Czech gardeners want more young people to join their ranks

The Czech Union of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners would like more young people to join their ranks in order to stop the steady decline in their numbers, the head of the union, Jan Hinterholzinger, said. The organization now has some 150,000 members, down from around 250,000 in the year 2000. Their numbers were even higher during communism when allotment gardening was one of the most popular pastimes. The average age of the union’s members is now between 60 and 70. The gardeners’ union would also like Parliament to pass legislation that would recognize gardening as a publicly beneficial activity, a status gardeners enjoy in several other EU countries.

Author: Jan Richter