Podil Urban Farm - Kyiv’s First Community Garden

Hope takes root in the ruins.

In the heart of Kyiv’s historic Podil district, on a forgotten plot left vacant since the Soviets demolished a building in 1985, something extraordinary is growing: Ukraine’s first true community garden.

It began in autumn 2024—just neighbours, volunteers, and a dream. We cleared the debris, cut back the weeds, and planted seeds. Not just in the soil, but in the city’s soul. A garden built not with money or machines, but with hands, laughter, and defiance. In a time of war, we reclaimed space for healing, growing, and belonging.

Why a Community Garden?

In other countries, community gardens are everywhere—tiny green lungs breathing life into concrete neighbourhoods. In Ukraine, they’re almost unknown. That changes now.

This garden is more than flowers and vegetables. It’s compost and cooperation. It’s benches and belonging. It’s a democratic space in an undemocratic time. Every box, every tool, every bed is shared. We grow things—but we also grow trust, joy, resilience.

How It Works

• 500 UAH/year. One box (140×60 cm). Tools. Soil. Workshops.

• Everyone helps. Everyone votes. No bosses, no fences.

• There’s a Zen Garden too. For quiet. For mental health. For anyone needing stillness in the storm.

• We compost. We water by hand. We build everything ourselves. Slowly. Proudly.

Built by Us, for Us

No developers. No big plans gathering dust. Just citizens taking back the city, one square meter at a time.

Funded in part by Novo Nordisk’s Cities For Better Health initiative, but owned and run by the people of the community. And anyone who wants to be part of it.

Come plant something that matters.
Even in wartime, life insists on blooming. So do we.