thus allows for a new space where the values of community can be recreated and preserved. The education gardening program is free of charge, including the participation of senior citizens who otherwise may not feel they have the luxury to participate.
The initiative is highly replicable and transferrable to other places, especially the countries of the Western Balkans. The problems of social exclusion and urban planning (land sealing) that this initiative is addressing is common for all WB countries and there is a high need, but also the potential for the implementation. All aspects of the proposed methodology are replicable, including the soft measure of establishing the urban garden, development of the educational programme and capacity building, along with the intergenerational learning approach and providing evidence-based material about the recognition of senior citizens as valuable members of the community, who regained their sense of belonging.
Activity 1 - through this soft measure activity, an inclusive urban garden will be established using the already existing structure on the land plot belonging to the Faculty of Agriculture and Food Science (FAFS). The land plot is converted into a glasshouse during the previous efforts of the Faculty and it has all required infrastructure for maintaining the urban garden in a successful way. During this activity, 30 target group members will be selected through the FAFS and Centres for Healthy Ageing (CHA) in Canton Sarajevo.
Acitivity 2 - the programme along with the workshop concept will be developed in close cooperation with the FAFS and CHA. This way, all technical details will be taken into account along with the crucial needs of the senior citizens. Capacity building will be conducted through 3 joint workshops. During this activity, an entrance interview will be conducted with the target groups, in order to collect data on their attitudes, views in regards to urban gardening, as well as to ensure self-reported data related to social exclusion, isolation and sense of belonging.
Activity 3 - through 5-day joint activity, 30 target group members sow the native seeds in 10 working stations in the glasshouse. Additionally, adaptation activities will be implemented in order to achieve better integration with the ambience of UNSA Campus.
Activity 4 - during 5 months, target group members will go through the intergenerational learning on site and work on maintaining the urban garden. In this activity, study visits for primary schools will be organized in order to initiate the replicability of the initiative in schools. Government representatives and EUD in BiH will be also invited for another study visit. The practical manual for teachers in schools will be developed to increase their motivation.
Activity 5 - the exit questionnaire will be conducted with target groups and a research brief in intergenerational learning in the shared space will be prepared.
The main global challenge this initiative addresses is ageism, which is recognized as by the UN to lead to poorer health, social isolation, earlier deaths and cost economies bilions. It has been found that intergenerational activities result in reducing prejudice which helps decrease ageism and this initiative provides local solutions that will bring together citizens of different age groups.
With the increase of life quality, the number of people of older generations increases as well, while the number of children and young people decreases. Connected with ageism, another global challenge is the exclusion of citizens of older generations, who seem not to contribute as much to the society. Even though it seems that way, senior citizens possess valuable knowledge crucial for sustainable knowledge, and this initiative will use this knowledge practically and provide evidence-based solutions in promoting their role.
Further on, a global challenge in the face of today’s growing urbanization is the lack of green spaces in urban infrastructure, as well as the maintenance of public green spaces. The local solution provided in this initiative is the regeneration of previously derelict sites into intergenerational sites in the form of an urban garden.
The global food security challenge is also addressed by this initiative, as intergenerational activities will be done through gardening, resulting in local food production for the participants. There is much evidence that community garden initiatives have positive impacts on local food security, through creating a healthy and resilient source of local food, which is controlled by the communities that rely on them. Vegetables grown in the UNSA urban garden will make a significant contribution to the livelihood of the senior citizens, especially taking into account the low pension income in BiH.
Please see the attached document in pdf named Development plan - Growing Community.
Through the direct involvement of students and indirect involvement of pupils from primary schools, the initiative will give contribution in setting up the learning for the green transition and sustainable development a priority in education and training policies and programmes.
Further on, by direct involvement of senior citizens in extracurricular activities such as educational programmes and intergenerational learning, the initiative provides all learners with opportunities to learn about the climate crisis and sustainability in formal education. Additionally, the key motivation for organization of the study visits and consultation meetings with key stakeholders and government representatives is the advocacy for mobilizing national and EU funds to invest in green and sustainable equipment, resources and infrastructure.
By the involvement of teachers from primary schools, the initiative supports educators in developing their knowledge and skills to teach about the climate crisis and sustainability, including dealing with eco-anxiety among their students.
By choosing the UNSA Campus and the problematic of urban planning in Canton Sarajevo, the initiative contributes to creating the supportive learning environments for sustainability that span all activities and operations that are relevant to local contexts.
Finally, the initiative actively involves students and staff, local authorities, youth organizations and the research and innovation community in learning for sustainability.
