New European Bauhaus Prizes 2023

Initiative category

Identify the award category for which this initiative is being submitted
Reconnecting with nature

Email user
financiere@gmail.com

Basic information
Initiative title
Urban Farming

Full initiative Title
Sustainable Urban Farming

Please provide a short, catchy description of your initiative to be used in communication towards the public.
Albaponik is the first hydroponic project in Albania, a private initiative for sustainable living in the city.
We strongly believe in green urbanization, which connects our life with nature. We propose low-cost units using hydroponics to be implemented in terraces, kinder gardens, and schools. With our personal initiative, we implemented a pilot unit in a public kindergarten, the Ministry of Agriculture with the primary objective of informing and educating about sustainable agriculture.

What was the geographical scope of your intiative?
Local

Where was your intiative implemented?
Member State(s) and Western Balkans
Albania

If relevant, insert names of region(s)/municipality(ies) involved
Tirana, Albania

Does your initiative address mainly urban or rural issues?
It addresses urban-rural linkages

Does your initiative refer to a physical transformation of the built environment or other types of transformations (hard or soft investments)?
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)

Has your initiative benefited from EU programmes and/or funds?
Yes

Which fund(s)?
GIZ- Winner of the AgriChallenge Accelerator, innovation in agriculture, Amount 3000 euros (October 2021 - March 2022) Tirana Municipality - Go-Green Winner, for Green Cities, Amount 500,000 Lek (April-June 2022)

Has your initiative won an EU prize with a monetary value awarded?
No

Does your initiative has a minimum level of maturity? The minimum level of maturity is exemplified by stakeholder/ initiative promoter commitment to implement the initiative in practice and a clear methodology /approach.
Yes

On whose behalf are you submitting the application?
As a representative of an organisation
Please provide the contact details for the project promoter (the individual or representative of the organisation authorised to represent the project)
- Name of the organisation(s): ALBAPONIK
  Type of organisation: For-profit company
  First name of representative: Valbona
  Last name of representative: Duro
  Gender: Female
  Nationality: Albania
  If relevant, please select your other nationality: Albania
  Function: Co Founder
  Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: BUILDING NO 17, PETRELE, TIRANA
  Town: TIRANA
  Postal code: 1001
  Country: Albania
  Direct Tel: +355 68 201 8306
  E-mail: financiere@gmail.com
Social Media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.)
- URL: https://www.instagram.com/albaponik/
In case my initiative is selected as a finalist of the NEB Prizes 2023, I agree to share the name (individual and/or organisation’s), email address, website and social media accounts indicated above with other NEB Prizes finalists. I also agree to publish the name (individual and/or organisation’s), website and social media accounts indicated above next to the public description of my initiative in the channels of the European Commission.
Yes

How did you hear about the New European Bauhaus Prizes?
Social Media

Description of the initiative
Please provide a summary of your initiative
Albania is a country where agriculture is the primary industry. Based on this reality we firmly believe that we have to encourage sustainable technology for the future of agriculture and hydroponics is the answer. We have already started with our personal initiative in implementing units in public institutions, to start an awareness campaign with the primary objective of expanding new sustainable methods of agriculture. We choose a kindergarten in order to present the future of agriculture to the new generation and the Ministry of Agriculture because we want to present this technology to interested parties, like Farmers, Organizations, and universities. In October 2022 we participated in the Agriculture Fair, introducing to a massive audience the hydroponic technology through our units. In future events, we would like to organize some workshops in our greenhouse. Our goal is that this communication campaign will be the start of a new way of thinking for Agriculture.

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with 5 key words.
Sustainability

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with key words
Environmental

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with key words
Healthy

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with key words
Economic

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with key words
Climate awareness

Please give information about the key objectives of your initiative in terms of sustainability and how these have been/will be met. Please highlight how the initiative can be exemplary in this context.
Expanding hydroponic technology is expanding sustainable methods of agriculture.
Hydroponic has an impact as below:
-Economic (less water, labor, fertilizers, energy, etc)
-Social (education)
-Health (healthy food, green consumption)
-Environmental (contribution to climate warming, minimizing pollution)
If this awareness campaign will succeed with proof of concept, agriculture in Albania will be more sustainable.
In our personal opinion, the future of agriculture will be hydroponic.

