The social and empowering effect of community gardens on a Chicago urban area (North Lawndale)

Community shared agriculture (CSA) refers to a system of growing and distributing organic produce that restores the links between consumers, farmers, and the land. Community gardens are a form of CSA that involves neighbors producing food in a small-scale, local setting. The present study was designed to examine if residents of an inner-city Chicago neighborhood evaluated the benefits of community garden programs (CGP) according to Ashiabi's Model of Social Vitality and Empowerment. A questionnaire was distributed to 120 North Lawndale residents during the summer of 2004. Respondents answered several questions about CGPs on a Likert scale. The majority of respondents agreed strongly that they benefited positively from a CGP. Age and length of residency were correlated to familiarity with CGPs. Respondents who had no to little knowledge of CGPs evaluated their benefits less positively than CGP workers. Recommendations are made on expanding education and outreach about CGPs in Chicago.