This exploratory comparative mixed method case study provides an empirical contribution to our understanding of the different functions and meaning of community gardens to social-ecological resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the Spring of 2021, I conducted mixed method case studies on informal and formal community gardens in Pomona, California. Qualitative methods included open-ended questions relating to their experiences of community gardening during COVID-19. Quantitative methods included a survey that included demographic questions and questions that assessed loneliness to better understand the social connections embedded in the gardens. A total of 20 community garden participants and managers were interviewed.
Three key findings emerged: 1) garden site characteristics, specifically growing food, may be a key contributor to differences in loneliness scores between formal and informal gardens; 2) the civic ecology practices observed in the community gardens in Pomona suggest that these informal and formal community gardens support sources of social-ecological resilience from the individual to community level; and 3) this study indicates the capacity for community gardens to provide a model for green infrastructure that fosters social-ecological resilience in the city. Considered together, these findings shed light on how the potential needs of some vulnerable groups, such as low-income individuals, could be addressed in the future of public green spaces, designs, and practices.
","abstract_html":"<p>This exploratory comparative mixed method case study provides an empirical contribution to our understanding of the different functions and meaning of community gardens to social-ecological resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the Spring of 2021, I conducted mixed method case studies on informal and formal community gardens in Pomona, California. Qualitative methods included open-ended questions relating to their experiences of community gardening during COVID-19. Quantitative methods included a survey that included demographic questions and questions that assessed loneliness to better understand the social connections embedded in the gardens. A total of 20 community garden participants and managers were interviewed.</p> <p>Three key findings emerged: 1) garden site characteristics, specifically growing food, may be a key contributor to differences in loneliness scores between formal and informal gardens; 2) the civic ecology practices observed in the community gardens in Pomona suggest that these informal and formal community gardens support sources of social-ecological resilience from the individual to community level; and 3) this study indicates the capacity for community gardens to provide a model for green infrastructure that fosters social-ecological resilience in the city. Considered together, these findings shed light on how the potential needs of some vulnerable groups, such as low-income individuals, could be addressed in the future of public green spaces, designs, and practices.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Preciado, Juanita"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Philosophy, PhD","degree_level":"Open Access Dissertation","degree_discipline":"School of Community and Global Health","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["C. Anderson Johnson","Heather Campbell"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2021,"date_issued":"2021-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2021-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:39:50Z","subjects":["community gardens","resilience","social-ecological"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgu_etd/287","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["C. Anderson Johnson","Heather Campbell"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Preciado, Juanita"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2022-02-28T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["School of Community and Global Health"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Open Access Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Philosophy, PhD"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["community gardens","resilience","social-ecological"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgu_etd/287"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This exploratory comparative mixed method case study provides an empirical contribution to our understanding of the different functions and meaning of community gardens to social-ecological resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the Spring of 2021, I conducted mixed method case studies on informal and formal community gardens in Pomona, California. Qualitative methods included open-ended questions relating to their experiences of community gardening during COVID-19. Quantitative methods included a survey that included demographic questions and questions that assessed loneliness to better understand the social connections embedded in the gardens. A total of 20 community garden participants and managers were interviewed.
Three key findings emerged: 1) garden site characteristics, specifically growing food, may be a key contributor to differences in loneliness scores between formal and informal gardens; 2) the civic ecology practices observed in the community gardens in Pomona suggest that these informal and formal community gardens support sources of social-ecological resilience from the individual to community level; and 3) this study indicates the capacity for community gardens to provide a model for green infrastructure that fosters social-ecological resilience in the city. Considered together, these findings shed light on how the potential needs of some vulnerable groups, such as low-income individuals, could be addressed in the future of public green spaces, designs, and practices.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Cultivating Resilience: The Contribution of Community Gardens during COVID-19 in Pomona, California"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["C. Anderson Johnson","Heather Campbell"],"dc:creator":["Preciado, Juanita"],"dc:date.available":["2022-02-28T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["This exploratory comparative mixed method case study provides an empirical contribution to our understanding of the different functions and meaning of community gardens to social-ecological resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the Spring of 2021, I conducted mixed method case studies on informal and formal community gardens in Pomona, California. Qualitative methods included open-ended questions relating to their experiences of community gardening during COVID-19. Quantitative methods included a survey that included demographic questions and questions that assessed loneliness to better understand the social connections embedded in the gardens. A total of 20 community garden participants and managers were interviewed.
Three key findings emerged: 1) garden site characteristics, specifically growing food, may be a key contributor to differences in loneliness scores between formal and informal gardens; 2) the civic ecology practices observed in the community gardens in Pomona suggest that these informal and formal community gardens support sources of social-ecological resilience from the individual to community level; and 3) this study indicates the capacity for community gardens to provide a model for green infrastructure that fosters social-ecological resilience in the city. Considered together, these findings shed light on how the potential needs of some vulnerable groups, such as low-income individuals, could be addressed in the future of public green spaces, designs, and practices.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgu_etd/287"],"dc:subject":["community gardens","resilience","social-ecological"],"dc:title":["Cultivating Resilience: The Contribution of Community Gardens during COVID-19 in Pomona, California"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["School of Community and Global Health"],"thesis:degree_level":["Open Access Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["Philosophy, PhD"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:39:50Z"}