Page 38 - ALG Issue 1 2025

WEST MIDLANDS
ALLOTMENTS:
THE HIDDEN ASSET
If you’re a plotholder, you don’t need any persuading that allotments are a good thing.They produce food, provide
physical exercise, peace of mind and relaxation. But how do
you persuade others that this is true? If local authorities, who largely own these assets, were more keenly aware of these facts, allotments might come higher in their priority list.
With that in mind, some plotholders in Birmingham approached Birmingham University to set about getting some evidence of how beneficial allotments are.And now Birmingham University
has completed the largest, grass-roots study of allotment life in the UK. Based
on information collected directly from almost 900 plotholders and fifty sites in Birmingham, it gives a clear picture of the profile and activity of allotment tenants and offers powerful evidence of the benefits
of allotments for citizens; for the City Council as the landowner and for health trusts, GP services, and all organisations with an interest in the social and economic well-being of Birmingham’s people.
The study also included a questionnaire for site secretaries using more open questions to get more detailed feedback. 57 returns were received covering fifty sites representing 44% of the city’s sites.
Key findings are:
1. “It’s not all old men in sheds”. Half
of all plotholders in the response sample are women and there is a very significant presence of younger age groups and people from minority ethnic communities. Demand is very high for plots with the official (City Council) figure for occupancy at 84% and many sites reporting 90% + occupancy.
2. Relaxation and peace of mind tops the poll of benefits with a third of all plotholders saying it’s the main benefit – slightly higher than producing food for family and friends.
3. Allotments produce a significant volume of fresh food - on average at least 100 kg of fresh food is harvested annually on each plot across the allotment estate – often in areas where food poverty is a major issue.
Extrapolating from that 100kg figure, the study suggests that more than 630,000 kg or 630 tonnes of food are being grown on allotments each year across the city. At a time when local sourcing of food is becoming a major issue, this has important implications across the whole country, particularly in urban areas.
4. All sites are community hubs with local people working together – with the potential for much more of a proactive role.
5. The smooth operation and management of allotments depends on the energy and enthusiasm of the volunteers who run the sites. Limited support from the council creates
real pressures on the allotment community.This was evident in the extensive number of comments in the secretaries’ survey about the need for more support from other plotholders. This may be a Birmingham-specific issue, but equally may resonate with other areas!
The report has major implications for
the council, NHS and community groups in Birmingham and beyond.The authors are already in discussion with local council and public health officials on how they can more fully make use of the benefits of their local allotments. A seminar was held on Thursday 20th June at Birmingham Business School to publicise the findings and more events are being held throughout the region.
Crucial to the success of this research was collaboration with the Birmingham District Allotment Confederation (BDAC),
without which it would have been impossible to reach so many plotholders. The full report can be found on the BDAC website at: https://bdacallotments. co.uk/2024/06/13/a-neglected-asset-allot- ments-in-birmingham/
For more information, please contact the authors; Dr. Jon Bloomfield, Honorary Research Fellow at the Department of Public Administration and Policy, University of Birmingham j.bloomfield@bham.ac.uk or David Draycott, Secretary of the Moor Green Allotments and Leisure Gardens. madahal.secretar y@gmail.com
38 | Issue 1 2025 | Allotment and Leisure Gardener
“The smooth operation and management
of allotments depends on the energy and enthusiasm of the volunteers who run the sites”