The Ballymun City Farm

Dublin, Dublin (FUA), Ireland

City population: 1894440

Duration: 2019 – ongoing

Implementation status: Ongoing

Scale: Micro-scale: District/neighbourhood level

Project area: 26709 m²

Type of area: Public Greenspace Area

Last updated: November 2024

The Ballymun City Farm project began as a grassroots initiative when local residents envisioned turning an underutilized green space into a vibrant community resource. Though initially rejected by the City Council, the project’s supporters recognized its potential to contribute to Ballymun’s environmental, social, and economic regeneration. With a vision to create something unique for the area, the farm was designed to foster community engagement, environmental education, and local sustainability. Over time, it has grown into more than just a recreational space—it has become a symbol of community resilience, offering people of all backgrounds and abilities a place to connect, learn, and grow together (4). Situated on 6.6 acres provided by Dublin City Council, the farm aims to strengthen community bonds, enhance civic involvement, and combat social exclusion and isolation. It serves as both an educational and recreational space, providing opportunities for people of all abilities and backgrounds to engage with environmental topics, organic food production, native breed conservation, and traditional crafts. It is envisioned that the farm will include a designated ornamental garden, consisting of shrubs, flowers, grasses and bulbs, which will become a focal point for community activities/gatherings. In addition, we plan to install raised vegetable beds, fruit bushes. Through urban food production and community gardens—effective tools for educating schoolchildren and engaging youth—the farm addresses the gap between food production and consumption, helping to increase appreciation for local food. Investments in green infrastructure like Ballymun City Farm also support urban and regional development, including the creation of jobs. (1, 2)

The City Farm Ballymun

Ref. 3

Overview

Nature-based solution

Community gardens and allotments
Allotments
Community gardens

Key challenges

Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
Climate change adaptation
Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
Green space creation and/or management
Habitat and biodiversity restoration
Health and well-being (SDG 3)
Creation of opportunities for recreation
Enabling opportunities for physical activity
Inclusive and effective governance (SDG 16)
Inclusive governance
Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
Social justice and equity
Social interaction
Environmental education
Sense of community and community engagement
Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
Economic development: agriculture
Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12)
Sustainable consumption
Sustainable production

Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)

Environmental Degradation
Biodiversity loss
Land use and Socio-economic change
Agriculture/ crop production
Health, Well-being and Social cohesion
Disconnection from nature
Loss of sense of place and identity
Poor community engagement

Key priorities

Climate action (adaptation and/or mitigation), Biodiversity (conservation and/or restoration), Social Justice and community

Focus

Creation of new green areas, Creation of areas for food production (community gardens, allotments), Knowledge creation and awareness raising, Educational and awareness raising programs, Strategy, plan or policy development, Community-based programs (e.g. "Green Your Laneway Program"), Improved governance of green or blue areas, Creation of new, innovative governance and management approaches, Establishment of inclusive governance mechanisms involving local communities

Project objectives

To create an educational and recreational space that fosters learning and engagement for people of all abilities and backgrounds and will include shrubs, flowers, grasses and bulbs, raised vegetable beds, fruit bushes To support organic food production, connecting the community with sustainable agriculture (Increased access to fresh fruit and vegetables leading to improved diets) To promote the conservation of native rare breeds through farm activities. To encourage the preservation of traditional crafts and related skills within the community. To create opportunities for older people to socialise and be active and opportunities for young and old to engage To provide an opportunity for the community to actively engage in decision making and governance processes To address climate change by promoting awareness and sustainable practices. To provide a platform for farmers, food producers, and smallholders to sell directly to consumers through a farmer's market at the City Farm.

Implementation activities

The Ballymun City Farm project began in 2015 when local residents proposed transforming an underused green space into a community garden. Despite initial rejection by Dublin City Council (DCC) due to land review concerns, the project gained momentum. By 2017, the proposal was re-submitted as part of the Ballymun Local Area Plan (LAP) consultation, leading to meetings with local leaders and securing support. The draft LAP, adopted in 2017, included the city farm, with extensive stakeholder engagement to secure funding for a feasibility study (4). In late 2017, a formal proposal for the feasibility study was submitted to DCC's Parks Department. By 2018, public consultations, events like "Ballymun in Bloom," and the creation of a Blueprint for the City Farm marked significant progress. The project continued to advance in 2019 with branding efforts, a promotional video, and funding applications. A major milestone was achieved in 2020 when an agreement with DCC confirmed the official location of the City Farm, reflecting strong community support and clear goals (4). In 2022 it was confirmed that Dublin City Council has set aside 6.6 acres in Ballymun for the community farm. During the same year the initiators behind the farm team ran an open day to introduce local children to farm animals, including alpacas. They also hosted a beekeeping demonstration, soap-making workshops, and talks on wildlife. The farm hosts a community garden for growing fruit and vegetables. (5)

