Olbin Open Garden is a community garden open to all, operating since 2017 on the Ołbin estate in Wrocław. We operate according to a permaculture design system, growing organic food that we celebrate and share. We care about the Earth and the People. We integrate around various educational and cultural events, creating a living civic laboratory. We support similar initiatives, willing to share experiences and good practices.
Local
Poland
Wroclaw, estate Olbin
Mainly urban
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
No
No
Yes
As a representative of an organization, in partnership with other organisations
Name of the organisation(s): Foundation Plastformers Type of organisation: Non-profit organisation First name of representative: Bruno Last name of representative: Zachariasiewicz Gender: Male Nationality: Poland Function: Chairman of the Board Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Rakowiecka 50/2 Town: Wroclaw Postal code: 50-422 Country: Poland Direct Tel:+48 602 282 736 E-mail:poczta@plastformers.com Website:https://plastformers.com/
Ołbin Open Garden is a community garden open to all, which has been operating since 2017 on a 52-hectare area of allotment gardens (Ołbin Estate in Wrocław). The aim is to open up the allotments, which were previously closed to the public, and to promote the ecology of the neighbourhood. The garden hosts a variety of activities for different audiences: from plant growing by willing residents and children from nearby schools, educational workshops: on food, handicrafts, culinary gatherings (to get to know each other better, including people with migrant experience), a cinema cooperative, open-air painting, yoga or historical walks. The central meeting place is a communally built shed in the middle of the garden. In 2020 the garden community co-created by the Olbin Local Activity Centre Yellow Umbrella and Partners Association, Plastformers Foundation, 'Nice Stories' Foundation, formed a closer partnership with ROD 'Lepsze Jutro' in Wrocław to develop the common space next to the Board's headquarters for public benefit activities. The new space provided the spark to co-create operating principles based on the permaculture design system, which inspires curiosity about the interconnectedness of elements of the biosphere, encourages experimentation and the creation of ecological, biodiverse and efficient systems. It requires us to think long term about the effects of our actions and to expand our knowledge in different fields, in line with the promotion of lifelong education. Decisions are made out of concern for the earth and people, with the aim of building a sustainable, happier community based on exchange and cooperation. The project fits in with the politics of sustainable development, trends such as urban gardening, foodsharing, as well as social policies including an intergenerational perspective. We are also creating a valuable social resource in the form of a network of people and entities working together to improve our quality of life in the centre of Wroclaw.
Opening
Inclusion
Sharing
Participation
Exchange
The first and main objective was to open up the historic allotment gardens in the very centre of our city (Wroclaw), to which only allotment holders had access. This 52-hectare area, whose traditions date back to the beginning of the 20th century, was also threatened with liquidation. According to the urban development plan of the time, developers were to build housing in its place.
As a grassroots initiative, we had a different vision, based on the ideas of Schrebergarten - the German Dr Daniel Scherber, who emphasised the health, nutritional, ecological, socio-cultural and aesthetic potential of allotments. Our aim is to strengthen the local community through a living learning laboratory. We are supported by the permaculture design system with an emphasis on science-based research, from its ethical principles - care for the earth, care for people, then design principles - to specific techniques for organic matter cycling, soil remediation, water retention or biodiversity support. In this way, we strengthen the city's adaptation to climate change by preserving green spaces and their functions in reducing the urban heat island effect. At the same time, we are prosumers of our own organic food, which we celebrate and share. Returning to living in harmony with nature improves our physical and mental health. Equally important is the community that develops around the garden, through workshops or spontaneous exchanges of knowledge, experience and other resources. It is an ongoing process.
Ołbin Open Garden is one of the innovators in the FOODSHIFT2030 project, and its co-founders are keen to share their experience to support similar initiatives. We have also published a freely available educational booklet to inspire others, and shared our evaluation reports summarise good practices and mistakes to avoid. In this way, it serves as an example of how urban planning, social networking and partnerships can be influenced from the bottom up at the local level.
Such a large area of allotments has a great aesthetic (landscape) value. This applies both to the visual aspects of this landscape (such as the vegetation, the layout of the plots, the historic gazebos) and to the acoustic (birds, insects), olfactory or haptic aspects. We are thinking in particular of the cultivation of plants, which, in addition to the tactile sensations, offers the possibility of integrating the users of the garden through participation in the work, creativity, the ability to share responsibility, satisfaction with the products and the work done. This is a special potential of allotments that parks, for example, do not have.
