Case studies from Cuba's Urban and Peri-Urban agriculture (UPA) revolution show that urban growing can fuel locally driven production of essential foods with minimal inputs, creating unprecedented opportunities for community food sovereignty. The fact that Cuba produces 60-70% of its vegetable needs on 25% of the land shows that the barriers that UPA faces are more sociopolitical than agronomic. As an agricultural hub with an abundance of rural land within close proximity of the city, the need for UPA in Burlington, VT may not be as readily apparent. When compared to nearby small vegetable growers through the lens of a typical agronomic analysis, UPA nearly always comes out at a disadvantage. Yet community gardens and urban growers are multiplying in the small city. Research suggests this boom is owed to numerous multi-functional benefits provided by community gardens, including the potential for UPA to allow communities who may otherwise have limited agency in food choice with an opportunity to access culturally preferenced produce. However, while extensive evidence identifies the social benefits of community gardens, these results remain disparate from the economic analyses that most often find their ways into the hands of decision makers. This research proposes a valuation metric called Crop Value Index (CVI), and uses it to evaluate which crops and management techniques best take advantage of limited urban space in Burlington community gardens. This tool ranks crops by their ability to save gardeners money or profit and by their perceived cultural value by the gardener, and combines the two to identify which crops are the most successful in producing overall value. Through demonstrating the high functionality of UPA in the production of certain crops, CVI contributes to findings that indicate that UPA may be better able to serve niche community food needs than commercial growers, while simultaneously providing urban growers with food security and creating food sovereignty and food justice.

The success and benefits of community gardens in cities has been documented in the literature. However, do positive aspects of community gardens translate to small towns? The merit of a community garden is in the building of relationships within a community and healthy interactions within the garden. This study looked at the successful elements community gardens offer for the users and the surrounding community in towns with populations of fewer than 50,000. A web-based survey was used to ask questions about community garden’s leadership, members, operation, and community context. Responses to the survey give a look into the setup and operation of gardens in small towns. Results indicate typical standards for a community garden including organizational structure, property ownership, and membership. Additional observations indicate the presence of community elements such as universities, farmers markets, and local agriculture are commonly found where community gardens exist.

Community gardens play a valuable role in creating places where people can socialize; share knowledge, experiences, and mutual interests; and improve food security. As previous research has shown, effective leadership is a prerequisite to community building in garden programs. However, relatively little research to date has examined the types of leadership and leadership practices that exist and work in community garden settings, and even less has focused on the role of leadership in facilitating social interactions and relationship building. This study aimed to gain a better understanding of leadership practices related to community building in the context of community gardens by exploring various stakeholders' perspectives on leadership. The primary purpose of this research was to: 1) explore knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding community building in different types of community gardens; 2) obtain a better understanding of stakeholders' views on leadership competencies and roles; 3) examine how informal leadership emerges and develops; and 4) identify how organizational structures and managerial schemes influence leadership practices and performance. Building upon transformational and adaptive leadership theories, this research focuses on the interactive process whereby leaders and various actors mutually influence each other to meet individual as well as organizational goals. This study employed a two-phase research design. The first phase consisted of collecting quantitative data through self-administered surveys from five groups of stakeholders – garden coordinators, executive directors, gardeners, representatives of allied organizations, and non-gardening neighbors – in four Virginia community garden programs located in Blacksburg, Salem, and Roanoke. The second phase entailed conducting semi-structured interviews with 21 participants and using cross-case analysis to interpret the results. The comparative case study included four community gardens characterized by different organizational structures and ties to their adjacent communities. The findings indicated that leadership performs an overarching role not only in fulfilling a garden program's mission, but also in facilitating social interactions and trust-based relationships between garden members and with wider communities. Good leadership practices in the context of community gardens implied engaging in inclusive and transparent communications with different entities on a regular basis and attending to the needs and motivations of each member. This study also shed light on the value of dedicated informal leaders to facilitate a garden's social function and to take on the maintenance and supervision of hands-on tasks on-site. Comparative analysis of the four cases revealed that different characteristics inherent to the community gardens, such as whether they are place-based or interest-based and whether their governance structure is formally or informally driven, are closely related to the leadership approaches that constitute best practices. These findings have implications for practitioners who organize and manage community organizations in a broader context, as well as community garden programs. / Doctor of Philosophy / Community gardens are places where people socialize and cultivate relationships, in addition to growing food. Even though leadership plays a major role in enhancing these functions, relatively little research to date focuses on leadership in the context of community gardens. This study reveals leadership practices related to social interactions and relationship building. This study also explored diverse experiences and opinions about leadership competencies and roles from the perspectives of garden coordinators, executive directors, gardeners, representatives of allied organizations, and non-gardening neighbors. To compare and contrast leadership practices in diverse types of programs, four community gardens were selected, each representing a different organizational structure and ties to their adjacent communities. 100 people involved in four Virginia community garden programs located in Blacksburg, Salem, and Roanoke completed surveys. 21 people of these respondents were interviewed to gain further information. The findings indicated that leadership performs an overarching role not only in fulfilling a garden program's mission, but also in facilitating social interactions and trust-based relationships with garden members and wider communities. Good leadership practices in the context of community gardens indicated engaging in inclusive and transparent communications with different entities on a regular basis and attending to the needs and motivations of each member. This study also shed light on the value of dedicated informal leaders to facilitate a garden's social function and to take on the maintenance and supervision of hands-on tasks on-site. Comparative analysis of the four cases revealed that different characteristics inherent to the community gardens, such as whether they are place-based or interest-based and whether their governance structure is formally or informally driven, are closely related to the leadership approaches that constitute best practices. These findings have implications for practitioners who organize and manage community organizations in a broader context, as well as community garden programs.

