Articles
Community garden practices as indicators of social resilience
Article number
1356_27
Pages
233 – 240
Language
English
Abstract
Resilience is a simple concept bouncing back after adversity.
However, defining resilience, analyzing, and understanding it is far more complex.
The COVID-19 pandemic brought unexpected challenges that rippled through the food system, the social system, and the worldwide economy, exposing many vulnerabilities.
It has also illuminated areas of resilience, creativity, and strength.
Studies indicate that the act of caring for urban green space (urban environmental stewardship) helps mitigate the social and ecological effects of a system shock.
The work done in an urban community garden is an example of urban environmental stewardship.
Benefits of urban environmental stewardship and community gardens overlap considerably as both enhance the social, economic, and environmental value of neighborhoods.
This mixed-methods study investigated how community gardens, as an example of urban environmental stewardship, contribute to community social resilience, particularly after a system shock.
Garden leaders in the Kansas City metropolitan area participated in an online survey, a series of online asynchronous discussion questions, and an online focus group.
Discussion questions text and focus group transcriptions were qualitatively analyzed for emerging themes and were guided by the following indicators of community social resilience: place attachment, collective identity, social cohesion, social networks, and knowledge exchange and diversification.
We discuss findings from the research and the potential contribution of urban community gardens to community social resilience.
However, defining resilience, analyzing, and understanding it is far more complex.
The COVID-19 pandemic brought unexpected challenges that rippled through the food system, the social system, and the worldwide economy, exposing many vulnerabilities.
It has also illuminated areas of resilience, creativity, and strength.
Studies indicate that the act of caring for urban green space (urban environmental stewardship) helps mitigate the social and ecological effects of a system shock.
The work done in an urban community garden is an example of urban environmental stewardship.
Benefits of urban environmental stewardship and community gardens overlap considerably as both enhance the social, economic, and environmental value of neighborhoods.
This mixed-methods study investigated how community gardens, as an example of urban environmental stewardship, contribute to community social resilience, particularly after a system shock.
Garden leaders in the Kansas City metropolitan area participated in an online survey, a series of online asynchronous discussion questions, and an online focus group.
Discussion questions text and focus group transcriptions were qualitatively analyzed for emerging themes and were guided by the following indicators of community social resilience: place attachment, collective identity, social cohesion, social networks, and knowledge exchange and diversification.
We discuss findings from the research and the potential contribution of urban community gardens to community social resilience.
Authors
K.H. Taylor, C.A. Shoemaker, E.D. Pliakoni, H. Gibson, M. Sanderson
Keywords
pandemic, COVID-19, benefits of gardening, resilience framework
Groups involved
- Division Landscape and Urban Horticulture
- Division Horticulture for Human Health
- Division Greenhouse and Indoor Production Horticulture
- Division Horticulture for Development
- Division Precision Horticulture and Engineering
- Division Vegetables, Roots and Tubers
- Commission Agroecology and Organic Farming Systems
- Working Group Urban Horticulture
- Working Group Landscape Horticulture
Online Articles (56)