From the beginning we wanted to show the residents this aesthetic potential through a selection of appropriate activities. The shed played an important role in these events - also as an integral part of the landscape. The design of the community shelter was co-created by the garden users and consulted with the allotment holders. Working with Menthol Architects, who oversaw the quality of the whole design process, a mock-up was created and agreed comments were entered into the mock-up on an ongoing basis. Designed as a triangle, the shelter opens onto the open green space in front of the allotment, complementing it and providing a focal point. The dynamic form, with its distinctive turquoise colour, is the garden's landmark, an identifying element of the space, visible from afar.
The resulting hotspot of activity encouraged residents to participate in further workshops to improve the quality of the meeting space: a mural was painted on the existing building, a sgraffito workshop was held, and the board office was renovated together. The proposed action aims to encourage people to take responsibility for their immediate environment, neighbourhood, city and satisfaction through grassroots action, participation and empowerment.
The aim is to create a sustainable, happier community based on cooperation and an intergenerational perspective. Every event that takes place in the gardens is therefore aimed at all residents, regardless of age, background or ability (motor or intellectual). We have therefore tried to be inclusive and not exclusive at various levels: digital, linguistic, motor, etc. We published our messages both on social media and analogue (posters, flyers), in different languages, including Ukrainian. We tried to pay special attention to refugees, given the high level of emigration from Ukraine - we developed extra beds for them. Most importantly, we addressed issues of inclusion and accessibility through careful programme design.
One of our main aims was to open up the gardens, which were mainly accessible to allotment holders - neighbours and neighbours' neighbours. We wanted both groups - residents and allotment holders - to have the opportunity to meet in the garden. This required close cooperation with the land manager, meetings with the allotment holders and the development of a suitable offer for both groups. For example, the idea of publishing an allotment kitchen booklet with recipes from allotment holders sharing their 'secret' recipes with residents, or organising a market where they could share their harvests and preserves.
From the beginning, we also wanted the participants to feel like co-creators and hosts of the place. This has led to all sorts of building initiatives, such as building a shed together, tidying up the grounds or looking after the beds.
We are constantly working on extending our offer to people at risk of exclusion, for example by offering something for people with disabilities (e.g. bouquet making), seniors (e.g. yoga) or migrants (e.g. making beds available for cultivation).
We have developed several ways of involving residents in the life of the garden. Firstly, each resident has the opportunity to be given a bed in the garden, which they are responsible for tending and from which they receive the harvest. In addition, the gardeners are an important part of the leadership team, helping to shape the programme, the day-to-day management of the garden and financial matters.
We have a special pathway for external partners/people who want to take the initiative in our garden, based on a booking calendar. For example, schools and nurseries can organise a 'little gardening course' in the spring and summer, while senior citizens' clubs can organise outdoor yoga. We also try very hard to diversify the offer to encourage different social groups to get involved in gardening, while providing specific skills. For example, by organising gardening workshops where participants can acquire gardening knowledge and skills and share their own experiences. We also offer non-gardening activities for people who just want to spend time outdoors, such as film screenings. Each event is preceded by information and promotional activities.
In addition to the benefits mentioned above, our events have a social, educational and health-promoting function:
-Improving the living conditions of the urban community by providing conditions for subsistence gardening (growing healthy vegetables and fruit)
-Providing recreational areas for both allotment holders and city dwellers by being open to their needs
-Promoting a healthy lifestyle (outdoor exercise)
-Create conditions for social integration (intergenerational)
-Promoting the idea of gardening in society
-Cooperation with schools, nursing homes, retirement homes and other social organisations.
The local initiative began with individuals opposed to the complete development of the estate and the removal of green spaces. It quickly grew into a partnership between local activists and NGOs involved in social activism - the Olbin Local Activity Centre Zolty Parasol (Yellow Umbrella) and Partners Association, the Ładne Historie (Nice Stories) Foundation or environmental education - the Plastformers Foundation. They then formed a closer partnership with ROD Lepsze Jutro (Better Tomorrow) in Wroclaw. At each stage of the initiative's development, more and more people joined in to co-create the project of a sustainable garden community or to cooperate in organising joint events, exchanging goods or knowledge. The next most important partners were Menthol Architects, Foundation for Sustainable Development, Slow Food Dolny Slask, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences.
