Story

Some words about us and what we do

We are a group of young volunteers aged mainly 19 to 30 years old, regenerating an urban green space in the neighborhood of Serra Venerdì in Matera, Italy. We do a wide range of activities with positive impact: here are some of them!😊

Natural horticulture

The health of the soil is fundamental both for ecosystems and for our nutrition: that’s why, with our agricultural techniques we are trying to regenerate the soil we’re using, encouraging all life forms and using techniques like mulching and composting.

Reforestation

You already know how important trees are for life on Earth, right? There’s a popular Chinese proverb that says:

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”

With our agroforestry approach, not only we aim at producing better vegetables; above all, we aim at making our urban ecosystem more biodiverse and, therefore, resilient. We are also preserving trees at risk of extinction, such as fragno (Quercus trojana, Webb, 1839), an endemic oak.

Co-design

We involve local dwellers, citizens from other neighborhoods, local experts, University students and Professors in the participation in co-design and management of our Community Garden.

Social inclusion

Besides our commitment to intergenerational contact and strengthening of social ties, we cooperate with local NGOs, who co-organized with us both agriculture and artistic or Do-It-Yourself workshops involving disadvantaged and marginalized people (immigrants, parentless children, disabled people, and so on). Moreover, we often host tandem nights in cooperation with Basilicata Link, hosting European Solidarity Corps volunteers from all over EU.

Reducing, reusing, repairing, recycling

We always strive to reuse and repair nails, wooden material, equipment and so on, to build benches, tables, ramps, fences, merchandising, and to make the urban garden more inclusive and lively. 

But there are some things we must build from scratch! 👇👇👇

So why do we ask your support?

We want to build UV rays-resistant INFORMATIVE PANELS with low environmental impact.

The panels will teach about:

🌿Biophilia and biodiversity

🐝The importance of bees and other insects

🌳How trees contribute to life… and much more!

They will look more or less like this:

Help us raise €500! 💰💸

🎁 By contributing, you can obtain the following rewards:🎁

€5️⃣ Sticker & brooch

To be attached and pinned wherever you wish and feel part of the team!

€1️⃣5️⃣ Calendar

With season vegetables and possibility to re-use the calendar next year!

€2️⃣5️⃣ Silk-screened T-shirt

Black or white available, with possibility to silk-screen it personally!

€5️⃣0️⃣ Dungarees

With Noi Ortadini’s logo, to wear comfortable clothes for gardening and DIY activities, and feel part of the team!

Help us make our dream come true!

You will become part of our project and your support will help us make the urban community garden more beautiful, informative and inclusive! 💪

If you’re from Matera, feel free to come every Saturday morning. If you’re from another Country in Europe, we will show you around the garden when you come… and see the result!