We’ve seen time and again how a simple vegetable garden can transform lives. Connecting with the land, connecting with each other, connecting with nature and the simple act of working to grow food to donate is incredibly powerful. Even more so for those in our communities who are socially excluded. We’ve been lucky enough to find garden space to invite people to grow food in a safe and secure environment. Land is hard to find.
Socially excluded people are often financially excluded and live in places without garden space. Some of our volunteers live in homeless accommodation and are moved from one location to another. For these volunteers, a vegetable garden provides a regular home, a place to put down roots, both physically and figuratively. Some of our volunteers travel great distances simply to work in a vegetable garden. It’s the only way they have access to this life-changing community resource.
While travelling by bus, bicycle, or train to volunteer in our gardens, we see empty plots of land, overgrown and neglected. Lots for sale on brownfield sites that haven’t been touched in years. Council controlled land with no activity, overgrown with weeds. While we crowd as many vegetables into our small plot as possible, over the hedge we see a huge plot of undeveloped land with a for sale sign topped with razor wire.
It would be so easy to turn these disused plots of land into local vegetable gardens. Some of our volunteers have plenty of free time to spend tending a local garden plot as well as working in Egino Emerging gardens. However, approaching a landowner or the council to get permission to do so is incredibly intimidating for some. The socially excluded often lack the self-confidence to knock on doors and push against bureaucracy to break down barriers.
That’s why Egino Emerging supports Incredible Edible’s Right to Grow campaign. A simple new law compelling local governments to identify land for free use to grow food would be so easy. New community gardens can spring up everywhere. Small areas easily cultivated by one or two people would be a welcome addition to the lives of the socially excluded. Many of our volunteers would gladly spend the day working in a big Egino Emerging garden and then spend a few hours a week in a local vegetable garden.
Our garden volunteers have the knowledge, experience, drive, and attitude to help the community with fresh, local, free food. All they need is the land to grow it on.
Please connect with the Right To Grow campaign