New guide from Oxford Brookes' Edible Streets empowers communities to grow their own food

A comprehensive ‘how to’ guide developed at Oxford Brookes University is helping communities transform their local areas into thriving community gardens.

The guide, which can be found on the Oxfordshire County Council website is part of the successful Edible Streets initiative, which is providing edible perennials like strawberries and herbs, low maintenance foods for
cooking and foraging, to the residents of Malford Road in Barton, Oxford.

Dr Mina Samangooei, Senior Lecturer in the School of Architecture at Oxford Brookes University, and the Edible Streets Research Lead, said: “As a built environment professional, I’m interested in how we can grow food directly outside our houses and workplaces. This guide provides communities with the knowledge and tools to make gardening an integral part of everyday life, even for those who are time-poor.”

The Edible Streets guide offers a step-by-step approach to starting an Edible Streets project, covering essential topics such as engaging the community, obtaining permissions for growing food on publicly accessible land, and selecting appropriate plants along with their nutritional benefits.

Dr Samangooei, along with Dr Emma Davies, Reader in Psychology at Oxford Brookes, and Dr Sangeetha Thondre, Senior Lecturer in Nutrition at Oxford Brookes, worked together to compile the guide based on their experience in Barton and other successful projects across the UK.

The guide features inspiring examples, including residents growing food in a disused laundry drying area in Lewisham Park, transforming an alleyway into a garden space in Manchester, and utilising library car parks for planting in Wallingford and Benson in Oxfordshire.

The Edible Streets initiative began with a feasibility study for a planting scheme on Malford Road in Barton. With input from Oxfordshire County Council’s Public Health team and Barton Community Association, the project started with the installation of an initial planter by RAW Reclaimed Wood Workshop in January 2022. The enthusiastic response from residents led to the co-creation of more planters by October 2023, with the support of Oxford Brookes Interior Architecture students, local architects Sow Space, and gardening contractor Gaiaveda Gardens.

Dr Samangooei said: "The planters included seating areas to encourage social interaction. We even held a celebratory party and set up a WhatsApp group, which has been buzzing ever since. QR codes on the planters link residents to the WhatsApp group and the Edible Streets website, where they can find recipes for their homegrown produce."

In the autumn, the Edible Streets team will assess the project's impact, exploring practical improvements and evaluating its effects on residents' lives, health, and community cohesion. They are also working on a guide to navigate bureaucratic obstacles, such as obtaining licences and insurance for using public land.
Dr Samangooei added: “By 2025, we aim to have a licensing system in place for Edible Streets-style projects.

The success we've seen on Malford Road in Barton is inspiring similar initiatives across the UK. We hope that growing food on publicly accessible land will become a seamless part of everyday life, fostering healthier, more biodiverse, and more connected neighbourhoods.”

John Lee, Health Improvement Practitioner at Oxfordshire County Council (OCC), said: “OCC Public Health have supported the Oxford Brookes project team both with the initial pilot on Malford Road in Barton, and with the subsequent development of a ‘How-To’ Guide for community-growing. We've been particularly keen to support the ‘How-To’ Guide as it represents a sustainable mechanism for residents and community groups to grow food and build connections in an asset-based way.” 

“This approach has been shown to increase the effectiveness and longevity of community initiatives, because those benefiting from them are actively involved in setting them up and nurturing the fruits of their labour.”