1. General information Location and description of the intervention City or FUA Mobile (FUA) Region Northern America Native title of the NBS intervention Keep Mobile Beautiful - Urban orchard Short description of the intervention The project consists in creating an urban orchard at a juvenile detention center. Strickland Youth Center welcomes troubled youth with the final aim of the intervention is to ensure a successful reintegration of youth into the community (Ref 4). The orchard is aimed to be maintained by the youth of the center, providing them with skills and preparing them for the job market (Ref 2). The orchard harvests will provide healthy food options for low-income and minority residents (Ref 1) in the surrounding neighbourhood that has been identified as a food desert (lack of nutritional options available) (Ref 2). The project also has an educational purpose on healthy food for the youth and residents (Ref 3). Besides, the orchard's green space aims to contribute to beautification (Ref 1) and to sequester carbon dioxide (Ref 1). Website of the intervention https://keepmobilebeautiful.org/wp/beautiful-things/2019-keep-america-beautiful… Principal problems Land use and Socio-economic change Agriculture/ crop production Resource Scarcity and Competition Food insecurity due to disruptions in food production and distribution Implementation area characterization Climate Temperate ( Humid subtropical, Hot-summer Mediterranean, Warm-summer Mediterranean, Warm-temperate with dry winter) Ecosystem Urban or built environment Please specify other ecosystem Ecosystem: Sub Tropical Moist Settlement on Plains Urban area Landforms: Plains Landcover/Vegetation: Settlement Climate Region: Sub Tropical Moist Address 2315 Costarides St Mobile, AL , 36617 United States 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 Total area 2900.00m² NBS area 2900.00m² Area description Urban (main city) Type of area before implementation of the NBS Public Greenspace Area Timeline of intervention Start date of the intervention (planning process) 2019 Start date of intervention (implementation process) 2020 End date of the intervention 2020 Present stage of the intervention Completed 2. Objectives of the intervention Objectives of the intervention Goals of the intervention 1) the project aims at providing skills to youth from the center and preparing them for the job market (Ref 2) 2) the orchard harvests will provide healthy food options for low-income and minority residents (Ref 1) 3) educational purpose on healthy food for the youth and residents (Ref 3) 4) to contribute to improved aesthetics of the area (Ref 1) 5) to sequester carbon dioxide (Ref 1). Key Priorities Social Justice and community Sustainability challenge(s) addressed Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13) Climate change mitigation Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15) Green space creation and/or management Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10) Social justice and equity Environmental education Economic development and employment (SDG 8) Economic development: agriculture Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12) Sustainable consumption Sustainable production Climate change mitigation: What activities are implemented to realize the conservation goals and targets? Increase the availability of green urban space for carbon storage (street tree cover) Implementation activities and NBS focus Implementation activities - Plantation of over 100 fruit-producing trees - Organization of the management of the orchard with an educational purpose: the orchard is to be maintained by the at-risk youth of the Center (Ref 2), in order to train them in horticulture and agriculture and obtain certifications (Ref 3). - Establishment of food distribution: the harvests will be distributed across the disadvantaged communities in the neighbourhood to provide them with healthy food options (Ref 3). Type of NBS project Creation of new green areas Creation of areas for food production (community gardens, allotments) Knowledge creation and awareness raising Educational and awareness raising programs 3. NBS domains, ES and scale NBS domain and interventions Ecological domain(s) where the NBS intervention(s) is/are implemented Community gardens and allotments Community gardens Amenities offered by the NBS Unknown Design elements for well-being None of the above Services Expected ecosystem services delivered Provisioning services Food for human consumption (crops, vegetables) Scale Spatial scale Sub-microscale: Street scale (including buildings) Beneficiaries Demographics in implementation area Demographics of Carver neighborhood, based on 2000-2022 data (Ref 5): - population : 2,809 - the average household size is 18.1 people - the medial age for men is 37.4 years - the medial age for women is 52.2 years - the median income: $50,000 to $59,999 range - ethnicity: Black 59,4%; White 35.6%; Two or more races 2,6% ; Hispanic or Latino 1,3% ; Asian 0,8%; Some other race 0,3% Socio-economic profile of the area Middle-income Communities vulnerable to environmental hazards or