Hyphen 55 News from the Office - Office International du Coin de Terre et des Jardins Familiaux association sans but lucratif | spring 2014 ...
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Hyphen 55
News from the Office
Office International du Coin de Terre et des Jardins Familiaux
association sans but lucratif | spring 2014
Hyphen 55 | 2015 1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Table of contents:
Leading article
Specialist gardening advice today and tomorrow is the topic of the Office International’s work
during the period 2014–2016 3
In memoriam
3 good friends left us forever 5
Activity report
Activity report 2014 6
Decision protocol
Decision protocol of the general statutory assembly held in Luxembourg on 27th and 28th February, 2015 9
Diplomas
The allotment garden site “Nieuwe Levenskracht” has received the diploma for an ecological gardening 11
The association “Tuinenpark ons Buiten” from Utrecht has received the diploma for an ecological gardening 13
The allotment garden site “Park Groenewoud” in Utrecht, member of the allotment association
“De Hoge Weide” has received the diploma for innovative projects. 15
The Allotment site Vallila in Helsinki has received the diploma for innovative projects 17
Actuality theme
Brief overview on development and changing popularity trends of allotment gardens in Latvian cities. 19
The allotment garden movement in South Korea: The federation of allotment gardeners in
Baden-Württemberg supports this development 23
The social engagement of the allotment gardeners
Square-shaped allotment gardens of the Fontaine d‘Ouche district in Dijon 25
Encounters between allotment gardeners in NADESHDA and North Rhine-Westphalia
Learning together to preserve the creation 27
Informations from the federations
Switzerland: Allotment gardens – Bio gardens: Measures to promote making urban spaces greener 30
Netherlands: Self-managed garden brightens Amsterdam’s warehouse district 33
France: From allotment gardens to community gardens 36
News from the federations 41
Addresses 43
Impressum 44
Hyphen 55 | 2015 2
LEADING ARTICLE
Specialist gardening advice
today and tomorrow
is the topic of the Office International’s work
during the period 2014–2016
Peter Paschke,
president of Bundesverband Deutscher Gartenfreunde e.V.
(Central federation of allotment gardens
In German allotment garden federa- To implement this mission, all allot-
tions and associations, specialist ad- ment garden associations must have
vice is and remains one of our main volunteers (experts) with the required
missions, allowing us to comply with technical training. That is why the
the public utility aspect of the allot- Bundesverband Deutscher Garten
ment garden movement. freunde e.V. (Central federation of al-
lotment gardens) aimed at training un-
The topic of “gardening advice” is al- til 2015 a total of 5,000 new experts.
ready discussed at length in our legal Training specialists is a big task, and
framework, i.e. the Bundeskleingar- the regional federations will play a
tengesetz (German federal law on al- major part.
lotment gardens). Article 2 § 1 of the
federal law states that: In fact, the regional federations or-
ganise intensive training programmes
“An allotment garden association is in order to train experts, particularly
recognised as a public utility organi- around the following topics:
sation by the region’s competent au- • Environmentally friendly gardens.
thorities if it is subscribed to the regis- • Mulching instead of intensive
ter of associations, undergoes regular ploughing.
management control and if its statutes • Appropriate nutrition for plants.
stipulate that: • Using humus in the garden.
• Correct composting.
1. The association’s sole or principal • Gardening by rotating plants.
aim is to stimulate the allotment • Growing vegetables that are suita-
garden movement and to provide ble for the location.
technical help to its members; • Growing fruits that are suitable for
2. Revenue is specifically used for the location.
activities tied to the allotment • Careful selection of ornamental
gardens and plants and shrubs that are suitable
3. If the association is dissolved, its for the location in order to guaran-
assets are used for activities relat- tee a garden respecting nature.
ing to allotment gardens.” • Using water in a way that is adapted
to the needs of the garden.
The legal stipulation of providing gar- • Supporting auxiliary organisms
dening advice to members means through the lay-out of the gardens
that the allotment garden associations and growing a variety of plants.
and federations must create condi- • Getting to know what causes dam-
tions that allow them to meet this re- age.
quirement. • Plant protection in the garden.
Hyphen 55 | 2015 3
LEADING ARTICLE
• The association’s bulletin board:
each month gardening advice is
here available for member garden-
ers.
• Information containing the latest
news, e.g. about the latest caus-
es of damage and ways to fight
against parasites.
• Factsheets presenting specific
themes in a brief and clear way
(e.g. factsheets from the central al-
lotment garden federation (BDG)).
• Information boards, e.g. in educa-
tional and specialist gardens, pro-
viding recommendations for select-
ing species suitable for allotment
gardens.
• Series of slides, videos and Power-
Point presentations as visual sup-
port to communicate around speci
fic topics.
• Managing educational and thematic
gardens in the associations, e.g.
• Orchards with fruit and berry trees
• Aromatic gardens
Conveying these topics comprehen- • Potato gardens
sively requires a high number of train- • Gardens designed for giving spe-
ing days. These can be organised in cialist gardening advice etc.
different ways in the regional federa- • Competitions: competitions are not
tions, and it is worth noting that one only a way of providing advice on
of these ways can sometimes be by gardening, but they can also have a
collaborating with the local garden- very positive effect on sparking ac-
ing academies. In Saxony, the Saxe tivities related to allotment gardens,
gardening academy (Sächsische e.g. a competition on the best allot-
Gartenakademie) in Dresden-Pillnitz ment in the association.
provides 150 hours of training, culmi-
nating in a final certificate. The region- With regards to “gardening advice”,
al federations in Brême, Westphalie it is important to give our experts up
and Lippe also have their own training to date advice and information. This
centres with the necessary education- means using factsheets from the cen-
al gardens to train experts. tral allotment garden federation, fact-
sheets from the regional federation on
How is this vital knowledge environmentally-friendly gardening,
then passed onto our member and different specialist information
gardeners in the allotment provided by the academy for leisure
garden associations? gardens. For example the Saxe gar-
Our specialist experts then use a vari- dening academy has 120 information
ety of ways on site, for example: and factsheets available for experts.
