Hidden gardens - investigating urban agriculture in Dublin

Michael Cullen at Dublin Institute of Technology has recently completed a MSc investigation of Urban Agriculture (UA) in Dublin. This concept encompasses those who are engaged in growing their own in an urban environment. The study investigates why there has been a rise in UA over the past 15 years with the focus of the study being on allotments, a historical form of UA. The objectives of the study include investigating the concept of urban agriculture, to examine the history of allotments in Dublin, to aid an understanding of modern UA in Dublin. The study focuses on the motivations of the allotment holders as well as uncovering the types and varieties of food being produced on their allotments. The methodology of the study was qualitative, which provided rich data sources to inform the discussion. The methods employed were semi-structured interviews and direct observations. Allotment holders at two allotment sites were the population sample interviewed chosen based on the total population of allotments in Dublin, with the majority of the population being located in south Dublin. Along with interviews on allotment sites, the researcher undertook interviews a representative of Dublin City Council and a Minister of the current Government. The findings of the researcher indicated a revival in the interest of allotment holding in south Dublin. Allotments were formerly located on sites due for development; presently they have a fixed tenure in regional parks. There is also an association to represent them at local and national level. Motivations for holders included a desire for fresh food and socialisation around a common interest of food growing. The conclusions of the study illustrate a growth in different forms of UA in Dublin including a revival in allotments, an interest in community gardens and people growing their own in a domestic setting.

Looking for an allotment?

You need go no further than here, Irish Allotments.

Dublin Food Growing

Dublin Food Growing is a non-profit network of people and groups dedicated to increasing the quantity, quality, diversity and positive effect of food grown in Dublin. They connect people growing at all scales from the smallest window boxes, back gardens, community and school gardens, allotments, all the way up to market gardens and commercial farms. They are involved with developing food growing projects, advocacy, research, policy, networking, education, and of course growing food.

Community Food Initiatives funding

‘Healthy Food for All' and ‘SafeFood' are establishing a Demonstration Programme on Community Food Initiatives and are looking for funding applications from eligible groups and organisations. The purpose of this funding is to establish a Demonstration Programme of Community Food Initiatives (CFIs) on the island of Ireland. CFIs are projects that improve the availability and accessibility of healthy food for low-income groups at a local level, using a community development approach. Closing date for applications is 30th September 2008. This funding is open to community groups or groups which have an anti-poverty focus in their work. We would especially welcome applications from partnerships/collaborations of different groups. As the programme has an all-island focus, a minimum of two projects will be selected from both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

The State of Civil Society

The newly released CIVICUS Global Survey of the State of Civil Society: Volume 1 Country Profiles and Volume 2: Comparative Perspectives draws on information collected by the CIVICUS Civil Society Index (CSI) project in more than 45 countries. Northern Ireland is included as one of the sampled countries. The books explore civil society’s accountability, its relationship to the state and business, and its role in governance and development, among other issues. Development of the Northern Ireland 'country paper' was led by the Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action (NICVA) and the CSI project represents the first-ever attempt to put the civil society concept into practice in Northern Ireland.

The Northern Ireland report can be downloaded here or a brief Executive Summary here.

Conference on rural isolated men

'A conference looking at the poverty and social exclusion issues affecting rural men in the Border Region will be held in the Slieve Russell Hotel, Ballyconnell, Co. Cavan on Thursday 14th February 2008. A new policy position paper that identifies the services needed to respond to the social exclusion of isolated men in the central border region will be presented by the Social Inclusion Working Group of the Irish Central Border Area Network [ICBAN].'

The importance of the Third Place

Ray Oldenburg in his book The Great Good Place demonstrates why informal public gathering places are essential to community and public life. He argues that bars, coffee shops, general stores, and other "third places" (in contrast to the first and second places of home and work), are central to local democracy and community vitality. By exploring how these places work and what roles they serve, Oldenburg offers placemaking tools and insight for individuals and communities everywhere.

According to the Carnegie Trust Oldenburg identifies eight characteristics of ‘third’ spaces that are particularly relevant to the needs of activists from dispersed rural communities:

1. Neutral Ground: In conurbations, there is a critical mass of humanity who share interests and therefore who can choose to meet up. If rural areas are to benefit from the rich and varied association of inventive and entrepreneurial people, there needs to be neutral ground where they can meet up: somewhere where individuals can come and meet up with like minded participants.
2. Leveller: Acceptance and participation is not dependant on an individual’s status at work (such as professional community development worker) or in society (parish or community council chair or landowner). There are no formal criteria for membership.
3. Conversation is the Main Activity: and humour is valued. Where the past experience of many participants will be of lectures or seminars where they are talked at, in third spaces conversation is spirited, engrossing and there is a sense of genuine inquiry.
4. Accessibility & Accommodation: Third places are easy to access and are accommodating to those who come along. They keep long hours and conversation may continue into the early hours. Activity is not rigidly structured.
5. The Regulars: A cadre of regulars who attract newcomers and who give the space ‘mood’ and set the tone of conviviality. Eden Foundation is particularly good at this – mixing and matching individuals who they imagine will get on and have interests in common.
6. A Low Profile: Third places are without pretence and are comfortable and homely. Much conversation happens around a large table, accompanied by good food.
7. The Mood is Playful: Word-play, wit, frivolity are normally present. Food and music seem to be an important ingredient as is a sense of place.
8. A Home Away from Home: Home like, easy, warm, a feeling of ‘rootedness’

People's Learning and Action

The Institute for People's Education and Action seeks to identify, support, and facilitate community-based, learner-led education as a strategic tool for community organizing and democratic social change. It has some useful links to Grundtvig Folk Schools, Latin American Popular Education, Study Circle learning and much more. They also have a useful set of resources including links to other People's and Communal based learning networks, an extensive bibliography and educational resources and toolkits. Very useful indeed.

