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Case Study
DYNAMIC CULTIVATIONS: NATIVE AROMATIC AND MEDICINAL PLANTS,
BALKAN BOTANIC GARDEN OF KROUSSIA, GREECE
Description: In spring 2014 this project, in partnership with Engagement approach: Participants were identified and
the local municipalities, provided unemployed people from two recruited by the local municipalities. The course curriculum
Greek cities with training and workshops. The 110-hour course was preplanned, based on questions and requests made by
ran twice, catering for 20 participants each time. The curriculum members of the public seeking advice from the garden on how
was focused on cultivating and processing native aromatic and to improve their livelihoods through agriculture. In this way the
medicinal plants to establish innovative enterprises. This course garden ensured that the course covered aspects that would be
for lifelong learning had a theoretical aspect that stressed the useful and relevant to the group and involved as much hands-on
importance of conserving and utilizing indigenous species. The activity as possible, to ensure it was sufficiently engaging.
main focus, however, was on practical aspects such as plant Case studies of successful Greek enterprises based on utilizing
cultivation and care, and training in business skills like plant- native plants were used as examples to inspire the trainees.
based product development, marketing and finance, and health
and safety. Since completing the course it has been found that Audience research: A formal evaluation report has not been
even those who no longer intend to set up an enterprise using produced, but the end of the course was marked with a picnic,
their new skills have changed their behaviour with regards during which the group discussed the merits of the course, what
to consumer choices, etc. At the end of the course the two could have been done better and how they intended to use
local municipalities each offered a small piece of land for their their new skills.
trainees to establish pilot plots, as a group, cultivating medicinal
and aromatic plants based on their new knowledge and skills. Funding: The project was co-funded by the Greek government
and by an EU development fund, which is managed by the
local municipalities.
After collecting Challenges: The main challenge was matching up the course
and drying herbs, schedule with the garden staff’s working hours. That problem
course participants was overcome by having the permanent garden staff deliver
grind the dried workshops until 3pm and then bringing in freelance staff to
material for use continue the training beyond that hour. It was also on occasion
challenging to keep some participants engaged with areas of
©in aromatic salt. the curriculum that were not catering to their specific areas
Ev r o pi-Sof i a of interest.
Dalampira
Focus of the project: Since the global financial crisis took An assembly line quickly gets plant products
hold in 2009 and hit Greece and its people hard, the garden
has sought to strengthen its social focus and to address some ©bottled and labeled, ready to be sold
of the issues resulting from the crash. This project attempts to Evropi-Sofia Dalampira
make a difference to the high levels of unemployment in two
cities by providing skills and training that will allow younger
people to make a living in the countryside, through agriculture.
Participants were recruited based on their age (between 20 and
40) there socio-economic status and how long they had been
unemployed for. They also lived in cities and had an interest in,
but not necessarily any previous training related to, plants and
agriculture. The project also sought to raise awareness of the
importance of sustainability and conserving native plants and
encouraged participants to use sustainably sourced products
in the home.
14 CARING FOR YOUR COMMUNITY | A MANUAL FOR BOTANIC GARDENS
