Last updated: October 2021
A vegetable garden located on the property of an elementary school, allowing children to grow their own vegetables, minimizing the lunch costs for the school's management and bringing together parents, children and volunteers in creating a space for learning, relaxation and community all under the umbrella of environmental protection (1).
School garden
Source: https://www.euractiv.ro/video/scoala-ferdinand-i-din-bucuresti-are-gradina-in-forma-de-mandala-si-sala-de-invatat-in-aer-liber-10550
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Grey infrastructure featuring greens
- Green playgrounds and school grounds
- Community gardens and allotments
- Community gardens
Key challenges
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Green space creation and/or management
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Environmental education
- Social interaction
- Health and well-being (SDG 3)
- Creation of opportunities for recreation
- Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12)
- Sustainable consumption
- Sustainable production
Focus
Knowledge creation and awareness raising
Project objectives
1. Increase knowledge of nature and plant growth (1);
2. Positive social interactions around the garden (1);
3. Promotion of healthy development (2);
4. Increasing consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables (1);
5. The role of agriculture in the children’s lives (food chain) (2);
6. Re-usage of space (3).
Implementation activities
The garden is sprinkled with four rows of miniature solariums and some borrowed principles from permaculture. One of them is the so-called "raised bed", a raised layer under which there is no earth, as we expected, but dry wood that holds much better the water for it to be absorbed by the soil. The mulch is a layer of organic matter made up of straw that keeps constant moisture and keeps the weeds away. (2)
Main beneficiaries
- Public sector institution (e.g. school or hospital)
- Non-government organisation/Civil Society
- Citizens or community groups
- Young people and children
Governance
Management set-up
- Led by non-government actors
Type of initiating organisation
- Public sector institution
- Non-government organisation/civil society
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Crowd-sourcing/Crowd-funding/Participatory budget
- Dissemination of information and education
- Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
The innovation is a joint initiative of the Ferdinand school and Asociatia Romania in Tranzitie (Romania in Transition Association, which tries to mitigate between the Romanian civil society and its efforts on the road of modernization). The school offered the plot and the volunteers of the Association came with design ideas (3)
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a national policy or strategy?
No
(This is a voluntary innovation that has no connection with an official plan, neither belonging to the government or the municipality)
... a local policy or strategy?
No
(This is a voluntary innovation that has no connection with an official plan, neither belonging to the government or the municipality)
Financing
Total cost
Not applicable
Source(s) of funding
- Crowdfunding
Type of funding
- Donations
Non-financial contribution
Type of non-financial contribution
- Provision of land
- Provision of goods
- Provision of labour
- Provision of expertise
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
- Citizens (e.g. volunteering)
- Other
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Green space and habitat
- Increased green space area
Economic impacts
- Unknown
Socio-cultural impacts
- Unknown
Type of reported impacts
Achieved impacts, No impacts reported
Presence of formal monitoring system
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
References
1. Mediafax (2013), "Grădina din curtea şcolii sau cum învaţă copiii să cultive hrană sănătoasă", Available at Source link (Accessed 16-8-2020)
2. Think Ouside the box (2013), "Grădina din curtea școlii", Available at Source link (Accessed 16-8-2020)
3. Euractiv (2018), Școala Ferdinand I din București are grădină în formă de mandală și "sală" de învățat în aer liber, Available at Source link (Accessed 16-8-2020)
4. Gradina din curtea scolii - The "School yard garden, Available at Source link (Accessed 16-8-2020)
5. Iubim Natura, Asociaie ecologica, Gradina din curtea scolii, (2014) (Website not available in 2020)
6.Erasmus+ (2016), Children in Permaculture, Available at Source link, (Accessed 16-8-2020)
2. Think Ouside the box (2013), "Grădina din curtea școlii", Available at Source link (Accessed 16-8-2020)
3. Euractiv (2018), Școala Ferdinand I din București are grădină în formă de mandală și "sală" de învățat în aer liber, Available at Source link (Accessed 16-8-2020)
4. Gradina din curtea scolii - The "School yard garden, Available at Source link (Accessed 16-8-2020)
5. Iubim Natura, Asociaie ecologica, Gradina din curtea scolii, (2014) (Website not available in 2020)
6.Erasmus+ (2016), Children in Permaculture, Available at Source link, (Accessed 16-8-2020)
School garden
Source: https://www.euractiv.ro/video/scoala-ferdinand-i-din-bucuresti-are-gradina-in-forma-de-mandala-si-sala-de-invatat-in-aer-liber-10550
School garden
Source: https://www.euractiv.ro/video/scoala-ferdinand-i-din-bucuresti-are-gradina-in-forma-de-mandala-si-sala-de-invatat-in-aer-liber-10550