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An allotment is a plot of land made available for individual, non-commercial gardening for growing food plants, so forming a kitchen garden away from the residence of the user. Such plots are formed by subdividing a piece of land into a few or up to several hundred parcels that are assigned to individuals or families, in contrast to a community garden where the entire area is tended collectively by a group of people. The term "victory garden" is also still sometimes used, especially when a garden dates back to the First or Second World War.
The individual size of a parcel typically suits the needs of a family, and often the plots include a shed for tools and shelter, and sometimes a hut for seasonal or weekend accommodation. The individual gardeners are usually organised in an allotment association, which leases or is granted the land from an owner who may be a public, private or ecclesiastical entity, and who usually stipulates that it be only used for gardening (i.e., growing vegetables, fruits and flowers), but not for permanent residential purposes (this is usually also required by zoning laws). The gardeners have to pay a small membership fee to the association and have to abide by the corresponding constitution and by-laws. However, the membership entitles them to certain democratic rights.Drescher, A. W., Holmer, R. J. and D. L. Iaquinta 2006. "Urban Homegardens and Allotment Gardens for Sustainable Livelihoods: Management Strategies and Institutional Environments". In: Kumar, B. M. and Nair, P. K. (Eds) 2006. Tropical Homegardens: A Time-Tested Example of Agroforestry. Series: Advances in Agroforestry 3, Springer, New York.
Private initiative formed the first Danish allotment association in Aalborg in 1884, and in Copenhagen an association named Arbejdernes Værn (lit. 'The Workers' Protection') founded the first allotment gardens of the Danish Capital in 1891. Since then, allotment gardens have spread to most Danish towns. In 1904, there were about 20,000 allotment gardens in Denmark. 6,000 of them were in Copenhagen. During the interwar years, the number of allotment gardens grew rapidly. In 2001, the number of allotment gardens was estimated to be about 62,120.
In 1908, twenty allotment associations in Copenhagen formed the Allotment Garden Union, which in 1914 was expanded to cover all of Denmark. The Allotment Garden Federation was founded to negotiate more favourable deals with the state and the municipalities from which the allotments associations rented the land. Today, the federation represents roughly 400 allotment associations in 75 municipalities.
The Danish tradition for allotment gardens later spread to the other Nordic countries: first Sweden, then Norway and Finland. Salmonsens Konversationsleksikon, 2. udgave, A/S J. H. Schultz Forlagsboghandel, Copenhagen 1915-1930.
Today, most allotment gardens are on land owned by the municipality, which rents the land to an allotment association. The association in turn gives each member a plot of land. To preserve allotment gardens as something that is available for all kinds of people, the membership charge is set significantly below what a market price would be. Since allotments are often placed on attractive plots of land, this has led to huge waiting lists for membership in many allotment associations.
Although the main purpose of the allotment is gardening, most allotment gardens have a pavilion built in them. These pavilions can range in size from an old rebuilt railway car to a small summer house. Many people grow so fond of their allotment gardens that they live there the entire summer. In most cases, however, members are not allowed to live there the entire year.
Today, they are enjoying renewed interest by helping to create “green oases” near cities, which are useful in the face of the threat of global warming. They also respond to current concerns to produce vegetables locally by low-income categories of the population and participate in creating "social ties" in urbanised areas. Created in February 2007, the National Council of Collective and Family Gardens (CNJCF) aims to encourage and promote their development, the protection of plant heritage and biodiversity, gardening that respects the environment and defends its positions with public authorities and other institutions. The CNJCF today federates nearly 135,000 members, making up the three founding associations: the National Horticultural Society of France (SNHF), the National Federation of Family and Collective Gardens (FNJFC)15 and the Garden of the Railwayman (Jardinot).
The idea of organised allotment gardening reached a first peak after 1864, when the so-called " Schreber Movement", named after local doctor Moritz Schreber, started in the city of Leipzig in Saxony. A public initiative decided to lease areas within the city, to give children a healthy and close-to-nature environment to play in. Later, these areas included actual gardens for children, but soon adults tended towards taking over and cultivating these gardens. This kind of gardening also became popular in other European countries, especially Germanic countries such as Austria (and its dependencies), the Netherlands and Switzerland.Haavie, S. 2001, Parsellhagedyrking i Oslo — en statusoversikt. Rapport/Osloforskning 1/2001 ()Jensen, N. 1996. Allotment Guide — Copenhagen & Surroundings /Kolonihave Guide Kobenhavn & Omegn, Copenhagen, Denmark. Rent-a-Plot: Germany's Garden Ghettos. Der Spiegel, 2006-04-11. Accessed 2006-03-17. In German-speaking countries, allotment gardens are accordingly generally known as Schrebergärten (singular: Schrebergarten), sometimes literally translated as "Schreber gardens". Another common term is Kleingärten ('small gardens', singular: Kleingarten).
