By Geewananda Gunawardana and I. M. Dharmadasa –

Since humans shifted from hunting and gathering to settled communities, growing food has been part of daily life and culture. Historians suggest that the end of the last Ice Age, about 12,000 years ago, may have encouraged this shift. Over time, plant cultivation for food has evolved into two main practices: farming and gardening. Farming became a commercial activity focused on income, while gardening remained a personal pastime centered on fresh, flavorful produce for home use, and many other benefits. Now it has become a very popular hobby.

It is a $150 billion industry that is growing at an estimated 5% a year. North America has the largest share followed by Europe, but Asia will see the highest market expansion in the next decade due to increasing urbanization and climate change. Something that we Sri Lankans must take note of for good reasons. Country’s food security will be threatened by shrinking arable land, increasing population, and volatile global markets for fertilizer, agrochemicals, and energy. Sri Lanka has the opportunity and reasons to turn gardening into a way to ensure country’s food security, help the economy, and improve the quality of life of average citizen.

Gardening is not a new concept to Sri Lanka. Kandyan Home Gardens or Kandyan Forest Gardens—are an ancient, highly sophisticated model of sustainable, multi-layered agriculture practiced in the wet zone of central Sri Lanka. Dating back over 2,000 years, they represent one of the world’s oldest and most resilient agroforestry systems, beautifully mimicking the structure and ecological balance of a natural tropical rainforest on a small, family-farm scale. In addition, pretty much every Sri Lankan home garden used to have some food producing plants sufficient to supplement a few meals at a minimum.

Unfortunately, this tradition has diminished. Younger generations in Sri Lanka may be less connected to traditional home gardening than previous generations, largely because of urbanization, limited space, busier lifestyles, and greater reliance on purchased food. However, this does not mean they are uninterested. Their interest may simply take newer forms, such as container gardening, organic growing, balcony gardens, hydroponics, and climate-conscious food production.

In most countries, people are drawn to gardening through a practice known as Community Gardens, Collective Gardens, and Allotments in UK and Europe, which overcome some of the hurdles to gardening in urban settings. Community gardens are shared plots of land where residents grow vegetables, fruits, herbs, and flowers, often in urban neighborhoods where private garden space is limited. These gardens are usually managed by local communities, nonprofits, schools, religious organizations, or city governments. Beyond producing food, they strengthen neighborhood relationships, improve access to fresh produce, create green spaces, and provide education on nutrition, sustainability, and environmental care.

Another concept that promotes gardening is Garden Clubs. Garden clubs are organized groups of people who share an interest in gardening, plants, landscaping, conservation, and community beautification. Unlike community gardens, which are usually based around a shared plot of land, garden clubs are more often membership-based organizations that bring people together to learn, exchange ideas, organize events, and support gardening-related projects.

One of the writers (GG) first became involved in community gardening through the garden club at the Fortune 100 company in USA where he worked. The human resources department supported many employee clubs as a way to encourage networking and team building. Beyond maintaining a community garden, the club organized garden walks, shows, photography contests, and plant sales. These activities raised funds that were used towards scholarships and maintaining the community garden.

The community garden occupied about two acres around the town’s water tower. Each spring, club members ploughed the land and divided it into individual plots of roughly 200 square feet, separated by three-foot-wide paths. The plots were in high demand among people without garden space of their own, including residents of apartments, townhouses, and retirement communities. Applications opened in early spring and were assigned on a first-come, first-served basis, with demand always exceeding availability.

Because there was no water supply, gardeners brought their own. Fertilizer was permitted, but insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides were not. The garden stayed active well into fall, and many gardeners harvested more than they could use. Surplus produce was shared with neighbors or donated to the local food pantry. Before winter, members cleared the site so that no trace of the garden remained until the following spring.

The community garden tradition started in the USA during the Great Depression in 1893 and expanded during WWI as Liberty Gardens and during WWII as Victory Gardens. A dramatic resurgence of the movement, laying the groundwork for today’s community gardens started fueled by urban decay, the environmental movement, and the economic stagnation of the 1970s. In 1978, the American Community Gardening Association was formed, providing a national network to support and advocate for urban growers.

