Last updated: March 2025
The urban garden in Miraflores park (Huertas las Moreras) was established already in 1991 on an old waste dump and contains 10500 m2 of plots for locals to grow fruits and vegetables [Ref. 1]. The creation of the gardens was initiated by citizens who formed an association and implemented it in cooperation with the City of Seville. The citizens were discontent with the lack of green space in the area, and the urban gardens came to be alongside Miraflores Park, which was also pushed by the locals. The initial goals of the gardens were to allow locals to produce their own food and to host educational activities [Ref. 2]. More recent developments exemplify the focus on education and knowledge. In 2022, the citizen science project "Planta Bienstar" was carried out in the gardens, where high school students measured the lead levels in the soil and crops. The project aimed to investigate if lead levels posed a health risk and if the gardens could reduce levels over time. The project was organised by the non-profit Descubre Foundation and funded by the foundation and the regional Government of Andalusia. The project relied on the knowledge and efforts of the citizens, the students and gardeners in an intergenerational collaboration where the young could learn methods from their elders [Ref. 3, 4].
Aerial photo of the Huertas Las Moreras
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=215515010798313&set=a.215514974131650
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Community gardens and allotments
- Community gardens
Key challenges
- Environmental quality
- Soil quality improvement
- Waste management
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Green space creation and/or management
- Health and well-being (SDG 3)
- Creation of opportunities for recreation
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Social cohesion
- Social interaction
- Environmental education
- Sense of community and community engagement
Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)
- Land use and Socio-economic change
- Agriculture/ crop production
- Unequal availability and access to public green spaces
- Health, Well-being and Social cohesion
- Disconnection from nature
- Poor community engagement
- Other
Key priorities
Social Justice and community
Focus
Maintenance and management of urban nature, Maintenance or upgrade of exisiting green spaces (e.g. parks), Knowledge creation and awareness raising, Educational and awareness raising programs
Project objectives
The initial goals of establishing the gardens were to create more green space, allow locals to produce food for self-consumption, involve locals in the governance and offer education [Ref. 2]. The goals of the recent project focused on producing knowledge on the safety of the soil and vegetables produced, benefiting the education of the students involved and establishing intergenerational connections and learning [Ref. 3, 4]. New developments in the gardens also centred on citizen science activities with earthworms for composting to improve the management of plant waste and sustainably improve soil fertility, as well as offering educational and social opportunities for the students and gardeners [Ref. 5, 6].
Implementation activities
1. In 1983, a committee for the Miraflores park was formed by citizens. The land was designated for the park, but it had not been built yet.
2. As part of the committee's work, the "Huerta Las Moreras Program" was created, planning for allotments and educational projects. The program was supported by the local government [Ref. 2].
3. The urban gardens were established in 1991, and people could start to grow food [Ref. 1, 2, 7].
4. In 2016, the City of Seville took over some of the management responsibilities for the gardens. The gardeners association was reorganised and is still running daily operations [Ref. 2]
5. In 2022, a citizen science project was organised at the gardens, where high school students measured the lead levels in the soils and plants together with the gardeners [Ref. 3, 4].
6. In 2023, another citizen science project investigated the effects of earthworms on compost and the effects of the compost as a fertiliser in collaboration between students, the gardens and the University of Sevilla [Ref. 5, 6].
Main beneficiaries
- Public sector institution (e.g. school or hospital)
- Researchers/University
- Citizens or community groups
- Food producers and cultivators (i.e. farmers, gardeners)
Governance
Management set-up
- Co-governance with government and non-government actors
Type of initiating organisation
- Non-government organisation/civil society
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Dissemination of information and education
- Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
The gardens were started by the Gardeners Association back in 1991. The initiative was taken by local citizens, and the project was meant to address the needs of the neighbourhood. The city of Seville contributed with financial support and by offering the land. Since then, the city has taken on some of the management responsibilities [Ref. 1, 2, 7]. In the citizen science project, the regional government and its Descubre foundation has been a coordinating actor. The projects involve the gardeners along with a local high school and the University of Sevilla [Ref. 3-6].
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a national policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a local policy or strategy?
Unknown
Type of enablers
NGOs/Community groups driving the implementation
Financing
Total cost
Unknown
Source(s) of funding
- Public local authority budget
- Other funding sources are unclear
Type of funding
- Earmarked public budget
- Other funding types are unknown
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
- Environmental quality
- Improved waste management
- Expected improved waste management
- Improved soil quality
- Expected improved soil quality
- Green space and habitat
- Increased green space area
- Achieved increased green space area
- Increased number of species present
- Achieved increased number of species present
Economic impacts
- Increase in agricultural production (for profit or not)
- Achieved increase in agricultural production (for profit or not)
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Improved access to urban green space
- Achieved improved access to urban green space
- Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
- Achieved increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
- Increased access to healthy/affordable food
- Achieved increased access to healthy/affordable food
- Cultural heritage and sense of place
- Improvement in people’s connection to nature
- Expected improvement in people’s connection to nature
- Protection of historic and cultural landscape / infrastructure
- Achieved protection of historic and cultural landscape / infrastructure
- Education
- Increased support for education and scientific research
- Achieved increased support for education and scientific research
- Increased awareness of NBS and their benefits
- Achieved increased awareness of NBS and their benefits
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
1.
Gardeniser (n.d.). Las Moreras Orchard (Miraflores Park). Accessed on September 27, 2024, [Source link];
2.
Pozo Haro, R. (n.d.). Huerta las Moreras: belleza y complejidad de la gestión vecinal. El Topo, Accessed on September 27, 2024, [Source link];
3.
Diario de Sevilla (2022). Los cultivos del huerto urbano del Parque de Miraflores reducen los niveles de plomo en el suelo. Accessed on September 27, 2024, [Source link];
4.
Fundación Descubre (2022). Un proyecto de ciencia ciudadana mide los metales en los suelos de huertos urbanos de Sevilla y aporta estrategias para rebajarlos. Accessed on September 27, 2024, [Source link];
5.
City of Seville (2023). El Ayuntamiento potencia el programa de huertos urbanos en el Parque de Miraflores al colaborar en un nuevo proyecto de economía circular y reciclaje de residuos impulsado por los hortelanos, el IES Híspalis, la Universidad de Sevilla y el Distrito Norte. Accessed on September 27, 2024, [Source link];
6.
Andalucía mejor con cienca (2023). Un proyecto de ciencia ciudadana confirma la viabilidad de aplicar abono de lombriz en huertos urbanos. Accessed on September 27, 2024, [Source link];
7.
Mezquita Gallego, A. L. (2021). Huertos de ocio. Asociacion de Hortelanos Huerta Las Moreras, Accessed on September 30, 2024, [Source link];
8.
City of Seville (2022). Anuario Estadístico de la Ciudad de Sevilla, 2022. [Source link];
A man working the soil in his allotment
https://elpais.com/elpais/2017/09/18/album/1505728220_750947.html
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the Naturescapes project funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No 101084341.