The Politics Of Growing A Carrot In Britain

An allotment (British English) (or in North America, a community garden), is a plot of land made available for individual, non-commercial gardening or growing food plants, so forming a kitchen garden away from the residence of the user. Such plots are formed by subdividing a piece of land into a few or up to several hundred parcels that are assigned to individuals or families. Such parcels are cultivated individually, contrary to other community garden types where the entire area is tended collectively by a group of people.

en.wikipedia.org...(gardening)

www.yaxleypc.org.uk...

Well run allotments provide healthy food, a healthy lifestyle and a sense of community. Other allotments sites are plagued with all manner of difficulties. Local authorities have long evaded their responsibility to provide sufficient plots.

. . . sites are becoming unnecessarily difficult to come by.

researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk...

Private businesses such as Allota Futureland Limited are offering instant 'no dig' plots for many times the rent of a local authority plot.

We think our beautiful planet and the wonderful people who live on it would be happier and healthier if we grew and ate more of our own food. Roots was born to help bring your food supply into your own hands.

With waiting lists for allotments stretching to over 14 years in the UK, it's not easy for those with small or no outdoor space to grow you own food and plants. We believe everyone should be able exercise their green fingers and feed your soul some goodness.

www.rootsallotments.com...

This is also what they think.

And here for balance is another view on their activities near Bristol.

And the inevitable Facebook group. www.facebook.com...

Many words have been spoken, many virtues have been signalled.

You'd almost think there was a plot to have us all eating bugs.

a reply to: TimBurr

I see those on the continent. Some of the spots look more set up to be a weekend getaway than a true gardening plot. Can understand why people want to grow some of their own food.

Cheers

I have been thinking about allotments recently. As the amount I could grow at home will feed my family for a couple of weeks max.

Realised there are no allotments available locally.

Thought about community scheme...

Thanks for posting thins - I didn't know of the big business model for commercial allotments.

So farmer's sell there land to big business - so they can rent out the land to the people at a profit.
All because the farmer cant / wont grow good food.

Sorta hints at commercial allotments being a short term placation of home growers before gov re-wilds them too.

Now its battle between the Greenies and the wannabe Greenies over who is greener.

Re-wild! - No! Grow Food - No!...

a reply to: McTech2

If the farmers can't, or don't want to, grow food on their land....Why don't they make the land available to rent (again, for profit) directly to the public?

Why involve a big business "middleman"?

a reply to: TimBurr

Looks good. All green n home spun, which is nice.

Makes me wonder why the company behind the brand, classes itself as a ALLOTA FUTURELAND LIMITED (Co.No 13784522) positions itself as a 62090 Industry Code - that is 'Other information technology service activities' - not very green or home spun sounding is it?

I think theres a story behind the story for this one.

a reply to: McTech2

The Roots bunch seem to be behaving like crazy coke fiends. They've taken out a 25 year lease on a meadow near Bristol.

The Meadows Group was set up in 2015 to share information and advice on maintaining and improving wild flower diversity in meadows in Abbots Leigh . . .

www.abbotsleigh.org.uk...

It's rocky land that dries out in a hot summer. The access off the road is dangerous, I had a near miss ten years ago just a hundred yards from their entrance. They haven't got permission for their proposed car park anyway.

One of their rules is to take away weed roots so that will have to be done by bus or bike or a dangerous pick-up by car. Dandelions and other strong rooted weeds grow up through the cardboard beneath their urban waste compost. I've dug these out myself from a similar project recently. No dig means much dig in real terms. Their fence is not fit for purpose, a muntjac deer got caught up on Boxing Day and stripped it's leg to the bone.

Other sites they set up seem to be functioning well with good community spirit and good gardening at a price that pleases the investors.

There are concerns that this will lead to councils upping the rent on allotments they are legally obliged to provide.

• Do Councils have a statutory duty to provide allotments?
Yes. If the council believes that there is a demand for allotments; they have a statutory duty to provide a sufficient number of plots. Section 23 of the Small Holdings and Allotments Act 1908.

www.allotmoreallotments.org.uk...

Chances are your local authority will be hopeless and the fake greenie business model will overcharge.

If all the nonsense relating to getting a patch to grow a carrot is really just random incompetence how is that it always works out against us? Wouldn't it be 50/50 if it was really just silly humans not quite being adequate?

I searched my area on this and immediately found a rent free back garden within walking distance. www.allotme.co.uk... Worth trying to see what's in your area.

a reply to: Partridge

Very much.

originally posted by: TimBurr

And here for balance is another view on their activities near Bristol.

These guys are utter morons and should under no circumstances be let near that meadow however the reason that they are able to, and which they allude to, is current environmental guidelines do not, strictly speaking, protect meadow habitats or ecosystems in general (other than those sites specifically designated as protected) what they protect or rather promote is increased biodiversity. That's the loop hole they are using by saying that they will increase biodiversity, which technically, in the short term, they will but mostly with the planting of cultivars. The biodiversity that currently exists there will sooner or later be displaced because the ecosystem they plan to set in motion will not support it.