climate change impacts Yes Specification of climate or environmentally vulnerable communities Coastal communities Communities near industrial areas Other Non-government actors Public sector institution (e.g. school or hospital) Non-governmental organisation (NGO) / Civil society / Churches Private sector/Corporate/Business Primary Beneficiaries Public sector institution (e.g. school or hospital) Citizens or community groups Marginalized groups Specify primary beneficiaries The primary beneficiaries are: - the at-risk youth of the Strickland Youth Center participating to the maintenance of the orchard (Ref 3) - the low-income communities of the neighborhood receiving the fruits harvested (Ref 3) Marginalized groups Children, young people or youth groups Socio-economically disadvantaged populations (e.g. low-income households, unemployed) Other Please specify "other marginalized group" Troubled youth of the Center (Ref 3) Measures for inclusion of marginalised groups The youth of the Center should benefit directly from the project for improving their horticulture and agriculture and gain valuable skills for integrating the job market (Ref 3) Specify measures taken for vulnerable or marginalized communities Implementation of specific programs to address the needs of these communities Please specify other vulnerable community the local community is characterised by a food desert (Ref 2) Other beneficiaries Ecosystem services (e.g. improved air quality, water purification) 4. Governance and financing Governance Governance arrangements Led by non-government actors Please specify the roles of the specific government and non-government actor groups involved in the initiative The project is led by - Keep Mobile Beautiful (KMB) (NGO) - Strickland Youth Center (SYC) (public institution) Funds for the project come from: - Keep America Beautiful (KAB) (NGO) - United Parcel Service (UPS) (private sector) - Alabama Power Foundation’s Grass Roots Program (foundation) Educational components on healthy eating are made through collaborations with - Alabama Cooperative Extension Service (outreach and engagement organization for the land-grant mission of Alabama A&M University and Auburn University) - Mobile Master Gardeners (educational volunteer recruitment program offered through the Alabama Cooperative Extension System) - Mobile Urban Growers (a network of community gardeners and urban farmers) (Ref 3). Key actors - initiating organization Public sector institution Non-government organisation/civil society Key actors - Other stakeholders involved (besides initiating actors) Non-government organisation/civil society Private sector/corporate actor/company Private foundation/trust Participatory methods/forms of stakeholder involvement (all stakeholders) Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting) Uncommon actors ("Missing actors") Other Please specify other missing actor juvenile detention center Land owners Public space owned by the city Policy drivers NBS intervention implemented in response to a Regional Directive/Strategy No NBS intervention implemented in response to a national regulations/strategy/plan No NBS intervention implemented in response to a local regulation/strategy/plan No Mandatory or voluntary intervention Voluntary (spontaneous) Enablers & Barriers Type of enablers Unknown Governace and decison-making instruments Economic and fiscal instruments (e.g. subsidies or grants, charges or fees, payments for ecosystem services (PES)) Arrangements for governance cooperation Unknown Barriers unknown Financing Total cost Less than €10,000 Please specify total cost (EUR) Total cost: $6,000 (5495,61 euros) Exchange rate on 07/08/2024: 1 EUR = 1,09179 USD Details: "$5,000 from KAM and the United Parcel Service, plus another $1,000 from Alabama Power Foundation’s grassroots program is making this project possible" (Ref 1) What is/was the Cost/Budget (EUR) of the NBS or green infrastructure elements? Unknown Source(s) of funding Corporate investment Funds provided by non-governmental organization (NGO) Private Foundation/Trust Type of fund(s) used Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities) Donations Non-financial contribution Yes Who provided the non-financial contribution? Citizens (e.g. volunteering) Type of non-financial contribution Provision of labour Co-finance for NBS Yes Co-governance arrangement A fund / grant Entrepreneurship opportunities Unknown Business models Business models Green health model Green education model Which of the involved actors was motivated by this model? Private for-profit actor (e.g. firm, insurer) Private non-for-profit actor (e.g. NGO, foundation) Citizens / local communities 5. Evaluation and learning Impacts, benefits Environmental impacts Climate change Enhanced carbon sequestration Expected enhanced carbon sequestration Green space and habitat Increased green space area Expected increased green space area Description of environmental benefits - Enhanced carbon sequestration: "[trees] will help sequester levels of carbon dioxide" (Ref 3) Environmental impact indicators Carbon storage (kg carbon/m2) unknown