The impact of community gardening on perceived health and wellbeing in social housing communities

Cohesive, healthy communities are central to wellbeing; yet contemporary research suggests inequalities exist in access to green spaces and their benefits to wellbeing. This study, conducted in partnership with the Royal Botanic Gardens' Community Greening program, systematically surveyed new community gardeners using a mixed methods pre- and post-test design. The research took place at six new garden sites across the Sydney region in 2017-18. The purpose of the research was to better understand the relationship between community gardening and sense of community, health, wellbeing and social participation in low income communities. The research engaged participants in data collection activities, including: (a) the planning and construction of new garden beds; (b) data collection, including the Sense of Community Index, Personal Wellbeing Index, and focus group interviews; and (c) on-going gardening and outdoor educational opportunities provided by Royal Botanic Gardens. This presentation showcases the innovative partnership and key findings from this pioneering study, which is the first of its kind for the Community Greening program. Results include the experiences of new gardeners and their self-reports on the impact of gardening on wellbeing and social engagement. The findings support the benefits of community gardening in social housing communities for personal and community wellbeing.