Subject and goals of the project
Nutritional decisions are relevant to all people. However, they are often temporally and spatially decoupled from the environmentally relevant effects of their cultivation in particular.
The aim of the project "EcoNa" is to show the connections between sustainable development and food production, especially for the young generation. Thematic foci are food production and food sovereignty (including the challenges of industrial agriculture and the importance of global borders for our food culture), regional supply and direct sales (regional marketing and "food" cooperatives), and the relevance of "rediscovering tradition and cultural best practice" from earlier times. The latter includes processing/preservation, regionally adapted seeds, seed-resistant or old varieties or even breeds, the importance of food culture and, in relation to Bulgaria, also the use of (medicinal) herbs, wild fruits and old varieties. Innovative educational materials and activities are used to present and disseminate information based on scientific findings in a way that is easy to understand. In addition, possibilities for action are communicated at various levels. The international cooperation between Bulgarian and German partners makes it possible to jointly develop ideas in view of different life situations and backgrounds, to share existing successful approaches with each other and to discuss potentials for dissemination and deepening.
Innovation and exemplary nature of the project
The educational materials and methods used in the project, which were developed in a participatory manner, appeal to people of all ages in a variety of ways and thus enable new learning experiences.
The developed hidden object picture "From SuperConsumption to Seed Festival" enables a low-threshold and visually appealing introduction to the topic, but due to its complexity also offers a basis for a deep content-related discussion of various aspects of sustainable nutrition.
Science slams disseminate scientific findings on nutrition topics in an enjoyable and accessible way.
City tours and app-supported rallies invite participants to get to know their city in a new way with reference to nutrition.
In Bulgaria, (educational) garden installations are being developed together with diverse educational institutions in different localities, building a bridge from practical gardening to global sustainability.
Intercultural cooperation, both methodologically and in terms of content, was a central aspect of the project.
Special aspects of the project
The sustainable impact of the project is particularly evident in the digital hidden object picture, but also in the print version in German and Bulgarian - as well as in the app-supported rallies, which are available beyond the end of the project and are already being used by many educational institutions and citizens who are not directly involved in the project.
The participation of youth and young adults succeeded in all project modules. There, they tried their hand at developing materials and organizing events themselves. The eye-to-eye level of cooperation enabled a transfer of knowledge from Bulgaria to Germany and vice versa – both for the participants and for both project partners.
For more information, visit www.janun.de/netzwerk-projekte/janun-landesbüro/econa.
Funding subject: Sustainable nutrition and sustainable handling of food
Cooperation partners:
Locations: Germany (focus: Lüneburg in Lower Saxony), Bulgaria (focus: Sofia)
Funding period: March 2019 to September 2021
Project costs: Total volume: 243 164 Euro, DBU funding: 121 582 Euro
DBU-AZ: 34623
Note: Translation of the German version with DeepL
Last updated: 09.11.2021
