Turn the city into a growing landscape

Would'nt it be great to see our open spaces used in a much more practical and rewarding way.  NOt to turn each and every park into an allotment but to allow the local school or community group to showcase what can be achieved in a small space.  It would need community involvement and leadership but to have something productive coming off the land and feeding directly back into the restaurants / shops and markets that surround the city would be a massive education to everyone involved.  The city has a lot of unused land and spaces that could benefit the community to feel as though they are making a difference and feeding back into the infrastrucure, trading in Bristol pounds and making use of all those toilet blocks as renovated cafes and spaces for the future. 

Why the contribution is important

Whilst food, and by implication farming, is so clearly a part of everyone’s lives, the aim of the project would be to create a sustainable model of how food is grown, distributed and even eaten.  The aim would be to re-connect people with land, the soil and allow the community to get directly involved and feel part of something really special.  

This would allow people of all ages to contribute to the cities need for more and more food and to know exactly where their food is grown and who is growing it, buying it cooking it and eating it.  Food Education is also vital to the next generations understanding about what is wrong in today soicety and how we can change the habits that we currently have and better the situation for the future, this would be a small but significant way of engagement.

 

 

by user661118 on November 23, 2013 at 06:32PM

Current Rating

Average rating: 4.2
Based on: 19 votes

Comments

  • Posted by user596197 November 25, 2013 at 13:35

    I really like the idea of schools/nurseries/educational establishments that have access to parks, gardens or disused land nearby, being given better resources to grow produce that can be harvested and eaten as part of school meals. Really beneficial for childrens' education and health and great for the environment and community.

  • Posted by user734334 November 25, 2013 at 18:48

    Love it! Combine this with roof top gardening and we re really on to something!

  • Posted by user955021 December 11, 2013 at 10:10

    This sounds like Community Green Spaces - the Localism Bill should be able to help this happen.

    Beacon Farms (also listed on here as a project) sees itself as being toward ones end of a spectrum that includes endeavours to use land productively and appropriately throughout Bristol and its surrounds.

    This is about more than parks and gardens and Cpaital Growth and communtiy projects, it is about a connected up picture where food is part of everyones landscpae and lives.

    Count me in Luke!

    Bonnie

  • Posted by user932309 December 11, 2013 at 15:39

    This is brilliant. However it is vital to set a positive context for using land in this way. To do this we need local land use policies (policies for local planning and development) which recognise and protect land across the city which is of value to the creation of a healthy, resilient local food system. Currently our planning policies don't do this but there is real potential that this can change.

    Plots of land across the city where growing food can be done successfully, taking into account it's location and soil quality, can and should be given special 'food growing' status so that long term investment (of tools, skills, education, infrastructure) is possible. If growing land has no special status it remains vulnerable to other forms of development which will diminish our capacity to deliver resilience, education and enterprise across our local food system.

    I love the emphasis on children and creating a generation of food growers and food lovers.

  • Posted by user690930 December 14, 2013 at 16:01

    I have an allotment and the benefits are
    Fresh Food Production,
    A Peaceful & Calm area in the city
    Encourages Helpfullness amongst people
    All for £1.00 per month
    This can be rolled out almost immediately if The Mayor has the will

  • Posted by user412750 December 20, 2013 at 17:45

    Another good idea!
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