get ireland growing launch

Speaking at the launch of Get Ireland Growing in the National Botanic Gardens Minister  Food Minister Trevor Sargent said: “Over the last number of years Irish people have got increasingly interested in good food, cooking, and in living green lifestyles and we have witnessed a similar growth in people wanting to grow their own food. Our Councillors and candidates have been getting hundreds of enquiries about allotments and community gardens and we have launched this campaign to help encourage those interested in domestic food production.”

Minister Sargent, who has his own organic garden at home in Balbriggan said: "Our aim is to get as many people as possible to start growing food and vegetables in allotments, community gardens, window boxes and their own back gardens. Growing your own food saves money, gets people out and about, can improve public health and cuts carbon emissions and food miles. It can also enhance community spirit.

"Currently, some local authorities provide allotments, but in other places demand is high and there are long waiting lists. The Green Party will be working with communities to help them find suitable public or private land that can be rented at low costs and turned into allotments.

"Nowadays more people are living in apartments and other urban accommodation, and may feel like they have lost touch with nature. Getting flat dwellers interested in gardening can help them to reconnect with the world around them.

"Allotments are incredibly popular around the world and have very good potential in Ireland. In the UK River Cottage Chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has been very successfully promoting a campaign to bring disused or derelict land back into productive use for growing fresh fruit and vegetables by householders. I hope something similar can be done here and I know that TV Chef Richard Corrigan is very interested in promoting home grown food.

"I am working with the Office of Public works to see what can be done with existing public land, and I know that my party colleague Environment Minister John Gormley will be writing to local authorities urging them to consider the provision of allotments, which falls under the Local Government Act," Minister Sargent concluded.

Photographs from the Green party are available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thegreenparty/