An allotment garden (British English), often called simply
an allotment, or a community garden (North America) is a plot of land made
available for individual, non-commercial gardening or growing food plants. Such
plots are formed by subdividing a piece of land into a few or up to several
hundreds of land 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. In countries
that do not use the term allotment (garden), a community garden can refer to
individual small garden plots as well as to a single, large piece of land
gardened collectively by a group of people. The term victory garden is also
still sometimes used, especially when a community garden dates back to World
War II or I.
The individual size of a parcel generally ranges between 50
and 400 square metres, and often the plots include a shed for tools and
shelter. The individual gardeners are usually organised in an allotment
association, which leases or is granted the land from an owner who may be a
public, private or ecclesiastical entity, and who usually stipulates that it be
only used for gardening (i.e. growing vegetables, fruits and flowers), but not
for residential purposes (this is usually also required by zoning laws). The
gardeners have to pay a small membership fee to the association, and have to
abide by the corresponding constitution and by-laws. However, the membership
entitles them to certain democratic rights.
Socio-cultural and economic functions of allotments
The Luxembourg-based Office International du Coin de Terre
et des Jardins Familiaux, representing three million European allotment
gardeners since 1926, describes the socio-cultural and economic functions of
allotment gardens as offering an improved quality of life, an enjoyable and
profitable hobby, relaxation, and contact with nature. For children, gardens
offer places to play and to learn about nature, while for the unemployed, they
offer a feeling of doing something useful as well as low-cost food. For the
elderly and disabled, gardens offer an opportunity to meet people, to share in
activity with like-minded people, and to experience activities like planting
and harvesting.
Allotment gardens in different countries
Czechoslovakia
Allotment plot, Prague, Czech Republic
Allotment gardening used to be widely popular in the former
Czechoslovakia under the communist regime. It gave people from suburban prefab
apartment blocks - called "paneláky" in Czech - a chance to escape
from city chaos, pollution, and concrete architecture.Holiday houses and
gardens served also as the only permitted form of investment of savings for
common middle-class citizens.
Denmark
In 1778 land was laid out outside the fortifications of
Fredericia for allotment gardens and according to an 1828 circular from the
royal chancellery allotment gardens were established in several towns.
Private initiative formed the first Danish allotment
association in Aalborg in 1884 and in Copenhagen an association named
"Arbejdernes Værn" (lit. "The Worker's Protection") founded
the first allotment gardens of the Danish Capital in 1891. Since then allotment
gardens have spread to most Danish towns.
In 1904 there were about 20,000 allotment gardens in
Denmark. 6,000 of them were in Copenhagen. During the interwar years the number
of allotment gardens grew rapidly. In 2001 the number of allotment gardens was
estimated to be about 62,120.
In 1908 twenty allotment associations in Copenhagen formed
the Allotment Garden Union which in 1914 was expanded to cover all of Denmark.
The Allotment Garden Federation was founded to negotiate more favourable deals
with the state and the municipalities from which the allotments associations
rented the land. Today the federation represents roughly 400 allotment
associations in 75 municipalities.
The Danish tradition for allotment gardens later spread to
the other Scandinavian countries; first Sweden, then Norway and Finland.
Today most allotment gardens are on land owned by the
municipality which rents the land to an allotment association. The association
in turn gives each member a plot of land. To preserve allotment gardens as
something that is available for all kinds of people the membership charge is
set significantly below what a market price would be. Since allotments are
often placed on attractive plots of land, this has led to huge waiting lists
for membership in many allotment associations.
Although the main purpose of the allotment is gardening,
most allotment gardens have a pavilion built in them. These pavilions can range
in size from an old rebuilt railway car to a small summer house. Many people
grow so fond of their allotment gardens that they live there the entire summer.
In most cases, however, members are not allowed to live there the entire year.
Finland
Allotment gardens in Vallila, only 2-3 km from central
Helsinki. Each allotment contains a summer-cottage-type building.
The first allotment garden was established 1916 in Tampere.
