Why it’s critical to keep our community gardens and allotments growing during Coronavirus

Article from Sustain

Growing our own food is not just important for physical exercise but it can be an important source of fresh fruit and vegetables at a time of uncertainty for the food supply chain. Here Sofia Parente explains why community growing spaces and allotments should be supported by councils and landowners to grow safely during the lockdown and for the duration of this crisis.

Despite the spike in the interest in growing our own food shown by growth in sales of seeds and compost and reports from national charities such as Garden Organic and the RHS, this is a time of uncertainty for many allotment holders and community food growing spaces. In a recent survey undertaken by Sustain to growing spaces of the Capital Growth and Good to Grow networks, 70 per cent were hoping to keep growing but almost 20 per cent said that they will grow less than usual this year and almost 10 per cent said they were unsure whether they are growing anything at all this year. All this is happening against a backdrop of huge uncertainty about who will pick our crops and the UK’s ongoing reliance on imported fruit and vegetables.

Find out more: https://www.sustainweb.org/blogs/apr20_growing_coronavirus/?utm_source=Sustain&utm_campaign=5ecd8e3487-Good_To_Grow_10_20_2020_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_d2d28e0c33-5ecd8e3487-261691889