The University section of Argotti Botanic Gardens has been buzzing with a different activity from its usual day-to-day running since June 2012.
The Horticulture Training as a Means to Enhance Skills of Refugees and Asylum Seekers (Hortes) project aimed to do exactly what its title says – supported by the European Regional Fund, it aimed to teach refugees and asylum seekers the basics of gardening.
The course was spread over three levels, from beginners to advanced, each taking approximately three months to complete.
The first months were dedicated to intensive preparation for the course. The refugees and asylum seekers, who came from three open centres – two in Ħal Far and one in Marsa – attended theory sessions and practical training twice weekly.
The initiative was focused on refugees and asylum seekers staying at open centres because, at this stage, they would be preparing to leave their centre to find a home and make a fresh start. The acquisition of new skills enhances their chances of employment and helps them in their process of integration.
Argotti Gardens director Joseph Buhagiar, who led the project, together with his team at the gardens, was involved in teaching the participants different aspects of plant biology, identifying both ornamental and wild plant species, watering needs of different plants, nutrition and compost, among other topics.
The ultimate aim was to teach the participants how to care for plants in a local garden environment, the different techniques of plant propagation, pruning, spotting disease and methods of eradicating the problem.
The group took part in different practical sessions, putting theory to practice in the garden. These practical sessions were often on a one-to-one basis with Argotti gardening and technical staff. The sessions included handling garden equipment and machinery, using scaffolding to reach tall trees for pruning, watering and irrigation, planting ornamental plants for display, seed collection, cleaning and sowing.
The refugees and asylum seekers were also given the opportunity to care for a small garden at their respective open centres, in between lessons.
For this purpose they were given seeds, seedlings and ornamental plants, together with a set of tools.
The course was concluded at the end of June, which also marked the completion of the initiative. At the closing ceremony held at Argotti Botanic Gardens, the participants received certificates of attendance for the levels they had attained. Representatives of the Argotti team and of the various open centres were present at the ceremony.
This initiative gave this group of refugees and asylum seekers the tools and skills needed to be more successful in finding a job in the gardening industry.