One can produce high-quality food by oneself through growing vegetables and herbs. This is especially simple in a raised herbs bed. If the occurring organic waste is recycled in a compost box, and the biological fertilizer thus created is again used in the raised herbs bed, a perfect circular system has been created, the so-called natural cycle.

In the meantime, even in the center of towns, community gardens have spread worldwide. Gardening in common enhances understanding for agricultural products, provides for slow down, facilitates enjoying food grown by oneself, and meeting one's neighbour, who may have been anonymous before. In addition, one is active in environmental, soil and climate protection. Through utilization of self-produced earthworm humus, no fertilizer or herbicide is needed any more.

It is the aim of this project to offer school boys and girls the opportunity of sustainable production of their own high-quality food through an interactive educational concept. The pupils learn to know the natural cycle and the resource of soil as a provider of more than 90 % of our food through practical planting and tending, for instance, vegetables and the production of their own earthworm compost. Also a social aspect is referred to in this project through sustainable production of raised herbs beds and worm compost boxes (in Lower Austrian social enterprises), which are provided for schools free of charge. 

Introductory workshop for educators

On April 17, 2013 a workshop took place for interested educators from Lower Austria and Slovakia within the framework of the international meeting of the Working Community of Danube Regions. The Hungarian participants were trained on May 14, 2013 at the Futura Center at Mosonmagyarovar, and were subsequently officially nominated soil ambassadors.

Service for participants:

Download instructions for use – raised herbs beds & worm box

Links

www.unserboden.at

www.vermigrand.com

www.sozialproduziert.at

For further information / contact:

Austria

Klemens Rybaczek
BIENE Association
Soil and Bioenergy Network of European Countries
mobile: 0664 53 89 377
e-mail: klemens.rybaczek@biene-netzwerk.at

Slovakia

Beata Houskova
VUPOP
Výskumný ústav pôdoznalectva a ochrany pôdy
phone: 00421 2 482 069 07
e-mail: b.houskova@vupop.sk

David Purchart
BIENE Association
Soil and Bioenergy Network of European Countries
phone: 00421 90 74 22 562
E-mail: david.purchart@gmail.com

Hungary

Zoltan Füzfa
Municipality of Mosonmagyarovar
mobile: 0043 676 751 33 73
e-mail: zoli@pisztrangkor.hu