Malmö’s Urban Farming Scene is the Future of Food
“You are what you eat.” “Food for thought.”
We throw around these little quotes and quips all the time but have entirely disconnected with their meaning, just as we have become detached from the foods we’re talking about.
Many people have no idea where their food comes from, or how it is produced… which is pretty wild. It is, after all, one of the most essential things in our lives -- right after water, of course. It’s woven into the fabric of our very being, yet, food is still something we often take completely for granted.
This disconnect has caused deep-seated problems to take root in our global food production system, a system which is, for lack of a better word… flawed. Over time, these flaws have had devastating effects on both our individual health and the environment, but, thankfully what you’re about to read isn’t all doom and gloom.
It’s quite the opposite, actually.
I was happily surprised (and a little overwhelmed) to find that there is a massive community of people right here in Malmo with an appetite for change. These city growers are revolutionizing the way food is produced by getting back to basics. They are taking food production out of the big factory farms and embedding it into society – sometimes smack dab in the center of the city – where people can see it, feel it, and, even better, taste it.
The Future of Food
In order to meet our future food needs, we’re either going to need a new way to produce food or we’re going to need a new planet.
According to projections by the United Nations, its estimated that Earth will be home to about 10 billion people by the year 2050, and many of these people will likely be living in urban areas. That’s a lot of people… and a lot more mouths to feed, but such a significant food production increase simply won’t be possible using our current (deeply flawed and downright unsustainable) methods.
As the population rapidly grows and urbanization continues, so does the demand for locally grown food. Urban farming will help meet this demand and create more self-sufficient and sustainable communities. It can and is being done both here in Malmo and throughout Skåne.
I know what you’re thinking…
“Isn’t Skåne known for farming?”
Well, it is… and it isn’t.
If you’ve ventured out of Malmo into the surrounding area, it’ll come as no surprise to you that this is Sweden’s farming region. Though the county holds less than ¼ of the country’s fertile land, it produces about half of the food grown in Sweden.
You’d think this would make the area a goldmine for local food production, (and it could be), but most of the land here is actually used to produce feed or for grazing livestock.
More than half of the vegetables eaten in Sweden are imported, despite the fact that they are fully capable of being grown here – and, when I say “here,” I don’t just mean in Sweden or in Skåne… I mean right here in Malmo.
Thanks to a growing community of urban farmers and city growing initiatives, the food production game is changing. Right now, as we speak these local farmers are hard at work on man-powered farms, located right with in the city, that are growing more food for local Malmo residents.
So — Let’s Meet Some of Our Local Urban Farmers, Shall We?
Los Perros Urban Farming
First up are two of the most well known urban farmers in Malmo – Sophia and Buddha. After meeting in Spain, the duo, both farmers and foodies at heart, started their first “farm” together on their Barcelona balcony.
When they relocated to Malmo in 2015, they searched for a plot of land where they would begin Los Perros Urban Farming. Lovingly named for their rescue dog Stretch, who has been with them since their rooftop terrace harvesting days, Los Perros has now become one of Sweden’s largest commercial urban farms.
In 2019, they took it a step further and opened Flax, a true farm to table café and farm stand located near Folkets Park.
At Flax you can enjoy a locally sourced, completely vegan, and flavor packed meal, not to mention an incredible atmosphere. Their energy is as contagious as their kimchi toast is tasty, and, after dining here one time, I can promise you, you won’t want it to be the last.
In addition to providing produce for their own café, Los Perros works with a number of restaurants around town like Lyran, Riket, and Julie’s. They also sometimes sell to consumers through the local REKO-Ring, a concept the two helped initiate here in Malmo.
Ur Vår Jord
Next up is Ur Vår Jord, or “From Our Earth.”
In 2017, this urban farm was started when dreamer and farmer Alexander moved with his partner from Stockholm to Malmö to realize his dream of being a full time veggie grower.
Now they’re doing just that.
Like Los Perros, he and his partner Clara (alongside their pup Taco), grow a vast range of vegetables and spices on their farm plot in Vintrie. This year, they plan to grow over 100 different varieties – from our earth and for our community.
Their passion for food, flavours, nutrition, and health shines through the work they do, not just in the way that they farm, but in the way they deliver fresher than fresh ingredients straight to consumers.
