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2011 Autumn | Agriculture and Food Systems, Arts & Humanities, Education & Outreach

The Holistic Implications of Gardening: Preservation and Continuity of Immigrant Identity

Student(s):

Katie Kurfurst

Program or Department(s):

  • Program on the Environment
  • University of Washington

Site supervisor(s):

Julie Bryan

Partner(s):

  • Seattle Department of Neighborhoods P-Patch Community Gardening Program

Faculty advisor(s):

Devon Peña, Department of Anthropology and Chicano Studies, University of Washington

During the summer of 2011, the P-Patch Program obtained the ability to accept food stamp cards in addition to food bank vouchers and Seattle Housing Authority (S.H.A.) coupons. This enabled low-income community members to buy fresh produce from market gardens in two
S.H.A neighborhoods. I conducted my own research on the benefits of gardening and the use of traditional agro-ecological knowledge employed by the gardeners – who were all immigrants to the U.S – through semi-structured interviews and a literature review. I concluded that gardening is a means of preserving cultural identity while promoting physical, emotional, and psychological wellbeing.