• Conferences on very different topics. Summary:
• Making use of their visits to the gar- The success of our joint activity re-
dens by offering specialist advice sides in the ability of all member gar-
on site. deners in the associations to do gar-
• Taking advantage of informal dis- dening in a natural way.
cussions.
Hyphen 55 | 2015 4
IN MEMORIAM
3 good friends
left us forever
On 8th October 2014 we received the and his readiness to help. 1973 until 1991. Together with presi-
sad news that John FARMER passed dent Metty LOOS he represented the
away on 5th October 2014. On 23rd October followed the news Luxembourgish federation in all the
that Jan HERREMAN passed away general assemblies and congresses
John FARMER was a very fervent de- on 19th October 2014. of the International Office.
fendant of the International Office and
strongly believed in the necessity of Jan HERREMAN was president of Theo PEFFER answered over many
a strong international movement. He the Belgian respectively Flemish fed- years the plant and gardening ques-
was convinced that the English allot- eration. tions of the RTL listeners. His horticul-
ment federation, as founding member tural knowledge was indescribable.
of the International Office, had to play During his presidency he represented
an important role in our movement. his federation during our general as- He was a great defendant of the na-
semblies and took part with important tional and international allotment
When the English federation left the national delegations in our interna- movement. We will not forget his
International Office for a while John tional congresses. commitment and his never ending
FARMER remained member of the support.
International Office with the region he He continuously defended the inter-
presided until the English federation ests of the Belgian allotment garden-
rejoined our movement. ers.
John FARMER was president of the We will not forget his commitment for
International Office from 2000 until the allotment garden movement.
2002 and organised with his team
the very interesting international con-
gress in York.
On 19th December 2014 we also got
We owe him many thanks for his tire- the sad news that on 16th December
less commitment for the national and Theo PEFFER passed away shortly
European allotment gardeners. before his 85th birthday.
We will not forget John FARMER, his Theo PEFFER was secretary general
commitment, his joviality, his jokes of the Luxembourgish federation from
Hyphen 55 | 2015 5
ACTIVITY REPORT
Activity report 2014
The executive board has the pleas- take similar activities in the future. quest of the delegates is unfortunately
ure to submit the activity report for This activity was highly appreciated not being taken advantage of despite
2014 to you. during the presentation meeting of the several calls for using this means.
Office with the new minister for envi-
1) Internal activities. ronment in Luxembourg. d) Innovative projects
Since the last statutory meeting the C. ZIJDEVELD has been gathering in-
executive board met on 27th August, At the occasion of the international novative projects from several federa-
23rd and 24th November 2014 and is congress, the federations, honorary tions. A USB stick with those innova-
also going to meet on 27th February guests, the allotment associations tive projects has been made and was
2015. we visited and the associations which put at the disposal of the federations
got diplomas received a calendar pre- at the occasion of the international
a) Efficiency of the Office activi- senting the different national federa- congress. Not written documents,
ties and representation towards tions. This should be a stimulation on but visual examples are instruments
the exterior how we could better focus internally that can stimulate associations/fed-
Similarly to the congress subject and externally on the international al- erations to innovate and realise new
“Focus on allotments” the executive lotment movement. projects. It is now the duty of every
board has continued to deal with federation to make these innovative
this subject and to reflect on how to On request of some federations the projects known and to encourage
increase the visibility of the Office. calendar was already printed for 2015 their members to do similar projects
In this context the work on the Office and put at their disposal. or realise other new projects. A far
charter, which has internal and exter- reaching campaign for making these
nal goals, was continued. This charter Why should one not replace once the innovative projects known has to be
gives guidelines to the federations on national calendars presenting plants organised.
how we should work in the future. The or allotments by an international pres-
charter was adopted during the gen- entation? The executive board has decided to
eral assembly held at the occasion of issue a brochure of these projects
our international congress in Utrecht. Suggestions for a large publicity for in English, Dutch, German, Finnish,
In Hyphen no 54 there was as well the Office are always welcome. French, Norwegian, and Polish.
the call of the Swedish president Mrs
Catharina TARRAS-WAHLBERG to b) Representation of the Office at It is not sufficient that the authori-
all pull together in the same direc- the occasion of national ceremo- ties and the population know what
tion so as to make our national and nies is done on the sites. Every gardener
international allotment movements fit This year, the Office was again repre- has to understand that we have to go
for the future according to the motto: sented at the occasion of different na- this way and that we have to open
“Together we are strong”. tional events, for example in Germany our sites for the population in order
An increased information about the and Luxembourg by C. ZIJDEVELD to create the necessary acceptation
Office could be noticed in the national and M. WEIRICH. for guarantying the durability of our
reviews. This is a very positive evolu- movement.
tion because it enables to better sen- c) Internet
sitize the national allotment gardeners The homepage was updated at reg- At the occasion of the Cost meeting in
for the necessity of an international ular intervals. The updating could, Riga this USB stick was given to cho-
cooperation. however, be optimised if the federa- sen participants in order to positively
tions regularly sent news from their influence the researchers.
We have also actively worked to real- associative life. This year this sending
ise the common activity “Children and of news was relatively unsatisfactory. e) Diplomas
Nature”. The work is, however, not yet Regular information from all the coun- This year there have again been
finished. The aim of this activity is to tries would be enriching for all and many demands for diplomas for an
document our activities to sensitize would moreover give to the exterior a ecological gardening, respectively for
children from allotment families and positive image of our movement. innovative projects.
non-allotment families for nature and
to stimulate the federations to under- The discussion forum created on re- The diplomas were awarded in Utre-
Hyphen 55 | 2015 6
ACTIVITY REPORT
cht. They should have both an internal the Garden 2014 and the 37th inter- economic grounds.
and an external effect. national congress.
