1. General information
Location and description of the intervention
City or FUA
Göteborg (FUA)
Region
Europe
Native title of the NBS intervention
Modellodling på Angereds gård
Short description of the intervention
The model farm is a small-scale organic vegetable farm according to the principle of a "market garden", meaning little machine use is required [1]. More than 40 different vegetables were grown in an effective growing area of 720 m2, using principles of regenerative agriculture promoting soil health [Ref. 4, 6]. An important outcome is sustainably producing vegetables for schools and care homes in the municipality [Ref. 1-3]. The initial vision was to "showcase both the farming and business model behind a sustainable and successful small-scale farming enterprise" and drive the "integration of regenerative farming practices in the continuous evolution of urban and rural multifunctional landscapes" [Ref. 4, 6]. The model farm offers education and cooperates with a local college [Ref. 1, 6]. The model farm is part of the Climate-KIC SATURN project which aims to reconnect urban and rural areas and address the climate crisis through sustainable food production [Ref. 1, 5, 7].
Website of the intervention
https://stadsnaraodling.goteborg.se/modellodling-pa-angereds-gard/
Principal problems
Environmental Degradation
Biodiversity loss
Soil degradation and loss
Land use and Socio-economic change
Agriculture/ crop production
Rapid urbanization
Health, Well-being and Social cohesion
Disconnection from nature
Implementation area characterization
Climate
Temperate ( Humid subtropical, Hot-summer Mediterranean, Warm-summer Mediterranean, Warm-temperate with dry winter)
Ecosystem
Agricultural
Address

Angereds Gård 1
42456 Gunnilse
Sweden

Location
The NBS is situated in an area, with clear delineation of boundaries and a specific shape (polygon). The NBS project can also have more than one area location (more than one polygon, situated close by).
Area boundary (map-based)
NBS area image
Source of NBS area image
[Ref. 4]
Total area
2500.00m²
Area description
Periurban (both urban and rural environments are present)
Type of area before implementation of the NBS
Agricultural area or farmland
Timeline of intervention
Start date of the intervention (planning process)
2019
Start date of intervention (implementation process)
2019
End date of the intervention
2021
Present stage of the intervention
Completed
Objectives of the intervention
Goals of the intervention
- Establish a highly productive small-scale farm unit [Ref. 4, 6]
- Produce vegetables sustainably and provide them to local schools and care homes [Ref. 1-4]
- Offer education on sustainable farming practices [Ref. 1, 7, 8]
- Establish a blueprint and guidance for future urban farming initiatives, including detailed data on creating a market garden [Ref. 4, 6, 7]
- Reconnect urban and rural landscapes [Ref. 5, 7]
- Enabling the farm to continue being active year-round, after the end of the initial project [Ref. 4, 6]
Key Priorities
Climate action (adaptation and/or mitigation)
Social Justice and community
Sustainability challenge(s) addressed
Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
Climate change adaptation
Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
Environmental education
Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
Economic development: agriculture
Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12)
Sustainable production
Food scarcity / security
Climate change adaptation: What activities are implemented to realize the conservation goals and targets?
Improved agricultural practices for improved food security and prevention of food scarcity
Implementation activities and NBS focus
Implementation activities
1. A "city-farmer" was employed to establish an organic vegetable farm (model farm) on a former pasture [Ref. 1, 8].
2. Vegetables were delivered to public schools and care homes in the city, while also prodiving visits learning opportunities for students [Ref. 1, 4, 7-8].
3. The model farm cooperated with a local college (Angereds folkhögskola) to offer professional education for adults in farming and outdoor environment management [Ref. 1, 8].
4. The farming operations continued over three years during which management practices were thouroughly documented, allowing for the creation of a market gardening guide (Ref. 6), aiming to aid other cities and actors to implement similar urban farms [Ref. 1, 4, 6, 7].
