Zukunftsacker Erlangen - Learning site for schools, the urban society and lived sustainability

Stand: 06.02.2023

Think globally and act locally at the Future Acre 

At the Future Acre we can all contribute something to achieve the global sustainability goals. 

  • Gardening in the fresh air appeals to all the senses, and the vegetable harvest in organic quality enriches a healthy kitchen. 
  • The Future Acre is open to all people, and our experts share with them expertly their knowledge. 
  • Working with gardening tools, observing insects up close under a magnifying glass, tasting fresh herbs - what counts at the Acre is what's fun! 
  • "That's fun, isn't it?" is an often heard saying at the Future Acre when children encourage each other. Some soar to become mulch rollers, others become planting champions. And everyone is amazed at how much you can do in a morning. 
  • Sustainable consumption and conscious purchasing decisions are a contribution to climate and biodiversity protection. They strengthen rural structures and counteract the loss of native cultural landscapes. In addition, they promote health, enjoyment and fair prices.
  • Vegetable cultivation in organic quality, mixed cultures, communal manual labor, mulching and seed - extraction increase the value of the harvest and make you want red potatoes, palm kale chips, stuffed zucchini flowers or colorful chard kimchi. 
  • Tight interactions exist between climate protection, adaptation to climate change, food security and food production. At the Zukunftsacker we try out solutions! 
  • Biodiversity in agricultural landscapes is important so that plants and animals can adapt to climate - change and our cultural heritage is preserved. Only then do soil organisms ensure soil fertility, minimize natural enemies pests and pollinate insects plants. 
  • A good project needs cooperation partners*: a committed organic farmer, qualified education experts* and numerous - rich participants who want to help shape the future in the field

Learn together to change the world - we ackern for the future!

What do my consumption and the cultivation of our food have to do with my own health and the well-being of the world? How are climate protection and biodiversity related to organic vegetable production? And what added value do regional products have for local agriculture and the local cultural landscape?

Planting vegetables doesn't just mean producing food. We also learn to understand the impact of our own actions on the world and to make responsible decisions. 

The Zukunftsacker in Büchenbach is an experimental space for living sustainability, where we can become active together: planting and sowing, tending the beds and harvesting, mulching and gaining seeds.

 Trying out sustainability at the Zukunftsacker means getting into conversation and action with others. In the process, impulses sprout for small, personal changes and the big, global challenges. But what the Erlanger Zukunftsacker has in store for us above all are fruitful ideas for helping to shape a sustainable city. Because change begins with ourselves! 

We look forward to you plowing with us for the future!

Urban Farming workshops for all 

Fancy a vegetable experience? With fun, ease and the right mix of theory and practice, our Acker experts impart knowledge - valuable all around organic vegetable gardening: from the right sowing to the care during the arable season to magnificent harvest successes. Sustainability and climate protection are brought to life in a practical way, connections to agriculture are shown and tips for everyday life are given. Everything is ready for the workshops, everyone can participate - whether newcomer to the bed or arable professional: There is plenty of room for questions and time to talk store! 

Around the education project Zukunftsacker, various workshop formats will take place between May and October: 

  1. Planting & Harvest Workshops - Two-hour, interactive urban farming workshops under the guidance of arable experts 
  2. Field care workshops - One-hour field talks on bed care and bed check by our field coaches
  3. Topic workshops - Evening field talks with professionals on various sustainability topics around the future field
  4. Bees workshops and cooking classes (on request) - Workshops on beekeeping and bee lore - Cooking courses for a climate-friendly diet

School mornings and workshops for children's and youth groups

The Zukunftsacker as an extracurricular place of learning - easily integrated into the curriculum 

The Zukunftsacker can be visited as an extracurricular place of learning for the topics of agriculture, nutrition, climate protection and biodiversity between May and September. The educational units are led by experienced environmental educators* and usually last a complete school morning. 

Construction 

1. DOUBLE HOUR: 

  • Ackerrundgang
  • Basics of organic vegetable gardening
  • Practical unit including handling garden tools: sowing, planting, weeding, mulching, watering, Brennnes - seljauche prepare
  • Discovering the field stations: Insect watching, weather station, soil science, creative market, crafts
  • Tasting the herbs and vegetables 

2. DOUBLE HOUR: 

  • Bees excursion
  • Sensory exercises
  • Getting to know the cultural landscape: fallow deer, chickens, cattle, pond management, cereals, hedge/meadow, birds, insects
  • Miniacker for home: Vegetable harvest, herbs - bouquets, sunflower pots, seed bombs
  • Games with theme
  • Reflection round 

→ Changes to schedule and content seasonally possible. 

On request, we also offer multi - plikator*innen appointments in the follow-up, where the children can visit the field with their families and pass on what they have learned.

Ecological focus topics 

  • Healthy nutrition and regional food
  • (Organic) agriculture and cultural landscape
  • Environmental protection, economic interests and global justice
  • Responsibility as a consumer
  • Soil pollution and water cycle
  •  Farm animals (bees) and crops (vegetables)
  • Species of plants and animals in nature
  • Sensory experiences
  • Craft vs. Mass production
  • Sustainable development as a societal task 

Social skills 

  • Equal handling of tools
  • Mindfulness for others and ego strength
  • Taking on rights and responsibilities
  • Promoting (one's) well-being 

Further information:

  • Visit only by appointment
  • There is a contribution to expenses
  • Materials (tools, gloves) and basic infrastructure (toilet, water, rain shelter, break meadow) are available
  • Packing list (food, clothing) by arrangement
  • Recommended target group: 3./4th grade 

We appreciate your interest in education for sustainable development!


I know why the Future Acre is called so: because this is how the future should be - completely environmentally friendly. 

Student

My best field experience was dirty hands. 

Workshop participant 

I learned how many animals live in a handful of soil. 

Student