The number of people from Varna who want to have a garden and grow their own agricultural products is increasing. Proof of this is the “Urban Agriculture” initiative, which is growing and already has a third garden, Desislava Tsvetkova, coordinator of the “Urban Agriculture” project, told Radio Varna.
Urban agriculture started in Varna 5 years ago, with two gardens above “Republika” Blvd. in the Balam Dere area. Then the enthusiasts are about a dozen people. Today there are 60 people and they are aged from 1 year to 70. Most are 50-year-olds, Desislava said. The third garden was opened last fall in the “Izgrev” area. All three plots are for rent, but the good news is that their owners are urban farmers in the initiative, and the risk of the land being developed, as is being intensively developed in the “Izgrev” district, is minimal.
Danail Petrov, who is responsible for it, has committed himself to help develop the third garden. He said that they were looking for a plot of land in the central part of Varna, but they never succeeded, that is why it is also in the “Izgrev” area.
Urban agriculture in Varna is part of a project that is implemented in large cities all over the world. Apart from the fact that people create their own ecologically clean products, they also create a community with a mindset towards nature protection, ecological and healthy eating. And their children learn where food comes from, because there are many children who do not know, said Desi.
Residents of Varna mostly plant tomatoes and cucumbers, Desislava and Danail share. It works all year round because the gardens are open and reacts according to the weather and the season.
Anyone can become a gardener as long as they are willing to work, because nothing else is required. Even if he has no knowledge of farming, the team will help him from start to finish. There is no cost to participate, everything is provided free of charge on site – land, seeds, even the shovels. It takes two years to become a gardener, that’s how long it takes to acquire all the skills and knowledge, says Desislava. After that, new people are accepted, and already trained people have to give up their beds.
Our goal is to expand to other cities and open more gardens, Desislava said. By the end of the year, they intend to open another one in Varna, as well as to expand the scope by opening the first one in Dobrich.
The easiest way to contact the urban farmers is through Facebook or the official website of the project, where their contacts are published. If they don’t pick up the phone right away, they always call back.
Listen to the entire conversation in the attached audio file:
The photos are from the Facebook page of “Urban Agriculture”
