Cultivating More Than Food: Where Community Gardens Fit with What Cities Do

Abstract

Hallsworth and Wong's viewpoint (2013) asserts that urban gardening, and by extension, other local food initiatives (farmers' markets, etc.) are insufficient strategies to replace the quantity and efficiency provided by contemporary globalized food systems for supplying cheap food to the (urbanizing) masses. We agree. Urban gardening, on its own, is not a panacea for addressing food insecurity in urban settings. At current production levels, it can only supply a small fraction of the food needed for urban residents. However, the value of urban gardening and other alternative food initiatives (e.g., farmers' and pocket markets, good food box programs, etc.) goes beyond simply providing food. As the authors note, the city of Vancouver considers urban gardens to be beneficial public spaces that allow citizens to connect with nature, facilitate the consumption of supplemental levels of fresh food, encourage physical activity, and strengthen social relations (see also Alaimo, Reischl, & Allen, 2010; Ober Allen, Alaimo, Elam, & Perry, 2008; Turner, Henryks, & Pearson, 2011; Wakefield, Yeudall, Taron, Reynolds, & Skinner, 2007).