Informal Urban Agriculture The Secret Lives of Guerrilla Gardeners [Paperback]

The book explores how unused and under-used urban spaces  from grass verges, roundabouts, green spaces  have been made more visually interesting and more productive, by informal (and usually illegal) groups known as guerrilla gardeners.?The book focuses on groups in the English Midlands but the work is set in a broad international context and reveals how and why they undertake this illegal activity. Guerrilla gardening is usually viewed uncritically and promoted as a worthwhile activity: this study provides a more balanced evaluation and focuses on its contribution in terms of local food production.

Preface
Chapter 1. Guerrilla Urban Agriculture: Unearthing the Hidden Movement
Urban Agriculture and Guerrilla Gardening
Exploring the Movement
Overview of the Book: Why Guerrilla Gardening?
Approaching the Research: Working with Guerrillas
Chapter 2. Cultivating the City
Introduction
Nature and Cities
From Survival to Niche: Reflecting on Food Growing in the Global North
Everyday UA: Allotments, Community Gardens and Emerging Spaces of Production
Should UA be Encouraged? Exploring Local Food Criticisms
The Roots of Informal UA
Chapter 3. Unearthing the Unpermitted Movement
Introduction: Informal Action in the Urban
Guerrilla Gardening: The Rise of Radical Agriculture
Why Choose the Illegal Route? Reasons for Guerrilla Gardening
Chapter 4. On the Ground with Guerrillas: An Ethnographical Reflection
Researching Guerrilla Gardeners
A First-Hand Personal Reflection: Interacting with Guerrillas on the Ground
Is Guerrilla Gardening Illegal?
Interacting with the Guerrillas: An Ethnographic Reflection on the Action
The Stories of F Troop and the WG: Key Messages
Chaptl£‡