While claims about the environmental benefits of community gardens abound, few researchers have systematically assessed the ecological integrity of gardening practices. This study investigated gardening practices in 50 community gardens in Brisbane and Gold Coast cities, Australia. The study aimed to better understand how gardening practices might affect the ecological viability of community gardens. Factors investigated included: garden bio-physical characteristics, operators’ motivations, gardeners’ socio-demographic backgrounds, garden facilities and types of plants grown. Two broad types of gardens were identified: permaculture (21 gardens) and non-permaculture (29 gardens). Permaculture gardens used lower-impact gardening practices. Findings have policy implications for environmental planning and management.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	food production, urban agriculture, motivations, benefits, sustainability, ecology
Research Division:	Agricultural, Veterinary and Food Sciences
Research Group:	Agriculture, land and farm management
Research Field:	Agriculture, land and farm management not elsewhere classified
Objective Division:	Expanding Knowledge
Objective Group:	Expanding knowledge
Objective Field:	Expanding knowledge in the agricultural, food and veterinary sciences
UTAS Author:	Byrne, JA (Professor Jason Byrne)
ID Code:	125067
Year Published:	2015
Web of Science® Times Cited:	20
Deposited By:	Geography and Spatial Science
Deposited On:	2018-03-26
Last Modified:	2018-04-09
Downloads:	0