It has as well been acknowledged
Have been honoured for their efforts The Dutch federation now considers that several federations had problems
in the area of an ecological gardening: celebrating every year a Day of the with the payment of their yearly affili-
• The associaton „Dijkzicht “ Amster- Garden in order to increase the visibil- ation fee due to internal difficulties. All
dam (NL) ity of the allotment gardens. these problems could, however, been
• The association „Nieuwe Levens solved.
kracht“ Amsterdam (NL) g) Hyphen
• The association „Tuinenpark ons This year, the Office could publish two i) Cost and other scientific
Buiten“ Utrecht (NL) further well conceived issues of the research projects
Hyphen in cooperation with the firm The Office continues to take part in
Received a diploma for innovative MAYERHOFER in Austria. the Cost project, a scientific study of
projects: the allotment garden movement. As
• The association „De Koekelt“ VAT Two new headings were inserted: already reported before, four areas:
Ede (NL) a) “Actuality theme”. The idea is to ecology, social function, town plan-
• The association „De Hoge Weide” discuss current problems both by the ning and urban design, are analyzed.
Utrecht (NL) federations and by people not belong- An evaluation of our movement and
• The association “Pontnewynydd” ing to our movement. a comparison with the new phenom-
Pontnewynydd (GB) enon of the “Community Gardens” will
• The association Vallila Helsinki (FI) b) An additional heading “Social com- be made. Recommendations will be
mitment of the allotment gardeners” given to the authorities.
The Golden Rose was granted to the was introduced. The aim is to present
town of Utrecht for the efficient sup- projects, which highlight the social ac- W. HOENTJEN, F. FLOHR, H. BON-
port of the Dutch federation and the tivities of the allotment gardeners. NAVAUD and M. WEIRICH took part
allotment gardeners in Utrecht. in the meeting in Lisbon and a report
The already existing headings were of this meeting was sent to all the fed-
A constructive cooperation with the continued. erations with a call to the other fed-
authorities is very important not only erations to take also part in the Cost
to safeguard allotments, but also in It is desirable if in future both the fed- project.
order to include them as future orient- erations and external people will help
ed elements in the town development. publishing articles with a wide content It was acknowledged that the Finn-
in the Hyphen in order to continue to ish federation made efforts in order
f) European Day of the Garden improve and to make our magazine, to take part in the Cost activities. The
This year the European Day of the which is published twice a year, even Finnish representatives in Cost also
Garden was celebrated following the more interesting. invited the federation to take part in
international congress, according to a the Riga meeting. Because the costs
decision taken by the general assem- The federations have accordingly to for this participation could not be paid
bly some years ago. be invited to send more and more by Cost, the federation didn’t have the
articles, not only to make the Hyphen possibility to take part.
The aim of the European Day of the more interesting, but also to increase
Garden is to put both the national and its European dimension. At the Cost meeting in Riga the Office
the international movement in the was represented by H. BONNAVAUD,
limelight in the country, where the cer- h) Support of federations/asso- W. HEIDEMANN, A. HOBBELINK
emony takes place. It should as well ciations and M. WEIRICH.
document the value of the allotments It could be acknowledged that our
for society. Polish allotment friends have won the Examples of allotments from
battle to save the gardens and the Great-Britain, Poland, Italy, Germa-
This happened especially with the re- federation. The federation, however, ny, Greece, Estonia and Latvia were
ception offered by the town of Utrecht will still have to focus in a near future presented. The Office representatives
at the occasion of the international on the practical application of the new had to correct statements made and
congress, which was organised on law in order to comply with the new provide positive input. The discus-
the allotment site “De Hoge Weide”. legislation. It cannot be excluded that sions with the national researchers
A sculpture was unveiled on this site in the future it will have to fight again were as well very useful.
as a souvenir of the European Day of against attacks based on political or A written report and the meeting docu-
Hyphen 55 | 2015 7
ACTIVITY REPORT
ments were sent to all the federations. an Commission. conditions for becoming a member of
There are other research projects go- the Office.
ing on as, for example, Snowman and It has, however, to be underlined that
Gesoll unifying Belgian, Dutch and at the Council of Europe the NGOs The German federation has regular
French researchers. A.HOBBELINKS in the work group concerning the re- contacts with the Czech allotment
and H. BONNAVAUD represent the lationship with the European Union gardeners. A possible re-affiliation
allotment gardeners in these work- will now try to establish contacts with of the Czech federation to the Of-
shops. The research Snowman deals the NGOs at the European Union in fice is cautiously considered. Further
above all with subjects as soil quality, order to start a co-operation. We have meetings in Czechia and Austria are
pollution, healthy food and health. to wait and see if this cooperation can planned for 2015.
facilitate a new cooperation of the Of-
2) International Congress fice with the European Commission. 5) Information to interested
This year the international congress people and media presence
took place in Utrecht from 28th until Up to now the participation, respective- This year the Office has again given
30th August. The subject was: “Focus ly the membership in Europa Nostra information concerning allotments to
on allotments”. The congress took has not proven that this affiliation will students, respectively the media.
place in a very attractive place with enable us to achieve a better coop-
a setting to engender many discus- eration with the European Union. We M. WEIRICH, as secretary general of
sions. The federations’ lectures and have to wait, what the future will bring. the Office, presented the Office and
the films aiming at focussing the au- the international allotment movement
thorities’, the people’s and the media’s 4) Contacts with federations during half an hour on the social-cul-
attention on the national allotments that are not member in the tural radio 100,7 in Luxembourg.
were very interesting. The visits of ten international Office
allotment sites enabled the delegates In spring 2013 the Norwegian asso- The Office was as well informed that
to take many impressions home. ciation “Egebergløkka Parsellager” other federations were highly present
asked if it could become member of in the media. For example, in France,
The collected innovative projects the International Office. the allotment movement was presented
were presented and given to the dele- during the main evening news on A2.
gates. A use as large as possible has According to our statutes it is impossi-
now to be made hereof. ble for two federations from the same The English allotment federation,
country to become member of the through its affiliated Leeds District Al-
The presence of the allotments in the International Office. Whether a coop- lotment Gardeners Federation, which
media at the occasion of the congress eration between the association Ege- received medals at the “Chelsea
was excellent. bergløkka Parsellager and the Office Flower Show” and the “Great York-
can take place is an internal Norwe- shire Show”, gave precious informa-
Many thanks have to be expressed gian matter and has to be solved by tion to interested people and could
once more to the Dutch federation these two parties. present the allotments in a very pos-
for hosting the congress and for their itive focus.
