AN increase in the popularity of gardening may not be the first side effect that springs to mind when considering Spain’s economic crisis.
But as the Spanish economy sinks deeper into the red, its residents are turning increasingly green.
A boom in the number of urban gardens springing up across the country is primarily out of a practical necessity to pool resources and share the fruits of a community’s labour.
But they also serve an important social purpose by increasing community spirit and allowing solidarity among neighbours at what is a difficult time.
Perhaps most importantly of all, they allow those who are unemployed to learn practical skills that they may otherwise never have had.
It also boosts their self-esteem to a level that could help them to find a job, literally digging themselves out of financial hardship.
See article Urban garden movement booms in southern Spain