The Journey of the Broccoli: The 'Feel-Good' Activity of Community Gardening, Reconnection to Nature, and Food Waste

Abstract

This thesis examines the possible impacts of community gardening participation on perceptions of food, nature, and food waste. What is the impact of community gardening on participants? Does participation in a community garden have an impact on perceptions of food and nature? Further, does participation in food growing have an impact on food waste behaviours? An interdisciplinary approach is used to gather a holistic understanding of participants’ motivations, experiences, and narratives. In-depth, open-ended qualitative interviews of 11 community garden participants, and a supplementary online survey, forms the basis of the research material. Ultimately, the gardeners that considered the consequences of their actions and believed in their ability to impact change adhered to the notion that gardening had impacted their views on food, nature, and food waste. Interestingly, garden participation encouraged a circular view of food: its entire journey from seed, to plant, produce, waste, and return to soil. Thereby, garden participation had intriguing impacts on food waste behaviours. Key Words: urban agriculture; community gardening; food; nature; reconnection; reconciliation; food waste; waste cycle.