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Portrait of a Garden

Portrait of a Garden. Preliminary Findings of the Baltimore Community Gardens Inventory. Kriti Sharma--August 6, 2002. OUTLINE. Purpose Methodology Definition of a Community Garden Findings Recommendations Extension, etc. Support Big Picture. PURPOSE. Long-term research

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Portrait of a Garden

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  1. Portrait of a Garden Preliminary Findings of the Baltimore Community Gardens Inventory Kriti Sharma--August 6, 2002

  2. OUTLINE • Purpose • Methodology • Definition of a Community Garden • Findings • Recommendations Extension, etc. • Support • Big Picture Kriti Sharma, 2002

  3. PURPOSE • Long-term research • Provide baseline data for Baltimore Ecosystem Study, Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance, Coop. Ext., etc. • Support for gardeners • Facilitate network of gardens in Baltimore • Compiling a resources/needs inventory to better serve this population Kriti Sharma, 2002

  4. METHODOLOGY • Phone interviews (15 to 45 minutes) • Written surveys (25% response rate) • Site visits • Information-sharing  Civic Works  City Farms  MD Cooperative Extension  WPNPC Kriti Sharma, 2002

  5. DEFINITION of a Community Garden Classification based on: Land ownership Maintenance AND/OR Use Kriti Sharma, 2002

  6. Land ownership  publicly-owned  owned by community group Maintenance  group vs. individual / couple Use  open for public use  events/programs for public AND/OR clause  2 out of 3 of above criteria Definition (cont.) Kriti Sharma, 2002

  7. FINDINGS: Fields Kriti Sharma, 2002

  8. FINDINGS: Focus • Typology • # of Gardeners • Ownership • Inputs/Outputs • Needs Kriti Sharma, 2002

  9. 50% flower 47% vegetable-flower 3% vegetable 74% communally-maintained 20% individually-maintained 6% school-maintained FINDINGS: Typology N = 60 gardens (not including 7 City Farms) Kriti Sharma, 2002

  10. FINDINGS: # of Gardeners • N=45 • Estimated 750 to 1050 gardeners • Low end number: core groups • High end number: occasional volunteers • Conservative estimate • Lots of gardens missed • Not including City Farmers (+ 250 gardeners) • Large body of occasional/seasonal workers Kriti Sharma, 2002

  11. FINDINGS: Ownership • Many gardeners aren’t certain about who owns land • Vast majority (80+%) City-owned land • Most leased through Adopt-a-Lot • Lease is not always renewed • Use address data to find parcel data, and hence ownership information Kriti Sharma, 2002

  12. INPUTS Who invested resources/capital in garden? How much? How much labor? Chemical inputs? OUTPUTS Applies to vegetable gardens How much food and/or income is produced? How is it distributed? FINDINGS: Inputs/Outputs Use as a baseline for continuing research Kriti Sharma, 2002

  13. FINDINGS: Needs • approx. one-third listed “no or few needs” Top 5 Challenges: • Lack of committed volunteer base, esp. youth. • Drought. • Lack of equipment (mowers, tillers, etc.) • Infrastructure needs (fences, signs, etc.) • Training needs (horticultural and human resources) Kriti Sharma, 2002

  14. RECOMMENDATIONS • Promote steady garden workforce • Verify ownership data • Continue monitoring of gardens (annual?) • Facilitate network via directory • Encourage youth involvement • Develop mapping project Kriti Sharma, 2002

  15. RECOMMENDATIONS: Network “It’s great to be doing this survey—our volunteers are mostly elderly retired folk and we sometimes feel discouraged and overwhelmed by the maintenance of the garden and perhaps the sense of isolation, so it would be great to know of other gardens and how they overcome their obstacles!” -Rev. Madeleine Rothe Amazing Port Street Labyrinth Garden from survey, received July 29th, 2002 Kriti Sharma, 2002

  16. RECOMMENDATIONS: Directory • Create a directory of Gardens • Web-based + hard copy • Just a “Mail Merge” away… • Network based on genuine interdependence • Inspire sense of accomplishment • Empower Kriti Sharma, 2002

  17. Gardens of Hope • 1200 Shields Place • Upton Neighborhood • managed by St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church • contact: Gloria Luster, 410-542-1782 • Description: A community vegetable-flower garden established in 1993 to engage homeless and low-income citizens in growing food to give to their soup kitchen and community. • Features: • 4-H Kids garden • square-foot garden • composter • sign ("Gardens of Hope") • Experience/Resources: • building up soil • composting • distributing produce to disadvantaged citizens • outreach to the homeless community • involving the church in environmental stewardship “I never met a gardener I didn’t like.” -Gloria Luster Kriti Sharma, 2002

  18. RECOMMENDATIONS: Promote Youth Involvement • Key to sustainability of gardens • Youth attract youth • Connect “haves” with “have-nots” • Keywords: Engaging and fun Kriti Sharma, 2002

  19. RECOMMENDATIONS: Mapping Project • Fine-tune maps to include parcel data • Ownership directories • Overlay with census data, social cohesion map, etc. • Multiple participants/beneficiaries • Garden Mosaics? • Geography departments? • Model: NYC garden mapping project www.cmap.nypirg.org Kriti Sharma, 2002

  20. “ In contrast to the wanderlust of the American people, it is important to remember that there has been another tendency, the tendency to stay put, to say, ‘No farther. This is the place.’ I am talking about the idea that as many as possible should share in the ownership of the land and thus be bound to it by economic interest, by the investment of love and work, by family loyalty, by memory and tradition. ” -Wendell Berry, The Unsettling of America Kriti Sharma, 2002

  21. SUMMARY • Purpose • Methodology • Definition of a Community Garden • Findings • Recommendations • Big Picture (thank you) Kriti Sharma, 2002

  22. Kriti Sharma ksharma@email.unc.edu Kriti Sharma, 2002

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