News Partnership

Signing of a partnership between the Urban Agriculture Laboratory and JUNIA

As part of the development of the "Agriculture and food for the future" demonstrator, JUNIA recently signed a partnership with the Urban Agriculture Laboratory (AU/LAB), a 15-year-old Candian research center specialized in the urbain agriculture. The aim of this partnership is to foster activities involving education, research and local communities support.

Innovation Research

In August 2022, JUNIA signed a partnership with a Canadian research laboratory as part of the development of the "Agriculture and Food for Tomorrow" demontrator

An international partnership

This international collaboration represents an opportunity for further development in urban agriculture, as the two organizations are now sharing their expertise, their knowledge and working practices, as well as their research dedicated spaces.

JUNIA’s goal is also to strengthen its ties with local collectivities and organizations as part of an urban agriculture development project by building an international experts’ network.

« This partnership is part of the development of an international network of urban agriculture research and training organizations, which began more than 10 years now ago with the first urban agriculture summer school in France. The creation of this network continued with the first French-speaking urban agriculture research workshops, held in Montreal in 2018, Bordeaux in 2019 and Brussels/Gembloux in 2022. » Eric DUCHEMIN, scientific director at AU/LAB

AU/LAB website

This partnership also aims to pool material and human resources to develop research and educational projects in urban agriculture.
Over the yeats, AU/LAB has set up a large research plateform allowing the realization of scientific activities in rooftop market gardening and indoor production and development pilot projects in technical and social innovations in urban agriculture.

Eric DUMCHEMIN highlighted that “AU/LAB wishes to share its expertise acquired through the implementation and management of the Centrale Agricole, a space for incubation, support and development of indoor urban farms”.

Agriculture and Food for the Future

More than just a school, JUNIA is a committed player in the field of agriculture and food for the future. In terms or urban agriculture, JUNIA already relies on its multi-site demonstrators: production modules such as an aquaponic system or a rooftop garden and a project to experiment with above-ground vine, an electromecanichal composter for recycling green and organic waste, and an urban located on the former Fives Cail factory in Lille an old factory (a project in partnership with Lilotopia).

For Marie Stankowiak, head of the “Agriculture and Foodfor the Future” demonstrator: ” Between now and 2023, JUNIA will also be able to use the Palais Rameau , a renovated historic building that will spearhead the demonstrator, which, in addition to the “agri-food” component, will include a component related to agriculture, including urban production. This partnership will therefore allow us to strengthen our activities around urban agriculture by working with AU/LAB on numerous projects.”