Rooftop of Eden is a multifunctional community-based project that will take place on the first rooftop farm in the Bratislava region in Slovakia. Urban gardening presents an opportunity for the implementation of a sustainable business model with a low entry barrier suitable to integrate existing marginalized communities and stimulate a public discourse on extremism within an intentionally-designed ecological space. Rooftop of Eden sets the ground for reconciliation and social inclusion through dialogue and social entrepreneurship. The project will be used as a platform to create models that can be applied in a variety of places and situations in an international setting.
“Our focus is on cultivating a knowledge of open source technology, ” says Ivanegova. “Simultaneously, we will raise awareness about the global food system and local Slovak agriculture. We would like to focus on the development of a critical approach to one’s relationship with the natural and built environment.”
Empowering Local Initiatives: Building Food Sovereignty is a community-based project that will take place in the San Cristobal area of Bogotá, Columbia. Starting in June 2014 and as a first stage, an inactive working space will be transformed, its fertile land turned into a productive garden that will become a central point for the community. A compost system and a system of harvesting rainwater will be implemented, and organic seeds will be purchased from the local market to plant legumes, grains and tubers, as well as all plants desired by community members.
The work will be done in collaboration with members of the Mesa de Agricultura Urbana (MAU) and the Cooperative in San Cristobal. The project will encourage other inhabitants of the area, especially young adolescents, to participate, share, and learn from the work. To garner community support and participation, community meals will be offered at the community garden, as will free workshops on technical information on urban agriculture, and a mural will be designed to represent the community’s views on urban agriculture.