hospitality. This year the Japanese allotment gar-
den federation also sent its annual re- The International Office and the na-
3) International Organisations port on the allotment garden situation tional federations published a com-
Council of Europe in Japan. It has to be acknowledged mon position concerning the new
The Office took part in the meetings that the subject concerning tech- seed regulation proposed by the Eu-
organised for the non-governmental nical gardening advice is also very ropean Commission.
organisations. important to the Japanese allotment
gardeners and that their efforts well They participated in the Pesticide Ac-
In the work group “Human rights and range within the subject, we will be tion Week. This participation should
climate change” a position paper was analyzing during the next two years be significantly increased in 2015.
elaborated on this topic. This will be the until the congress in Vienna. As well in the future the Office and
basis for further activities until the cli- The Japanese allotment gardeners the federations will have to increase
mate conference in Paris end of 2015. took part in the congress in Utrecht. their media presence in order to focus
The Office, as well as different na- more and more on allotments.
European Union tional federations have been asked
There are no news concerning a new for help by allotment gardeners from Luxembourg, December 2014
effective cooperation with the Europe- Croatia. They also asked about the The executive board
Hyphen 55 | 2015 8
DECISION PROTOCOL
Decision protocol of the general
statutory assembly
held in Luxembourg on 27th and 28th February, 2015
Were present: the federations of Denmark, Poland, Slovakia and session are the two Office activ-
Austria, Finland, France, Germany, Sweden, as far as available. ities to be made during the cam-
Great-Britain, Luxembourg, the Neth- 7) The Norwegian delegate informs paign 2015.
erlands, Norway and Switzerland on the situation in Norway. The call should be put online on
the Office and the national home-
Were excused: the federations of Bel- 8) The delegates get informed on pages on 20th March 2015.
gium, Denmark, Poland, Sweden and the programme and the inscrip- The delegates thank the Lux-
Slovakia tion fees (+/- 700 €) for the study embourg campaign coordinator
session in Luxembourg. for putting the texts of the plant
1) The agenda is completed and cards at the Office’s disposal.
adopted with unanimity. 9) The contents of the Hyphens no The Office will send the tem-
56 and 57 are completed. plates with the Office logo to the
2) The decision protocol and the federations so that they can print
report of the general assembly 10) On basis of the collected innova- the cards. The cards cannot be
held in Utrecht are adopted with tive projects a draft layout for a distributed before 20th March
unanimity. brochure will be made in Austria. 2015.
The brochure should have +/- 32 The Office will ask the coordina-
3) The activity report is adopted pages. tor not only to get the PDF docu-
with unanimity. The federations, from which the ment, but also a Word document,
Office has not yet received inno- which will make the translations
4) The Internet forum does not yet vative projects, for example Nor- easier (for example into English
work. Several federations will get way and Denmark can still (but and Dutch).The Luxembourgish
new passwords. The aim of the urgently) send in a project(s). coordinator will receive these
forum is to give the federations The Norwegian federation will translations made by the federa-
a space where they can discuss send in a project (composting tions.
and quickly solve problems with- with worms). The Danish federa-
out formalities and confidentiality tion should be contacted. 13) The delegates get information
problems. concerning the scientific studies
11) Examples from 11 federations in which the Office, respectively
5) Every two weeks a new article were received for our brochure the French and Dutch federations
is published on our homepage on children and nature. The Ger- are represented.
under the heading “News”. man federation will make the lay-
Spontaneous contributions are out. As soon as the draft layout 14) P. PASCHKE informs on the pro-
highly welcome. The federations will be ready, the Luxembourgish gress of the preparations for the
of Austria, France, Germany, resort ministers will be contacted IGA 2017.
Great-Britain, Luxembourg and for a foreword. The Dutch federation has con-
Switzerland will send information. An adequate title is still missing. tacted the Danish federation in
The national webmasters should order to find out if they are plan-
be instructed to send interesting 12) It is unanimously decided that ning to make a presentation on
articles that will be put online on the Office will take part in the the Danish allotments. There is
their national homepage or will “campaign without pesticides” still no answer. The federation
be published in their national in Luxembourg as well as in the should be contacted once more.
magazine to the Office. countries, where the national fed- It might be possible that an Aus-
erations wish it to be so. trian director will make a film on
6) The delegates receive informa- Calls to all allotment and home the European allotment move-
tion on the situation in Belgium, gardeners as well as the study ment for 2016. The Office should
Hyphen 55 | 2015 9
DECISION PROTOCOL
facilitate the contacts if neces- ciations KGV Wühlmäuse 2000 26) The next general assembly will
sary. Hamburg and KGV Südhang, be held in Luxembourg on 27th
Zwickau (D). August, 2015 at 5.15 p.m.
15) The federations put at the dis- If the Office will get the written
posal of the Office the missing requests for the association Mar- The next statutory general as-
pictures for the calendar. The sannay (F) and Merl (L) and the sembly will be held in the City
Norwegian federation will send a pesticide free association in Nor- Hotel in Luxembourg on 4th and
recipe. way, they will get the diploma for 5th March, 2016.
an ecological gardening.
16) The treasurer J. KIEFFER pre-
sents the financial report. 22) P. LAITILA is nominated as sub-
It is decided to change the name stitute accountant to finish the
of the position “Reserve: Miscel- mandate of L. OSCARSON.
laneous” into “Reserve for future (2018)
not yet planned projects”.
23) The written report concerning
17) The auditors inform that they the cooperation with internation-
have found no mistake. They ask al organizations was sent to all
the delegates to adopt the finan- the national federations and M.
cial report and to grant discharge WEIRICH gives the additional re-
to the executive board. quested explanations.
