Start of the project “Grow the City” – Training for Circular Urban Agriculture

Grow the City – The First English-Language Training for Circular Urban Agriculture
In February 2025, “Grow the City” will launch – a specially designed, free training program that equips urban developers, municipalities, engineers, and producers with the tools needed to cre-ate circular urban farms.
This hands-on training aims to address social and environmental challenges in European cities while enhancing participants’ competencies in sustainable urban development. The Institute for Applied Material Flow Management (IfaS) at Trier University of Applied Sci-ences and ebf GmbH are the initiators of this Interreg NWE-funded project in Germany.

Free registration for Grow the City is now open HERE! The project is supported by Interreg North-West Europe.
This is the first free English-language training program for circular urban agriculture, target-ing urban developers, municipalities, urban planners, architects, project managers, (bio-)engi-neers, producers, and anyone working in sustainable urban design.

The Training Program
The individual program provides practical skills for the design, construction, and operation of cir-cular urban farms.

Training Highlights:
• E-Learning modules and interactive online sessions (30–60 hours, depending on your needs)
• Networking opportunities with other participants
• Learning from European experts and professionals
• Hands-on workshops at four rooftop greenhouses:

  • Gembloux (Belgium)
  • Bettembourg (Luxembourg)
  • Paris (France)
  • Damendorf (Germany)

Find more information about our program on our website.

Sign up now HERE ! The training is free of charge and will take place from February to April 2025.

What is Circular Urban Farm Training?
The project was developed in response to key challenges faced by European cities:

  • Socio-economic challenges:
  • Low heat resilience
  • Limited resistance to food shortages
  • Low local economic value creation
  • Environmental issues:
  • Climate change and intensive land use
  • Lack of local energy sources and raw materials
  • High energy consumption, waste production, and chemical usage in existing ur-ban farms
  • Lack of skills:
  • Urban developers often lack the knowledge needed to design future-proof cities where food production and circular approaches are seamlessly integrated.

Who can revitalize unused urban spaces, reuse waste, efficiently harness heat and water from buildings, make cities greener, and promote biodiversity? A circular urban farm!

About the CUF Training Project and the Grow the City Program
The CUF Training Project builds on the successful GROOF-project, which developed rooftop greenhouses for local food production while aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The new program incorporates additional circular techniques and offers a wide range of topics:
• Methods of urban agriculture: Hydroponics, bioponics, aquaponics
• Development of sustainable business models
• Energy and waste management
• Design and construction of circular urban farms

Our Goals
• Improve the circularity of urban farms and strengthen their integration with buildings
• Promote the development of soil-independent and sustainable urban farms

For more information about our project and training, please visit our website.

Contacts for Germany:

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