Community Gardening in Rural Regions: Enhancing Food Security and Nutrition.

Community gardening projects can enhance community food security and improve the nutrition of project participants. However, limited information exists on the most effective models and methods for establishing community gardens in rural areas. A survey of 12 rural community gardening projects found a variety of program models: community gardens with individual plots, single community gardens for demonstration and education purposes with simultaneous provision of support to private individual gardens, community gardens tended collectively, gardens used to teach gardening skills, school gardens incorporated into the school curriculum, mentoring relationships between experienced and new gardeners, and community gardens affiliated with an existing entity to build sense of ownership. Pros and cons of each of these models are listed. Rural obstacles to community gardening include lack of volunteers, an insider-outsider dynamic between project developers and community members, lack of gardening experience, and transportation problems. Tips for successful gardens are listed, followed by program recommendations related to planning, program design and long-term development, funding, local food security, community relations, and public policy. A sidebar outlines characteristics of the projects surveyed: volunteer demographics, funding, types of educational programs, and operational issues. Contact information is included for projects cited in the report. (SV)