After observing a lack of access to nutritious, affordable food, I pondered what do communities do beyond food gathering strategies? What happens if a community doesn’t have the option to bargain or can’t access food programs? In New Orleans, community gardening has emerged as a social and political response to disasters and social issues (Kato, Passidomo, and Harvey). After Katrina, small-scale gardens in backyards or community gardens emerged because the storm produced vacant areas and there were food shortages that weren’t being immediately solved (Kato et al). Also, the hurricane was followed by a social and political shift that reintroduced the problem of food insecurity and pushed political organizing (Kato et al 1835). Gardening can give a community a chance to establish “political control” over a social space and strengthen the bond of the community by sharing and contributing to the physical space (Kato et al 1834). Produce may be available in stores and local markets, but the prices may not be affordable or in a convenient space. A community establishing a garden for plants or produce in a shared space shows that there is a “physical or geographic” barrier to food, and shows a possible solution to that barrier (George and Tomer). Gardening is an “inherently political” act because it engages with larger political and social issues in “subversive” ways (Kato et al 1845). Furthermore, it’s more than a beautiful sight, it is an act of resistance that physically shows the community’s ability to support itself and challenges political governance. When they’re built and shared within the community, gardens have the power to unite people and bring attention to intersecting issues. 

Although I didn’t observe any community gardens within walking distance of my hotel, I did learn of one beyond Canal Street. In the Tremé neighborhood on Dumaine Street is Ms.Gloria’s Garden. It was built by her and her friends in her community, and she grows nutritious and healing plants. She’s worked hard to create a welcoming, open space for her community to visit and contribute to. While visiting Ms.Gloria’s garden, friends from her community came and they were content to see visitors enjoying the space they created. Even though it was a new place, I felt a connection to the community and garden, and it inspired me to look into creating one in my community at home. It’s important that the labor that Ms.Gloria and her community contributed to the garden is recognized because it shows how food assistance from the government isn’t enough to decrease food insecurity and increases access to nutritious foods. Labeling neighborhoods as food insecure and not addressing their efforts to solve the insecurity is counterproductive because it can characterize the neighborhood as comfortable with food insecurity. It’s important to map where food deserts are and what spaces are food insecure, but it’s equally important to map community gardens and food banks. This method would show that the community is engaging with a social issue through a physical space and can empower other communities to “share their local knowledge” in gardening (George and Tomer). In addition to this, “modernizing” food assistance programs, like SNAP, would benefit communities so food from gardens isn’t a sole option (George and Tomer). Food programs should be upgraded and adapted to fit a household’s needs based on their size, income, and the cost of living of the area they’re in (George and Tomer). Addressing food insecurity by having policies that reflect community needs and acknowledging their efforts raises the potential for improvements in food programs and directly supports the community.

Works Cited: 

George, Caroline, and Adie Tomer. “Beyond ‘Food Deserts’: America Needs a New Approach to Mapping Food Insecurity.” Brookings Metro: Washington, DC, USA (2021). 

Kato, Yuki, Catarina Passidomo, and Daina Harvey. “Political gardening in a post-disaster city: lessons from New Orleans.” Urban Studies 51.9 (2014): 1833-1849.