School-based community gardens: Re-establishing healthy relationships with food.
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The discipline of nutrition involves many complex relationships between humans and food. The changing food supply has affected our understanding of the origins of food and its role in our lives. Supermarket shopping and television advertising are examples of major influences on public perceptions of food origins. Although much less present in contemporary urban life, gardening also offers a vehicle to explore food origins firsthand. Previous research indicates that community gardening involves three major environmental influences on longevity: diet, physical activity and psychosocial fulfilment. Several evaluations at Brisbane's Northey Street City Farm indicate that community gardening can influence these environmental factors in disadvantaged groups such as the long term unemployed. School-based community gardens are not uncommon in Queensland. In a recent survey, 24% of primary schools in the Logan region of south-east Queensland reported having a functioning vegetable garden. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with teachers responsible for each of these gardens to develop an insight into their origins and functions. School-based community gardens represent a significant opportunity to embed nutrition, physical activity and environmental sustainability into mainstream curricula.
Journal of the Home Economics Institute of Australia
© 2005 Home Economics Institute of Australia. The attached file is reproduced here in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher. Please refer to the journal's website for access to the definitive, published version.