The Food and Climate Action project today launched the results of their Demand for Land campaign. Rounding off a year of activity highlighting the need for more accessible land forgrowing in Glasgow, their pack includes:

• Route maps for Glasgow organisations and individuals to understand the processesfor acquiring land for growing
• Inspirational media for highlighting the potentials of underused land
• Results from our Demand for Land Survey
• Testimonials from real people on the importance of access to land and;
• A toolkit for market gardening

You can access the campaign pack at: bit.ly/DFL_Campaign_Pack

During COP26, members of the Food and Climate Action project ran an array of different events which looked at land ownership issues in the context of food growing and the climate emergency. The learning from these events fed into our #DemandForLand campaign which took place throughout the Summer of 2022 and resulted in a number of publicly accessible resources for understanding the lay of Glasgow’s land and how to use it.

The purpose of the campaign was to inspire the people of Glasgow to think about our city’s land differently. It helped them to see the possibilities that so much of it has for food production; as well as to look at the barriers to accessing land and where changes could help lessen those obstacles. The resulting pack is free for all to access and has been built upon, and in response to, feedback from numerous participants who were engaged in conversations, competitions and events throughout the campaign. Glasgow Community Food Network hopes that by making the processes for acquiring and working land in Glasgow clearer, and by sharing positive stories of communities coming together over food, more people will become involved in growing.

The survey returned a huge amount of insight, generating ideas for projects and specific calls for actions from Glasgow City Council. One respondent commented that “It would be amazing if there was a project that would help communities use their backyards”. Another participant reflected that “Growing spaces support human connection, developing resilient communities – we need more communal spaces to help us face challenges ahead!”

The campaign pack has been released in good time, anchoring itself in COP27, which is set this year to have a greater focus on food and agriculture. It demonstrates an incredible year of effort, continued discussion, and engagement with the climate crisis following on from COP26.

To celebrate, and to keep the conversation going, the Food and Climate Action project has also commissioned a mural for Kinning Park Complex, a community owned space in Glasgow’s Southside. Local artist, Barry Neeson, will be heading up the mural, leading participatory art workshops across the whole of Glasgow with each area helping to create a section of a larger piece, reflecting people’s views on growing and land in Glasgow and which will look at themes of land and growing in the city. The mural will be the final addition to our temporary exhibition at Kinning Park Complex which also includes 2 community banners made during COP26, the Demand For Land Illustrations by Emily Chappell, collages and DIY seasonal calendar from GFPP’s Good Food For Glasgow Campaign, and posters from the ‘Sow a Seed, Grow a World’ booklet, which can also be viewed on our website. The mural will be unveiled later in the month . Keep up to date with its progress and explore the Demand for Land campaign pack by following Glasgow Community Food Network on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and checking our website. You can access the campaign pack at: https://bit.ly/DFL_Campaign_Pack