Gardening during times of crisis can have significant benefits to individuals and populations in terms of health, well-being, social and economic outcomes. So-called crisis gardening can even be linked to transformative change in food systems through socio-ecological aspects of agroecology. In this book, crisis gardening is explored to better define, describe and provide recommendations about this activity globally. Diverse perspectives are offered from scholars around the world, providing an overview of gardening during crises with ties to agroecology. Such a perspective is critical as we grapple with food system crises, pandemics, climate change, biodiversity loss, mental health issues and political conflict globally.
The first section defines and explains crisis gardening in relation to agroecology, transformative change in food systems and public health The second section describes case studies from around the world of crisis gardening from various social-ecological perspectives The third section provides policy and practice recommendations and how to scale up the lessons from crisis gardening to transform food systems, public health systems, and policy and landscape planning processes
Bringing together leaders and experts (academics, policy makers and practitioners) from around the world, the book provides case studies of crisis gardening and develops recommendations to harness the lessons from this practice.
Section
1. Crisis gardening in relation to agroecology, transformative
change in food systems and public health
1. Gardening as a Response to Food
Insecurity During Acute and Chronic Crises: A Narrative Review from the
United States
2. How Gardening can Work Towards Combating the Biodiversity
Crisis: A Landscape Perspective
3. Opportunities of Urban Gardens for an
Agri-food transition in the Context of Structural Crises in Argentina Section
2. Case studies from around the world of crisis gardening from various
social-ecological perspectives
4. Growth in Adversity: Exploring Crisis
Gardening in African Cities from a Decolonial Perspective
5. The Langa
Agri-Food Hub in Cape Town, South Africa: Strengthening Farmers Networks and
Transforming Food Systems in Crisis
6. From Crisis to Opportunity: Exploring
Urban Food Growing in the UK During and Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic
7.
Combatting the Crisis of Social Isolation and Loneliness through Gardening
8.
Meaningful Activities During the COVID-19 Public Health Crisis: Benefits and
Challenges of Home Food Gardening in Santiago, Chile
9. A Sweet and Quiet
Lesson in Motion: The Pleasures of Pandemic Gardening
10. Mitigating a
Public Health Crisis: Exploring the Benefits of Gardening for People Living
with Dementia through Collaborative Autoethnography Section
3. The potential
of gardening during crisis: scaling up the lessons from crisis gardening to
transform food systems, public health systems, policy and landscape planning
processes
11. Community Gardens as a Source of Social Capital for Earthquake
Preparedness: Case Studies from Old Neighborhoods in Kobe, Japan
12.
Homegardens in the Crises of Climate Change, Biodiversity Conservation, and
Gender Equity: Perspectives from Bangladesh
13. Towards Urban Resilience:
Urban Gardening in Post-Earthquake Christchurch, New Zealand
14. Response
Options related to Health Benefits of Gardening in Times of Crisis. Conclusion
Jonathan Kingsley is a Senior Lecturer in Health Promotion at Swinburne University of Technology. Prior to moving into academia Jonathan worked in Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations, government bodies, and NGOs across Australia in public health and community development. Examples of these organisations include Oxfam Australia, VicHealth and the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation. Jonathan views the natural environment as having the capacity to bridge health inequalities (the basis of his Honours, Masters, PhD and previous Visiting Academic position at Cambridge University). Jonathan views himself as not only an academic but an activist winning environment community engagement awards (for example, from Parks Victoria and the International Association for Ecology and Health) and sitting on multiple steering committees and research groups related to Indigenous and environmental health.
Dr. Monika Egerer is a professor at the Technical University of Munich in the School of Life Sciences. Her research investigates relationships between biodiversity conservation, ecosystem service provision, and human wellbeing in urban ecosystems, with a focus on urban agricultural systems such as urban gardens and farms. Monikas work aims to bridge theory and practice to create productive systems in cities that offer food, habitat and community.
