Gaming Garden: Enabling Better Access to Vertical Farming through Gamification

In September 2024 we announced an exciting development when the Association for Vertical Farming (AVF) and its partners Edugarden, die Welt da draußen Spielentwicklung, and ISIFARMER secured EU funding through Erasmus+ for their project on Gaming Garden – Enabling Better Access to Vertical Farming through Gamification. This blog post continues the story of Gaming Garden.

What is Gaming Garden?

Gaming Garden aims to develop an innovative and inclusive educational program for vertical farming (VF) using gamification as the main learning method. Vertical farming presents a promising solution to the challenges of urban food production and climate change, but it can be complex to understand and implement. The goal of the project is to use gamification to spark interest in this important topic and create an engaging, accessible learning environment, particularly for individuals with disabilities.

 A Successful start to this Erasmus+ Project 

March 25-27th saw the successful start to our Erasmus+ project, “Gamification for Accessible Vertical Farming,“ with our first consortium meeting held in Madrid and hosted by our partner ISIFARMER. The consortium gathered for a practical workshop focusing on urban agriculture and microgreens cultivation. Beginning to weave the threads of this project, this experience highlighted how accessible and impactful urban farming can be when approached simply and inclusively.

Participants from Fundación Down Madrid joined us, enriching the experience for all participants. Their participation and engagement underscored the value of inclusive education and meaningful collaboration.

The event began with a dinner at Mercado San Leopoldo which allowed informal networking and conversations with local entrepreneurs, gaining insights into local businesses and urban food culture.

The following two days involved:

• Introduction to ISIFARMER”S  – “Urban Farmer for a Day” program
• A Gamification Workshop led by Welt da Draußen (Mattias) including an introduction and feedback to the mini-game “Vertical Farming Challenge”
• Deep dive into the distinctions between “Game-Based Learning” and “Gamification,” with relevant examples for vertical farming contexts.

• A Visit to a local university: Presentation about innovative plant-communication research, highlighting new technological approaches in urban agriculture.
• Workshop session assessing if and how gamification can effectively remove barriers for individuals with disabilities in vertical farming.

The consortium took away key insights that they will weave into the next stage of the project.

Special thanks to our committed partners Edugarden and Welt da Draußen for their valuable input and enthusiasm during this kickoff meeting.