Economic impacts Generation of other type of work opportunities (e.g. voluntary, work for rehabilitation) Expected generation of other type of work opportunities (e.g. voluntary, work for rehabilitation) Increase in agricultural production (for profit or not) Expected increase in agricultural production (for profit or not) Description of economic benefits - Generation of other type of work opportunities (e.g. voluntary, work for rehabilitation): "At-risk probationary youth from the Center will tend the orchard with the help of KMB volunteers and personnel from UPS and Alabama Power" (Ref 3). "Teens will have the chance to earn horticulture and agriculture certifications furthering their opportunities in the job market" (Ref 3). - Increase in agricultural production (for profit or not): "The trees will provide healthy food options to residents in the surrounding Carver neighborhood that includes low-income and minority residents (Ref 3) Economic impact indicators Increase in agricultural production (kg or %) unknown Social and cultural impacts Social justice and cohesion Improved access to urban green space Expected improved access to urban green space Increased opportunities for social interaction Expected increased opportunities for social interaction Increased access to healthy/affordable food Expected increased access to healthy/affordable food Education Increased support for education and scientific research Expected increased support for education and scientific research Increased knowledge of locals about local nature Expected increased knowledge of locals about local nature Other Please specify other socio-cultural impact improved safety against food scarcity and the availability to nutritious food (Ref 2) Social and cultural impact indicators Number of species of locally produced food harvested (in urban gardens, community orchards, or agroforestry plots) 3 (two varieties of figs and persimmons) Area allocated for sustainable food production (ha) 0,29 ha Description of social and cultural benefits -Increased opportunities for social interaction: "At-risk probationary youth from the Center will tend the orchard with the help of KMB volunteers and personnel from UPS and Alabama Power (Ref 3). -Increased access to healthy/affordable food: "The trees will provide healthy food options to residents in the surrounding Carver neighborhood that includes low-income and minority residents (Ref 3). - Increased knowledge of locals about local nature: "Neighbors and teens will also benefit from the educational components that focus on healthy eating (Ref 3). Evidence for use of assessment Presence of an assessment, evaluation and/or monitoring process Unknown Presence of indicators used in reporting No evidence in public records Presence of monitoring/evaluation reports No evidence in public records 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 Unknown Transparency Unknown Justice Community satisfaction Unknown Description of locals satisfaction with the project Unknown Trade-offs & Negative impacts Unknown 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 Unknown High-quality & Transformative NBS Multiple impacts delivery (climate, biodiversity, just community) Yes Goal setting and impacts delivery No, although benefits were delivered in all the 3 key areas, but in the planning phase, the project did not aim to address issues in all the 3 key priority areas. Long-term perspective Unknown: No information about the project's long-term sustainability. Cost-effective solutions Unknown Equitable impacts C. Unknown Transformative capacity Social change (e.g. social relationships, networks and dynamics within them) Magnitude of change Incremental: shallow; that is, mostly maintaining business-as-usual approaches to adaptation Application of lessons learned Unknown Perception of Environmental Change Unknown 6. Sources References 1. Collins, K. (2019). Urban orchard growing in Mobile to help troubled youth. Mobile, AL: WKRG News, p. 1-3 Accessed on August 6, 2024, [Source link] [Archive]; 2. Lane, K. (2020). Keep Mobile Beautiful to plant urban orchard at Strickland Youth Center. Mobile, AL: NBC News, p. 1-2 Accessed on August 6, 2024, [Source link] [Archive]; 3. Keep Mobile Beautiful (2019). Keep Mobile Beautiful Receives Grants to Establish an Urban Orchard at Strickland Youth Center. Mobile, AL: Keep Mobile Beautiful, p. 1-3 Accessed on August 6, 2024, [Source link] [Archive]; 4. Strickland Youth Center (n.d.). Strickland Youth Center. Mobile, AL: Strickland Youth Center, p. 1-2 Accessed on August 6, 2024, [Source link] [Archive]; 5. CityData.com (2022). CityData.com - Carver neighborhood. Mobile, AL: CityData.com, Accessed on August 6, 2024, [Source link] [Archive]; Comments and notes Comments No pictures found Public Images Image Aerial view of the urban orchard part of the Keep America Beautiful project News WKRG, Urban orchard growing in Mobile to help troubled youth, 26/09/2019 (Ref 3)
Image Aerial view of the urban orchard part of the Keep America Beautiful project News WKRG, Urban orchard growing in Mobile to help troubled youth, 26/09/2019 (Ref 3)
