Urban farming project in Uppsala

Day after the storm, a meter of snow, blue sky and sun, Marina shows me where the project have its boarders. "Here is the field where we will make different herb gardens with stone arrangement and here is the old garden with fruit trees". I can see the project in my head, now its just white. With some skiers going around.

Matparken, the Food park is a project from Ylva and Marina with backup from the Municipality of Uppsala. The location is perfect; a recreation area, close to the center of the suburb to Uppsala, Gottsunda. Gottsunda have problems with unruly youth, fighting, violence and burning cars, but is also a place where there are a lot of gathering and organisation among both immigrant groups, culture events and programs for kids.

The food park shall be a place where you can go and see small and big, growing. Not only the plants, but also the creation of the Food park. It will be open for everyone and because of the location, they hope that more people will be involved.

A first group is already made with 8 experienced allotment people, who plan to make a "farm area" to grow vegetables and herbs, not in different small squares but togehter, a community allotment. The project also got money to educate children in the subject of gardening. Marina and Ylva goes to different kindergarten and present their idea. They also want to involve some of the immigrant groups to have bigger events.

More about the project can be found in their blog Matparken, Swedish here and English google translate tool here.