Applying community growing skills

Cultivating communally

Description

Applying community growing skills involves mobilizing local knowledge and practical techniques to cultivate shared gardens and green spaces, thereby enhancing food security, social cohesion, and environmental resilience. This strategy empowers communities to address issues such as food deserts, poor nutrition, and urban blight by fostering collaboration, resource sharing, and sustainable land use. The essential action is the hands-on transfer and application of horticultural skills to collectively improve local well-being and self-sufficiency.

Implementation

The poverty-stricken Handsworth areas of Birmingham, UK has a high proportion of people from the Indian sub-continent, but relatively few outlets where they can buy the vegetables they are used to. However they did have other resources: expertise in growing oriental vegetables, a great deal of spare land and small grant. Ashram Acres, the gardens from derelict houses, were turned over to growing yams and other crops, additionally providing work for the unemployed and income for the community.