Regis Eder Neu, agricultural engineer, helps a community gardener set up a planting bed.
CIDADES SEM FOME, 2017
Agricultural Training Courses and Prior Knowledge in Agriculture
When implementing a new community garden, Cities Without Hunger offers agricultural training courses to the people interested in becoming community gardeners. Those selected for the projects are often domestic migrants who have come from rural regions to the city in search of employment but have little chances on the regular job market due to their age or education. They often have practical experience in agriculture, which facilitates their activities as community gardeners. Their knowledge is complemented by Cities Without Hunger's agricultural engineers, who train people to run urban community gardens.
- Cities Without Hunger's team includes agricultural engineers, who support the implementation of community gardens and offer agricultural training courses to project participants.
- Project participants often have a background in agriculture and thus work in a familiar sector as gardeners.
- It is crucial to offer technical guidance to the people who are to become community gardeners, as the urban realm differs in many respects from the rural one (e. g. plant roots must not exceed a certain length in some areas due to buried pipes or cables, the urban soil must be checkd and enhanced, irrigation systems need to be connected to the city's infrastructure, etc.).
- Prior knowledge in agriculture on the side of project participants facilitates their work as community gardeners and contributes to confidence and self-esteem.
- Even though prior knowledge in agriculture is an asset, it is not necessarily a requirement to participate in the project community gardens. The agricultural training courses offer ample practical learning opportunities and support.