Science

Allotment land has been cut by 65 per cent in urban spaces since 1960


British cities have lost 65 per cent of allotment land since the mid-twentieth century, a new study claims.

Historic maps of 10 urban locations including Bristol, Glasgow and Liverpool showed lost allotment land in each could have grown around 2,500 tonnes of food per year. 

The poorer urban areas in particular have seen eight times more allotment closures than the wealthiest areas. 

A lack of allotment space means cities are more dependent on importing fruit and veg from abroad, which leads to food security risks.

Restoring former allotments could meet up to all of the current demand for new growing space, the University of Sheffield researchers said. 

In Bristol and Glasgow, for example, three quarters of former allotment land that hasn’t been built on could, if reconverted, feed more than 14,000 people per year. 

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Researchers say that the history of allotment site closures provides insights to help meet present day demand, which is rising due to an awareness of the health and social benefits of owing a plot

Researchers say that the history of allotment site closures provides insights to help meet present day demand, which is rising due to an awareness of the health and social benefits of owing a plot

Councils now have a legal obligation to provide enough growing space to meet demand, which has surged in the last 20 years as people become more aware of the benefits of homegrown produce, the team said. 

‘With waiting lists growing ever longer, this trend of declining allotment land is worrying – but our research has shown that one way councils could meet demand is simply by restoring former sites,’ said Dr Miriam Dobson, lead author of the study.

‘Growing our fruit and veg has huge benefits for people’s health and wellbeing, and can contribute to local food security and improve our environment.’

Change in allotment land provision in Leicester, England, over the twentieth century: a) 1910, b) 1950, c) 1970, d) 2016

Change in allotment land provision in Leicester, England, over the twentieth century: a) 1910, b) 1950, c) 1970, d) 2016

The team said the more economically deprived areas of the cities were the biggest victims, as they were more likely to see nearby allotments converted to commercial and industrial buildings.

‘Our findings strengthen the case for preserving existing plots and boosting growing space, particularly in deprived areas, to share those benefits more fairly across our cities.’ 

In England, demand for allotments has risen from fewer than ten people waiting per 100 plots in 1996, to more than 50 per 100 plots in 2013, a previous study claims.

Almost half of land suitable for restoration to allotment space is in the most deprived urban areas. Communities in these areas could benefit the most from growing their own veg

Almost half of land suitable for restoration to allotment space is in the most deprived urban areas. Communities in these areas could benefit the most from growing their own veg

Nationally, allotment plots numbered more than a million during the Second World War, due in part to public campaigns to ‘dig for victory’ and ‘grow your own’.

WHAT DOES ‘DIG FOR VICTORY’ MEAN?

The ‘Dig for Victory’ campaign was set up during WWII by the British Ministry of Agriculture.

Men and women across the country were encouraged to grow their own food in times of harsh rationing. 

Open spaces everywhere were transformed into allotments, from domestic gardens to public parks – even the lawns outside the Tower of London were turned into vegetable patches. 

Leaflets were part of a massive propaganda campaign aiming both to ensure that people had enough to eat, and that morale was kept high.  

However, the number of plots fell from an estimated 1,400,000 during the war to just 300,000 in 2009.

Driving factors for allotment closures over the twentieth century include post-war prosperity and the rise of convenience food, leading to a decrease in demand for food growing areas.

Pressures from urban development have also taken precedence over allotments when land is allocated.

Using online map service Digimap, the researchers analysed historic Ordnance Survey maps of 10 British urban areas – Bristol, Glasgow, Leicester, Liverpool, Milton Keynes, Newcastle, Nottingham, Sheffield, Southampton and Swansea. 

The authors found that about a quarter of all the areas that were historically recorded as allotments still existed as of 2016, while another quarter had become different types of green space, such as parks and nature reserves. 

However, just under half – 47.9 per cent – of allotments had been built on.

During the Second World War, millions of people across Britain ‘dug for victory’, planting vegetables in their gardens to feed their families. This image shows part of a poster used between 1939 and 1946 promoting the benefits of growing your own

During the Second World War, millions of people across Britain ‘dug for victory’, planting vegetables in their gardens to feed their families. This image shows part of a poster used between 1939 and 1946 promoting the benefits of growing your own

Researchers then calculated the potential of former allotment land to meet today’s demand, based on waiting lists, for five locations.

Four out of the five cities – Southampton, Newcastle, Leicester and Sheffield – would be able to meet current demand by restoring former allotments that have been converted to other forms of green space, they said. 

On average, three quarters of this land was suitable for reconversion, they said.

The study authors cited estimates that 25–30 per cent of urban residents now participate in urban agriculture to some degree.

Former allotments could meet up to 100 per cent of current demand for new growing space in some areas, researchers said

Former allotments could meet up to 100 per cent of current demand for new growing space in some areas, researchers said

By 2050, 90 per cent of the UK population – or 68 per cent globally – will be urban residents, according to the United Nations.

The study, which has been published in Landscape and Urban Planning, shows how crucial city spaces dedicated to growing produce could be.  

‘With the increasing urbanisation of populations, feeding urban communities equitably and sustainably is a pressing question,’ they write. 

‘Our findings strengthen the case for retaining those sites that remain today.’



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