Growing Community: Factors of Inclusion for Refugee and Immigrant Urban Gardeners

Lissy Goralnik, Lucero Radonic, Vanessa Garcia Polanco, Angel Hammon

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

7 Scopus citations

Abstract

Urban agriculture is an important neighborhood revitalization strategy in the U.S. Rust Belt, where deindustrialization has left blighted and vacant land in the urban core. Immigrants and refugees represent a growing and important stakeholder group in urban agriculture, including in community gardens across the Rust Belt Midwest. Community gardens provide a host of social and economic benefits to urban landscapes, including increased access to culturally appropriate food and medicinal plants for refugee and immigrant growers. Our work in Lansing, Michigan was part of a collaboration with the Greater Lansing Food Bank’s Garden Project (GLFGP) to describe the refugee and immigrant community gardening experience in three urban gardens with high refugee and immigrant enrollment. Our research describes the ways garden management facilitates inclusion for refugee and immigrant gardeners and how particular factors of inclusion in turn contribute to social capital, an important outcome that plays a critical role in refugee and immigrant subjective wellbeing.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number68
JournalLand
Volume12
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2023
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • agency
  • community gardens
  • garden management
  • placemaking
  • refugee and immigrant gardeners
  • Rust Belt Midwest
  • social capital
  • urban agriculture
  • wellbeing

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Global and Planetary Change
  • Ecology
  • Nature and Landscape Conservation

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