Bulgaria's First Educational Organic Farm Starts Activities with Norwegian Support
Sunny Garden, Bulgaria's first ever educational organic farm opens at the Agroecological Centre of the Agricultural University in Plovdiv (Southern Bulgaria) under a special project funded by the Norwegian Cooperation Programme for Economic Growth and Sustainable Development in Bulgaria.
14/06/2010
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The 2 –year project provides children and young people the unique opportunity to feel a part of a farm and learn about the organic agriculture. Sunny Garden aims to contribute to the environmental education of children, as well as to increase students' knowledge about sustainable production - and organic farming in particular, sustainable lifestyle and protection of the environment. The educational organic farm is intended to show the advantages of organic products and to be an example for agricultural producers demonstrating the benefits of turning to organic production.
The Bulgarian Bioselena Foundation for Organic Agriculture is the initiator of the project, with partners the Agricultural University in Plovdiv, Norges Vel - the Royal Norwegian Society for Development and Sofia's Centre for Work with Children, which draws up the curricula for the farms and organizes the visits of the groups.
Deputy Minister on Agriculture Tsvetan Dimitrov and Dr. Dimiter Grekov, Rector of Agricultural University – Plovdiv opened officially the farm. Minister of Education Sergey Ignatov was among the first guests who visited Sunny Garden.
The Norwegian Cooperation Programme for Economic Growth and Sustainable Development in Bulgaria has the objective to promote social and economic development in Bulgaria through bilateral co-operation projects. In January 2007 - April 2009 the Norwegian government extended 20 million euro to fund projects.