It is decided to transmit the text
18) The general assembly adopts worked out by the INGOs on “cli-
the financial report for 2014 with mate change and human rights”
unanimity and grants discharge to the Luxembourgish minister of
to the executive board with una- environment protection as Lux-
nimity. embourg will be presiding the Eu-
ropean Union at the occasion of
19) The draft budget for 2015 is the climate summit in Paris.
adopted with unanimity. The ex- The German, English and possi-
pense for the interpretation in bly French federations will send
Utrecht has to be included in or- projects dealing with the intercul-
der to pay off the Dutch deficit. tural dialogue, so that the Office
can give them to the Council of
20) The draft budget for the solidarity Europe within its campaign “A liv-
fund for 2015 is adopted with una- ing together in the diversity”.
nimity. The aim and purpose of
the solidarity fund are explained
once more. 24) The subject concerning home
gardeners was discussed without
21) It is decided with unanimity to finding an adequate solution.
give the diploma for an ecologi- The problem concerning allot-
cal gardening to the association ment gardens and community
Zonnenweelde, The Hague (NL) gardens was discussed without
and to the association Vlijpark finding a consensus. The dele-
Dordrecht (NL), the associations gates could not agree on a defini-
KGV im Albgrün, Karlsruhe (D) tion of the existing forms of Urban
and KGV Dahlie, Rostock (D). Gardening.
The diploma for social activities
will be given to the associations 25) The subject concerning the ne-
KGV Licht-Luft, Kaiserlautern, cessity to convince the individual
(D) and KGV Ulmenweg, Merse- allotment gardener of the impor-
burg (D). tance of making projects in his
The diploma for innovative pro- association is put on the agenda
jects will be given to the asso- of a next meeting.
Hyphen 55 | 2015 10DIPLOMAS
The allotment garden site
“Nieuwe Levenskracht” has
received the diploma for an
ecological gardening
Implementing these policies effective-
ly improved the ecological status of
the garden park and they will contin-
ue to do so in the future. The garden
park was granted a four-star National
Quality Mark, the highest achievable,
in 2013 as a direct result of these im-
provements.
A summary of the most
important achievements:
The expansion of Amsterdam since
the 1930’s has resulted in a unique
lay out of the city. Newly developed
urban areas stretch like fingers of a
hand into the surrounding region with
broad green wedges between them.
With the ongoing urbanization the
vitality of these green wedges was
endangered. In order to integrate the
isolated green areas into a network,
a “Main Ecological Structure” was
developed at the start of this centu-
“Nieuwe Levenskracht” is a member Seven years ago the attempts to ry. Waterways and drainage canals
of the Amsterdam Allotment Federa- strengthen the ecological significance along which animals can migrate in-
tion. The garden complex was found- of the garden park for the urban area terconnect the green areas and play a
ed in 1933 and has recently celebrat- of Amsterdam were renewed, result- vital role in the integration. This set of
ed its 80th anniversary. ing in a four-level approach: waterways is called the “ecolint”.
1) Identifying and developing the
The management team of “Nieuwe existing ecological values of the Garden park “Nieuwe Levenskracht”
Levenskracht” takes an active ap- garden park. is located in one of the green wedg-
proach in promoting ecological gar- 2) Seeking cooperation with third es, close to a main ecological zone
dening amongst the gardeners, and parties. of migration. If our garden park could
has done so for fifteen years. This 3) Enhancing ecological conscious- improve its function as an ecological
resulted in 35 percent of the park ness and the experience of the stepping stone along the migration
members practicing an ecological natural world with both gardeners route, it would contribute to the inte-
gardening. The park was awarded the and visitors from surrounding ur- gration of the green zones. This would
three-dots National Quality Mark for ban areas. in its turn be beneficial to the ecologi-
Ecological Gardening thirteen years 4) Developing education on topics cal structure surrounding Amsterdam.
ago and this status was prolonged concerning nature and ecological In 2006 a plan was drawn up to adjust
year after year. gardening. the banks of the main drainage canal
Hyphen 55 | 2015 11DIPLOMAS
which runs through the park and the an elaborate cooperation with the
neighbouring sporting grounds. Both management of the adjacent sporting
the water control board (Hoogheem- grounds. This organisation has tak-
raadschap Gooi- en Vechtstreek) and en important steps in improving the
the province of Noord-Holland recog- ecological status of the area under its
nized its relevance and contributed fi- control. Another result of the cooper-
nancially to its execution. A number of ation was that several walking-routes
educational and informational meet- were laid out across the garden park
ings were held for the park members and the sporting grounds. In a joint
in order to raise enthusiasm for the effort with the municipality of Am-
project. To encourage the feeling of sterdam numerous educational signs
shared responsibility it was decided were developed which were placed
that an important part of the project along these walking-routes. The signs
was to be executed by the gardeners give in a colour and playful way infor-
themselves. mation about the nature and animal
life on the sporting grounds and the
A zone of gradual transition between garden park. On a regular basis pres-
the water of the drainage canal and entations are given to park members
the embankment was established by and the neighbourhood on topics con-
the creation of wetland areas; a mod- cerning the ecological projects.
ification beneficial to many groups of
animal species such as snakes (grass To assure continuity of the current
snake), amphibians, birds and drag- policy and sustained commitment to
onflies. the development of ecological val-
ues, the park management, the eco
Next to the wetland zone-volunteers and the park main-
areas an array of other tenance group have drawn up plans
biotopes was realized. for the coming years formulating new
A wall of turf was built as habitat to projects and improvements to the
all kinds of insects, small animals and embedding of the garden park in the
specific plants. And furthermore an ex- “Main Ecological Structure” of Am-
tended lime-mortar insect-reptile-wall sterdam.
with a wide variety of micro-climates
was erected. Dead hedges were
placed on several locations providing
living space for all sorts of small ani-
mals and to facilitate new generations
of grass snakes. A brooding heap was
assembled. Currently a toad pool is in
the last phase of construction. Also a
number of insect hotels were placed
throughout the park area.
