The value of edible community gardens for the elderly in the specific environment condition, during the epidemic: using a case of Nanjing, in China

Abstract

An ever-increasing number of individuals are attempting to fabricate edible community gardens because of Corona Virus Disease 2019 and the Chinese government’s control of the regions where the epidemic happened, the restricted access to daily demand of food, and the unfamiliarity of the elderly with web-based shopping technology. Therefore, this research selects three representative communities in Nanjing as case studies by adopting a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods. More specifically, GIS, mapping to construct a map of the food system in Nanjing. In addition, direct site observations, questionnaires, and interviews have also been conducted in the research. Moreover, the research adopts univariate and multivariate approaches to analyze the data to find out that most elderly demand and value edible community gardens, especially during the epidemic. Also, community gardens could provide opportunities to make new companions and enjoy leisure moments, so, an edible landscape enhances the ornamental value and interactivity of the communities. The edible community gardens are beneficial for sustainable food production from the perspective of future development of the community, including ecological environment, economic benefits, social regeneration, and local development.