The five showcases, three in Europe and two in China, are the core of the SiEUGreen project. The major activities have focused on the preparation for the deployment of these showcases. The mapping of the showcases and strategic planning for the data collection was carried out based on the central concepts of SiEUGreen: land use, food security (access to sufficient nutritious food), efficient and sustainable use of resources and societal inclusion. The major crop-cultivating techniques (green tech); paper-based, hydroponics, aquaponics, and soil (composts or peat) based systems have been implemented in the SiEUGreen showcases. The project shows how to convert waste from households, such as human excreta, wastewater, and organic household waste, to products like biogas, compost/growth media, biochar and solid and liquid fertilizer for urban agriculture and urban greening. The project has evaluated different ways of composting organic household waste, including vermicomposting.
Campus Ås showcase in Norway demonstrated how different technologies are combined to turn waste into resources in a circular system. This showcase provides valuable lessons on how to engage diverse sectors of society (such as urban planning, social, health, and educational sectors) while capitalizing on available resources (e.g. underutilized spaces in the city, human resources). The Green house built as a part of Hatay showcase in Turkey introduced new technologies to produce food in the region and to promote social integration of vulnerable groups .The greenhouse became an educational center offering training on aquaponics, hydroponics, and paper-based microgreen cultivation techniques to disadvantaged groups (specifically, Syrian refugees, low-income residents, and women).The Chinese showcase Sanyuan Farm’s demonstrated resource-efficient UA and a healthy, happy lifestyle. The farm demonstrates the implementation of aquaponics technology to grow vegetables and on recovering nutrients from organic waste. The Futiancangjun residential area in Changsha showcase in China, demonstrated a resource-efficient, intelligent, and sustainable urban development with reduction, reuse, and recycling of waste, local supply of safe food, and effective utilization of solar energy. The Chinese have refined components in the wastewater system and applied for several patents.
A novel, indicator-based sustainability assessment tool-the SiEUGreen monitoring framework for UA – has been developed and tested. Strategies to engage stakeholders in urban agriculture as well as the different technologies applied in the five showcases were developed and have been the basis for the continuous interchange with the stakeholders to evaluate the validity of these strategies. Several commercial and non-commercial exploitation possibilities were identified in SiEUGreen. Business opportunities for SiEUGreen results with commercial exploitation potential has been identified and analyzed. Specific plan of disseminating non-commercial exploitable outputs were also developed. The main tools that were included in this plan were scientific publications, non-scientific publications (practice abstracts), conferences.
