World Economic Forum reports: Community gardens boost well-being and biodiversity
“It’s estimated that by 2030, about 60% of the world’s population will live in cities,” Jha says. “And urban farms and gardens currently provide about 15%-20% of our food supply
Feb 13
Excerpt:
This article is part of: Centre for Nature and Climate
A study shows how community gardens are increasing the well-being of gardeners, and how they support high levels of plant and animal biodiversity.
Urban community gardens and urban farms can benefit biodiversity as they tend to grow more types of plants in smaller areas.
The study also finds that the choices gardeners make can have a large impact on local ecosystems – for instance, planting trees outside crop beds could increase carbon sequestration without limiting pollinators.
The study also found that the choices that gardeners make can have a large impact on their local ecosystem. For instance, planting trees outside crop beds could increase carbon sequestration without limiting pollinators or decreasing food production from too much shade. And mulching only within crop beds could help improve soil carbon services, while avoiding negative effects on pest control and pollinators.
The US Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, the National Science Foundation, and grants from the University of California funded the work.
