“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

 

Joining your local community has a ton of benefits to the individual, the group, and the land. Community gardens are a space for growth, literally and metaphorically. They create room for learning new skills, socializing, and helping the community by providing for and improving the beauty of the area.

Gardening is a lost art to many people. More so now than ever, the pandemic forced people inside away from the outdoors and their communities. Now post pandemic, people are looking for direction. Something new to do and a way to rejoin society. Gardening offers a great reason to spend time outdoors. However, many people don’t have access to land for gardening or they lack the skills to start and don’t know where to begin. That’s where community gardens come into play. In order for the gardens to exist, the people must come together and tend to them.

Gardening can teach many different things to anyone willing to be its student. Responsibility, patience, and time management are just a few of the skills found in this pastime. Not to mention learning about the fauna and flora surrounding the local area. Community gardens add a whole new level to all of that. They have been seen to increase relations between people. Especially in more urban areas where space and land to grow is limited. Community gardens offer a space for people who usually wouldn’t be able to access this recreational activity.

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Speaking of relationships, community gardens are all about teamwork. These gardens require people to work together to bring out their full potential. Planning out schedules, designing the garden layout, gathering resources, getting people involved, and, of course, tending to the gardens themselves are all jobs that need to be manned in order for everything to come together. This requires a team of people to keep everything running smoothly. The community can share their ideas and experience to grow their own skills and pass on these talents to people from a wide range of backgrounds. It has been noted that the community will continue to come together to tackle other issues beyond the garden once.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Community gardens have also been shown to improve the individual’s overall health and wellness. “...people in low socioeconomic status urban communities, who have an increased incidence of chronic diseases, could promote health and prevent disease.” (Heather 379). Gardening can be a somewhat rigorous activity and can be used as a way to fit in some exercise. People who participate in the gardens are also more likely to eat healthier, “community gardeners in a high-poverty area of Toronto reported that they had increased their consumption of fresh, mostly organic vegetables” (Heather 380). This is a great source for people who may not usually have access to healthier foods or people just looking for a positive change in their lives.

On top of all these already great things, community gardens provide a wide range of other benefits to the area. These gardens beautify the land and commit to its overall wellbeing; offering local pollinators a place to go and assisting in climate change prevention, “via both direct pathways (greenhouse gas, GHG mitigation) and indirect pathways (urban lifestyle change and education)” (Heather 380). These gardens serve as a way to bring the community together and further connections.

 

 

Check out the links below to get involved with the local community gardens near you:

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Citations

 

Laycock Pedersen, Rebecca, and Zoe Robinson. "Reviewing University Community Gardens for Sustainability: Taking Stock, Comparisons with Urban Community Gardens and Mapping Research Opportunities." Local Environment, vol. 23, no. 6, 2018, pp. 652-671.

 

Okvat, Heather A., and Alex J. Zautra. "Community Gardening: A Parsimonious Path to Individual, Community, and Environmental Resilience." American Journal of Community Psychology, vol. 47, no. 3-4, 2011, pp. 374-387.

 

Smith, Gina. “Isa Whitaker Builds Community Resilience through Gardening.” Mountain Xpress, 6 Apr. 2020, https://mountainx.com/living/isa-whitaker-builds-community-resilience-through-gardening/.