Graduation Year

2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree

M.A.

Degree Name

Master of Arts (M.A.)

Degree Granting Department

Anthropology

Major Professor

David Himmelgreen, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Nancy Romero-Daza, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Tara Deubel, Ph.D.

Keywords

food systems, food security, food sovereignty, urban agriculture

Abstract

This project was an evaluation on community gardens in Hillsborough County, Florida from May 2024 to November 2024, built off of Homegrown Hillsborough’s first year evaluation of the current Hillsborough County food system. Homegrown Hillsborough is a network of community members with a mission to grow a strong food system in Hillsborough County by assisting in all areas of the food system from food production to food waste. Homegrown Hillsborough plans to act as a development initiative focused on community nutrition. Over the next two years, Homegrown Hillsborough plans to focus on food production, food access, and economic development. Through participant observation, surveys of garden participants, and interviews with garden leaders, this project looked to understand the role that community gardens play in food systems in Hillsborough County and how community gardens may be implemented in the Homegrown Hillsborough program. Overall, this project found that community gardens’ functions go beyond food production, and serve as places of community building and neighborhood revitalization, with impacts in the food security domains of utilization and access. The results of this project show that community gardens boost the access of fresh produce to the community garden participants. Through formal programs such as cooking classes and informal methods, such as conversations with other gardeners, community gardens bolster participants ability to utilize fresh produce.

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