Sharing thoughts on barriers to growing food at Right To Grow’s community assembly at the Islington Ecology Centre

A GRASSROOTS campaign is calling on Islington Council to make public land available for food growth.

The Islington Right To Grow campaign held a community assembly at the Islington Ecology Centre last week, inviting residents and councillors from the community to share their thoughts on barriers to growing food in Islington.

The national campaign has been supported by the Greater London Authority, and Katherine Lowe, who runs the Islington branch of the campaign, hopes the campaign will transform Islington into a “greener, happier, more proactive area.”

“Enabling people to access land for food growing is critical for our health, wellbeing, supporting pollinators and biodiversity, reducing dependency on imported and increasingly expensive food and increasing our skills and resilience,” Ms Lowe said.

“Our next steps include meeting with councillors and officers to agree a motion that will clarify easy and free community use of underused land for food growing.”

Councillor Sheridan Kates, Green representative for Tufnell Park, attended the assembly and is a supporter of the movement.

She said: “It was incredibly energising to take part in the Right to Grow assembly, and meet so many people looking to take back their rights to the land to grow their own food and more.

“The council can help by appointing a team responsible for coordinating and signposting people to the many existing efforts in this space across the borough, as well as providing resources for the wealth of community groups who are already doing the work to make this happen.”

RTG’s next social will be on Sunday June 28 at the Highbury Quadrant Estate Nature Gardens.