A simple digital solution for vegetable garden rentals
The City of Hafnarfjörður has considered it important to regularly roll out new solutions, both large and small, and one of these was launched at the beginning of the summer. With a simple and accessible solution, it is possible to book and pay for a plot to grow vegetables.
Residents can see the layout of the available allotments, choose a plot that is free and pay online by card. It's really just a simple „online shop“ where residents can serve themselves, whereas previously you had to apply by submitting an application in the hope of getting a plot, and then pay by bank transfer or by visiting the customer service centre.
This small project may not seem like much in the grand scheme of things, but it is nevertheless important because many small things make one big thing. We must also not get lost in the large projects, many of which can take 1-2 years to develop and produce. Small projects like this, calculators and a waste collection lookup improve the service, streamline processes and increase resident satisfaction.
The project was a bit of a surprise; we heard this spring that our friends in Garðabær had launched a new solution for ordering vegetable plots, or family gardens as they are called in Hafnarfjörður. The solution connects to the Navision accounting system that we, like Garðabær, use, and it was a straightforward matter to request permission to use the same platform, which the company Wise then developed for us in a relatively short space of time.
The municipalities are working closely together on digital solutions, which is extremely important because, overall, digital transformation is very costly and it doesn't make sense to reinvent the wheel every time. We thank Garðabær for taking the initiative on this solution.