Community Garden Participation Research Articles

Healthy Kids, Healthy Cuba: findings from a group model building process in the rural Southwest.

Healthy Kids, Healthy Cuba (HKHCuba) is 1 of 49 community partnerships that participated in the national Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. One method of evaluation was to introduce systems thinking at the community level by identifying the essential parts of the HKHCuba system and how it influences policy and environmental changes to promote healthy eating and active living as well as to prevent childhood obesity in this unique, triethnic, rural community in New Mexico. In this cross-sectional design, 12 HKHCuba partners participated in a group model building (GMB) session to develop behavior over time graphs and a causal loop diagram. Twenty-seven influences identified in the behavior over time graphs emerged as feedback loops and 5 subsystems emerged within the causal loop diagram. In addition to specific strategy-related influences (eg, access to healthy food, participation in community gardens), sense of cultural pride, sense of community, and social engagement, particularly among youth, were highly salient topics. The GMB process provided participants with the opportunity to explore the connections across their specific areas of work and make connections between policy and environmental influences on healthy eating and active living behaviors. The GMB processes and systems thinking approaches were new to the majority of participants, received positively, and perhaps should have been introduced earlier in the project period.

Refugees connecting with a new country through community food gardening.

Refugees are a particularly vulnerable population who undergo nutrition transition as a result of forced migration. This paper explores how involvement in a community food garden supports African humanitarian migrant connectedness with their new country. A cross-sectional study of a purposive sample of African refugees participating in a campus-based community food garden was conducted. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with twelve African humanitarian migrants who tended established garden plots within the garden. Interview data were thematically analysed revealing three factors which participants identified as important benefits in relation to community garden participation: land tenure, reconnecting with agri-culture, and community belonging. Community food gardens offer a tangible means for African refugees, and other vulnerable or marginalised populations, to build community and community connections. This is significant given the increasing recognition of the importance of social connectedness for wellbeing.

Vegetable Output and Cost Savings of Community Gardens in San Jose, California

Urban dwellers across the United States increasingly access a variety of fresh vegetables through participation in neighborhood-level community gardens. Here we document vegetable output and cost savings of community gardens in the city of San Jose, CA, to better understand the capacity of community gardens to affect food affordability in an urban setting. A convenience sample of 83 community gardeners in San Jose completed a background survey during spring and summer 2012. On average, gardeners were aged 57 years and had a monthly income of $4,900; 25% had completed college. A representative subset of 10 gardeners was recruited to weigh vegetable output of their plots using portable electronic scales at three separate garden sites. Accuracy of each portable scale was verified by comparing the weight of a sample vegetable to weights obtained using a lab scale precise to 0.2 oz. Garden yields and cost savings were tabulated overall for each plot. Results indicate that community garden practices are more similar to biointensive high-production farming, producing 0.75 lb vegetables/sq ft, rather than conventional agricultural practices, producing 0.60 lb/sq ft. Gardens produced on average 2.55 lb/plant and saved $435 per plot for the season. Results indicate that cost savings are greatest if vertical high value crops such as tomatoes and peppers are grown in community gardens, although yields depend on growing conditions, gardener's skill, availability of water, and other factors. Future research is needed to document cost savings and yields for specific crops grown in community gardens.

Association between community garden participation and fruit and vegetable consumption in rural Missouri

BackgroundFruit and vegetable consumption reduces chronic disease risk, yet the majority of Americans consume fewer than recommended. Inadequate access to fruits and vegetables is increasingly recognized as a significant contributor to low consumption of healthy foods. Emerging evidence shows the effectiveness of community gardens in increasing access to, and consumption of, fruits and vegetables.MethodsTwo complementary studies explored the association of community garden participation and fruit and vegetable consumption in rural communities in Missouri. The first was with a convenience sample of participants in a rural community garden intervention who completed self-administered surveys. The second was a population-based survey conducted with a random sample of 1,000 residents in the intervention catchment area.ResultsParticipation in a community garden was associated with higher fruit and vegetable consumption. The first study found that individuals who worked in a community garden at least once a week were more likely to report eating fruits and vegetables because of their community garden work (X2 (125) = 7.78, p = .0088). Population-based survey results show that 5% of rural residents reported participating in a community garden. Those who reported community garden participation were more likely to report eating fruits 2 or more times per day and vegetables 3 or more times per day than those who did not report community garden participation, even after adjusting for covariates (Odds Ratio [OR] = 2.76, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] = 1.35 to 5.65).ConclusionThese complementary studies provide evidence that community gardens are a promising strategy for promoting fruit and vegetable consumption in rural communities.

