Words by Liza Thompson
Local community gardens are often put on a pedestal when it comes to sustainability efforts. But what if the reality is more complicated? Through a deep dive into the gardens around St Andrews, we can learn more about carbon emissions — if the gardens are not the climate solution we hope for, what else do they have to offer?
Lay of the Land
There are 15 community gardens in and around St Andrews, with many of them centered around university spaces like accommodation halls. These gardens are managed by Transition UStA, a “collective of local residents, university students and staff working on practical local projects aimed at reducing carbon emissions and enhancing biodiversity in and around St Andrews” (Transition, 2026). Run largely by volunteers, these gardens give students and residents a place to grow food, support wildlife, and connect with each other.
How Effective are Community Gardens at Reducing Carbon Emissions?
You may be surprised to hear that community gardens and other local sites aren’t actually very effective in reducing carbon emissions. In fact, one study found that urban agriculture has a carbon footprint that is six times bigger than that of conventional agriculture (Hawes et al., 2024). Let’s unpack this a bit and see where these numbers are coming from:
The study, from the University of Michigan, looked at CO2 emitted during food production, including on-farm impacts, processing, and transportation per recommended serving for both urban agriculture and conventional agriculture sites (Hawes et al., 2024). Urban sites produced 0.42kg of CO2 per serving, compared to the 0.07kg of conventional farms. However, the authors found that certain crops are better suited to urban settings. Tomatoes, for example, are often carbon intensive in conventional greenhouses, but grown in urban gardens, they potentially emit less.
At the heart of the authors’ argument is that a garden’s carbon emissions depend heavily on how it’s run. If gardeners make infrastructure last longer, and reuse resources such as compost and rainwater, urban agriculture can be more carbon competitive. Additionally, gardens that maximise social benefits might come out on top when judged holistically, as centers of social and mental wellbeing.
Does This Apply to St Andrews’ Community Gardens?
It’s difficult to comment on whether St Andrews’ community gardens are “good” or “bad” for the environment without carrying out a comprehensive study of all 14 gardens, which in the interest of time, was near impossible. But, as a volunteer at one of them, I can say we try, but are probably not lowering emissions, when put side by side with a conventional agricultural site. We follow many of the practices set out above, but most likely not at a scale that would particularly make a difference.
I spoke with the garden managers, an older couple who said the garden was in a “poor state” and very overgrown before they arrived. With the help of volunteers, they’ve cleared the site, turning overgrown plots into productive garden beds. While the “long lasting infrastructure” the study mentioned hasn’t been possible yet, the managers are invested in the garden’s longevity as they feel that gardening is all about how “next year [is going] to be better.”
They also reuse and re-/up-cycle, an example of which, are the compost piles made of the garden’s own waste. To protect the onions we planted last week, the couple brought in an old tent they were going to throw out: “We thought surely that would be useful for something.” It’s now draped over the several hundred onion bulbs to protect them from birds and squirrels.
These small acts might not be enough to outshine the carbon footprint of a conventional garden, but it goes to show that a local community garden can still move in the right direction!
Beyond Carbon, Towards Community: Don’t Give Up on Community Gardens Yet!
There are still so many benefits that make these green spaces places worth protecting and investing in. It’s well known that time spent in nature can improve an individual’s health and well-being (CITE); In my own experience, I can attest to the joy and peace that the garden brings me. I love having a space to go to each week to set aside my studies and touch dirt. I’ve also made new friends through the garden, friends who I wouldn’t have met otherwise.
For the garden managers, it’s a space to fulfill their favorite hobbies and grow produce: “We’ve gardened all our lives… and just the joy. We like growing food because we think it’s a good thing to do”.
So are St Andrews’ community gardens “good” for the environment? Probably not (for now), but they are good for the community in a multitude of ways beyond its carbon footprint. And, as Hawes et al. explain, there is a way forward, as the community garden managers demonstrate. It doesn’t take much to make smarter sustainability choices, just some open land, an open mind, and a commitment to the greater good is all that’s required to reap every benefit these spaces have to give.
Closing Notes
If you have a garden and want to see how much carbon and money you’re saving, sign up at https://www.goodtogrowuk.org/join_us/ to use the Harvest-ometer!
Get involved with Transition UStA! They have so many different projects across a wide range of sustainability issues and are a great group of people!
https://www.sustainweb.org/news/aug22-harvestometer-carbon-calculator
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