Our RESEARCH
MidCoast Growers Network undertakes applied social research on topics within the broad scope of our mission and aims, and makes the research findings available to growers and to the wider public
Reviewing the literature and and making the findings of published material available to our growers
Growers think about success for their gardens and fields over the long term. This means preparing for, and dealing with, challenges as they arise, and finding ways to adapt, innovate, and improve. Many publications are available to help them in this quest. These publications provide all kinds of growers with insights, ideas and resources, as well as contributing to a sense of community. Many articles are based on personal and shared experiences. They provide practical advice based on learning-by-doing. There is also material that is published as part of the scientific (including social science) literature. |
There is growing consensus that climate change will aggravate several of the existing challenges facing small-scale food producers and gardeners more generally. This is primarily due to its role in triggering more extreme weather conditions, and changing the pattern of vector-borne diseases (Nkrumah 2018).
As a result of climate change, growers face problems that include:
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Focusing on resilience amongst community gardeners, McVey, Nash and Stasbie (2018) investigated the motivations and experiences of people based on their respective involvement with three different community gardens in Edinburgh, Scotland. The research showed: ‘Community gardens grow much more than just food, they grow community’ (McVey et al 2018: 40). |
3. Addressing the challenges of a changing climate
‘…plants don’t respond to averages, they respond to extremes.’ (Cregg 2017) Adaptation Growers’ adaptations to climate change can be viewed as the steps they take to foster their own resilience, as well as the resilience-generating capacities of their gardens. |
Temperatures have increased in Australia over the past century, and this implies that regions are experiencing climates previously found at latitudes further north. For example, Sydney’s climate is now roughly what it used to be halfway to Coffs Harbour (Lowe 2017).
Plant species often react by migrating to better conditions, but this is not an option for gardeners. Instead, it is the growers have to innovate and adapt. |
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Growers can adapt by:
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Promoting resilience
While gardeners are adapting to climate change, they are also contributing to the social and ecological resilience of their communities and countries. The community role they play may be overlooked, despite the inherent promise of gardens as being able collectively to provide valued ecosystem services, such as the provision of food and providing habitat for birds and insects. Other services provided by gardens include increased storm water retention,building interpersonal trust, and facilitating community participation. Taken together, these services contribute to promoting resilience to climate change. |
Clarke et al (2019: 248) make the point that community gardens have a reputation, built over many decades, of ‘providing a community space during various socio-economic stressors’.
In Australia, this has included their role during the Great Depression of the 1930s. |
In the decade that followed, the public open space grew into a mix of communal and rented garden beds, a community orchard, a ‘chook ship’, and an asparagus garden. Based on seed funding provided by the WA Department of Local Government and Communities, a propagation nursery was established. This nursery operates as a social enterprise business model, providing economic value through commercial income via seedling sales.
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Hilton Harvest established a Bush Tucker Garden as part of their annual NAIDOC celebrations in 2012. A variety of nutritious and medicinal native plants are grown, and these provide edible roots, leaves, flowers, seeds and fruits. In addition to reflecting cultural acknowledgement and awareness, the Bush Tucker Garden is used as an education tool for the community. In addition, the Community Garden has regular programs and events to cater for a variety of audiences.
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There is a need for more accessible case studies focusing specifically on home and community gardeners’ resilience and adaptation to climate change. Examples of good practice could be sought out, researched, and written up, with case studies being made available on platforms including social media.
MidCoast Growers Network can be a source for locally-relevant information and community building for all growers in the region. |
Drawing on the literature, home gardens can be described as ‘complex, multi-layer systems of trees, shrubs, and crops around homesteads’ (Clarke 2014: 1). Home gardens refer most commonly to backyards or front yards attached to a private house that are ‘partially or completely cultivated by an individual or family’ (Aerts, Dewaelheyns and Achten 2016). In urban areas, you can also find rooftop vegetable farms, vegetables grown in containers on windowsills or balconies, pavement gardens, and others.
Here's a definition that you could use in perhaps a more formal setting and which already hints at the benefits of gardening: |
Community gardens are plots of land cultivated collectively by a group of people (Aerts et al 2016). For these gardens to succeed, local residents need to volunteer their time to contribute to the community-based, collaborative efforts to grow food.
For community gardens to be successful over the long term, leadership and active participation is essential (Okvat and Zautra 2011). When plots of land are subdivided into smaller parcels that are assigned to individuals or families, they can also be called ‘allotment gardens’. |
Gardens foster in people a love and appreciation of nature.
Gardens promote food security in various ways, for example, by providing access to healthy food for low-income families who cannot easily access or afford fresh produce. Gardeners help to protect and promote local biodiversity. |
Collectively, home gardens contribute positively to the carbon cycle through the carbon sequestration that occurs when they enrich their soils with organic material.
Gardens provide opportunities for social engagement within communities, and also between communities. They provide linkages between urban and rural households. |
Community gardens give neighbourhood residents greater control over the food system, enhancing local food sovereignty, food security, and community self-reliance.
Community gardens can be used as spaces to educate young people about growing healthy and sustainable produce. This can contribute to them developing lifelong healthy habits. It has been measured, for example, that community gardeners on average consume more servings of fresh fruit and vegetables each day than non-gardeners (Colman 2017). |
Although they are cultivated spaces, gardens also contribute 'ecosystem services' such as those described above.
In their own small ways, all gardens contribute to the cycling of nutrients, help to regulate flows of water, and attract pollinators. Taken as a whole, the cultivated gardens of urban areas in particular play a key role in regulating the flows of organics in built up areas, and preventing kitchen and garden waste from entering landfill (see Projects). |
What are some of the ways you've tried to maximise the 'ecosystem services' your garden provides, and to minimise its potential 'ecosystem disservices'?
Due to shorter distances between producers and consumers, a reduction occurs in the use of fossil fuels and their associated greenhouse gas emissions. Associated with this is a reduction in the generation of waste going to landfill, particularly food packaging.
All of this contributes to stronger local economies, and to a healthier population resulting from greater consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables, and reduced consumption of fat- and sugar-rich processed foods (Buchan et al. 2015). |