PROGETTI DI RICERCA
Gaza has 1.6 million inhabitants on just 360 square kilometers of land, and a good part of this is off limits because Israel maintains an exclusion zone of 300 meters of depth along the entire length of the border fence.
In the city of Gaza, the soil is "devoured" for the construction of multi-storey buildings, leaving little room for agricultural use and therefore for food production. The challenges launched by the international institutions, including FAO-UN, concern the search for new systems to maximize agricultural production in reduced spaces. The project, started in 2014 and implemented by the NGO Dan Church Aid in collaboration with the MAAN development Center, has taken up this challenge whose main objective is the introduction of innovative technology to contribute to the development of local urban horticulture and thus improve the resilience and food security of the population living within the Gaza Strip.
We want to spread among the Palestinian population technologies that allow us to cultivate fresh vegetables only in tiny spaces available, in one of the most densely populated places in the world. Gardens are built on the roofs of primary and secondary schools and training courses are organized for students and teachers relating to the construction and management of urban gardens and food security. The project was carried out in 2 schools and in dozens of families. For children it is a unique opportunity to get in touch with agriculture, in an environment where they barely see trees or plants.
The horticulture group of the Department of Agricultural Sciences of the Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna has carried out monitoring activities.