The second writer (IMD) grew up in an agricultural community in Kurunegala district, where he grew fruits and vegetables as a hobby until entering Peradeniya University. After retiring from a four-decade academic career in the UK, he moved closer to his son’s family in London and revived his childhood interest by helping his son cultivate a local allotment.

The UK allotment movement grew rapidly in the 20th century, particularly during the two world wars. Food shortages caused by blockades prompted the government to turn unused land into allotments. By the end of WWII, more than 1.4 million plots were producing about 1.3 million tons of food annually.

After WWII, allotments declined in popularity as diets changed and convenience foods became more widespread. In the early 21st century, however, interest revived strongly, driven by demand for organic food, environmental awareness, and community well-being. Today, allotment demand across the UK exceeds supply, and the National Allotment Society continues to protect these important green spaces.

Although gardening is mostly treated as a hobby in industrialized countries, Sri Lanka has stronger reasons to promote it beyond the fun factor. Nearly one-third of the country’s fruits and vegetables are estimated to spoil before reaching consumers, contributing to frequent shortages and high prices. Growing food locally can reduce waste, lower transportation costs, and reduce the cost of food. With increasing challenges to growing food due to worsening climate conditions, community and home gardening offer advantages over farms and bring more benefits:

Economic & Food Security

* Mitigating High Inflation & Food Costs: Community gardens provide direct access to fresh, nutritious food, significantly lowering household grocery expenses, a critical benefit given Sri Lanka’s recent economic fluctuations and food inflation.

* Buffer Against Import Dependencies: By producing local staples such as green leafy vegetables, chilies, and tubers at the community level, reliance on imported food items and vulnerable supply chains.

* Micro-Entrepreneurship: Surplus produce, seeds, or flowers can be sold at local markets, providing supplementary income streams for low-income families and women.

Environmental & Agricultural Sustainability

* Promotion of Organic Practices: Community gardens naturally serve as practical training grounds for organic farming, composting, and traditional pest management, aligning with sustainable agricultural principles.

* Urban Greening & Climate Resilience: In densely populated urban areas like Colombo or Kandy, these gardens could reduce urban heat island effects, improve local biodiversity, and assist with urban rainwater drainage.

* Efficient Resource Use: They foster localized waste management through the composting of household kitchen waste, reducing the burden on municipal waste systems.

Social & Health Improvements

* Addressing Malnutrition: Direct access to homegrown, pesticide-free vegetables and fruits helps combat micronutrient deficiencies and malnutrition, particularly among children and vulnerable populations.

* Community Cohesion & Healing: Working together in a shared space fosters a strong sense of community solidarity, mutual aid, trust, and shared responsibility, which are essential components for social resilience.

* Mental Well-being: Engaging in physical, outdoor activity and connecting with nature offers a proven, therapeutic outlet to reduce stress and anxiety.

The greatest advantage of community gardens is that they can be started and managed at the local level, often without direct government involvement. Communities themselves can identify available land, organize participants, share responsibilities, and sustain the gardens through collective effort.

Obstacles—both real and perceived—will undoubtedly arise, but Sri Lanka has faced similar challenges before. During the severe food shortage of 1973, nearly every accessible piece of land, public and private, was cultivated. Even the pristine grounds of Peradeniya University were transformed into vegetable gardens.

Today, climate change, the El Niño effect, and the possible disruption of major ocean currents such as the Gulf Stream make the future of global food production increasingly uncertain. For a country with a vulnerable economy, strengthening food security is not merely desirable; it is a prudent and necessary step.

Community gardening should not be viewed as an extra burden placed on farmers. Rather, it is an enjoyable, practical, and productive way for households affected by rising food prices to use their spare time, improve access to fresh food, and contribute to national resilience.

*Geewananda Gunawardana, Ph.D. and I. M. Dharmadasa Ph. D.