Type of NBS project
Creation of new green areas
Creation of areas for food production (community gardens, allotments)
Knowledge creation and awareness raising
Sustainable use of natural resources to improve livelihoods and food security (eg. community- based wildlife or forest management)
Educational and awareness raising programs
NBS domain and interventions
Ecological domain(s) where the NBS intervention(s) is/are implemented
Community gardens and allotments
Allotments
Horticulture
Please specify "other allotments and community gardens"
Small scale vegetable farm (run by city-employed professional)
Amenities offered by the NBS
Educational and research amenities (nature protection centre, monitoring stations)
Design elements for well-being
None of the above
Services
Expected ecosystem services delivered
Provisioning services
Food for human consumption (crops, vegetables)
Cultural services
Intellectual interactions (scientific and / or educational)
Scale
Spatial scale
Sub-microscale: Street scale (including buildings)
Beneficiaries
Demographics in implementation area
The immediate surroundings are forest and agricultural land with few or no residential buildings (based on the assessment of satellite images in Google Maps). One news article states that adult education courses can reach a diverse demographic and support the integration of immigrants [Ref. 7].
Socio-economic profile of the area
Unknown
Communities vulnerable to environmental hazards or climate change impacts
Unknown
Primary Beneficiaries
Local government/Municipality
Public sector institution (e.g. school or hospital)
Researchers/University
Citizens or community groups
Food producers and cultivators (i.e. farmers, gardeners)
Marginalized groups
Specify primary beneficiaries
- Food producers and cultivators: The main outcome of the project is to showcase the farming and business model, which can be used by others trying to start farms and produce food [Ref. 4, 6].
- Local government/municipality: Organic vegetables are supplied to public kitchens [Ref. 1, 4].
- Citizens or community groups: Education programs and internships are offered to citizens [Ref. 1, 4, 8].
- Researchers/university: The information gained from the model farm is used in the SATURN project and is utilized in at least one scientific publication [Ref. 7].
- Marganilized groups: There is indication that education programs are targeted towards unemployed people and immigrants [Ref. 8]. Healthy sustainable food is supplied to children and elderly people [Ref. 4, 6].
Marginalized groups
Children, young people or youth groups
Elderly people
Refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants
Socio-economically disadvantaged populations (e.g. low-income households, unemployed)
Measures for inclusion of marginalised groups
There is indication that education programs are targeted towards unemployed people and immigrants [Ref. 8]. Healthy sustainable food is supplied to children and elderly people [Ref. 4, 6].
Specify measures taken for vulnerable or marginalized communities
Implementation of specific programs to address the needs of these communities
Governance
Governance arrangements
Government-led
Please specify the roles of the specific government and non-government actor groups involved in the initiative
The project is owned and run by the City of Gothenburg (local government/municipality) which employs the farmer and owns the land. The regional government (Region Västra Götaland) leases the farm for educational activities and provides some of the practical management. A local college (Angereds folkhögskola), which is run by a non-profit organisation, is responsible for additional education offered at the farm [Ref. 1, 3, 6].
Key actors - initiating organization
Local government/municipality
Key actors - Other stakeholders involved (besides initiating actors)
Regional government
Non-government organisation/civil society
Researchers/university
Participatory methods/forms of stakeholder involvement (all stakeholders)
Dissemination of information and education
Unknown
Uncommon actors ("Missing actors")
Public Services
Schools
Private Sector
Elderly care homes
Land owners
Public space owned by the city
Policy drivers
NBS intervention implemented in response to a Regional Directive/Strategy
Unknown
NBS intervention implemented in response to a national regulations/strategy/plan
No
NBS intervention implemented in response to a local regulation/strategy/plan
Unknown
Mandatory or voluntary intervention
Voluntary (spontaneous)
Please specify other type of voluntary intervention
Part of EIT Climate-KIC funded project and a voluntary engagement for the City of Gothenburg.
Enablers & Barriers
Type of enablers
NBS research project (e.g., H2020, Urban Living Labs, national research projects)
Please provide details (e.g, name of the plan or strategy) for the selected policies or initiatives.
SATURN –System and sustainable Approach to virTuous interaction of Urban and Rural LaNdscapes (EIT Climate-KIC) [Ref. 1, 5]
Governace and decison-making instruments
Educational and knowledge sharing instruments (e.g. science/ living labs, awareness raising campaigns, specific educational programs, green hubs)
Arrangements for governance cooperation
Unknown
Barriers
The City's employment of the urban farmer is listed as the largest cost, and the value of the produced food is much less than the cost of wages within the time-frame of three years. This indicates that the cost of the project could be a barrier if not for the extra funding from the SATURN project [Ref. 6].
Financing
Total cost
€100,000 - €500,000
Please specify total cost (EUR)
An initial investment of about 20 000 EUR for establishing the farm. Yearly costs of about 45 000 EUR for employment of farmer (three years total) [Ref. 4, 6].
