Vecā versija
Šī lapa ir saglabāta arhīvam. Aktuālā informācija ir jaunajā mājaslapā.
Atgriezties uz jaunoThe long practice of GCS “Dzintari” members in tending allotment gardens shows that allotment gardening is in every case to be regarded as a positive factor in improving a person’s quality of life, both individually and for society as a whole. For example, through outdoor physical activity and by eating the ecologically clean fruit and vegetables grown in the allotment, the healthiest possible way of life is ensured and encouraged. The existence of allotments additionally provides:
The realisation of all the above factors in practice is confirmed by the considerable number of allotments actively tended by the GCS – 40 of them, by the various social groups represented – people of retirement age (making up the largest share of allotment users), people with disabilities, families with children and young people, as well as by the wide age range of allotment users: from 26 up to 85 years.
Analysing practice abroad, it can be concluded that the development of amateur gardening in the urban environment has in recent decades been regarded worldwide as a particularly innovative trend. Allotments are mostly organised precisely in those areas of a city that are not inhabited or used for other active socio-economic purposes, or are even derelict. The beginnings of such projects can be traced to New York and Montreal, and they continue to be developed in Paris, Lille and other Western European cities. The abandoned zone of Berlin’s “Tempelhof” airport has also been turned into allotment territory. Descriptions of foreign amateur garden practice likewise list a range of positive benefits from supporting communities of this kind of gardener: city dwellers have the chance to spend time in a healthy environment, in fresh air, and to take part in physical activity; economic support is provided (this is especially important for the most vulnerable groups of inhabitants); social integration and mutual communication between like-minded people is encouraged, and so on. Yet one of the most important positive benefits of amateur gardens in recent years, as emphasised in examples from abroad, is precisely the growing of organic food for one’s own needs: understanding the negative side effects of today’s mass food production, it is clear that any organic smallholding can deliver perhaps small yet meaningful improvements in promoting a person’s general health. There is an additional benefit for society as a whole: the urban environment as such becomes considerably greener, more vital, safer and more sustainable. It should be noted that in most of the foreign examples reviewed, the support of local authorities for such urban gardening communities is highlighted, providing them with fencing of the managed territory, water and electricity supply, and road infrastructure. In turn, under the process of realising the purpose of these territories, the local authority does not have to invest its own resources in managing them as such, in mowing grass or collecting waste.
Some sources of information:
The members of GCS “Dzintari” thank the Jūrmala city local authority for the opportunity provided
to tend allotment gardens, and express the hope that the Jūrmala city local authority will in the near future become more innovative and progressive, in the course of which the creation of allotments in the city will be encouraged and provided for on an ever wider scale, involving the most varied groups in society.
Yours sincerely,
Chairman of the Board
Aldis Strapcāns