Summary:
‘Evidence-based strategies create long-term sustainable change and support healthy behaviors for many citizens. It takes commitment, innovation, and action from various sectors of the community to campaign changes that ultimately build healthy communities’ (Lanier, Schumacher & Calvert, 2015, p.g 492). This project proposal seeks to identify the perceived benefits that community gardens can have on the senior citizens of Sunspace that are experiencing feelings of social isolation and loneliness. The research will explore how the local council’s proposal for $25,000 will assist in the implementation and day-to-day running of a community garden that will be used as a strategy to build social capital and foster social networking amongst gardeners while contributing to the broader community. Armstrong believed that influential theory further suggests community gardens help facilitate improved social networks, allow residents to meet each other, and learn about other organizations and activities in their local community (as cited by Mobayed, 2009, pg. 5). The overall goal is to increase the positive social inclusion among the senior citizens of Sunspace.
Underlying theoretical framework:
According to Grayson (2007), the term ‘community garden’ is regarded as an inclusive term for different types of activities that involve practices such as horticulture of foods, community involvement, and government support and participation. The underlying theory behind the community garden is based on several principles and values that are committed to collective action, diversity, empowerment and self-determination, accessibility of human service programs, and liberation (Kenny, 1999). The foundations of the proposed Community garden project profoundly resonate with Jim Ife’s (2002) ecological principles, holism, sustainability, diversity, and organic development. These principles are prominent due to the ‘ripple’ effect the community garden will have for the elderly and those participating. The garden will ultimately reduce the social isolation being experienced by senior citizens by providing them with opportunities to engage and interact in a new environment with a diverse variety of new people while adding to the sustainability of the community through growing, harvesting, and donations of surplus fruit and vegetables. This project is also highly influenced by social justice principles like addressing structural disadvantage, empowerment, and cultivating community collaboration, by providing those involved with the resources, opportunities, and skills to increase their overall future, health, and social interactions. Process principles can be seen throughout this project through the actions of consciousness-raising, participation, inclusiveness, and community building (Ife, 2002). The benefits the community garden and the added social interaction will have on all of the elderly involved is enormous. Zeeuw, Veechuizen, and Dubbeling (2011) added that ‘Their (elderly individuals) involvement in productive activities (such as community gardens) may also help them to regain dignity, hope, and self-respect and enhance their self-reliance.
Barriers and enablers:
Discussions of the potential barriers and enablers that could impact the implementation of the community garden range from those of general horticulture and those that relate to specific instances of garden implementation, and they can be legal, physical, social, economic, or intangible in nature. Legal barriers relate to instances of legal agreements, confusing regulations, access to water, composting limits, and security and liability. Many community gardens have faced the issue of how to get insurance, and if the garden is even permitted due to zoning regulations. Barriers that relate to social concerns are instances of lack of community interest or resistance, lack of able-bodied willing gardeners, interpersonal interactions, and perceived tensions. There have been instances where people within a community believe that the garden will attract negative attention, are exclusive, and that the security of the garden can be a problem (Perch, 2011). Once a community garden is established, there are several social hurdles, including the relationships between the gardeners participating. Interpersonal interactions can potentially threaten the longevity of the garden if there is no mediation (Perch, 2011). Physical barriers are those that involve the garden’s land. Finding suitable land is crucial. Water supply is a big issue also because, without affordable or sustainable access to water, the garden cannot flourish. The garden location must be located near the potential senior citizens, so they have easy access to the land. Economic barriers are those involving financial interactions, like the payment or collection of rent and utility bills. Competing priorities and timing is also another barrier.
Enablers that influence the implementation of community gardens are things like regular and interactive communications, personal motivations, and interpersonal relationships that support engagement. Regular and interactive communication about the progress of the garden is vital for the longevity of a community garden, those involved will have a greater sense of connection to the garden and what it is producing when they have regularly invested in the progress. Personal motivation works as an enabler as it underpins the reason for volunteering and the degree to which they will volunteer. If the participant feels like they are acting on their values through supporting sustainable food systems, improving nutrition, or improving the health and well-being of others, their investment and motives will be more solidified in the garden, and their participation will result in higher engagement. Another enabler is the concept of social interactions and relationships. Community gardens foster more than just a horticultural environment and resources. They act as a foundation for social interaction in communities. When the participants have working relationships within the garden, it positively influences their engagement, as there are more conversations, ideas, and supporting social relationships that are invested. Another enabler for this community garden project was the disparity in the accessibility and creation of local community gardens. There is a lack of current community gardens that cultivate social inclusion amongst senior citizens in Sunspace. Because of this, this will be the first in this community, giving it a higher success rate as it has no competing gardens, and higher interest and motives for the community to participate in cultivating positive change within their community.
Expected outcomes:
The expected outcome for this community garden project is to cultivate social inclusion for the senior citizens of Sunspace, but also the broader community. According to the EPA (2011), community gardens can create opportunities for older gardeners to contribute their time and expertise to grow nutritious foods, socialize with one another, and pass on cross-generational knowledge to younger community members. The garden acts as a facilitator of the social inclusion of the elderly because it provides them with a sense of belonging to the community, prompting them to involve themselves in community life through public interest. As the coordinator of UNSWCDP stated,
By merely activating people and allowing them to engage with people in the gardens through a soft entry point, where its non-threating, sociable and recreational, its more likely to increase gardeners’ likelihood of becoming involved and engaged in other projects (As cited by Mobayed, 2009, pg. 44)
Thompson, Corkery, and Judd (2007) wrote about those in particular who had experienced social isolation and or emotional turmoil and used the garden as a central and significant focus of their lives which contributed to their psychological well-being, quoting one of their Cook garden female gardener saying,
… I am a different person altogether. I was very emotional, not steady, [but] since I’ve got the garden, I feel good about myself and all the different things happening to me. It just made me stronger. That is my garden.
