Welcome to our dynamic community outreach project created by a collaboration of students from the Faculty of Land and Food Systems at the University of British Columbia.
As students concerned with issues surrounding community access to affordable, healthy and culturally-appropriate food, we aim to explore and survey community garden access in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES) and Strathcona.
Our goal is to provide a deeper understanding of the role community gardens have in providing food for the residents of the DTES and Strathcona.
Why Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside and Strathcona?
We feel passionate about exploring accessibilty to local food assets, such as community gardens. We aim to discover if accessibility to community gardens varies among different neighbourhoods, and if so what are the reasons for that. We strive to engage people participating in the community gardens and allow them to share their motivations, experiences, and stories. DTES and Stratchona are two adjacent neighbourhoods we feel will be a good comparison to determine if there are any differences or similarities amongst community garden users from different areas.
Why community gardens?
Community gardens are a huge asset to the community. The existing gardens in the DTES and Strathcona have potential to improve food security while fostering a sense of community in local neighbourhoods.