School gardens as sites for community, empowerment, and justice: a participatory action research study

School garden advocates often describe and justify school gardens for the ways that these spaces can improve content knowledge, physical health, and ecological stewardship of K-12 students. Rather than begin with these outcomes in mind, this study explores the meaning of a school garden through Participatory Action Research (PAR) within a low-income neighborhood in a small mid-western U.S. city. Participants included community partners and school staff who led the garden project. Using photovoice, mapping, and interviews, participants shared their perspectives and reflections on the garden. The findings revealed three overarching themes of community, empowerment, and justice, voiced by participants when describing the meaning and hopes they had for the garden. Such themes demonstrated the ways school garden practitioners experienced the depth of possibility in a garden project, far beyond the typical measures and outcomes used to assess school gardens. This research suggests that school garden projects hold meaning and transformative possibilities for schools that are critically important though may often be overlooked. When it comes to sustaining and justifying school garden programs, it is important that districts consider the latent experiences and values that these spaces may bring to students, staff, and communities.