Guerilla gardening… Just do it!
The piece below was first published on our sister blog, At the Grassroots.With a new control freak Labour government taking over the reins, eager to stamp its mark on us, now is the time to ramp up the efforts to build a parallel system that meets our needs while allowing us the freedom to thrive. One key part of achieving that is doing what we can to take control of our food supply. Some aspects of this are briefly dealt with in the post below:
guerilla gardening
the activity of growing plants without permission on land that belongs to someone else or on public land, with the aim of producing vegetables and fruit for people to use and enjoy
We live in uncertain times where a range of factors from geo-political instability through to unpredictable weather threaten to impact the food supply chain. The threats to our food supply lie in part with long and complex supply chains which are vulnerable to disruption. As regular readers of this blog will be aware, we're passionate about de-centralising and localising our food supply chains. As part of achieving that, why not join up with your neighbours to start your own community vegetable and fruit garden? You end up having some degree of control over your food supply and it will be as fresh as it’s possible to get!
If you have a back garden, by all means turn it over to growing your own vegetables and fruit. However, collectively working with your neighbours on a community garden helps to build the neighbourhood solidarity and resilience we need in these challenging and volatile times.
Starting a project to make a change in your neighbourhood can seem to be a daunting prospect. Yes, there are grassroots community projects that are complex and there are probably good reasons for that – changing the world is not an easy business and a degree of organisation is required. However, there are things you can do which don’t require a lot of organisation or hours writing funding applications. Guerilla vegetable and fruit gardening is one of those things you can do…
If there’s an awkward shaped smallish plot of land in your neighbourhood that’s been neglected and no one’s sure who owns or has responsibility for it, why not cultivate it for the benefit of the community? Canvas opinion in the immediate neighbourhood to see how much support there is for the idea of transforming the plot from an eyesore into a vegetable and fruit garden that will become a vital community asset. Find out who’s willing to help you work on it and then work out a plan for what you want to do.
You could ask for permission if you want but if the land has been neglected for years, then whoever is responsible for it obviously doesn’t care about the impact of their neglect on your neighbourhood so…just get on with it! There’s a welcome, non-violent anti-authoritarian aspect to guerilla gardening that should be embraced.
While at one level, it’s about making your neighbourhood a better place to live, at a more fundamental level, it’s asking questions about land ownership and control. It also offers a more sustainable method of securing genuinely fresh vegetables and fruit than that offered by large scale farming and the massive corporations that control the sourcing, supply and distribution of our food.
The other benefits are building a feeling of solidarity and cohesion in your neighbourhood as people get together to work on a common project. A project that as it matures will give people a sense of pride in and responsibility towards their neighbourhood and boost community morale. A confidence booster that can inspire people to take on bigger and more complex projects that will start to lead to real, meaningful change.
Start small, gain confidence, start to think bigger but above all…just do it!
Resources
In The Directory there’s a list of all the grassroots community projects across Bath, Bristol and the surrounding settlements that we’re currently aware of who, each in their own way, are doing their best to make the world a better place to live in. These include a fair number of food growing projects and also, resources on how to organise your own project. The Directory is a work in progress that is constantly being added to. Any help in doing this or suggestions as to how we can improve The Directory will be greatly appreciated:) Each of these projects has a different story and background we can all learn from. One of the aims of setting up At the Grassroots is to encourage these groups to talk to each other to exchange experiences, ideas and skills with the hope that what emerges is considerably greater than the sum of its parts.