Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Fig. 4.5.
Kalamunda Community Garden, Perth, Western Australia, was developed
in 2013 as a community project.
became more affluent and time poor, they dedicated more of their garden to
ornamental plant growing.
We have now come almost full circle; more and more city people are
moving to apartments with no gardens and having to rely either on local re-
tailers to provide them with fresh food or to grow their own in community
gardens. . . the modern allotment.
Community gardens are now a common feature in urban communities
around the world. They are still often on council land, but are managed by
enthusiastic locals who care about growing their own food.
Community gardens can be split into four different types of gardens:
•
Neighbourhood Community Gardens: these are a development of the
traditional allotment;
•
School Gardens: as this suggests, gardens developed to educate school
children on food production;
•
Blooming Branches: this is a programme developed in Illinois, where the
local libraries provide a venue for a series of garden talks;
•
The Green Youth Farm Program: this is another American initiative
where students can learn about organic farming and then sell their pro-
duce at a farmers' market.
In 1979 the American Community Gardening Association (
www.commu-
nitygarden.org
) was founded to recognize that community gardens in the
USA improved people's lives and were a catalyst for neighbourhood devel-
opment. They were also recognized as a means of reducing the family food
budget and creating an opportunity for education.
