March 2019

Author:Daniela PattiUIA Expert

The Urban Soil 4 Food project Journal N° 2

Project led by the City of Maribor

CIRCULARECONOMY

2

The Urban Soil 4 Food project

The URBAN SOIL 4 FOOD project will test a model of urban soil-based economy circle in order to increase local food self-sufficiency and to minimize the city’s environmental footprint. The aim is to use cities’ internal waste – particularly excavated materials from construction sector – as input material to produce recycled, standardized and certified soil for meeting cities’ needs, and notably to be reintroduced to the ground in order to improve soil quality and increase food production. A pilot system for urban soil production including wastes from different sectors will be tested, and urban community gardens will be developed using the standardized soil produced. In parallel, food distribution will be structured around the creation of an urban food chain and local urban food labels, and an Agri Living Lab will be set up where different experiments relating to social innovation, urban environment and agriculture will take place.

Partnership:

• City of Maribor

• Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship

• E-institute for comprehensive development solutions

• AKTIVIRAJ SE Development of social projects and promotion of active life association

• Snaga

• Wcycle Institute Maribor

• Deltaplan

• Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute (ZAG)

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Table of Contents

1. Executive Summary 4

2. Account on progress made by the project in the last six months 5

2.1 Urban gardens 5

2.2 Webplatform 7

2.3 Soilproductionfacility 8

3. Analysis of the project challenges 11

4. Take-aways 13

5. Coming next! 14

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1. Executive Summary

It has been abusy winter and with springapproaching,MariborisreadytoopenupforthenextstageoftheUrbanSoil4Foodproject!

Citizens are about to access the new bloomingcommunitygardens,questionnaireandinterviewshavebeencarriedoutwithlocalfarmerstosetupthe platform and the procurement for the soilproductionfacilityisnearlyready.

The community gardens have been preparedduring the winter and urban farmers will soonbe able to take over the plots. The local teamhasbeeninvolvedinpreparingtheplansforthegardens, thanks to valuable input from otherlocalprojects,andcreatingthelocalpartnershipstoruntheactivitiesonsite.Evenbeforestartingthe official campaigning for the allocation ofthe plot, many potential users have expressedtheirinterest!

To improve the local food distribution chain,partnersaredevelopinganonlineplatformandappthatcansupportfarmersandconsumerstoget into contact. The initial phase for this is tomapexistingfarmers,theirproductsandneeds,inordertothenmatchitwiththoseofpotentialprocurers.Withthebetaversionoftheplatformunder construction, farmers are starting torecognisethepotentialthatthisservicecanofferin terms of new business and optimisation oftheirefforts.

Oneofthelargestinvestmentswithintheprojectis the creationof asoil production facility,withinnovative technology, that can turn urbanwaste into fertile soil. With citizens often notwantingwastetreatmentfacilitiesclosetotheirhomes, despite this one being not polluting,and with innovative solutions requiring extraefforts in the setup of the procurement, it hasbeen ademanding but successful challenge forpartnerstogetthingsrolling!

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2. Account on progress made by the project in the last six months

Thelastsixmonthshavebeenfullofdevelopmentsand changes, which have turned out to bepositiveforthecityandtheprojectitself.Firstly,therewere local electionsand thenewelectedmayor has officially expressed support towardsthe ongoing projects and activities related tocirculareconomyinMaribor,whichisanessential

commitment.Furthermore,theprojectisnowinthe second year, therefore setting up theimplementation phase, which requiresadaptationsalongtheway,thisbeingthegardensand the web-platform but especially the soilproductionfacility.

2.1 Urban gardensThenewurbangardensofMariborarereadyforopeningtopublic!

After preparing the plot and designing thegardening functioning, the location will beopening at the end of May. Meanwhile muchworkisbeingdonetosetupthelastdetails.ForexampleAktiviraj.Seispreparingmodelgardensandgreeningactivities.

