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Urban Ecosystems

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-019-00921-2

Home gardening practice in Pune (India), the role of communities,


urban environment and the contribution to urban sustainability
Ingo Zasada 1 & Meike Weltin 1 & Felix Zoll 1 & Siddhartha Lawrence Benninger 2

# Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020

Abstract
Urban agriculture (UA) is regarded as an emerging tool and strategy for sustainable urban development as it addresses a wide
array of environmental, economic and social objectives. Home gardening represents a common form of UA in the close living
environments of urban dwellers that can be particularly important for rapidly growing cities and metropolitan regions in
developing and transitional countries. However, a structured conceptual analysis of different urban sustainability benefits,
including its operationalisation, is lacking. We therefore investigated whether and to which extent home gardening practices in
urban residential environments contribute to urban sustainability. In detail, we analysed the contribution of prevailing cultivation
practices, socio-economic situations, motivation, knowledge and networking of individual household and external framework
conditions to the environmental, economic and socio-cultural dimensions of urban sustainability. Between January and
May 2014, we conducted a questionnaire survey among 111 gardeners in residential neighbourhoods of Pune (India) and applied
an analytical framework using composite indicators with index values to the compiled data. Our main results showed that
sustainability benefits can be expected especially in environmental and socio-cultural aspects, particularly for urban biodiversity
conservation and aesthetic green urban spaces, and less expected in economic contributions and food production. Gardening
practice and sustainability contribution is rather determined by the motivation and socio-demographic factors of the gardener than
type and size of the garden. We conclude that conserving and building home gardens can contribute to urban sustainability and
should therefore be considered in the planning, design and management of urban spaces.

Keywords Urban agriculture . Home gardens . Impact assessment . Urban environment . Sustainability . Questionnaire survey .
Food production . Biodiversity

Introduction developing and transitional countries, there is a need to adapt


to the challenges for sustainable and resilient urban develop-
With the majority of humankind living in urban areas ment (Zhang and Li 2018). These adaptations include the
(UNFPA 2007), especially the rapidly growing cities in enhancement of food security, human health and well-being,
social equality and inclusion, sustainable economic growth
and environmental quality (UN Habitat 2016). To comply
* Ingo Zasada with these challenges, further transformations are needed to
ingo.zasda@zalf.de improve self-reliance for food (Grewal and Grewal 2012) and
reduce the ecological footprint by improving resource effi-
Meike Weltin ciency, shortening food supply chains and closing nutrient
meike.weltin@zalf.de
cycles (Viljoen et al. 2005; Wascher et al. 2015).
Felix Zoll Beyond the commercial farming activities at the peri-urban
felix.zoll@zalf.de fringes (Krikser et al. 2016; Piorr et al. 2018; Zasada 2011),
Siddhartha Lawrence Benninger agriculture and gardening in urban residential areas have been
siddhartha@cdsaindia.org increasingly recognised as promising concepts and elements
1
of urban green infrastructure to address multiple urban sus-
Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research, Eberswalder
tainability and resilience objectives (Dubbeling et al. 2009;
Str. 84, 15374 Müncheberg, Germany
2
Mougeot 2005; Orsini et al. 2013). Depending on the scale,
Centre for Development Study and Activities (CDSA), Pune, India,
intensity and type of food production, there is a strong
Survey No. 58 & 49/4, Bavdhan Khurd, Pune 411021, India
Urban Ecosyst