Source(s) of funding
Public local authority budget
Public regional budget
EU funds
Type of fund(s) used
Earmarked public budget
Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Non-financial contribution
Yes
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
Public authorities (e.g. land, utility services)
Citizens (e.g. volunteering)
Type of non-financial contribution
Provision of land
Provision of labour
Co-finance for NBS
Yes
Entrepreneurship opportunities
Yes
What entrepreneurship opportunities have arisen from the NBS project?
Sustainable agriculture or agroforestry businesses
What types of actors are leading the entrepreneurship activities linked to the NBS project?
Local community groups/ citizens
Research institutions or universities
What types of support are provided to entrepreneurs engaged in NBS-related activities?
Technical assistance or mentoring
Access to research and innovation resources
Business models
Business models
Green education model
Impacts, benefits
Environmental impacts
Green space and habitat
Increased green space area
Achieved increased green space area
Increased conversion of degraded land or soil
Expected increased conversion of degraded land or soil
Reduced biodiversity loss
Expected reduced biodiversity loss
Increased number of species present
Achieved increased number of species present
Please specify other economic impact
The project was awared an innovation price from White Guide, which grants 6 months of "innovation support". The monetary value is not stated but it involves coaching from the Research Institute of Sweden (RISE) [Ref. 1-2].
Description of environmental benefits
1. Increased green space area: The project has resulted in an increase of agricultural (green) area, 2500 m2 total of which 720 m2 is the effective growing area [Ref. 4].
2. Increased conversion of degraded land or soil & reduced biodiversity loss: The farm applies management methods aiming to increase soil biodiversity and soil organic carbon [Ref. 6].
3. Increased number of species present: The farm grows a large variety of vegetables, about 40 in total [Ref. 6].
Environmental impact indicators
Green space area created (in ha)
0,25
Economic impacts
Increase of green jobs (e.g. paid employment positions)
Achieved increase of green jobs (e.g. paid employment positions)
Generation of other type of work opportunities (e.g. voluntary, work for rehabilitation)
Achieved generation of other type of work opportunities (e.g. voluntary, work for rehabilitation)
Increase in agricultural production (for profit or not)
Achieved increase in agricultural production (for profit or not)
Other
Description of economic benefits
1. Increase in agricultural production (for profit or not): The model farm produced about 3200 kg of vegetables in the third year with a potential sales revenue of 18 000-28 000 EUR [Ref. 4, 6].
2. Generation of other type of work opportunities (e.g. voluntary, work for rehabilitation): The project involved 6 part-time interns learning farming practices, 10 student visits and 10 guided visits from civil society in the third growing season [Ref. 4, 6].
3. Increase of green jobs (e.g. paid employment positions): One urban farmer/project manager was hired for the project, and the model farm is envisioned to continue long-term, with the farmer position being funded by the public school system (Ref. 1-2, 4].
Economic impact indicators
Number of jobs created (e.g. park maintenance, landscaping, ecotourism)
1
Increase in agricultural production (kg or %)
3200 kg
Social and cultural impacts
Social justice and cohesion
Increased access to healthy/affordable food
Achieved increased access to healthy/affordable food
Increased sustainability of agriculture practices
Expected increased sustainability of agriculture practices
Education
Increased awareness of NBS and their benefits
Achieved increased awareness of NBS and their benefits
Social and cultural impact indicators
Area allocated for sustainable food production (ha)
0,25
Description of social and cultural benefits
1. Increased access to healthy/affordable food: More than 3200 kg organic vegetables (healthy food) are being delivered to public kitchens, equalling 25000 school servings [Ref. 6].
2. Increased awareness of NBS and their benefits: Study visits for students [Ref. 4, 6]
3. Increased awareness of NBS and their benefits: Internship opportunities to train farmers [Ref. 4, 6]
4. Increased sustainability of agriculture practices: Cooperation with regional government and local colleges to offer professional training programs [Ref. 1, 7]
Evidence for use of assessment
Presence of an assessment, evaluation and/or monitoring process
Yes
Actors involved in the assessment, monitoring or evaluation of NBS impacts
Local government/municipality
Researchers/university
Presence of indicators used in reporting
Yes
Type of indicators
Input indicators
Output indicators
Presence of monitoring/evaluation reports
Yes
Link to monitoring/evaluation reports
https://stadsnaraodling.goteborg.se/wp-content/uploads/The-model-farm-1.pdf
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
Name of any specific impact assessment tools
Unknown
Use of GIS in mapping impacts
No evidence in public records
Cost-benefit analysis
No
Transparency
Inclusion of diverse stakeholders in project governance processes (e.g. planning, implementation, monitoring, etc.)
