Edible University: Menja’t la UB

Menja´t la UB” aims to develop habits, skills and commitment in the university community by the implementation of green solutions for food production

This incubator aims to develop knowledge, skills and commitment in the university community for the implementation of green solutions for food production (edible Nature-based Solutions) within the University of Barcelona (UB) campuses: “Think green, eat KM zero”. The FUTUR-ED project will serve to launch this incubator which aims to be a replicable model for sustainable campuses in Europe and beyond. The incubator will kick-off with an inventory of all the UB campus spaces that can produce fruits and vegetables (street-level land, rooftops, walls). Next, an educative program will be implemented to involve UB students in a spatial co-creation planning, taking into account the FUTUR-ED civic-science approach and at least one of these Edible NBS will be implemented after a participatory competition. These new spaces will also serve to implement a set of educational activities (curricula, hand-on, service-learning) as well as for research (e.g. water management, agroecology, common space use, eco-design in collaboration with specialised Departments). The governance of these spaces will be carried out through "green innovation circles", which would be constituted in the teaching units (faculties, campuses) involved, with teachers, students and service personnel. The mission of these circles would be to promote, implement and manage green production spaces and promote a "Green, Climate pact at the University of Barcelona". The long-term expectations are to implement more edible NBS and the local food production would be used in campuses restaurants (involves working the clauses of the administrative award contracts) and self-consumption of the members of the university community. This incubator wants to become a model of a sustainable “edible university” which can be replicated through all the FUTUR-ED campuses and beyond, including the international CHARM-EU network of universities for the Green Deal.

The project works as a series of concentric circles. In the central circle are the specific edible solutions located on a campus or a specific building In the following concentric circle is the governance through the green innovation circles In the outermost concentric circle is all the University

external services (land adaptation, enclosures, drip irrigation), 8.000,00 eur technical services (soil study, water availability), 1.500,00 eur training participants in urban crops and community management of agricultural production, 1.200,00 eur coordination and socio-technical support, one person part-time for 4 months, 6.000,00 eur communication (web, social networks), 800,00 eur

In the implementation of the project, the recommendations established by the health and academic authorities will be followed at all times. Meetings and some training can be carried out virtually Other training sessions and the implementation of specific edible natural solutions will take place in the open air, with the established safety measures: safety distance, use of masks and frequent hand hygiene.