A wide variety of indigenous plants
was planted. As time passed, new
species also appeared spontaneous-
ly. At the last count more than 185
species were listed, varying from
common to endangered species. A
fixed group of volunteers is responsi-
ble for the maintenance of these eco-
logical zones.
During the preparation and execu-
tion phase of the project there was
Hyphen 55 | 2015 12DIPLOMAS
The association “Tuinenpark
ons Buiten” from Utrecht has
received the diploma for an
ecological gardening
Special projects on ecological
gardening developed by
“Tuinenpark Ons Buiten” are:
• several workshops for garden mem-
bers and interested people from
the nearby neighbourhood about
ecological gardening and related
subjects,
• almost all gardeners are practicing
nature conservation in their own
gardens which results in a compre-
hensive biodiversity,
• “Tuinenpark Ons Buiten” is very
eager to help volunteers from the
neighbourhood who share in the
policy of nature conservation,
• initiator of an ecological neighbour-
hood vegetable garden outside the
gate for residents and provision of
compost and tools,
The association “Tuinenpark Ons veloped together with several nature • beautiful petting zoo surrounded by
Buiten” in Utrecht was founded in conservation organizations a national small allotments in an ecological
1928 and has its present leisure gar- quality mark for associations, which scenery,
den site (3.5 hectares, 100 gardens, meet strict criteria on ecological gar- • information signs with explanation
30 small vegetable gardens and an dening. Associations that meet the on ecological projects, also aiming
animal garden) since 1958. criteria can get a quality mark with to welcome and communicate with
one, two, three or four stars (best). visitors in the park,
Since the nineties the “Tuinenpark • the community of “Tuinenpark Ons
Ons Buiten” started with a more eco- “Tuinenpark Ons Buiten” meets these Buiten” made a list of special trees
logical management of their garden strict criteria of the AVVN and is one in and around the gardens and af-
site. In 2004 and 2009 the association of the few leisure garden sites in The ter that the members constituted a
was rewarded with the Dutch quality Netherlands, which achieved the fund in order to maintain the trees,
mark for ecological management of maximum of four stars. “Tuinenpark • dry stone walling, garden for but-
their site with 3 stars. The next years Ons Buiten” has signed a contract terflies, special pool for several an-
the association worked hard to further with the AVVN in which they declare imals, fences and heaps of branch-
improve the ecological management they will comply with the strict rules. es and twigs, a large insect hotel,
and in 2009 they were awarded with special hives for solitary bees,
the maximum of 4 stars. The gardening at “Tuinenpark Ons • nature education route, route of
Buiten” is also, in accordance with the special trees with name signs,
The criteria: Office brochure, “an ecological ap- • sensory garden and a herb garden
Thirteen years ago the AVVN has de- proach to allotment cultivation”. which are also accessible to disa-
Hyphen 55 | 2015 13DIPLOMAS
bled persons and wheelchair users,
• educational activities with childcare,
primary school and the neighbour-
hood,
• supervising several excursions for
garden parks,
• bee hives,
• wild flowers and insects garden,
• digital newsletter for the garden
members and a nice website
onsbuitenutrecht.nl,
• some benches on the garden site
are made of recycled materials,
• special ecological management of
the site for example phased mow-
ing,
• lots of nesting facilities for insects
and birds.
Since 2006 the association has imple-
mented the recommendations of the
research report „The added value of
garden parks“ where nature conser-
vation is an integral important part.
Each month the garden members
are informed on ecological subjects
through the magazine “Nieuwsflits”.
The percentage of gardeners that ef-
fectively apply the criteria of natural
gardening is approximately 95%.
Hyphen 55 | 2015 14DIPLOMAS
The allotment garden site
“Park Groenewoud” in Utrecht,
member of the allotment
association “De Hoge Weide”
has received the diploma for
innovative projects.
The garden site is in many ways
unique in The Netherlands.
A brief history:
“De Hoge Weide” was founded in
1954 with the aim of providing its
members with soil for the use of veg-
etable or ornamental gardens or a
combination of both types. Originally
the garden site was located on the
outskirts of Utrecht. In 2003 the gar-
den site had to be relocated because
the main motorway between Amster-
dam – Utrecht and the south of The
Netherlands was moved and the origi-
nal garden site disappeared under the
asphalt.
This did not mean the end of “De
Hoge Weide”. Instead of relocating
the garden site to the new outskirts of
the city, the council of Utrecht decided
to create a new garden site on one of
the most expensive building locations vocacy etc. “Park Groenewoud” is a bring several special elements into
in The Netherlands, closer to the city beautiful park for gardeners as well the garden site and did/does this all
centre. as for the people that work in the sur- with volunteers:
rounding buildings and the residents
The new garden site was planned by of the districts nearby. The park is Special projects:
a landscape architect and the design open from sunrise to sunset. “De Hoge Weide” created several the-
had to combine work and leisure. It matic and/or educational gardens and
became a unique park on a unique However, the unique location and de- other special elements:
location. The garden site is planned sign is not all that makes this garden 1) Insect garden. A sea of flowering
around eight small office buildings. site an example for the rest of The plants all spring, summer and au-
The offices are mainly service indus- Netherlands. The allotment associ- tumn through and food for insects
tries like ICT, financial services, ad- ation “De Hoge Weide” decided to in general and butterflies in spe-
Hyphen 55 | 2015 15DIPLOMAS
cial all year through. A lust for the built in the central field
human eye. near the association
2) Compost garden. Here the asso- building. In its design the
ciation composts its own green educational function was
and shows gardeners how to also taken into account,
compost themselves. The com- as visitors can actually
post garden also offers shelter cross the pool and can get
and nesting possibilities for ani- and feel really close to it.
mals. 9) Insects wall. A special wall which
3) Sheep garden. The sheep are offers shelter and nesting pos-
kept for a grazing project. They sibilities for solitary insects. The
graze part of the edges of the wall is located next to one of the
garden park. main paths and visitors can ob-
4) Bird bush. Special trees and serve the insects from nearby.
shrubs for birds are planted in the
birds’ bush. An information panel
provides visitors with the neces-
sary information.
