In campus vegetable gardens, young people are growing their own food whilst fostering a sense of solidarity

University students in Istanbul are establishing alternative production spaces through the vegetable gardens they have set up on their campuses, promoting access to healthy food, food sovereignty and climate justice. The network of solidarity developing amongst universities aims to promote agroecological production and collective learning.

At a time when access to healthy and reliable food in cities is becoming increasingly difficult, university students are seeking a solution by creating their own production spaces. Campus gardens, particularly those established at various universities in Istanbul, are evolving beyond mere vegetable-growing areas into collective spaces where young people learn, produce and question the food system together.

These initiatives, born out of students’ quest to access healthy food on limited budgets, are gradually bringing together young people from different disciplines. Whilst architecture students contribute to the design of the gardens, engineering students develop solutions for technical needs such as irrigation systems. Students in the social sciences, meanwhile, lead discussions on topics such as food sovereignty, the right to the city and climate justice.

In this way, campus gardens have become spaces where theoretical knowledge meets everyday life, and where experiential learning and collective production take centre stage.

Solidarity among university gardens

The Campus Gardens Umbrella Network was established to share experiences of campus gardens, build a collective memory and support new initiatives. The network, which brings together the gardens at ITU’s Taşkışla and Ayazağa campuses, as well as those at Boğaziçi, Sabancı, Galatasaray and Bilgi Universities, aims to strengthen cooperation between universities.

This solidarity extends beyond the campuses. The Fair Food Community, the Beyoğlu Food Community, the Buğday Association for Supporting Ecological Living, historic urban gardens such as Piyalepaşa and Yedikule, and the Yerdeniz Cooperative are also among the stakeholders in this ecosystem.

The platform aims to support university students wishing to set up their own gardens by sharing knowledge and experience. As new participants join the process each term, knowledge of production is passed down from one generation to the next, whilst collective solutions are developed to address any challenges encountered.

Emphasis on agroecological production and local seeds

In the Campus Gardens Manifesto, young people define the gardens not merely as areas for agricultural production, but as spaces where alternative forms of urban living and solidarity can be developed.

The Manifesto advocates agroecological methods, production practices that do not use chemical inputs, and the circular economy as a response to the pressure exerted by industrial agriculture on nature. The conservation, propagation, storage and exchange of local and heirloom seeds are also among the movement’s key areas of focus.

Young people also emphasise that allotments must be accessible to everyone and free from discrimination. The platform, which is based on the principle of coming together regardless of race, language, religion, gender or class, aims to create spaces for free socialising and collective labour outside of consumption-oriented urban life.

Communities adopting a horizontal organisational model prioritise collective participation in decision-making processes and the contribution of individuals’ diverse skills to production.

Production spreading from campuses to the city

Campus gardens do more than simply enable young people to learn about how food is produced; they also provide a space for discussing alternatives to urban food systems. In an environment where access to land and agricultural production are becoming increasingly distant from urban life, these initiatives offer models of local solidarity that aim to bridge the gap between producers and consumers.

The experiences of the Campus Gardens Platform demonstrate that the struggle for food sovereignty and climate justice in cities can grow, starting from universities and extending to different communities.

Sources:

Wheat Association for the Support of Ecological Living, “Young people come together in Campus Gardens for food sovereignty, the right to the city and climate justice”, 28 October 2026, LinkedIn. Campus Gardens Platform, Campus Gardens Manifesto.

Apaçık Radio, ‘The Future of the Field, the Market and the Table’ programme, “From campus gardens to the city’s future: production”