The act of homesteading is a lifestyle choice that revolves around producing goods for yourself or a community. This way of living has evolved over the past few decades and not only takes place in single family households but also exists within urban communities in the form of community gardens. The goods and services that are created in these spaces can range from produce, livestock, and textiles and foster opportunities for strengthening communal connections, promoting mental wellbeing, and offering a chance to be physically active.
The word “homesteading” is commonly associated with the Homestead Act of 1862, where for a small fee, public land could be claimed byAmerican citizens (Potter & Schamel, 1997). Now, many people acknowledge that indigenous communities were homesteading for thousands of years before settlers arrived (Rutter, 2024). Homesteading has continuously evolved in America and has taken new form in urban settings, gaining a lot of popularity over the past decade and urging people to eat locally and grow food for themselves (Parker & Morrow, 2017). The new homesteading movements aim to turn vacant lots in cities and turn them into community gardens as a way to combat food insecurity and promote environmental consciousness (Myers, 2020).
Homesteading and gardening practices promote both mental and physical health benefits. Engaging in gardening spaces allows for people to move their bodies and be active. This is especially crucial to elderly people who live in communal housing and through gardening can increase their Vitamin D intake, maintain muscle strength, and boost mental health (Suhood et al., 2024). The mental health benefits from gardening can also be seen to help people who are recovering from traumatic experiences. Participating in gardening can relieve anxiety, depression, and trauma (Gangamma et al., 2023). This study also reveals that the refugees involved in gardening reported feeling a stronger sense of community connection, improved social relationships, and reduced psychological distress compared to non-gardeners. (Gangamma et al., 2023).
Food justice is a movement that aims to advance opportunities for marginalized communities to grow their own food and have a better understanding of where their food comes from (Parot et al., 2023). One of the big problems in urban areas are the food deserts. Food deserts are areas where access to fresh and nutritious foods are limited and processed food is more abundant, otherwise known as food insecurity (Lundahl, 2017). The introduction to community gardens and urban farms in larger cities has allowed community members to come together and share ideas. These areas serve to help resist environmental-racism, promote urban planning, harbor a deeper connection to the environment, and combat food insecurity (Myers, 2020). The effects of food insecurity are felt disproportionately with a large percentage of those affected being people of color (Suhood et al., 2024).
The theoretical framework that applies to this study is the Socio-ecological framework. The Socio-ecological framework focuses on how an individual interacts with their environment and the multi level influences that could affect an individuals relationship to their environment (Wei et al., 2018).
Individual: Knowledge, attitudes, skills and behaviors of a single person.
Interpersonal: The individual's friends, family, and social networks that influence their views on homesteading practices in relation to their own mental health and food justice.
Institutional: These include schools, workplaces and organizations and could also influence the views and beliefs of the individual.
Community: The cities, neighborhoods, and social norms that the individual lives by and looks at how the surrounding community interacts with homesteading trends and how the individual can exist within that setting.
Policy: This includes the federal and state legislation that influence the individual's behavior and looks at the policies that influence the individual's ability to practice homesteading and policies that allow for food justices to be carried out.
"How has the recent homesteading trend in West Michigan influenced mental well-being in relationship to food justice."
Research into this topic will highlight how homesteading practices can promote sustainable food practices, foster community growth, increase mental and physical health, and provide food justice to and security in places where access to nutritious foods is limited.
Aptekar, S., & Myers, J. S. (2020). The tale of two community gardens: green aesthetics versus food justice in the big apple. Agriculture and Human Values, 37(3), 779–792. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-019-10011-w
Gangamma, R., Walia, B., Minkoff-Zern, L. A., & Tor, S. (2024). Role of Gardening in Mental Health, Food Security, and Economic Well-Being in Resettled Refugees: A Mixed Methods Study. Journal on Migration and Human Security, 12(1), 3–18. https://doi.org/10.1177/23315024231216112
Lee Ann Potter, W. S. (1997). The Homestead Act of 1862.
Lundahl, A. (2017). Shifting Food Consciousness: Homesteading Blogs and The Inner Work of Food. International Review of Social Research, 7(2), 80–89. https://doi.org/10.1515/irsr-2017-0010
Parker, B., & Morrow, O. (2017). El homesteading urbano y la maternidad intensiva: (re)generizando el cuidado y la responsabilidad ambiental en Boston y Chicago. Gender, Place and Culture, 24(2), 247–259. https://doi.org/10.1080/0966369X.2016.1277186
Parot, J., Wahlen, S., Schryro, J., & Weckenbrock, P. (2024). Food justice in community supported agriculture – differentiating charitable and emancipatory social support actions. Agriculture and Human Values, 41(2), 685–699. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-023-10511-w
Rutter, B. (2024, August 21). Modern homesteading: The growing movement for more self-sufficient and sustainable lives. The Best Bees Company. https://bestbees.com/2024/08/21/all-about-homesteading/#first
Suhood, S., Robinson, C., Tovar, C. N., Love, S. E., & Kielhack, B. (n.d.). Public Health Practice Commentary Community Gardens: A Tool for Public Housing Complexes to Combat Food Insecurity in the Older Adult Population. In TPHA Journal (Vol. 76, Issue 2). https://muse.jhu.edu/book/66728
Wei, Y., Wu, S., & Tesemma, Z. (2018). Re-orienting technological development for a more sustainable human–environmental relationship. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 33, 151–160. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2018.05.022