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UK: Urban dwellers yearn for ‘Good Life’ allotments

Gardens at Hammersmith Allotments by Francis Dodd 1929. It is estimated that about 100,000 people in the UK are waiting for allotment plots.

Land set aside for allotments in the UK has declined by 65% from a peak in the “dig for victory” and post-war era.

By Mark Kinver
BBC Environment reporter
June 19, 2020

Excerpt:

“If the land within this was potentially suitable for reconversion to allotments was changed back to food production, the space available could meet up to 100% of the waiting list demand in the cities,” observed Ms Dobson.

In recent years, the demand for allotment plots has seen a renaissance, which many younger people wanted to grow their own fruit and veg, rather than it being seen as the preserve of pensioners.

During the Covid-19 lockdown, people with allotments have been spending a lot of their time on their plots, growing plenty of fresh fruit and veg – which, at times, have been challenging to source in supermarkets.

Ms Dobson observed: “We have already seen a huge increase in the number of people interested in growing their own food as a result of coronavirus, with garden centres and online shops selling out of seeds in the first weeks of lockdown.

“Coronavirus has… highlighted to people the fragility inherent within our globalised food system. In a time of crisis, interest in self-sufficiency rises.

She added that she felt there would likely be a surge in demand for allotment following this pandemic.

Read the complete article here.