Urban, home gardens could help curb food insecurity, health problems

Food deserts are an increasingly recognized problem in the United States, but a new study indicates urban and home gardens — combined with nutrition education — could be a path toward correcting that disadvantage.

Science Daily
Elsevier
October 7, 2019

Excerpt:

Food deserts are an increasingly recognized problem in the United States, but a new study from the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, published by Elsevier, indicates urban and home gardens — combined with nutrition education — could be a path toward correcting that disadvantage.

Researchers from the University of California at San Francisco partnered with Valley Verde, a community-based urban garden organization in Santa Clara County, California, to better understand participants’ perceptions of the health benefits and acceptability of urban home gardening programs. Interest in such programs has been on the rise, and this is a critical next step before beginning large-scale trials of how effective they are.

“This home-based model can play a vital role in urban agriculture and has the potential to directly impact health by tying the garden to the household,” said lead author Kartika Palar, PhD, Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA. She added that home and community gardens are complementary approaches to urban agriculture, together promoting a more resilient local food system.

Researchers followed 32 participants — mostly Hispanic/Latinos and women — in Valley Verde’s gardening program for one year. The program serves a predominantly low-income and immigrant population, providing them with the knowledge, skills and tools needed to grow their own organic vegetable gardens.

Read the complete article here.