In the U.K. during the time of the Industrial Revolution, it is said that allotment garden was born for the purpose of the food self-support for poverty inhabitants. It spread in the European countries and benefited the life of the city inhabitants with the social change and it has developed.
In our country (Japan), it was introduced as a share farm in the last of Taisho era, and it was expired by World War II. But the spontaneous request of city inhabitants changed the administration, and systematization proceeded as allotment garden from the end of Showa era.
Well managed and administered allotment garden is a place understanding "a meal" and "agriculture" through practice, and the existence of allotment garden makes agriculture vital. It is the place that people get together, and forms community. In a city, it shows superior environmental function by maintaining the cultivating space.
In the farming and mountainous village, it makes the flow of people and promotes regional vitality.
It can be maintained and developed from the partnership of a person owning an allotment site and a person using an allotment garden that is based on a warm mutual trust.
We recognize that allotment garden have effects of realization of sustainable city, activating a region, preserving global environment and conserving biological diversity.
We will pursue the stable development of allotment garden and we will have administrative know-how of the allotment garden together.
We establish the allotment garden charter here as a common idea to push forward networking of organization and allotment activity of individual allotment garden.
Allotment garden can cultivate a heart of people and region.
Allotment garden is brought up by the collaboration of a landowner and a user.
The small plot of allotment garden connects to the farm friends of the world and global environment.
We make an effort together to succeed allotment garden in a good condition for the future.
October 15, 2007
All the participants for Forum "the new movement of the allotment"