Katherine Jarecke
Pronouns: She/her
Research Mentor(s): Josh Newell
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Center for Sustainable Systems / SNRE
Program: CG
Session: Session 3 (11:00am – 11:50am)
Authors: Katherine Jarecke, Jason Hawes, Joshua Newell
Abstract
Urban agriculture promotes food sovereignty, increases access to fruits and vegetables, increases community involvement, educates adults and children, and provides green space in areas that lack it. However, the COVID-19 Pandemic greatly affected urban gardens in Detroit, as it did most social activities. To examine the extent of these impacts, we mapped urban gardens in Detroit and interviewed gardeners to assess their perception of the relationship between COVID-19 and urban agriculture. To do this, we first used QGIS to map the urban gardens and Google Street View and Google Earth to find information about who runs the gardens, their year of origin, and their purpose. Then, we called gardeners and interviewed them about their experiences during the pandemic. We find that volunteer participation in urban agriculture decreased during the height of the pandemic, as volunteers were unable to work in the gardens due to social distancing restrictions. However, COVID-19 may have led to an increased appreciation for green spaces, and community gardeners report strong participation since mid-2021. This increased appreciation may lead to a prioritization of green space during city planning in the future. If community gardens continue to thrive post-pandemic, access to fresh food in cities may increase.
