Throughout this past year of teaching, I've discerned a keen interest among my students to learn more about their own history and where they live now. They've become quite proficient at crafting higher level questions that guide them in research and reading. During our new school year, I aim to satisfy these interests by tapping into non-fiction historical articles, journals, and photographs relating to farming, community gardening, and the lack of these gardens or their limited participation in them. It is also important to incorporate maps, helping students get a geographic sense of where we are located in relation to the rest of the world and how our landscape has changed over the years. They will also discover if these changes were a result of nature or man-made interventions.
A fundamental component of the ELA class is research. Students be responsible for gathering historical information about community gardening generally and in specific neighborhoods in New Haven. This research will include the environmental degradation that had to be rectified before establishing a garden. They will also research the prerequisites they need to meet before creating a garden. Once they can appreciate the changing landscape, they can then see the need the community found in community gardens. Engaging in such multi-faceted learning about environmental evolution will enhance their understanding of their surroundings.
Grouped by the neighborhoods they live in, the students will chronicle the history of community gardens in their specific area. This serves a dual purpose: First, they can tap into community leaders who have done this before as a way to build upon expertise and knowledge. Second, the students can create their own original project based on historical knowledge and future needs of the community. Their research will also encompass the essence of community gardens and their transformative potential for their surroundings. By creating a community garden close to them or participating in one nearby that already exists, students are taking ownership of a project that will affect many, not just themselves. I believe that once students know the environmental history of their city, they can effectively voice opinions and learn of ways to make changes. Exposure to environmental history helps students become more analytical. Understanding the past equips them to envision future possibilities. Students will also need to learn organizational skills, leadership roles, team building skills, fact-based decision making, commitment and responsibility. Students will begin to realize that they can effect change and that no role is insignificant nor small when there is a common goal in focus.
Another idea I would like to explore and have students research is the increasingly popular “farm to table” restaurant. Many restaurants nationwide have been founded on the concept of utilizing sustainable and local products. The book, “New Haven Chef's Table,” testifies to the city's familiarity with this concept. The book is full of recipes and stories from chefs who have worked in New Haven and have utilized local products and produce. Anastatia Curley, in her chapter “Urban Farming With a Focus,” explains the creation of the Yale Sustainable Food Project (YSFP) in 2003. According to Curley, the project was created when a group of students in an environmental law class learned about the negative affect of pesticides. A sustainable organic garden was created on the Yale campus. From this garden they were able to provide healthy organic vegetables to many city organizations and they also would sell them at CitySeed’s Wooster Square farmers market. Although local chefs purchased their produce at the market for their restaurants, the YSFP is not an organization that produces a lot of food. Presently, the YSFP focuses on being a living laboratory that works to better investigate issues and conduct research that can lead to improved farming practices.
Imparting the significance of community gardens and the broader “farm to table” concept emphasizes real-world implications. The “Farm to Fork” initiative underscores this, emphasizing health benefits, knowledge dissemination about nutrition, and advocating for high-quality food. Community gardens resonate with this ethos. Beyond physiological benefits, gardening enhances mental well-being. As per Agrilife Today, Randy Seagraves, in the Junior Master Gardener Program, contends that gardening fosters pride and accomplishment (2022). Moreover, Charles Hall, Ph.D., posits myriad benefits of gardening, from anxiety alleviation to bolstered creativity. He believes that engaging with plants or gardens, tends to distract the mind thus quieting it down and relaxing the person. In our post-pandemic world, where social-emotional learning is paramount, gardening offers an invaluable respite. It cultivates patience and deliberateness, which some students may find challenging yet fulfilling.
Although community gardens are not major food producers or large scale projects, they can help address the issue of food deserts that exist in and around New Haven. According to the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) a food desert is defined as “A tract with at least 500 people, or 33 percent of the population, living more than 1 mile (urban areas) or 10 miles (rural areas) from the nearest supermarket, supercenter, or large grocery store. (Oct 20, 2022). These larger retail stores offer a wider variety of fresh foods and produce. Currently in New Haven there are two supermarkets that serve the downtown New Haven area. On Whalley Avenue we have Stop and Shop and on State street we have Elm City Market. According to Yale News, while the opening of Stop & Shop and Elm City Market in the 360 State Street building has boosted the ability of Yale students and downtown residents to shop for groceries, four census-defined areas in the city are still classified as “food deserts” according to the USDA: Quinnipiac, West Rock, Annex and East Shore. (August 2012). Transportation and finances often hinder community members from shopping at the supermarkets downtown. This leaves many with the option of fast food or less healthy choices offered at corner stores. In the article titled “Community Gardens: An Effective Approach to Food Equity,” it states that studies show that low income communities and communities of color eat even fewer fresh fruits and vegetables and carry the burden of chronic preventable health conditions even more heavily than the rest of the population (July 2021).
Although Yale’s School of Public Health has also been working to promote the accessibility and quality of food choices in the city, community gardens offer a solution to fresh food accessibility. Community gardens directly provide access to fresh produce at affordable prices in their neighborhood. Being able to grow your own food with a community of others can help bridge the gap between access to healthy food and the desire for it. Research has shown that participating in a community garden is also associated with improved health outcomes. One study found that people who joined a community garden ate 1.4 more times per day more fruits and vegetables than those who did not participate and were 3.5 more likely to eat the recommended 5 servings of vegetable per day. (Weltin AM 2014, 12-240). It is clear that accessibility does promote consumption and the more community gardens we have the greater impact on the community and the consumers.
By this unit's culmination, students will skillfully read, analyze, discuss, and articulate written responses, connecting non-fiction content with historical and current events. Students will also be able to create a plan or blueprint as to what a community garden should be and the importance it has today.