Trust, Connection and Equity: Can Understanding Context Help to Establish Successful Campus Community Gardens?

Abstract

Campus community gardens (CCGs) can potentially improve student health and wellbeing, mitigate social and ecological problems, and nurture university-community relationships. However, CCGs are located in complex socio-political and ecological settings and many community gardens struggle or fail. However, few studies have assessed the socio-political/ecological context of a garden setting prior to its development to understand the potential barriers and enablers of success. Our study assessed the socio-spatial context of a proposed CCG at a student university accommodation site. We engaged diverse university and community stakeholders through interviews, focus groups and a survey to explore their perceptions of the space generally and the proposed garden specifically. Visual observations and public life surveying were used to determine patterns of behavior. Results confirmed known problems associated with an underutilized site that provides little opportunity for lingering or contact with nature; and unknown barriers, including socially disconnected stakeholders and community distrust of the university. The research also uncovered positive enablers, such as stakeholder appreciation of the social, wellbeing and ecological benefits that a CCG could deliver. Our findings suggest that an in-depth exploration of a proposed garden context can be an important enabler of its success.

Vertical Greening Systems: A Critical Comparison of Do-It-Yourself Designs

“…The pivotal aspect for the successful implementation of a VGS will be accurate identification of available resources, skills and goals, which will be different for each installation also for each location and the different kind of people involved linked to their motivation.A co-design strategy should be applied with the purpose of: (1) sharing the motivation framework and knowledge concerning VGS amongst the stakeholder community members; (2) identifying barriers that could create a gap between the ideal project goal and practical implementation; (3) identifying resources and strategies to address this gap. Focus groups and dedicated workshops could be organized in order to facilitate the identification of the main drivers for co-designing the most affordable VGS according to community motivation and goals [ 60 ]. The definition of community motivation is the first important step to establish which type of VGS is the most appropriate for a given community’s purpose.…”

Potential for urban agriculture to support accessible and impactful undergraduate biology education

“…Linking biology courses to campus gardens could also have diverse benefits for the garden and the broader community. Although campus gardens have the potential to provide many social and environmental benefits, some gardens fail or fall into disuse (Marsh et al, 2020). Main constraints include lack of staffing, consistent student support, and institutional financing.…”

“…Another source of information about urban agriculture in biology education is assessing the extent to which campus gardens are incorporated into biology curricula. Food gardens on HEI campuses have become much more common over the past few decades, and research has shown that they can provide diverse benefits to students, faculty, institutions, and surrounding communities (Marsh et al, 2020). For students and faculty, campus gardens can provide field‐based teaching and research opportunities across diverse disciplines (Scoggins, 2010, and see our review below), contribute positively to student mental health (Cupples & Finewood, 2018), and increase student access to organic foods (Ullevig et al, 2020).…”

Investigating the Feasibility of a Restaurant Delivery Service to Improve Food Security among College Students Experiencing Marginal Food Security, a Head-to-Head Trial with Grocery Store Gift Cards

“…However, they tend to focus on participation and dietary outcomes [ 25 , 26 ]. Limited research on campus gardens suggests that student turnover, limited financial support, and unclear policies and regulations make it an unreliable source to improve the food security status of college students [ 27 ]. While meal swipe programs and text messaging systems to make college students aware of leftover food on campus have also taken hold on college campuses [ 28 , 29 ] we could not identify any studies that have investigated changes in food security status promoted by these interventions.…”