A community garden is not just a plot of land shared by a community to grown vegetables, flowers, herbs, and fruit. It’s also a living space that provides many benefits to the community. Here are just a few.
- Builds a Stronger Community
When people work together on a common project, they form a stronger bond. Instead of feeling like individuals trying alone to survive, they feel a sense of family and a sense of being part of something bigger than themselves. This can help reduce crime rates while improving community relations1.
- Reduces Crimes
Neighborhood resources such parks, community centers, or community gardens help the residents develop social functioning. They help build trust while giving residents a sense of personal investment in the community. This has been shown to reduce crimes, including theft, vandalism, and violence1. - Provides Opportunities for Learning
Not only can people learn about their neighbors and be exposed to differences in cultures, perspectives, and life experiences, but there is also the opportunity to learn first-hand about nature, healthy foods, and teamwork. Volunteers or other community members with expertise in the areas of gardening and food storage and preparation can impart that knowledge to others. - Relieves Stress and Improves Wellbeing
Working in the community garden is an invitation to slow down, connect with nature, and foster relationships with others. It also is a place that helps people relieve stress, forget about their dramas, and discover a greater sense of wellbeing and purpose2. - Helps Reduce Food Insecurity
Instead of an abandoned lot that does nothing but collect trash and harbor pests, the community garden can provide free produce to those who need it. Fruits and vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet, and they all provide a sense of pride and fulfillment when a person has helped to grow and harvest them. - Cleans Up the Neighborhood
When people take part in helping to clean up a messy lot and turn it into something beautiful and productive, they can be inspired to make changes in their own home, yard, and neighborhood. Not only is the parcel itself an improvement, but when that beautification and utility begins to spread to the rest of the community, everything else can benefit as well. - Improves the Entire City
Even if you don’t live in the neighborhood where you’ve helped provide and/or create a community garden, the improvements in individual’s lives, including fostering a sense of purpose and teamwork, can affect other neighborhoods as well.
When property crimes and violence are reduce in any part of the city, businesses and other residential areas also see crime, such as shoplifting and physical and verbal assaults, reduce1.
That’s just one of the many reasons your donations and volunteer hours for neighborhoods you may have never given a second thought about can be a very wise investment in your own wellbeing and that of your own family and community.
How Can I Help?
What can you do to help transform your city with community gardens?
- Volunteer. Your skills and knowledge can make a tremendous difference in the community.
- Donate. Whether it’s usage of an abandoned lot you own or a financial donation, your generosity can change lives; and by changing lives, you’re making the entire community and city better.
- Tell Others. Use the social media icons on this page to share this with your network of friends, family, and associates, and spread the word around. Let’s all work together to make this world a more wonderful place for us all to live!
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