Community Food Projects bring people together in local communities of all
ages, abilities and social backgrounds, where they share knowledge and interact.
What do participants gain from being involved in a Community Garden or Community Food Project?
1. They learn new skills and how growing, harvesting and eating your own food is good for both mental and physical health.
2. They learn about the seasonality of food and pick up recipe ideas and new cooking techniques.
3. They try out different foods and flavours that were once popular but may not be available in supermarkets.
4. They're encouraged to grow their own food at home in tandem with the community food project.
5. They learn how successes and failures of growing food are 'normal'.
6. 
They have a better appreciation of how difficult it can be to grow food without using chemicals and why organic food is generally more expensive at markets and in shops.
They have a better appreciation of how difficult it can be to grow food without using chemicals and why organic food is generally more expensive at markets and in shops.
7. They're more likely to shop locally, searching out better quality foods and flavours.
8. Participants have a better appreciation of their community.
9. Community gardens are available to people on a tight budget.
10. Participants will have learnt a basic life skill - they will know that whatever happens, they will be able to provide food for themselves and their families.
This list could go on. There's room for a community garden everywhere. As the Goresbridge project shows, you only need a small scrap of land to create one and an enthusiastic couple of people to get one up and running. So why not give it a go.
If you know of any community gardens running in your area I'd love to hear about them. Please leave a comment or link with details so I can follow it up, or send me a tweet Thanks.
You are so right, the list could go on. Wonderful 10 reasons though :)
ReplyDeleteYes. Here in Ballon we are reading your ideas etc.
ReplyDeleteWe started our Community Garden last year in a derelict unused garden in the Village. This year we have got a permanent site in the National School front area. We are delighted as to the results obtained already. Recycling is one of the main ideas incorporated in the Garden. Also we are using two languages - English and Irish.
All our signs are bi-lingual. The children from the school partake in loads of garden activites. ie. have provided veg plants grown on the schools windowsills. The children also took part in a painting workshop and painted up old tyres and timber boxes that create part of the garden. Please check our Facebook page at Ballon Community Garden and full details of all the activities in and around our Community Garden on www.ballonvillage.ie
I love the idea that it's a bilingual garden.. what a great idea and it will certainly help the children too. It sounds like it's going really well for you all and I'd love to pop over for a visit sometime soon. Thanks for the comment, Dee.
ReplyDelete