Multiple Benefits of Community Gardening.

Multiple Benefits of Community Gardening

The benefits community gardens are as numerous as the people that use them. The Gardens Project of Mendocino County is proud of being a part of over 60 community and school gardens around the county. We are working hard to provide garden leadership trainings, tools, seeds, compost and labor to gardens that are providing food and community organizing to those who need it most. In the last three years we have helped obtain donations of over $10,000 of compost, thousands of dollars in seeds and starts, thousands of pounds of food into our schools, thousands of volunteer hours and taught nutrition education to hundreds of children. We have been able to do this in part because of donations from the community and the amazing grant writing and support of North Coast Opportunities.

Below is an article that describes some of the exiting developments and benifits of community gardens across the country. Please read and ask yourself if you want these kind of benefits in your neighborhood. If you do, please contact us and we will be glad to see if we can help you.

www.gardensproject.org


Thank you,



Mason Giem


The following was written by Gardening Matters, 2011. www.gardeningmatters.org

Multiple Benefits of Community Gardening

Carbon Footprint
• Food in the United State travels an average of 1300 miles from farm to fork, changes hands a half a dozen (Kloppenburg,Hendrickson and Stevenson, 1996, p. 33, 42), and consumes 10 calories of fossil-fuel energy to produce a single calorie of modern supermarket food (Pollan, 2008). Producing food locally greatly reduces the greenhouse gas emissions related
to transportation and marketing of food.
• Green vegetation itself can reduce heat island effects in urban areas, and so can help to reduce the use of energy-consuming air conditioning.

Municipal Costs
Community Gardens are economically beneficial to local governance:
• Community gardens have been shown to actually increase property values in the immediate vicinity where they are located. In Milwaukee properties within 250 feet of gardens experienced a decline of $24.77 with every foot and the average garden was estimated to add approximately $9,000 a year to the city tax revenue (Bremer et al, 2003, p. 20; Chicago, 2003, p. 10; Sherer, 2006).
• Been and Voicu estimate that New York’s “gross tax benefit generated by all community gardens over a 20-year period amounts to about $563 million. Under the scenario in which the local government would have fully subsidized the garden provision [which is rarely the case], the city’s total investment would have amounted to about $83.5 million. Thus, the estimated net tax benefit would be, in the aggregate, about $480 million or, per garden over $750,000” (2006,
p. 28).
• Developing and maintaining garden space is less expensive than parkland area, in part because gardens require little land and 80% of their cost is in labor (Saylor, 2005).
• Community gardens provide a place to retreat from the noise and commotion of urban environments, they attract people (including the ‘creative class’ of the new economy and small businesses).

Food Production
• Community gardens allow families and individuals without land of their own the opportunity to produce food. Oftentimes gardeners take advantage of the experiential knowledge of elders to produce a significant amount of food for the household.
• Urban agriculture is 3-5 times more productive per acre than traditional large-scale farming.
• Local agriculture conserves resources by shortening the commodity chain, saving on fuel demanding transportation and packaging (Bremer et al, 2003, p.23)
• From 1978-1989 $8.9 million worth of produce was grown in Milwaukee community gardens (Bremer et al, 2003, p.22, 56).
• “In 1999, the fifteen New York gardens organized as the City Farms program of the organization Just Food grew close to 11,000 pounds of fresh vegetables and fruits. Nearly 50 percent was donated to nearby soup kitchens and food pantries (Just Food 1999 Summary Report, as cited by Englander, 2001, p. 14). The Fancy Flowers Community Association in
the South Bronx alone produced 200 pounds of tomatoes and about 75 pounds of green and red peppers in 1999 (City Farmers: Tales from the Field, as cited by Englander, 2001, p. 14).

Health Benefits
• Studies (like the one conducted by Lackey and Associates) have shown that community gardeners and their children eat healthier, more nutrient rich diets than do non-gardening families (Bremer et al, 2003, p.54).
• Community gardens provide access to traditional produce or nutritionally rich foods that may otherwise be unavailable to low-income families and individuals.
• Eating locally produced food reduces asthma rates, because children are able to consume manageable amounts of local pollen and develop immunities.
• Increasing the consumption of fresh local produce is one of the best ways to address childhood lead poisoning as well as their exposure to chemical fertilizers and pesticides (Bremer et al, 2003,p. 54; http://www.cce.ufl.edu/past/commgardens/).

Exercise
• Gardens can be areas for recreation and exercise. According to the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, the “creation of or enhanced access to places for physical activity combined with informational outreach” produced a 48.4 percent increase in frequency of physical activity in addition to a 5.1 percent median increase in aerobic capacity, reduced body fat, weight loss, improved flexibility and an increase in perceived energy (as referenced in Sherer, 2006).

Crime Prevention
• Community gardens offer a focal point for community organizing, and can lead to community-based efforts to deal with other social concerns.
• Community gardens give youth a safe place to interact with peers and can involve them in beneficial activities (Sherer,2006).
• Community gardens build block clubs and increase eyes on the street (Kuo & Sullivan, 2001b).
• Community gardens increase a sense of community ownership and stewardship. They foster the development of a community identity and spirit.
• Scientific studies show that crime decreases in neighborhoods as the amount of green space increases and that vegetation has been seen to alleviate mental fatigue, one of the precursors to violent behavior (Kuo and Sullivan, 2001).
• Community gardening is recognized by many police departments as an effective community crime prevention strategy.
“In Philadelphia, burglaries and thefts in one precinct dropped by 90 percent after police helped residents clean up vacant lots and plant gardens” (“Healing America’s cities” p. 5-6, as cited in Englander, 2001).