diversity of food production practices in urban areas (Pearson integration, e.g., of minority or migrant groups (Mazumdar
et al. 2010). Particularly, differences exist between the rudi- and Mazumdar 2012). Within social networks around the gar-
ments of larger economic farming practice and private small- dening activities, human and social capital is created (Macias
scale home gardens, which are closely bound to buildings and 2008). Sharing access and garden products with neighbours
dwellings (Cameron et al. 2012). Examples are vertical and and friends strengthens local relationships and networks
rooftop gardens (Safayet et al. 2017; Specht et al. 2013). (Mohri et al. 2013). Further, knowledge and management ca-
Others are located in close proximity, such as kitchen and pacities from socio-cultural memories are established and con-
backyards gardens (Calvet-Mir et al. 2012). served, enhancing the resilience of the urban social-ecological
Due to their large spatial extent as land use type (Gaston system (Barthel et al. 2010; Leys and Vanclay 2011).
et al. 2005), it is generally acknowledged that urban agricul- However, the specific potential and contribution of home
ture (UA) and particular home or domestic gardens provide a gardens, the influence of the urban environment and socio-
multitude of benefits for urban sustainability and resilience. demographic characteristics and the motivation of gardeners
According to Schmutz et al. (2017) economic and private- requires more attention and study (Cameron et al. 2012).
purpose UA contribute to a number of sustainability benefits Conceptual frameworks and analytic approaches such as sus-
and outperforms even other types of alternative and short tainability impact assessment (see for instance Schmutz et al.
modes of food supply, Benefits encompass, for example, im- (2017)), which are capable to identify (urban) sustainability
proved food security, ecosystem services and biodiversity benefits, are lacking or hardly applied to small-scale UA or
conservation or community building (Kumar and Nair 2004) even home gardening. Therefore, for our empirical study in
and are depicted as an important part of the green infrastruc- the city of Pune (India), we followed the central research
ture of cities. These gardens are relevant for nutritional self- question, whether and to which extent home gardening prac-
sufficiency and access to affordable and fresh food (Glavan tices in urban residential environments contribute to urban
et al. 2018), especially for socially disadvantaged, food- sustainability. Applying the conceptual framework by
insecure populations and beyond (Eigenbrod and Gruda Vásquez-Moreno and Córdova (2013), we distinguished po-
2015; Gerster-Bentaya 2013; Zezza and Tasciotti 2010), im- tential contributions to specific types of benefits covering all
proving dietary quality and diversity as well as human health three sustainability dimensions. In addition, the influence of
(Armar-Klemesu 2000; Potutan et al. 2000). Draper and garden types and sizes as well as socio-demographic and mo-
Freedman (2010) and (Trendov 2018) noted physical and tivation differences of the gardening community on cultiva-
mental health as well as recreational benefits derived from tion practices and urban sustainability are analysed.
the gardening activity itself.
As managed green spaces, home gardens provide multiple
ecosystem service benefits in the close living quarters of urban Research design and methodology
dwellers (Gorgolewski et al. 2011). These include micro-
climate regulation, air purification, cooling and the reduction Case study
of heat-island effects as well as the purification of water and
treatment of organic waste (Calvet-Mir et al. 2012; Mohri The city of Pune (see Fig. 1), located in the western Indian
et al. 2013; Qiu et al. 2013; Safayet et al. 2017). In comparison state of Maharashtra, is one of the fastest-growing cities in the
with conventional food, self-provisioning can also lead to de- country and the Asian-Pacific region as a whole. According to
creased GHG emissions (Vávra et al. 2018). Constituting a Indian official census data the city’s population was 3.12 mil-
specific habitat for species and often showing very high plant lion in 2011; the United Nations (2018) estimates an increase
species diversity (Das and Das 2005; Jaganmohan et al. 2012), to 6.28 million in 2018 and 8.44 million in 2030. Due to its
home gardens are seen as biodiversity hotspots within urban population growth, developed areas in Pune expanded from
areas (Galluzzi et al. 2010; Jaganmohan et al. 2012). Others an area coverage of 21% in 1990 to 43% in 2008, mainly at the
also highlight aesthetical values and the design and manage- expense of farmland and other green areas (Fernandez et al.
ment potential for housing neighbourhoods (Litt et al. 2011). 2012). In addition, the percentage of impervious surfaces in
The autonomy over their garden also enables people to crea- already developed areas, such as the inner city, greatly in-
tively design their garden with ornamental plants and elements creased (ibid), which is related to the loss of soil functionality
as a mean of self-expression (Cameron et al. 2012). and ability to provide required ecosystem services. Under
As an environmental movement, home gardening is also these conditions, UA, including home gardens, might become
recognised for its strong community orientation (Mok et al. more relevant as productive green spaces that contribute to
2014). Gardeners, as local stewards of their living environ- urban sustainability.
ment (Andersson et al. 2014), encourage social interaction, Traditionally, agricultural and gardening activities repre-
bonding and civic engagement (Shimpo et al. 2019; Sumner sent an important element in Pune, taking very different forms
et al. 2010) and can also play an important role in social (Behmanesh 2009, 2010), including residual farms in urban
Urban Ecosyst

Fig. 1 City of Pune: spatial location, satellite and photo image

and peri-urban areas, municipal farms and agricultural re- (BKGs, Fig. 2b, d) (Behmanesh 2010). BKGs, as the primary
search institutions. However, within residential environments, type of small-scale UA, are frequently associated with bunga-
home gardens represent the dominant form of UA. These low housing areas. Due to the morphologic structure in some
micro-scale forms take shape either as terrace and rooftop parts of the city, which consist mainly of bungalows and other
gardens (TRGs, Fig. 2a) or as backyard and kitchen gardens types of detached low-density residential buildings, larger

Fig. 2 a Visited terrace garden mainly with fruit trees, such as mango, practice (translation from Marathi language; from above: 1. (wet) waste,
chiku and papaya in pots and containers. Photo: Rucha Ghanekar/FLOW. 2. vermiculture, 3. dry leaves, 4. coconut husk, 5. gravel, 6. pieces of
b Visited kitchen garden next to a house mainly with banana trees and brick). Photo: Ingo Zasada. d Visited home garden with fruit trees, incl.
vegetables, incl. Cauliflower and cabbage, grown in ground soil. Photo: Banana and other edible and non-edible plants. Photo: Rucha Ghanekar/
Asmita Dalvi/FLOW. c On-site demonstration for the composting FLOW
Urban Ecosyst