Nowadays there are about 50 allotment gardens all around Finland. Those gardens
have 5000 allotmenteers.
France
In many localities in France, when allotments exist, they
are sited in marginal zones (edges of motorways, railways, industrial parks…)
unsuitable for other uses. These places suffer from poor access, may not be
safe, and often lack a water supply, and are not protected from real estate
transactions.
Germany
Allotments in Germany
The history of the allotment gardens in Germany is closely
connected with the period of industrialization and urbanization in Europe
during the 19th century when a large number of people migrated from the rural
areas to the cities to find employment and a better life. Very often, these
families were living under extremely poor conditions suffering from
inappropriate housing, malnutrition and other forms of social neglect. To
improve their overall situation and to allow them to grow their own food, the
city administrations, the churches or their employers provided open spaces for
garden purposes. These were initially called the "gardens of the
poor".
The idea of organised allotment gardening reached a first
peak after 1864, when the so-called "Schreber Movement" started in
the city of Leipzig in Saxony. A public initiative decided to lease areas
within the city, with the purpose to make it possible for children to play in a
healthy environment, and in harmony with nature. Later on, these areas included
actual gardens for children, but soon adults tended towards taking over and
cultivating these gardens. This kind of gardening also became popular in other
European countries such as Austria and Switzerland. In German-speaking
countries, allotment gardens are accordingly generally known as Schrebergärten
(singular: Schrebergarten), sometimes literally translated as "Schreber
gardens".
The aspect of food security provided by allotment gardens
became particularly evident during World Wars I and II. The socio-economic
situation was very miserable, particularly as regards the nutritional status of
urban residents. Many cities were isolated from their rural hinterlands and
agricultural products did not reach the city markets anymore or were sold at
very high prices at the black markets. Consequently, food production within the
city, especially fruit and vegetable production in home gardens and allotment
gardens, became essential for survival. The importance of allotment gardens for
food security was so obvious that in 1919, one year after the end of World War
I, the first legislation for allotment gardening in Germany was passed. The
so-called "Small Garden and Small-Rent Land Law", provided security
in land tenure and fixed leasing fees. In 1983, this law was amended by the
"Federal Allotment Gardens Act"(Bundeskleingartengesetz). Today,
there are still about 1.4 million allotment gardens in Germany covering an area
of 470 km2. In Berlin alone there are 833 allotment garden complexes.
Malta
Allotments at Għammieri, Malta
Malta introduced its first allotment gardens in April 2011.
The scheme, which is called “Midd Idejk fil-Biedja” (Try Your Hand at Farming),
aims to encourage people, especially the young and those living in urban areas,
to take up organic farming. There are currently over 50 allotment plots located
at Għammieri, Malta. All plots are fully irrigated and those who have entered
the scheme receive continual support and training to ensure that their efforts
bear fruit. The scheme is run by The Ministry for Resources and Rural Affairs.
Netherlands
The first allotment gardens in the Netherlands were founded
in 1838. In the 19th century, cities started allotment gardens for
working-class families. Around the first world war, the users of the gardens
started demanding that the gardens would be governed by the members. In 1928
the allotment garden societies founded the national level "het Algemeen
Verbond van Volkstuindersverenigingen in Nederland (AVVN)." Until the
1950s, the gardens were primarily used for vegetable production, since then
there has been a shift to recreational use. Depending on the city and society,
small sheds, greenhouses or small garden houses are allowed. In some cases,
permanent habitation is allowed during summertime. The Netherlands has 240,000
allotments.
Norway
There are 13 allotment gardens in Norway, with around 2000
allotments. The oldest, Etterstad Kolonihager, dates to 1908. The largest,
Solvang Kolonihager, has around 600 allotments and is in Oslo, close to the
woods and Sognsvann lake. The allotment gardens are quite popular, and there
can be a waiting list of 10 and in some cases even 20 years.
