Cultures grown and motivation for participating in community gardens using MTÜ Tartu Maheaed as an example

Bakalaureusetöö Aianduse õppekaval Linnades elavate inimeste arv suureneb nii ülemaailmselt kui ka Eestis. Seetõttu on ka linnastumisega kaasnevad ökoloogilised, sotsiaalsed ning majanduslikud probleemid suurenemas. Kogukonnaaiad on võimaluse paljude probleemide leevendamiseks, mistõttu on oluline teada, mis motiveerib elanike kogukonnaaedadega liituma ning nendes tegutsema. Kogukonnaaedu on enim uuritud Põhja-Ameerikas ning Suurbritannias, kuid oluline on uurimistöid läbi viia ka teistes riikides. Käesoleva uurimuse eesmärgiks oli välja selgitada kogukonnaaialiikmete motivatsioon aias tegutsemiseks ning peamised kasvatavad kultuurid MTÜ Tartu Maheaed näitel. Uuritava probleemi lahendamiseks kasutas autor ankeetküsitlust. Andmete kogumine toimus 2023. aasta jaanuaris online küsitlusena, mis saadeti MTÜ Tartu Maheaed liikmete meililisti. Küsitlusele vastas 91 MTÜ Tartu Maheaed liiget. Uurimistulemustest selgus, et pindalalt enim kasvatati köögivilju ning vähim lilli. MTÜ Tartu Maheaed liikmete kolm peamist motivatsiooni kogukonnaaias tegutsemiseks olid: tervislik toit, värskes õhus viibimine ning kodust välja saamine. The population in cities worldwide, including Estonia, is rising. Therefore, ecological, social, health-related, and economic problems caused by urbanization are also increasing. Community gardens have been proven to relieve these problems. It is important to understand what motivates residents to join and participate in community gardens. Most of the research on community gardens has been conducted in North America and the United Kingdom, so it is crucial to conduct research on these topics in other countries as well. The aim of the current research was to identify which crops are being cultivated by community gardeners and what motivates them to participate in community gardening. The nonprofit organization MTÜ Tartu Maheaed was used as an example. The questionnaire contained both closed-ended and open-ended questions and questions were asked about the percentage of specific plant groups being cultivated on their community garden land and their motivations for gardening. 91 people responded to the online questionnaire, which was sent to MTÜ Tartu Maheaed members’ e-mail list. The results indicated that vegetables are the most common crops cultivated by MTÜ Tartu Maheaed members. The three main motivations for participating in community gardens are growing fresh and healthy food, spending time in fresh air, and getting out from home.