5) Food bank garden. In this garden
members of “De Hoge Weide”
on a voluntary base grow vege-
tables for the food bank. During
the season every week the food
bank collects the vegetables and
distributes them under registered
poor families.
6) Bee garden. On a hidden spot of
the garden site a bee keeper has
several bee hives.
7) Prairie garden. The prairie gar-
den shows special plants that
can be found on prairies and
rocky surfaces. It is beautiful
all year through, but especially
when in flower.
8) Toad pool. A special pool for
toads and other amphibians is
Hyphen 55 | 2015 16DIPLOMAS
The Allotment site Vallila in
Helsinki has received the
diploma for innovative projects
Allotment Museum in
Vallila Allotment Gardens In 1977 the site´s last cottage still in
(Helsinki, Finland) its original condition became available
In the middle of the Vallila allotment and the Board of the Association de-
gardens, at Omenapolku 93 (93, Ap- cided to buy it. The cottage museum
ple Road), there is a tiny little cottage, is owned and run by the Vallila Allot-
of appr. 10 m2, dating back to the ment Association.
1930s. It is still in its original condition.
The cottage was designed by two As far as their living conditions were
distinguished architects, Brunila and concerned the working class met with
Tuukkanen, in 1932. big challenges brought along by in-
dustrialization and urbanization of the
The garden was recently restored to early 20th century. International La-
the condition originally designed by bour Organization (ILO) recommend-
Mrs. Elizabeth Koch, a professional ed workers to spend their leisure in
gardener and pioneering allotment health promoting and meaningful ac-
gardening promoter in Finland. Her tivities like cultivating allotments.
original planting scheme is still im-
plemented on three plots in the Vallila Helsinki City Council advised: “The
Allotment Gardens which were set up purpose of allotment gardens is to
in 1931. provide families with limited means
Hyphen 55 | 2015 17DIPLOMAS
with a possibility to lease at a rea- tance of variety. In her days it was Contact person: Peter Hiltunen, tel.
sonable cost a small gardening plot usual to grow crops like potatoes, +358504660643,
where the members of the family are Swedish turnips (Brassica napobras- hallitus@vallilanspy.net
able to spend their vacation time.” The sica), carrots, root beets, sugarbeets,
idea was not only to engage families turnips (Brassica rapa), various kinds
in toiling the land and spending their of cabbages, pumpkins, onions as
leisure effectively, but in enjoying gar- well as beans, peas, chicory (Cicho-
dening and growing decorative plants rium) and dill. It was obligatory to
as well. It was important to have time have at least one apple tree and
for socializing and taking it easy in berry bushes on the plot. Rhubarb
the shade of lilacs (Syringa vulgaris) and peppermint were grown at the
growing next to the cottage. edges of the plot. Popular decorative
plants of the time included as follows:
For 30 years the cottage museum globeflower (Trollius hybridius), prim-
was dormant. In the summers of 2009 rose (Primula denticulate), columbine
and 2010 the cottage and its garden (Aquilegia caerulea), peony (Paeonia
were refurbished by collective efforts lactiflora-hybridius), tiger lily (Lilium
of Vallila allotment gardeners. All the lancifolium), larkspur (Delphinium
items donated by local allotment gar- hybridfum), rose (Rosa pimpinellifo-
deners date back to the 1930s and lia), mallow (Malva moschata), pholx
their originality was verified and ap- (Phlox paniculata) cowslip (Primu-
proved by the Helsinki City Museum. la elatior) and carnation (Dianthus
Furthermore, the items were photo- plumarius). Nowadays Vallila allot-
graphed and provided with an iden- ment gardeners work together on a
tification number. They will be cata- voluntary basis growing both above
logued according to the instructions of mentioned decorative plants and veg-
the Helsinki City Museum. The interior etables. Meals are then prepared and
design of the cottage was planned un- enjoyed together.
der the supervision of researchers of
the museum, too. Vallila Museum Cottage is open every
Sunday, summer only, 13.00 – 15.00.
Elisabeth Koch stressed the impor- It is possible to book a guided tour.
Hyphen 55 | 2015 18ACTUALITY THEME
Brief overview on
development and changing
popularity trends of allotment
gardens in Latvian cities.
Lauma Līdaka, architect, territorial planner at Riga City Council
reasons came up - the importance of
good quality food, vitamins and fibre
as part of a healthy diet. There was
a belief that working in a garden will
also have a positive effect on the
workers’ moral.
During the period of both world wars
gardens were created to support citi-
zens with food. But the period of Lat-
via’s independence in between both
wars was another situation. As the
economy of Latvia boomed because
of agriculture, peasant lifestyle be-
came a national symbol and urban
allotments served as an instrument to
promote living and working with land
in the urban environment.
Yet most of the territories were cre-
ated in Soviet times, most of them –
in the 60’s and 70’s. As shops were
empty people used gardens to sustain
Latvia is one of the rope and in Latvia the origins of the living. As well the garden gave a feel-
three Baltic States. urban allotment movement is marked ing of private property – something
The typical climate for Latvia is mild by the beginning of urbanisation. that no one living in small apartments
and it is possible to yield only one har- in Soviet Union could dream about.
vest per year - food supply for winter The first written testimony of the es-
must be prepared during the warm tablishment of allotment gardens But then – what is an allotment gar-
period of the year. dates back to the year 1907 when the den in Latvia? With some exceptions
first allotment gardens were created those are land plots of 200-600 m2
Inhabitants of the lands of the current in Riga. grouped on a larger territory that can
territory of Latvia traditionally have have from 10 until some hundreds of
been an agrarian nation. But the geo The tendencies of garden popular- garden plots. The land is owned by a
graphical location on the crossroads ity have been closely linked with the municipality or the state and one can
between Russia and Europe and the social and economic situation in the rent but not buy an allotment garden.
entrance to sea served as a catalyst country. The first allotment gardens Plots are rented by the municipality
for rapid growth of cities in the begin- were created to provide better food for or trough garden cooperatives to the
ning of the 20th century. Both in Eu- the growing working class. Later other gardener.
