The Centreville-Wareham-Trinity (C-W-T) community garden is a joint effort of both individuals’ and organizations; coordinated by IBEC to attain the goal of enhancing food security and waste diversion. It is a shared space for the community to work together to grow fruits, vegetables, flowers, native plants etc., and is intended to take advantage of other potential benefits as stated below:
Purpose: Creating a joint effort garden using innovative ideas to enhance food security and waste diversion
Location: Conveniently located next to the C-W-T Town Hall
Why have a Community Garden?
- To provide fresh, healthy, low-cost food
- Encourage physical activity
- To create a social gathering place
- To encourage the sharing of inter-generational knowledge
- To enable participants to learn basic gardening skills
- To provide a welcoming space for participants to build self-confidence, wellness and personal skills
- To help improve the environment and to encourage people to act as local stewards
How does a Community Garden benefit gardeners, families and neighbourhoods?
- A community garden enhances food security and helps in many ways with waste diversion, especially if it incorporates using compost and rain barrels.
- Community gardening fosters a sense of community engagement, and helps relationships flourish between gardeners of all ages and backgrounds.
- Neighborhoods with community gardens have noticed a reduction in vandalism and littering, as well as a reduction in criminal activity.
- Urban community gardens offer children a nature experience, teaching them about the life cycles of plants, the roles of pollinators and beneficial insects, and plant identification. Gardening can be used to learn math, science, art, budgeting, history, nutrition, geography, home economics, and carpentry… almost any subject! Working in a garden also helps children develop a strong sense of connection with the environment and an understanding of the food system.
- Community gardens help create food security and lessen dependence on imported produce, which in turn reduces a community’s ecological footprint. Food which is grown locally is more nutritious, tastier, comes with no packaging, and requires minimal fuel inputs. Most communities in Newfoundland and Labrador rely on imported food; growing our own food helps us move toward independence, and connects us with our cultural heritage.
- Gardening is great exercise! Many communities in Newfoundland and Labrador have strategies to help residents become more physically active, and gardening is a great outdoor activity to help residents meet their fitness goals.
- The therapeutic benefits of gardening are well known, and community gardens offer these benefits to people who may not have gardens of their own.
- Community gardens give users access to fresh produce that may otherwise be too costly. Gardeners can cut grocery costs during the growing season while enjoying produce that is of a higher quality than most supermarket offerings.
Who will manage the Community Garden and how?
- Participators and contributors will be encouraged from different groups and individuals
- A managing committee will be created by the participators and contributors
- Regular meetings will be held to monitor the development of the garden
Who can participate?
Any age or group of people but the ideal participants are:
- Any community organizations, groups, institutions or voluntary organizations or individual(s)
- Children who want to learn and feel the enjoyment of being creative, take challenges and succeed
- Group(s) of individuals who have a strong sense of community and enjoy community promotion
- Sponsors or donators are welcome even without taking part in physical work
- Anyone who loves gardening.
Community Harvest
In conjunction with World Food Day, the community garden harvest event was held on October 15, 2015. Students from grades 1-4 along with senior family members attended the garden where they harvested an assortment of vegetables, a lunch was served followed by harvest educational activities. The first year was a success, however, we hope to have more community participation next year to keep the garden growing.
Indian Bay Ecosystem Corporation (IBEC) 