CASE STUDY: Gardens of the Future, Cyprus
Gardens of the Future is a social collective initiative aiming to empower locals to become agro entrepreneurs and create a network of communal gardens in cities. The idea was inspired by a team of young people (challengers, pioneers, social entrepreneurs), who have joined forces to become ambassadors of sustainable change.
“Gardens of the Future” is an ambitious project, which kicked-off in May 2019 with the mission to transform a forgotten land of 500 square meters in the heart of the Nicosia, into a green paradise accessible to all. The launch of the main Garden took place in October 2020, aiming to serve as a prototype and position Nicosia as a role-model city for the rest of the island and for other cities around the world. The project envisions helping locals grow 300 gardens in all cities in Cyprus by 2021. The action targets young people up to 35 years old, minorities (asylum seekers, migration), people with disabilities, government institutions, corporations, municipalities, NGOs (Energy Agency), Commissioners, industrial partners.
| Topic | Description |
| Title | Gardens of the Future |
| Location | Local, regional impact level as well as a worldwide impact (Greece, Worldwide) |
| Time | May 2019 – May 2021 |
| SDG No | 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 11, 12, 13, 16 |
| Brief Description | “Gardens of the Future” is a social collective initiative aiming to empower locals to become agro-entrepreneurs and create a network of communal gardens in cities. |
| Beneficiaries | Young people up to 35 years old, minorities (asylum seekers, migration), people with disabilities, government institutions, corporations, municipalities, NGOs (Energy Agency), Commissioners, industrial partners. |
| Impact | Increase awareness and recognition, attracted the interest of volunteers to run the project, two award nominations. Since the project is still ongoing, the results and impact will be identified as implementation of the project evolves. |
| Social Innovation | The idea of cultivating together constitutes a significant human ritual of which the benefits are beyond the biological need for food. The “Gardens of the Future” functions as a provisional bridging mechanism between communities, by embracing social exchange in ways, which
are rarely articulated in cities. The initiative focuses on a co-city approach and aims to grow gardens as a network around cities and develop a sustainable food supply chain that will reduce food waste by producing products out of the garden’s plants. These actions are enhancing the climate mitigation efforts in improving urban space quality by reducing heat island effect as well as reducing city’s CO2 emissions. |
| Constraints | ∙ Lack of capitalization in the timeframe that is needed ∙ Transportation problems
∙ COVID-19 pandemic has delayed the operations and the launch of the initiative |
| Sustainability | In order for the initiative to be sustainable and continues its efforts, the “Gardens of the Future” will need the following:
− Capitalization per stage − Sponsorships and support from other communities, organizations and individual parties. − Social space and people to run the meet ups and community activities, youth board – maker space + educational activities − Strategic partners with same goals and aspirations |
| Transferability –
Replicability |
Following the pilot model of the main Garden in Nicosia, the initiative can expand to nearby “gardens” and gradually apply the model to other cities. |
| Lessons Learned – Conclusions | ∙ Strategic implementation through participation
∙ Engage community in order to succeed ∙ Open, participatory and transparency. |
