Community Gardens: Lessons Learned From California Healthy Cities and Communities

Twiss, Joan M.; Dickinson, Joy; Duma, Shirley; Kleinman, Tanya; Paulsen, Heather; Rilveria, Liz

doi:10.2105/ajph.93.9.1435

Cited by 236 publications

(156 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Most literature, however, does not distinguish clearly between gardening activities and food production, which results in an apparent divide between urban agriculture and biophilia research. The multitude of benefits of urban agriculture within communities have been well established, and include fostering social interactions, educational opportunities, health and ecosystems services as well as community and economic development [40,42,[44][45][46][58][59][60][61][62][63][64]. All of these apply to green spaces as well.…”

Section: Food Related Wellbeingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Studies have shown that simply by looking at a plant people can feel less stressed, fearful, or angry, and doing so can lower blood pressure and muscle tension [44]. Community gardens have been shown to be reassuring places [45] and "enhance nutrition and physical activity and promote the role of public health in improving quality of life" [46] (p. 1435). Public health advantages could be enhanced by incorporating urban agriculture into a city's plan for "green spaces" (e.g., parks and wildlife corridors) [44].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Who Cares? The Importance of Emotional Connections with Nature to Ensure Food Security and Wellbeing in Cities

2018

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Abstract:To be "connected" is "to care", because how and what we care about is influenced, and influences, what we are connected with. Emotional connection predicts environmental concern and children exposed to green environments take this appreciation of nature with them into adulthood. However, the majority of the human population is now living within urban areas, where opportunities for people to interact and bond with nature are greatly diminished, thereby potentially threatening the liveability of cities into the future. Connection with nature has been shown repeatedly to benefit human wellbeing and predict pro-environmental behaviours. By definition "nature" includes urban agriculture, which is also an integral component of a city's foodscape, thereby providing opportunities to improve the wellbeing of city inhabitants as well as help ensure food security. This will only be attainable if the next generation has an emotional connection to nature, and the necessary life skills to help them enter adult life as informed food citizens who make healthy and sustainable decisions for themselves as well as others. This paper reviews existing literature on foodscape (or one's food environment) and biophilia (the love of life or living systems) to highlight the need for inter-disciplinary research that combines urban agriculture and food literacy to ensure future food security and wellbeing of urban inhabitants.

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Section: Food Related Wellbeingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Who Cares? The Importance of Emotional Connections with Nature to Ensure Food Security and Wellbeing in Cities

2018

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“…Urban community gardens have a rich history in the United States of taking on conflicted political, social and historical meanings [8]. The ability to grow culturally appropriate food and maintain a cultural gathering space in community gardens has played a particularly important role amongst some immigrant populations [9][10][11][12]. Among native people, gardening can be used as a tool for decolonization [10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Growing Gardens in Shrinking Cities: A Solution to the Soil Lead Problem?

et al. 2016

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Abstract:As cities shrink, they often leave a patchwork of vacancy on the landscape. The maintenance of vacant lands and eventual transformation to sustainable land uses is a challenge all cities face, but one that is particularly pronounced in shrinking cities. Vacant lands can support sustainability initiatives, specifically the expansion of urban gardens and local food production. However, many shrinking cities are the same aging cities that have experienced the highest soil lead burdens from their industrial past as well as the historic use of lead-based paint and leaded gasoline. Elevated soil lead is often viewed as a barrier to urban agriculture and managing for multiple ecosystem services, including food production and reduced soil lead exposure, remains a challenge. In this paper, we argue that a shift in framing the soil lead and gardening issue from potential conflict to potential solution can advance both urban sustainability goals and support healthy gardening efforts. Urban gardening as a potential solution to the soil lead problem stems from investment in place and is realized through multiple activities, in particular (1) soil management, including soil testing and the addition of amendments, and (2) social network and community building that leverages resources and knowledge.

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“…Studies have observed associations between community gardening and health [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8], social [6,9], and economic benefits [6,7,10], and gardening in general has been associated with cardiovascular [11,12] and mental [13][14][15] health benefits. Historically, backyard and community gardens have made substantial contributions to the food supply; World War II ''Victory Gardens'' have been credited with providing an estimated 40% of the U.S. vegetable supply [16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Urban Community Gardeners’ Knowledge and Perceptions of Soil Contaminant Risks

Duchemin¹

2016

Urban Horticulture

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Although urban community gardening can offer health, social, environmental, and economic benefits, these benefits must be weighed against the potential health risks stemming from exposure to contaminants such as heavy metals and organic chemicals that may be present in urban soils. Individuals who garden at or eat food grown in contaminated urban garden sites may be at risk of exposure to such contaminants. Gardeners may be unaware of these risks and how to manage them. We used a mixed quantitative/qualitative research approach to characterize urban community gardeners' knowledge and perceptions of risks related to soil contaminant exposure. We conducted surveys with 70 gardeners from 15 community gardens in Baltimore, Maryland, and semi-structured interviews with 18 key informants knowledgeable about community gardening and soil contamination in Baltimore. We identified a range of factors, challenges, and needs related to Baltimore community gardeners' perceptions of risk related to soil contamination, including low levels of concern and inconsistent levels of knowledge about heavy metal and organic chemical contaminants, barriers to investigating a garden site's history and conducting soil tests, limited knowledge of best practices for reducing exposure, and a need for clear and concise information on how best to prevent and manage soil contamination. Key informants discussed various strategies for developing and disseminating educational materials to gardeners. For some challenges, such as barriers to conducting site history and soil tests, some informants recommended city-wide interventions that bypass the need for gardener knowledge altogether.

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Community Gardens: Lessons Learned From California Healthy Cities and Communities

Cited by 236 publications

References 5 publications

Who Cares? The Importance of Emotional Connections with Nature to Ensure Food Security and Wellbeing in Cities

Who Cares? The Importance of Emotional Connections with Nature to Ensure Food Security and Wellbeing in Cities

Growing Gardens in Shrinking Cities: A Solution to the Soil Lead Problem?

Urban Community Gardeners’ Knowledge and Perceptions of Soil Contaminant Risks

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