CCIF Malta organised a full day voluntary event to clear the pathway to the community garden, clear weeds in the garden itself and create space for participants to network and get to know each other. The well attended activity drew many volunteers from as far afield as St Paul’s Bay, Swieqi, Birkirkara, Mosta, Gzira, Paola, Marsaskala, Pieta, and Hal Far. The participants’ ages ranged from 18 to senior citizens over 70 years of age.
More than 25 people turned up to lend a hand in the clearing of the pathway which was blocked and littered with debris leading to the community garden which is situated in between other fields/plots.The garden itself had overgrown weeds which were uprooted in preparation for sowing of seeds. Participants included TCNs from Colombia, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Russia, Canada, and Moldova. The event was also well supported by local residents.
The ethos and aim of this community garden , is to create spaces and allotments of farm land for youth and young families to have the opportunity to reconnect with nature. The soil, growing plants, learning about life-giving food-providing real life is being offered as a basis to consider and to counter the intrusive electronic digitization and disconnect from the nature that sustains us.
Malta being so densely populated, many young people have never had the experience of raising and harvesting fresh produce from the earth or of tasting fresh organically grown vegetables, let alone the experience of working with the land and nature. This community garden will provide this experience to young people, 13 to 30 years old, in a hands-on manner. Each group of young people will be allotted raised beds to plant and experience, under supervision, the growing, consumption and benefits of small scale organic home farming. Exposure to bee keeping, soil and water conservation and the fruits of manual labour, will further enhance this encounter with nature. CCIF being part of this community garden also proposes to organize discussions and talks about sustainable and healthy foods, including practical sessions of the benefits of organic farm produce, and free range poultry.
Two bee-hives with local bees will be settled. Experts, with their skills, from Friends of the Earth, the University of Malta, MCAST, and Government Agricultural Services will be resourced for information sessions, advice, and supervision of the farm land itself.
One approach to be employed and encouraged would be ‘connected learning’, to such Target Groups as:
It is envisioned that successful implementation of this community garden would encourage other entities and socially active sectors to establish similar initiatives, for example, Active Aging groups, Multicultural entities, Disability groups etc.
At the end of the event participants had a BBQ, some refreshments and discourse centred around community building and exchange of contact details. Well done to Marie Claire Dimech Debono for inviting the participants to such a wonderful event.
Below are some of the before and after photos of the event.
