Filling the Void: Applying a Place-Based Ethic to Community Gardens

For the most part, research and policymaking on urban gardening have focused on community gardens, whether in parks, vacant lots, or other public land. This emphasis, while important for many Midwestern cities, can obscure the significance of privately owned land such as front yard and back yard and their crucial connections with gardening on public land. In this case study, we examine how policies and practices related to gardening and the management of green space in two Midwestern cities exceed narrow visions of urban agriculture. The article explores the cultivation of vacant lot gardens and private yards as two modes of property in similar Midwestern contexts and argues that the management of green space is about more than urban agriculture. Instead, we show how urban gardening occurs across public/private property distinctions and involves a broader set of actors than those typically included in sustainability policies. Gardening also provides a key set of connections through which neighbors understand and practice sustainability in Midwestern cities.

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One Landscape, Multiple Meanings: Revisiting Contemporary Discourses on Urban Community Gardens

Built Environment ◽

10.2148/benv.44.3.326 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 44 (3) ◽

pp. 326-338

Author(s):

Efrat Eizenberg

Keyword(s):

Urban Community ◽

Community Gardens ◽

Multiple Meanings ◽

Urban Community Gardens

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Seeking justice, eating toxics: overlooked contaminants in urban community gardens

Agriculture and Human Values ◽

10.1007/s10460-021-10236-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Melanie Malone

Keyword(s):

Urban Community ◽

Community Gardens ◽

Urban Community Gardens

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Participation in community gardening: Sowing the seeds of well-being

Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy ◽

10.1177/0008417421994385 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 000841742199438

Author(s):

Melinda J. Suto ◽

Shelagh Smith ◽

Natasha Damiano ◽

Shurli Channe

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Social Connectedness ◽

Community Gardens ◽

Well Being ◽

Supported Housing ◽

Research Approach ◽

Subjective Well Being ◽

Health Issues ◽

Community Gardening ◽

Mental Health Issues

Background. Sustaining well-being challenges people with serious mental health issues. Community gardening is an occupation used to promote clients’ well-being, yet there is limited evidence to support this intervention. Purpose. This paper examines how facilitated community gardening programs changed the subjective well-being and social connectedness of people living with mental health issues. Method. A community-based participatory research approach and qualitative methods were used with 23 adults living in supported housing and participating in supported community gardening programs. A constructivist approach guided inductive data analysis. Findings. Participation in community gardening programs enhanced well-being through welcoming places, a sense of belonging, and developing positive feelings through doing. The connection to living things and responsibility for plants grounded participants in the present and offered a unique venue for learning about gardening and themselves. Implications. Practitioners and service-users should collaborate to develop leadership, programs, places, and processes within community gardens to enhance well-being.

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The Impact of COVID-19 on Urban Agriculture in São Paulo, Brazil

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13116185 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (11) ◽

pp. 6185

Author(s):

André Ruoppolo Biazoti ◽

Angélica Campos Nakamura ◽

Gustavo Nagib ◽

Vitória Oliveira Pereira de Souza Leão ◽

Giulia Giacchè ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Urban Agriculture ◽

Technical Assistance ◽

Community Gardens ◽

Sao Paulo ◽

Food Chains ◽

São Paulo ◽

Sales Channels ◽

Paulo State ◽

The Impact ◽

The City

During the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic, farmers worldwide were greatly affected by disruptions in the food chain. In 2020, São Paulo city experienced most of the effects of the pandemic in Brazil, with 15,587 deaths through December 2020. Here, we describe the impacts of COVID-19 on urban agriculture (UA) in São Paulo from April to August 2020. We analyzed two governmental surveys of 2100 farmers from São Paulo state and 148 from São Paulo city and two qualitative surveys of volunteers from ten community gardens and seven urban farmers. Our data showed that 50% of the farmers were impacted by the pandemic with drops in sales, especially those that depended on intermediaries. Some farmers in the city adapted to novel sales channels, but 22% claimed that obtaining inputs became difficult. No municipal support was provided to UA in São Paulo, and pre-existing issues were exacerbated. Work on community gardens decreased, but no garden permanently closed. Post COVID-19, UA will have the challenge of maintaining local food chains established during the pandemic. Due to the increase in the price of inputs and the lack of technical assistance, governmental efforts should be implemented to support UA.

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