Challenging market food systems: how do we motivate communities to grow and share food?

Abstract

Gardening can be a valuable tool to ameliorate food security while concurrently easing the intersecting burdens of poverty, including isolation, disenfranchisement, and poor health. In addition to the nutritional benefits of accessing fresh produce, gardening has been shown to provide increased access to green spaces, foster neighbourhood social ties and interaction, increase community involvement, and create opportunities to develop a sense of identity (Ohmer, 2009). Participants (N = 15) in Renfrew County, Ontario, engaged in a study that examined how communities can be motivated to grow and share food. The belief underpinning this project was that gardening may reduce the strain of unstable food security and become an act of resistance toward the current, unmanageable, and restrictive capitalist market economy. The views of community members were considered crucial to planning and organizing a successful long-term project. A collection of heartfelt interviews emerged, reflecting a considerable desire for change, and emphasizing the importance of community. Participant narratives surfaced six themes: 1) Vision of Community Gardens; 2) Impact on Individual Well-being; 3) Impact of Gardens on the Community; 4) Importance of Equity; 5) Opportunity for Knowledge Transfer; and 6) Managing Challenges. Participants expressed significant enthusiasm for a large-scale community garden project, hoping it would facilitate vital relationships with individuals and their communities.