green spaces on private grounds exists, which allows for the local market development. With this narrower scope on home
establishment of green productive spaces from BKGs to small garden as a specific UA type, we have adapted this framework
fruit tree orchards. In these cases, food cultivation typically to three sustainability dimensions (environmental, economic,
takes place in the soil of unsealed surfaces, for example, in socio-cultural) and a reduced set of 15 benefit categories (see
vegetable patches. Fig. 3).
In contrast, TRGs are directly bound to building structures
and the available spaces on top of houses and on terraces. To a
large extent, this second home gardening type is found in Operationalising and measuring sustainability
complexes of dense multi-story housing blocks, which have benefits
been built mainly in the last two decades and are often
characterised by the underproduction of green spaces. Based on a literature review and interviews with local experts,
Supported by the frequent construction of flat and accessible we defined a variable set of 49 indicators to measure the 15
roofs, residents use raised beds and planters to establish small sustainability benefits of the theoretical framework. The liter-
gardens on these sealed surfaces. It is noteworthy that in Pune, ature review was based on a search conducted on three data-
the home gardening community is well organised with a net- bases (google scholar, web of science, science direct). As
work of local gardeners’ clubs, which promote the distribution search terms we used “home garden”, “domestic garden”,
of knowledge about cultivation practice and exchange of ex- “residential garden”, “urban garden” and “private garden” in
periences. They are accompanied by research institutions and combination with the terms “sustainability” and “practices”.
private consultancies, which complement the local knowledge The articles were then checked and only articles that themat-
system and improve the professionalisation of gardening prac- ically fit to our topic of home garden practices were selected as
tices. Figure 2c shows a demonstration model for composting input for the development of our variables. These cover char-
practice at a gardening site in Pune. acteristics of the land use and cultivation practice as well as
the linkages to the urban (agricultural and gardening) commu-
Analytical framework nity. The indicators were aggregated in composites
representing the respective benefit. We followed the guideline
Sustainability has been mainstreamed as a guiding principle in for constructing composite indicators by the OECD (2008).
the urban development debate, which follows an integrative Most of the selected variables affect multiple urban sustain-
approach to include environmental, economic and social as- ability benefits, such as compost use, which is related to the
pects in urban planning and management. The United Nations circular metabolism of nutrients (Env1), cost reduction of sol-
Habitat Conferences (HABITAT II & III) established the New id waste disposal (Econ3) and the efficient and productive use
Urban Agenda (UN Habitat 2016), which focuses on the de- of vacant and small plots of urban land (Econ4). Sustainability
velopment of urban settlements in a sustainable way. The UN benefits are represented by three to ten different indicators
has also included the development of sustainable cities and (Table 2).
communities as one of the Sustainable Development Goals Before aggregating into composite indicators, the variable
(SDG 11). Through their multiple benefits, the development values, nominal [yes, no], interval or metric scaled, were nor-
of (productive) urban green spaces, such as home gardens, has malised to the interval [0; 1], if necessary. Factor analysis was
been identified as a key approach to achieve urban sustainabil- applied to statistically determine weights for the indicators in
ity (Jennings et al. 2016). This type of urban green space, such each composite and to balance the influence of correlated
as those classified as “fair”, “beautiful”, “creative”, “green” variables within a composite and prevents overweighting
city, “diverse” and “community-promoting” cities, is at the (Gan et al. 2017). A factor solution was calculated for each
core of a number of urban development visions and para- composite indicator. Correlation matrices were estimated
digms, which have occurred in the urban sustainability debate using tetrachoric correlation coefficients for binary variables
(Vásquez-Moreno and Córdova 2013). (Kolenikov and Angeles 2004) and Pearson correlation coef-
Following these paradigms and making them operational ficients otherwise. As a criterion to select a factor solution, it
for analysis, Vásquez-Moreno and Córdova (2013) developed had to explain at least 60% of the overall variance.
a consistent theoretical framework, which links potential ben- Additionally, all factors explaining 10% of the variance indi-
efits from UA to urban sustainability objectives. Based on a vidually were retained. Varimax rotation was applied to obtain
literature analysis and stakeholder consultation, the frame- a simple structure with variables loading high for one factor
work links four sustainability dimensions (environmental, and low for all others. Weights were derived for each indicator
economic, social, and cultural) with a broad coverage of according to its factor loading and the explained variance of
topics, such as health and nutrition, social equality and justice, the respective factors (see OECD 2008, p.90 for details).
visual quality and diversity of urban green, creativity, ecosys- In a linear weighted additive approach, the indicators were
tem services, training and skills acquisition or alternative and aggregated into composites using the following formula:
Urban Ecosyst

Fig. 3 Theoretical model: potential contributions of urban agriculture (UA) to urban sustainability objectives. Adapted from Vásquez-Moreno and
Córdova (2013)

