Santiago de Compostela: Urban Gardening keeps rural roots alive

Have you heard?  They’re all the rage in New York, Paris, London, Berlin, Montreal, and…Santiago de Compostela is leading the way in Spain as one of the cities with the most urban gardens per capita.

But what’s really behind this “new” initiative? Quite simply, urban gardens are bringing neighbors together, bridging generations, educating people on healthy eating, caring for the environment, sustainability, composting, and improving air quality in cities. What’s not to love?!!!

So how does it work?  Any citizen, resident in Santiago can ask for a garden space, with a preference for these who live within 300 meters of the garden in question and retirees. If your number comes up, you are given permission to garden on your lot for 2 years, renewable for another 2 years depending on the zone.  It includes access to water, organic fertilizer/compost and a little shed. They’ve recently added bee hives to the project to stabilize the bee population, improve pollination, and the ecological balance. A pioneer in Spain, in 2008, Santiago started out with 28 gardens. Currently, they have 202 and will soon add another 60. And the demand continues to skyrocket as they are now receiving two to three times the applications than gardens available.  If someone allotted a garden doesn’t use it, it is forfeited to someone on the waiting list. Currently over 56% of the world’s population live in cities, often far from their food sources. Urban gardening empowers people to get involved in their community.  It reconnects them with their food.  They know what they’re eating, conscious of the value of each vegetable, and what the Earth is capable of giving.  In short, it is a cost-effective way to re-connect the community to each other and what is most important.