Community Gardening in Disadvantaged Neighborhoods in Phoenix, Arizona: Aligning Programs with Perceptions

This study examined a struggling community gardening program in a low-income minority community in Phoenix, Arizona. The gardening program exists within a larger local food initiative organized by a nonprofit community development organization. The nonprofit’s goals for the com­munity gardening program are to provide residents with opportunities for education, extra income and socializing. In partnership with the nonprofit and local residents, we undertook a study to determine the potential for increasing the recruitment and retention of local gardeners in order to sustain a successful community gardening program. We used interviews and participant observation to create an exploratory survey that measured residents’ percep­tions of benefits and burdens associated with gardening. Results revealed that while respondents had a level of gardening interest and experience in the commu­nity, they also lacked awareness about the garden­ing program. Perceptions of the benefits and burdens of gardening varied among current gardeners, ex-gardeners, and people who had never gardened. The benefits of gardening suggested by many residents differed from the local food initia­tive goals. If community gardens and local food initiatives are to succeed, organizers should align their programs with the desires of neighbor­hood residents and educate them about a wide range of potential benefits of gardening to both individuals and neighborhoods