Q Q
adopt organic growing methods, utilise compost or aim at im-
CI in ¼ ∑q¼1
i
wq I qn ; ∑q¼1
i
wq ¼ 1; proving the soil quality (Kirkpatrick and Davison 2018). Mainly
autonomously managed by the individual gardener, the cultiva-
where CIin = composite indicator for sustainability benefit i in tion practice and sustainability performance depend on the per-
garden n, Iqn= value of indicator q for garden n, and Qi = sonal characteristics and gardening motivations (Home et al.
number of indicators used in sustainability benefit i. The com- 2018), which can be economic, social-recreational and environ-
posite indicators reflect the degree of contribution of the gar- mental in nature (Kirkpatrick and Davison 2018). Even strong,
dening activity to the respective sustainability benefit with production-oriented home gardens can be either market-oriented
values from 0 (‘not contributing’) to 1 (‘fully contributing’). or contribute to family food security (Trinh et al. 2003).
Refer to the appendix for an overview of the variables’ sum- However, the cultural and economic background, education
mary statistics, aggregation to composite indicators and indi- and gender of the gardener also affect, for instance, the contribu-
cator weights (Table 2). Statistical analyses were carried out tion to environmental (Galluzzi et al. 2010) and food security
using the software package Stata14. (Ferdous et al. 2016) goals.
To account for these characteristics and differences, we
Explaining sustainability benefits have included the physical context (garden type and size),
the socio-demographic characteristics of gender, age, educa-
Previous studies and reviews (Galhena et al. 2013; Kirkpatrick tion and household size, as well as different motivation types
and Davison 2018) have shown that substantial variations for (production, recreation, knowledge acquisition) (Scheromm
the type of management and subsequently for the sustainabil- 2015) as explanatory variables in the sustainability analysis
ity benefits exist for home gardens. First, the housing environ- and estimated linear regression models for each sustainability
ment context, i.e., multi-story apartment houses, detached benefit. This supports identifying influencing factors of sus-
houses or bungalows, define the type of garden, being either tainability and to what degree they differ between aspects of
closely attached to the building (terrace and rooftop gardens) sustainability.
or in its vicinity (backyard and kitchen gardens). Despite gen-
eral limitations of physical expansion, the size of the garden
can vary considerably (Drescher et al. 2006), influencing cul- Survey design
tivation practices and subsequently plant species diversity
(Galluzzi et al. 2010; Pearson et al. 2010). We conducted an empirical study among urban gardeners be-
Garden work can vary from low- to high-intensity labour tween January and May 2014. Based on the theoretical frame-
and may involve more ‘natural’ or more ‘chemical’ practices. work and indicator selection, a questionnaire was prepared.
Some gardeners use inorganic pesticides and herbicides; The first part of the questionnaire focused on socio-
others rely on integrated and more sustainable approaches, economic information of the household (9 variables) and the
Urban Ecosyst

spatial context of the housing and gardening setting (4). The cases, for more than 20 years. In single home gardens, up to 70
second part was dedicated to the gardening practice, including different varieties of herbs and vegetables and 30 different
questions about inputs (9), cultivation techniques (11), activ- types of fruit trees were cultivated with a strong focus on local
ities (4), and cropping patterns (10). Further questions refer to varieties and a high average diversity of produced crops (12.6
embeddedness into the local (gardening) community (6), mo- types of vegetables and herbs; 6.5 fruit tree types). The most
tivation (5), knowledge (3), activities and restrictions (4). frequent vegetable and herb types are chilli (82% of all cases),
Sampling started with interviewing members of an organised tomato (73%), mint (69%), spinach (62%), coriander (60%),
gardening club (INORA, www.inora.in). Sampling progressed basil (59%), eggplant (56%), beans (45%), okra (44%), and
using a snowball sampling method as interviewed gardeners pumpkin (43%). The most frequent fruit trees are lime (74%),
were asked for further potential interviewees. The survey was mango (57%), papaya (56%), coconut (54%), pomegranate
carried out as a face-to-face interview with mainly close-ended (48%), custard apple (48%), banana (48%), chiku (sapota,
questions (single and multiple responses). In total, 111 survey 45%), guava (45%), and fique (23%). Additionally, the culti-
responses were collected. The questionnaire and the full database vation of non-edible ornamental plants, such as flowers,
is publicly accessible at the ZALF Open Research Data shrubs and bushes (75.0%) or trees (80.6%) was frequent.
Repository (https://doi.org/10.4228/ZALF.DK.109). A detailed Gardens further contained facilities that increased habitation
description of the survey design, sampling and mode of data quality, such as sitting facilities (50.0%) or artwork (23.1%).
collection is provided by Zasada et al. (2019). We calculated The gardens also frequently contained environmental features,
the sustainability indicators for 43 RTGs and 65 BKGs. Three such as ponds (30.6%), small meadows (25.9%) or bird homes
other cases, which were larger community and municipal gar- (36.1%). In contrast, features for food production, such as
dens, were excluded from the study, because they did not belong greenhouses (4.6%) were rather seldom.
to the scope of the study, focussing on RTGs and BKGs. Due to Garden sizes varied between less than 10 to nearly
missing values in explanatory variables, we only used 100 ob- 2000 m2 (average 152 m2). On average, in just over half of
servations in the regression models. the garden areas (52.3%), cultivation was carried out directly
A key limitation of our study is that we investigate a popula- in the soil; in the rest of the area, high beds, boxes, buckets,
tion which is difficult to sample. As there is no central register or etc. were used, usually above sealed surfaces. The manage-
database on local UA activities, it was not possible to obtain ment of home gardens was often optimised regarding input
robust information about the whole population of the home gar- efficiency, and specific cropping techniques were deliberate-
deners which poses a challenge to the assessment of the repre- ly applied. This includes specific types of crop rotation
sentativeness of the sample. However, based on preliminary in- (39.8%) and non-conflicting (45.4%) or supporting
terviews, we found that the local home gardening community (28.7%) crop arrangements. The majority of gardeners ap-
was, to a large extent, organised in gardening clubs. Therefore, plied compost substrate (88.0%), organic fertiliser (94.4%),
we did not assume strong sample selection bias when ap- non-chemical pest control (63.0%), and manual weeding
proaching club members for the interviews. The sample size (94.4%). Only a minority used chemical inputs (22.2% pest
was rather small due to the high effort of personal interviews. control, 26.9% fertiliser, and 8.3% weed control). Due to the
This makes statistical inference in regression models challenging monsoon climate with pronounced dry seasons, all gardens
as standard errors tend to decrease with the number of observa- were additionally irrigated, mainly from the public water
tions and the models lose in degrees of freedom. We met this supply (81.9%). Additionally, 8.3% of the gardeners also
challenge by carefully selecting the explanatory variables based kept livestock, mainly honey bees.
on established literature and theory to avoid unnecessary factors. Regarding the time people spent in the garden, working
Furthermore, especially in applied sciences the economic signif- (84.3%), relaxing (78.7%), nature watching (56.5%) and
icance and effect sizes determine the importance of results be- socialising (38.9%) were the activities mentioned most often.
sides statistical significance (Ziliak and McCloskey 2004). As The home gardeners were frequently embedded in a larger
there is not much statistical evidence on the drivers of sustain- community of family and friends and other gardeners. In
ability in urban agriculture, our results can build a baseline of 30.6% of the cases, more than one person was active in the
departure for further modelling. garden. In addition, 38.9% of the gardeners indicated that six
or more of their friends and family members also gardened.
Further, 24.1% stated that three to five of their friends and
Results family members were involved in gardening. They used their
social network as a knowledge source (75.5%), to share seeds
Home gardening practice (35.1%), and to give the harvested food away to others
(94.7%). Table 2 in the appendix provides an overview of
Home gardening is well established in Pune. In 30% of the the summary statistics and the allocation of gardening vari-
cases, the garden existed for more than 10 years and in 33% of ables to composite indicators for urban sustainability.
Urban Ecosyst

