The group that squatted the farm of Can Masdeu (between Barcelona and the outskirts) opened some gardens for our own consumption, in which people of the house as well as anyone who wants to learn and help can participate every Thursday. Apart from the gardens of “the house” we have a project of community gardens and a project for a total of 40 individual and shared plots and a community plot opened for all participants of the community gardens.
Both in the gardens of “the house” and in the community gardens the functioning is assembly-based and counts with work commissions. The project is based in four points cultivate organic food and sow traditional seed exchange of knowledge generations. There is a symbiotic relationship between young and old people. This created a constant two-way exchange of information between generations, realities and mindsets.
Our organized decision-making tool is our monthly assembly and share responsibilities through commission. Commissions such as water (really important as we rely on raining water so themes are how to preserves it and equal distributions), manure (going to farms or riding clubs to collect it), social events (organizing event with community around, meals for gardeners, common work day) economy (each assembly each plot pays one euro, organized events to collect money), now we are creating an conflict commission (through meeting and dialogs).
Objectives
The project of community gardens set a precedent in the city, since many other squatting projects have come out, and it contributes to the development of the imaginary of the importance of urban agriculture and its practice. It has also contributed to create a network of urban gardens in Barcelona. Groups of common people organizing themselves using assemblies as a tool for decision making. Take responsibilities of your actions
Materials
Implementation
Evaluation
Very positively. The achievement of the results was excellent. The dissemination of the results reached a world level. We appeared in a one-hour report on the Spanish TV, on the German TV, in the 2008 “State of the World” and in many local newspapers. Moreover we are influencing the urban public policies.
Assembly is a great tool as everybody has its voices. So testimonies of participants is the evaluation methods:
“Everybody told me I am mad but the doctor keeps telling me to come to the plot. Coming here is a therapy for me” Carmen 83 years from south.
“Instead of being in a bar playing cards, I prefer to walk and do physical work here I feel better” Jose 75 Granada
“I like to feel the soil in my finger like when I was a child. Here headaches disappear “ Candela 73 from Canary Island.
“I believe working in the plots helps to connect with Earth and overcome the frenetic speed of the cities. I also eat nice organic food” Isabel 57 school teacher
“We are a very nice group of people very heterogenic, an explosive mixture in the same project” Belen 25 year engineer Consumer Coop plot
“I come here because I feel pity for the guys hanging from the wall under rain and cold against police. I though could that be possible? So I came here next day to ask for a plot” Pablo 75 retired
And many other voices.
Tipps
One of the main purposes tackled with this tool is self-determination, which bring us the ability or power to make decisions for ourselves. The project is based in a non-hierarchical consensus-based organization model.
Between the participants, the Project itself has reinforced an intergenerational rapprochement, the Exchange of knowledge (there are also adults teaching computer science to the elderly) and the implication in the assembly methodology.
The social aspects takes a lot of importance both in the formal part (organization and participation in social events such as meals in the surrounding valley, traditional folk music and dance celebrations in the neighborhood) and in the informal part (generation of a support network between the participants, intergenerational transmission of knowledge, etc).
The community project regenerated social networks in the community. And improves the social dialog, skills in how to resolve our conflicts.
