U-GARDEN

Promoting capacity building and knowledge for the extension of urban gardens in European cities.
Acronim- U-GARDEN

Urban gardens are a key component of the traditional urban and peri-urban landscapes of the main European cities. Beyond food production and consumption, urban gardens provide a wide range of ecosystem and social services, with a positive impact on the urban and socio-residential environment. Thus, the main aim of this project is to promote the implementation of urban gardens and
agroforestry experiences as key components of the strategic framework for sustainable urban development in European cities, from an interdisciplinary approach. To this end, the project will try to achieve several objectives: 1) to identify needs, problems and opportunities concerning urban garden and agroforestry experiences; 2) to promote, through Urban Living Labs, the stakeholders’
capacity building in terms of green governance for food production and consumption in cities; 3) to drive citizens’ capacity building for the involvement in sustainable urban development experiences; 4) to foster innovative business models around sustainable and local food production; 5) to evaluate the impact of the implementation of agroforestry/urban garden experiences in their social, cultural and environmental dimensions; and 6) to set up a multi-criteria framework to support decision-making in the location of urban gardens and agroforestry plots.

NUMBER OF ORGANISATIONS IN CONSORTIUM- 16
DURATION OF THE PROJECT (MONTHS) – 36


Stage 1 –  Defining the requirements, implementing the technological framework and defining the evaluation criteria for the urban laboratory 01/04/2022 – 30/12/2022

Activity 1.1 – Defining the requirements and designing the urban laboratory

This activity describes an introduction to urban gardens and the benefits of urban gardens. Urban gardens are living spaces whose importance lies in reconnecting nature with the urban area. The needs identified at the European level were analyzed from the point of view of the desire to develop urban gardens in large cities, with an emphasis on the development of ecological agriculture. An analysis of the specific requirements of the users and the detailed definition of the technical elements necessary to develop a platform where information is collected to meet the needs of the market were also carried out. The main requirements are: air and soil telemetry, automatic irrigation systems and plant risk alerting, as well as the requirements for the design of an urban laboratory.

Activity 1.2 – Design and implementation of the technological framework for the urban laboratory

 As part of this activity, an analysis of urban gardens at the global level was carried out, as well as an analysis of some urban gardens in Romania. Also the description of how the technological framework for an urban laboratory was implemented and finally the analysis of the chosen location for the case study, together with descriptive images and the design techniques used.

Activity 1.3 – Defining the methodology and evaluation criteria for the urban laboratory

This activity entailed the analysis of the urban laboratory from the point of view of process, impact and profitability. The analysis is performed at a technical level, focusing on the functioning of the urban laboratory and its level of efficiency. The results of the U-GARDEN project were also disseminated by participating in various conferences and events.

Results

In Stage I of the project, the 3 activities declared for this stage were analyzed. The activities started from a general situation regarding the existence of urban gardens in the world, what types they are and what they are focused on, followed by a description of the urban garden that will be implemented in Romania. The final activity within this stage consisted in defining the evaluation system valid for the preparation, implementation and evaluation of the activities within the project. The evaluation framework consists of a common set of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) methodologies and tools that will be tailored to each country with a dedicated protocol. For the evaluation of the urban laboratory, the technical aspects of its operation are analyzed, by presenting a brief description of the monitoring system, the main modules and communication protocols used, the storage, processing and visualization of data.

Stage 2: Interpretation of data, creation of interactive maps and evaluation of the potential for implementation of technical solutions in the field of urban gardens – 01.01.2023 – 31.12.2023

Activity 2.1 Collection and interpretation of data from the urban laboratory

Activity 2.2 Designing and making interactive maps

Activity 2.3 Evaluation of the potential for the implementation of technical solutions in the field of urban gardens

Stage 3: Evaluation, testing and validation of the urban laboratory; Definition of business models, coordination and dissemination – 01.01.2024 – 31.12.2024

Activity 3.1 Evaluation, testing and validation of the urban laboratory

Activity  3.2 Defining the market exploitation strategy

 Activity 3.3 Coordination and dissemination


Dissemination activities

Web page : http://www.beiaro.eu/u-garden/

Tweeter: https://twitter.com/U_GARDENproject


Publication

  • Baouche, F.Z.; Abderezzak, B.; Ladmi, A.; Arbaoui, K.; Suciu, G.; Mihaltan, T.C.; Raboaca, M.S.; Hudis, S.V.;Turcanu, F.E., Design and Simulation of a Solar Tracking System for PV, Appl. Sci.2022, 12, 9682. https://doi.org/10.3390/app12199682, Publicat 27 Septembrie 2022
  • Somayajula, V.K.A.; Ghai, D.; Kumar, S.; Tripathi, S.L.; Verma, C.; Safirescu, C.O.; Mihaltan, T.C. Classification and Validation of Spatio-Temporal Changes in Land Use/Land Cover and Land Surface Temperature of Multitemporal Images, Sustainability 2022, 14, 15677, https://doi.org/10.3390/su142315677, Publicat 25 Noiembrie 2022

Conference participation

  • BEIA presented the article entitled “Water Quality Monitoring for Irrigation in Site Location Moara Domnească”, on March 18, during the international conference Air and Water Components of the Environment, 2022.

  • BEIA presented the article entitled “Diseases Detection System based on Machine Learning Algorithms and Internet of Things Technology used in Viticulture”, on November 18, 2022, at the EEE E-HEALTH AND BIOENGINEERING – EHB conference, year 2022. The article was based on the U-GARDEN project.


Events

  • GoTech World 2022

BEIA participated as exhibitor in GoTech World 2022, the largest B2B conference & expo in Central and Eastern Europe on 3-4 November 2022 and had the opportunity to disseminate the U-GARDEN project.

Visit website here: https://www.gotech.world/

 

  • SCEWC (Smart City Expo World Congress) 2022

Our company participates in SCEWC (Smart City Expo World Congress) 2022 on 15-17 November 2022 in Barcelona, Spain. It’s a great opportunity for BEIA to disseminate the U-GARDEN project with participants.

Visit website here: https://www.smartcityexpo.com/

  • TAFIE 2022 & ROMAT 2022

BEIA participated in TAFIE & ROMAT 2022 fairs in Bucharest, Romania on 23-25 November 2022. It was a great opportunity to disseminate the U-GARDEN project.


Papers and publications

  1. WATER QUALITY MONITORING FOR IRRIGATION IN SITE LOCATION MOARA DOMNEASCA
  2. DETECTION OF VINEYARD DISEASES USING THE INTERNET OF THINGS TECHNOLOGY AND MACHINE LEARNING ALGORITHMS
  3. ROȘCĂNEANU, R., STRECHE, R., OSIAC, F., BĂLĂCEANU, C., SUCIU, G., DRĂGULINESCU, A. M., & MARCU, I. DETECTION OF VINEYARD DISEASES USING THE INTERNET OF THINGS TECHNOLOGY AND MACHINE LEARNING ALGORITHMS

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