15.11.2024

On the day of the excursion, we were able to visit five fascinating locations that impressively demonstrated how sustainable urban-rural cooperation is put into practice. From urban education centers to innovative agroforestry projects, it became clear how versatile and future-oriented the approaches of the OLGA project are. Here is an overview of our impressions:

Our day began at the first location, the “Alte Gärtnerei” in Dresden, a place of creation, education and recreation in the middle of the city. Sebastian gave us an insight into the importance of urban and sustainable gardening. The combination of community gardens with educational opportunities for all age groups was particularly impressive. Here we were able to experience first-hand how urban agriculture brings people together and creates awareness of regional food.

We continued by bus to location 2, Verbrauchergemeinschaft Dresden e.G. in Friedensstraße. Here the VG showed how its products from the region (max. 150km radius) get directly to the consumers. In addition to pumpkin soup, there was also a lentil burger from Ali Habiballah, owner of Zaituna. He creates a variety of products from the regional Saxon lentils of Eckhard Voigt from Doberquitz near Leisnig and told us enthusiastically about the close cooperation between organic farms and urban processors - a real example of successful urban-rural relationships.
After a short breather, we drove on to the agroforestry project on the Kirchenacker in Grumbach near Wilsdruff - location 3 of our excursion. The November weather didn't stop us from inspecting this agroforestry project, but we couldn't get through the mud to the part of the system by the watercourse. Manuel Wewer from the Institute of Hydraulic Engineering at the TU Dresden was nevertheless available to answer our questions about the influence of agroforestry systems on water bodies. Johannishöhe also explained to us how poplars, for example, can be integrated into agriculture as fast-growing trees. They not only offer the advantage of wind protection, but also improve soil quality, provide wood and contribute to biodiversity. The conditions of the lease were also discussed and the special situation of church fields in agriculture was described. With the newly erected sign, many people can now find out more about the agroforestry system.
Packed with knowledge, we then moved on to the fourth location. In Graupa near Pirna, we got to know the solidarity agriculture of the Lebenswurzel association. The focus here is on community farming and regional supply. The tour of the fields made it clear how closely consumers and producers can come together. Community-supported agriculture enables direct exchange - a model that has a future. During a short warm-up break, all participants were able to try the special lupin coffee and continue to discuss regional value chains.

We reached our last location before dusk: the Sachsenforst state enterprise. The focus here was on the use of fast-growing tree species. The insight into innovative processes to promote regional value creation and the combination of forestry and sustainability was particularly exciting. The crowning finale of the day was the discussion on the continuation of the results of the OLGA project, which will come to an end next year. Snacks made from pulses from qiofood rounded off the final discussions of the evening.

The excursion impressively demonstrated how diverse the approaches to promoting urban-rural relationships can be. Each location provided practical knowledge and inspiring ideas for a sustainable future. The discussions with committed project participants were particularly enriching and showed how important cooperation and creativity are.  
Our heartfelt thanks go to all the sponsors, alliance and cooperation partners and people who are passionately committed to the implementation and cultivation of agroforestry systems, regional value chains with pulses and cooperative relationships and who conjure up tasty and healthy food from the field to the plate every day. We will take away many ideas for further discussion and implementation of these approaches.