Please give information about the key objectives of your initiative in terms of aesthetics and quality of experience for people (through design, positive emotions and cultural benefits) and how these have been met. Please highlight how the initiative can be exemplary in this context.
Our awareness campaign is the first step in informing all the interested parties about hydroponics and the best way of reaching the objectives is that we have to offer in practice the concept. Following this , the introduction with hydroponics is spectacular because it's unbelievable how it works. For us, the best experience is in kindergarten, because the kids are engaged on daily basis with small operations and they will start to consume the salads and vegetables of their “Farm”. We strongly believe that by directing the new generation to sustainable agriculture and encouraging them to eat healthily, the objective is fulfilled. For the big picture, it's the social responsibility of public institutions to give the model of the new sustainability agriculture, and then this model can be used in minor and bigger projects.

Please give information about the key objectives of your initiative in terms of inclusion (ranging from accessibility and affordability for all to inclusive governing systems, design for all principles or new societal models) and how these have been met. Please highlight how the initiative can be exemplary in this context.
Our goal is to inform the main actors of society about new sustainable agriculture and we are delighted with the positive feedback from institutions to allow us to present our units in public institutions. We really hope that this initiative will be expanded in other projects and get the right support. With our initiative, we will organize some workshops in some schools with the clear objective to inform the new generation of hydroponics. The units we have produced are low-cost and can be reused, so this gives the opportunity to everybody to have access. Having the right support from public institutions, organizations, etc the inclusion will be bigger for sure.

Please explain the way citizens benefiting from or affected by the initiative and civil society have been/will be involved in the initiative and what has been/will be the impact of this involvement on the initiative
We as people have a contract with nature but all the clauses of this contract are not respected by us, we cant heritage this contract. We need to give a pause to nature while still feeding the population. Implementing sustainable methods of agriculture long story short means: Healthy Urbanization, Smart Agriculture, Food Security, and Improving Biodiversity while nature is healing. We believe that the benefits are without limit.

Please explain how different stakeholders at various levels (local, regional, national, European) were engaged in the design and implementation of the initiative.
We believe that a Green movement is a must in our days. The most important engagement is The European green deal, which is a total transformation of our way of living. One of the most important pillars is Agriculture in the Green Deal and hydroponics is from farm to fork. Imagine the Vital Terraces of urban areas !! This new reality will improve not only a healthy life but also mental health.

Please explain which disciplines and/ or knowledge fields were reflected in the design and implementation of your initiative. Please explain how representatives of these different fields interacted with each other, and what the added value of this process was
Our initiative is just the first idea of big Green Brainstorming. Hydroponics doesn't have limits in the imagination of implementation. It can be agriculture, it can be implemented in architecture, urban planning, art. We believe that future cities will have hydroponics as the only way of integrating a healthy urbanization ith respecting biodiversity.

Please highlight the innovative character of the initiative, when compared to mainstream actions in the field of the initiative
The innovative character of our initiative is that we can do agriculture in urban areas, and we can digitalize the processes while we are saving water, space, energy etc.
We believe that digitalization has to be applied to daily operations in a way that we all benefit from it.

Please describe which elements of your initiative could be replicated or transferred to other places, groups of beneficiaries and contexts. This may involve, for example, aspects of the methodology, technology, processes, products, learnings, etc.
Our objective is to create a pilot unit of hydroponics, a simple form, with a maximum of 20-50m2 for a period of 3 to 6 months that we can implement in different schools, kindergartens, public institutions, and private ones.
This project will be a learning platform for all interested parties in future agriculture.

Please describe the methodology or approach used in your initiative.
Our approach is that the best way of an awareness campaign is to give practical solutions. Our experience has passed through trial and error and we have the capacity to offer all the interesting parts with the most suitable solutions.

