Crop pillars at "Sites of sustainability" of dOCUMENTA (13) (2012-2013)

• Prof. Claire Pentecost
  (Department of Photography, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago)
• Prof. Dr. Oliver Hensel
  (Department of Agricultural Engineering, University of Kassel)
• Humus- und Erdenkontor, Neu-Eichenberg

BMVEL, Bundesprogramm Ökologischer Landbau

01. May 2012 - 31. December 2013

Vegetable pillars:

Development and testing of vegetable pillars for city farming, as well as for education, public relations and marketing for the organic and sustainable food and farming sector

The aim of the project is the development and testing of crop and vegetable pillars for city farming as well as for education, public relations, and marketing of the organic and sustainable food and farming sector. It includes the development of a manual about construction, costs, planting concepts, cultivation and themes. The development and testing both focus on an inexpensive, stable, transportable, and easy-to-build construction with efficient water management.. It also works on adapted substrate with a high amount of compost, suitable planting, and the consideration of an appropriate effort for cultivation and maintenance. The results will be disseminated in a manual, by publications for practioneers. The testing process in 2012 was integrated in dOCUMENTA (13). In 2013 the development and testing is continued in a trial at Witzenhausen.

Vegetable pillars enable a deeper understanding of themes like the benefit of biodiversity and plant varieties and the danger of their irreversible loss, but also land grabbing and the exploitation and scarcity of our limited resource – soil. The substrate, based on a high amount of compost demonstrates the value of compost to enhance soil fertility and a useful recycling of plant nutrients and organic substance. As symbol, education tool as well as organic, creative and participative cultivation system there are plenty of opportunities for use and possible themes. Future locations of vegetable pillars could be urban gardens, festivities on farms, ’harvest-your-own’-projects, public events, markets, fairs, grocery stores, restaurants, schools, kindergartens, administrative buildings, non-profit organizations and NGOs.

• Compost declaration

• Jens Reckert
• Birge Wolf
• Jakob Schererz
• Maike Lampert
• Jürgen Heß