Growing Food Security: the Impact of Community Gardens on Food Security in Denver, Colorado
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University of Denver Digital Commons @ DU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies 1-1-2016 Growing Food Security: The Impact of Community Gardens on Food Security in Denver, Colorado Grace Catherine Kellner University of Denver Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd Part of the Geography Commons Recommended Citation Kellner, Grace Catherine, "Growing Food Security: The Impact of Community Gardens on Food Security in Denver, Colorado" (2016). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1159. https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/1159 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies at Digital Commons @ DU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ DU. For more information, please contact [email protected],[email protected]. GROWING FOOD SECURITY: THE IMPACT OF COMMUNITY GARDENS ON FOOD SECURITY IN DENVER, COLORADO __________ A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics University of Denver __________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts __________ by Grace C. Kellner June 2016 Advisor: Dr. Rebecca Powell © Copyright by Grace C. Kellner 2016 All Rights Reserved Author: Grace C. Kellner Title: GROWING FOOD SECURITY: THE IMPACT OF COMMUNITY GARDENS ON FOOD SECURITY IN DENVER, COLORADO Advisor: Dr. Rebecca Powell Degree Date: June 2016 ABSTRACT Community gardens provide many benefits, including increased mental and physical health, social inclusiveness and cohesiveness, and an increased connection between individuals and their environment. In some U.S. cities gardens additionally increase community and individual food security by providing fresh food to those who struggle to feed themselves and their families. This study examined the potential for community gardens to increase food security in Denver, and is one of the first studies of its kind in this location. Specifically, I investigated who participates in community gardening and why they participate, whether community gardens are accessible, and whether gardens have the potential to improve individual and community food security. To do this, I gathered behavioral, perceptional, and demographic data from surveys (n=203) and semi-structured interviews (n=14 interviewees). I also used a variance-to- mean ratio, kernel density estimation, and walksheds to analyze the spatial distribution, accessibility, and demographic representativeness of community gardeners compared to residents surrounding gardens. Despite the national and local importance of the issue of food security and hunger reduction, gardeners in my study spoke more about mental and physical health, and social benefits of gardening. Based on their survey responses, I classified fourteen respondents as food insecure, which suggests that many gardeners in Denver are food secure. Additionally, I found that community gardeners are somewhat ii demographically representative of nearby residents, and the community gardens are accessible to those who currently use them. Results from this study can advise Denver’s Sustainable Food Policy Council in their suggestions to the city to institutionally assist in food insecurity and hunger reduction efforts. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would first like to thank the community gardeners and garden leaders of Denver who participated in my survey, assisted in the distribution and implementation of the survey, and participated in my interviews. I would also like to thank my advisor Dr. Rebecca Powell for her guidance and advising throughout the research process. I thank the advisory committee members – Drs. Eric Boschmann and Matthew Taylor who provided council, and Dr. Alison Krögel for serving as the committee chair. Dr. Jing Li also played a crucial role in assisting me with technical portions of this research and I am very grateful for her patience and guidance. Fellow graduate students Joe Quintana and Diego Pons assisted with translations and other details in various capacities of this work, and without their support and the support of other peers and family, my research would not be the product that it is. Finally, I would like to acknowledge the Laurance C. Herold Fund which provided financial assistance. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................. 1 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW ..................................................................... 5 Industrial Agriculture & Equity .............................................................................. 5 Brief History of Community Gardens in the United States .................................... 8 Community Gardening Benefits & Motivations for Participation ........................ 12 Common Problems Faced by Community Gardens.............................................. 19 Community Food Security .................................................................................... 22 Gaps & Limitations in the Current Literature ....................................................... 26 CHAPTER THREE: DATA, METHODS & ANALYSES .............................................. 28 Study Area ............................................................................................................ 28 Data Collected ....................................................................................................... 33 Sampling Strategy ................................................................................................. 36 Survey Questionnaire ............................................................................................ 38 Semi-Structured Interviews .................................................................................. 39 Survey and Interview Analyses ............................................................................ 40 Analyses of Third Party Spatial Data.................................................................... 42 CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS ......................................................................................... 47 Community Gardening Benefits ........................................................................... 47 Gardeners Enjoy Growing Their Own Food ............................................. 48 Gardening Preserves Culture .................................................................... 49 Self-Empowerment through Community Gardens ................................... 52 The Emotional & Spiritual Side to Gardening .......................................... 54 Community – Not an Inherent Aspect of Community Gardening ............ 56 Impact of Gardening on Food Security ................................................................. 58 Food Security amongst Gardeners ............................................................ 58 Challenges to a Community Garden’s Ability to Increase Food Security 63 Produce Donations and Food Security ...................................................... 71 Socioeconomic Status & Demographics of Garden Members ............................. 77 Respondent Demographics & Perceptions on Garden Diversity .............. 77 v Demographic Divides in Community Gardening ..................................... 85 Demographic Representativeness of Gardeners ....................................... 86 Perceptions & Behaviors Pertaining to Garden Accessibility .............................. 91 Community Garden Locations & Accessibility .................................................... 95 CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION ................................................................................... 102 Community Garden Benefits are Dynamic ......................................................... 103 Food Security and Hunger .................................................................................. 105 Gardens Serve Particular Populations ................................................................. 107 Accessibility Does Not Impede Food Security ................................................... 110 CHAPTER SIX: CONCLUSION ................................................................................... 114 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................... 117 APPENDIX A: Summary of Previous Research and Findings Regarding Community Gardens in Denver. ......................................................................................................... 128 APPENDIX B: Survey Questionnaire with Respondent Counts (n) for Multiple Choice Answer Options, the Associated Research Question (RQ), and the Type of Data Collected from Each Question ........................................................................................................ 129 APPENDIX C: Recruitment Script Email ...................................................................... 136 APPENDIX D: Informed Consent Form ........................................................................ 137 APPENDIX E: Interview Questions and Associated Research Question ...................... 140 APPENDIX F: Selected Survey Responses to Survey Question 19: Of the previous benefits you selected, which is most important to you and why? ................................... 141 APPENDIX G: Tables of Coded Answers to Multiple Choice Survey Questions and Interview Questions ........................................................................................................ 145 APPENDIX