A systematic review of community gardens and their role in urban food security and resilience
Huq F.F., Deacon L.
Discover Sustainability (Springer), 6:696
Urban Farm DB summary
A systematic review of 37 studies examining how community gardens affect food access, urban resilience, and community well-being, with research interest peaking during the COVID-19 pandemic. It identifies inequitable access and weak policy integration as key barriers and calls for inclusive, interdisciplinary, long-term planning.
Key points
- 1Community gardens serve as powerful tools to address heightened issues like food insecurity, environmental challenges, and social exclusion caused by rapid urbanization.
- 2A systematic review of 37 studies demonstrates the impact of community gardens on food access, urban resilience, and community well-being.
- 3Research interest in community gardens peaked during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- 4Inequitable access and limited policy integration remain as key barriers to advancing community gardening.
- 5Advancing community gardening requires inclusive, interdisciplinary strategies and long-term planning to maximize its role in sustainable urban development.
Extracted facts
2 factsOnly numbers and their conditions are stored, as structured data — never the source's own sentences. Metric and condition names stay in English, as coded.
- 37
studies included(community garden)
Socialn = 37- study design
- systematic-review
- setting
- urban
- peaked during covid 19 pandemic
research interest peak(community garden research)
Socialn = 37- study design
- systematic-review
Direction of conclusions
Each author conclusion is recorded only as a coded direction per topic. Read the original for the conclusion itself.
- Food accessSupportsWith caveats
- Policy and governanceMixedWith caveats
- Equity / gentrificationMixedWith caveats
Abstract and stored text
OpenAlexRapid urbanization has heightened food insecurity, environmental challenges, and social exclusion. Community gardens are emerging as powerful tools to address these issues. This systematic review of 37 studies shows their impact on food access, urban resilience, and community well-being, with research interest peaking during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, barriers like inequitable access and limited policy integration remain. Advancing community gardening requires inclusive, interdisciplinary strategies and long-term planning to maximize their role in sustainable urban development.
Why it matters for urban farming
This paper highlights the significant role of community gardens in addressing urban challenges such as food insecurity and social exclusion. For urban farmers, it reinforces the value of their efforts beyond just food production, emphasizing their contributions to community well-being and urban resilience. The identified barriers, such as inequitable access and weak policy integration, are crucial for citizens to consider when advocating for or planning new urban farm initiatives, stressing the need for inclusive design and engagement with local policies. It encourages a long-term, collaborative approach to maximize their impact.