Their produce is harvested on Thursday morning, and, by Thursday evening it’s delivered from the farmers’ hands straight to that of consumers at the local REKO-ring. Alexander even offers customers advice about the tastes of each food and how they can be cooked to really bring out their flavours – nuggets of advice which I happily accepted.
Can’t make it to the REKO-ring? You can also order your produce from Alexander and other local producers via Mylla, another powerful contributor in Malmo’s local food revolution.
Mylla is on a mission to tell consumers the story behind their food, and to make this possible they’re making it more convenient. They offer home delivery of locally produced goods, straight from the farm to your front door.
Botildenborg
Having things brought to your door is nice and all, but, if you want to fully experience the story of your food, you have to become a part of the story… And to do that, you’re going to have to leave the comfort of your own home.
When you do, you might find yourself in some unlikely places – a farm in Vintrie, a restaurant that has been on your radar for ages, or a ___ refurbished farmhouse in Rosengard.
Rosengard is Malmo’s most diverse neighborhood but it also has a notoriously poor reputation for being the part of Malmo where bad things happen. At Botildenborg, an urban farm and community initiative established by Lena Friblick, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Lena is an award winning Swedish journalist, cook book author, cooking show producer, and if all that isn’t impressive enough, social entrepreneur. Lena grew tired of Rosengard’s poor public image, and, instead or just writing about it and re-describing the social issues of the area, she decided to take action.
Botildenborg was born, and it has since grown into a place where the Rosengard community and all of Malmo can come together through the most basic things we have in life – food.
In an interview with SustainEurope Lena says, “Food and farming is a very good sector for training for work, but also a sector that lacks people.” She noticed that entrepreneurship is a key component of economic and social sustainability and created work training programs for people who might otherwise have difficulty entering the local labour market.
The energy from the work being done at Botildenborg is magnetic, and so I found myself cancelling my weekend plans to attend their first Sunday Café event of the season.
After eating our lunch and enjoying the music in the sun, I spoke with one of the volunteers to ask about her experience so far.
Aya, age 15 said, “We have just opened, but before that we received lectures and learned about different professions. It’s an opportunity for us to gain knowledge and experience that can help us in the future. I feel that I have learned a lot, and that it will be an unforgettable project that I will benefit a lot from.”
Botildenborg isn’t just providing career training, jobs, and improving the image of the local community. Since 2014, they have also been distributing space to city growers at their cultivation plot and educational farm.
Through their Stadsbruk model, a concept of urban use that create works to create an ecosystem, they are making it easier for urban residents to cultivate for their own consumption needs and also commercially. They providing the tool, the experience, the network, and the land, and help farmers get a jumpstart into the industry.
Two Forks Urban Farm & Table
Last but most certainly not least (nor actually the last – Malmo’s urban farming community should have its own book) is Two Forks.
Two Forks is a small-scale urban farm and pop-up lunch restaurant run by farmer and chef duo Charlotte and Matan. With their backgrounds in agriculture and culinary arts, the two make a perfect pair. They also make one of the best hummus bowls I’ve ever tasted.
While dining here one afternoon, I overheard the end of an exchange between another guest and Matan.
“Where I’m from in Israel, we have hummus for breakfast,” Matan told the man, who seemed a bit surprised by the concept of just hummus and pita as a whole, filling (and actually satisfying meal).
Just before leaving, after what must have been a more than satisfying lunch, the man said, “In my world, they just don’t go together… but now that I’ve tried it, I can see it.”
“Well… I’m glad we could challenge your expectations,” Matan replied with a smile… and at Two Forks, they’re definitely doing just that.
Their hummus bowls are far from boring. Each week, they’re filled with fresh, unique, and perfectly paired ingredients from their farm in Vintrie, where you can find them on the weekends, planting and harvesting… sometimes with their two young sons.
Along with the other farmers on the plots in Vintrie, they’re growing so many varieties of herbs and crops – things that you might think wouldn’t be able to grow here in Malmo.
When I visited the farm, I was blown away when they showed me just how much their plot has grown over the years, and the expansions they have planned for the future – But, what was even more impressive is that they were doing all of their farming while taking turns wearing their baby.
If they can do it while wearing a baby… a sleeping baby at that… then I figure, so can I… And you can, too!
There are so many ways to get involved and support Malmo’s urban farmers… and only a couple of them actually involve getting your hands dirty, (though, that’s kinda the best part in my opinion).
