The popularity of community gardens has grown significantly in recent years. Nations across the globe have learned about the benefits of community gardens. During the pandemic, these gardens have been use to promote resilience. Community gardens provide essential services for the local communities.
Land cultivated or gardened by a community is called a community garden. The gardens are divide into individual plots. Each individual is responsible for his/her plot and its productivity.
The community gardens are a form of urban gardening. These gardens are recognize as a valuable addition to the communities. Community gardens provide many benefits for the gardeners and the broader community.
Community gardens provide fresh fruits and vegetables to make the society healthy. Gardening positively impacts mental health by reducing stress, anxiety, and depression.
It also builds a close relationship between humans and nature to help regulate moods.
Engaging in the community garden can be a fulfilling source of exercise and improves your endurance and strength.
Collective gardens exist in various forms, located in neighborhoods, rooftops, and balconies.
What is a community garden?
A community garden is a piece of land gardened or cultivated by a group of people collectively or individually.
There are benefits of community gardens in making the environment clean and green.
Community gardens are often divided into individual plots. Every individual is responsible for the productivity and care of their plot.
The yielding or production of the plot belongs to the individual who cares for it. Community gardens are growing popular, with thousands of communities benefiting from them.
These gardens invoke a sense of community and connection to the environment. The gardens utilize individual or shared plots on private or public land.
The land of the community garden can be publicly or privately held. Due to their benefits community garden are included in public parks.
Some gardens are grown collectively and some are divided into plots. The split gardening plots are each managed by different gardeners or families. Security of the land tenure remains the biggest challenge for community gardeners worldwide.
Types of community gardens
There are multiple types of community gardens.
Neighborhood Garden
It is the most common type of gardening. A group of people come together to grow fruits and vegetables.
Residential Garden
The type of community garden is shared among residents in apartment communities and affordable housing units. These gardens are organized and managed by the residents living on the premises.
Institutional Gardens
These are gardens attached to public or private institutions and offer beneficial services for residents.
Demonstration Gardens
The gardens are used for educational and recreational activities. They often educate people about gardening. These gardens offer short seminars and presentations on gardening.
We will now move towards the benefits of community gardens in people’s lives.
Benefits of community gardens
Physical and mental wellbeing
Community gardening is beneficial for the overall health and well-being of an individual. Gardening is important for the mental and physical health of the one involved.
To begin with, gardening can be a major source of exercise. The exercise improves endurance, strength, and flexibility.
The world is busy with daily life tasks getting little or no time for physical exercise. The busy life makes exercises hard to fit in.
In this case, the community garden is the best place to exercise. It is a physical exercise while also being productive with your time.
In addition to this, community gardens provide fresh fruits and vegetables. The increased access to fresh fruits and vegetables promotes better health and food options.
Community gardening also increases the intake of healthy and fresh vegetables and fruits instead of junk foods. The main benefit is the increased vegetable intake among the children and adults.
We all know that healthy diets are essential for our health and well-being. It means that the benefits of garden-grown fruits and veggies will impact your physical well-being too.
Gardening has a positive impact on mental health and well-being too. It positively impacts our mental health by reducing stress. Gardening connects people to nature. It helps in depression and stress reduction to regulate moods.
Food Security
An increase in food security is the most obvious benefit of community gardening. Community gardens are crucial resources to fill the meal gap. It provides healthy, fresh, and low-cost fruits and vegetables.
Economic benefits of community gardening
Community gardening offers economic benefits too. It significantly impacts local economies and individual households.
By utilizing underutilized urban spaces into productive gardens, communities can reduce food expenses for participants. This provides a cost-effective source of fresh produce.
It promotes food security among low-income families and provides fresh fruits and vegetables.
To go with this, community gardens often create job opportunities. It stimulates local economies by encouraging the sale of surplus produce at farmers’ markets and local stores.
These gardens also boost property values in surrounding areas, as green spaces enhance the attractiveness and livability of neighborhoods. Community gardening adds to the aesthetic view of the area and it allures potential buyers and customers.
In addition, community involvement reduces the need for individual expenditures and promotes sustainability. Community gardens can be an effective driver of community redevelopment.
Overall, the economic advantages are significant. These benefits are enough for people to consider community gardening in their places.
Social Connections
The involvement of the community is what makes this gardening a beneficial one. Engagement in community gardening is often superior to individual gardening.
In community gardens, people engage and cooperate as a society. It leads to more social interactions, friendship development, and an enhanced sense of community and belonging.
They often utilize vacant places leading to good land utilization and reduced risk of criminal occupation of that vacant land.
Green Spaces
The planet needs green spaces for survival. Community gardens provide the locals with green spaces. With the growing industrialization, green spaces for urban areas are a requirement.
Areas with vegetation cover such as parks, walking trails, and gardens are most beneficial for the urban environment.
The green spaces improve the ecosystem and environment of the area. It also has psychological benefits.
Community gardens and environment
The local gardens improve the local environment significantly. The newly grown plants and greenery enhance the air and soil quality in and around the garden spaces.
In addition, sustainable agriculture is projected in community gardening. It promotes healthy food production and avoids the harmful effects of industrial agriculture.
These gardens resolve the urban environmental issue to some extent and improve the micro-climate of the local area.
Community gardens in Pakistan
Information on the number of community gardens in Pakistan is not readily available. The concept of community gardening is still emerging in the country.
In Pakistan, various NGOs and community organizations are working on improving the urban environment.
Many NGOs have started community gardens in local areas and hundreds of people have benefited from them.
Community gardening can be a great prospect in Pakistan for the future. The government and NGOs must work on it in collaboration.
Conclusion
The benefits of community gardens are immense because they improve the overall environment of the area. Further benefits include enhanced physical and mental health, access to fresh and healthy veggies, sustainable agriculture, and much more.
The world is suffering from an environmental crisis and community gardens play a vital role in enhancing the air quality.
Community gardens evoke a sense of belonging and community. It is the time to embrace the concept of community gardening and look forward to sustainable developments.
Now, let’s connect with nature and live a peaceful, secure, and eco-friendly life.
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