EMPLOYMENT RESEARCH
PASTURES NEW
Below and right: stove and pruning shears at St Mary’s Secret Garden. Bottom right: allotments at Spitalfi elds City Farm
Out of the 23 London agriculture groups interviewed for the report, 20 include people experiencing unemployment and/or facing diffi culties including physical or mental disability, addiction issues, homelessness, English language barriers, and long- term unemployment. Twelve out of the 23 projects were purposefully reaching people in one or more of these situations, with the aim of helping them. They also help experienced people going through diffi cult times. With unemployed individuals
susceptible to a loss of confi dence and depression, a key fi nding within Roots to Work reveals that working physically, outdoors and in a natural environment, contributes to mental well-being. For young people in particular, working outdoors with plants and animals can encourage them to overcome fears and limitations. Communities developed
32 | BROADSHEET 178 | WINTER
through urban agriculture also help participants to feel like they are part of something important, with supportive relationships relieving stress and improving self-esteem. Classroom environments are often
poorly suited to the development of transferable skills that are important for employability, whereas practical group-working and challenges are much better suited to this. Urban agriculture also encourages self- management, with individuals taking personal responsibility to behave appropriately and meet expectations. Co-ordinators found that it was
useful to involve new starters straight away by giving them something useful to do, thus developing a supportive culture by providing clear opportunities for help and advice, and establishing authority to mediate disputes. Participation in community food-
growing groups and city farms can also
develop technical skills that prepare individuals for jobs, transfer enterprise skills and encourage engagement in formal learning. Urban agriculture projects engage participants in learning and can help those with few qualifi cations to see that they can learn, while building up their confi dence in their own abilities.
INCREASED CHANCES
The research also identifi ed several direct ways in which London urban agriculture projects have helped people with the transition into and between work, including projects that link participants into networks that increase their chances of fi nding employment. ‘Our success story is a guy who started volunteering with us over three years ago,’ recalls an interviewee. ‘He did a City & Guilds in conservation and started doing work experience placements one day
www.cityandguilds.com/broadsheet
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