Looking into it and the previous projects seem to be more grassland/pasture than meadow habitats as a rule. I suspect that they are utilising government grants for organic conversion hence why they point out that they are not currently organic. You only get funding for the first couple of years though (800plus a year per hectare), but once certified organic the land increases in value and can be used for commercial growing or grazing. The allotees do all the work for them conditioning the soil. And, they are probably going to be claiming grants for biodiversity too, that's another 800ish per hectare.

Not a bad business model really - messing with meadow habitats aside that is.

Woodland creation grant money is good too, but a longer term investment obviously.

a reply to: BrucellaOrchitis

The day you posted this there was a collision a short distance from the site.

A key road near Bristol was partially blocked in both directions after a crash this afternoon (January 4). Traffic was reportedly moving slowly on the A369 Haberfield Hill after a collision was reported near the Pill turn-off in Abbots Leigh.

www.bristolpost.co.uk...

It really is an unsuitable location for many reasons.

What will happen to the other sites if Roots come tumbling down due to the unrealistic expectations they have here?

What talking points will politicians then be prompted to use in the next round of pre-prepared allotment legislation?

Do the people who want us serfs kept in our place wish us to have efficient, local personal food production?

Could this be a planned failure that is designed to lead thoughtful but naive legislators into backing a pre-written 'act of parliament' that will have a negative effect on food security?

I'll be interested to see how all this will affect the enthusiasm of new allotmenteers.

Meanwhile I've been personally inspired by this to start approaching owners of underused land with a mutually beneficial proposal. You know times are hard when sharecropping looks attractive.

Farming has been changing the pre-farming environment ever since farming began. The same objections could have been raised in the Neolithic, and civilisation would never have got off the ground.

In present circumstances, perhaps we need to revive the war slogan of "Digging for victory".

originally posted by: TimBurr

There are concerns that this will lead to councils upping the rent on allotments they are legally obliged to provide.

• Do Councils have a statutory duty to provide allotments?
Yes. If the council believes that there is a demand for allotments; they have a statutory duty to provide a sufficient number of plots. Section 23 of the Small Holdings and Allotments Act 1908.

www.allotmoreallotments.org.uk...

Need to check small print as high likely hood council will be able to discharge this duty to outsourced private sector arrangements (maybe under subsequent and possibly not directly related, legislation).

Chances are your local authority will be hopeless and the fake greenie business model will overcharge.

If all the nonsense relating to getting a patch to grow a carrot is really just random incompetence how is that it always works out against us? Wouldn't it be 50/50 if it was really just silly humans not quite being adequate?

Funny thing that! Incompetence in workers for state actors not matched by counterparts in private sector. There's a reason for the idea local authorities employ people who cannot get jobs anywhere else.

I searched my area on this and immediately found a rent free back garden within walking distance. www.allotme.co.uk... Worth trying to see what's in your area.

Thanks for the link - very useful.

a reply to: TimBurr

I am wondering if all the venture capital has something to do with investment in carbon off-setting.

Legislative wise, the difficulty is that DEFRA got dealt a double whammy, first the government drastically cut environmental funding and then we voted to leave Europe which provided almost all of our legislative protections. We're still working to fill those gaps but it is a massive task hindered by lack of funding (as is everything). Currently, food security is far less of an issue, yes we need to increase domestic production, but trade has responded and adapted positively to the change. Protecting the natural environment is a greater concern particularly from those who are looking to profit from the legislative gap.

If you're looking for something more urban, not-for-profit, particularly if you want to develop a community project then there is grant money available.

www.grantsonline.org.uk...

Government grants are currently still running on the Net Zero promise even though that has been somewhat stepped back from but are mostly directed at tree planting and woodland maintenance. But woodland environments can be highly productive sources of food. And, you can generally apply for these even if you don't own the land yourself but have a lease or owner's permission.

www.gov.uk...

I would also recommend that you look at any churches in suburban areas, particularly the Church of England who have created a number of schemes aimed at nurturing "God's acre" through re-wilding of burial grounds but who are still somewhat stimmied by a lack of youth and enthusiasm in terms of using non-burial ground land productively.

www.caringforgodsacre.org.uk...

I like the garden sharing idea. Nothing even remotely close to me but allotment waiting is only about 3-4 years on average here if I was in the market.

originally posted by: DISRAELI2
Farming has been changing the pre-farming environment ever since farming began. The same objections could have been raised in the Neolithic, and civilisation would never have got off the ground.

The problem is with the industrialisation of the process, particularly post WW2, which has caused significant damage to the food chain. As a priorty we need to repair that damage going forward.

a reply to: Mantiss2021

You'll be giving Jeremy Clarkson ideas!

Rainbows
Jane