When you think of the concept behind “community” or “urban” gardens, a few words/concepts come to mind. “Community-driven”, “efficient”, “cramped”, and “sustainable” to name a few. Because of the COVID-19 outbreak, however, some of the best aspects of community gardens (traits that make them unique compared to other farming operations) are the reasons why they are failing.

Urban farms and gardens all over the country are feeling the burden that the COVID-19 virus has on the community. Farms such as the Red Hook and Brooklyn Grange farms in New York are facing huge obstacles related to the virus. Because of the compact nature of urban farms (trying to make the most of a small area of land), farms have to limit the amount of people working at a time to 1 or 2, in hopes of keeping everyone virus-free.

Additionally, the yield might not be as abundant as previous years, because of the outbreak. Less workers on the farms means less crops to distribute amongst the community. This means that impoverished families who normally depend on urban farms as a food source are in dire need of a replacement. To combat this, the farms are shifting their focus to mainly calorie-dense crops and utilizing less of the “high-labor crops”. Efficient use of an already-efficient urban farm system is what will (hopefully) keep communities dependent on urban agriculture afloat.

Danny Woo Community Gardens, Seattle WA. A more local example of a community farm likely affected by COVID-19.

This epidemic has really shone a light on two aspects of society. Firstly, it has highlighted how food is viewed to certain members of society. I know, personally, when I visited the Danny Woo Community Garden in Seattle, I learned about how integrated the garden was in the community. People depend on the garden for sustenance and community-building. I can only hope, through all of this, Danny Woo is going to pull through. Finally, the COVID-19 outbreak has demonstrated how essential farmers are in our world. Their contributions are finally being recognized because of this, the growers of our nation need to be upheld and appreciated.

Image: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Woo_International_District_Community_Garden

Article: https://thefern.org/ag_insider/virus-is-changing-how-urban-farms-operate-and-even-what-they-grow/