Urban community gardens in Cyprus. Background and recent trends Byron Ioannou, Frederick University, Nicosia Urban Allotment Gardens in European Cities COST Action TU1201 3rd Plenary Session, MC and Working Group Meeting Lisbon, March 20 22, 2014
Community gardens in Cyprus is a phenomenon of the last two years. Is there a future for them?
THE BACKGROUND urban sprawl and dormant land THE ORIGINS urban agriculture in Cyprus THE FUTURE new community gardens
LEMESOS 30.000 pop. 1960 s expanded its urban area X30 current density approximately 15 inh./ha 210.000 pop. 1970 s 1980 s 1990 s 2000 s
Typical urban residential area Empty plots since the 70 s Source: http://www.bing.com/maps/
Typical suburban area ex- agricultural zone Residential zone since the 80 s PLOT RATIO: 90% Source: http://www.bing.com/maps/
Zoning conflicts Are you allowed to build a small store house HERE? Source: http://www.bing.com/maps/
urban agriculture in Cyprus, is consisted of fragments of traditional agriculture enclosed by the city expansion. OR arbitrary or informal action for greening dormant plots
What are the land patterns of informal gardening?
empty plots land tenure: informal farmers: owners or their relatives accessibility for the community: limited irrigation: water supply, drilling crops: olives, horticulture, citrus disposal of products: house to house Source: Google Earth
surviving agricultural parcels land tenure: private, rent from government farmers: professionals accessibility for the community: limited irrigation: irrigation system, drilling crops: celears, olives, horticulture, citrus disposal of products: market oriented Source: Google Earth
land designated for public green land tenure: informal farmers: neighbours extending their private gardens accessibility for the community: medium irrigation: water supply, drilling crops: olives, horticulture, citrus disposal of products: house to house Source: Google Earth
unbuilt public land land tenure: informal, farmers: neighbours extending their private gardens accesibility for the community: increased, irrigation: drilling crops: olives, horticulture, citrus, disposal of products: house to house Source: Google Earth
what is the urban farmer profile?
age: 50-80 gender: male - female origins: grown up in rural areas, parents farmers purpose of farming: domestic use, offering to friends http://collectivebahce.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/img_0989165.jpg
The production and offer of domestic agricultural products is a long standing tradition all over the eastern Mediterranean households, still surviving and as a social attitude and an appreciated every day gesture, even in the urban areas of Cyprus. http://foodmuseum.cs.ucy.ac.cy/
2013 Creation of more than six action groups closely connected to the organic farming associations. AIMS: Preserving domestic crops and species, Promoting cooperation, creativity, social interaction, Solidarity, interculturalism, experience the sense of offer, Improving human environment and the cities.
in one year 4 gardens 4.000 square meters 400 farmers
Start: APRIL 2013 Supporters: Municipality of Nicosia NGO s Green and recycle enterprises
COLLECTIVE BAHÇE - Nicosia UNITED NATIONS BUFFER ZONE land tenure: Green area granted by the municipality farmers: NGO members & neighbours accessibility for the community: high irrigation: Public green water supply crops: horticulture, flowers disposal of products: shared among the farmers Source: Google Earth
http://collectivebahce.files.wordpress.com
FEED THE PEOPLE - Pafos land tenure: Green area granted by the municipality farmers: Social group & neighbours accessibility for the community: high irrigation: Public green water supply crops: Horticulture disposal of products: Social grocery Source: Google Earth
ELLOVOS Kato Polemidia land tenure: Private land offered by the owner farmers: Neighbours and action group accessibility for the community: high irrigation: irrigating network crops: Horticulture disposal of products: shared among the farmers
ELLOVOS Kato Polemidia Source: Google Earth
Source: Google Earth
Amarantos is a group in Nicosia working on the creation of networks of urban biofarmers. Their greenhouse lies on a private parcel, granted by a member of the group, in a suburban zone at the outskirts of the city. The spot is functioning as a meeting point once in every one or two months for training, exchanging crops and developing their common seedbeds.
Do community gardens have a future in Cyprus?
STRENTHS growing quickly and motivated by dynamic action groups with vision, networking and cooperation with related social networks (organic agriculture), attracting people from different backgrounds and age groups, supported by neighbourhoods, private stakeholders and local authorities.
WEAKNESSES gardens are mostly managed by the NGOs and the action groups than by the neighbourhood people, the Cypriot urban fridge is consisted of many neighborhoods of low community notion, the lack of any policy by the state and the absence of any institutional or planning regulation makes land regime unstable.
OPORTUNITIES lots of available private land almost in every neighbourhood, young, unemployed people willing to get into action, low cost actions are attracting easily the support of the local politicians, action groups have the capacity to get funding from various programmes.
THREATS failure to establish a more substantial commitment with the neighborhood people, limitations in watering related to the water problem in Cyprus.
Thank you for your attention