ENORMOUS POTENTIAL FOR URBAN GREEN SPACES
A recent nationwide study conducted by Lancaster University has said that 38% of Britain’s fruit and vegetable consumption could be catered for if underused urban green spaces were utilised. This could include private gardens, parks and other recreational areas to some extent. With allotments only taking up 1% of urban green space, other spaces – currently not cultivated – could be used for community fruit and vegetable growing. The effect of this would be significant in moving towards national food self-sufficiency and a reduction in imported produce.
Lead author of the study, Dr Lael Walsh, said: “We found that urban green spaces are significantly underused for food growing and that there is huge untapped capacity in our towns and cities for people to grow more given support through targeted national policies. This could prove to be beneficial for improving access to healthier foods as well as boosting well-being through better connectedness to nature.”