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Sowing the seeds of a strong community
Community gardens, or city farms as they are sometimes called, are not new yet they are experiencing a revival in many developed countries due to the health, social, environmental, economic and cultural benefits they bring to local communities.
There are currently more than 15 community gardens in Western Australia, many of which have sprung up in the last 5 years alone.
Community gardens
Community gardens can take the shape of edible gardens, decorative or therapeutic gardens. They are shared community spaces which provide for community interaction, decision making, problem solving, creativity and celebration.
Gardens provide opportunities for individuals, school children and unemployed people to learn and share skills and engage in meaningful activities that build self-esteem and confidence. These gardens can be an important source of fresh produce especially for disadvantaged communities.
Importantly, involvement with community gardens can also help connect new migrants, people living with mental health issues or disabilities with their communities. Community gardens provide an avenue for creating new social connections and releasing the stresses of everyday life.
Working in partnership to grow the sector
With all this in mind, Lotterywest recently provided a $154,000 grant to Learning Centre Link to develop the ‘Growing Communities WA’ project.
Through Growing Communities WA, Learning Centre Link will be teaming up with other stakeholders with a keen interest in the community garden sector - WA Community Gardens Network, Disability in the Arts, Disadvantage in the Arts WA, the cities of Swan and Gosnells and Town of Cambridge - to develop a range of resources to help communities grow their own gardens.
“The WA Community Garden Network was being inundated with separate requests from individuals, resident groups, learning centres, schools and government agencies for assistance in partnering with and developing community gardens,” said Anne Goodall, Project Coordinator, Growing Communities WA.
“This project will allow us to work with the sector to develop resources and build partnerships in order to support community gardens in WA. Skills, knowledge and benefits can be shared with other communities throughout WA,” added Ms Goodall.
Some resources being developed include:
- a map of community gardens across WA
- ‘How To’ manuals for developing community gardens
- best practice models for community gardens
- training opportunities and forums in developing community gardens
- a website to promote and support community gardens in WA
“Ultimately, we are working towards the long-term sustainable growth of community gardens in Western Australia,” said Ms Goodall. “In order to ensure a strong community garden sector, we need to support and resource the growing network of people passionate about community gardening, who are keen to share information and work together.”
More information on community gardens in Australia is available at www.communitygarden.org.au