Zaragoza, Spain
City population: 687448
Duration: 2013 – 2016
Implementation status: Completed
Scale: Meso-scale: Regional, metropolitan and urban level
Project area: unknown
Type of area: Agricultural area or farmland, Public Greenspace Area, Other
Last updated: October 2021

"The HUERTAS LIFE KM0 project aims to recover the natural peri-urban Gardens of Zaragoza through the promotion of a ‘zero kilometre’ (km0) concept of local agricultural production. It expects to demonstrate a successful approach for implementing the European Territorial Strategy (ETS), delivering economic, social, health and environmental benefits. " (ref 4) in peri-urban green areas that have been neglected (Ref. 4).

Huertas Urbanos Zaragoza
Source: Ref. 3

Overview

Nature-based solution

  • Parks and urban forests
  • Green corridors and green belts
  • Community gardens and allotments
  • Allotments
  • Community gardens
  • Horticulture

Key challenges

  • Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
  • Habitat and biodiversity restoration
  • Green space creation and/or management
  • Environmental quality
  • Soil quality improvement
  • Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
  • Economic development: agriculture
  • Employment/job creation
  • Cultural heritage and cultural diversity
  • Preservation of natural heritage
  • Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12)
  • Sustainable consumption
  • Sustainable production

Focus

Maintenance and management of urban nature

Project objectives

The NBS aimed to create a sustainable model of local productivity that would (Ref. 4): - Increase non-intensive cultivation of plots of land in the Gardens of Zaragoza; - Halt the environmental degradation of this area, remediate and improve soil fertility, regenerate the natural environmental system, and protect local biodiversity; - Deliver an increase in quality, autochthonous and traditional varieties of fruits and vegetables for sale locally; and - Promote a km0 concept of agricultural production, reducing the ecological footprint of food consumption of the city

Implementation activities

- Provide training and technical assistance to entrepreneurs who want to develop a business in local non-intensive farming (Ref. 4) - Support the creation of urban allotments in which individuals can grow their own fruit and vegetables (Ref. 4) - Promote locally-produced organic products amongst consumers and retail outlets in Zaragoza (Ref. 4) - Monitor and improve ecological corridors (Ref. 4) - Create a management body to support the ongoing development of local organic farming, including representatives of the City Council, farmers, research institutions and consumers. (Ref. 4) - Environmental intervention in the Huerta de Zaragoza (Ref.1) - Creation of Huertas LIFE network (Ref. 1) - Encourage the natural farming of native species (Ref.1) - Delimitation of the plots suitable for cultivation existing in the Huerta de Zaragoza (Ref.1) - Adjustment of a plot for the experimental planting of natural crops (Ref.1) - Modeling of the farming: "Huerta LIFE Km0" (Ref.1) - Promotion of new entrepreneurial farmers (Ref.1) - Training in the "Escuela Agrícola Verde Km0" (Ref.1) - Support for the creation of Urban Gardens - Awareness Plan and dissemination of "Products Km0" among citizens (Ref.1)

Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities

Biodiversity restoration:

  • Rehabilitate and restore damaged or destroyed ecosystems
  • Restore ecological connectivity
  • Public engagement

Main beneficiaries

  • Local government/Municipality
  • Citizens or community groups

Governance

Management set-up

  • Government-led

Type of initiating organisation

  • Local government/municipality

Participatory approaches/ community involvement

  • Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)

Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project

Ayuntamiento de Zaragoza (City Council of Zaragoza) was the planner of the project The horticulture citizen groups consulted during the planning. (Ref 1) Funding from EU (Ref. 1,3) Universities and various groups/ collectives supported project (Ref. 1,7)

Project implemented in response to ...

... an EU policy or strategy? Yes (The project expects to demonstrate a successful approach for implementing the European Territorial Strategy (ETS), delivering economic, social, health and environmental benefits. " (Ref. 4))
... a national policy or strategy? Unknown
... a local policy or strategy? Yes (Agenda 21, 2000 (Ref. 3, Proposal, p.3 of 109))

Financing

Total cost

€500,000 - €2,000,000

Source(s) of funding

  • EU funds
  • Public local authority budget

Type of funding

  • Earmarked public budget
  • Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)

Non-financial contribution

No

Impacts and Monitoring

Environmental impacts

  • Climate change
  • Reduced emissions
  • Strengthened capacity to address climate hazards/natural disasters
  • Enhanced carbon sequestration
  • Environmental quality
  • Improved waste management
  • Improved soil quality
  • Green space and habitat
  • Increased number of protection areas
  • Increased green space area
  • Increased conversion of degraded land or soil
  • Restoration of derelict areas

Economic impacts

  • Increase of green jobs (e.g. paid employment positions)
  • Increase in agricultural production (for profit or not)
  • Generation of income from NBS
  • Increased market share for green economies

Socio-cultural impacts

  • Social justice and cohesion
  • Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
  • Increased access to healthy/affordable food
  • Increased sustainability of agriculture practices
  • Cultural heritage and sense of place
  • Protection of natural heritage
  • Protection of historic and cultural landscape / infrastructure
  • Education
  • Increased support for education and scientific research
  • Increased knowledge of locals about local nature
  • Increased awareness of NBS and their benefits

Type of reported impacts

Achieved impacts

Presence of formal monitoring system

Yes

Presence of indicators used in reporting

Yes

Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports

Yes

Availability of a web-based monitoring tool

No evidence in public records

References

1. Ayuntamiento de Zaragoza. (n.d.). Huertas LIFE Km0. Available at: Source link [Accessed: 3 September 2020].

2. CERAI. (2015). Reunión de seguimiento del proyecto Huertas Life km 0. Available at: Source link [Accessed 3 September 2020].

3. European Commission. (2013). Proposal LIFE12 ENV/ES/000919 "Recuperacion medioambiental de espacios periurbanos mediante la intervencion en el ecosystema y la ecologia." Available at: Source link [Accessed 3 September 2020].

4. European Union. (2013). HUERTAS LIFE KM0 - Environmental recovery of peri-urban areas through the intervention in the ecosystem and ecological farming. Huertas LIFE Km0. [Document provided].

5. Heraldo Espana. (2016). Huertas Life reúne a más de 150 personas de toda Europa. Available at: Source link [Accessed 3 September 2020].

6. Biot, Valerie. (2014). Territorial scenarios and Vision: towards EU 2050. European Union. Available at: Source link [Accessed 3 September 2020].

7. Ayuntamiento de Zaragoza. (n.d.). Huertas LIFE Km0. Presentation. [Document provided].

8. Ayuntamiento de Zaragoza (2014). ACTA DE SESiÓN DE TRABAJO. [Document provided].

9. Huertas Life Km 0 (n.d.). Huertas Life Km 0. Facebook page. Available at: Source link [Accessed 3 September 2020].
Huertas LIFE Km0, Follow-Up Meeting
Source: Ref. 2, by Zaragoza City Council
Huertas LIFE 1
Source: Ref. 9
Huertas LIFE 2
Source: Ref. 9