The Centre for Environmental Education and Research (CEER) has participated in the 1st International Congress of Mediterranean Agroecology held in Agrigento (Sicily) between the 9 – 12 JUNE 2025. During this Congress, Cynthia Caruana presented a paper with the title: Promoting Individual and Community Based Grow-Your-Own-Food Programmes. This paper explored the motivations and obstacles individuals face when growing their own food, and examined how Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) training programmes can support both personal and community gardening efforts. It concluded that while interest in home-growing is high, many drop out due to poor yields or lack of guidance, whereas structured community efforts foster persistence, empowerment, and lasting impacts. Vincent Caruana, the Director of CEER set on the Scientific Committee of this Congress.

An agroecological perspective supports Anna Lindh Foundation's (ALF) mission by fostering youth empowerment, cultural dialogue centred around food and land, narrative transformation, cross-border civil society collaboration, and policy advocacy for sustainability and intercultural cohesion.

Food and agriculture hold deep cultural meaning. Agroecological transitions often involve reviving traditional farming methods, seed‑sharing, heritage crops, and collective rituals. These practices offer rich platforms for cultural exchange, storytelling, and mutual understanding—the kind of content ALF encourages through its education, culture, and citizenship initiatives. Furthermore, Agroecology provides a counter-narrative: one grounded in interdependence, ecological justice, local heritage, and cooperation rather than exploitation or monoculture. Sharing success stories from collaborative agroecological projects could shift perceptions of land, youth, and intercultural responsibility.

Dr. Censu Caruana,

Centre for Environmental Education and Research (CEER), Malta