Oneofthebiggestandmostimminentactivitiesisnowrelatedto theselectionof theusers, forwhichanopencallwillbepublishedinearlyAprilforcitizenstoapplyto. It isalreadyproventhatthere is more interest in the gardens than the

available plots, reason why the team is nowdeveloping a set of criteria for the selection oftheusers.Theopencallwillbepresentedthrougha public workshop and promotion on differentmedia, most likely resulting in a very widepublic interest.

Another very important activity taking place isthedesignofthegardensandthedevelopmentof the public tender for the fence, the gardenhouses and the digging for the water. This isa particularly pressing issue as the final designhasjustbeenapprovedandtheadministrationissettingupthetenderprocess.Thegardenhouseswillbeusedforthetoolsandforthewatertank,

MODELNI VRT600 m2

SOCIALNO -INTEGRACIJSKI VRT

700 m2

SADOVNJAK1.000 m2

OTROŠKI -DOŽIVLJAJSKI VRT

750 m2

7 x 7 m

5.5 x5.5 m

WC

WC

Č

ZELIŠČNIVRT

250 m2

7 x 7 m

VRT ZASTAROSTNIKE100 m2

pletena žičnata ograja

pipa za vodo

električna omarica

stavba za shr. kmet. orodja

vrtiček

asfaltna pot

makadamska pot

objekt

lokacija

naročnik

št. projekta

odg. vodja projekta

odg. projektant

datum

projektivno podjetje

Urbani vrtovi pod Pekrsko Gorco

Maribor

Mestna občina Maribor

19004

Aleš Koprivšek, univ. dipl. inž. kraj. arh.

ZAPS 1206 KA

Aleš Koprivšek, univ. dipl. inž. kraj. arh.

ZAPS 1206 KA

marec 2019

vrsta načrta

št. načrta

projekt

naslov risbe

merilo

risba št.

vodilni načrt

kraj. arhitekture

0/10

PZI

Ureditvena

situacija

1:500

1

Garden draft plan. Source Urban Soil 4 Food project

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andwillneedtobecustommade.Thewaterwillneedtobediggedallthewaytotheplotsinordertoensurefourwaterspots,ascurrentlythereisonlyoneonthegarden’sborder.

The community gardens comprise a number ofdiverse features. There will be a Childrenexperiential garden, developed in collaborationwith a Waldorf kindergarten. There will be anorchard, planted in autumn as this is the bestmomentfortrees,whichwillbeusedformeadowflowers during summer, where beekeepers willleavethehives.Therewillbeasocialintegrationgarden,andanecologicalmodelgardenfor theseedlibrary,inconnectionwithanotherproject.And there will be obviously the individual 74gardenplots,all rangingbetween30m2 or50m2 dependingontheexperienceandinterestoftheusers.Afteronlytwonewspaperarticlesalready120 people expressed their interest in thegardens, even before the official launch of thepubliccall.Thecriteriafortheselectionofusersarethemeansoftransporttoreachthegardens,beingmoresustainablemeanspreferred,havingamixoflessandmoreexperiencedgardenersaswellaselderlypeopleandtheotherhalfretiredones. As part of their contractswith the urbangarden, the users commit to taking part to thetrainingsandworkshops.

Thegardenexperienceisnotconfinedwithintheperimeteroftheplots,infacttwoverticalgardenswillbesetupindifferentlocations,thesebeinganelderly people’s home and a kindergarten. Theoneintheelderlypeople’shomeisalreadysetupand offers an opportunity to experiment howpeoplemakeuseofit.

Theworkshopsessionshavealready started,asacollaborationmainlybetweenAktiviraj.SeandWCycleInstitute.Theprogramwillbedevelopedindetailaccordingtotheneedsandrequestsoftheusers,yetamongst the identifiedtopicsareecological gardening, permaculture, no digging,biodynamics,etc.

