Beyond Productivity: Considering the Health, Social Value and Happiness of Home and Community Food Gardens

Abstract

We are living in an age of concern for mental health and wellbeing. The objective of the research presented in this paper is to investigate the perceived health, social value and happiness benefits of urban agriculture (UA) by focusing on home and community food gardens in South Australia. The results reported in this paper are from "Edible Gardens", a citizen science project designed to investigate the social value, productivity and resource efficiency of UA in South Australia. Methods include an online survey and in-field garden data collection. Key findings include: dominant home gardener motivations were the produce, enjoyment, and health, while dominant community gardener motivations were enjoyment, connection to others and the produce. Exploratory factor analysis revealed four key factors: Tranquillity and Timeout, Develop and Learn Skills, the Produce, and Social Connection. The key difference between home and community gardeners was an overall social connection. Although home gardeners did not appear to actively value or desire inter-household social connection, this does not mean they do not value or participate in other avenues of social connection, such as via social learning sources or by sharing food with others. The combined results from this research regarding health and wellbeing, social connection and happiness support the premise that engagement in home or community food gardening may provide a preventative or supportive role for gardener health and wellbeing, regardless of whether it is a conscious motivation for participation.

Productivity, resource efficiency and financial savings: An investigation of the current capabilities and potential of South Australian home food gardens

“…The first is, "What do you want to get out of growing food?" This question relates to previously presented results from the online survey questions asking people about their key motivations [4]. The top five motivations of home gardeners were: 1) Producing fresh tasty produce, 2) Enjoyment, 3) Health reasons, 4) Natural connection and 5) To save money [4].…”

“…Anticipation in the potential of urban agriculture is intensifying as the global human population continues to grow, and we face the challenges of feeding more people with limited natural resources. Urban agriculture (UA) is an integral element in our collective vision of a sustainable urban future [1][2][3][4], yet its potential contribution to sustainability and food security is poorly quantified. Early research into the economic value of home vegetable gardens in the southern coast where most of the population live, South Australia has a mixture of warm to hot dry summers and cold, wet winters [25].…”

“…The online survey was open to South Australian residents over the age of 18. The in-depth survey collected a variety of base garden data, estimates of resource use and insights into food garden experiences [4,22,23]. From September 2016 until April 2018, 402 South Australian residents completed the survey.…”

The Relationship between Social Cohesion and Urban Green Space: An Avenue for Health Promotion

“…Increased social contacts can cultivate a sense of community and other factors that inform our sense and perception of social cohesion [69]. To illustrate, gardens can provide a space for people to socially connect and grow nutritious foods [1,70,71], parks may support participation in athletic activities [72] as well as serve as a place for people to engage in other types of leisure, and urban forests can support outdoor recreation. Others suggest that the psychosocial processes related to positive social cohesion may be linked to greater support, increased self-esteem, and mutual respect between people [9].…”

A Systematic Review Protocol Investigating Community Gardening Impact Measures

“…The health and environmental benefits of urban gardens are multi-faceted [33,34]. By providing green spaces that previously had not existed, community gardens enhance urban green infrastructure, while also providing new habitat for both fauna and flora [35].…”