Welcome to the english section of the GartenCoop Website!
A co-op of some 300 people is participating in successful organic vegetable gardening in the southwest German city of Freiburg, sharing the costs and risks. Whatever the harvest, good or poor, it’s distributed to all members. Cucumbers are allowed to be bent, carrots entwined, the occasional lettuce smaller than average. Seasonal, totally organic growing, 100% original seed, short distances, solidary economics, collective property, education, contributing to the labour are some of the many hallmarks.
The documentary The strategy of crooked cucumbers reveals the motivations and inner life of the cooperative. It shows people who in a time of economic and ecological crisis are doing something to counter the might of industrial agriculture: The strategy of bent cucumbers.
Since the demands for information in the international context is increasing we try to gather some of the already existing english material:
- watch the documentary "the strategy of the crooked cucumbers" (German with english subtitles, 64 Min). An insight into the motivations and the inner life of the Gartencoop Freiburg.
- Video Introduction to the GartenCoop Part 1 | Part 2 [recorded in Warsaw 2012]
- GartenCoop Slides and audio recording of the corresponding presentation.
- Master Thesis at the Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources: Jonathan Rivas: The motivation of Gartencoop members’ to participate in field activities: The Grounded Theory Approach
- General information about CSA in France, Belgium, Germany and Switzerland (PDF)