Training for transformation

The Partners Training for Transformation, who have been hiding out in Ireland, are an independent agency dedicated to personal, group, organisational and societal transformation through community development work. Partners have been largely involved in cross-border and cross-cultural contexts and have developed considerable international networks. They have recently brought out the publication Partners Intercultural Companion to Training for Transformation: Exercises, Processes, Resources, and Reflections for Intercultural Work. This new resource written by Maureen Sheehy, Frank Naughton, and Collette O'Reagan is a compilation of exercises, processes, resources and reflections used by facilitators over several years. It draws mainly from the experience of PARTNERS’ work in Ireland, Wales, England, Scotland and in a European Grundtvig Learning experience.

Building on our strengths

The Carnegie Trust has joined with the International Association of Community Development (IACD) to examine projects that have built on local strengths and assets to achieve rural regeneration worldwide and hopefully develop a dialogue on sharing ideas and lessons learned. Read more here.

Factsheets for community development practitioners now available online

The Rural Community Network has redeigned and now made available online their series of factsheets for rural community development workers. Here are two relevant examples, Partnership Working and Undertaking Community Consultation. Many others are available here.

The Community Planning website

This is an excellent resource which I have delved into before for ideas and tips. With the growing numbers of residents and communities becoming involved with professionals and planning agencies in shaping their local environment, the Community Planning website is as good a starting point as any for everyone concerned. The site includes information on general principles, methods (including the future search conferencing which I posted on earlier), scenarios, case studies and other sources of information. All this information is easily accessible and in a very practical 'how-to-do-it' approach and is of international scope and relevance.

Tackling health inequalities, the CDHN

'The Community Development and Health Network as a member led organisation aims to make a significant contribution to ending health inequalities, using a community development approach.'

Visit their site for an interesting range of resources, publications and contacts.

Help your community tell it's story

ILEIA, the Centre for Information on Low External Input Sustainable Agriculture is in the business of collecting and disseminating information on ecological agriculture. While the focus is on the global south there is much of relevance on their website for those interested in organic agriculture and other aspects of sustainable agriculture and food production. They also have good resources on documentation especially participatory approaches to documentation and information production, check out their downloadable manual Learning from Experience. This manual would be useful for community practitioners or groups requiring a structured framework to follow when documenting community based processes. All stakeholders involved have an opportunity to contribute to the documentation steps involved in this process.

All the way with CDJ

The latest issue of Community Development Journal is dedicated to Community Development and the Arts.

Taking rural seriously

Despite arriving late (car trouble) I had a really excellent day in Omagh at the annual Rural Community Network conference which was held on the theme So What About Rural - Taking Rural Seriously. The conference explored a range of issues through site visits to community development organizations in the vicinity and workshops what is needed to be put in place to build the case for rural in terms of:
• A voice for rural communities
• Supporting rural community development practice
• Developing civic leadership in rural communities
• Contributing to a Shared Future for rural communities
• Ensuring sustainable rural communities
• A Bill of Rights for rural
Various workshop groups were then tasked with making a case for each of the above before a Dragon's Den Panel of 'experts' and 'sceptics'.
Thanks to the staff and facilitators from RCN for an excellent and informative day

The 'Effective Engagement' toolkit

One of the better community engagement resources that I was able to access and use while working overseas was the 'Effective Engagement' kit developed by the Department of Sustainability and Environment in Victoria, Australia. The 'Engagement Kit' comes in three parts, all downloadable from the website:

Book 1: An Introduction to Engagement
Book 2: The Engagement Planning Workbook
Book 3: The Engagement Toolkit

'Feature Agency' - Irish Rural Link

Irish Rural Link would appear to be the counterpart of the Rural Community Network in the Republic of Ireland.

'Irish Rural Link (IRL), formed in 1991, is a national network of organisations
and individuals lobbying for sustainable rural development in Ireland and
Europe. IRL, a non-profit organisation, has grown significantly since its
inception and now directly represents over 300 community groups with a combined
membership of 25,000. The network provides a structure through which rural
groups and individuals, representing disadvantaged rural communities, can
articulate their common needs and priorities, share their experiences and
present their case to policy-makers at local, national and European Level'

To learn more about Irish Rural Link click here.

'Celtic Neighbours'

The CarnegieUK Trust has available a documentary which describes the work of 'Celtic Neighbours'. A sample of the documentary is available to view online and the entire multi-media package can be ordered from the Trust. The documentary describes a rural action research programme to address issues of isolation, service delivery and community planning in remote and peripheral areas against a cultural backdrop and in a conference gathering.

'The documentary was filmed at the 'Ceangal' Conference, which was hosted by our
RARP partners 'Celtic Neighbours' in November last year. The 'Ceangal'
(Connections) Conference was the first of three planned annual events. The aim
of these events is to combine elements of conference, cultural showcase and
gathering of grassroots workers. This conference was hosted by Ealann na
Gaeltachta and took place in Gaoibh Doire, West Donegal. It showcased examples
of some of the most exciting arts and cultural activity taking place in the
Gaelic world – both Ireland and Scotland – and in Welsh-speaking communities in
Wales.'

This is part of the Trust's larger Rural Action Research Programme (RARP)

Toolkit for Community Development Practitioners

The Rural Community Network in Cookstown, along with partners, has developed a very handy toolkit that contains detailed factsheets which will be useful for community development practitioners. The toolkit contains factsheets on a range of topics including, Forming a Community Group, Team Building, Partnership Working, Networking, Action Planning and Appreciative Inquiry. Each factsheet contains a step-by-step guide.

To obtain a copy of the toolkit get in touch with the RCN or call 022867 66670 or email: info@ruralcommunitynetwork.org