The student society for sustainable development of @DauphineLondonUniversity, Dau'green, has decided to build up a vegetable garden on the rooftop of the campus. This article discusses our project, its benefits, and enables us to learn more about other similar projects existing around the world!
THE PROJECT
What is the project about?
Dau’green is willing to implement a vegetable garden on the Dauphine London campus’s rooftop. Although the initial plan was to use small pots for flowers, medium for herbs and the biggest for fruits and vegetables, we then realized that permaculture was a better concept for our garden.
What is permaculture?
Permaculture draws inspiration from nature as it consists of growing different vegetal species in the same pots to create an edible ecosystem. It uses the forces of nature (fauna, flora ...) to set up a balanced system, which requires few human interventions to generate abundance.
What will be planted?
All plants will be natural, organic, fertilizer free, and for outdoor long harvest (from May to September). In early April, we are planning to plant the first seeds of fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers. There will be aromatic herbs (thyme, basil, parsley, mint, dill or chives), fruits (strawberries, raspberries or blackberries) as well as vegetables (potatoes, tomatoes, radishes and zucchinis).
Who will take care of the vegetable garden?
The crops will be harvested by members of Dau’Green or any Dauphine London student willing to take part in this great project! Regarding the watering, the Dau’Green members are currently looking at placing an automatic system with the help of the administration team.
BENEFITS OF VEGETABLE GARDEN
What are the benefits of a vegetable garden on a student campus?
Our project of a vegetable garden is inspired by the UN goals of the 2030 Agenda to be reached to eradicate poverty, protect the planet and guarantee prosperities for all.
Here is a non-exhaustive list of some benefits of having an urban vegetable garden:
1) On a small scale, cultivating a vegetable garden allows a "carbon offset". Air pollution kills approximately 7 millions people each year in the world, which is more than the sum of death from aids, tuberculosis, diabetes and car accidents that would amount to 5.4 million. In London, pollution indirectly causes nearly 9,500 deaths each year, therefore even at the scale of a row of parsley any climate action improving air quality is always very welcomed!
2) The vegetable garden will be used to organize workshops and awareness days on food, to sensitize students on food waste and responsible consumption.
3) In line with the “responsible consumption” goal, cultivating our own vegetables enables us to be aware of the whole process of cultivation. There will be no chemical products, no fertilizers or no plastic packaging use, allowing us to have products full of nutrients in the most natural and eco-friendly manner.
4) It will also be a way to introduce students to the concept of "green city" and urban agriculture while increasing our campus energy efficiency.
5) Last but not least! There exists a human benefit of having a vegetable garden since it will create cooperation between students or societies, as well as creating conviviality moments.
DAUPHINE LDN GARDEN IN LINE WITH OTHER AGRICULTURAL PROJECTS
The vegetable garden implemented in Dauphine London could be compared to other bigger ecological initiatives such as Dragonfly, a vertical urban farm in New York, or the rooftop farm in Paris.
Dragonfly, New York:
This farm will be located on two towers of 675 meters high shaped as dragonfly wings. The Dragonfly tower prototype contributes to the insertion of vegetable and farming in the heart of cities. To do so, a bioclimatic greenhouse, an urban vegetable garden and fields in organic agriculture, have been installed. This project promotes sustainability by finding alternatives to globalized farming as it allows to have a local farm producing local products and boosting biodiversity.
Rooftop farm, Paris:
Paris has opened the world largest urban farm on a rooftop. This farm (size of two football pitches, 14,000 square meters) is open for 20 market gardens and proposes to produce fruits and vegetables by reducing drastically the use of water. Moreover, 140 citizens are given the opportunity to have a vegetable plot. This project encourages local farming and finds an alternative to mass farming. Thus, this project besides being ecological is also social, promoting solidarity among citizens!
The dauphine London vegetable garden, the Dragonfly, the farm rooftop are projects supporting the environment within cities and valorizing the natural diversity, yet at different scales. They all aim to reduce cO2 emissions by finding a more ecological way to farm. In addition, these projects valorize solidarity among citizens.
We expect our vegetable garden to be ready to welcome you by the end of May.
Hoping to see you there!!
Feel free to follow us on Instagram: @daugreen
