Rhubarb pushing up beside a bus stop, a strawberry within arm’s reach, a courgette or a few mint leaves free for the picking: that is Incredible Edible, the collaborative movement born in Todmorden that turns public space into shared vegetable patches. Settle your project with your local government unit, and the reward is abundance, fruit of sharing.
Free food to share, gardens open to all and only extending the arm to taste a strawberry, a pear, harvest a zucchini or a couple mint leaves, and many more marvels of Mother Nature: that is exactly what more and more people in cities across the entire plant are discovering, from Bordeaux in France to Barcelona in Spain, Horten in Norway…
How can this happen? Simple: plant, water, share! You’ve just entered the beat of the Incredible Edible.
Site shared edible beds well back from busy roads and car parks where possible, since dust and vehicle-related deposits settle on foliage and produce, and passers-by may eat what they pick without washing it.
The “Incredible Edible” movement was born in 2008 in England, in the town of Todmorden, when two mothers of families, Mary and Pam, decided to plant rhubarb-to-share near a bus stop.
This town is now a destination for search-ins.
Quickly, each started joining in on this new and improved green revolution, following the master guideline of “abundance, fruit of sharing”, until sometimes even reaching food self-sufficiency.
One particular city in France is particularly dedicated to making this calling a reality: Albi. Its inhabitants act every day to reorganize agricultural production to provide 100% of its needs within a radius of 45 miles (60 kilometers), inviting local producers to join and even turn organic.
Albi is now a model city for many other cities in the world, and every day new initiatives take root.
On top of the regeneration of local interactions, the goal of the Incredible Edible is to encourage citizens to step out of the worldwide megacorp-dominated food model, connect with the earth and realize how important local, healthy food production and consumption is.
The article names several towns and cities where the Incredible Edible spirit has taken root. Here is what each one contributes to the movement.
| Town or city | Country | Role in the movement |
|---|---|---|
| Todmorden | England | Birthplace of the movement in 2008, started by two mothers, Mary and Pam, with rhubarb-to-share by a bus stop; now a destination for search-ins |
| Albi | France | Model city aiming at food self-sufficiency: 100% of its needs produced within 45 miles (60 km), with local producers invited to join and turn organic |
| Bordeaux | France | One of the cities where city dwellers are discovering free food to share and gardens open to all |
| Barcelona | Spain | One of the cities where the collaborative trend has spread |
| Horten | Norway | Northern European example showing how far the trend has pollinated |
Wherever it lands, the recipe stays the same: plant, water, share.
Social links compound on the connections to Mother Earth… When initiating an urban garden in the vegetable patch, urban nature lovers can put the foot to the spade, plant raspberries, sow a row of lettuce, spread compost along leek or simply water their drudgery away. In subdivision plots or front lawns, every one can even plant those fruits and vegetables in “shared garden boxes”.
To join the trend, check out the Incredible Edible website and contact your local government unit to define your project and the public spaces that can be made available.
Even schools can join in!
Claire Lelong-Lehoang
