Cultivating community : perceptions of community garden and reasons for participating in a rural Victorian town

Community gardens can offer a range of psychosocial benefits to individuals who utilize them including nutritional, social, psychological benefits, as well as the opportunity to become connected to nature. However, we know little about how community gardens are perceived and reasons that make people participate in community gardens in rural Australian towns. This paper addresses these issues among a group of older persons who reside in a rural Australian town. In-depth interviews were conducted with 10 older persons. Findings highlighted the benefits associated with participation in a rural community garden including forming social support networks in order to cultivate social capital. Community gardens created social connectedness among the participants, which could lead to better overall health and well-being. The main reason for their initial involvement with the community garden was that they were new to the area. Joining the group to develop support networks within the local area would allow them to cultivate social capital in their new living environment. Our findings can inform government policies regarding localized food sustainability programs, which is important given the increasing popularity of such programs Australia-wide and elsewhere.