Sharing
Sharing harvests, surplus and effort
From sharing the vegetables picked to donating surplus to food banks, farms grow a culture of sharing — which also reduces food loss.
270 related cases
Cases where this shows up
P-Patch Community Gardens
USSeattle, United States
Seattle's municipal community-garden program, P-Patch, dates to the 1970s. Residents grow food organically at sites across the city, and each garden's 'Giving Garden' donates its harvest to food banks.
seattle.gov+3
Community Food Education with Children's Cafeterias (MAFF)
JPNationwide, Japan
A nationwide effort based on MAFF's case collection of food education advanced by children's cafeterias working with communities and gardens. Local cafeterias link to plots, harvest experiences and nearby farmers so children grow, harvest, cook and eat together. It connects the food cycle, local production-consumption and food-loss reduction with creating safe places for children.
maff.go.jp+3
Sahavardhan / Pune community urban farming
INPune, India
A Pune community-farming group formed in 2019 that creates space for people without land to grow organically together. Its ~800 members share plots and knowledge and turn household kitchen waste into compost.
india.mongabay.com+1
City Farms (Edmonton municipal food-growing program)
CAEdmonton, Canada
A city-run program Edmonton started in 2020 on ~5 acres of municipal land, donating its harvest (over 253,000 lbs cumulatively) to the food bank. It was cut in the city's 2024 Fall Supplemental Operating Budget.
globalnews.ca+1
Land of Dreams Urban Farm & Cultural Centre (Calgary, Canada)
CACalgary, Canada
A 30-acre urban farm on public land in southeast Calgary, formerly a construction site. Run by the settlement agency CCIS, it teaches newcomers to Canada how to grow food in southern Alberta's climate. Guided by Blackfoot Elder Herman Many Guns, its programming acknowledges the site as Treaty 7 territory. Soil restoration, biodiversity, composting, honey production and pollinator stewardship are central.
youngagrarians.org+2
Common Roots Urban Farm (Halifax)
CAHalifax, Canada
A community garden and productive green space that began in 2012 as interim use of downtown Halifax hospital land. With around 240 plots, it is a place where residents grow food and connect.
commonrootsurbanfarm.ca+1
Supporting research
Farmer attitudes and perceptions toward gleaning programs and the donation of excess produce to food rescue organizations
Interviewing 12 farmers who participated in a gleaning program and 16 who did not in the Greater Kansas City metro area, this study analyses motivations for and barriers to donating surplus produce to food-rescue organisations such as food banks. Participants cited ease of donating and tax incentives; non-participants cited safety and liability concerns. It informs the design of food-rescue schemes that redirect urban and peri-urban farm surplus to community food aid.
Harvey S., Mount P., Valentine H. et al. · 2022 · Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 11(4):233-247
The effects of COVID-19 on Central Florida's community gardens: lessons for promoting food security and overall community wellbeing
An online survey of community-garden leaders in 13 counties of Central Florida, USA, conducted July–December 2021: 45 of 79 identified gardens responded (57%), most of them in the Tampa Bay area (31 in Hillsborough, 23 in Pinellas, 8 in Sarasota County). Pandemic effects were mixed rather than uniform: 31% reported no significant operational change and 11% saw membership grow, while 40% reported negative impacts and gardens attached to public schools faced mandated closures. 13% specifically cited loss of volunteers or reduced participation. 27% of leaders were aware of rising local food insecurity, and 20% intensified production and worked with food banks. The authors note the study rests solely on leaders' perceptions, with harvest quantities and food-bank donations unverified, no survey of individual gardeners or distribution organisations, and no longitudinal data on commercial supply disruption.
William D. Schanbacher, James C. Cavendish · 2023 · Frontiers in Public Health
Local Foods Sustain Your Community
This article suggests that establishing a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) or farm share pickup at libraries supports the local foods movement, reduces food travel distance, promotes healthy eating, and fosters community engagement. Additional benefits include donating fresh produce to food pantries. A CSA involves a relationship where members provide labor or monetary support in exchange for a share of farm produce.
Catherine Wong, Kathryn Geoffrion Scannell · 2019 · University of New Hampshire Scholars Repository (University of New Hampshire at Manchester)
Growing in relation with the land: Experiential learning of Root and Regenerate Urban Farms
This reflective essay documented the cultivation process of a production urban farm in Calgary, Canada, through a collaboration between the University of Calgary, Root and Regenerate Urban Farms, and the Young Agrarians. Over one growing season (May-September 2021), approximately 7,000 lbs (3,175 kg) of 48 vegetable varieties were harvested from nine urban spaces totaling 0.26 acres. Produce was distributed to shareholders, market customers, chefs, and cooperatives, with 765 lbs (347 kg) donated to food security initiatives. The paper discusses the benefits and limitations of Small Plot Intensive Farming and urban land-sharing strategies.
Chelsea Rozanski, Michael C. Gavin · 2023 · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development