Shop Locally
One of the best ways to support Malmo’s local city growers is perhaps the most obvious – buy their fresh produce!
If you haven’t already, check out the REKO-ring group on Facebook – Malmo’s online farmers market.
At Malmo’s REKO-ring, you can buy veggies, spices, eggs, bread, honey, flowers, and more organically produced goods straight from manufacturers, cutting out the middle-man and shortening the chain between producers and consumers.
All payments are made in advance, and you pick up your order on Thursday at the designated time and location!
Genius.
Dine Out
Not a great cook? No worries.
Another great way to support your local urban farmers (and the restaurants who source their ingredients) from them is by going out to eat. So many local restaurants are cookin’ up something delicious with all locally sourced ingredients.
For a true farm to table experience check out TwoForks’ pop-up lunch at Soi29 or pop in to Flax. Soon, Ur Vår Jord will be adding another exciting name to Malmo’s farm to table restaurant scene. In August they will be opening their own restaurant called Lanthandel’n in collaboration with farmer, forager, and chef Linus Skogg in the former OST & Vänner space.
If you’re into social gastronomy head over to Botildenborg’s for “Cook, Eat, and Talk,” an interactive dining experience where you have the opportunity to harvest in the farm, cook, chat, and enjoy a delicious meal.
In the summer, they also have a weekly Sunday Café event with live music in the garden, cultivation activities for kids, and, of course, locally grown eats from the farm next door.
Become an Urban Farmer
If you really want to go all in when it comes to getting involved with urban farming, there’s no better way to do this than by becoming one. Thanks to Botildenborg and Stadsbruk’s bi-annual farmer training program, now it’s easier than ever.
“We’re trying to make the steps smaller for people to get started,” says Cyrille Gaubert the Project Leader at Botildenborg.
The 8-week urban agriculture internship is an experiential learning program designed for students, beginning farmers, urban and community gardeners, or just anyone with an interest in becoming a local food producer.
Alongside Cyrille and Saba, the culinary farmer and educator at Stadsbruk, interns get hands on experience in every stage of the seasonal farming experience – everything from seedling production and greenhouse management to harvesting and selling.
If you want want to try your hand at small-scale production, and want to give yourself your best shot, this is the place to do it. Many previous interns, like the farmers behind Vegostan and, most recently, Gardener’s Little Helper have sized up their small scale plots and are now growing on their own plots in Vintrie with the big names in Malmo urban farming.
Volunteer
Unable to commit to the physical and economic demands of running a farm by yourself? You can still try your hand at farming by volunteering with one of the established farms in town.
Most of them have volunteer days where anyone is free to join for as long as they’re able to help out on the farm. Dates and times vary depending on the farm, so for more specific information your best bet is to reach out to them individually on Instagram and Facebook.
On one of my Tuesday mornings spent at Los Perros Farm in Vintrie, we uprooted thistle (a nightmare weed with roots that don’t quit), tilled, and prepared new beds, and did some planting.
Buddha joked with the volunteers about how a day on the farm was basically the new CROSSFIT… and, the next day, my body agreed. It IS, in fact an excellent workout, a great way to meet new people, and an empowering experience to be a part of the future of food.
Because, whether we like it or not, the future of food is the future of us.
Let’s face it – Convenience culture is great for feeding our need for instant gratification, but it’s also killing the planet.
We have to slow down and get back to basics when it comes to a number of things, but especially when it comes to the way we produce food.
From preparing the land and sowing the seeds to harvesting crops and preparing a meal, urban farming does so much more than just shorten the distance between farm and fork. It gives us a deeper and more intimate connection to the land we live on, the foods we eat, and the people in our communities we eat them with.
There’s no study to back this up… at least not that I’ve found… that’s just been my own experience. I can say with complete sincerity that getting involved with the urban farming community in Malmo has been one of the best experiences I’ve had since moving here three years ago. I have never felt more connected to people or the planet than I do right now.
There’s just something incredibly special about watching things grow – about knowing not only where your food comes from but the person who grew it – and it’s even better when you can get down and dirty and be a part of growing it, too.
Sure, it takes longer than it would to walk to the store and grab what you need for dinner, but man, is it magic to be a part of the process. We don’t all have to become a farmers, but we can all make it a point to be a little bit more mindful when it comes to the foods that we eat… and there’s no better time to start than the present.
