Community Gardening in Philadelphia – 2008 Harvest Report

The Organic Gardens at Manatawna Farm in early spring.

Community Gardening in Philadelphia – 2008 Harvest Report

Domenic Vitiello and Michael Nairn
Penn Planning and Urban Studies, University of Pennsylvania
October 2009

Overview

This report summarizes research on the state of community and squatter gardens in Philadelphia, with a focus on the production and distribution of food. The specific aims of this project were to measure the amount of food grown in community gardens and to trace its distribution. The broader goal of this ongoing research is to understand the roles and impacts of community gardens in building food security for households and communities.

It involved three sorts of research, all conducted in the summer of 2008:

1) On-the-ground survey of community and squatter gardens throughout the city of Philadelphia.

2) Weighing of harvest at six gardens in different sections of the city.

3) Interviews with gardeners and garden coordinators on the distribution of harvest, as well as interviews with garden support program staff.

This report is organized in the following sections:

Introduction: Issues and definitions – An introduction to the issues and policy context of this report, including a definition of its scope.

The garden tour – A tour of four different gardens, which introduce broad patterns of gardening and distribution on the ground.

Methodology – A description of the research methodology.

History and geography – An overview of the recent history, current geography, and key characteristics of community gardens in Philadelphia.

Production – Estimates of the quantity and economic value of food grown in community gardens in the city, based on the survey and weighing.

Distribution – A discussion of patterns of distribution and consumption.

Appendix 1 – Profiles of the city’s fourteen largest gardens.

Appendix 2 – Survey and interview forms used in the study.

See the complete report here. Click on the “Philadelphia report” button at the left. The second file listed contains photos; the first is without photos, for faster downloading.