Health

House of Commons - Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs - Fifth Report

 THE FUTURE FOR ALLOTMENTS

Allotments are an important feature in the cultural landscape. They combine utility, meaning and beauty with local distinctiveness.

 Allotments enable people to grow their own produce regardless of whether they have access to a private garden or not. Although plots were initially provided solely with this aim in mind, the extent and use of allotments have since varied and allotment sites now fulfill a broader range of needs for both plot-holders and the community at large.

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AGENDA 21 AND ALLOTMENT GARDENS  Office International

by Dr. sc. Achim Friedrich


Protecting and promoting human health (Chapter 6)

It is a known fact that regular physical exercise tends to counteract the negative effects that modern lifestyles have on our health.
We can get this exercise by engaging in a sport activity and we can also get it by working in the garden.
Doing light gardening work for an hour is equivalent to walking for thirty minutes and it burns off 160 - 190 calories ( GUTZWILLER).

BYRNE emphasizes "that daily light exercise helps to prevent heart disease".
The mental effects of gardening work are no less positive than the physical effects. Gardening work is becoming increasingly important as a form of therapy for mental diseases.

NEUBERGER notes on this score: "In understanding gardening work both as work and as a therapy the underlying assumption is that working with plants and getting exercise outdoors is good for people.

According to polls taken by the Allensbach Institute 45% of the people interviewed indicated that they keep fit by doing gardening work.

SCHMIDBAUER sums up his study of the health-related value of nature and greenery as follows: "Experiencing nature can resocialise criminals, heal the mentally ill, and prevent neuroses. This is why gardening therapy has been developed in major cities of the United States."

Without a doubt allotment gardens are age-appropriate workout rooms and tanning studios at the same time.

This is very important, given that allotment gardeners are among the older members of our population and, as such, tend to be more susceptible to health problems.

With this in mind, let us look at a further health-promoting or health-preserving aspect of garden work: the consumption of fruit and vegetables.

The agricultural crisis caused by the BSE and FMD epidemics has raised consumer awareness levels. The experience that food produced in one's own garden is fresher and tastes better than what is sold at supermarkets is added to by the knowledge that food from supermarkets can be dangerous to your health. Seen from this standpoint there is no alternative to producing fruit and vegetables in one's own garden.

Allotment gardens are of considerable importance in health policy terms, a fact that is currently not perceived clearly enough by the public.