On a national and international level, we cooperate and are in constant contact with other related initiatives, such as Bujna Warszawa, Plots forwards in Warsaw, Himmelsbeet in Berlin, and a project within the FOODSHIFT2030 project (European Union's Horizon 2020)-> https://foodshift2030.eu/innovators/olbin-open-garden-ooo/. With our partners, we exchange good practices, experiences, contacts of workshop leaders, as well as mutual invitations to events and joint work on publications. The impact of these initiatives on our project is indirect but very tangible. In turn, as part of our collaboration, we participated in the FOODSHIFT conferences in Barcelona and Athens (Marathon) - SALL (Schools As Living Labs).
In implementing the project, we drew on a range of disciplines and knowledge resources and sought to implement and develop them on our own site. The main inspiration was the idea of community gardens, which are being developed around the world as places for activating and integrating local communities. As concrete examples and research show, gardens can successfully integrate different age, social or national-ethnic groups, strengthen neighbourhood relations and increase the sense of care and responsibility for the neighbourhood. They can also raise residents' environmental awareness and promote healthy lifestyles, which in turn promote care for the community.
In implementing the social aspect of our activities, we have drawn on the knowledge of institutions that have been active in the social and cultural field for many years, such as Strefa Kultury Wrocław (Microgrants programme for grassroots initiatives) or Stowarzyszenie Żółty Parasol and Ładne Historie. From these institutions we received initial support on issues such as how to reach our target groups, how to plan the programme or how to evaluate the project.
The activities of the garden itself are guided by permacultural design principles, which inspire curiosity about the interconnectedness of elements of the biosphere and their functions, encourage experimentation and the creation of ecological, biodiverse and efficient systems. They require us to think long term about the consequences of our actions and to expand our knowledge in various fields (biology, physics, chemistry, woodwork, engineering, cooking, handicrafts) as part of the promotion of lifelong education. We can count on the support of the University of Environmental and Life Sciences in Wroclaw in the area of plant cultivation, Menthol Architecs in the area of construction, and our artisan participants in the area of fine arts.
Community gardens are being established all over the world, and in the face of contemporary social change they seem to be becoming an increasingly popular form of urban gardening. The novelty of our project lies in the fact that our activities developed in an arena of very conflicting interests: the allotment holders, who wanted the gardens to be closed to those who did not own plots, then the city, which saw the area as earmarked for development, and finally some residents, who were more inclined to see it as a park.
Through joint and diverse activities, building partnerships, we were able to find common ground and mutual (win-win) benefits. This has resulted in a variety of activities: from co-organising an allotment day, cooking and gardening workshops using their knowledge, to yoga for seniors or film screenings. The level of social activity has not gone unnoticed by the city authorities, and the area's urban status has undoubtedly increased, with the mayor himself personally referring to the area and declaring that it would not be earmarked for development. This is reflected in the city's official planning documents.
The intergenerational, interdisciplinary and diverse nature of the participants and events here has the dimension of a garden living lab of activity and mutual education.
The example of opening up and preserving a green space that is closed and in danger of being closed is certainly possible and worth replicating. An action plan is a model that includes the next steps to achieve these goals, such as site selection, finding funding, partnerships, target audiences.
The activities in the Olbin Open Garden so far and the evaluation confirmed the observations that it is worth developing the aspect of plant production, processing and exchange. Interviews with allotment holders showed that many of them have a large surplus of produce which is either composted or given to family, friends or neighbours. Meanwhile, these products could be used in a much wider exchange, such as a market or local seed bank, involving and serving local communities, sharing experiences and connecting with others. Preliminary interviews with around 20 allotment holders suggest that they would be keen to participate in this initiative.
In addition, the market and seed bank offer a very promising way of involving the residents of the estate and the allotment holders - especially the latter, who, as the evaluation showed, were not very involved in the previous edition of the project. Involving this group can also help to promote more environmentally friendly cultivation in allotments. For example, the seed bank is linked to the issue of food sovereignty. Plants grown from local seeds are also best adapted to the climate and soil conditions of local allotment holders.