Please explain what kind of global challenges the initiative addresses by providing local solutions
Our dream is to see a Vital Tirana, a Green city that creates a healthy life while fighting with real reforms for Climate Challenges.
The main achievement using hydroponics is a Sustainable Development and Climate Change

Please detail the scope of progress in the implementation of the initiative. This can include already demonstrated results/outputs related to the chosen Prizes category, and the already achieved benefits from the initiative for direct and indirect beneficiaries. This can also include a development plan of the initiative, with a particular attention to the steps envisaged in the year following the application, and including envisaged results and benefits from the initiative
The main scope of our initiative is to have awareness of public institutions, NGOs, private sector, that has the potential and the responsibility in implementing projects that have a social impact on our lives. Supporting our initiative means supporting the future. We as Albaponik will do our best to expand hydroponics in Albania, but we have our limits, unfortunately. We believe that this personal campaign will have success and the interested parties will react to this movement.

Please provide documents that demonstrate the maturity level of the initiative and commitment to implement the initiative in practice (e.g.: evaluation report, final or mid-term initiative report, certification, publications, building permit, grant agreement, letter of support, partnership agreement, etc.)
PDF
PDF
If relevant, please describe how your initiative contributes to developing new competences, especially in the context of the European competence framework on sustainability.
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Please attach at least 6 high resolution images or visual representations of your initiative to your application.
If you would like to upload additional documentation, please upload or write below.
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By submitting your application you confirm that you are the copyright owner of the images provided and that they can be used by the European Commission for the purposes of promoting the New European Bauhaus on all platforms (websites, print, social media and other).
Yes

By ticking this box, you declare that you are not in in one or more of the exclusion situations foreseen under Article 136 of the Financial Regulation.
Yes

By submitting this application, I declare that I am not related to the entities subject to EU restricted measures under Article 29 of the Treaty on the European Union (TEU) and subject to Article 215 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU)1, and entities covered by Commission Guidelines No 2013/C 205/05), which are not eligible to participate in any capacity.
Yes

By ticking this box, you declare that all the information provided in this form is factually correct, that you assume sole liability in the event of a claim relating to the activities carried out in the framework of the contest, that the proposed initiative has not been proposed for the New European Bauhaus Prizes in any other category or strand and that it has not been subject to any type of investigation, which could lead to a financial correction because of irregularities or fraud.
Yes

By submitting your application, you guarantee that you are the author or have the rights to proceed with the application and to authorise the use of the initiative and that you have obtained any necessary consents, licenses or assignments from third parties and included copyright notices when necessary
Yes

By submitting your application, you understand that all the applications that meet the eligibility requirements will be shared for the purposes of the selection processes, and notably published on the secured platform prizes.new-european-bauhaus.eu and for the purposes of the promotion of these on the New European Bauhaus website and/or other European Commission communication channels. In this sense, the applications would be widely available. Applicants should ensure that they present their initiatives, initiative, in such a way that they could be shared without giving rise to intellectual property related concerns. If your submission is selected as one of the finalists, it will additionally be shared for the purpose of the public vote that will take place. The European Union is granted a licence to use and share your application with the general public and the official external experts for the purposes of the selection process, including the voting. The European Union has the right to use the images and visual materials and the description provided in the application for communication purposes related to the contest and beyond. Rights granted comprise the right to store, reproduce, display, publish and communicate or distribute copies in electronic or digital format, including, but not only, through the internet. Unless you have disclosed your name, the European Commission has no obligation to share your name when using or disseminating your contribution to the public. The European Union cannot be held responsible in case any submitted initiative, initiative is found to infringe third party’s rights. The European Union shall be neither responsible for the use that third parties may do of the applications or related content.
Yes

By submitting your application, you acknowledge that you read and understand that the ‘Guide to Applicants’ of the NEB Prizes 2023, available online in the website of the NEB Prizes 2023, is an integral part of this application form and that it must therefore be observed when completing and submitting your application.
Yes