The first workshop was developed to creategeneral awareness on urban gardening andprepare the audience for the allotments.Therefore the targeted audiencewas a generalpublicinterestedingardensaswellasschools,as4 high schools of those with environmentalcurriculahavebeendirectlyinvolved,andfinallyelderlypeopleinnursinghomes,withmanystillbeingactiveindwellingtogardenaspartoftheirdailyactivities.

PlanforthemanagementofthegardensisbasedlookingatthemodelofthegardenssetupfortheEUcapitalofculturein2012.Forthisreason,theUS4F garden is developing aplan forwhen the

Garden views. Source Eutropian

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municipality will not be financially supportingtheproject,sopeopleinvolvedintheplotshaveto be clear about what their obligationsare, especially for what concerns thecommon parts, such as the orchards and theeducationalactivities.

There is an ambition to create a network ofexisting gardens to help people know aboutavailableplotsbutalsoexchangeknowledgeongardening,seeds,equipmentandsoon.

Also for this, an importantwork has also beendoneintermsofcommunication,asapartnershipwasstruckwiththelocalTVandRadioCompanywhich have their headquarters just next to thegarden.Thiswillallowensuringagoodcoverageof the whole process as well as smallerexperiments, like the filming of the gardenconstruction from the roof of the TV station

building,whichhasagoodpointofviewontheplots. Furthermore, branding activities are alsobeing carriedout, likebags and similar gadgetsforthegardeners.

Amongst thebiggest challenges foreseen is thetiming, as not all variables are completelydependentontheprojectpartners.Forinstance,whilst the public procurement has set timingdependent on the public administration, thebureaucraticprocedurestoallowthewatertobebrought on location are dependent on otherauthorities.Anysignificantdelay in thedeliverycould impact on the opening of the gardens inMay.Despite this not being a direct risk at themoment,itneedstobesupervised.

A long-termchallengeof thegardens is insteadrelatedtoitsfinancialsustainabilityaftertheendoftheproject.

2.2 Web platformTheInstituteofInnovationandEntrepreneurshipis setting up a web platform to address foodcyclesinMaribor.

Themain problem is that Slovenia is less than40% food self-sufficient, therefore there is theambition for US4F and other projects andinitiatives to impact on increasing the localproduction. In fact, Slovenia produces milk(120%)butnotenoughvegetables(25-30%).

Overthefirstyearoftheproject,themainactivityhas been to carry out the questionnaire withlocal producers, in order to better assess thenumber and capacities available. Thequestionnaireswerestructuredaroundanumberofitems:

• Production

• Seasonaloffer

• Accessibilityandopeninghours

• Contact

• Offerinotherlanguage

• Registeredbusiness

• Typeofproduce

Toelaboratethecontent, inthe lastsixmonthsthey held over 60 meetings, 20 with supportinstitutions such as theMinistry of Agriculture,andmanymeetingswithlocalNGOs.

As a result, there have been interviews to 18ecologicalproducersand83others,withamainfocusonfood.Atthisstage,alotofinformationhas been gathered on the type of produce butnotpreciselyonthequantities,whichwillhavetobeafurtherstep.Infact,farmersalsodon’ttrusttogiveinformationonquantitiesoftheirproduceastheydon’tknowexactlywhatcouldbedonewiththeinformation.Thelocalfoodwouldservetoprovidecanteensinschoolsandelderlyhomes,

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therefore intersecting the supply of the publicsector.Whatemerges in fact is that10%of theinterviewed farmers are already supplying thepublic sector filling the gaps, not as mainproducers, whilst the remaining 90% workswithprivates.

Intermsofsalestothepublic,mostpeoplewouldgotobuydirectlyfromfarmersbutonly5%useSolidarity Purchase Groups. To finalisequestionnaires,itwillbenecessarytogobacktofieldwork as no information arrived via emailfrom farmers. Whilst Farmers’ Associations arenotreallyhelpingtheprocessandtheinformationcollection, the Ministry is proving to be ofgreat support.

