What insights did you gain from your visits?
Today, my class visited the Kolonihave Co-operative and Aarstiderne. It's really inspiring to see greenspaces be converted into functional vegetable gardens. The first farm was similar to the allotment gardens we've visited, except it was used entirely as a food garden. The co-operative consists of nine members from all around the world, so everyone has something unique to add to the garden. All of them connect to the garden differently. One woman said that she has always been interested in gardening and it has been a long-time passion for her. The woman from Portugal who bought the land said that it wasn't always a passion, but she respected co-operative gardening very much and decided to start one up. They have a relaxed, lenient attitude towards the co-op, which seems to work very well. They believe that failures are okay and only make them learn how to improve next season.
We had a great time helping with the garden
And we enjoyed delicious, organic, homemade lemon balm tea
as well as bread with homemade spreads!
The second farm we visited, Aarstiderne, was outside of Copenhagen in a suburban town. It was on a larger scale than the Kolonihave Co-operative garden we visited, but it had a similar function. It produces organic vegetables like the Kolonihave Co-operative, but it also imports organic produce and products from other parts of the world. They have subscribers throughout the surrounding community, who can pick up weekly produce or get it delivered. They are currently operating as a carbon-neutral business, and do as much as they can to reduce their impact on the environment. It was also great to learn that they provide educational workshops for the local schools. It has become an integrated part of the education system in this part of town, where children learn about growing their own food and why organic is important.
We got to enjoy a delicious, organic lunch!
Beets, mushroom and arugula, red cabbage, green and white asparagus, strawberries.. yum!
These types of co-operative farms are different in size and scale, but the message they deliver is the same. Organic food gardens and co-ops can truly empower communities and have a lot to offer to Copenhagen, and Denmark as a whole.
No comments:
Post a Comment