“Pocket Parks”
• Community gardens add beauty to the community and heighten people’s awareness and appreciation for living things. In a Chicago survey this was the #1 reason given for the importance of community gardens – mentioned by 14.3% of respondents) while 83% of respondents felt that the garden has enhanced the beauty of the community (Chicago, 2003,
p. 34).
• A 1995 Regional Plan Association poll of individuals nationwide found that the major components of a satisfactory quality of life are safe streets and access to greenery and open spaces. In another survey, owners of small companies ranked recreation, parks, and open space as their highest priority in choosing a new location for a business” (Sherer,2006, p.5).
• However, urban green spaces are unevenly distributed and access is extremely limited near low-income neighborhoods populated by minorities (including recent immigrants). For example, in “Los Angeles, white neighborhoods enjoy 31.8 acres of park space for every 1,000 people, compared with 1.7 acres in African-America neighborhoods and 0.6 in Latino neighborhoods” (Sherer, 2006, p.6).

The Urban Ecosystem
Gardens help to improve the health of the city ecosystem in several ways:
• Filter rainwater and help to keep lakes, rivers, and groundwater clean (“Plants and the micro-organisms with which they symbiotically coexist help to clean and filter water as it percolates through the soil”)
• Reduce soil erosion and runoff, which lessens flooding and saves the city money (Bremer et al, 2003, p. 50, 56; Sherer,2006; tpl, 2004).
• Restore oxygen to the air and help reduce air pollution (Chicago, 2003, p.14; Sherer, 2006)), through the gas exchange systems of leaves and soils.

Youth Education
• Community gardens can serve as an outdoor classroom where youth can learn valuable skills, like those involving practical math, communication, responsibility and cooperation. They also provide the opportunity to learn about the importance of community, stewardship and environmental responsibility.
• In California, the San Francisco League of Urban Gardeners has a program in Alemany, a community with an unemployment rate of %84, which employs 20-25 local youth during the school year and about 60 during the summer. They are trained in gardening, landscaping, habitat restoration, work skills and leadership development (Feenstra et al, 1999 p.40).
Cultural Opportunities
• Community gardens offer unique opportunities to establish relationships within and across physical and social barriers. (Bremer et al, 2003; Tranel & Handlin, 2004). In places like the Twin Cities, where there are large communities of first and second generation immigrants, community gardens have provided a space for:
- Inter-generational exposure to cultural traditions
- Cultural exchange with other gardeners
- Access to non-English speaking communities
• In gardens across New York that are supported by the city’s community garden association, GreenThumb, there are gardeners from 45 different countries and many regions of the U.S.
• A recent study found that compared to residents living near barren areas, those closer to green common spaces, are more likely to use them and as a result more likely to interact with neighbors (Kuo et al,1998,p.26).

Horticultural Therapy
• The benefits of Horticulture Therapy (Sherer, 2006) can be and are used to great advantage in community gardens.
• Exposure to green space reduces stress and increases a sense of wellness and belonging (Bremer et al, 2003, p. 55).
• “A ten percent increase in nearby greenspace was found to decrease a person’s health complaints in an amount equivalent to a five year reduction in that person’s age” (Sherer, 2006, p. 16).
• In Brentwood California, the Vets Garden employs 35 patients, many of whom have not been able to hold down a job since the Vietnam War. Since the garden program started inpatient stays have been significantly reduced and the gardeners have been making progress at faster rates and are better able to “participate more fully in the world and move on to jobs outside the hospital”. Employment opportunities such as gardening and landscaping throughout the city have become available to Vet gardeners and several program participants have even gone back to school. (Feenstra et al, 1999, p. 52).


References:
Been, V. & Voicu, I. (2006). “The Effect of Community Gardens on Neighboring
Property Values”. Law & Economics Research Paper Series Working Paper No.
06-09. Retrieved October 31, 2006, from http://tpl.org

Bremer, A., Jenkins, K. & Kanter, D. (2003). Community Gardens in Milwaukee:
Procedures for their long-term stability & their import to the city.– Milwaukee:
University of Wisconsin, Department of Urban Planning.

Cambell, D., Feenstra, G., & Sharyl, M. (1999). Entrepreneurial community
gardens: Growing food, skills, jobs and communities. Oakland: University of
California, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
Chicago Botanic Garden and the City of Chicago. (2003). Green connections:
A research assessment of community gardening in Chicago. Chicago: City of
Chicago.
College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. University of
Illinois at Urbana – Champaign, Human-Environment Research Laboratory.
www.herl.uiuc.edu

Englander, D. (2001). New York’s community gardens – A resource at risk.
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Kuo, F., Sullivan, W., Coley, L, & Brunson, L. (1998). “Fertile ground for community:
Inner-city neighborhood common spaces.” American Journal of Community
Psychology, 26(6), 823-851.

Kuo, F. & Sullivan, W. (2001a).”Aggression and violence in the inner city:
Impacts of environment via mental fatigue.” Environment & Behavior, 33(4),
543-571.

Kuo, F. & Sullivan, W. (2001b). “Environment and crime in the inner city: Does
vegetation reduce crime?” Environment and Behavior, 33(3), 343-367.

Kloppenburg, Jack Jr., John Hendrickson and G. W. Stevenson.(1996) “Coming
Into the Foodshed.” Agriculture and Human Values 13:3 (Summer): 33-42. .
http://www.wisc.edu/cias/pubs/comingin.PDF

Pollan, Michael, (2008), “Framer In Chief.” New York Times Magazine, from
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Sherer, P.M. (2006). The benefits of parks: Why America needs more city parks
and open space. Retrieved October 31, 2006, from http://www.tpl.org

Tranel, M. and Handlin, L. (2004). Planting Seeds; Growing Communities. St.
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