Local Food

Why Local is best

Alton Local Food Initiative (ALFI) is is actively working on plans to improve Alton’s food security. Alton is surrounded by farmland, almost all of which is given over to meat production. Of the half dozen or so farms that circle Alton and Holybourne not one grows vegetables or fruit. Alton’s fruit and vegetables are flown, shipped or driven here using carbon-producing fuels, not just in production, but also in transport and refrigeration. It's an expensive, climate-changing and energy-wasteful operation.

ALFI aims are:

to create awareness of the benefits and future need of growing our own vegetables
to encourage local people to grow more food in their own gardens to eat themselves
to create and support a community scheme to grow and distribute fruit and vegetables
to work and learn together
to encourage, institutions and community groups to purchase and distribute local food
to share expertise, time, resources and enthusiasm

Projects in progress

The ALFI group started by creating some very successful small community plots in unused corners of Alton town centre. THis included the former Friends of the Earth garden behind platform one at Alton railway station, but also a plot in Westbrook Road and two of the town's planter tubs in the town centre.

We have also set up a number of garden share schemes where people with gardens they are unable to cultivate offer people the opportunity to use the space.

As part of our remit to educate and encourage people to grow their own food, we are also working with schools to get our next generation of gardeners trained-up. Local schools and colleges are involved with a variety of activites. See ALFI Schools Liaison page

By far the most ambitious aim of ALFI was to secure a large piece of land to set-up a community vegetable plot. This is now a live project...

A New one acre plot for 2011

Thanks to the generosity of a local resident, ALFI has been able to start work on creating a large community vegetable plot. There are many challenges to overcome, but local residents are proving that things can be achieved and that there is a will to make it happen.

A separate website has been created to cover the work of all the ALFI projects. You can link to it HERE and you will find a link back to this site in the side menu.

If you would prefer to open the ALFI site in a new browser window, click HERE.