Behind the community health services office, next to a park, lays a community garden that has become quite important to the citizens of Medicine Hat, Alberta. They have affectionately named it the Community Friendship Garden.

Situated in south-eastern Alberta, Medicine Hat has a population of about 56,000 people.  It is within Medicine Hat that the formation of a community garden has created a sense of ownership and pride among those involved.

It all began as a result of discussions around the creation of a shared garden and the benefits it would have for the community of Medicine Hat. Preliminary planning involved Palliser Regional Health Authority, Parent Link, City of Medicine Hat, and other agencies, as well as many local citizens who volunteered their time to shape ideas into action. Some start-up funding for the community garden project was provided by Keep Your Body in Check (KYBIC), a program of the Canadian Diabetes Association, funded by Alberta Health and Wellness. KYBIC’s project ended in March 2006, at which point, the Community Coordinator working for the Healthy Alberta Communities (HAC) project were in a position to carry forward some work that was underway. 

HAC is a project of the Centre for Health Promotion Studies in the School of Public Health at the University of Alberta. It is a community-driven project aimed at promoting health and reducing chronic disease. The project is operating in three Alberta communities including Norwood/North Central Edmonton, St. Paul/Bonnyville, and the Medicine Hat area. HAC is focused on developing, supporting and providing programs that are meaningful to the community and enable community members to make healthy choices. The Medicine Hat Community Friendship Garden is a prime example of this type of initiative.

In Medicine Hat, Molly Hanson-Nagel, HAC Community Coordinator, has been working hard with many local networks that include multiple organizations and agencies, with the aim of building community capacity. In the early days of the Community Friendship Garden, Molly worked with KYBIC to understand how they had been operating and who their key contacts were. She was then able to build on a foundation that had been developed throughout the life of KYBIC in the Medicine Hat community.

The Community Friendship Garden is an example of an initiative that HAC has been able to support and build upon.  The initial funding was used to purchase a garden shed and some tools, but there have also been several in-kind donations, including a composter, the use of a tractor, as well as land and water that is being provided by the Palliser Regional Health Authority. These in-kind donations have been steadily received since the onset of the project, with local community members showing their interest and generosity throughout the existence of the garden.

This additional support has allowed the project to develop to the point that it is sustainable. The Palliser Regional Health Authority has offered to hire a paid coordinator to oversee the project, but the volunteers involved want to maintain the close connection they have with the garden and the social networks that have ensued.

The garden has been so popular among residents that, at the announcement of the garden and invitation to reserve space, there were not enough plots available to meet the demand. The resulting waiting list attracted local media attention. Individual home owners then stepped up to the plate, offering green space on their own lawns as extra plots of land for those who were put on the waiting list. The high level of interest and involvement by community members has helped to develop community pride and ownership over the initiative.

Those involved in the community garden now meet once a month for a potluck and to discuss the garden and new ideas. They also organized a garden party at the end of harvest, where the mayor, the media, and the Chief Executive Officer of Palliser Regional Health Authority attended, along with partners and supporters. This party served to celebrate this initiative and show that it has become an integral part of the lives of the gardeners, and how it has touched those of us who have heard the story.

HAC stays involved in the garden project through ongoing planning and responding to local citizens’ inquiries. “We maintain that it is essential that the project not be overtaken by us,” says Hanson-Nagel. “We need to continue to work in a participatory way with community members.”

Innovative project ideas have developed as a result of the success of the community garden. In the community of Redcliff, just outside of Medicine Hat, the principal of the public school would like to start an educational garden where the children can learn about biology, botany, and nutrition. As Redcliff is undertaking a broader beautification project, the garden would also benefit the community at large.

The Community Friendship Garden project in Medicine Hat is an outstanding example of what health promotion can look like on the ground. Capacity within the community has been developed and new networks formed amongst the gardeners. With the participation of both senior and junior gardeners, knowledge has been shared, and those involved will be able to sustain gardening activity. The garden has enabled people within the community to come forward, contribute their ideas and direct this initiative in a way that is meaningful to them. Reflecting on the involvement of HAC in the project, Hanson-Nagel says, “Sometimes you just need to give people a leg up to get their ideas going.”

Heather Deegan, HAC Project Coordinator, explains that, “This project reinforces the type of impact that can be expected from a grassroots approach.” The development of Medicine Hat’s community garden illustrates how community members – working together
– can make changes and remove their barriers to making healthy choices.

This story originally appeared on the University of Alberta, School of Public Health's website

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