Philippines
Kauswagan Allotment Garden, Cagayan de Oro
In 2003, the first allotment garden of the Philippines was
established in Cagayan de Oro City, Northern Mindanao as part of a European
Union funded project. Meanwhile, with the assistance of the German Embassy in
Manila and several private donors from Germany, this number has grown to five
self-sustaining gardens located in different urban areas of the city, enabling
a total of 55 urban poor families the legal access to land for food production.
Further four allotment gardens, two of them within the premises of public
elementary schools are presently being set up for additional 36 families using
the Asset Based Community Development approach. (Health Promoting Schools,
Ecological Sanitation and School Gardens in Mindanao) Some of the gardeners
belong to the poorest in the city, the garbage pickers of the city’s landfill
site. Aside from different vegetables, the gardeners grow also herbs and
tropical fruits. In some gardens, small animals are kept and fish ponds are
maintained to avail the gardeners of additional protein sources for the daily
dietary needs. Each allotment garden has a compost heap where biodegradable
wastes from the garden as well as from the neighboring households are converted
into organic fertilizer, thus contributing to the integrated solid waste
management program of the city. Further, all gardens are equipped with
so-called urine-diverting ecological sanitation toilets similar to practices in
Danish allotment gardens described by Bregnhøj et al. (2003).
Poland
In Poland, allotment gardens date back to 1897 when Doctor
Jan Jalkowski founded the "Sun Baths" (Polish: "Kapiele
Sloneczne") community gardens and public health area in Grudziadz.After
WWII, allotment gardens were popular among city dwellers living in suburban
apartment blocks. Under current law they are called "family
allotments". The Polish Association of Allotment Gardeners represents the
interest of owners in legal and tax issues.
Portugal
Allotments on the outskirts of Lisbon.
Allotment gardens in Portugal are often precarious, as land
is spontaneously divided into strips as cities grow.
Russia
Russian allotments (dacha), Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Russia
Allotments at Sista-Palkino, Lomonosovsky District,
Leningrad Oblast, by the Sista river
The first allotments ("dachas") in Russia began to
appear during the reign of Peter the Great. Initially they were small estates
in the country, which were given to loyal vassals by the Tsar. In archaic
Russian, the word dacha means something given.
During the Age of Enlightenment, Russian aristocracy used
their allotments for social and cultural gatherings, which were usually
accompanied by masquerade balls and fireworks displays. The Industrial
Revolution brought about a rapid growth in the urban population, and urban
residents increasingly desired to escape the heavily polluted cities, at least
temporarily. By the end of the 19th century, the allotment became a favorite
summer retreat for the upper and middle classes of Russian society.
After the Bolshevik revolution of 1917, most dachas were
nationalized. Some were converted into vacation homes for the working class,
while others, usually of better quality, were distributed among the prominent
functionaries of the Communist Party and the newly emerged cultural and
scientific elite. All but a few allotments remained the property of the state
and the right to use them was usually revoked when a dacha occupant was
dismissed or fell out of favor with the rulers of the state. Joseph Stalin's
favourite Dacha was in Gagra, Abkhazia. The construction of new dachas was restricted
until the late 1940s and required the special approval of the Communist Party
leadership.
The period after World War II saw a moderate growth in dacha
development. Since there was no actual law banning the construction of dachas,
squatters began occupying unused plots of land near cities and towns, some
building sheds, huts, and more prominent dwellings that served as dachas. This
practice of squatting was spurred by the desire of urban dwellers, all living
in multi-story apartment buildings, to spend some time close to nature, and
also to grow their own fruits and vegetables. The latter was caused by the
failure of the centrally planned Soviet agricultural program to supply enough
fresh produce. As time passed, the number of squatters grew geometrically and
the government had no choice but to officially recognize their right to amateur
farming. The 1955 legislation introduced a new type of legal entity into the
Soviet juridical system, a so-called "gardeners' partnership"
(садоводческое товарищество; not to be confused with community garden). The
gardeners' partnerships received the right to permanent use of land exclusively
for agricultural purposes and permission to connect to public electrical and
water supply networks. In 1958, yet another form of organization was
introduced, a "cooperative for dacha construction (DSK)"
(дачно-строительный кооператив), which recognized the right of an individual to
build a small house on the land leased from the government.
