There is a lot to admire in the suggestion that community gardens could be spread across the derelict spaces in our cities.
Those behind the Glasgow Food Charter believe that more such spaces can be brought into use to help make food cheaper, more accessible, and create less waste. This is already happening on 16 sites across the city, and the approach could be extended – within Glasgow, which has considerable resources of unused and derelict land, and elsewhere in Scotland.
Backers of the strategy are right to point out that farmer’s markets don't offer an ideal solution to the food poverty that afflicts many communities. For the most part they cater to affluent foodies. Meanwhile the fantastic tradition of allotmenting has its limits in terms of lengthy waiting lists and the big commitment involved in maintaining a full plot is not for everyone.
But developing unused corners for community growing has huge potential. As the proponents of the food charter point out, involvement in a community garden has a great deal more to offer than simply growing your own food. Networks of support, particularly in deprived communities are a valuable additional crop. Such projects can aid the integration of immigrants and offer benefits for physical and mental health.
Chatterati terms like sustainability and food miles may have limited purchase if you are relying on food banks to survive, for instance, but the value of cheap, locally produced food is indisputable.
Is it realistic to imagine hundreds of community gardens all over Glasgow and even other cities? It is, but those behind Glasgow's Food Charter seem thin on what is needed to make it happen.
It will take investment. That isn’t necessarily financial – although ambitious growing groups will quickly find that some spending is necessary to achieve their goals. But support to grow capacity and skills, as well as vegetables, is vital – enthusiasm and green fingers will not be enough in their own right.
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