ALLOTMENT land has declined by 65% from its peak between the 1940s and 1960s to 2016, according to a study by the Institute for Sustainable Food at the University of Sheffield.
The most deprived urban areas have seen the biggest cuts in food-growing space, with eight times more allotment closures than the wealthiest areas.
Research shows that 47% of the land once used as allotments has now been built on and 25% are other forms of urban green space.
Academics analyzed historic maps of Bristol, Glasgow, Leicester, Liverpool, Milton Keynes, Newcastle, Nottingham, Sheffield, Southampton and Swansea from the early 1900s to 2016.
This story is from the June 27, 2020 edition of Amateur Gardening.
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This story is from the June 27, 2020 edition of Amateur Gardening.
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