The 1980s saw the peak of the dacha boom, with virtually
every affluent family in the country having a dacha of their own or spending
weekends and holidays at friends' dachas. Often ill-equipped and without indoor
plumbing, dachas were nevertheless the ultimate solution for millions of Russian
working-class families to having an inexpensive summer retreat. Having a piece
of land also offered an opportunity for city dwellers to indulge themselves in
growing their own fruits and vegetables. To this day, May Day holidays remain a
feature of Russian life allowing urban residents a long weekend to plant seeds
and tend fruit trees as the ground defrosts from the long Russian
winter.[citation needed] Since there are no other national holidays that are
long enough for planting, many employers give their staff an extra day off
specifically for that purpose.[citation needed]
The collapse of communism in the Soviet Union saw the return
to private land ownership. Most dachas have since been privatized, and Russia
is now the nation with the largest number of owners of second homes.[citation
needed] The growth of living standards in recent years allowed many dacha
owners to spend their discretionary income on improvements. Thus, many recently
built dachas are fully equipped houses suitable for use as permanent
residences. The market-oriented economy transformed the dacha into an asset,
which generally reflects the prosperity of its owner and can be freely traded
in the real estate market.
Due to the rapid increase in urbanization in Russia, many
village houses are currently being sold to be used as allotments. Many Russian
villages now have dachniki as temporary residents. Some villages have been
fully transformed into dacha settlements, while some older dacha settlements
often look like more permanent lodgings. The advantages of purchasing a dacha
in a village usually are: lower costs, greater land area, and larger distances
between houses. The disadvantages may include: lower-quality utilities, less
security, and typically a farther distance to travel.
Sweden
Allotment huts in the open air museum Skansen, Stockholm
In 1895, the first allotment garden of Sweden was
established in Malmö, followed by Stockholm in 1904. The local authorities were
inspired by Anna Lindhagen, a social-democratic leader and a woman in the upper
ranks of society, who visited allotment gardens in Copenhagen and was delighted
by them. In her first book on the topic devoted to the usefulness of allotment
gardens she wrote:
For the family,
the plot of land is a uniting bond, where all family members can meet in shared
work and leisure. The family father, tired with the cramped space at home, may
rejoice in taking care of his family in the open air, and feel responsible if
the little plot of earth bestows a very special interest upon life.
Anna Lindhagen is said to have met Lenin when he passed
through Stockholm from the exile in Switzerland on their return trip to Russia
after the February Revolution in 1917. She invited him to the allotment gardens
of "Barnängen" to show all its benefits. However, she did not win his
approval. Lenin was totally unresponsive to this kind of activity. To poke in
the soil was to prepare the ground for political laziness in the class
struggle. The workers should not be occupied with gardening, they should rather
devote themselves to the proletarian revolution.
The Swedish Federation of Leisure Gardening was founded in
1921 and represents today more than 26,000 allotment and leisure gardeners. The
members are organised in about 275 local societies all over Sweden. The land is
usually rented from the local authorities.
United Kingdom
This
section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this
article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be
challenged and removed. (March 2012)
Allotments in the rural village of Jordans
UK allotment gardens near Middlesbrough, showing typical
sheds and use of junk and recycled materials
A 1732 engraving of Birmingham, England shows the town
encircled by allotments, some of which still exist to this day. The accolade
for the oldest allotment site is reserved by Great Somerford Free Gardens in
the Wiltshire village of Great Somerford. These were created in 1809 following
a letter from Rev Stephen Demainbray to King George III in which he asked the
king to spare, in perpetuity, 6 acres from the Inclosure Acts for the benefit
of the poor of the parish.
