Residents are growing fresh vegetables, fruits and herbs in a cooperative effort at the Annie Fisher Community Garden, locally known as the Tara garden. The project was delayed for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since July, students, faculty and families have been working with their communities to re-start the project.
Mizzou Botanic Garden broke ground on the project in 2017 in what was the beginning of the Henry Kirklin Community Garden, locally known as the University Village garden. The plot is located at the site of the former University Village on campus. Since then, the garden has doubled in size and the number of gardeners planting in the space.
According to an interview with Inside Mizzou in 2019, project manager Daniel Yuhasz said the purpose of the project is to “acknowledge the inequalities inherent in our food system.”
“We need to address that,” Yuhasz said. “One aspect of that is we have an undergraduate course in rural sociology that looks at the social issues of agriculture. A second aspect is we try to host special events, guest speakers and whatnot. And the third part is the establishment of community gardens.”
There’s many inequalities in our food system, according to Yuhasz.
“We can trace them back to the folks who grow our food, the lands on which our foods are grown, and the people who work in our restaurants and grocery stories,” Yuhasz said. “Everywhere you turn, the fairness of the food system can be questioned.”
“I think the opportunity for students to collaborate in something positive is important,” apartment coordinator Shana Ziolko said. “This gives them opportunity to meet people, do something positive and interact with one another. Some students are finding it very therapeutic.”
“Over time, you see all the process,” Tara resident Nirmal Khadka said. “It makes you feel happy. You planted one seed, and it slowly becomes a seedling and then it grows and blooms. That’s the process which you enjoy.”
Khadka grows brown-leaf mustard and coriander at the new garden. He plans to grow other herbs and flowers in the next growing season. He has gardened at the University Village garden since he arrived on campus last August.
“I have met a lot of people at the University Village garden,” Khadka said. “Being an international student, we get a chance to interact with people and other international students. It’s a nice opportunity to talk with each other and learn about them and share my experience or background.”
Project manager Daniel Yuhasz worked with the Office of Residential Life to determine the location of the garden and how it would look. Then, Yuhasz and Mizzou Botanic Garden placed the silver plant beds, soil and mulch.
“I’m pleased with the way it’s turned out there,” Yuhasz said. “It looks nice for phase one. Obviously, we want something much larger, but we’ll work this out soon.”
Gardeners who use the Tara and University Village community gardens can learn about food production and how to grow fresh, healthy fruits and vegetables.
The project is funded by the Student Fee Capital Improvement Committee. The grant, named the Student Fee Capital Improvement fund, directs funds toward projects that benefit MU students.
The SFCIC is a standing committee tasked with advising the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs on the allocation of funds generated by the capital improvements portion of the student fee. According to the SFCIC website, full-time undergraduate students in the fall semester of 2020 paid $3.77 per semester toward the fund.
“We generally get a few thousand dollars,” Yuhasz said. “Anywhere from $5,000 to $9,000 to support our effort. We generally must buy hardware like the tanks and tools. Plants, seeds and soils are part of the funding.”
There are eight households planting at the Tara garden and 16 at the University Village garden.
Katherine Wolf, a social science researcher at the University of Washington College of the Environment, said shared gardens have an impact on community cohesion, academic success and physical and mental well-being.
“Social capital is that capacity of a community to, as individuals, connect and build relationships,” Wolf said. “Community gardens, where people are coming together for food and they’re nurturing a growing system and caring for their communities — it can be one of the foundations of social capital.”
As social capital emerges, a reserve of talent, knowledge, energy and economic resources can be “applied to a challenge, a need or enhancement in one’s community,” Wolf said.
According to Yuhasz, contributing to a hand-built garden is laborious work as gardeners haul large rocks, mulch and large piles of wood chips. Navigating and having access to the outdoor space as well as participating in the physical labor of gardening has physical health benefits.
“One of the greatest challenges as we age is mobility,” Wolf said. “It can be outdoor yoga. What I’ve seen in the community gardens is a dedication to access. Access for people who may not be of full physical capacity but fully capable of gardening, interacting and contributing to their community.”
Gardening can also have academic benefits, according to Wolf. Students who maintain focus on preparing a report or deeply studying for an exam experience cognitive fatigue.
“Our connection with nature, however, requires attention without effort and can restore our cognitive abilities,” Wolf said. “From the wind in the trees to the texture of foliage, even glancing out the window can restore our attention and abilities.”
What happens if you don’t take time to recharge?
“There are studies suggesting increased depression when you experience that frustration and fatigue,” Wolf said. “Also, less impulse control. You’re not as likely to make the best decisions when you’re in that state of mind.”
Gardeners who become effective at their planting sometimes have extra produce. Some gardeners, like Khadka, share their organic produce with their friends. Others donate to food banks or give it out for free.
Community gardening can give gardeners the opportunity to connect with those around them, share a common project and recharge from their daily routines. For many, gardening is a lifestyle.
“This isn’t just a space allocation effort,” Yuhasz said. “This is a movement. This is a collective activity that I want everyone who feels they can contribute, to contribute.”
Edited by Emma Flannery | eflannery@themaneater.com
Copy Editor – Emily Rutledge | erutledge@themaneater.com