Cycling for alternative systems, the Cargonomia experiment in Budapest in Cooperative City Magazine

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In Budapest, a group of enthusiastic and passionate young people came together to mix their own ingredients, in the form of independent initiatives: an organic and biodynamic farm, Zsámboki Biokert Spaces; a community-based Do it Yourself (DiY) bike workshop, Cyclonomia Spaces; and a self-organised bike messenger and delivery company, Kantaa, with an intended ‘spill’ of ‘social consciousness’. The result is Cargonomia. They look for improving their community by promoting creative socio-environmental alternatives in an urban scenario, where resources and spaces are constantly contested by different actors.

By Isaac Guzman Estrada, in Cooperative City Magazine, April 10, 2018.

In simple words, Cargonomia is a logistic centre for local organic food sales and distribution by cargo bikes made by the organisation itself. The customers access the website, and order either a small or big vegetable box with the option of adding traditional home-made bread from Pipacs or organic wine produced by one of the farmers in Terra Hungarica. The customer has the option of picking it up in the designated locations or having it delivered. In the latter case, every Thursday, the bike messengers get ready to ride the cargo-bike and stock the vegetable boxes, which come from the Zsámboki Biokert, a local farm located 50km away from Budapest. The messengers can carry over 100kg with the cargo bike, the food delivery service reaches out to a radius of around 30kms in Budapest. Finally, the consumers get their fresh organic products locally produced for an affordable price – ranging between 10-12 EUR – and in that way they support the families that work on the farm and other local initiatives. (more…)

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Borrow a Cargobike

Join our Cargobike sharing system

On the 29th of March we officially launched the Közteher – community cargobike sharing system. Around 100 friends and guests joined our party which also served as an opportunity to meet with new potential partners and hosts of bikes.
The system operates on a non-profit basis with the goal of making different types of cargobikes and trailers available around the city for the citizens and organisations. It is based on donation and self-organisation.
The system was developed in cooperation with a German collective located in Cologne which has allowed over 70 different initiatives in Germany, Austria, and now Hungary to make use of an open-source booking platform (which has been regularly updated after its initial launch.) this part maybe superfluous
At this stage we offer six cargobikes and three trailers in four different host sites in Buda and Pest.
We are currently having discussions with several partners and citizens to extend the number of bikes and locations. Feel free to contact us if you are interested in lending a cargobike or trailer which can be used in the system or helping establish a new host site in a community accessible space. Also feel free to make a donation to support us.
With cargobikes and trailers you can transport furniture, all the necessities for a picnic, musical instruments, books or tools… It is also a convivial way to share a nice ride with your children or your dog!

Since launching, the available cargobikes and trailers have been borrowed already 20 times and interest for them has grown with the arrival of spring.
We also successfuly particpated in the I bike Budapest parade and organized the first I Cargobike Budapest in cooperation with the event organizers. We have also continued regular public events which teach people how to use cargobikes for the first time in both Budapest and the village of Zsambok.

Cargonomia is a non-profit organisation supporting local organic food production, rural / urban dialogue and cooperation, sustainable transport solutions and education, research on degrowth, transition, sustainability, well-being, democracy and alternative economic systems.

More information on www.kozteherbringa.hu (list of partners and bikes)

Cargonomia team
www.cargonomia.hu
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