Engaging Community Food Systems through Learning Garden Programs: Oregon Food Bank's Seed to Supper Program

• Main Author: Withers, Denissia Elizabeth
• Format: Others
• Published: PDXScholar 2012
• Subjects: Community food security; Place-based learning; Learning garden programs; Food security > Oregon > Portland; Community-supported agriculture > Oregon > Portland; Experiential learning > Oregon > Portland; Agriculture; Educational Leadership; Educational Methods
• Online Access: https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/609; https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1608&context=open_access_etds

The purpose of this study was to discover whether learning garden programs increase access to locally grown foods and successfully empower and include food insecure populations. This study examined the Oregon Food Bank's Seed to Supper program which situates garden-based learning in food insecure communities. Through a mixed-methods community-based research process, this study found that community building, learner empowerment and sustainability leadership in place-based learning garden programs increased access to locally grown foods for food insecure populations. When food insecure populations participated in these learning garden programs they often engaged in practices described in the literature as the "web of inclusion" (Helgesen, 1995). When food insecure populations were engaged in these practices, participation in food democracy and food justice increased. Additionally, participation in learning gardens led to sustainability leadership and increased access to food literacy, which led to greater community health and engaged, local community food systems.