Edible Backyards: Residential land use for food production in Toronto

By Robin Kortright, Master of Arts 2007, Department of Geography, University of Toronto (139 pages)

“Of the 125 people who were originally contacted, just over half (54%) grew food, meaning vegetables, fruit, nuts, or herbs. Of the people who grew food, almost three quarters grew herbs, nearly two thirds grew vegetables, and just over a quarter grew fruit. Almost everyone grew food only in their backyards, with just three people growing food in their front yard and two in a community garden.

“65 percent of Toronto households have a lawn or garden. Owning your home, gardening skills, and a sunny garden are important parts of being able to grow food in a back garden. There is far more land in home gardens than will likely be available for community gardens in the near future. Home food gardens are an important part of urban food systems. They would benefit from more support, such as information about and access to compost, mulch, rain gauges and soil testing resources.”

Edible Backyards:
Residential land use for food production in Toronto
Summary – November 2007

Introduction

What we eat, where we get our food and who we share it with are questions that people build their lives around. Food can be good for our bodies, but it also means more than that. Special foods are part of our culture, and eating together can bring people closer to each other.

Food security is therefore a basic element of community health. Food security means that everyone can get the foods they need, like, and want in ways that don’t shame or embarrass them. Food security means that people are able to eat nutritious, safe and culturally appropriate foods that are grown in an environmentally friendly way.

We know that community gardens are an important support for community food security because they allow people to access many different kinds of affordable and healthy fresh foods. There are a lot of home gardens in Toronto that are used the same way, but we know very little about them. This study was designed to learn more about home food gardens, the gardeners that take care of them, and what they add to community food security in Toronto.

The Study

The research for this study was done in two Toronto neighbourhoods, Weston-Mt. Dennis and North Riverdale. About 60 households in each neighbourhood were randomly chosen and asked a few questions about what they grow in their gardens. People who grew vegetables or fruit in their home gardens were asked to participate in interviews, which included mapping their gardens, in-depth interviews, and a pilot survey.

What We Found

Of the 125 people who were originally contacted, just over half (54%) grew food, meaning vegetables, fruit, nuts, or herbs. Of the people who grew food, almost three quarters grew herbs, nearly two thirds grew vegetables, and just over a quarter grew fruit. Almost everyone grew food only in their backyards, with just three people growing food in their front yard and two in a community garden.

Of the people who grew food, 23 participated in interviews. Some grew quite a bit of food and others only a little. Almost all did not grow food for financial reasons. They had a number of different reasons to grow food, which shaped their gardens and the role the gardens played in their lives.

The gardens could be divided into five basic types:

1. Cook’s gardens: This was the most common type of garden, grown to be able to eat a variety of pesticide-free, flavourful vegetables, fruits and herbs fresh from the garden.

2. Teaching gardens: These were small gardens with many different food plants, grown by parents so their children could learn where food comes from and to respect the natural world. They also wanted them to enjoy growing and eating fresh foods like peas, carrots and herbs.

3. Environmental gardens: These gardeners grew food to be environmentally friendly. Eating local, using organic methods and conserving water was important to them. These gardens were fairly large so the gardeners could supply as much of their own food as possible.

4. Hobby gardens: For these gardeners, growing food plants was a hobby. Caring for the plants and watching them grow to harvest gave the gardeners pleasure and satisfaction.

5. Aesthetic gardens: These gardens included only a small amount of food, grown as much or more for the beauty of the food plants as for the food itself.

Each type of garden was different, but in a number of ways all of them had an impact on food security. The gardens improved the gardeners’ access to healthy food and their diets. Growing food at home made eating fruits and vegetables convenient and delicious. The gardeners looked forward to food from the garden, and so they ate more fresh foods than they might have otherwise (especially tender vegetables like tomatoes and greens). Taking care of their garden every day also made the gardeners more aware of the seasons and more likely to look for fresh foods from the store as well as the garden. Also, growing food at home allowed the gardeners to control how their food was grown. Most of the gardeners tried to garden in an environmentally-friendly way, and none used pesticides on the food they grew.

Family and sharing of food was also part of the reason the gardeners interviewed grew food, though it was less important than other studies have found. All of the gardeners interviewed had a family history of gardening. Many grew foods in their gardens that had meaning for them in terms of their personal and community history. Still, most of the foods that they grew were easy to buy in stores. Access to culturally important foods was not the main reason that any of these gardeners grew food. Many of the gardeners shared small amounts of food with friends and family, but this was also not an important reason to grow food for most. Still, almost all the gardeners strongly disliked wasting food, and would go out of their way to be sure everything was used even if there was only a little left over. Few of the gardeners interviewed shared food through organizations or programs. Most didn’t know that it was possible and the ones who did weren’t sure how to do it. Several people said that they would think about growing more food if they could share it.

Beyond community food security, the gardeners talked about the difference that caring for food plants had on their health and well being. Being outside, breathing fresh air, and being active were important benefits of gardening for them. They also felt a strong satisfaction in harvesting what they grew. Most importantly, the gardeners saw their gardens as a relaxing place where they could let go of stress from their daily lives.

Conclusion

65 percent of Toronto households have a lawn or garden. Owning your home, gardening skills, and a sunny garden are important parts of being able to grow food in a back garden. There is far more land in home gardens than will likely be available for community gardens in the near future. Home food gardens are an important part of urban food systems. They would benefit from more support, such as information about and access to compost, mulch, rain gauges and soil testing resources. However, community gardens are also important. There is a need for more community garden space and learning opportunities for all gardeners to increase the environmental sustainability and accessibility of food gardening in the city.

Residential food gardening has the potential to change both what we see and how we act in our relationship with food and our environment. Food gardening is immediate and personal, forcing us to deal not only with what and how much we eat but also where it comes from and what it means to us. Home food growing supports urban food security not only in terms of nutrition and access but also sustainability, health and well-being. It is hoped that this study will benefit both academic research and community development by providing a better understanding of the relationship between urban home food growing and food security.

Robin Kortright, Master of Arts 2007, Department of Geography, University of Toronto
Email: robin.kortright@utoronto.ca