Community gardens have been shown to have positive social, nutritional and educational benefits for their users, and improve the amenity, safety and patronage of the surrounding area. They also tie into wider themes of sustainability and food security. Despite these benefits, urban planners, as the keepers of land and determiners of land use, have had little to do with community gardens. This thesis will explain the benefits of community gardens, and detail planning policies throughout the world that support community gardens. Lastly, recommendations will be made on how the South Australian planning system can better support community gardens. / Honours Thesis

Higher Education has the resources available to serve as a leader in sustainability, specifically by preparing graduates to address issues associated with global climate change through the use of interdisciplinary and hands-on learning. However, institutional barriers may limit large-scale restructuring of curriculum and institutional structures. Small initiatives and broad networking may help to provide sustainability education while also paving the way for broader curriculum and institutional adaptations. The potential of community gardens to serve as sustainability and community interventions make them a desirable study site to gain insight into the power of small initiatives, yet very few studies have assessed the role of community garden projects in campus settings. Through the use of an email survey sent to campus garden managers across the United States and Canada, the power of these initiatives to advance higher education sustainability can be better understood. The study sought to answer the following research questions: (1) What are the demographic characteristics of university food gardens?, (2) Do university gardens serve as sites for formal and informal education, (3) What obstacles and benefits occur within university food gardens, and (4) What factors affect the long-term resilience of university food garden initiatives? It was found that when institutional support, strong networking, and consistent participation are present, university food gardens enhance the overall sustainability of higher education institutions while also providing valuable sources of interdisciplinary and hands-on learning. Gardens receiving the greatest support from their institution exhibit strong resilience and provide numerous benefits that aid increase the overall sustainability of their institution. This study asserts the power of small sustainability initiatives within higher education institutions, while also addressing key factors which ensure the long-term resilience of these valuable sites.

