Community gardens
Community gardens are shared spaces where individuals or families cultivate plants, often aimed at enhancing urban environments and promoting food security. In North America, these gardens typically occupy small plots of land in urban areas, transforming vacant lots into productive green spaces, particularly in low-income neighborhoods. In contrast, community gardens in Europe tend to be larger, with plots that families may rent for generations. Developing countries often feature public gardens that encourage communal farming practices.
The management and organization of community gardens can vary, with some involving collective gardening efforts while others assign individual plots. Many participants engage in community gardening not only for food production but also for the social benefits and community building it fosters. Although the number of community gardens in the U.S. has fluctuated, they are recognized for their potential to improve local neighborhoods, even if research has shown mixed results regarding their impact on property crime rates. Organizations like the American Community Gardening Association play a crucial role in supporting the establishment and sustainability of these gardens, while also promoting youth engagement through gardening initiatives. Overall, community gardens serve as vital spaces for nurturing relationships between people and their food, while fostering a sense of community.
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Subject Terms
Community gardens
DEFINITION: Plots of land, donated or rented by the bodies that hold the titles or leases, that are cultivated by local community members
Community gardens provide recreation and education for participants, and for many, such spaces offer respite from the stresses of urban living. In some low-income areas, community gardens are important contributors to residents’ basic food supplies.
Community gardens vary greatly in nature in different parts of the world. In North America, gardens are generally small plots of land dedicated to “greening” projects in urban areas. The common image of a community garden in the United States is of a formerly vacant plot in a low-income urban area transformed into a green, productive garden. In Europe, community gardens are generally larger and more organized, and a garden may be rented by a single family for many generations. In developing nations, it is very common for small gardens to be open to public farming.
Matters such as assignment of plots and other organizational issues in community gardens are most often decided by the gardeners involved. Some gardens are organized so that all participants garden collectively; others are split up into divided plots and managed by individual gardeners or families. The land that becomes a community garden may be either publicly or privately owned.
One goal of community gardening for many participants is to achieve food security while creating a stronger relationship between individuals and their food. Community gardens generally promote organic cultivation methods. Many community gardeners state that, in addition to seeking healthy food alternatives, they are involved in the gardening because of the value of community building they derive from their participation.
In 2001, the American Community Gardening Association (ACGA) estimated that some 150,000 community gardens were in operation in the United States. At that time, the South Central Farm in Los Angeles, California, established in 1994, was considered the largest community garden in the nation, at 5.7 hectares (14 acres). The garden was shut down in 2006, when the city of Los Angeles sold the land. According to Trust for Public Land in 2018, there were over 29,000 community gardens in the city parks of the one hundred largest cities in the United States.
Many organizations offer assistance in the creation of community gardens. The American Community Gardening Association provides advice—on everything from training to insurance policies—to groups seeking to establish gardens, so that they can do so sustainably and effectively. The American Horticultural Society runs a rapidly growing program that focuses on youth gardening, a form of community gardening aimed specifically at connecting children with nature.
In addition to being resources for those involved, community gardens are commonly believed to provide tangible improvements to the areas that surround them. Some research, however, appears to indicate that this belief may be more a matter of perception than of reality. A study conducted by Texas A&M and Texas State universities looked at the impact of community gardens on the numbers of property crimes in urban Houston and found that there was no statistically significant difference between crime rates in the areas surrounding the gardens and other areas. Interviewed residents, however, stated that community gardens created a positive influence in their neighborhoods. They commented on revitalization of neighborhood development and a changing tone toward illegal activity, including drug dealing. The members of the communities surrounding the gardens thus felt safer, even though the areas’ crime rates were no lower than those in other areas.
Bibliography
American Community Gardening Association. ACGA, www.communitygarden.org. Accessed 5 Feb. 2025.
Henderson, Elizabeth, with Robyn Van En. Sharing the Harvest: A Citizen’s Guide to Community Supported Agriculture. 2nd ed., Chelsea Green, 2007.
"Here's the Dirt on Park Trends: Community Gardens Are Growing." Trust for Public Land, 22 Aug. 2018, www.tpl.org/blog/heres-dirt-park-trends-community-gardens-are-growing. Accessed 5 Feb. 2025.
Lawson, Laura. City Bountiful: A Century of Community Gardening in America. University of California Press, 2005.
Lyson, Thomas A. Civic Agriculture: Reconnecting Farm, Food, and Community. University Press of New England, 2004.
Smith, Jeremy N., Sepp Jannotta, and Chad Harder. The Urban Garden: How One Community Turned Idle Land into a Garden City and How You Can, Too. Skyhorse, 2014.