Sustainable food

[Catladyagain]

Given food security is suddenly becoming a genuine concern for all, I hope this is the right channel for this post.

I have a very large allotment which my husband and I are trying to cultivate. It is too large for us to do it singlehandedly and I'm eager therefore to bring others in,.particularly young people, to grow more there, including our collective understanding of how to live sustainably. I am wondering therefore how to maximise food production there, do it sustainably & ensure its fruits can be enjoyed by as many people as possible.

My question is - is anyone else doing a kind of co-op allotment & can I have a chat with you about what you've learned?

The first thing to work out is who you plan to include, what sort of group structure you're thinking of and will your allotment association permit it under their terms?

thanks @concertinacornflake all good points. I had half hoped to avoid involving the management by engaging people as "friends who help". But that would certainly rule out engaging the local primary school. which tbf may be sensible while we get a leadership group of some kind together. Obviously in this context it raises a lot of questions aligned to what a community-led democracy or such like looks like. as the allotment holders we would carry ultimate responsibility. perhaps looking to quaker meeting structures or something? I had envisioned writing letters to every household in my local streets then popping around to gather very interested parties who might then come around a table to build a holding vision & set of objectives of some kind to discuss with others.

Perhaps target the waiting list for your area ?

The best thing you could do is to grow as much as you can and take it to your local community kitchen, food bank, community fridge. Ask the vicar at the nearest church where you can donate fresh produce. We have a community kitchen that cooks meals and provides food parcels to vulnerable people. We also have a community fridge where anyone can add excess fruit and veg and anyone can go help themselves.

The problem with what you are suggesting is that the people with the greatest food insecurity are barely surviving. They don’t have time to be on a governing board or come do your gardening. They have 2 jobs and 3 kids and no free time. But they will accept help from trusted organisations and they will stop by a community fridge while doing the school run and grab some beans or broccoli for dinner.

@oncemoreuntothebeachdearfriends thank you. That would be ideal however my research so far suggests people generally sign up wanting to do their own thing and are very particular about it. I think most ppl want to do it to be outdoors, grow & eat fresh veg. And there's no way the allotment management would support such enquiries - they'd simply divide up our plot. I feel there's an opportunity here for it to bring people together.

@mindutopia you raise a very important point, thank you. I think donating veg like this would be an excellent objective. The problem I'm trying to overcome is how to maximise productivity (me and hubs are not scratching the surface) so why not make it educational and bring all kinds of people on board.

People on the Preppers board might have ideas about this @Catladyagain .
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/preppers

Have you read your allotment contract, I doubt subletting is allowed.

It sounds like you want to create a community garden, rather than have an allotment.