Economic Benefits Of Community Gardens And Green Spaces

Community gardening is becoming a familiar sight. Some of the benefits of community gardening are aesthetic — utilizing an otherwise unused and unkempt space and beautifying it. Some are social endeavors that bring a community together with a common goal.

And many community gardens are established in low-income neighborhoods on vacant land spaces where food deserts exist. The benefits of community gardens in low-income neighborhoods can be economic, as well as bringing much-needed fresh food to local residents. Read on to learn more about economic community garden benefits and why you may want to become involved.

Nearly 13% of U.S. residents are food insecure. Often food security affects people who are low-income, which means they not only do not have enough resources to purchase food, but places that sell fresh food may be miles away and difficult to get to (food deserts). Often the only options for food in these areas are nutritionally deficient, empty calories from a local gas station or fast food restaurant, leading to unhealthy eating habits and inevitable future health complications.

Food inequity isn’t a new problem. Among the first community gardens were those established in Detroit as a response to the 1893 economic recession. Known as “Pingree’s Potato Patches,” named after the city’s mayor, interest waned as soon as the economy picked up and workers were back at jobs earning wages.

There have been other incarnations of community gardening. Victory Gardens of WWI and WWII, as well as grassroots organizations of the 70s were known for communal growing. More recently, community gardening has enjoyed a resurgence as social movements aim to remedy food insecurity.

The most obvious way that community gardens benefit a