Reciprocity, interdependence, and the commons: how community garden organizers engage in transformative practices in a local context

Tabak, Sarah Beth (2023) Reciprocity, interdependence, and the commons: how community garden organizers engage in transformative practices in a local context. Masters thesis, Northern Arizona University.

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Abstract

Globally and locally, we are living through the climate crisis and its effects (IPCC, 2021). Change is clearly needed, yet environmentalists differ in their approaches. In this research, I wanted to understand radical approaches to environmental action in the context of community garden organizing. Community gardens are often seen as local solutions to the climate crisis (Artmann & Sartison, 2018; Dor et al., 2021; Mancebo, 2018) yet they are often organized through mainstream environmental approaches that are limited in their ability to address the root causes of the climate crisis (Engel-Di Mauro, 2018; McClintock, 2014; Walker, 2015). I look specifically at ecofeminist organizing practices within six collective gardens by interviewing nine collective garden organizers. I define collective gardens as gardens where most if not all of the garden is collectively managed, and there are few to no individualized plots. I found that collective gardens engage with transformative practices by demonstrating practices of reciprocity, interdependence, and the commons. These community-building elements (reciprocity, interdependence, and the commons) help to make these gardens alternatives to the capitalist system in the ways that they relate to humans, more-than-human beings, and the land beyond capitalist relations. Collective gardens can help us imagine alternative futures beyond capitalist ideology. These findings suggest that collective gardens may be ideal spaces to engage in building resilience through community building, and are ideal spaces to connect us to the more-than-human world, a critical component to engage with the climate crisis holistically.

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Publisher’s Statement:	© Copyright is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the Cline Library, Northern Arizona University. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author.
Keywords:	climate change; collective gardens; community; community gardens; ecofeminism; urban agriculture
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor
NAU Depositing Author Academic Status:	Student
Department/Unit:	Graduate College > Theses and Dissertations College of Social and Behavioral Science > Sustainable Communities
Date Deposited:	20 Oct 2025 17:22
Last Modified:	20 Oct 2025 17:22
URI:	https://openknowledge.nau.edu/id/eprint/6216

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