Community gardening is defined by its shared nature, meaning that residents come together to grow food or flowers. Gardeners also generally live in the surrounding area.  Research has documented the many benefits of community gardening, including routines of wellness, socializing, leisure, and community building – not to mention the biopsychosocial benefits linked to community gardening as a radical social action, a way to improve life chances, and a holistic therapeutic practice (McGuire, Morris, & Pollard, 2022).  But how do we improve the long-term success and sustainability of community gardens?  And how do we create community gardening spaces that facilitate these benefits for those who are often excluded or have differing needs?  Dr. Breazeale and her team have addressed these questions through two Extension initiatives.

            The first project builds from a collaboration between a WKU honors student, a UK Horticulture Agent, and Dr. Breazeale. This participatory action research project involved primary research at three community garden sites in Louisville. Amanda Beavin’s research identified five key indicators of garden success: long-term land security, a strong community of gardeners, access to resources through diverse partners, a garden design developed by the community, and effective governance and leadership. This last item is particularly important; Beavin found that gardens that functioned more independently were much more likely to be successful. These “self-governing” gardens invested deeply in community engagement through frequent social events, they strengthened social cohesion through consistent communication, and their leaders had a “people-centered” organizing style that focused on relationship-building. The take-home point from this research is that Extension Agents who work with community gardens need to invest in leadership development and teach gardeners how to actively foster community building, while also diversifying their partnerships. These lessons were shared by Dr. Breazeale and her team with 26 Agents at an annual in-service. At the request of Agents, this research was peer-reviewed and published through CEDIK.             

            The second project is a partnership between NEP, FCS, Horticulture, and CLD. Dr. Breazeale (PI) and her team secured a $50,000 Kentucky specialty crop grant entitled, “Increasing consumer demand for Kentucky specialty crops and inspiring beginning farmers through Extension-support gardening programs at substance use recovery centers.” Building from the work of Bethany Pratt, NEP established a recovery garden program a few years ago.  Agents and Assistants who had experimented with gardening programs at recovery centers asked for assistance in creating a Recovery Garden Toolkit that would enhance their work and document what they had learned. This new toolkit would have a unique focus, highlighting the behind-the-scenes relationship building work that goes into establishing a successful partnership with a recovery center and strategies for investing in garden leadership skills of the center’s residents (in line with the aforementioned research). The team has established a community of practice that meets monthly and has drafted ten sections of the Toolkit, which will be piloted in the Spring 2023.