Capital Growth
Capital Growth is a fantastic new campaign that has been launched in London, aimed at supporting 2,012 new community food growing spaces by the end of 2012.
Capital Growth was launched in November 2008 by London Food Link, part of Sustain, with the support of the London Development Agency, the Mayor of London, the Mayor's food advisor Rosie Boycott and many partner organisations.
Six months into the campaign and Capital Growth is already supporting 100 new projects - twice the number of projects that were hoped for at this stage. These projects include housing estates, schools, roof-tops, a doctors' surgery, a floating allotment and a prison. All of these projects will benefit people in London, enabling access to locally grown nutritious food, increasing social cohesion and training a whole new generation of Londoners in food growing skills.
The campaign also helps to cater for the large number of people who are on allotment waiting lists in London that are sometimes decades long.
In the first phase of Capital Growth (up to March 2009) small grants were offered to new projects. It is planned that more grants will be offered later in the year and in the meantime projects can apply to take advantage of all types of in-kind support, to assist people in setting up a project and to support them in the long term. The team at Capital Growth are working to develop support with horticultural and enterprise training, as well as donations of equipment and services from a number of organisations.
If you live in London, want to set up a food growing project and have access to some land go to www.capitalgrowth.org/apply to download an application form and accompanying guidance notes.
Seb Mayfield
photos (c) Capital Growth 2009
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13 May 09
