Urban gardens in the city in crisis

WG12 Urban agriculture III: Effects of UA. Urban agriculture: a potential tool for local and global food security, economic, social and environmental resilience, and community health and wellnessIn Spain, the financial crisis of 2008 has had various consequences on the Spanish economy and on Spanish citizens, affecting both their material and immaterial conditions of living. In this context, many consider that the development of urban gardens in southern European cities is a response to the crisis. However, the relation between the creation of urban gardens and the economic crisis has not been investigated. We used a mixed methodology, which included onfield observations, interviews with local stakeholders and archive exploration, to investigate the link between the creation of urban gardens in Sevilla and the context of economic crisis. We identify three different processes related to the economic crisis, which impact the dynamics of creation and functioning of urban gardens in Sevilla: (i) the varying implication of public institutions, (ii) an evolution in gardener’s profile and motivations, (iii) a diversification of the types of initiatives. We detail and discuss each of these three processes