Beth, Mary. "It takes a garden: Cultivating Citizen-subjects in organized garden projects." Geoforum 2008.39 (2006): 1228-1240. Print.
Summary
There have been increases on institutional based activities in the neoliberal state, as well as increased consequences of neo-liberalism since 1980s. Schools, hospitals, jails, hospitals, as well as clinical settings have the populations at most risk. This article hides its meaning over the connotative term known as community garden, and it acts as a link between the history of garden projects with advances concerning the supposedly transformative power of gardening practice for individual change, as well as social transformation. The article evaluates two organized projects in San Francisco Bay area as an assessment for the typically unambiguous representation of the garden organizers, the elements of subjectivity that gardening practice should produce , the significance of similar option subjectivity and the difference such options may cause to an individual, as well as the wider political, social, and economic locale.
The article would have been more significant if the details on development of neo-liberalism were developed in a specific year. In definition of a theory specific period is extremely significant. Gardening as a social event could have been extremely influential or fundamental if it was analyzed in a group context and not through analysis of individual set of conduct. Gardening projects being a widely practiced activity in the country, research could have been conducted on different areas and not San Francisco Bay area only.
Opinion
Community gardening is an extremely fundamental social activity. An activity is a representative of social cohesiveness among members of the community who practice it. Like other activities that take place in hospitals, schools, and nursing homes, community gardening succeeds in defining the economic, political, and social position of a community. Other events such as community gardening should be embraced to extend development in a given region.
Flachs, Andrew . "Food for Thought: The Social Impact of Community Gardens in the Greater Cleveland Area." Electronic Green Journal 30.1 (2010): 1-9. Print.
Summary
Although, there are massive benefits on healthy eating and green space development outlined in books, there are extremely low studies that have been defined on the social differences of urban and community gardens. This article aims at exploring the social and cultural consequences of urban gardening in the Cleveland region. In this case, gardening has been shown to contain extensive motivating factors that include environmental, social, political, economic, and nutritional. In the analysis of the influence that gardening has on community building, food security, and identity some authors argue that gardeners are preoccupied with the economic influence of their activities. This makes readers believe that poor people view gardening on the basis of its monetary value. As a result, more affluent gardeners have the responsibility to ignore the economic impact and focus on extension of the environmentalist agenda.
The model of research on this article does not emphasize on the few documents that have been developed on the social influence of urban and community gardens. Also, there is no wide study or research on urban gardening as the paper mainly focuses on Cleveland area. Gardening would have a wider and specific value to the society and not generally social, economic, political and nutritional. There is need to be specific on the impact that it may have to the society as well as to an individual.
Response
Urban and community gardens are extremely fundamental social practices. Gardening is an element that would have extremely wide influence to a given community. Individuals need it to transform lives. On the other hand, societies need it to transform overall livelihoods of people. Excellence in the field is measured based on the ideas that gardening would introduce to an economy for development.
Thomas, Bassett. "Reaping on the Margins: A Century of Community Gardening in America." Landscape: A Magazine of Human Geography 25.2 (1981): 1-8. Print.
Summary
In the United States, community gardening was influenced by the existence of garden plots that were laid along railroad like minuscule homes along railroad in the urban centers and the growing center of cities. These gardens that were well-tended and extensively cultivated are referred to as allotments or small gardens. These lands were not extremely big as they were roughly a quarter-acre. They were rented for commercial agricultural activities such as vegetables and flowers growing. These gardens have been extremely useful in relieving rural and urban poverty. Despite all these elements, the practice has been surrounded with the cultural landscape of Western Europe. European gardeners developed movements, which acted as activators of gardening programs in the United States. They were sources of influence in gardening practices in the United States.
Although, the paper cites that Americans were travelling to Europe and they got attracted by the sight of garden plots, the article is not clear on the activities that had initially attracted Americans to Europe. The paper is not clear on the people who were mainly concerned with gardening in the country. It is not possible to identify with the community being analyzed in the article since there lacks extensive measure of the activities that they carried out in the region.
Response
Europe was major source of influence for America in community gardening. They pose extensive merits to American gardeners who used the trick to develop their lands as well as improve themselves in terms of the activities that they engaged in while in the farm. Although, they learnt a bit of agricultural practices from Europe, they managed to employ extensive principles that made them relevant in cultivating different kinds of crops.
Works Cited
Beth, Mary. "It takes a garden: Cultivating Citizen-subjects in organized garden projects." Geoforum 2008.39 (2006): 1228-1240. Print.
Flachs, Andrew . "Food for Thought: The Social Impact of Community Gardens in the Greater Cleveland Area." Electronic Green Journal 30.1 (2010): 1-9. Print.
Thomas, Bassett. "Reaping on the Margins: A Century of Community Gardening in America." Landscape: A Magazine of Human Geography 25.2 (1981): 1-8. Print.
