Reap What You Sow

  Community gardens are publically owned and maintained plots of land that provide fresh, organic, and sustainable nourishment to urban communities.  The positive externalities associated with community gardens are vast and include improved diets, environmental education, and sustainability.  Community gardens are eclectic by nature, coming in an array of sizes, shapes, and biodiversity.  The usage of the lot depends mostly on size, but is also governed by some local restrictions. Community gardens have regulations in place to make sure that crops grown are done in a manner that is fair to fellow gardeners and plants in neighboring plots. Invasive or fast spreading species of crops are not allowed, which ensures environmental equity.  Additionally, gardeners may not use pesticides or products that are not approved by the Organic Materials Review Institute.

     These remarkable gardens also greatly benefit communities as a whole.  According to Dr. Richard Jackson's Designing Healthy Communities, one of the greatest mass benefits of community gardens is social cohesion.  Because these gardens necessitate community involvement, they are intrinsic drivers of social interaction.  Great social connections are built and maintained between diverse populations within the city that may have never interacted otherwise.

     In addition to community benefit, these gardens provide a direct personal impact on individual health. In an article by Davis (2011), this correlation between health and community gardens is explored. In their experiment, they used a voluntary after school program for elementary age youth in Los Angeles to teach students about gardening, nutrition, and provide a cooking class. The implied purpose of the trial was to track and record improvements in the diets of the youth with long-term goal of reducing obesity. After the 12-week intervention, the study showed some hopeful results. Kids in the "LA Sprouts" program increased their fiber intake by 22% in comparison with the control group and baseline measurements. Participants also decreased their blood pressure by 5%. Overweight or obese "LA Sprouts" only gained 1% BMI while the overweight or obese in the control group increased by 4%.

 

 According to the American Community Gardening Association there are roughly 18,000 community gardens in the US & Canada. Within the city of Portland you will find 47 community gardens that house 1300 plots and 3000 gardeners. According to Portland Parks and Recreation there are currently about 1000 gardeners waiting to request a lot, demonstrating intense demand for local, organic fresh produce. Community gardens facilitate the development of specific cultural norms through which groups can grow and thrive resulting in enhanced social capital for the communities involved.  If you would like to get involved, PSU provides options for accessing the student community plot, all these photos were taken at your very own PSU community garden!

Davis, JN (2011). "LA Sprouts: a gardening, nutrition, and cooking intervention for Latino youth improves diet and reduces obesity.". Journal of the American Dietetic Association (0002-8223), 111 (8), p. 1224.