INTRODUCTION: The Charlestown Sprouts Community Garden, one of Bostonʼs largest community gardens, comprises 105 plots--all producing food--located in the historic neighborhood of Charlestown. It serves mainly minority and recent immigrant member households who rely on the land as a source of fresh produce. To ensure the safety of food production at the garden, the coordinators sought assistance from the Department of Environmental Health at the Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) to: 1. conduct a historical survey identifying past land uses, 2. characterize potential contaminant exposures to gardeners, and 3. furnish health-protective recommendations to minimize gardener hazard exposures. In the process of meeting these aims, broader dimensions of food production in the urban environment emerged from the literature: soil safety for urban agriculture, environmental justice, food security, determining “safe” levels of contaminants in urban soil, and the expansive policy implications that these issues engendered. For the work presented in this thesis project, the scope of interrelated topics were refined and lended contextual structure for a semi-quantitative characterization of human health risk from potential soil lead (Pb) exposures. This was accomplished by employing probabilistic modeling with the USEPA's Integrated Exposure Uptake Biokinetic Model for Lead in Children (IEUBK) (2010). Under specified assumptions of multimedia Pb exposures, the model predicts a theoretical young childʼs probability of his or her lead blood concentrationʼs (PbB) exceeding a PbB cutoff. For this analysis, the recently promulgated CDC reference value of 5 μg/dL was used as a cutoff in addition to the model default of 10 μg/dL. The IEUBK was also employed to approximate a range of soil Pb concentrations that could be considered “acceptable,” based on a health-protective approach; that is, to estimate a soil Pb concentration that would not significantly contribute to the exceedance of PbB > 5 μg/dL as a result of exposures to lead in soil. In this evaluation, an acceptable soil Pb concentration is defined as a mean soil Pb concentration that is determined by consideration of minimizing human health risk and maximizing practicability of the means to achieve the soil criterion—a level that could be reasonably achieved and be safe for urban agriculture. METHODS: Research for the historical survey included, but was not limited to, consulting historical fire insurance maps, archived municipal and county records, environmental databases, geographic information systems (GIS), and gathering accounts from local community members, historical societies, and multiple Boston city agencies to build a historical narrative about the garden land and the adjacent properties. For the IEUBK model runs, multimedia exposure parameter values from Boston environmental data (air, water, and soil) were used as inputs for the IEUBK modeling runs in the absence of suitable site-specific data. Comparison runs were executed with soil Pb concentration data from compost sourced from the City of Boston Department of Public Works Leaf and Yard Waste composting program and from Boston-area private compost facilities. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The garden was established at a site with a varied history of land uses from rail yard, to salt plant, to unknown activities. Community-member accounts, corroborated by photointerpretation data, suggest that the site was possibly an dumping grounds in the 1970ʼs-80ʼs. Based on the findings of the survey, it is likely that a number of potential contaminants exist at the garden, including lead, arsenic and/or polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Based on visual inspection, point-source contamination of the soil is likely to be occurring at the garden, stemming from the treated rail ties that compose a majority of the garden plot constructions and of the plots inspected, the timbers appeared to be CCA-treated wood. The accumulation of site-specific knowledge gained through historical research, (GIS), and anecdotal evidence aided in determining what historical hazards were likely to pose a current risk to gardeners through gardening activities. The IEUBK model predicted a geometric mean blood value of 2.73 μg/dL with an associated risk of a young childʼs PbB exceeding 5 ug/dL as 9.9% using default parameter values. In comparison, to achieve a goal of less than 5% risk, the IEUBK modeling indicated that soil Pb would have to be less than 153 mg/kg. Under the guidance of BUSPH faculty, the findings and consequent recommendations, differing in remediation technique and resource-intensiveness, were summarized in a document for the garden steering committeeʼs development of imminent renovation plans.

Background: Community-based participatory research (CBPR) has been recommended as an effective approach to engage communities in implementing research projects relevant to their needs and interests.  Following this approach, the Dan River Partnership for a Healthy Community was formed to address regional obesity concerns in the Dan River Region, a health disparate area located in south central Virginia and north central North Carolina.  Community gardens were identified as a priority, and the development and implementation of this study continues previous collaborative efforts in evaluating the effectiveness of community gardens within this region. Objectives: The primary aim of this study was to determine if applying the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) to an adapted curriculum throughout a 10-week gardening and nutrition education intervention would increase youths' willingness to try fruits and vegetables (FV), self-efficacy for eating and asking for FV and gardening, knowledge of nutrition and gardening, and outcome expectations for FV.  Secondary aims were to determine if age groups or attendance rates would positively influence outcome measures and to qualitatively evaluate youths' perceptions about their experiences and opinions about the program. Methods: Utilizing a pre-post design, researchers delivered this program once weekly with 60 minutes of interactive nutrition or gardening education and 30 minutes of experiential gardening.  Questionnaires included validated and novel measures.  Repeated measure ANOVA analyses were used to determine changes in outcome measures.  Post-program interviews were conducted with youth and qualitative data was coded and analyzed. Results: Of the 43 enrolled youth, 42 were African American.  Although willing to try FV did not change significantly, there were significant improvements in self-efficacy for asking for FV from 1.70 (0.34) to 1.83 (0.29) (F=7.07; p=.013) and overall gardening knowledge from 14.53 (3.45) to 15.74 (3.90) (F=7.67; p=.01).  There were also significant improvements in some of the knowledge subcategories for gardening and nutrition, including plant parts and my plate (p<0.05).  Qualitative findings indicated the majority of the participants expressed positive perceptions of the program with the most liked components including food sampling, games and gardening experiences. Discussion and Implications: Our findings demonstrate the feasibility of developing and implementing an adapted theory-driven community gardening and nutrition education program for low socioeconomic youth in public housing.  It implicates the need for future research on youth community gardens using the CBPR approach.  Findings were shared with community partners and future efforts will expand this program. / Master of Science

No description available.