Promoting ecology and healthy eating to children and young people from nearby schools is also worth addressing. As the previous edition showed, children were particularly keen to take part in activities demonstrating the cultivation of plants and learning about their importance to the ecosystem. It is worth taking this a step further and asking why plants and their healthy processing are important to us as consumers.
There was no single methodology by which we designed and implemented our tasks. We always adapted our tools to the circumstances and specific tasks. For example, it was crucial to make binding agreements with the management of ROD Lepsze Jutro - the allotment gardens where we wanted to organise our garden. Our representatives and a member of the board of ROD Lepsze Jutro visited the site and were offered two plots of land. Planning partnerships was an important element, e.g. we approached schools with a proposal to make our garden available for educational activities.
The methodology also included a promotional strategy. We carried out active communication mainly through social media. In addition to our Facebook profile, we also have a public group for people interested in our activities. It provides both a tool for promoting our activities and a wide field for sharing knowledge and information between participants. In addition to promotional and informational content, as well as photo and video documentation of events, we have also posted articles, links to interesting projects, events and information in the field of ecology on our profiles. Videos were produced as part of the task, documenting the successive stages of work in our garden.
We planned an in-depth evaluation of the project, aimed on the one hand at assessing the effectiveness of cooperation with the project partners, including an assessment of the conditions of cooperation and the benefits of cooperation from the perspective of each partner. As part of the evaluation, we conducted in-depth interviews with participants, focus interviews with various project stakeholders, as well as activities designed to gauge the opinions and feelings of participants. Conclusions from the sub-evaluations of the different stages of the project were formulated and taken into account when planning the next stages of our activities.
Through our project we also wanted to draw attention to the issue of our climate, commercialisation, creating environmental awareness in terms of the food we buy and the clothes we wear (growing our own fruit and vegetables, swapping clothes) and the problem of previously closed gardens accessible only to plot holders. We wanted to create an open green space that would be appreciated by the residents. Through our many meetings and events, we wanted to make residents aware that allotments provide food, medicinal plants, rainwater retention, improved air quality, as well as habitats and migratory routes for many animals and plants, thus contributing to urban biodiversity.
The food production sector is responsible for around 25% of greenhouse gas emissions and human pressure on the environment is increasing, causing soil degradation, water pollution, mass extinctions and other ecological disasters. Climate change is now the greatest global challenge facing humanity, on which the very existence of civilisation, at least as we know it, depends. Permaculture seeks to reverse this trend and live in harmony with nature, and our local production of our own organic food and promotion of environmentally friendly consumer behaviour is a step in this direction.
Healthy food, outdoor exercise and friendly relationships benefit our overall health and reduce the risk of lifestyle diseases.
In turn, openness to others, getting to know each other, and integrating local communities will replace the xenophobia that often underpins nationalist movements bent on totalitarianism.
The immediate outcome of the project was to increase people's involvement in local cultural and educational initiatives, including the stimulation and management of local cooperation, mutual integration and the use of public spaces for civic activities. The material outcome was that all workshop outputs, especially gardening tools and food, were shared among the participants. The equitable distribution of surplus is one of the most important ethical principles of permaculture. The environmental results are important. The plants planted in the garden have been beneficial in sequestering carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, increasing biodiversity, cooling the immediate environment and ultimately making the habitat more resilient to climate change. There has also been a significant social change. Over the past two years, around 1,000 people have participated directly and more than 10,000 indirectly (social media). We have increased the sense of empowerment in the horticultural community through participation in decision making and collective responsibility. We increased knowledge and skills through a series of workshops and experiments.
The aspect of building solidarity and intergenerational integration was very important to us. An example of this is the shed, which was built through teamwork of many people who designed, sawed, nailed and painted the shed in successive stages. The shelter has proved to be a great tool for building commitment and community. Olbin Open Garden is a long-term project for an indefinite period of time, aimed at sustainable social activation, building more local leaders, education and systematic cultural events.
In 2020-21 we ran the Olbin Open Garden project with funding from the Civic Initiatives Fund of the National Freedom Institute. We published an educational brochure and produced 2 evaluation reports + 2 final reports which were positively audited. Enclosed for English translation on request.
Our initiative is fully contextualised, from ethical principles related to sustainability and green transformation to community integration methods around peer education.
