Urban Farm DB
Research catalogue
Database research record2024·United States (California)

Community gardens support high levels of food production, but benefit distribution is uneven across the gardener community

Brenda B. Lin, Peter Bichier, Heidi Liere, Monika Egerer, Stacy M. Philpott, Shalene Jha

Sustainability Science

Urban Farm DB summary

A study of 18 urban community gardens in Central Coast, California, USA, used gardener surveys and field measurements to evaluate food production and its distribution. Gardeners produced an average of four pounds of food per week, saving an estimated $16 USD weekly. However, gardeners with greater food insecurity (larger families or lower incomes) were not the largest producers, indicating uneven benefit distribution despite high overall productivity.