Allotment Gardens and other Urban Agriculture in Germany

Although written as part of an investigation into German allotments as precedent for a South African model, this paper provides an explanation of the Allotment Garden system in Germany: http://www.cityfarmer.org/germanAllot.html

"The History of the German Allotment System

The German allotment gardens are plots between 200 and 400 m_ of size mainly used for horticulture and flower production for home consumption. Most of them contain a little shed for storing gardening tools. They are typically clustered within a certain area of the city. Small allotments consist of few plots only while big allotments agglomerate of several hundreds of plots. Animal husbandry and housing are not allowed in German allotment gardens.

Originally the German allotment gardens are a social public utility. The fight of hunger and poverty stood in the foreground when nearly 200 years ago the first - at that time called "gardens for the poor" - units emerged in Europe. As a consequence of industrialisation, urbanisation and migration numerous persons lived in extraordinarily bad conditions so that even the ruling authorities saw themselves compelled to seize countermeasure (Leutenegger 2000). In the beginning in the 19th century some municipalities gave the poorest a piece of land for vegetable production which they could manage independently. First attempt was made in northern Germany in the city of Kiel. These gardens were seen as an eradicative measure against poverty and riot.

The initiative for the creation of allotments originally came from social engaged personalities and political parties. The medical doctor Daniel Gottlob Moritz Schreber (1808v -1861), is still associated with the idea of allotment gardens in Germany - sometimes they are called "Schrebergardens". He had no idea about gardening but wanted to create possibilities for children in cities to get them away from the streets, bring them on the fresh air and give them a useful occupation. It was the School Director Ernst Innocenz Hauschild, who founded the first gardening association. He took on lease four fields where garden plots were established.

Especially during the first and second world war allotments became extremely important for food security and survival in the cities. Shortly after WW II existed in Berlin nearly 200 000 gardens, today still 80.000 remained.

In Germany today still more than 1.4 Million organised allotment gardens exist. All together they occupy an area of nearly 47.000 ha (BVGF 2000). Additionally we find millions of private home gardens. Allotments play an important role for the production of fresh fruits and vegetables but also for recreation and conservation of nature in cities. The latter became the most important reason today for the conservation of those gardens in cities. Many of the members of the associations are pensioners. Recent development in Germany shows also a shift in ownership of gardens from German owners to migrants from other countries - like e.g. Russia and other Eastern European Countries. Observations prove differences in the use of allotment gardens between migrants and Germans. Migrants tend to grow much more vegetables and fruits, while Germans generally grow more flowers and use the gardens for recreation.

The Institutional Framework of the German Allotment Movement

All gardeners are organised in associations or garden clubs under the umbrella of the German Leisure Garden Federation which is the parent organisation and interest representation of the allotment and leisure gardeners' associations of Germany. (Bundesverband der Gartenfreunde) with about 1.5 million members. The German Leisure garden federation represents the interests of allotment and leisure gardeners organised in 19 regional organizations and 15.200 associations. (BVGF 2000).

In most German cities we shall find several allotments in different locations. In the past preferred sites were along railway lines, on marshy areas and other ground not used for housing. Each allotment is a self organised unit and members form an association. Each gardener has to be a member of the association, which in the frame of a leasing contract takes over the administration of the so called "garden-colony". If any problem arises this has to be solved within the single associations, according to democratic rules and rules of justice. The single units form a greater unit on the city scale - called the association of allotment gardeners. The administration on city level is organised within the municipality. Only if a problem cannot be solved within the associations it comes to a hearing on the city level.

The members of the allotment association have defined duties and rights. For example the use of the plots is clearly defined to be two third at least for vegetables and one third for flowers and recreation.

Basic requirements for the German system are the provision of land and water as well as certain infrastructure related to accessibility, health and hygiene (drinking water and toilets).

Allotment Gardens and other Urban Agriculture in Germany

The association is financed through the contributions of each member who has to pay a small yearly rent for his or her plot and an additional obligatory fee to remain member of the association.
Advantages of the system are:

* Production of fresh food for household consumption, gaining gardening experience
* Possibilities for recreation within the city boundary (reduces costs for transport and fuel consumption)
* Learning democratic rules in decision making and conflict management
* Promotion of participatory learning processes (learning from each other) which makes extension cheaper and more efficient
* People are reachable because of the specific spatial structure of the allotments
* Possibilities for women to take their children to the allotment, children can learn gardening and
* Promotion of organic farming and abolishment of pesticide use in public owned urban allotment gardens. "

Above in a excerpt from a paper by:

A.W. Drescher
axel.drescher@geographie.uni-freiburg.de

Published in the Proceedings of the Sub-Regional Expert Meeting on Urban Horticulture, Stellenbosch, South Africa, January 15 - 19, 2001, FAO/University of Stellenbosch, 2001


Don Butler, of The Ottawa Citizen reported in June 2006 that "In Berlin, 15 per cent of the city's land is used for urban agriculture. All 80,000 of Berlin's allotment gardens are in use, with 14,000 people on a waiting list."