EMPLOYMENT RESEARCH
FIELD OF DREAMS
Ian Larkin found himself at a low ebb when he lost his sales job in 2010. ‘I’d been in my job for 22 years,’ he recalls. ‘Now I had no direction. I had an idea about what to do, but I didn’t know how I could at that stage go about pursuing my dream of moving to Spain with my wife, and becoming self-suffi cient. When you’re made redundant there’s a pressure to get you into a new job straight away, and sometimes you’re not ready for that.’ It was with these ideas in mind that Ian volunteered at Organic Lea
workers’ cooperative. Very quickly, he rediscovered his love for learning. ‘I came along one day and enjoyed it,’ he says, ‘so I started coming to all the days that volunteers could attend.’ After completing an informal
apprenticeship for six months, Ian gained a Certifi cate in Permaculture that gave him an understanding of management of agriculture as well as growing and propagating. ‘At the moment I’m doing a correspondence course in horticulture in my free time – it’s quite diffi cult to discipline
myself, but it’s great to come here and see the practical side of it,’ he says. ‘It’s given me a tremendous all-round knowledge of food and vegetable growing, so that now I can go off and start my own business. ‘When I came here I realised that
there was hope – that I could redirect my life and do something I really wanted to do,’ Ian says. ‘I’m more relaxed, more confi dent about the future, more hopeful and more inspired. It’s given me a great zest for life.’
NEW LEASE OF LIFE
Thanks to Organic Lea workers’ cooperative, Ian Larkin (right) has rediscovered his ‘zest for life’
a fortnight with our maintenance team, then moved on to one day a week and then two days a week. He applied for the fi rst job he’s gone for in 15 years and, at 52, was offered the position. He’s been transformed but it took three years – it’s not a quick fi x.’ Other projects have supported
participants becoming entrepreneurs as they sell products and services from urban agriculture, particularly growing produce for sale. The main benefi t of entrepreneurial endeavours is that they give clear goals for people to aim for, which in turn develops their motivation and practical experience in ways that are applicable to other business sectors. Going forward, Roots to Work
recommends that projects fi nd a common way of quantifying their impact, to help show and compare what they achieve collectively. Helping practitioners identify training content,
www.cityandguilds.com/broadsheet
‘He applied for the fi rst job he’s gone for in 15 years. And, at 52, was offered the position. He’s been transformed – but it’s not a quick fi x’
PROJECT CO-ORDINATOR
and further training in a collective resource, would also help to avoid duplication and wasted resources. Overall, holding more of this information will help ensure that good practice is shared, so that the best outcome for individuals is achieved.
BORIS BACKING
London Mayor Boris Johnson has welcomed the CSD report, and praised urban agriculture for its quality of life, social and educational benefi ts. ‘The report reveals what many people doing this important work already know – that as well as transforming previously neglected places, urban agriculture can transform people’s lives and lead to a better quality of life,’ writes Johnson in the report’s foreword. ‘Not only this, but we are seeing tangible evidence of how volunteering in this way can give people valuable skills to help fi nd work.’
BROADSHEET 178 | WINTER | 33
PHOTOGRAPHY: ANDY WASLEY
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