S09 - Session O5 - UF/IFAS Extension St. Johns County, Florida, Community garden supports healthy living

Authors: Terra Freeman *

Background: UF/IFAS Extension St. Johns County has a 2-acre community garden plot that is accessible to county residents for a modest fee, which includes a 20' x 20' or 20' x 30' plot of land and irrigation source. Plot holders contribute to a quarterly newsletter to share research and experiential based gardening information with each other as well as other community gardeners in the county. Objective: Objective of our community garden program is to provide a gardening environment where plot holders quality of life is enhanced physically, financially, and socially, as well as provide opportunities for participants to improve their gardening knowledge and skillset. Specifically, 50% of community garden plot holders will report increased health and wellness, as well as improved gardening skills, as a result of participating in our community garden program. Material and methods: Annual surveys have been distributed for the past 5 years to collect data from participants on the benefits they experience as a result of participating in our community garden program. Main results: From 2017 to 2021, community garden participants reported improved health and wellness as a result of participating in the program: 88% (n=42) reported monetary savings; 91% (n=43) experienced increased access to fresh, healthy foods; 80% (n=44) improved health or nutrition; 93% (n=43) increased physical activity; 88% (n=43) increased emotional well-being due to social contact with other gardeners; and 100% (n=43) reported increase in gardening skills or knowledge from reading the newsletter, learning from the demonstration plot, communication with other gardeners, and/or education provided by extension office. Perspective: Data collected from 5 years of annual surveys demonstrates direct monetary, health, and social benefits, as well as increased skillset gained by participants in our community garden program.