Using Citizen Science to Quantify Community Garden Crop Yields

Abstract

New York City is home to over 500 community gardens, over 80% of which host food production (GrowNYC 2010). This paper is a case study of Farming Concrete, an open, community-based study aimed to define community gardens in the context of the New York City food system and to educate local communities about developing and conducting meaningful research. The project employs citizen science methods in which the gardeners and researchers alike are involved in the design and implementation processes. This paper will outline the methods and challenges involved in conducting participatory urban agriculture research, as well as discuss findings regarding how much food was grown in NYC community gardens in 2010 and 2011.