Contribution to urban sustainability (garden type and size), socio-economic characteristics (gen-
der, age, education, household size, expenditures for food) and
For the analysis of the contribution of home gardens to urban motivation (food production, recreation and knowledge acqui-
sustainability, we aggregated gardening practice variables into sition) differed across sustainability benefits.
five composite indicators for each of the three sustainability The gardening community was characterised by a domi-
dimensions in line with the theoretical framework of sustain- nance of female gardeners (71.3%), older age groups (52%
ability benefits. Figure 4 shows the boxplots, mean values and between 46 and 65 years; 27% >65 years) and high education
standard deviations of each CI, the averaged aggregates for the levels (40% with higher secondary school/high school; 51.4%
environmental, economic and socio-cultural dimensions as university graduation). More than 85% of the interviewees
well as the overall sustainability as a range between 0 (‘not lived in Pune for more than 20 years. A slight majority of
contributing’) and 1 (‘fully contributing’). Overall, the results 56% of the gardeners had no occupation, being either pen-
showed that, on average, gardens contributed substantially sioners or unemployed. The average household was made
less to sustainability in the economic dimension (0.37) com- up of 3.8 persons, which is below the value of 4.6 for Indian
pared to the environmental (0.50) and socio-cultural dimen- urban areas according to official statistics. Although most re-
sions (0.52). When looking at the individual sustainability spondents only needed to spend a minor share of their income
benefits measured by the CI, larger variations were also ob- for food (37% spent less than 20%; 45% spent 20–40%), for
served within sustainability dimensions. Our figures showed 43% and 30% of them, the garden played a moderate or even
that home gardens in Pune contributed most to the environ- important role for their own nutrition (see summary statistics
mental benefits of local biodiversity conservation (Env4; in Table 1).
0.56) and clean production (Env5; 0.56) as well as to commu- We conducted a regression analysis to test the particular
nity building and empowerment, gender equity and social in- role of these explanatory factors on the contribution to urban
clusion (SoCu1; 0.56) and aesthetics of open green spaces sustainability. The majority of regression models (see Table 3
(SoCu3; 0.65). In contrast, low values were found for food in the appendix and Fig. 5) showed substantial explanatory
proximity and cost reductions (Econ2; 0.34), employment values, especially those for the CIs ‘Improvement of food
generation and household income (Econ5; 0.35), and local proximity and food cost reductions’ (Econ2 / adj. R2 =
economies (Econ1; 0.37). 0.300), ‘Contribution to local biodiversity conservation’
(Env4 / adj. R2 = 0.212) and most of socio-cultural CIs
Dependency from urban environment (SoCu2 / adj. R2 = 0.187; SoCu4 / adj. R2 = 0.203; SoCu5 /
and socio-demographic characteristics adj. R2 = 0.201). On the other hand, no statistically significant
explanation was found for Env1, Env2, Econ1, Econ3 and
The composite indicator (CI) values showed substantial vari- SoCu1 (according to F-tests on the full models, p > 0.05).
ations across the garden sample. Here, we hypothesised that Especially in those cases, unobserved and more complex re-
the influence of physical factors of the urban environment lationships must be considered.

