An Organic Vegetable Garden at Peñascal Kooperatiba
Although the idea came from the teachers themselves, the Peñascal Kooperatiba school vegetable garden in Bilbao is an example of how all the elements of a school can help in achieving projects.
The promoters of the initiative have been able to take advantage of the centre's activity in the field of vocational training and social and labour integration to join the forces of the different sectors that are addressed in their classrooms. "Once we defined the project to create an organic vegetable garden, each group was responsible for part of the tasks". For example, Carpentry made the plots, growing tables, composters, fencing, insect house or the shed; the Plumbing group, installed the irrigation system; the Metal-Machining sector supplied the metal parts required and the Cooking students contributed to the design of some of the plots.
From that moment, all students, both first and second year, became involved in the care and management of this vegetable garden during the different seasons of the year. In the first part of the course the second-year students are in charge of this task, while younger students receive more theoretical training. When the older students do their work experience, it is the first-year students' turn to take the reins of the initiative. Preparing the soil, creating seedbeds, designing new types of plots, mixing the soil with compost, planting plants and flowers, harvesting, etc. are just some of the activities carried out.
To do this, they have had the invaluable advice of members of Veterinarians Without Borders and the Environmentalist Association Sagarrak, who also encouraged them to create a forest on the roof of the building, an idea that has not been ruled out at all. Currently, besides the vegetable garden, at Peñascal Kooperativa they also have different vertical gardens in the classrooms, designed by the carpentry sector, which allow them to work on days when the weather is bad and to enjoy growing all year round.
Objectives
At the start, the project focused on different purposes, according to those responsible, they have been gradually achieved satisfactorily. Getting closer to the natural environment that surrounds us, acquiring knowledge about the environment, biodiversity, food sovereignty, food, plant species and their life cycles and environmental awareness go hand in hand with the use of our own knowledge and means to obtain new objectives concerning nature.
Students and teachers refer to this as a positive initiative, saying it has given them a very pleasant way to acquire skills and values in a relaxed atmosphere. The team environment helps to build self-confidence and enhance responsibility.
