A first-hand report uncovers the amazing hidden farms of London

June 1942 – House and Garden.

Britain need not be nine meals away from anarchy

Edward Platt
New Statesman
27 June 2011

Excerpt:

London is not the only city in the UK to invest in urban agriculture. For the past few years, Middlesbrough has been running an urban farming and community growing project, which has led to the creation of almost 20 community allotments. Last year, the scheme involved two-thirds of the town’s schools, dozens of community groups and approximately 4,000 people.

Catherine Boyle, of the Grown in Middlesborough project, says that the scheme produces enough food to ensure that everyone has something to take home at the end of the week and is giving some the chance to taste food they have never had before. Funding is now available to help people sell surplus produce and shift the project towards becoming self-sustaining.

Meanwhile, the London Food Board has said that it wants the capital to produce 5 per cent of the food that it consumes, but campaigners at Sustain suggest that the figure could be as high as 27 per cent.

Read the complete article here.