Following these Inclosure Acts and the Commons Act 1876 the
land available for personal cultivation by the poor was greatly diminished. To
fulfil the need for land allotment legislation was included. The law was first
fully codified in the Small Holdings and Allotments Act 1908, it was modified
by the Allotments Act 1922 and subsequent Allotments Acts up until 1950.
Under the acts a local authority is required to maintain an
"adequate provision" of land, usually a large allotment field which
can then be subdivided into allotment gardens for individual residents at a low
rent. Allotment sizes are often quoted in square rods, although the use of the
rod has been illegal for trade purposes since 1965. The rent is set at what a
person "may reasonably be expected to pay" (1950), in 1997 the
average rent for a 10 square rods (approx. 250 m2) plot was £22 a year. In
February 2012 the UK's first Green-controlled council (Brighton and Hove)
caused controversy when they stated their intention to raise the rent for a
standard 250 m2 plot to £110 per year with many people suggesting that this was
contrary to the environmental agenda on which they were elected. Each plot
cannot exceed 40 square rods (1000 m2) and must be used for the production of
fruit or vegetables for consumption by the plot-holder and their family (1922),
or of flowers for use by the plot-holder and their family. The exact size and
quality of the plots is not defined. The council has a duty to provide
sufficient allotments to meet demand. The total income from allotments was
£2.61 million and total expenditure was £8.44 million in 1997.[citation needed]
The total number of plots has varied greatly over time. In
the 19th and early 20th century, the allotment system supplied much of the
fresh vegetables eaten by the poor.[citation needed] In 1873 there were 244,268
plots and by 1918 there were around 1,500,000 plots. While numbers fell in the
1920s and 1930s, following an increase to 1,400,000 during World War II there
were still around 1,117,000 plots in 1948. This number has been in decline
since then, falling to 600,000 by the late 1960s and 300,000 by 2009. The
Thorpe Inquiry of 1969 investigated the decline and put the causes as the
decline in available land, increasing prosperity and the growth of other
leisure activities.
Increased interest in "green" issues from the
1970s revived interest in allotment gardening, whilst the National Society of
Allotment and Leisure Gardeners (NSALG), and the Scottish Allotments and
Gardens Society (SAGS) in Scotland, continued to campaign on the behalf of
allotment users. However, the rate of decline was only slowed, falling from
530,000 plots in 1970 to 497,000 in 1977, although there was a substantial
waiting list. By 1980 the surge in interest was over, and by 1997 the number of
plots had fallen to around 265,000, with waiting lists of 13,000 and 44,000
vacant plots. In 2008 The Guardian reported that 330,000 people held an
allotment, whilst 100,000 were on waiting lists.
In 2006, a report commissioned by the London Assembly
identified that whilst demand was at an all-time high across the capital, the
pressures caused by high density building was further decreasing the amount of
allotment land. The issue was given further publicity when The Guardian
newspaper reported on the community campaign against the potential impact of
the development for the 2012 Summer Olympics on the future of the century-old
Manor Garden Allotments.In March 2008, Geoff Stokes, secretary of the NSALG,
claimed that Councils are failing in their duty to provide allotments.
"[T]hey sold off land when demand was not so high. This will go on because
developers are now building houses with much smaller gardens." The Local
Government Association has issued guidance asking councils to consider
requiring developers to set land aside to make up for the shortfalls in
allotment plots.
Against the falling trend of land set aside for allotments
is an increasing awareness of the need for cities to counter issues of food
security and climate change through greater self-sufficiency. This drive to
expand allotments is also a response to food price inflation, a need to reduce
food miles and surplus provision of land in post-industrial towns and cities in
the developed world. Some of these themes were taken up in a recent urban
agriculture project in Middlesbrough in the Tees Valley.
United States
A growing number of "community gardens" have been
founded in the United States. Many of these began as "victory
gardens" in World War II, and evolved into community gardens. Plots in
these gardens are often rented out by the city, starting at plots of just 5 ft
× 5 ft (1.52 m × 1.52 m). Due to the green movement many new gardens are being
set up.[citation needed]
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