Community_gardening-mass-meIn today’s world it is more difficult than ever to get the proper exercise and diet we need for healthy living. Gardening in our own yards meets both of these needs; we get the healthiest food and we have to put some work in to achieve this.

Community gardens can be a wonderful answer for those who don’t have their own space or resources to set up a personal garden. A community garden is basically a plot of land gardened by a group of people, whether it is urban, suburban, or rural.


That’s quite a list. And there is empirical evidence. Researchers reported in the Journal of Public Health that people who participate in community gardening have lower body mass index and lower odds of being overweight or obese. This is the first study to provide data showing a measurable health benefit for community gardeners.

As the percentage of Americans living in urban areas continues to grow, this initial study validates the idea that community gardens are a valuable neighborhood asset that can promote healthier living,” says Cathleen Zick, lead author of the study.

Other research performed over a decade by Dr. Jill Litt has shown that community gardeners cultivate relationships with their neighbors, are more involved in civic activities, stay longer in their neighborhoods, eat better, view their health more positively, and find their neighborhoods to be safer, cleaner and more beautiful. This is true regardless of age, race, socioeconomic status or educational background.

All of this research confirms what we as gardeners already know must be true, but the data are valuable nonetheless. Community gardens mimic nature in that they are a humanistic ecosystem, a place where individuals co-exist with structure and function. People interact with each other and with nature, working toward a common goal of growing food.

Community gardens are especially valuable in urban settings where arable land is rare and food deserts prevail. It is a sad situation that low income urban areas have poor access to healthy food. As REALfarmacy has documented, fast food restaurants and convenience stores are far more numerous in low income areas, and high quality food is largely unavailable.

Many problems in these areas can be helped with community gardens. Since we know that they promote healthy living, local food, and positive interaction, community gardens should be a prime objective in planning for improvement.

Imagine if suburban neighborhoods had community gardens as well as playgrounds and swimming pools. How great would it be to show kids where food came from and get them interested in gardening at an early age? This could be a major part of the local food movement. It could help us break our dependence on the centralized, industrialized food system and reverse the declining health that we are witnessing.

Let’s promote the idea of community gardens as medicine for the masses.

By Justin Gardener,

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