Developing Community Gardens and Improving Food Security a Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the College
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Growing What You Eat: Developing Community Gardens and Improving Food Security A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts Michelle P. Corrigan June 2010 © 2010 Michelle P. Corrigan. All Rights Reserved. 2 This thesis titled Growing What You Eat: Developing Community Gardens and Improving Food Security by MICHELLE P. CORRIGAN has been approved for the Department of Geography and the College of Arts and Sciences by Geoffrey L. Buckley Associate Professor of Geography Benjamin M. Ogles Dean, College of Arts and Sciences 3 ABSTRACT CORRIGAN, MICHELLE P., M.A., June 2010, Geography Growing What You Eat: Developing Community Gardens and Improving Food Security (131 pp.) Director of Thesis: Geoffrey L. Buckley Food insecurity and awareness are growing concerns in the United States. In addition to studying issues of supply and distribution, scholars and activists working in the field have turned their attention to food-related health problems such as obesity and diabetes. This has caused many to explore the extent to which Americans are engaged and involved in food systems. One way people are engaging with food systems is through community food security approaches such as community gardening. The popularity of community gardening and the localization of food production are evident across the country in cities, small towns, and rural areas eager to narrow the gap between production and consumption. In-depth interviews and field observations from Baltimore, Maryland and Athens, Ohio were used to examine the challenges of community gardening and determine the involvement people have within the food system from their experience with community gardening. It is evident that community gardens contribute to engagement and involvement within food systems; however additional assistance such as education, policy, and funding is needed to increase food security. Approved: _____________________________________________________________ Geoffrey L. Buckley Associate Professor of Geography 4 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would first like to thank Dr. Buckley for inspiring me, encouraging me, and providing valuable feedback throughout this process. In addition, thanks go to Dr. Jokisch and Dr. Smucker for their additional commentary and support. I would also like to thank the US Department of Agriculture Forest Service (06JV11242300039) for funding my research in Baltimore and the Baltimore Ecosystem Study for allowing me to learn more about the functions of the city. Special thanks go to the Parks and People Foundation in Baltimore and Community Food Initiatives in Athens for providing insight into your organizations. I must individually thank Community Food Initiatives and Liz Shaw for providing me the opportunity to work for them and gain hands-on gardening experience. Mr. Lewis Sharpe of the Duncan Street Miracle Garden also deserves dedication for providing new light on community gardening and creating a beautiful and bountiful garden in Baltimore. I would like to thank my fellow 2010 classmates, especially Erin Pierce for assisting and accompanying me in Baltimore and for her overall support and Mike Boruta for his distinguished cartographic skills. Lastly, I would like to thank my family and friends, particularly Andrew Arthur Oestrike and Allison Geiger for their constant encouragement. 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract ............................................................................................................................... 3 Acknowledgments............................................................................................................... 4 List of Tables ...................................................................................................................... 7 List of Figures ..................................................................................................................... 8 Chapter 1: Introduction ....................................................................................................... 9 Chapter 2: The Evolution of Food Insecurity and Contemporary Responses .................. 16 Food Insecurity in the United States ............................................................................. 16 Industrialization of Agriculture in the United States .................................................... 19 The Unequal Distribution of Food and Public Health Implications ............................. 22 Implementing Policy: Community Food Security & Other Recommendations ........... 27 The Community Garden Approach ............................................................................... 30 Discussion ..................................................................................................................... 41 Chapter 3: Methods ........................................................................................................... 44 Chapter 4: Growing Your Own: Developing a Community Garden ................................ 51 Story of the Gardens ..................................................................................................... 52 Developing a Community Garden ................................................................................ 59 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 66 Chapter 5: Growing Community: Local Food Environment of the Duncan Street Miracle Garden ............................................................................................................................... 67 Ability to Purchase Quality Food ................................................................................. 67 Ability to Obtain Quality Food ..................................................................................... 71 Contributions of the Duncan Street Miracle Garden .................................................... 76 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 83 Chapter 6: Growing Consciousness: Local Food Environment of the West Side Community Garden ........................................................................................................... 86 Local Food Environment .............................................................................................. 86 Contributions of the West Side Community Garden .................................................... 93 Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 102 Chapter 7: Conclusions ................................................................................................... 105 6 References ....................................................................................................................... 111 Appendix A: Grocery Prices at Selected Stores in baltimore ......................................... 120 Appendix B: Grocery Prices at Selected Stores in Athens ............................................. 124 7 LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1: Changes in the Structure of Agriculture from 1910 to 1997 ............................21 Table 2: Food items used in price comparison study ......................................................48 Table 3: Food stores and type in Athens .........................................................................49 Table 4: Availability of three bus routes serving Broadway East ..................................73 8 LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1: Map of study area in Baltimore, Maryland .....................................................13 Figure 2: Map of study area in Athens, Ohio..................................................................14 Figure 3: Main entrance to the Duncan Street Miracle Garden ......................................53 Figure 4: Fences and garden plot at West Side Community Garden ..............................57 Figure 5: Community Food Initiatives sign and water spigot .........................................58 Figure 6: Location of food stores and the Duncan Street Miracle Garden .....................68 Figure 7: Duncan Street Miracle Garden interior ...........................................................81 Figure 8: Garden Party Invitation ...................................................................................82 Figure 9: Location of food stores and the West Side Community Garden .....................88 9 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Food insecurity is a growing concern in the United States, where 49.1 million people are unable to access enough nutritious food for an “active and healthy life at all times,” and are therefore considered food insecure (USDA, 2009). Obesity is also an increasing problem in the United States, where the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate 34% of people over 20 years of age are obese (CDC, 2007). Food insecurity in the “Global South” is typically associated with hunger resulting from protein energy malnutrition and micronutrient malnutrition (Derose and Millman, 1998). Conversely, food insecurity in the “Global North” is usually defined by obesity. The United States produces enough food for all residents but almost 15% are unable to access quality food due to financial or other resource limitations. Paradoxically, food insecurity and obesity occur among the same populations and thus their relationship has important implications for policymakers