Bonn, Germany
City population: 305257
Duration: 2005 – ongoing
Implementation status: Ongoing
Scale: Micro-scale: District/neighbourhood level
Project area: 3000 m2
Type of area: Previous derelict area, Public Greenspace Area
Last updated: October 2021

Since 2007, in the area of a former tree nursery, the international garden in Bonn gives space for social integration. Covering 3,000 m2 the area was turned into an allotment garden with garden plots of approximately 40 m2. The plots are allocated to 25 families from different cultural backgrounds, living in the deprived neighbourhood of Bonn-Dransdorf to support their self-sufficient agricultural practices and foster their social integration (1,10). The aim of the project is to provide gardening families with the option for intercultural exchange and a chance to take roots in a new country. In 2003, the International Garden Bonn project was initiated is implemented by "Wissenschaftsladen Bonn", a community service group who persuaded the city of Bonn to provide the once city property free for this social inclusion project (1).

International Garden Bonn (2010)
International Garden Bonn (2010)
Bernd Assenmacher, retrieved 07/16/2018

Overview

Nature-based solution

  • Community gardens and allotments
  • Allotments
  • Community gardens

Key challenges

  • Environmental quality
  • Soil quality improvement
  • Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
  • Environmental education
  • Social cohesion
  • Social interaction
  • Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
  • Economic development: agriculture
  • Employment/job creation
  • Cultural heritage and cultural diversity
  • Promotion of cultural diversity
  • Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12)
  • Sustainable consumption
  • Sustainable production

Focus

Creation of new green areas, Transformation of previously derelict areas, Other

Project objectives

Creation of new social spaces, with the aspect of supporting self-sufficiency for migrant families, through urban agriculture practices and organic food production including fruits, herbs and vegetables (2, 6). Promotion of integration of immigrant families from diverse cultural backgrounds into the local community through providing a space for social interactions, intercultural exchange and building social networks in their receiving country, improving their German language skills as the common language (2, 4, 5, 8). Promotion of gardeners' professional development to improve their opportunities in the labour market in the receiving country (2, 4, 5, 8). Improve the perception and social circumstances of the deprived neighbourhood of Dransdorf. The project deliberately targets a deprived neighbourhood in Dransdorf (3, 5).

Implementation activities

Clearing of the area from trees and preparing the ground for cultivation including the improvement of soil fertility (3). Organisation of information evenings and parties and events for knowledge exchange about gardening practices (2,3,8). Creation of a communal area which was built up jointly with a children's playground to host events, meetings and knowledge exchange of adults (2,8).

Main beneficiaries

  • Citizens or community groups
  • Marginalized groups: Refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants, Socio-economically disadvantaged populations (e.g. low-income households, unemployed)
  • Food producers and cultivators (i.e. farmers, gardeners)

Governance

Management set-up

  • Led by non-government actors

Type of initiating organisation

  • Non-government organisation/civil society

Participatory approaches/ community involvement

  • Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
  • Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
  • Co-management/Joint management

Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project

The Wissenschaftsladen Bonn (short WILA) is a community service group which was founded following a Dutch rolemodel of bringing science to laymen pursuing both a social and economic dimension in the late 1980s. In 1998, the first international garden was implemented in Göttingen and they wanted to transfer this idea to Bonn. In 2000 they posted an official request with the local authority to provide land free of charge to convert into an international garden supporting marginalized immigrant families and promote their social integration. Finally, at the end of 2005 the community was granted the land of a former plant nursery and started the clearing and land preparation works in 2006. Parallel, the gardener selecting process started and first 20 families were selected. Currently, 3 members of the WiLA group are continuously working in the garden free of charge, in addition to their other duties with the WILA (3).

Project implemented in response to ...

... an EU policy or strategy? No
... a national policy or strategy? Yes (It is not an official strategy, rather a nation-wide concept that has gained momentum over the last decade, namely that international gardens have a great potential in improved social integration of immigrants, refugees and marginalized groups through aiming at creating new social spaces, places of intercultural interaction, while also improve their opportunities in the labor market, they often cannot access. There is a broad funding landscape that can be accessed for implementing such international gardens in cities all over Germany (6). By now, there are 120 such international gardens all over Germany that serve as a vehicle for integration (2). )
... a local policy or strategy? No

Financing

Total cost

€10,000 - €50,000

Source(s) of funding

  • Public regional budget
  • Public local authority budget

Type of funding

  • Earmarked public budget
  • Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)

Non-financial contribution

Type of non-financial contribution
  • Provision of land
  • Provision of labour
  • Provision of expertise
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
  • Citizens (e.g. volunteering)

Impacts and Monitoring

Environmental impacts

  • Green space and habitat
  • Increased green space area
  • Increased conversion of degraded land or soil
  • Restoration of derelict areas

Economic impacts

  • Increase of green jobs (e.g. paid employment positions)
  • Increase in agricultural production (for profit or not)

Socio-cultural impacts

  • Social justice and cohesion
  • Improved social cohesion
  • Fair distribution of social, environmental and economic benefits of the NBS project
  • Increased visibility and opportunity for marginalised groups or indigenous peoples
  • Increased opportunities for social interaction
  • Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
  • Increased access to healthy/affordable food
  • Health and wellbeing
  • Improved mental health
  • Cultural heritage and sense of place
  • Increased sense of place identity, memory and belonging
  • Education
  • Increased support for education and scientific research
  • Increased knowledge of locals about local nature

Type of reported impacts

Achieved impacts

Presence of formal monitoring system

Yes

Presence of indicators used in reporting

No

Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports

Yes

Availability of a web-based monitoring tool

No

References

1. Wissenschaftsladen Bonn. (2017). Internationaler Garten. Accessed September 3, 2020, Source link.
2. Peter, B. (2008) ‘Internationaler Garten Bonn: Ein Stück Zuhause’, WILAinform, p. 3. Accessed September 3, 2020, Source link.
3. Jochum, K. (2008). Week 7 – Venturing into the Science Shop. [podcast] The Garden Project. Accessed September 3, 2020, Source link (Accessed 20 Jun. 2017).
4. Jochum, K. and Spurway, L. (2008). Week 10: Garden Project Highlights. [podcast] The Garden Project. Accessed September 3, 2020, Source link
5. Spurway, L. (2008). Week 5: Finding Common Grounds. [podcast] The Garden Project. Accessed September 3, 2020, Source link
6. Skowski, J. (2013) ‘Heimat finden durch interkulturelle Gärten’, Informationen zur Raumentwicklung, 5, pp. 421–426. Accessed September 3, 2020, Source link.
7. Wissenschaftsladen Bonn (2016) Projekte Archiv Grüne Spielstadt international. Accessed September 3, 2020, Source link
8. Wissenschaftsladen Bonn (no date) ‘Internationaler Garten Bonn’. Bonn: Wissenschaftsladen Bonn.
9. Hirsch, D. et al. (2016). Urban AgriCulture and Food Systems Dynamics: Urban Gardening and Urban Farming of the Bonn-Rhein-Sieg region, German. International Journal on Foodsystem Dynamics. pps. 406-419. Source link
10. Wissenschaftsladen Bonn. (2018). Der Internationale Garten in Bonn - wie Nahrungsmittel-Herstellung in der Stadt funktionieren kann. Accessed September 3, 2020. Source link
Internationaler Garten Bonn
Source: https://www.dw.com/en/garden-project-week-10-garden-project-highlights/a-3546872
Internationaler Garten Bonn
Source: https://www.wilabonn.de/aktuelles/veranstaltungen/896-sain-meet-up-staedtische-agrikultur-kreislaufwirtschaft-innovativ-entwickeln.html