Community Gardens and Food Security
During the COVID-19 crisis, many creative and “back to basics” endeavors have been flourishing. Each of these activities gives us some therapy in these challenging times. They can also nourish and redeem our sense of well being. One such endeavor has been gardening. On the west coast, people pride themselves on the variety of plants that can be grown. If you are fortunate to live in a home that has some space to garden, you probably have one. However, this is not the case for the majority. Most Vancouver residents live in high-density housing such as condos and apartments. This does not mean that gardening is beyond reach. Urban gardening or local community gardens are a mainstay for BC. Community gardens were considered an essential service in Vancouver during the crisis and remained open. Currently, there are over 110 community garden plots in the municipality of Vancouver.
Food security has been another topic of discussion over the years. Now, it has become a primary focus as supply chains came under a surmountable but hefty strain during the COVID-19 crisis. How do people manage to ensure they are getting healthy food without taxing their limited revenue stream? In one study in the EU, it has also been found that many of people in urban centers suffer from a form of malnutrition making them more susceptible to disease. We have often heard about the low nutrient value of store-bought produce. During the crisis, food price increases also became a real possibility with competing logistics for the food supply chains. All of these considerations give us pause to re-think what urban gardening and agriculture can look like.
Recognizing certain needs and trends, Community Garden Builders originally, Shifting Growth Garden Society back in 2011, started building relationships and connections with communities and landowners. The organization, now a social enterprise, became the middle ground between vacant property owners and the community. They would find vacant space around the city and petition the landowners to facilitate a movable community garden. For landowners, the incentive for installing community gardens on their vacant lot allowed for tax breaks as well as property management during the interim. From that, the non-profit organization grew into a well organized self-sustaining social enterprise. Through hard work, perseverance, and a commitment to their projects which nourished each community, Community Garden Builders find themselves entering new realities.
Theresa K. Howell