Co-constructing the sustainable city: how indicators help us “grow” more than just food in community gardens

Since Agenda 21, local governments have sought ways of engaging urban citizens in the creation of more sustainable cities. Community garden (CG) activities are frequently described as contributing positively to the development of socially and environmentally sustainable local communities, yet a suitable set of indicators for valuing these benefits are yet to be established. Indicators were formed through a participatory process allowing individuals to use and learn from them. This can usefully contribute to policy decisions and be meaningful to urban planners and local community gardeners. A set of social and ecological indicators that aligned with local government policy areas and accountability frameworks were developed. Indicators were derived with local government officers, CG members, and industry experts. The practical necessity of devising indicators that can realistically be monitored by CG participants and be of political and ideological use to local governments and wider community stakeholders, is demonstrated.

The Influence of Social Involvement, Neighborhood Aesthetics, and Community Garden Participation on Fruit and Vegetable Consumption

We considered the relationship between an urban adult population's fruit and vegetable consumption and several selected social and psychological processes, beneficial aesthetic experiences, and garden participation. We conducted a population-based survey representing 436 residents across 58 block groups in Denver, Colorado, from 2006 to 2007. We used multilevel statistical models to evaluate the survey data. Neighborhood aesthetics, social involvement, and community garden participation were significantly associated with fruit and vegetable intake. Community gardeners consumed fruits and vegetables 5.7 times per day, compared with home gardeners (4.6 times per day) and nongardeners (3.9 times per day). Moreover, 56% of community gardeners met national recommendations to consume fruits and vegetables at least 5 times per day, compared with 37% of home gardeners and 25% of nongardeners. Our study results shed light on neighborhood processes that affect food-related behaviors and provides insights about the potential of community gardens to affect these behaviors. The qualities intrinsic to community gardens make them a unique intervention that can narrow the divide between people and the places where food is grown and increase local opportunities to eat better.

Neighborhood attachment and its correlates: Exploring neighborhood conditions, collective efficacy, and gardening

Neighborhood attachment relates to one’s emotional connection to physical and social environments. Such bonds are critical for shaping how people interact with their local environments, connect with others and may be vital for fostering sustainable health behavior change related to nutrition and physical activity. Using data from a population-based survey of neighborhood environments and health in Denver, Colorado (n=410 respondents; n=45 block-groups) and hierarchical linear modeling techniques, we examined the relationship between objective and perceived neighborhood conditions (e.g., crime, physical incivilities, sense of safety), social processes (e.g., collective efficacy) and recreational gardening and neighborhood attachment. Results indicate length of residency, collective efficacy, and home and community garden participation are associated with neighborhood attachment. Further research is warranted to consider neighborhood attachment as an intervening mechanism through which gardens and other outdoor everyday places may influence health behavior change.

Food Insecurity and Participation in Community Food Programs among Low-income Toronto Families

Responses to food insecurity in Canada have been dominated by community-based food initiatives, while little attention has been paid to potential policy directions to alleviate this problem. The purpose of this paper is to examine food security circumstances, participation in community food programs, and strategies employed in response to food shortages among a sample of low-income families residing in high-poverty Toronto neighbourhoods. Data from surveys conducted with 484 families and neighbourhood mapping were analyzed. Two thirds of families were food insecure over the past 12 months and over one quarter were severely food insecure, indicative of food deprivation. Only one in five families used food banks in the past 12 months and the odds of use were higher among food-insecure families. One third of families participated in children's food programs but participation was not associated with household food security. One in 20 families used a community kitchen, and participation in community gardens was even lower. It was relatively common for families to delay payments of bills or rent and terminate services as a way to free up money for food and these behaviours were positively associated with food insecurity. While documenting high rates of food insecurity, this research challenges the presumption that current community-based food initiatives are reaching those in need. Public health practitioners have a responsibility to critically examine the programs that they deliver to assess their relevance to food-insecure households and to advocate for policy reforms to ensure that low-income households have adequate resources for food.

Community Gardens for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention

People with limited socioeconomic resources have increased incidence of chronic diseases and fewer means of promoting health of body, mind, and spirit. There is evidence of an inverse relationship between access to resources and chronic disease; thus, healthcare providers in communities with few resources have unique challenges in health promotion. Community gardens provide an opportunity to participate in holistic health-promoting behavior. This article presents support for the belief that healthcare that promotes development of and participation in community gardens can improve the health of at-risk populations through better nutrition, physical activity, and connection to the natural world.