TheUS4Fisdevelopinganappthatwillbeusedby B2B, therefore mainly farmers and publicsectorandlateralsothetourismsector.TheAppforPublicAdministrationwillserveasameansofinformation to prepare the public tenders, ascurrentlyeachschoolrunsitsowntender,soit’simportanttogivethemaccurateinformationandpossibly create thebasis for settingup a greenpublic procurement criteria. Currently publiccontracts are for5 years,which is not ideal forbusinessplans,sothereshouldbeextensionforfoodup to10years.For this, theremustbeanidentification of the available quantities andneedsofthePublicAdministration.Becauseeachinstitution procures individually, the quantitiesaresmallsofarmerscouldmanagetodeliverit.Furthermore,anetworkoflocalfarmers,whichisone of the ambitions of this process, coulddirectlybidforcontractswiththepublicsector.

Currently a lot of effort is going towards thedevelopment of the App and website of theplatform, inserting the data coming from thequestionnaires. The App will allow to choosefrom producers and based on the requiredproduct.TheAppandthewebsitewillbereadyin6months,havea3-monthpilotandbeofficiallylaunchedinNovember2019.

It isalso importanttoconnectsuchactivitiestoawarenesscreation,especiallywithchildrenandtheir families, involving schoolsbutalsoelderlypeople’shomes.Infact,ifchildrenareinvolvedinthe awareness activities, the parents willeventually make pressure on the schools toprocure local food products. It’s a multi-perspectiveprocess!

2.3 Soil production facilityThethirdelementonwhichtheUrbanSoil4Foodproject has been focusing on over the pastmonths is thesetupofapilotplant for thesoilproduction. This will be one of the main

investmentsoftheproject.Thepilotplantitselfwillbeanexperiment,asitwillmanagesmallerquantities than the ones currently available onthemarket,as theambitionfor the future is to

Prototype. Source Eutropian

9

replicate a modular model with small plantsacrosstheothercities,ratherthanexpandingtoa large one. The plantwill be treated by threeelements:thedryfermentationelement,pyrolisiselement for production of bio-char (charcoal)and aerobic composting element; additionallyamixerandachemicalfilter.Particularattentionisposedonthe issueofsmells, inorderfortheplant to be suitable also in urban populated areas.Finally,theextraenergyproducedwillbeused within the plant process as well as forheatingingreenhouses.

Theexperimentedsoilwillbeproducedinlargerquantities thanks to Snaga, the public wastemanagement company of the City of Maribor.Snagaeveryyearmanagesapproximately13.000tons of organic waste coming from separatecollected bio-degradable waste, green spacemaintenance, kitchen waste and wood.Furthermore, the City produces approximately100.000tonsofunhazardouswastecomingfromconstruction and non-polluted industry. All thiscouldbeused formaking soil, as theproject is

experimenting in smaller quantities, withapproximately800-1.000tonsofbiologicalwaste.

The produced soil can have a variety ofapplications. In agriculture soil is necessarybecauseofitsnutrients,vitalforplantsthatwillproduce food consumption. Similarly, ingardeningplantsrequirenutrientsfromthesoil.For green walls and roofs, soil might not havestringentrequirementsasplantsareoftengrownfor decorative purposes but increasingly alsoedible plants are being planted, thereforenutrient requirements apply for a light soil,possiblywith low clay quantity. Finally, the soilcan also be used for construction (e.g.embankments),butinthiscaseitwouldnotneedasmuchnutrientsasforgardening,thereforethesoil mixture will be adjusted. Ultimately, thisproducedsoilwillbebranded,inordertocreatemoreawarenesswithcitizensaboutthebenefitsoftheirlocalhighqualityrecycledsoilinsteadofthe supermarkets’ packed soils with unknownoriginandquality.Astheprojectiscurrentlyveryinvolvedinthesetupofthecommunitygardens,

Lettuce growing on different kind of soils produced from urban waste. Source ZAG

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a series of promotional actions have beenthought of, such as where people could bringtheir organic waste and exchange it for a bagofsoil.

