 What is a Community Garden?
- A green space cultivated on common land by a group of people.
- May be as large as a city farm of many acres to a smaller area the size of a residential backyard.
- A place where veggies, fruits, herbs, flowers and trees can be grown either communally or in individual allotments.
- Can be developed in any location, such as high density city and urban areas or more rural settings.
- Has the potential to produce a sustainable and nutritious food source for individuals, families or even whole communities.
- May function as a learning environment for people to obtain new knowledge and skills that they can use at home.
- Every community garden is unique and is designed to meet the objectives of the gardeners that tend it.
Why do we need Community Gardens in the Moreton Bay Region?
Food Security
Adequate access to a nutritionally sound and varied diet is an important social determinant of health and wellbeing.
Did you know…?
Food insecurity has been identified as a relevant issue within the Moreton Bay regional area with people living in particular areas noted as being at ‘very high vulnerability’ to the pressures of increasing living costs such as food, housing and transport.
Community Gardens have the potential to address factors contributing to food insecurity in the region by providing a secure, culturally appropriate, accessible and nutritious food source for local communities.
Sustainability
Finding ways to meet the needs of the present without compromising future generations.
Did you know…?
- Food makes up almost 60% of our
ecological footprint
- Organic waste, such as fruit and vegetable scraps and clippings from the garden make up more than half of household waste
- An average shopping trolley of grocery items has about 70,000
food miles attached to it
- Home veggie growing uses about one fifth of the water of commercial food production
Community Gardens have the potential to not only reduce carbon emissions by relocalising food production but also to demonstrate sustainable living practices which conserve and recycle resources. They can contribute to the development of vibrant and resilient communities through collaborative development of the means to provide food and use resources in a way that is viable for the long-term.
One of the simplest ways we can improve our own health and live more sustainably is to change the way we eat.
- Get involved in a community garden
- Choose to buy locally grown foods
- Grow food at home
What are the benefits of Community Gardens?
Personal Benefits
- Access to low cost, chemical free,
nutritious food
- A place to learn new knowledge and skills that can be used at home
- Participating in pleasurable
physical activity
- Socialising opportunities
- Developing a
secure food source
- Making a positive difference to the local community
Community Benefits
- Increased community access to fresh locally produced food through the sale of garden produce
Urban renewal - A place for
cultural expression
- A place for community education
Building a sense of community - An appropriate venue for all ages
- Provision of urban open space for recreational and social purposes
- Garden design can easily incorporate elements making them accessible to people who face significant barriers to participation in civic life due to limited mobility or disability
Environmental Benefits
- Reducing
food miles through local production lessens the environmental impact of the food we eat
- A place to provide community education on sustainable living and recycling practices
- Organic gardening reduces the pesticides, herbicides and excessive fertilisers in our ecological systems
- Regeneration of green space
- Increased biodiversity
Relocalisation
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