Climate-focused activities

Climate change adaptation:

Improved agricultural practices for improved food security and prevention of food scarcity
Reducing socio-economic vulnerability to climate impacts (e.g. awareness raising)

Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities

Biodiversity restoration:

Restore native species

Main beneficiaries

Food producers and cultivators (i.e. farmers, gardeners)
Young people and children
Marginalized groups: Children, young people or youth groups , People with functional diversities, People with invisible disabilities

Governance

Management set-up

Led by non-government actors

Type of initiating organisation

Citizens or community group

Participatory approaches/ community involvement

Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
Deliberative decision-making processes (e.g., consensus building, deliberative polling)
Taskforce groups
Dissemination of information and education
Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls)
Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
Citizen oversight (e.g. boards, advisory)

Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project

A group of local residents came together to propose the project, initially submitting a proposal to Dublin City Council in 2015. Dublin City Council (DCC) played a critical role in approving, funding, and facilitating the project through the Local Area Plan (LAP) process and its Parks Department. Dublin North West Area Partnership supported promotional and engagement efforts, including hosting events such as the Social Inclusion Seminar. Innovate Dublin helped explore funding opportunities for the feasibility study and project development. Besides the initiating group, local schools, voluntary organizations, and sports clubs (Ballymun Kickhams, Setanta GAA) were also key contributors to the project’s success. Ballymun 4 Business Group engaged with the committee to discuss the potential business and economic impact of the project (4). While the local community and residents are involved in educational activities, gardening as well as public meetings to decide on the project (1).

Project implemented in response to ...

... an EU policy or strategy? Unknown

... a national policy or strategy? Unknown

... a local policy or strategy? Yes (Ballymun Local Area Plan (LAP) (4))

Type of enablers

NGOs/Community groups driving the implementation

Financing

Total cost

Unknown

Source(s) of funding

Public local authority budget

Type of funding

Earmarked public budget

Non-financial contribution

Type of non-financial contribution

Provision of land
Provision of labour
Provision of expertise

Who provided the non-financial contribution?

Public authorities (e.g. land, utility services)
Citizens (e.g. volunteering)

Impacts and Monitoring

Environmental impacts

Green space and habitat
Increased green space area
Expected increased green space area
Increase in protected green space areas
Expected increase in protected green space areas
Increased number of species present
Expected increased number of species present

Economic impacts

Increase of green jobs (e.g. paid employment positions)
Expected increase of green jobs (e.g. paid employment positions)
Generation of other type of work opportunities (e.g. voluntary, work for rehabilitation)
Expected generation of other type of work opportunities (e.g. voluntary, work for rehabilitation)

Socio-cultural impacts

Social justice and cohesion
Increased visibility and opportunity for marginalised groups or indigenous peoples
Expected increased visibility and opportunity for marginalised groups or indigenous peoples
Increased opportunities for social interaction
Expected increased opportunities for social interaction
Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
Expected increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
Increased access to healthy/affordable food
Expected increased access to healthy/affordable food
Increased sustainability of agriculture practices
Expected increased sustainability of agriculture practices
Health and wellbeing
Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
Expected gain in activities for recreation and exercise
Education
Increased support for education and scientific research
Expected increased support for education and scientific research

Type of reported impacts

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

Potential risks of implementation and trade-offs

Unknown

References

The Ballymun City Farm (n.d.). What is a City Farm. The Ballymun City Farm, Accessed on September 17, 2024, [Source link];

The Ballymun City Farm (n.d.). Why Ballymun?. The Ballymun City Farm, Accessed on September 17, 2024, [Source link];

The City Farm Ballymun (n.d.). The City Farm Ballymun . The City Farm Ballymun , Accessed on September 17, 2024, [Source link];

The Ballymun City Farm (n.d.). What's the story now. The Ballymun City Farm, Accessed on September 17, 2024, [Source link];

Neylon, L. (2022). Council Promises 6.6 acres in Ballymun for a Community Farm. Dublin Inquirer, Accessed on September 17, 2024, [Source link];

Harvey, B. (2015). Ballymun: A Social Profile 2007-2015.. youngballymun, Accessed on September 17, 2024, [Source link];

Ballymun Partnership (n.d.). Income Levels and Spending Preferences of Ballymun People. Ballymun Partnership, Accessed on September 17, 2024, [Source link];

The Ballymun City Farm (n.d.). Contact Us. The Ballymun City Farm, Accessed on September 18, 2024, [Source link];

O'Connor, O. (2024). Google Reviews . Google Maps, Accessed on September 18, 2024, [Source link];