Overthepastmonths,therehavebeenmeetingswiththeprivatelandowner,asthefirstidentifiedlocationonpublic landwaseventuallyexcludedas local inhabitants refused to have a wastefacility close to their homes, even if it wasensuredtherewouldbenobadsmellsandotherdiscomforts.Onthecontrary,thenewlocationismore appropriate. Situated in a nearbymunicipality, the zoning plan already foreseestheinstalmentofawastefacilityplantandopen

consultations were already carried out back in2012. The former locationwould have been inthemunicipalityofMariboronpublic land,buttheprevioustensionswithinhabitantsduetothehigh concentration of existing urbaninfrastructure in the area, a water cleaningfacility, a highway and an electricity centre,creatednewconflictsovertheinstalmentsofthenew facility. Currently, Snaga has been greatlyinvolved in the setup of public procurementprocess, which has been extremely demandingandtimeconsumingbutalsouseful,asitallowedimprovingtheprojectrequirements.

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3. Analysis of the project challenges

ThetableprovidesanoverviewofthechallengesoftheUrbanSoil4Foodproject,focusingonthecurrent development that local partners arecarrying out. At this stage nomajor challenges

havebeenidentifiedintheimplementation.Thestatusoftheidentifieditemsissimilartotheoneof the former Journal 1 simply because theprojectisstillinitsbeginning.

MAPPING URBAN SOIL 4 FOOD AGAINST THE ESTABLISHED UIA CHALLENGES

Challenge Level Observations

1. Leadership for implementation

Low

TheprojectiswellcoordinatedbytheCityofMariborandupuntilthis initial phase all partners have been able to cooperate.Obviously,beingtheconsortiumratherlarge,specialattentionwillalwayshavetobepaid.

2. Public procurement

Low

For the moment the public tender for the technology to beimplemented within the waste facility has not created anychallenges.SnagaiscurrentlyworkingonthepublicprocurementforallthepartsoftheinnovativepilotplantfortheUrbansoil4food project. In relation to the web-platform development,apossibledifficultymightbeconnectedtothepublicprocurementfor food in the region to be provided to public canteens butexamples are available around Europe to solve thispossibleproblem.

3. Integrated cross-departmental working

Low

For themoment being the different departments and in-housecompanies appear to be cooperating well even thanks to theinvolvement to theWCYCLE institutewhich is composedby thedifferentcompanies.

4. Adopting a participative approach

Medium

Theeffectiveparticipationwillnotbeaproblemforthecommunitygardens,butithasproventobeachallengeinthecaseofthepilotplant,beingthissomethingthepublicstrugglestorelatewithandlocal communities usually don’t want close to home. For thisreason,theprojecthashadtofindanewpieceofland,privatethistime,whichhasalsoimpactedontheprojectbudget.

5. Monitoring and evaluation

Medium

Because there aremany innovativeelementswithin theprojectthatstilldon’thaveamonitoringsystem,asinthecaseofthesoilproductionorthepilotplant,specialattentionwillhavetobepaidbytechnicalpartnerstocreateasuitablemechanism.

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Challenge Level Observations

6. Financial Sustainability

Medium

Certainelements,especiallyrelatedtothewastemanagementwillmost likelynothavedifficulties indevelopingafinancialmodel,butthisisnotthecaseforsoftermeasures,suchasthetrainingswithin the community gardens, that need to create a moreautonomousmodel.

7. Communicating with target beneficiaries

Low

CircularEconomyisanemergingtopicthatthewidepublicisnotnecessarily familiar with yet, reason why public events are notnecessarilyattractivetomanypeople.Moreeffectiveappearstobe the creation of events and debates around the practicalimplementation,asinthecaseofthecommunitygardens.Forthisreason, the partners are paying special attention to thedevelopmentofanengagingcommunicationstrategy.

