Refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants

Since it's founding in 2005, the association "Ermekeilinitiative e. V." has been aiming at the transformation of the Ermekeil quarter, a former military base to a communal, generation-wide and intercultural space with diverse ecological and sustainable use. Since the Federal Office for Defense Administration moved out in 2013, the territory was released for interim use. Together with residents and communities, the association turned the territory into a lively, green and mixed neighbourhood with several initiatives taking place in parallel. The community garden project was one of them (1).
The interim use of the area ended in 2016, some of the buildings of the former military base have been sold on the real estate market. This resulted in the termination of most of the Association's initiatives in the area including the removal of the 100 raised beds of the community garden. Parts of the community garden was relocated to a different part of the quarter, however, since 2018 there is no information on the current working and management of the community garden (2,6).

Organic Without Borders (OWB) is an NGO (ideell förening) that works to develop and support methods for a sustainable future anywhere in the world. The NGO develops methods through socio-ecological city farming and working pedagogically with children and adults and their relationship to food and farming in Sweden and other countries (ref.1).

Located in the neighborhood of Pla del Bon Repòs com, Carolines Altes, Carolines Baixes and Campoamor, the community orchard of Carolines is an initiative to transform an abandoned lot into a sustainable garden and a community orchard (Ref. 2). "The place where this orchard is located was an abandoned space for 20 years where a large amount of garbage accumulated. The neighbors decided to clean the area by giving it a use with an orchard area, meeting area, gardening. The people responsible for it are the assembly of neighbors. It is also an action to combat the physical and psychological degradation of the neighborhood, being the community garden an excuse for this, but also a fundamental pillar where these ideas are based." (Ref. 2)

Since 2007, in the area of a former tree nursery, the international garden in Bonn gives space for social integration. Covering 3,000 m2 the area was turned into an allotment garden with garden plots of approximately 40 m2. The plots are allocated to 25 families from different cultural backgrounds, living in the deprived neighbourhood of Bonn-Dransdorf to support their self-sufficient agricultural practices and foster their social integration (1,10). The aim of the project is to provide gardening families with the option for intercultural exchange and a chance to take roots in a new country. In 2003, the International Garden Bonn project was initiated is implemented by "Wissenschaftsladen Bonn", a community service group who persuaded the city of Bonn to provide the once city property free for this social inclusion project (1).

Via Gandusio is a social housing complex in the North of Bologna that was originally built for hosting workers that migrate from South Italy in the 60s. Nowadays, it hosts two different communities: advanced-age Italians and current international immigrants. The differences create some conflicts and limits relationships among the community. In 2010 a group of researchers tried to implement a community garden that was designed with the aim of setting a meeting point for the community where food production is the link between neighbours to exchange knowledge, culture and experiences. The 250 m2 roof garden started in 2011 becoming the first of the city of Bologna and of Italy (Ref. 7 and 8).
Over the years the project has undergone changes and variations, has seen the end of funding and known voluntary management (2013). Since 2013 there is an urban vegetable garden cared for by some residents with the support of the Biodiversity association. (Ref.10)