Mayor of London, Boris Johnson has challenged social housing residents to become the capital’s best community food growers in a competition launched today. There are an estimated 750,000 social housing properties in London and the Capital Growth team are keen to get residents in estates growing as part of the food growing initiative, supported by the Mayor and run by London Food Link. The ‘Edible Estates’ competition is designed to get housing associations committed to providing plots of land for tenants to nurture into thriving food gardens. The Metropolitan Housing Trust London is one of the first organizations to sign up, pledging to identify 20 plots for its residents to get started.

The announcement comes on the day of an event at City Hall to encourage more sign ups to create 2,012 community Capital Growth food-growing spaces by the end of 2012. The Mayor confirmed there are already 500 growing spaces up and running in a range of diverse places including schools, on roofs, in skips and even on a canal boat. There are also now eight London boroughs committed to Capital Growth in part by identifying suitable plots. The borough members of Capital Growth are Tower Hamlets, Islington, Lewisham, Haringey, Camden and Lambeth with Sutton and Kensington & Chelsea signing up at today’s event.

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “Capital Growth has already inspired thousands of Londoners to set up 500 community food gardens providing a practical response to the shortage of allotments in some areas. They are discovering the joy of growing their own grub, getting to know neighbors and reclaiming patches of neglected earth. I warmly welcome the landowners and organizations who have come on board to help provide the land needed for Capital Growth. I call on even more to now rally to our green-fingered cause.”

Rosie Boycott, Chair of London Food, said: “With 500 food growing spaces under our belt we are going all-out to reach our target of 2,012 food growing spaces. The Edible Estates competition is now an added incentive for social housing landlords and their residents to get the food-growing bug. We know from people in estates who are already growing that it can reap huge benefits for their communities.”

Seb Mayfield, London Food Link, said: “Londoners are demonstrating a clear desire to use more land for community food growing. By launching the Edible Estates competition we are sending the message that there is more support than ever for residents to get together and grow their own food.”

Neil Mawson, Managing Director for Metropolitan Housing Trust London (MHT London) said, “Local food growing is a fantastic activity for our communities. Our residents enjoy it because it’s fun but it also helps in so many other ways, including healthy eating, mental and physical wellbeing, inter-generational support, and social cohesion beyond estates. MHT London is happy to be leading the way amongst RSL’s in helping to support Capital Growth.”

There is rising interest in self-grown food and inner London boroughs have waiting lists for allotments that can be decades long. Entrants to Edible Estates must be a new community food growing space or an expansion of an existing space on a housing estate.

‘Edible Estates’ was launched at the Cranbrook Estate Capital Growth plot in Cranbrook Estate, Tower Hamlets, who are already reaping the benefits of food growing. The Cranbrook community food growing group is now in its second year and has attracted 15 regular growers who have expanded their initial plot from three to 10 raised beds nurturing a range of fruit and vegetables. Local Bengali women grow mustard seeds and dudhi. Surplus produce is sold at a low cost to neighbors. The space is located in a former playground that had been padlocked up, left to decay and become overgrown.

Source: London.gov

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