The aspect of food security provided by allotment gardens became particularly evident during I and II. The socio-economic situation was very miserable, particularly regarding the nutritional status of urban residents. Many cities were isolated from their rural hinterlands and agricultural products did not reach the city markets anymore or were sold at very high prices on the black market. Consequently, food production within the city, especially fruit and vegetable production in home gardens and allotment gardens, became essential for survival. The importance of allotment gardens for food security was so obvious that in 1919, one year after the end of World War I, the first legislation for allotment gardening in Germany was passed. The so-called "Small Garden and Small-Rent Land Law", provided security in land tenure and fixed leasing fees. In 1983, this law was amended by the (Bundeskleingartengesetz). Today, there are still about 1.4 million allotment gardens in Germany, covering an area of .Gröning, G., Wolschke-Bulmahn, J., 1995. Von Ackermann bis Ziegelhütte, Studien zur Frankfurter Geschichte, Band 36. Frankfurt am Main, Germany. In Berlin alone, there are 833 allotment garden complexes.
/ref> Former peasants were encouraged to reproduce their rural subsistence patterns in a new environment to increase social stability through additional food provision, creation of green spaces, and exercise. The organisers opted that the gardens should first and foremost meet the needs of the poorest.
The role of allotment gardens did not change significantly in the twentieth century. During the Communist regime allotment gardeners were mostly focused on improving the household budget by producing food for family needs. In the late 1980s, food expenses comprised 40% of the household budget. It was also during that time when spending time at the allotment gardens () became a cultural phenomenon.
With the collapse of Communism and the arrival of Capitalism, the function and main purpose of the allotment gardens were redefined. In 2013 the regulator characterised their primary role as to satisfy recreational and other social needs – food security was only mentioned among the latter.
Currently, there are 965,000 registered allotment gardeners in Poland.Gorczyca, M., 2013. Stan rozwoju pracowniczych ogródków działkowych, Wiadomości Statystyczne 12:80–85 Allotment gardeners, who cultivate publicly owned urban space, constitute the largest group of city land managers in the country. The transition from the predominantly productive character of the allotments to the pleasure gardens that has been observed in Poland is the combined result of market trends, current aesthetic needs, pressure from allotment administrators, and city developers willing to adopt these attractive green spaces. Progressive urbanisation is threatening the existence of allotment gardens especially those located in city centres, the other threat is an idea of turning allotments into public open spaces, which would most probably transform them into parks.Szczęsny, M., and K. Kimic. 2012. Możliwości adaptacji terenów ogrodów działkowych na obiekty ogólnodostępne na przykładzie Rodzinnego Ogrodu Działkowego przy Kanale Gocławskim w Warszawie. Czasopismo Techniczne. Architektura. 109:179–185.
In the past years, the interest in allotment gardens has been rising again, mostly around younger people who see their environmental, community building, and leisure potential.
Otherwise, allotment gardens in Portugal are often precarious, as land is spontaneously divided into strips as cities grow.
During the Age of Enlightenment, aristocracy used their allotments for social and cultural gatherings, which were usually accompanied by and fireworks displays. The Industrial Revolution brought about a rapid growth in the urban population, and urban residents increasingly desired to escape the heavily polluted cities, at least temporarily. By the end of the 19th century, the allotment became a favourite summer retreat for the upper class and middle classes of Russian society.
After the Bolshevik revolution of 1917, most dachas were nationalization. Some were converted into vacation homes for the working class, while others, usually of better quality, were distributed among the prominent Functionary of the Communist Party and the newly emerged cultural and scientific elite. All but a few allotments remained the property of the state and the right to use them was usually revoked when a dacha occupant was dismissed or fell out of favour with the rulers of the state. Joseph Stalin's favourite Dacha was in Gagra, Abkhazia. Abkhazia: where Stalin’s ghost holds sway The construction of new dachas was restricted until the late 1940s and required the special approval of the Communist Party leadership.