8. Upscaling

High

TheprojectisstronglyembeddedwithintheMariborcontextandstrongexperience,whichwouldnotbeeasilyreplicatedinothercontexts, especially if adequate financial resources forimplementationarenotallocated.Forthisreasontheconnectionof the Maribor experience with the Action planning of the EUUrban Agenda Partnership on Circular Economy can beextremelybeneficial.

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4. Take-aways

ThelastsixmonthsofUrbanSoil4Foodwasanopportunity to prepare for the upcomingimplementation of the key features of theinnovativeproject.

Asdescribedinthedetailedsections,theprojecthasnotgonewithoutchallengesandadaptationstoexternalities,sosomeofthekeylearningsare:

Participation: the gardens and the selection oftheplotforthefacilityshowushowessentialitisto engage all relevant stakeholders withindecision-making processes. The cases alsohighlighthowcertaintopicsareeasiertoengagepeoplewith,suchaswithgardens,thanothers,as in the case of waste facilities, thereforeshowingtheneedtodevelopedadhocstrategyoneachspecificcase.

Time planning: the experience of the gardensand the questionnaires with the farmers showthe importanceofplanningtimeby takingduly

intoaccounttheinterestsandtimeframeofotherstakeholders in the process. In fact, for theconnection of the water in the gardens otherpublic authorities responsible are involved andtheirtimingisnotnecessarilyfittingtheproject’sexpectations. Similarly, farmers involved in thesurveyhaveshownhowtheirtimeisverypreciousand theyarewilling to commitonlywhen theyseethedirectbenefit.

Public procurement: the procurement processforthegardenequipmentandevenmoresofortheinnovativesoilproductionfromwastefacility,it is essential to setup a clear guidance for therequirements and needs. Despite being oftena very time consuming procedure, theprocurement can be an opportunity to pushinnovationandimproveoriginalplans,basedoncutting edge technology or services offered onthemarket.

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5. Coming next!

During the upcomingmonths, theUrban Soil 4Foodprojectwill beentering the implementingphase, after a very detailed preparation. In theupcoming journal, itwill bepossible to see theinnovative potential of this project in itsblossomingstage.

There will be the opening of the communitygardens with its community taking care of theplots, running workshops and preparing thecommonspaces.Therewillbethelaunchoftheprototype website and app for the fooddistribution services, involving the publicadministrationandthefarmersinbettermatchingoffer and demand. Finally, there will be theassignment of the soil production facility, asthroughthepublicprocurementprocessitwillbepossible to identify the company(ies) deliveringthetechnologyandcreatingthecapacitybuildingtoproducesoilfromwaste.

Staytuned,thereisplentymoretocome!

Report by Daniela Patti, Urban Soil 4 Food expert, Eutropian

Based on interviews with stakeholders in January and March 2019.

- Kim Mezga, Petra Vrhovnik and Ana Mladenović – ZAG

- Jasna Beršnjak and Andreja Kuhar – Aktiviraj.Se

- Marko Kac and Janja Viher - ZIP

- Igor Kos – Wcycle Institute

- Branko Kosi and Petra Hercog – Snaga d.o.o.

Report approval by Brina Lazar, Urban Soil 4 Food Project Manager

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ThecontentofthisjournaldoesnotreflecttheofficialopinionoftheUrbanInnovativeActionsInitiative.Responsibilityfortheinformationandviewsexpressedinthejournalliesentirelywiththeauthor.

Urban Innovative Actions (UIA) is an Initiative of the European Union that provides urban areas throughout Europe with resources to test new and unproven solutions to address urban challenges. Based on article 8 of ERDF, the Initiative has a total ERDF budget of EUR 372 million for 2014-2020.UIA projects will produce a wealth of knowledge stemming from the implementation of the innovative solutions for sustainable urban development that are of interest for city practitioners and stakeholders across the EU. This journal is a paper written by a UIA Expert that captures and disseminates the lessons learnt from the project implementation and the good practices identified. The journals will be structured around the main challenges of implementation identified and faced at local level by UIA projects. They will be published on a regular basis on the UIA website.