Retraining of Master Composters to become ‘Closed Loop Garden Management Advisors’
About this good practice
Voluntary Master Composter are active since 1995. It started with 5 municipalities and 10 years later almost all municipalities in Flanders had Master Composters.
Since 2005, they focus on Closed Loop Gardening Techniques, an extended version of Composting at Home.
Since ±2015 we see some concerns, trends, demands ..
- A demand for comprehensive garden management advice (total advice, not partial)
- A need for information about ‘how to deal with climate, water, biodiversity issues’
- A concern about the garden robustness (in relation to climate change).
- A new trend in training of several types of garden advising volunteers
- A decline in (the demand for advice by) Master Composters, but at the same time a demand for one-to-one advice about climate issues in the garden (that often can be dealed with using Closed Loop Gardening Techniques).
Pilot projects are currently running in 4 regions.
The aim is to wisely using the knowledge which Master Composter have gained through the years. Further pilot projects are planned in ’24 and ’25.
Resources needed
A group of enthusiastic volunteers (Master composters), a training period, a (booking) application on the (inter)municipal website, a staff member who may spend time supervising volunteers and contacting garden owners, and a small amount of money for volunteers (f.i. in Flanders € 41,50/day).
Evidence of success
For the moment we have:
- a 4-day training course;
- 5 advisor trainers;
- 35 active advisors;
- 4 intermunicipal waste associations with active advisors;
- 500 advice moments (2024);
- 3 other intermunicipal waste associations that will start a training programme.
Potential for learning or transfer
Ensuring that the (waste) knowledge and the knowledge about closed loop gardening techniques of volunteers is used meaningfully for new social and environmental questions and issues.