Hyphen 55 | 2015 19ACTUALITY THEME
habitants is the 3rd largest city around
the Baltic Sea.
Riga was founded in 1201. As in
many medieval cities the gardens
have been there almost always. Lo-
cated just behind the fortification wall,
they were used to produce food for
the citizens of Riga.
When initiating the creation of the first
allotment gardens in 1907 the Ger-
man Ernest von Roth claimed that
they will be a remedy against the pop-
ularity wave of socialism, alcoholism
and bad behaviour. After the mayor’s
Georg Armisted order the project of
site was made and building rules as-
signed. Gardens were leased for one
or three years.
After WW1 a lot of people were left un-
employed and the garden was a way
There isn’t a general law at national One can find an allotment garden on how to sustain at least food. When
level that regulates the development site in almost all the cities in Latvia. economic stability was regained a lot
and maintenance of urban allotment A survey made in the 15 largest cit- of articles that promoted the activity in
gardens in Latvia. It is the municipal- ies of Latvia shows that the situation urban areas were published in mass
ity’s task to create its own rules on in all of them is similar: the size of media. An article in a magazine re-
handling the garden territories. one plot (200-600 m2), the proportion veals:
of territory that allotments cover in
the city (1,1% - 1,9%), the popularity „The City council is not trying to get a
trend (stable). In most of the cities al- lot of profit from the gardens, because
lotment gardens are of temporary use they believe that they create a beauti-
and if the territory they cover, accord- ful surrounding for our grey metropo-
ing to the land use plan, are meant for lis. It also teaches the inhabitants that
something else. When there will be a not only the machinery that they work
demand for a new use. The garden- with on daily bases is the richness of
ers will have to move to give space for our country. It is mother earth that cre-
housing, industry or parks. ates the wealth of it.”
Municipalities share the same prob- There was a strong control carried
lems– burglaries, degraded look and out and competitions organised to en-
as well antisocial behaviour that can courage maintenance of garden plots.
be spotted in some gardens. As the The gardens were so popular that
largest proportion of the gardeners there was a belief „Riga is the green
are pensioners or people with low metropolis not only thanks to its parks
income, the price of rent is also an but even more thanks to its allotment
issue, even if it rarely exceeds some gardens”.
Euros per year.
After WW2 the number of gardens
The Case of the City of Riga again grew several times. During the
Riga is the capital of Latvia. Almost Soviet time free land in the city was
one third of the country’s population divided in small plots and allocated
lives in Riga. Therefore the city with its for gardens giving the first hand for
302 km2 area and almost 700,000 in- soldiers and war veterans. Not all
Hyphen 55 | 2015 20ACTUALITY THEME
velopment plan of Riga (2006-2018)
four categories of gardens are divided
according their status and lease term
(Picture Nr.1).
Slowly gardens are being pushed out
of the city centre. The allotments in
Skanste were closed in 2002 to give
space for the extension of the city
centre, the site in Torn,akalns in 2010
to host the new campus of the Univer-
sity of Latvia. In 2011 the northern part
of the Lucavsala site was cleared.
Nowadays a very popular public park
is built there. Some middle term gar-
dens have been closed to give space
for the Port extension.
There are protests but they never
reach the limit that can change the
situation. It is because gardens are a
value for people who use them. For
those who don’t use them, the image
happened on legal basis. Because of ample the site of the first allotments of of the gardens is that of a degrad-
harsh conditions a lot of people cre- Riga, in Skanste. ed territory: sad looking, overgrown
ated gardens illegally on free land. In spaces with strange buildings and
total during Soviet time the number This event marked the beginning of fencing made from anything that has
of family gardens grew 4 times (table society’s activism regarding the sig- been at hand, inhabited by homeless
nr.1) They were also used for recre- nificance of allotments in Riga. Even people and criminals.
ation. After regaining independence though the group of gardeners lead by
the number of gardens fell rapidly. Ms Rita Bebre were not able to retain There is a chain reaction that facil-
Lands were given back to their pre- gardens in Skanste, they achieved itates the current state of the allot-
vious owners as a consequence of that allotment gardens were defined ment gardens. The short lease term
denationalisation, included in a land as a long-term temporary use and makes gardeners feel insecure about
reserve fund or planned for develop- were included in the Development the future and they choose either to
ment. The first ones to be demolished plan of Riga (1995-2005) as part of abandon the garden or to use cheap
were gardens in the city centre, for ex- the green territories. In the current De- materials to avoid losses if renting is
interrupted. As gardens are aban-
doned, empty plots are left. Homeless
people move in often bringing crimi-
nal activities. Burglaries and vandal-
ism push enthusiastic gardeners to
leave. This tendency makes the mu-
nicipalities think that this activity is not
popular, it lowers the quality of the
cities’ space and serves as a hotbed
of crime and they decide to close the
sites down. And the loop starts again.
Do we need gardens in Riga? Accord-
ing to the Central Statistical Bureau
only 5.5% of the inhabitants in Riga
live in private or twin houses. From
the 94.5% that live in apartments,
around 70% of them live in multi-sto-
rey apartment houses. It means that
Hyphen 55 | 2015 21ACTUALITY THEME
most of the people in Riga don’t have
a possibility to have a closer contact
with soil and green spaces except in a
park or forest.
By evaluating the possibilities to pro-
tect the natural structure and to sus-
tain the ecological, recreational and
social functions, Riga needs to eval-
uate the possibility to use allotment
gardens as a means to achieve the
goals. If the territories are created
and based on a well thought man-
agement policy it would be possible
to achieve both – widening the social
function spectrum in built up areas
and expanding the accessibility to
public water spaces and green areas
in the city. It would allow to achieve
the goals of the neighbourhood poli-
cy, that describes the need to provide
diverse functions in each of Riga’s 58
neighbourhoods.
As the new territorial plan for the pe-
riod after 2018 is in working progress
now, it is possible to start already to-
day.
Hyphen 55 | 2015 22You can also read