Online disclosure of technical reports (e.g. project documents, reports, or data)
Justice
Community satisfaction
Positive: The majority of feedback and reports indicate high levels of satisfaction and appreciation for the NBS project within the community.
Description of locals satisfaction with the project
Project partners offering education (Region Västra Götaland and Angered Folkhögskola) show positive views in media [Ref. 7]. Public kitchens report high satisfaction with produce and interest in project [Ref. 6].
Trade-offs & Negative impacts
Economic impacts
High maintenance costs
Emphasis of existing social inequalities or injustices
No information reported related to negative social justice-related impacts of the NBS project
Measures to prevent gentrification or displacement
No initiatives or policies were implemented
High-quality & Transformative NBS
Multiple impacts delivery (climate, biodiversity, just community)
No
Goal setting and impacts delivery
No, project goals were not set, and benefits were not delivered in all 3 key areas.
Reaching original project goals
Most of the project goals were achieved
Long-term perspective
Yes
Cost-effective solutions
Unknown
Equitable impacts
A. All stakeholders benefit fairly from the project
Transformative capacity
Systemic change (the NBS caused changes across the social, ecological and technological dimensions)
Magnitude of change
Reformist: by focusing on addressing underlying drivers of change but failing to address the problem structurally or systemically
Application of lessons learned
Unknown
Perception of Environmental Change
Unknown
References
1.
Berg, M. (2019). Modellodling på Angereds gård. City of Gothenburg, Accessed on August 1, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];
2.
Styregård, P. (2022). LJUSET PÅ: Cirkulär stadsodling – Modellodlingen i Angered. White Guide Sverige, Accessed on August 1, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];
3.
Andersson, J. (2024). Modellodlingen. Region Västra Götaland, Accessed on August 1, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];
4.
Hansson, K. (n.d.). Summering av pilotprojektet modellodlingen. City of Gothenburg, [Source link] [Archive];
5.
Berg, M. (2019). SATURN Climate-KIC. Göteborgs stad, Accessed on August 1, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];
6.
Hansson, K. (2022). The model farm: Setting up an educational Market Garden within the public sector. City of Gothenburg, [Source link] [Archive];
7.
Nikologianni, A., Betta, A., Pianegonda, A., Favargiotti, S., Moore, K., Grayson, N., Morganti, E., Berg, M., Ternell, A., Ciolli, M., Angeli, M., Nilsson, A. M., & Gretter, A. (2020). New Integrated Approaches to Climate Emergency Landscape Strategies: The Case of Pan-European SATURN Project. Sustainability, 12(20), p. 8419. [Source link] [Archive];
8.
Möller, V. (2019). Det växer så det knakar i Angered. Tidningen Syre, Accessed on August 5, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];
Comments and notes
Comments
It was difficult to find information on the issues the project was meant to address. No document about the model farm really talks about environmental or other issues that the project can mitigate. The SATURN project which the model farm was a part of has a climate focus [Ref. 7] but it is nowhere I've found explicitly stated how the model farm relates to climate mitigation or adaptation. This is a bit strange since food production and climate change are so closely interlinked. It is also difficult to find information about the SATURN project apart from the references I have included, since the main website of the project seems to have been shut down, and information on the Climate-KIC website is very limited.
Additional insights
The model farm was part of a larger EU-project called SATURN, along with other projects in Gothenburg, Trento (Italy) and Birmingham (United Kingdom). The aim of SATURN is to create a long-term initative to reconnect urban and rural areas and generate social and economic values focusing on sustainable land-use [5].

The vision of the project was initially to reflect this kind of operation in the private sector, but instead it ended up within the organisation of the city/municipality [4, 6]. It is not clear why that is.
Public Images
Angered model farm from above, showing the growing beds and parts of the farm buildings.
Angered model farm from above, showing the growing beds and parts of the farm buildings.
Source: Region Västra Götaland. (n.d.). https://www.vgregion.se/f/naturbruk/utveckling-och-innovation/projekt/modellodlingen-angreds-gard/