The period after World War II saw a moderate growth in dacha development. Since there was no actual law banning the construction of dachas, squatting began occupying unused plots of land near city and towns, some building , huts, and more prominent dwellings that served as dachas. This practice of squatting was spurred by the desire of urban dwellers, all living in multi-story apartment buildings, to spend some time close to nature, and also to grow their own fruits and vegetables. The latter was caused by the failure of the centrally planned Soviet Union agricultural programme to supply enough fresh produce. As time passed, the number of squatters grew geometrically and the government had no choice but to officially recognise their right to amateur farming. The 1955 legislation introduced a new type of Juristic person into the Soviet Union juridical system, a so-called "gardeners' partnership" (садоводческое товарищество; not to be confused with community garden). The gardeners' partnerships received the right to permanent use of land exclusively for agricultural purposes and permission to connect to public electrical and water supply networks. In 1958, yet another form of organisation was introduced, a "cooperative for dacha construction (DSK)" (дачно-строительный кооператив), which recognised the right of an individual to build a small house on the land leased from the government.
The 1980s saw the peak of the dacha boom, with virtually every affluent family in the country having a dacha of their own or spending weekends and holidays at friends' dachas. Often ill-equipped and without indoor plumbing, dachas were nevertheless the ultimate solution for millions of Russian working-class families to having an inexpensive summer retreat. Having a piece of land also offered an opportunity for city dwellers to indulge themselves in growing their own fruits and vegetables. To this day, May Day holidays remain a feature of Russian life allowing urban residents a long weekend to plant seeds and tend fruit trees as the ground defrosts from the long Russian winter. Since there are no other national holidays that are long enough for planting, many employers give their staff an extra day off specifically for that purpose.
The collapse of communism in the Soviet Union saw the return to private land ownership. Most dachas have since been privatization, and Russia is now the nation with the largest number of owners of second homes. The growth of living standards in recent years allowed many dacha owners to spend their discretionary income on improvements. Thus, many recently built dachas are fully equipped houses suitable for use as permanent residences. The market-oriented economy transformed the dacha into an asset, which generally reflects the prosperity of its owner and can be freely traded in the real estate market.
Due to the rapid increase in urbanisation in Russia, many village houses are currently being sold to be used as allotments. Many Russian villages now have dachniki () as temporary residents. Some villages have been fully transformed into dacha settlements, while some older dacha settlements often look like more permanent lodgings. The advantages of purchasing a dacha in a village usually are: lower costs, greater land area, and larger distances between houses. The disadvantages may include: lower-quality utilities, less security, and typically a farther distance to travel.
For the family, the plot of land is a uniting bond, where all family members can meet in shared work and leisure. The family father, tired with the cramped space at home, may rejoice in taking care of his family in the open air, and feel responsible if the little plot of earth bestows a very special interest upon life.Lindhagen, A., 1916. Koloniträdgårdar och planterade gårdar, Stockholm.Anna Lindhagen is said to have met Lenin when he passed through Stockholm from the exile in Switzerland on their return trip to Russia after the February Revolution in 1917.Conan, M. 1999, From Vernacular Gardens to a Social Anthropology of Gardening: In: Conan, M. (Ed) Perspectives on Garden Histories. Series Dumbarton Oaks Colloquium on the History of Landscape Architecture (Vol 21): 181-204 She invited him to the allotment gardens of Barnängen to show all its benefits. However, she did not win his approval. Lenin was totally unresponsive to this kind of activity. To poke in the soil was to prepare the ground for political laziness in the class struggle. The workers should not be occupied with gardening, they should rather devote themselves to the proletarian revolution.Per Gustafsson, Lena Ignestam and Christel Lundberg, 2000. The return of Lenin. A film made based on (the true) story about Lenin's visit in Stockholm 1917, and his relationship to allotment gardens.
The Swedish Federation of Leisure Gardening was founded in 1921 and represents today more than 26,000 allotment and leisure gardeners. The members are organised in about 275 local societies all over Sweden. The land is usually rented from the local authorities.
Hobby gardens, which are mostly prepared by municipalities and put into service by charging annual rental fees, are now used by many people to grow vegetables and fruits and to be in touch with nature. The size of the hobby garden and the type of soil may vary depending on the region.
Hobby gardens can also be put up for sale through share deeds. In addition, in the parceling prepared, the hobby garden must be specified in the same way on the real land.
