Planting the Seed

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Planting the Seed

              Gardening has always been a hobby of mine and when I think back to my experiences, I remember beautiful weather, quality time spent with the family, and plates full of color and fresh fruits and vegetables. After living in an apartment through the spring and summer months, I truly miss being able to grow and harvest my own produce. I have been interested in community gardens since hearing about how they began to pop up in different communities, but there are no community gardens near my area at this time.

              There are so many benefits to community gardens including increasing the access to fresh and healthy foods, providing opportunities for physical activity, improving soil and water quality, creating a sense of community and an area for community members to interact, and creating the opportunity to teach people about nutrition and agriculture.

              Most of these community gardens are found in urban areas where there are very little areas to grow crops and community members are able to rent a spot to grow their own crops. However, community gardens are different everywhere and some gardens may be started and maintained by a non-profit or other organization as a source of fresh foods for those in need.

              In 2014, it was noted that 17.4 million households were identified as being food insecure. Food insecurity can be long term or temporary, but is often due to income, employment, location, race/ethnicity, and disability. Community gardens can help many people who are food insecure because often times they are located in areas where many people have access to in an urban city and all people are welcome. Also, as mentioned above, some of these gardens are maintained by non-profit organizations and provide food for those in need.

              I feel that every community should have a community garden in order to increase access to fresh produce for families. Many school districts also participate in a backpack program where food is sent home with families in need. I think it would also be a great option for school districts to implement community gardens in order to provide families with fresh foods to send students home with. This would give students experience with agriculture and create the opportunity to learn about nutrition while also providing them with nourishing foods.

 

 -MF

https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2011/04/28/lets-move-grow-more-community-gardens

https://foodandnutrition.org/blogs/stone-soup/dig-4-inspirations-community-gardening/

https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/social-determinants-health/interventions-resources/food-insecurity#:~:text=Food%20insecurity%20is%20defined%20as,2

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