Cultivating Resilience: The Contribution of Community Gardens during COVID-19 in Pomona, California

<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>

Name thesis:degree_name

Philosophy, PhD

Level thesis:degree_level

Open Access Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

School of Community and Global Health

Year dc:date.available

2021

Author dc:creator

• Preciado, Juanita

Contributors dc:contributor

• C. Anderson Johnson
• Heather Campbell

• community gardens
• resilience
• social-ecological

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgu_etd/287

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarship.claremont.edu:cgu_etd-1289