Friday, December 5, 2014

Community Gardens

                A community garden is shared collectively by a group of people on a single piece of land. They provide an outlet for community development, create social interaction between neighborhood participants, produce healthy fresh produce that reduced family food budgets, and conserve resources.  It can also create a new recreational interest for those involved, as gardening is often therapeutic. Community gardens are often rich green spaces placed right in the middle of a largely developed area, making them especially valuable.

                Community gardens are publicly functioning with ownership, access, and management. They create a need for labor as well as connection to the community and environment. They provide food security as the gardeners can grow their own produce as well as trade with others who have extra or need what they have grown. Gardening fresh produce will result in a healthier diet and can improve the users overall health.
                Many locations and organizations are jumping at the idea of using community gardens are sustainable small scale food production. The American Community Gardening Association (ACGA) supports community gardening by facilitating the formation and expansion of state and regional community gardening networks. They also develop resources, encourage research, and conduct educational programs.in support of community gardening.

                Macon contains several community gardens located in different key areas around the city. They are maintained by volunteers who mainly grow different types of vegetables like pumpkins, beans, and carrots.  The city still has a ton of empty lots, leaving several possible garden sites open for the community to develop. While the goal of these gardens is to bring the rich and poor together, it is tough to get enough people to participate despite the excess available land for gardening. As a result of this struggle, the farmers market was establish to help community gardens sell their produce to others, and to bring more people and businesses downtown.


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