by: Madelyn Kiernan, Underserved Populations Intern
In these summer months, it is not surprising to see neighbors and families tending to their gardens outdoors. However, gardens are not just for homes. On college campuses, gardens can play a special role in improving quality of life. Gardens can offer many social and physical benefits to those who take care of them, including college students. Gardens have endless opportunities to support student wellbeing, from providing education to being a space for relaxation. Gardens can also serve as a vital form of prevention against sexual violence on college campuses.
Community Gardens and Social Norms
Community gardens are places where people can come together and learn how to grow and harvest food, flowers, and herbs. Research has shown that the presence of community gardens in a neighborhood encourages social connection and interaction (Siewell et. al, 2015). When people work together to nurture the growth of plants in a garden, they begin to rely on one another. They need to communicate in order to be successful. Through the process of communication to maintain the garden, individuals often learn more about the people they live around and come to care for them.
This can be a preventative measure against violence because the more that individuals care about one another, the less likely they are to stand by when violence occurs (ValorUS, 2018). They are also less likely to commit violence themselves (ValorUS, 2018). Gardening can build a “culture of accountability” where individuals practice social norms like sharing knowledge, listening to one another, and apologizing for harmful behavior (ValorUS, 2018). These positive social norms encourage individuals to respect each other and keep one another safe (ValorUS, 2018). As students on college campuses live among their peers, being able to hold each other accountable to their actions is very important.
Gardening and Food Security
Gardens can be a source of healthy, fresh produce for the college student population. The University of Maryland’s Community Learning Garden has multiple raised beds and even an orchard (UMD, n.d.). Workers from this garden teach students about growing and harvesting food, along with the importance of public and environmental health. 100% of the produce grown in the garden is donated to the university food pantry. Another similar program is the Blue Jay’s Perch Community Garden at Johns Hopkins University, which was started by the student group Real Food Hopkins. The Blue Jay’s Perch Community Garden donates extra produce to local food pantries. The Garden is mainly for student volunteers to get a chance to engage with nature (JHU, 2025). Both of these gardens address food insecurity.
Food insecurity is when an individual, family, or community does not have access to enough food to nourish themselves. Studies have found that food insecurity can increase the chance of sexual violence for college students (Daigle et. al, 2023). Individuals who experience food insecurity are also more likely to stay in relationships that include coercive or non-consensual sex (Baldwin-White, 2025). Food-insecure individuals may stay with someone who is offering them food in order to get their basic needs met, even if that person is sexually violent or abusive. If a survivor does not know where and when they will have their next meal, it can be much more difficult for them to make the decision to leave their abusive partner.
Additionally, students who experience shame and stigma around food insecurity may not have strong networks of support who they can turn to (Baldwin-White, 2025). By addressing food insecurity through gardening, campuses can take a step towards meeting everyone’s basic needs, along with preventing violence.
Violence Prevention Services and Gardening
Violence prevention departments and organizations on campuses can use gardens to provide services to survivors. They can do this through hosting support groups within a garden, or developing programs for survivors to receive horticultural therapy. Horticultural therapy is when a therapist guides a patient through nature-based activities, such as gardening, to help them process their feelings and improve their mental and physical state (Bonazzi & Febles, 2022).
GreenHouse17, a shelter for survivors of sexual violence and intimate partner violence in Kentucky, operates as a fully functioning farm where survivors can work for a stipend (ValorUS, 2018). Besides the farm, GreenHouse17 provides full-time residence to survivors and their children. In addition to gardening, GreenHouse17 provides a number of other activities to residents, including yoga and sewing (ValorUS, 2018). A study done on GreenHouse17 showed that gardening provided many benefits to survivors who lived there, including decreased anxiety and depression, less social isolation, improved self-esteem and a renewed sense of accomplishment (Renzetti & Follingstad, 2014). Survivors were also able to earn an income through gardening and gained valuable work experience outdoors (Renzetti & Follingstad, 2014). Many felt that the garden offered them an invaluable sense of peace and security (Renzetti & Follingstad, 2014).
Although GreenHouse17 does not operate on a college campus, it is a powerful example of how gardening has directly helped survivors in their healing journeys, both emotionally and physically. Colleges that already have garden programs, such as Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland, can look to examples such as this for inspiration to help survivors. Gardens offer many opportunities for students to become involved with the natural world. More importantly, gardens provide solutions to key issues such as food insecurity and social isolation. Building interpersonal connections and preventing violence becomes more and more achievable with every blossom and bud in a garden. Stick your hands in the dirt and watch your community grow!
References
Bonazzi, D. & Febles, A. (2022, December 19). Horticultural Therapy Program for Trauma Survivors. Horticultural Therapy Institute. Retrieved July 2025 from here.
Baldwin-White, A. (2025, January 17). Examining the Relationship between Food Insecurity and Risk of Sexual Violence Among College Students [Abstract]. Society for Social Work and Research 29th Annual Conference, Seattle, WA. Retrieved July 2025 from here.
Daigle, L. E., Muñoz, R. B., & Hancock, K. P. (2023). Exploring the Connection Between Food Insecurity and Sexual Victimization Among College Students. Journal of School Violence, 23(1), 1–12. Retrieved July 2025 from here.
Johns Hopkins University. (2025). Blue Jay's Perch. About Us. HopkinsGroups. Retrieved July 2025 from here.
Renzetti, C.M. & Follingstad, D.R. (2014, May 5). From Blue to Green: The Development and Implementation of A Horticultural Therapy Program for Residents of a Battered Women’s Shelter. University of Kentucky Libraries. Retrieved July 2025 from here.
Siewell, N., Aguirre, S., & Madhavapalli, T. (2015). Building Sustainable Neighborhoods through Community Gardens: Enhancing Residents’ Well-being through University–Community Engagement Initiative. Metropolitan Universities Journal, 26(1), 1-18. Retrieved July 2025 from here.
University of Maryland. (n.d.). Community Learning Garden. Retrieved July 2025 from here.
ValorUS [ValorUS]. (2018, January 18). Greening and Growing: Strategies to Create Protective Environments and Prevent Sexual & Domestic Violence [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved July 2025 from here.
