An allotment is a small area of land used for gardening, away from a person's home. People who have allotments normally use them to grow food for themselves and their families.[1] Sometimes people also keep bees or small animals like rabbits and chickens on their allotment.[2]
There have been things similar to allotments in the United Kingdom since the late 16th century; small pieces of land were given to tenant farmers by landlords so that they could grow their own food. In the 19th century lots of people had moved to cities to work in factories and didn’t have anywhere to grow food, so the government told local councils to give allotments to residents who didn’t own land.[1][3]