Last updated: September 2024
Tirana's urban development has set a new record in 2022, when more than 1.8 million square meters of new buildings were constructed (Ref. 5). This rapid development increased the need for accessible urban green areas. At the Tulla Urban Farm, a wide audience is trained to create those green areas in their yards, balconies and roofs with the added benefit of growing produce for their own needs (Ref. 1,2,5). This practice of food autonomy is deeply rooted in Albanian culture but has been lost in urban settings where concrete has taken over the city (Ref. 1). Tulla Urban Farm addresses this issue by providing an inclusive space for people of diverse backgrounds to come together and experience urban gardening first hand under the guidance of professionals from the Agricultural University of Tirana (Ref. 2,3). In these "urban agricultural schools", workshops, seminars and discussions are held to re-cultivate traditional agro-cultural practices and knowledge that will benefit the participants, many of which are from marginalised backgrounds (Ref. 1, 4). All these activities are facilitated through the rooftop greenhouse of the Tulla Cultural Center, which harbours over 300 plants (Ref.1). As such, Tulla Urban Farm not only provides a space for experiencing and learning about plants but also for social interaction and building a community that also addresses more serious issues such as mental health in a society that faces high rates of unemployment (Ref. 1). The project had received inital funding from the German GIZ in 2022 and won the Cultures of Resistance Award through which it financed the first two years of its programme and enabled free participation at the urban agricultural school for all participants (Ref. 2,4).
Inside the greenhouse where plants for consumption are grown
https://culturesofresistancefilms.com/cultures-of-resistance-awards/tulla-urban-farming-school/
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Community gardens and allotments
- Community gardens
- Nature on buildings (external)
- Green roofs
- Balcony greens
- Other
Key challenges
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Green space creation and/or management
- Cultural heritage and cultural diversity
- Preservation of historic traditions
- Health and well-being (SDG 3)
- Creation of opportunities for recreation
- Improving mental health
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Social cohesion
- Social interaction
- Environmental education
- Sense of community and community engagement
- Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12)
- Sustainable production
- Food scarcity / security
Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)
- Land use and Socio-economic change
- Agriculture/ crop production
- Limited economic opportunities and local livelihoods
- Rapid urbanization
- Unequal availability and access to public green spaces
- Health, Well-being and Social cohesion
- Mental health issues (stress, anxiety)
- Poor community engagement
- Resource Scarcity and Competition
- Food insecurity due to disruptions in food production and distribution
Key priorities
Social Justice and community
Focus
Creation of new green areas, Creation of areas for food production (community gardens, allotments)
Project objectives
Goal 1: Provide an inclusive space for (young) people to come together and experience urban gardening first-hand. (Ref. 1,4)
Goal 2: Help participants get started on growing their own food on balconies and terraces (Ref. 2,3)
Goal 3: Re-cultivating and re-connecting with traditional agro-cultural practices and knowledge, fostering a sense of Albanian identity. (Ref. 1)
Goal 4: Facilitate interaction among different societal groups where urban greening, healthy nutrition and mental health can be addressed. (Ref. 1)
Goal 5: Engage in non-formal education on plant propagation, care and pest control. (Ref. 1,2,3)
Goal 7: Support mental health, particularly for people struggling with depression due to high levels of unemployment (Ref. 1).
Implementation activities
- Use the donated greenhouse and establish a planting laboratory at Tulla Culture Center for practical urban farming sessions. (Ref.1)
- Conduct presentations, workshops, and courses on plant management in collaboration with the Agricultural University of Tirana to educate and empower participants. (Ref. 3)
- Promote engagement and learning through collaborative events and discussions on sustainable urban agriculture. (Ref. 4)
- Have differentiated programmes - i.e. for children and adults (Ref. 3,6)
- Specifically, marginalized groups (low-income, LGBT+) should be included in urban gardening activities. (Ref.1)
Main beneficiaries
- Non-government organisation/Civil Society
- Citizens or community groups
- Food producers and cultivators (i.e. farmers, gardeners)
- Young people and children
- Marginalized groups: Children, young people or youth groups , Women, Socio-economically disadvantaged populations (e.g. low-income households, unemployed), Other
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)
- Dissemination of information and education
- Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
The 'Sustainable Rural Development' (SRD) project implemented by GIZ, in collaboration with Tulla Culture Center, launched a specific non-formal educational program that will introduce and educate young people about green living, creating the first urban agricultural school [in 2019] (Ref. 4)
Tulla Culture Center, in collaboration with the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture at the Agricultural University of Tirana, opens the call for applications in the Urban Gardening module [...] (Ref. 3)
This project is financed by the German Government and Kika Construction and implemented by GIZ and Tulla Culture Center in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development [In 2022] (Ref. 4)
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
No
... a national policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a local policy or strategy?
Unknown
Type of enablers
NGOs/Community groups driving the implementation, Support from transitional governance actors
Financing
Total cost
Unknown
Source(s) of funding
- Corporate investment
- National or regional development bank
- Private funding by citizens
- Other
Type of funding
- Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
- Donations
- Membership or entrance fees
- Other
Non-financial contribution
Type of non-financial contribution
- Provision of goods
- Provision of labour
- Provision of expertise
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
- Citizens (e.g. volunteering)
- Private sector (businesses, financial institution)
- Other
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- 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 social cohesion
- Expected improved social cohesion
- Improved access to urban green space
- Achieved improved access to urban green space
- 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
- Achieved increased opportunities for social interaction
- Increased access to healthy/affordable food
- Achieved increased access to healthy/affordable food
- Increased sustainability of agriculture practices
- Achieved increased sustainability of agriculture practices
- Health and wellbeing
- Improved mental health
- Expected improved mental health
- Supporting ill-health communities facing loneliness, anxitey or depression
- Expected supporting ill-health communities facing loneliness, anxitey or depression
- Cultural heritage and sense of place
- Improvement in people’s connection to nature
- Expected improvement in people’s connection to nature
- Increased sense of place identity, memory and belonging
- Expected increased sense of place identity, memory and belonging
- Education
- Increased support for education and scientific research
- Achieved increased support for education and scientific research
- Increased knowledge of locals about local nature
- Achieved increased knowledge of locals about local nature
Type of reported impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Yes
Presence of indicators used in reporting
Yes
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.
European Training Foundation (2023). Tirana’s urban greenhouse brings a community together over vegetables. Accessed on September 12, 2024, [Source link];
2.
Cultures Of Resistance Films (2022). TULLA Urban Farming School. Accessed on September 12, 2024, [Source link];
3.
Tulla Urban Farming (2024). Call for applications: Urban Garden Educational Program . Accessed on September 12, 2024, [Source link];
4.
Tulla Urban Farm (2022). Urban Agricultural School in the center of Tirana. Accessed on September 12, 2024, [Source link];
5.
Sheshu, R. (2023). Tirana: Urban gardening for a greener city. Deutsche Welle, Accessed on September 12, 2024, [Source link];
6.
Tulla Urban Farming (2023). Urban Farming for Children. Accessed on September 12, 2024, [Source link];
Greenhouse from the outside
https://tullaurban.farm/aktiviteti/ceremonia-e-ndarjes-se-certifikatave/
Training Session with a Group of Participants
https://tullaurban.farm/2022/02/27/shkolle-urbane-bujqesore/
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the Naturescapes project funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No 101084341.