Description
The project seeks to foster the local sustainability of Komárom town’s Koppánymonostor district. Activities include various awareness raising workshops and events, but also the recultivation of the abandoned historical orchard of St. Paul Island with the involvement of the local community. This community orchard will serve as an important community and educational space in the long run.
Summary of project results
The project addressed local phenomena of global environmental problems by methods of environmental education as well as green space and community development applied in a the Koppánymonostor neighbourhood of Komárom city. On one hand a community-wide communication and participation programme was initiated focusing on the elderly citizens and the high school students through 4 workshops and the personal invitation of each households of the neighbourhood. This set of events formed the basis of the restoration of an old fruit orchard on the Saint Paul Island (a former island of the Danube) with local and old species realized in 2015. The land was cleared with the involvement of a local agroindustry enterprise as well as groups of students and volunteers, while old trees were rescued and new trees were planted with the involvement of citizens representing all groups of the local society. The restoration was preceded by a detailed survey of the existing fruit tree stand as well as guided and documented by a map indicating the most important data of each tree. Finally 62 old fruit trees were rescued and 400 new grafts got planted based on varieties previously collected from old trees of 7 local and old varieties. In addition, a long-term educative process was started through 6 environmental education workshops in the local primary school and kindergarten in order to build up a community who will be a responsible owner of the orchard on the long run. The project resulted not only in strengthening the environmental awareness of the local community but also to restore a unique fruit orchard of high historic value.
Summary of bilateral results