Alongside securing sufficient funding from a suitable funder, identifying and getting permission to develop land suitable for growing food on is one of the main barriers a group faces when setting up a new community garden or growing project. 

Even once a plot of land has been identified and permissions obtained, it can be difficult to establish the suitability of the land for growing edible crops on. Many areas of Lanarkshire have historically been used for industrial purposes and are therefore considered to be ‘contaminated land’ deemed unsuitable for cultivating edible crops directly in the soil. Harmful chemicals if present in any significant concentration in these soils can be further concentrated into crops which then pose significant health risks to individuals who subsequently eat any produce that has been cultivated on it.  

For this reason, it is strongly advised that any group seeking to cultivate crops destined for consumption initially conduct some background research on the land in question, check the historical records to establish previous land use, contact the relevant local authority where any doubt exists and conducts soil surveys to check for any contamination that might end up in the food chain.