Following the and the Commons Act 1876 (39 & 40 Vict. c. 56), Commons Act 1876 the land available for personal cultivation by the poor was greatly diminished. To fulfill the need for land, allotment legislation was enacted. The law was first fully codified in the Small Holdings and Allotments Act 1908, Small Holdings and Allotments Act 1908 then modified by the Allotments Act 1922 (12 & 13 Geo. 5. c. 51) Allotments Act 1922 and subsequent Allotments Acts up until the Allotments Act 1950.
Under the acts, a local authority is required to maintain an "adequate provision" of land, usually a large allotment field which can then be subdivided into allotment gardens for individual residents at a low rent. Allotment sizes are often quoted in square rods, although the use of the rod has been illegal for trade purposes since 1965. The rent is set at what a person "may reasonably be expected to pay" (1950); in 1997 the average rent for a ten , or plot was £22 a year. In February 2012 the UK's first Green-controlled council, Brighton and Hove, caused controversy when they stated their intention to raise the rent for a standard 250 m2 plot to £110 per year, with many people suggesting that this was contrary to the environmental agenda on which they were elected. Each plot cannot exceed forty square rods, i.e. and must be used for the production of fruit or vegetables for consumption by the plot-holder and their family (1922), or of flowers for use by the plot-holder and their family. The exact size and quality of the plots is not defined. The council has a duty to provide sufficient allotments to meet demand. The total income from allotments was £2.61 million and total expenditure was £8.44 million in 1997.
The total number of plots has varied greatly over time. In the 19th and early 20th century, the allotment system supplied much of the fresh vegetables eaten by the poor. In 1873 there were 244,268 plots and by 1918 there were around 1,500,000 plots. While numbers fell in the 1920s and 1930s, following an increase to 1,400,000 during World War II there were still around 1,117,000 plots in 1948. This number has been in decline since then, falling to 600,000 by the late 1960s and 300,000 by 2009. The Thorpe Inquiry of 1969 investigated the decline and put the causes as the decline in available land, increasing prosperity and the growth of other leisure activities.
The popular 1970s British television programmeme The Good Life, about a couple seeking to "escape the rat race" by becoming "totally self-sufficient" in a suburban setting, utilised an allotment to achieve their aims. Increased interest in "green" issues from the 1970s revived interest in allotment gardening, whilst the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners (NSALG), and the Scottish Allotments and Gardens Society (SAGS) in Scotland, continued to campaign on behalf of allotment users. However, the rate of decline was only slowed, falling from 530,000 plots in 1970 to 497,000 in 1977, although there was a substantial waiting list. By 1980 the surge in interest was over, and by 1997 the number of plots had fallen to around 265,000, with waiting lists of 13,000 and 44,000 vacant plots. In 2008 The Guardian reported that 330,000 people held an allotment, whilst 100,000 were on waiting lists.Vidal, John. " Coming up roses? Not any more as UK gardeners turn to vegetables ", 22 March 2008, The Guardian. Accessed on 22 March 2008. Archived on 22 March 2008.
In 2006, a report commissioned by the London Assembly A lot to lose: London's disappearing allotments. identified that whilst demand was at an all-time high across the capital, the pressure caused by high-density building was further decreasing the amount of allotment land. The issue was given further publicity when The Guardian newspaper reported on the community campaign against the potential impact of the development for the 2012 Summer Olympics on the future of the century-old Manor Garden Allotments, Hackney Wick. In March 2008, Geoff Stokes, secretary of the NSALG, claimed that councils are failing in their duty to provide allotments. "They sold off land when demand was not so high. This will go on because developers are now building houses with much smaller gardens." The Local Government Association has issued guidance asking councils to consider requiring developers to set land aside to make up for the shortfalls in allotment plots.Womack, Sarah. " Developers forced to set up new allotments", 22 March 2008, The Daily Telegraph. Accessed on 22 March 2008. on 22 March 2008.
Against the falling trend of land set aside for allotments is an increasing awareness of the need for cities to counter issues of food security and climate change through greater self-sufficiency. This drive to expand allotments is also a response to food price inflation, a desire to reduce food miles and surplus provision of land in post-industrial towns and cities in the developed world. Some of these themes were taken up in a recent urban agriculture project in Middlesbrough in the Tees Valley. The gendered origins of allotment spaces has been the subject of research, with findings including that a lack of toilets and sanitation can be a barrier to women, with some even miscarrying on their plots.
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