We are a profit-organisation, formed from the now finished project Barn i stan (Children in the city). The name of the organisation is Stadsodling I Malmö ek. Förening, the work we do is, however, carried out under the name of Odla i stan.

How we work

We call ourselves “block-gardeners” and our aim is to inspire tenants in different areas of Malmö and various organisations to start city farming. We help start the actual farming process and we function as the connection between house owners, land owners and tenants. By working together practically we learn together and are able to form a continual activity. We run our farming cites all year around by having cultivation workshops every week. During winter we grow plants inside or in a hot counter top. We give inspiration by giving lectures and workshops and by taking you to our farming plots for a study visit.

Read more under Pedagogik för hållbarhet.

The Cultivation Network at Seved

Linnea and Göran started the Cultivation Network when working at the project Barn i stan, run by Hidde yo Dhaqan. Our aim is to provide Seved’s city farmers with areas where they can farm as well as coordinate and develop these areas. This is done with focus on inspiration of ecological farming, education and help to start the real growing patch. The tenants’ knowledge and experience are carefully taken care of. In 2011 the non-profit organisation, having city farmers from Seved in its board was formed. Anyone is welcomed to be a member.

Odla i stan works, under the command of the board, to develop the cooperation between tenants and house owners, the local council and other actors in the long run. We also support the activities of the Cultivation Network.

The board
The board of Stadsodling i Malmö ek. Förening consists of Linnea Wettermark, Göran Larsson, László Fodorpataki and Henrik Persson.

Linnea and Göran work for Odla i stan.

Linnea
I believe in the power of humans to be a part of changes in the environment. It’s not until then we can have a sustainable city, both economically and socially.

During the spring of 2009 I came in contact with the project Barn i stan that aimed to develop meetimgs between people of different generations and cultures. Earlier Seved was an allotment plot area and I was hired by Barn i stan to try to make farming and cultivation a place for meetings between children and old people. Together with the children and people living in the area we turned an unattractive and boring patch of grass into a living and attractive allotment plot.

The concept of city farming spread among the people living in the area and a network was formed by house owners and tenants who wanted to make a change.

The farming areas are social meeting places. They are places where knowledge is exchanged between generations and it is a result of the tenants’ cooperation with the house owners.

During 2010 Göran was hired by Barn i stan and that made it possible to form the Farming Network. It expanded into a marvellous combination of tenants in Seved and other curious people living in Malmö.

I am educated in environmental sciences and social anthropology. I grew up both I Africa and in different parts of Sweden. During my years of studying I spent one and a half year working at a permaculture farm in France. I have also worked at the Eco-city of Augustenborg with the electric train (the Green Line), as well as a guide in the Eco-city and later I worked at the Green Roofs of Augustenborg.

I have worked as environmental coordinator at HSB Malmö and as an environment coach at MKB housing company. After that I took courses in small scale ecological farming, landscaping and permaculture. I worked in the greenhouses of Kommunteknink as well as in Slottsträdgården here in Malmö.

Göran
I have, as far as I can remember, been engaged in questions about sustainability as well as concrete environmental work. I believe in man’s ability, taking into account ethical views, to use, not over use, the land’s resources. Poor as well as rich people can live happily and comfortably and in the same time sustainably have enough food, grown without pesticides, fertilisers and not being genetically modified.

I grew up at a farm close to Olofström and have worked at different biodynamic/ecological farms, always together with my family and many engaged trainees and their children. For five years I had a biodynamic farm of my own in Karlshamn, growing vegetables and having a livestock. I offered the possibility for families to come out and help in the daily work at the farm.

In the meantime I had a fulltime job as a coaching and supporting immigrants from the Middle East to find work here in Sweden. I have also worked at and been in the board of two ecological shops in Halland and Blekinge.

After a broad education in social sciences I was administrator and developer of the databases at Lunds Universitet. This was not for me so in the end of the 00’s I started looking for work where I could feel the soil under my fingers again. I took a certification course in permaculture. Soon afterwards I met Linnea and all the others at Barn i stan. 2010 I was hired in the project. It ended in 2011 and then Linnea and I took the initiative to start Stadsodling I Malmö ek. Förening.

To me there were no second thoughts to follow the path that developed itself at Barn i stan.

Within Odla i stan many different types of city farming have developed and different meeting places are formed. I feel that it is a great favour to share my social and ecological experiences and see them take form in the city. The result gets much bigger and is more visible there.