Exploring the Potential of Home Gardening to Increase Food Access and Enhance Community Development in Low-Income Urban Neighborhoods

Abstract

Studies show that community gardens increase access to fresh produce and strengthen relationships amongst residents in cities across the United States. Given these contributions to community development, local governments and organizations offer a number of resources to encourage and support those participating in community gardening. While this investment is beneficial, limited research and resources have been directed towards home gardening, an arguably more prevalent and resilient form of food production. My study aims to address this gap in food systems literature by exploring the benefits of home food gardening in urban communities, and the motivations for and barriers to home gardening experienced by those who participate in this activity. In partnership with a local urban farm, I developed a 10-week home gardening course to help residents of the Linden neighborhood in Columbus establish their own home gardens. The 13 class members, ranging in age and breadth of growing experience, participated in instructional workshops and semi-structured interviews following the conclusion of the course. Grounded theory methodology was used to analyze personal narratives, identifying key themes found across participants’ experiences. While access to quality food motivated participation, only one participant experienced increased access to fresh produce. All participants, however, mentioned other benefits, such forming relationships with neighbors and fellow class members, and increasing their knowledge of food production. Home gardening then, like community gardening, seems to be one way of generating different types of community capital, which could potentially increase the community’s capacity to address issues such as food insecurity in the future. In order to spread this beneficial activity, organizations should assist in building up mentors and a support network to re-establish the culture around food production that has been lost to most people in this age of the industrial food system.