Community gardening is being used in imaginative and effective ways to address many of today's societal ills. It is especially effective in the combating of hunger and the building of community. It also brings such side benefits as stress relief, better health and nutrition, a closer physical and spiritual connection with God's creation, and a deeper commitment to responsible stewardship of the earth.
The United States is the most prosperous nation in the world, yet within its borders are 36 million people who suffer from community food insecurity. In fact, community food insecurity is at the root of the twin problems of hunger and poverty.
The US Action Plan on Food Security defines food security as a condition
that exists "when all people at all times have physical and economic
access to sufficient food to meet their dietary needs for a productive and
healthy life."
A food-secure community has three major characteristics. First, it has a food
supply that is accessible, both physically and economically. Second, this
available food supply is adequate to meet needs. And third, the community
enjoys full utilization of food, thanks to balanced and nutritious diets,
safe water, good sanitation, and full access to education and health care.
Food insecurity results when any of these factors is lacking. Hunger and undernutrition
are the potential results.
Of the 36 million people who suffer from community food insecurity in the United States, 14 million are children. Of the 36 million, about 10 million—3.4 million of whom are children—live in households that suffer directly from hunger. The remaining 26 million are only one or two setbacks away from going hungry.
Those most affected by community food insecurity are the working poor, the
elderly, children living in poverty, residents of isolated rural areas and
of low-income inner-city neighborhoods, homeless people, single-parent households—especially
those headed by women, and immigrants who have lost benefits through welfare
reform.
Community gardens are being utilized in numerous and innovative ways in the
ongoing struggle against food insecurity. Vacant lots within impoverished
communities are being turned into gardens where fresh, nutritious fruits and
vegetables are grown. Food from community gardens is being served in local
soup kitchens. And farmers' markets are being established to sell sustainably
grown food from small farms in outlying areas.
Further, many community gardens are being used to help build job skills. There are community gardens that market their surplus, that advertise, that transport their produce, that process their food, that put on cooking demonstrations, and that teach proper diet and nutrition. Many people involved in such community-gardening programs have found their niche in life and have gone on to pursue new and rewarding careers.
Community gardening is not only about feeding people or learning new job
skills. It is also about the building of community. Community gardening provides
an activity and a setting in which a homeless person and the CEO of a Fortune
500 company can work elbow-to-elbow and be on equal ground. The soil is not
a respecter of high position.
In fact, great work is being done in the very act of bringing people from
many diverse backgrounds together to garden. In such a setting, seeds of understanding
and respect for others are sown and nurtured and take root. Older people work
closely with the young. Youth from inner cities are teamed up with affluent
suburbanites. Women, men, boys, and girls work together to plant and tend
and, finally, to witness the fruits of their labors.
One of the common components of successful community gardens is the direct involvement of children and youth. In a garden, watching the wonders of nature unfold, the young develop an understanding and appreciation of how food is grown and an awareness of the importance of responsible stewardship of the earth.
Community gardening also has transforming effects—not just in turning junk-filled vacant lots into green and refreshing gardens but also in changing the very character of the community. Recently, I received an E-mail message from Dorene Pasekoff, the coordinator of St. John's United Church of Christ Organic Community Garden in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. She wrote: "What was most dramatic after we moved the garden to the Fairview Housing Project was the folks who didn't show up after the garden opened. The field had been the site of notorious nighttime drinking parties and drag races before the garden was sited there. Those folks have moved on. Now parents who live in the project feel safe enough to let their children play in the field next to the garden. Now one finds a ball, soccer nets, and bikes left around the garden. This never would have happened before we were there because the parents were too afraid of the people partying to let their children near the area."
It has long been known that gardening is a tremendous stress reliever. It provides a great therapeutic benefit for both mind and body. Because of this, gardening is now being used in the treatment of depression and in drug rehabilitation. There are gardens filled with pleasant fragrances and unique textures to be enjoyed by those whose eyesight is failing. There are gardens that are raised off the ground on platforms so that wheelchairs can move about them freely. Hope is found in tilled ground. It holds the promise of new beginnings and of fruitful results.
I know of no major world religion that does not recognize the holiness of
nature. Both the Hebrew and the Christian Scriptures are full of agrarian
language and illustrations. Gardening helps us to understand those illustrations
better, giving us a keener insight into the ways in which the Creator is reflected
in Creation.
Community gardens produce food that is nutritious, fresh, and tasty. When
was the last time you bought a tomato in a grocery store that had more flavor
than the cellophane it was wrapped in? By contrast, community gardening provides
the opportunity to plant, taste, and preserve delicious vegetables from the
past that have all but disappeared in their original form. Since the onset
of commercial market agriculture, plants have been hybridized to withstand
pesticide use. They have been designed to be picked early, ripen during transportation,
and have a long shelf life. Consequently, we have seen the decline—and,
in some cases, the extinction—of whole varieties of fruits and vegetables.
Traditional fruits and vegetables whose natural colors, textures, and tastes have almost been forgotten are called heirloom vegetables. They offer great joy and pleasure in their production and consumption. Undernutrition is a great problem in the war against hunger and poverty. The consumption of fresh, tasty, and nutritious fruits and vegetables is essential in this battle. Thus some schools have established gardens in order to grow their own food for the school cafeteria. Such cafeterias have seen a dramatic increase in the consumption of vegetables. One can readily see the nutritious benefit of community gardening.
I was a sixth-generation farmer and am now a United Methodist minister from
the South Carolina Conference. I serve as the Sustainable and Urban Agriculture
Consultant to the General Board of Global Ministries. What has happened throughout
the world to the face of agriculture is nothing short of horrendous. The sustainability
of this earth is a theological issue. By the end of this century, it will
more than likely be the theological issue. Community gardening helps us to
understand and practice stewardship of the earth that has been entrusted to
us.
Since 1970, we have lost more than 30 million acres of farmland. The average
age of the American farmer is quickly approaching the age of retirement. We
are seeing the disappearance of many plant varieties and animal species—losing
genetic diversity. Trade issues are paramount because the safety of the US
food supply is threatened if there are insufficient environmental controls
in place for the rest of the world's countries. These are serious and complex
problems that must be dealt with and need to be addressed by the church. Community
gardening is one way that we can begin to appreciate the complexities of our
situation.
"Monoculture" agriculture is harmful to the land and the environment. A garden flourishes and thrives in the diversity that exists within it. Among plants, as among human beings, a monocultural society is harmful, whereas communities of diversity are healthy and thrive.
I challenge you, the reader, to consider starting a community garden within your church or your neighborhood. I challenge you, the reader, to research community food security and community gardening. I challenge all of us to roll up our sleeves—both with people like us and with others who are very different—and dig in the soil together to find peace within our very souls. Come, join us!
Text and photographs copyright 2001 by New World Outlook: The Mission Magazine of The United Methodist Church. Used by Permission. For reprint permission, contact New World Outlook by E-mail at nwo@gbgm-umc.org.