Fig. 4 Contribution of home


gardens to urban sustainability
objectives (N = 108). Note:
outside values are excluded
Urban Ecosyst

Table 1 Summary statistics of explanatory variables

Variable Measure / Coding (normalised) Mean Std. N


value Dev.

Garden type BKG = 0; RTG = 1 0.40 0.49 108


Gender female = 0; male = 1 0.29 0.46 107
Age years categorised (<17 = 1, 18–29 = 2, 30–45 = 3, 46–65 = 4, > 65 = 5) 4.02 0.79 106
Education none = 0; primary = 1; secondary = 2; higher secondary = 3; graduation = 4; 4.42 0.67 106
post-graduation = 5
Household members number 3.84 1.73 107
Garden area size m2 (logarithmic) 5.45 1.19 103
Food spending (<20% = 1; 21–40% = 2; 41–60% = 3; 61–80% = 4; > 80% = 5) 3.08 1.03 107
Motivation food production (yes = 1; no = 0) 0.66 0.48 108
Motivation recreation (yes = 1; no = 0) 0.84 0.37 108
Motivation knowledge (yes = 1; no = 0) 0.63 0.49 108
acquisition

The regression results revealed that all three variable Whereas the type of garden showed only a mixed impact,
groups contributed to explaining CI value distributions. the garden size had a positive impact on six CIs. Among the

Fig. 5 Coefficient plots of the regression models (N = 100). Note: Markers indicate the coefficient estimate, whiskers the 90%-confidence interval. In
case the whisker does not cross the value zero (solid black line) the coefficient estimate is statistically different from zero on the 10% significance level
Urban Ecosyst

socio-economic factors, especially age and gender, gardeners hotspots. Besides the environmental and biodiversity benefits,
played an important role. According to the regression results, broad urban sustainability benefits in the socio-cultural di-
female and older gardeners carried out gardening practices, mensions have been found, such as aesthetic quality of urban
which enhanced sustainability benefits. Whereas gender af- green spaces, provision of recreational spaces and personal
fected mainly environmental and economic sustainability ben- well-being. This general picture of the prevalence of social
efits, age showed positive effects on socio-cultural aspects. and environmental benefits for UA primarily for private con-
The expenditures gardeners’ households spent on food sumption has been confirmed by the study by Schmutz et al.
showed a positive but limited effect on sustainability perfor- (2017). Public access to these private gardens is rather limited
mance, e.g., on the food proximity and cost CI. The most to the specific gardeners’ households and neighbours,
distinct explanatory values, however, were revealed for the representing a barrier to the wider environment (Alexander
gardeners’ motivations. Food production motivation positive- 2002). Nevertheless, the gardens are located in the direct vi-
ly contributed to food-related CIs, such as clean production, cinity of the living environment, which emphasises the role of
food proximity, and efficient and productive use of land or providing recreational value at least for the respective housing
conservation of traditional production systems. In contrast, environments, and contributing to place attachment, identity
recreation motivation had statistically significant and large and satisfaction with the neighbourhood (Clayton 2007).
positive effects on community building, provision of recrea- Mainly due to the large social networks of gardeners who
tional spaces and aesthetics of open green spaces. The moti- exchange knowledge, input and harvest, gardening activities
vation type ‘knowledge acquisition’ showed no statistically also contribute to the creation of social capital, which was
significant result. The coefficient plots in Fig. 5 provide an established by Cameron et al. (2012) in their review that also
overview of effect sizes and statistical significance of the ex- emphasised the importance of place attachment (Brook 2003).
planatory variables and illustrate differences in their influence The high degree of institutional organisation in gardening
across the sustainability dimensions. clubs and the long-term existence of the home gardens, on
average, for one or two decades additionally amplify the
community-building effect. This implies that the mentioned
Discussion urban sustainability benefits can also have a long-term effect
because they are based on developed structures and routines
In our study, we analysed the urban sustainability contribution and not on short-term trends. Here, the results are also in line
by home gardens in residential neighbourhoods in Pune with findings from other studies (Macias 2008).
(India). To this end, we adapted an established a theoretical Economic and cost considerations, e.g., for access to food,
framework to assess urban sustainability, specifically de- play only a minor role. As most of the gardeners were attrib-
signed for the urban agricultural context (Vásquez-Moreno uted to the Indian middle class, food insecurity and poverty
and Córdova 2013), and applied it empirically based on sur- issues were less relevant. In contrast to a number of other
vey data. The analytical approach, which subdivided three studies, not only in the global South (Eigenbrod and Gruda
sustainability dimensions into 15 sub-objectives, allowed for 2015), but also in Europe (Glavan et al. 2018), which found a
a detailed assessment of urban sustainability benefits. significant economic role in saving money on food, in our
Furthermore, expert and literature-based allocation of vari- study at hand, gardeners were less dependent on the produc-
ables to sustainability benefits was supported by a statistical tion of their own food crops; rather, gardens had recreational
weighting process to avoid the overestimation of certain value. Several studies have noted that people with higher in-
issues. comes, education levels or good access to markets can afford
The general picture is that home gardens mainly provide the luxury of using their gardens mainly for ornamentals
socio-cultural and environmental benefits, whereas contribu- (Caballero-Serrano et al. 2016; Clarke et al. 2014).
tions to economic sustainability are clearly less relevant. It is Regarding the relationship between socio-economic status
remarkable that the gardening practices are carried out explic- and species abundance, Caballero-Serrano et al. (2016) found
itly under an environmental focus, where gardeners deliber- a decrease in diversity with increasing income. Birol et al.
ately follow organic production schemes, knowledge- (2005) observed that the gardens of the most marginalised
intensive composting, cultivation and cropping techniques people exhibited the highest level of crop diversity.
and handle a large variety of plants and trees. As a conse- However, in times of species depletion through monoculture,
quence, garden management particularly supports gardens’ home gardens still contain spaces where biodiversity is con-
capacity to contribute to local biodiversity conservation and served, even though plant selection greatly depends on per-
environmental (food) production with low levels of agro- sonal preferences and the socio-economic background
chemical application. This confirms previous studies, such (Galluzzi et al. 2010). However, sharing of the harvest is very
those by Galluzzi et al. (2010) or Jaganmohan et al. (2012), frequent and plays at least an indirect role in the production of
that highlighted the role of home gardens as biodiversity social capital and community building.
Urban Ecosyst

