Imagine a world where you could step outside of your home and find fruit you can pick off a plant to eat or maybe some vegetables that you could use for cooking instead of having to go to the grocery store. It sounds like a fantasy but a UK study done by Lancaster University found overlooked areas that could be used for communal growing areas. There are many benefits of communal gardens. They would improve people's diets as the food would be readily available and reduce carbon emissions by creating more green space in areas that were neglected. These benefits are minor in comparison to the amount of space that could be saved by using areas such as parks to create communal gardens. When converting land to agriculture we drive biodiversity loss, so why not try to maximize the potential of land that we have already converted? In a world where urban sprawl is becoming more predominant every day it is important we consider all of our options for a greener and more sustainable future.
“This could be about communal activity – growing clubs, local societies, communal plots,” said Davies. “People engaged in growing have better diets, and healthier behaviours. Food growing is recreational, it counters loneliness and creates social cohesion.”
