Lessons
L1. History of Community Gardens
L2. Visiting a Community Garden
During this step, we will ask you to visit an already established community garden. You will need to answer the following questions (PDF downloadable at a specific link for printing):
- What is the mission of this garden?
- Who are their target groups?
- How was it created, and by whom?
- What are the main activities?
- What are the resources of the garden?
- What did you like and dislike the most?
- Mention a good practice that you would like to share.
TYPOLOGIES, LEGAL DEFINITION
A community garden is a shared space where a group of people come together to cultivate land, either individually or collectively. Typically, in allotment gardens, the land is divided into individual plots, each managed by a separate gardener responsible for their plot’s yield, which they keep. In collective gardens, however, the land remains undivided and is cultivated by the group as a whole, with the harvest shared among participants. Community gardens take on different forms globally; they may be located in nearby neighborhoods or even on balconies and rooftops, and vary widely in size.
Today, community gardens are experiencing renewed global interest, likely linked to contemporary issues such as the ecological crisis, climate change, and recent public health challenges. These gardens play an important role in the urban agriculture movement, with growing demands from citizens worldwide for more community gardening spaces.
There are several different types of gardens:
- Allotments, or allotment gardens, are plots of land divided into lots and allocated by local authorities or allotment garden associations to private individuals. These individuals garden for their own needs and those of their families, excluding any commercial use. Additionally, certain allotment garden plots may be allocated to legal entities for educational or gardening training purposes, by agreement between the entities and the local authorities or allotment garden associations.
• Community gardens, which are created or run collectively, are open to the public. Their purpose is to develop local social ties through socio-cultural activities.
• Market gardens are intensive vegetable and fruit production schemes..
In addition to these forms of garden, the educational garden can also be included. These gardens offer gardening activities with an educational purpose (e.g., ecology) and aim to raise awareness or promote gardening training.
Allotment and community gardens are open to all, regardless of income. In some cases, however, you need to be a member of the managing organization to gain access. In these cases, access to the garden is part of a person’s career path, and is granted after referral by a prescribing organization.
Educational gardens are generally open to a broad public (children, families, retired people, adults, young people, etc.), but can sometimes be aimed exclusively at schools and young children.
Welcome and support
- Most community and educational gardens offer gardening workshops as well as nature awareness workshops (e.g. wild gathering, plant recognition, etc.).
Material organization
- Community garden associations make plots of land available to individuals, who cultivate them personally to meet their household needs. They are part of the policy to combat food insecurity by promoting self-production and self-consumption, enabling people not only to save money but also to be autonomous and take charge of their own consumption.
- Collective or educational gardens can be part of the remobilization of urban wasteland, contributing in particular to the revitalization of urban space.
- They can also employ people who have been reintegrated into society (e.g. market gardens).
- Collective and educational gardens are interesting sites for experimenting with alternative farming techniques, such as living soil market gardening and permaculture.
Examples:
L3. Document of Intent
Creation of the document of intent
Creating a community garden is an exciting and fulfilling project that brings people together to cultivate not only plants but also shared values, mutual learning, and a deeper connection with nature. It offers a space where communities can grow food, create beauty, and foster sustainability while building stronger social bonds.
Before diving into your garden project, it’s important to take a step back and think about the why and how. What motivates you to start a garden? How does it fit into the larger picture of your life, your community, and the environment around you?
This journey begins with reflection and research. To guide you through the initial stages of your project, we’ve outlined two key steps:
- Defining Your Dream: This involves expressing your personal aspirations and aligning them with the practical realities of starting and maintaining a community garden.
- Understanding Your Local Context: You’ll need to examine your local environment—both natural and cultural—to ensure your project is well-suited to your region and community.
By exploring these questions, you’ll create a solid foundation for your community garden. These reflections will help you complete your Project Initiator’s Intent Document, an essential tool that will guide you in defining the broad outline of your garden project.
Let’s start by thinking deeply about your vision for the garden and the surrounding community. To reach this end, we propose you to answer to the following questions.