Due to different spatial and building-structural conditions the perspective to broader urban sustainability issues. To this aim
of the home garden, either located in densified multi-story an analytical model has been applied, which connects garden
housing block areas or in more low-density bungalow areas, management practices with individual sustainability dimensions
there are substantial differences in the garden configuration, using a composite indicator approach. Due to the purposeful se-
which is most obviously manifested in the different garden lection of home gardens in middle-class inner-city housing areas,
types (backyard and kitchen or terrace and rooftop gardens) the results are first of all limited to this specific type of urban areas,
and sizes. Interestingly, the differences in urban sustainability social milieu and gardening practice. However, the general appli-
benefits across the garden sample, such as local biodiversity or cability of the chosen sustainability assessment approach allows
food proximity, were only partly explained by these physical for future studies to confirm the results for other types of urban
conditions. Regarding backyard and kitchen gardens of larger agriculture and other urban context.
sizes, their direct connection to the soil allows for a larger The main lesson learned from the Pune home garden study is
diversity of species habitats, ecological niches and a higher that home gardens mainly cover socio-cultural and environmen-
abundance and variation of plant types, especially trees. tal benefits, such as the improvement of aesthetic quality, recre-
In contrast, the individual gardener and households are in ational value and biodiversity conservation, whereas food provi-
the centre of the gardening activities and the contribution to sion or food cost reduction play a minor role. Here the gardening
the sustainability benefits. Our study also yielded insights into in the private realms shares strong similarities to public green
the gardening community, which was clearly female, highly spaces. The results provide a valuable information base for the
educated and of older age, with many gardeners retired from planning, design and management of productive green spaces. It
work. Particularly in the cases where the gardener was female, has the potential to improve decision-making processes, which
the contribution to sustainability was higher nearly throughout take the potential urban sustainability benefits of different types
all benefit types. In home gardens as extensions of the house- of home gardens and their management practices into
holds (Alexander 2002), women as managers of the house- consideration.
hold play an important role in gardening decision-making The conservation of existing home gardens and their inte-
(Kumar and Nair 2004) and custodians of the practice knowl- gration in the planning of new housing areas can help to con-
edge (Galluzzi et al. 2010). Even more pronounced is the tribute to urban sustainability goals. Due to this variability in
influence of the motivation of the individual gardener. First, type, size and management, the amount and diversity of edible
in contrast to findings from rural areas (Sangakkara and and non-edible trees and other plants and the opportunity to be
Frossard 2016), recreation represents the most frequently disconnected from unsealed surface, home gardens can be a
mentioned motivation. Second, strong differences between useful tool to conserve and manage urban green spaces. As
recreational and food production motivations were found re- highly managed elements of an urban green infrastructure,
garding the benefit types they drive. In the literature, (Clayton they contribute to a variety of ecosystem services, increase
2007; Draper and Freedman 2010), motivation is mainly con- the quality of life for close-proximity urban dwellers and rep-
sidered a driver for participation in gardening or as a result of resent important pockets for urban biodiversity – benefits also
socio-demographic characteristics (Martinho da Silva et al. beyond private realms. In addition, home gardens are very
2016). However, we were able to show that motivation also effective in creating networks and social capital and improv-
affects how the gardening practice is carried out and how this ing social cohesion in urban areas, which is contested by con-
contributes to the outcome. tinuing in-migration and social segregation.
Along with testing the approach in another urban context,
future work and a further application should also take the local
Conclusion demand into consideration, preferably through an additional
weighting factor of the urban sustainability indicators.
In rapidly growing and densifying cities and mega-cities, such as
Pune, especially in developing and transitional countries, green Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank FLOW social sci-
ences research organisation (http://www.flowindia.org/) for their kind
areas, environmental quality and the capacity to provide locally
support to conduct the survey among home gardeners.
demanded ecosystem services are increasingly under pressure.
New buildings and infrastructure are not only driving land-use Funding information This work was supported by a fellowship within
change at the urban fringe but also in existing housing areas; new the Postdoc-Program of the German Academic Exchange Service
investment-driven settlements often lack sufficient environmen- (DAAD).
tal quality from the beginning due to the loss of natural green
spaces and the underproduction of new ones. Compliance with ethical standards
There are many studies providing evidence on benefits of home
gardens in rural areas often focussing on the livelihood or food Conflict of Interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of
interest.
security issues. This study goes insofar a step forward as it widens
Appendix
Table 2 Summary statistics for garden variables (N = 108)
Urban Ecosyst

Composite Indicators of Urban Sustainability

Variable Measure / Coding (normalized) Mean Std. Env1 Env2 Env3 Env4 Env5 Econ1 Econ2 Econ3 Econ4 Econ5 SoCu1 SoCu2 SoCu3 SoCu4 SoCu5
value Dev.

