by Sarah Davis
Have you ever struggled to find fresh, nutritious food at reasonable prices in your neighborhood? If yes, you might be living in a food desert. According to the US Department of Agriculture, food deserts are areas where 33% of the population lives more than a certain distance from the nearest grocery store—1 mile for cities and 10 miles for rural areas. Socioeconomic factors play a big part in whether an area has access to fresh foods. Research done by the Food Empowerment Project found that food deserts are predominantly found in Black and Brown communities and low-income regions due to historic racism and classism in America.
A symbolic illustration of a food desert. Graphic: Climable, 2024
We all deserve access to fresh and nutritious foods, so change needs to happen to eliminate food deserts. An easy change we can make right now is to implement community gardens. Community gardens allow community members to grow fruits, vegetables, and everything in between. According to the City of Boston's Open Space Plan, Boston is home to at least 175 community gardens.
Community gardens provide a wide range of benefits to areas considered food deserts, the biggest and most obvious being access to nutritious food. Another positive impact of community gardens is the mental health benefits. Human bodies naturally calm down in the presence of the environment, which helps us recover from stress and mental exhaustion. Also, according to an article by Oklahoma State University, community gardens help communities become more resilient by reducing air pollution, improving soil quality, helping with water filtration, reducing waste through composting, and even reducing crime in the area near the gardens. Lastly, food desert areas experience the Urban Heat Island effect more strongly than surrounding areas. Having community gardens with green spaces helps reduce extreme heat during the summer months.
A great example of a food desert benefitting from a community garden is the Squirrel Brand Community Garden. Located in the Port neighborhood of Cambridge, MA, the Squirrel Brand Community Garden is right next to an affordable housing building and off a busy, multi-lane street. I have personally seen many people in the Port take advantage of this space, whether gardening or spending time with loved ones. The Trustees provided a list of 56 community gardens in the Boston area to find a community garden near you. You can also explore your neighborhood and see if you can spot any community gardens.
If you live in an area with limited access to nutritious foods, finding a community garden near you is the first step to an easy way to grow the foods you want to eat. If you can’t find a community garden near you, pushing for its inclusion and educating your community on the benefits of adding the garden are essential steps to a better future.