"We need to go back to our roots" – Deputy champions community allotments

Wednesday 02 December 2020

A community of growers making use of a redundant greenhouse have had to make way for a cannabis farm, highlighting the need for more space to allow both commercial ventures and community allotments to flourish.

Following this, Deputy Sasha Kazantseva-Miller has asked whether or not there is an appetite for a larger community growers scheme.

Deputy Kazantseva-Miller first raised the query in the States, which she directed at Environment & Infrastructure President Deputy Lindsay de Sausmarez.

“We have a budding cannabis industry,” said Deputy Kazantseva-Miller. “On the flipside, greenhouses that might have been used for community allotments are being now used for cannabis production. I’m aware that it’s having a negative effect on those people running the allotments.”

Pictured: Deputy Kazantseva-Miller wants more land to be made available for community growing schemes.

Deputy De Sausmarez said she’s well aware of the issue and it does require some work.

“I’m personally very hopeful that this is exactly the kind of initiative we [my committee] can implement," she commented. 

In an interview with Express following the States meeting, Deputy Kazantseva-Miller said lockdown and Brexit uncertainty has really brought people closer to nature and spurred people on to grow their own veg. This, coupled with a growing cannabis industry, has opened the door for further discussion.

“The issue of displacement is an opportunity to revisit this issue - is there more demand, can we have more community gardens and allotment schemes in Guernsey?”

She said that we are ripe for more growing and the development of more charitable intiatives such as Edible Guernsey and GROW. 

“There are huge mental health benefits, which is why you have these charities, very much focused on this social aspect of community building and mental health.”

Pictured: Very little space is needed to start growing your own vegetables.

Deputy Kazantseva-Miller concluded by saying it’s the perfect moment in time for Guernsey to revisit its growing past.

“Guernsey comes from a history with strong horticultural roots and I don’t think we’ve lost that. I think more can be done with the horticultural and agricultural land available, this is a good inflection point to discuss meeting community demands.”

Pictured top: Deputy Kazantseva-Miller wants to find out how much of an appetite there is for more community growing space.