Home Food Gardening in Canada in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Lisa Mullins, Sylvain Charlebois, Erica Finch and Janet Music
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Lisa Mullins: Faculty of Management, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada
Sylvain Charlebois: Faculty of Agriculture, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada
Erica Finch: Faculty of Management, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada
Janet Music: Faculty of Agriculture, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 6, 1-12

Abstract: The lack of academic attention that home food gardening has received in Canada and the United States is surprising, given the many demonstrated benefits of community gardening programs, including increased community cohesion and resilience. The aim of the exploratory study is to explore the current surge in home food gardening and its relationship to the COVID-19 pandemic. A national survey was conducted, consisting of 43 main questions, asking respondents about their home life and food provisioning during COVID-19, the physical characteristics of their food gardens, and their attitudes and beliefs concerning home food production. Survey results show that 51% of respondents grow at least one type of fruit or vegetable in a home garden. Of those, 17.4% started growing food at home in 2020 during COVID-19 pandemic. To gain more insight into just how significant a cause the pandemic lockdown was on home food gardening, follow-up surveys and policy recommendations are suggested.

Keywords: home gardening; home food production; COVID-19; fruits and vegetables; Canada (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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