Gardens require physical exercise, provide relief from stress and engender creativity, participation with nature, and allow easy access to fresh fruit and vegetables. These are all health benefits for the participants.
Community gardens have a range of beneficial outcomes for participants but also for the broader community. It will cultivate local political activism, social interaction and engagement opportunities, environmental education, and opportunities for training. Thompson et al. (2007) wrote that the gardens contribute to relationship building, which leads to community cohesion and enhanced levels of acceptance, belonging, and social capital, which is essential for the functioning of society. It is also expected that since the garden will have cross-cultural interactions, it will help to break down cultural barriers, open up friendships across the cultural divide, and enrich individuals’ lives.
To assess the impact of the community garden and its outcome in alignment with cultivating social inclusion, before an individuals’ initial start at the garden, they are required to sign consent forms and complete a questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of questions on their willingness to participate in the garden, their level of participation, their reasoning to join, the role they participate in in the garden, and any concerns they had for the garden. Individuals participating in the garden are asked to complete this questionnaire every January and July, and the progression of the garden can be documented and compiled. Every Sunday afternoon, the garden holds a meeting for all members, where they are provided with fresh food and drinks and are brought up to date on anything happening in the garden environment at that time. They are also asked to fill out a Likert scale, with questions that cover topics of personal health and well-being, intake of fruits and vegetables, commitment to participation. They were ranked on a one to ten scale, ‘one’ being ‘very bad’ to ‘ten’ being ‘very good’. These questionnaires were collected and analyzed weekly. Both of these questionnaires are used to indicate a change in collective and individual confidence, greater community participation, better social relations, and conflict resolution as well as a higher ability to connect day-to-day with economic, social, and political contexts.
Key partners:
External key partners that are involved in this community garden project are Stephanie Little and Andrea Beckem. Both are nurses at the SunSpace Retirement village. They are responsible for keeping the elderly residents up to date on what is happening with the garden. They are also responsible for the organization of transport to and from the garden. The University of Sunspace is an essential partner to this project with their donation of on-hands experience from their leaders of agriculture and horticulture specialists. The local food bank is another partner as we donate all surplus fruit and vegetables. This project has received donations from the local hardware and gardening store, as the owner Harold Wellington believed it was a good cause for the community and donated shovels, wheelbarrows, rakes. We also worked in conjunction with a non-profit organization sustainable foods project whose experience volunteers aided us in the design and execution of the garden.
Internal key partners would include Derik Lanyard, who engaged in the project design of the community garden. Larry Cricket and Izzy Delman, who were the site coordinators. Sophie Mackeral and Steven Boyd, who rolled out the implementation of the project. Alex Desroy, who was in charge of marketing and organization of volunteers into working groups, Ellie Stormland, who was the gardens advocate and Roy Linken who was the analyst and evaluator of all questionnaires and office work. Lastly, none of this would have been achievable without the extreme numbers of volunteers involved, the grant from the local council, and the commitment of the community.
In-kind donations included benefits for the program support and hours for a volunteer nurse practitioner, gardening experts, program volunteers, gardening land, tools, facility utilities and maintenance, and furniture.
References:
Dosen, M. (2014). Community gardening and nutritional health program for low-income youth affected by food scarcity: A grant proposal. Retrieved from https://web.csulb.edu/colleges/chhs/departments/social-work/documents/ePoster_DosenMelanie_CommunityGardens.pdf
Elder-Accessible gardening. (2010) A community building option for brownfields redevelopment. Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-10/documents/elder_accessible_gardening.pdf
Ife, J. (1995). Community development. Creating community alternatives – vision, analysis and practice. Longman, Melbourne.
Kenny, S., (1999). Developing communities for the future: Community development Australia. 2ed. Thomson, Victoria.
Lanier, J., Schumarcher, J., & Calvert, K. (2015). Cultivating community collaborations and community health through community gardens, Journal of community practice, 23(3-4), 492-507, doi: 10.1080/10705422.2015.1096316
Mobayed, G. (2009). Community Gardens: A place for cultivating social and community development. Retrieved from https://www.be.unsw.edu.au/sites/default/files/upload/pdf/schools_and_engagement/resources/_notes/5A2_48.pdf
Perch, S. (2011). Community garden barriers: A grounded theory study of Gainesville, Florida. Retrieved from https://web.csulb.edu/colleges/chhs/departments/social-work/documents/ePoster_DosenMelanie_CommunityGardens.pdf
Siewell, N., Aguirre, S., & Thomas, M. (n.d). Building sustainable neighborhoods through community gardens: enhancing residents’ well-being through university- community engagement initiative. Retrieved from https://journals.iupui.edu/index.php/muj/article/view/20994/20421
Thompson, S., Corkery, L., & Judd, B. (2007). The role of community gardens in sustaining healthy communities. Retrieved from soac.fbe.unsw.edu.au/2007/SOAC/theroleofcommunitygardens.pdf
Коментарі