Last updated: October 2021
Food for Good is a community garden in which citizens and disadvantaged groups work together to grow healthy crops in a sustainable way (ref. 1,5,6,7). Thereby, it promotes social cohesion in the neighbourhood and sustainable agriculture. It also contributes to social equity as crops are grown for the food bank which provides food for homeless and low-income citizens. Food is also sold to local people and a 'social' restaurant (ref, 5-7).
Food for Good
Source: Ref. 1
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Community gardens and allotments
- Community gardens
Key challenges
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Green space creation and/or management
- Regeneration, land-use and urban development
- Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Environmental education
- Social justice and equity
- Social cohesion
- Social interaction
- Health and well-being (SDG 3)
- Improving mental health
- Improving physical health
- Creation of opportunities for recreation
- Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12)
- Sustainable consumption
- Sustainable production
Focus
Creation of new green areas, Knowledge creation and awareness raising
Project objectives
The main goal is to create sustainable integration of citizens, which includes:
- Social cohesion as citizens and vulnerable groups including homeless people, addicts and people with psychiatric disorders work together and crops are grown for a community restaurant that supports social inclusion (ref. 6)
- Sustainable agriculture as the principles of organic agriculture are applied, for example, plant species are planted that attract insects that protect the crops from invasive plant and animal species (ref. 4)
- Education by means of trainings, workshops and tours through the garden (ref. 1)
- It also indirectly supports human health and well being as healthy crops are grown (ref. 7)
Implementation activities
Growing sustainable crops
Providing training, workshops and tours
Organizing events, special events for disadvantaged groups
Renting the garden house for activities
Selling harvest to local people and the restaurant and donating food to the food bank
(ref. 1, 4)
Main beneficiaries
- Citizens or community groups
- Marginalized groups: Socio-economically disadvantaged populations (e.g. low-income households, unemployed), Other
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
- Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
- Crowd-sourcing/Crowd-funding/Participatory budget
- Dissemination of information and education
- Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls)
- Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
- Co-management/Joint management
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
The project was initiated by a health care facility (Zorgbrug) and an NGO (Stichting De Wending). Partners in the project are health care institutions (Vecht en Ijssel, Axion Continu), an NGO (Doenja Dienstverlening), a community team, a restaurant (Resto Van Harte), the food bank, a restaurant, citizens and the municipality of Utrecht (ref. 1, 2, 3).
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a national policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a local policy or strategy?
Unknown
Financing
Total cost
Unknown
Source(s) of funding
- Public local authority budget
- Funds provided by non-governmental organization (NGO)
- Private Foundation/Trust
- Other
Type of funding
- Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
- Donations
Non-financial contribution
Type of non-financial contribution
- Provision of land
- Provision of labour
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
- Promotion of naturalistic styles of landscape design for urban development
- Increased green space area
- Increased number of species present
Economic impacts
- Increase in agricultural production (for profit or not)
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Improved social cohesion
- Improved access to urban green space
- Increased visibility and opportunity for marginalised groups or indigenous peoples
- Increased opportunities for social interaction
- Increased access to healthy/affordable food
- Increased sustainability of agriculture practices
- Health and wellbeing
- Improved physical health
- Improved mental health
- Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- Education
- Increased support for education and scientific research
- Increased knowledge of locals about local nature
Type of reported impacts
Expected 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
References
1. Food for Good. (n.d.). Food for Good. [online] Available at: Source link (Accessed 26 July 2020)
2. Roos, E. & De Gier, M. Welkom! (n.d.). Op food for good. Utrecht: Food for Good [pdf] Available at: Source link (Accessed 26 July 2020)
3. Food for Good. (n.d.). in ‘t groen bij moestijn food for good. [pdf] Utrecht: Food for Good. Available at: Source link (Accessed 26 July 2020)
4. U in de wijk Kanaleneiland. (2013a). Food for Good [video] Available at: Source link (Accessed 26 July 2020)
5. U in de wijk Kanaleneiland. (2013b). Food for Good [video] Available at: Source link (Accessed 26 July 2020)
6. Instituut voor Natuureducatie en duuraamheid. (n.d.) Filmpjes van projecten. Available at: Source link (Accessed 26 July 2020)
7. Gemeente Utrecht. (n.d.) Makelpunt Utrecht. [online] Available at: Source link (Accessed 26 July 2020)
8. VOKO. (n.d.). Food for Good. Available at: Source link (Accessed 26 July 2020)
2. Roos, E. & De Gier, M. Welkom! (n.d.). Op food for good. Utrecht: Food for Good [pdf] Available at: Source link (Accessed 26 July 2020)
3. Food for Good. (n.d.). in ‘t groen bij moestijn food for good. [pdf] Utrecht: Food for Good. Available at: Source link (Accessed 26 July 2020)
4. U in de wijk Kanaleneiland. (2013a). Food for Good [video] Available at: Source link (Accessed 26 July 2020)
5. U in de wijk Kanaleneiland. (2013b). Food for Good [video] Available at: Source link (Accessed 26 July 2020)
6. Instituut voor Natuureducatie en duuraamheid. (n.d.) Filmpjes van projecten. Available at: Source link (Accessed 26 July 2020)
7. Gemeente Utrecht. (n.d.) Makelpunt Utrecht. [online] Available at: Source link (Accessed 26 July 2020)
8. VOKO. (n.d.). Food for Good. Available at: Source link (Accessed 26 July 2020)
Food for Good
Source: Ref. 1
Food for Good
Source: Ref. 1