I’ve always thought that the private ownership of land was inimical. As Leon Rosselson’s song ‘The World Turned Upside Down’ has it:
You poor take courage
You rich take care
This earth was made a common treasury
For everyone to share
That’s why I’ve always been keen to see the allotments as widely as accessible as possible, which is one of the threads that has informed STAA’s activities over the years and which got me involved in the first place.
But as well as facilitating access to the site, there’s also something that needs to be done about sharing the bounty of the site.
Immediately I hear someone say ‘I share enough of my produce with the wildlife already!’ Even there, we seem to have a sort of hierarchical view of what wildlife is entitled to share. On my plot and garden at home, I’m happy to sit and watch the sparrows eat my gooseberries and the blackbird elegantly steal my blackcurrants (and if you haven’t yet been, you need to visit elsewhere on the website to see some of the photos and videos taken of the wildlife on STAA plots). However, when it comes to pigeons and squirrels getting fat on my cabbage and sweetcorn….and don’t even get me started on the rat that happily trundles round having made a home in my compost…my sweetness and light begin to fade. But, as Chris, one of the allotment staff pointed out to me when I asked what I could do about ratty – ‘where else do you want it to live?’
So, if we happily, or otherwise, accept that some of our allotment produce will go to the benefit of local creature inhabitants, there’s also a case to be argued that we have a responsibility to extend that bounty to those who aren’t fortunate enough to have a plot and who might benefit from some of the produce of the site.
In that regard, STAA’s Harvest Project, our newest initiative which quietly tested the waters last year, will this year be seeking tenants to share some of our surplus produce and horticultural skills with those who could appropriately benefit from them in the local community.
Find out more about how to get involved with our Harvest project and donate now: www.staa-allotments.org.uk/the-nursery/community-harvest-project/
