Jagannaths allotment is a community farming project with a simple mission; to equip our community with the knowledge and practice of growing plants for food.
Just like a fruit tree that grows from one small seed, we’d like to one day grow to feed many.
WHY GROW YOUR OWN FOOD?
In todays world it is easy to become disconnected with nature, our lives are filled with distractions and we are heavily dependent on the systems which govern us.
Growing our own veg is a simple solution to many of the symptoms of modern day life. Serving the earth reconnects us with our food source and allows us to develop a more compassionate and harmonious relationship with the world we live in.
“The human being is the elder brother of all other living beings. He is endowed with intelligence more powerful than animals for realizing the course of nature and the indications of the Almighty Father”
(Srimad Bhagavatam 1.10.4)
Our story
We started our allotment project back in 2020. Our aim was to create a space for the community to come together and reconnect with the earth, whilst learning how to establish a more self-sufficient lifestyle.
Four years later and our allotment has grown into a thriving hub of activity, we now have a steady supply of fresh, organic fruit and veg, which we share between our volunteers and Food For All Reading.
%
of the UK population lives below the poverty line
%
of food consumed in the UK is imported
“Our farm projects are an extremely important part of our movement. We must become self-sufficient by growing our own grains and producing our own milk, then there will be no question of poverty.”
Regenerative farming
Regenerative agriculture means to improve the quality of the environment rather than degrading it or simple maintaining it. We chose to add to the soil so that soil health actively improves. Soil is the Earths largest store of carbon, and the health of the soil determines how much carbon that soil emits or retains, healthy soil not only improves the taste and nutritional value of our vegetables, but the entire environment.
It is vital that we give back as much, if not more, than we take from the environment. Regenerative farming is a wonderful way to balance the exchange between the planet and people, it relieves the impact of farming on our soil and enables landscapes to be restored.
We use a “no-dig” method of farming, which means that we feed the soil with organic matter from the surface, rather than digging excessively. The benefits of this method include better moisture retention, more dynamic biodiversity, healthier plants and fewer weeds. No-dig soil means that the complex system of microorganisms which keep the soil healthy are undisturbed, the soil quite literally stays alive, which is beneficial for the earth, for crops, and for us!
Our veg is organic, locally grown and free from herbicides, pesticides and insecticides. We believe we can work with nature in a gentle way, to sustain ourselves without destroying the environment, taking only what we need, and causing minimal disturbance.
Get involved!
We meet every Sunday between 12pm-3pm in Spencers Wood, Reading. Anyone is welcome to come and volunteer, please get in touch using the form below if you’d like to join us.
It’s time for us to upscale our efforts! We are seeking land so we can expand this community allotment project into a community farm.
Find out more at https://iskconreading.org/eco-farm/
Our Founder Acharya A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada continuously stressed the importance of establishing self-supported farming communities.
This project is enabling us to aquire the knoweldge and practices required to aid his mission. We sincerely hope that this offering is accepted by Prabhupada, and that he will continue to empower us to drive his vision forward.