Presented by Let's Grow Akron,Inc

1. The Benefits of
Community Gardening
 Community Organization
 Crime Prevention
 Cultural Opportunities
 Education
 Food Production
 Health
 Green Space

2. Community gardens increase a sense of
community ownership and stewardship.

3. Community gardens bring people together from a
wide variety of backgrounds including age, race
culture and social class.

4. Community gardens build community leaders.

5. Crime Prevention
Community
gardening is
recognized by
many police
departments as an
effective community
crime prevention
strategy.

6. Community gardens provide opportunities to meet
neighbors and build block clubs.

7. Community gardens increase eyes on the street.

8. Cultural Opportunities
Community gardens
allow people
from diverse
backgrounds to
work side-by-side on
common goals
without speaking
the same language.

9. Community gardens offer neighborhoods an access point
to non-English speaking communities.

10. Community gardens offer unique opportunities for new
immigrant families who tend to be concentrated in low-
income urban communities to:
 Take advantage of the experience of elders to produce a
significant amount of food for the household.
 Produce traditional crops otherwise unavailable locally.
 Provide inter-generational exposure to cultural traditions.
 Offer a cultural exchange with other gardeners.
 Learn about block clubs, neighborhood groups and other
community information.

11. Educational Opportunities

12. Community gardens offer the opportunity
to teach youth about:
 Where food comes from
 Practical math skills
 Basic business principles
 The importance of community
and stewardship
 Issues of environmental
sustainability
 Job and life skills

13. Community gardening is a healthy, inexpensive activity for youth
that can bring them closer to nature and allow them to interact with
each other in a socially meaningful and physically productive way.

14. Health Benefits

15. Studies have shown that community gardeners and their
children eat healthier diets than do non-gardening families.

16. Eating locally grown
food reduces asthma
rates because
individuals are able
to consume
manageable amounts
of local pollen and
develop immunities.

17. Exposure to green space reduces stress and
increases a sense of wellness and belonging.

18. Green Space

19. Community gardens add beauty to the community and heighten
people’s awareness and appreciation of living things.

20.  Community gardens filter
rainwater, helping to keep
lakes, rivers and groundwater
clean.
 Community gardens restore
oxygen to the air and help
reduce air pollution.
 Community gardens recycle
huge volumes of organic waste
back into the soil.

21. Community gardens provide a place to retreat from the
noise and commotion of urban environments.

22. Community gardens have been shown to actually
increase property values in the immediate vicinity
where they are located.

23. Credits
 PowerPoint presentation by Lisa Nunn
 Benefits of community gardening gathered from:
www.gardendallas.org
www.commmunitygarden.org
 Photos courtesy of Elaine Evans, Kamil Bialus and Lisa Nunn