On the 4th of November, the Food4Thought partners gathered for their third transnational meeting in Zagreb, Croatia. The aim of the meeting was to outline next steps for the implementation of the project tasks, to set deadlines and to formulate strategies for each national team to follow in the implementation of the follow-up activities.
The consortium meeting was followed by a 3-day training of trainers on Urban Agriculture. Each of the partner organisations had prepared a presentation aimed at introducing the youth workers to the objectives, significance and methods of urban agriculture and equipping them with the necessary knowledge and skills that they could then pass on to the youth in their communities.
The focus of the first day of training was on the nature of urban agriculture and its importance for the environment. New trends in urban agriculture were discussed as well as different sustainable practices applicable in urban environments. Of particular interest was the presentation on composting – participants were very interested in the different composting methods, motivated to try them out personally in their own balconies. At the end of the day, the trainers were motivated and inspired to integrate what they learned about new trends in urban agriculture into trainings and workshops for youth at the local level.
The second day focused on the practical aspects of urban agriculture: how vegetables are actually grown, what are the steps to create a vegetable garden in an urban area and how we can be more responsible with the food we consume. The information was conveyed in an interactive and fun way – youth workers participated in workshops and personally tried planting seeds, as well as using leftovers to make a new dish in order to reduce food waste.
The last day of the training discussed how locally produced food can be promoted in the market and serve as a source of income. The Food4Thought digital Toolkit was also presented to introduce the benefits and methods of urban farming to youth in an accessible and understandable way. Undoubtedly the highlight of the training for trainers was the opportunity for participants to visit a real urban vegetable garden in Zagreb. This visit demonstrated in practice many of the topics discussed and went into the aspects of seasonal changes, seed storage and others. It was very clear that the practice of urban agriculture has a positive impact on mental health as well. Growing plants, keeping up a garden and doing it in a community has profound benefits for individuals’ well being.