Background: Community gardens have existed in America since the late 1800s and have served multiple purposes from food subsidies to neighborhood beautification. The use of community gardens has grown in popularity and has been recommended as a way to encourage healthy eating habits in youth. Though the health benefits of having a diet high in fruits and vegetables is well known, youth in the United States do not meet recommendations for fruit and vegetable intake. Under-consumption of fruits and vegetables is problematic in youth, as eating habits are established in childhood. Community gardens have been successfully used to improve access, self-efficacy, preference, and consumption of fruits and vegetables. However, few published community garden studies have focused on low socioeconomic youth. The Dan River Partnership for a Healthy Community (DRPHC) was developed according to community-based participatory research (CBPR) principles. With a mission to reduce obesity using healthy lifestyle initiatives, community gardens are an evolving DRPHC initiative. Objective: To evaluate the feasibility (i.e., demand, acceptability, implementation, and limited-effectiveness testing) of a 10-week experiential theory-based gardening and nutrition education program targeting youth living in two public housing sites in the Dan River Region. Methods: Using pre- and post-program questionnaires/interviews, demand and acceptability were measured among youth, parents and site leaders. Implementation was measures via field notes and attendance. Limited-effectiveness was measured among youth using a pre-post design. Three researchers independently coded the qualitative transcripts, met to resolve disagreements, and built consensus through discussion of the codes. Similarly, field notes were reviewed and evaluated for reoccurring themes regarding barriers, facilitators, and other observations. For the quantitative measures, descriptive statistics were used to summarize the variables and Cronbach's alphas used to assess the reliability of each scale at baseline. Overall effects were tested with repeated measures ANOVA. An intent-to-treat analysis using the last observation carried forward method was used. A critical value of .05 was used for significance testing. A standard equation for reporting effect sizes on a single-group, pre-post study design is also reported. Results: Program enrollment included 43 youth, primarily African American. The positive demand and acceptability findings indicate the potential of the program to be used and suitable for the youth, parents, and site leaders. Field notes revealed numerous implementation facilitators and barriers. Youth weekly attendance averaged 4.6 of 10 sessions. Significant improvements (p<0.05) were found for some (e.g., FV asking self-efficacy, overall gardening knowledge, knowledge of MyPlate recommendations), but not all limited-effectiveness measures (e.g., willingness to try FV, FV eating self-efficacy). Study Implications: This study addresses recommendations for utilizing CBPR in community garden efforts and builds on community identified research priorities of the DRPHC. Results demonstrate the feasibility of a gardening and nutrition program targeting youth in public housing. Lessons learned are being used to adapt and strengthen the program for future efforts targeting FV behaviors. Findings will be shared with local community stakeholders and used to adapt and strengthen the program for future efforts in the Dan River Region targeting of fruit and vegetable behaviors. / Master of Science

O crescimento da população urbana aumenta a demanda por recursos escassos e interdependentes como alimentos, e a agricultura urbana tem se mostrado uma alternativa a essa questão, atenuando a pressão sobre os ecossistemas. Esta pesquisa teve como principal objetivo analisar o potencial e as adequações de uma pesquisa-ação na implantação de uma horta em comunidade periférica, na perspectiva da construção de saberes colaborativos, empoderamento comunitário, estabelecimento de parcerias e busca de alternativas viáveis à sustentabilidade e à promoção da saúde. E para dar concretude à implantação da horta, objetivou-se produzir um livro colaborativo. O método utilizado foi a pesquisa-ação, voltada para a mobilização da comunidade do Novo Recreio, em Guarulhos - SP, por meio da aplicação de instrumentos como painel integrado, mapa-falante, livro comunitário (adaptado do jornal comunitário), reuniões e observação participante. Pode-se considerar que a partir do método da pesquisa-ação obteve-se sucesso na construção da horta, e apresentar-se-á algumas evidências de empoderamento e sustentabilidade da horta. Além da horta em si e da formação do grupo \"Germinando o futuro\", outro resultado foi o livro \"Horta na comunidade: participação social e técnicas de cultivo\"; e com isso, espera-se contribuir ao desenvolvimento de espaços públicos, incentivar práticas comunitárias de horta ou outros movimentos. / Urban population growth increases the demand for scarce and interdependent resources as food, and urban agriculture has been an alternative to this, mitigating the pressure on ecosystems. The main objective of this research was to analyze the potential and adequacy of an action research in the implementation of a garden in a peripheral community, with a view to building collaborative knowledge, community empowerment, establishing partnerships and seeking viable alternatives to sustainability and promotion of health. And in order to concretize the implantation of the garden, it was aimed to produce a collaborative book. The method used was the action research, aimed at mobilizing the community of Novo Recreio, in Guarulhos, SP, through the application of instruments such as integrated panel, talking map, community book (adapted from the community newspaper), meetings and participant observation. It can be considered that from the method of action research success was obtained in the construction of the garden, and some evidence of empowerment and sustainability of the garden will be presented. In addition to the garden itself and the formation of the group \"Germinando o futuro\", another result was the book \" Horta na comunidade: participação social e técnicas de cultivo\"; and with this, it is expected to contribute to the development of public spaces, encourage community gardening practices or other movements.