In 1939 farming became part of the war effort, a state controlled industry whose aim was to feed wartime Britain. Food imports had to be reduced because the ships were needed to transport guns, planes and soldiers, and the best way to reduce imports was to grow more food. Farming was modernised and many fallow fields were ploughed up in order to produce food.

• In 1939, the number of acres of land used for food production was just under 12 million, in 1945 this had grown to just over 18 million acres.
• Between 1939 and 1945, imports of food were halved.

London, as well as the countryside, was expected to play its part in reducing imports. "Let Dig for Victory be the motto of everyone with a garden," said the Minister of Agriculture in 1939. "Dig for Victory" was the slogan of a campaign started by the government to encourage people to grow more food. The campaign made sure that every available piece of land was turned over to agriculture. Hyde Park had its own piggery and Kensington Gardens dug up its flowers and planted rows of cabbages. Nearly half the families in London had an allotment or a garden to grow their own vegetables and salads. Growing your own food or rearing your own animals was a good way to add to your rationed food. Londoners kept chickens for the eggs and fed pigs on kitchen scraps. Nobody was exempt from the campaign. Even evacuated children were expected to do their bit and 'Dig for Victory'.

George Knott has his own tale to tell about the effect of the Dig for Victory campaign on his family life:

"My brother was in the Civil Defence. A lot of the time he spent helping to run the group piggery which they had been allowed to build on a very small part of Tooting Bec Common. The pigs were fed mainly on kitchen scraps, which the members of the group had to collect, upon which the animals appeared to thrive. All of the pigs went into the official swim but some pork was returned and shared out amongst members which was welcome at times like Christmas".