Change the Game, Not the Rules: The Role of Community Gardens in Disaster Resilience
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18666/JPRA-2019-9721Keywords:
Community gardens, social networks, cultural identity, disaster resilience, recreationAbstract
This study illustrates how the creation of community gardens in four distinct communities in Puerto Rico led to a wide variety of socially just benefits (e.g., recreation, food production) for those involved. Ethnographic research was conducted in Puerto Rico from 2016–2019 on the role of community gardens before and after Hurricane Maria. The authors conclude that while the gardens may have been established for one purpose, that purpose evolved to meet the multiple needs and desires of the participants over time. The main reason for the creation of these gardens was the desire to grow vegetables in a manner that emulated the practices of Taíno and Jíbaro ancestors. Replicating a sustainable and environmentally friendly way of farming was not only a statement about wanting to live in harmony with the land, but also a political statement about the status of Puerto Rico in relationship to the United States. People learned about agroecology farming practices while creating spaces for leisure and social activities. Over time other forms of environmental and cultural education were included. Gardening together, people engaged in environmentally and socially just causes such as creating renewable energy, strengthening intergenerational social bonds, and engaging in environmental and social activism. In the end, these actions strengthened relationships that undoubtedly contributed to the ability of these communities to withstand the onslaught of a major disaster, Hurricane Maria. As the results of this study suggest, the bonds formed in these recreation-based spaces prior to the storm resulted in the creation of knowledge, labor, and an infrastructure that helped these communities navigate the effects of Hurricane Maria. Implications for recreation practitioners are discussed in the context of social justice and the role of recreation in building sustainable infrastructure to respond to disasters.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Sagamore Publishing LLC (hereinafter the “Copyright Owner”)
Journal Publishing Copyright Agreement for Authors
PLEASE REVIEW OUR POLICIES AND THE PUBLISHING AGREEMENT, AND INDICATE YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THE TERMS BY CHECKING THE ‘AGREE TO THE TERMS OF THIS COPYRIGHT NOTICE’ CHECKBOX BELOW.
I understand that by submitting an article to Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, I am granting the copyright to the article submitted for consideration for publication in Journal of Park and Recreation Administration to the Copyright Owner. If after consideration of the Editor of the Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, the article is not accepted for publication, all copyright covered under this agreement will be automatically returned to the Author(s).
THE PUBLISHING AGREEMENT
Assignment of Copyright
I hereby assign to the Copyright Owner the copyright in the manuscript I am submitting in this online procedure and any tables, illustrations or other material submitted for publication as part of the manuscript in all forms and media (whether now known or later developed), throughout the world, in all languages, for the full term of copyright, effective when the article is accepted for publication.
Reversion of Rights
Articles may sometimes be accepted for publication but later be rejected in the publication process, even in some cases after public posting in “Articles in Press” form, in which case all rights will revert to the Author.
Retention of Rights for Scholarly Purposes
I understand that I retain or am hereby granted the Retained Rights. The Retained Rights include the right to use the Preprint, Accepted Manuscript, and the Published Journal Article for Personal Use and Internal Institutional Use.
All journal material is under a 12 month embargo. Authors who would like to have their articles available as open access should contact gbates@sagamorepub.com for further information.
In the case of the Accepted Manuscript and the Published Journal Article, the Retained Rights exclude Commercial Use, other than use by the author in a subsequent compilation of the author’s works or to extend the Article to book length form or re-use by the author of portions or excerpts in other works.
Published Journal Article: the author may share a link to the formal publication through the relevant DOI.
Author Representations
- The Article I have submitted to the journal for review is original, has been written by the stated author(s) and has not been published elsewhere.
- The Article was not submitted for review to another journal while under review by this journal and will not be submitted to any other journal.
- The Article contains no libelous or other unlawful statements and does not contain any materials that violate any personal or proprietary rights of any other person or entity.
- I have obtained written permission from copyright owners for any excerpts from copyrighted works that are included and have credited the sources in the Article.
- If the Article was prepared jointly with other authors, I have informed the co-author(s) of the terms of this Journal Publishing Agreement and that I am signing on their behalf as their agent, and I am authorized to do so.