Gardens emphasized the contrast between two separate worlds: the
outer one where nature remained awe-inspiringly in control, and an inner
artificially created sanctuary, a refuge for man and plants from the burning
desert…Shade trees and cool canals refreshed the spirit and ensured growth.” (Penelope
Hobhouse)
There
is a growing trend of people seeking to connect with nature, and create
more sustainable local food systems. Inner city vacant plots and verges,
community gardens and roof top gardens have appeared throughout a variety of
environments. Part of the urban agricultural revolution is the development and
spread of community gardens. They are showing up in cities, on university
campuses as well as at corporate offices.
“The first supermarket supposedly appeared on the
American landscape in 1946. That is not very long ago. Until then, where was
all the food? Dear folks, the food was in homes, gardens, local fields, and
forests. It was near kitchens, near tables, near bedsides. It was in the
pantry, the cellar, the backyard.” (Joel Salatin)
1.
Community
Gardens Help Provide Fresh, Nutritious Food: Community
gardens provide an opportunity for people to enjoy nutritious food at little
(or no cost). People who garden (or who live with someone who gardens) tend to
eat more fruits and vegetables on a daily basis.
“A garden requires patient labor and attention.
Plants do not grow merely to satisfy ambitions or to fulfill good intentions.
They thrive because someone expended effort on them.” (Liberty
Hyde Bailey)
2.
Community
Gardens Foster Community and Build Networks: Community gardens provide the
opportunity for people from different backgrounds to come together. They help
foster a sense of ownership and community. Community gardens are generally
monitored and managed by the gardeners, resulting in a cleaner space and more
active local community.
“We can begin by doing small things at the local level,
like planting community gardens or looking out for our neighbors. That is how
change takes place in living systems, not from above but from within, from many
local actions occurring simultaneously.” (Grace Lee Boggs)
3.
Community
Gardens Provide Health Benefits & A Place To Retreat From The Noise &
Commotion of Urban Environments: Community gardens offer escape from the concrete jungle and
hustle and bustle of city living. It offers benefits such as relieving
stress, building esteem, and fighting depression. Physical health benefits
include increased dexterity, cardiovascular development and strength
building. Daily gardening may represent the single biggest risk reduction
for dementia.
“The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt,
head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just the
body, but the soul.” (Alfred
Austin)
4.
Community
Gardens Are Good For Local Business & Help Reduce Crime: There is
evidence to suggest that community gardens make communities safer. Aggression
and violence are significantly lower among people who live near some green
space.
Gardens such as these ones help provide employment,
education, and entrepreneurship. They provide opportunities for students,
recent immigrants, and homeless people. Developing and maintaining garden space
is less expensive than parkland area, in part because gardens require little
land and 80% of their cost is in labor.
“We all grew up in communities with grandmothers who
cooked two, three vegetables that you had to eat. There [were] no ifs… or buts about it. But that's because many of our grandparents,
they had community gardens; there was the vegetable man that came around.
There were many other resources that allowed them to
have access. So it's not that people don't know or don't want to do the right
thing; they just have to have access to the foods that they know will make their
families healthier.” (Michelle Obama)
5.
Community
Gardens Can Have a Positive Effect on Property Prices: Community
gardens also have a positive impact on nearby property prices. They have
positive effects on the values of property within 1,000 feet of a garden.
Community gardens raised property values by up to 9.5 percent within five years
in the poorest neighborhood measured. [i]
“I think most people do not imagine how things can
change. In Detroit, there are community gardens that are only an indication
that the country is coming back to the city. And that is something that
actually is necessary to stop the real imminent danger of the extermination of
our planet.” (Grace Lee Boggs)
“I envision a day when every
city and town has front and back yards, community gardens and growing spaces,
nurtured into life by neighbors who are no longer strangers, but friends who
delight in the edible rewards offered from a garden they discovered together.
Imagine small strips of land
between apartment buildings that have been turned into vegetable gardens, and
urban orchards planted at schools and churches to grow food for our
communities. The seeds of the urban farming movement already are growing within
our reality.” (Greg Peterson)
 |
| Where my wife, Bobbi, gardend |
[i] Adapted from “5 Reasons Why Community Gardens Are
Good For Your Neighborhood” by Andrew Martin.
This post is dedicated
to my lovely wife, Bobbi, and good friend, Gracie White, who are both involved in their own unique community gardens.
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