Multiple people involved in 0 (no); 1 (yes) 0.31 0.46 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.16 0 0 0 0


the gardening
Employment of gardener 0 (no); 1 (yes) 0.51 0.50 0 0 0 0 0 0.11 0 0 0 0.25 0 0 0 0 0
Share of cultivation in soil metric in % (0–1) 0.52 0.33 0 0.13 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Share of cultivation in beds, metric in % (0–1) 0.45 0.33 0.03 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
boxes and buckets
Share of other cultivation metric in % (0–1) 0.02 0.11 0.04 0 0 0 0 0.13 0 0.14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
(e.g. hydroponic)
Cultivation on sealed surface 0 (no); 0.5 (partly); 1 (yes) 0.35 0.41 0 0.14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.09 0 0 0 0 0 0
Compost use 0 (no); 1 (yes) 0.88 0.33 0.15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.15 0.06 0 0 0 0 0 0
Use of soil from elsewhere 0 (no); 1 (yes) 0.19 0.39 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.06 0 0 0 0 0 0
Companion cropping 0 (no); 1 (yes) 0.29 0.45 0 0 0 0 0.07 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.08
Non-conflicting cropping 0 (no); 1 (yes) 0.45 0.50 0 0 0 0 0.15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Crop rotation 0 (no); 1 (yes) 0.40 0.49 0 0 0 0 0.16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.07
Organic fertilisation 0 (no); 1 (yes) 0.94 0.23 0.06 0 0 0 0.11 0.13 0 0.15 0.11 0 0 0.08 0 0 0.17
Non-organic/non-chemical 0 (no); 1 (yes) 0.27 0.45 0 0 0 0 0.18 0.08 0 0 0.10 0 0 0.09 0 0 0.10
fertilisation
Biological pest protection 0 (no); 1 (yes) 0.19 0.40 0 0 0 0.10 0.05 0.07 0 0 0.04 0 0 n0.07 0 0 0.07
Manual pest protection 0 (no); 1 (yes) 0.66 0.48 0 0 0 0 0.11 0.12 0 0 0.08 0 0 0.04 0 0 0.05
Manual/physical weed 0 (no); 1 (yes) 0.94 0.23 0.14 0 0 0 0.18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.11 0 0 0
protection
Can and sprinkler irrigation 0 (no); 1 (yes) 0.19 0.39 0.10 0.16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.13 0 0 0 0 0 0.08
Rainwater use from the 0 (no); 1 (yes) 0.08 0.28 0.12 0.15 0 0 0 0.06 0.17 0.12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.12
garden
Rainwater use from 0 (no); 1 (yes) 0.02 0.14 0.12 0 0 0 0 0.10 0.13 0.06 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.16
neighbouring buildings
Other non-public water 0 (no); 1 (yes) 0.05 0.21 0.13 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
source
Compost production 0 (no); 1 (yes) 0.84 0.37 0.11 0 0 0 0 0 0.06 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Garden as compost source 0 (no); 1 (yes) 0.75 0.44 0 0 0 0.09 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Organic waste from 0 (no); 1 (yes) 0.52 0.50 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
household as compost
Organic waste from 0 (no); 1 (yes) 0.28 0.45 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
neighbourhood as compost
Other organic waste sources 0 (no); 1 (yes) 0.05 0.21 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
for compost
Table 2 (continued)

Composite Indicators of Urban Sustainability

Variable Measure / Coding (normalized) Mean Std. Env1 Env2 Env3 Env4 Env5 Econ1 Econ2 Econ3 Econ4 Econ5 SoCu1 SoCu2 SoCu3 SoCu4 SoCu5
value Dev.

Number of vegetable and in quartiles (0; 0.33; 0.66; 1.0) 0.53 0.38 0 0 0 0.13 0 0 0.16 0 0.04 0 0 0 0 0 0
herb varieties
Number of fruit tree varieties in quartiles (0; 0.33; 0.66; 1.0) 0.55 0.36 0 0.17 0 0.04 0 0 0.17 0 0.10 0 0 0 0 0 0
Livestock keeping 0 (no); 1 (yes) 0.08 0.28 0 0 0 0.14 0 0 0 0 0.08 0 0 0 0 0 0
Ornamental 0 (no); 1 (yes) 0.75 0.44 0 0 0 0.14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.17 0 0
flowers/shrubs/bushes
Ornamental trees 0 (no); 1 (yes) 0.81 0.40 0 0.09 0 0.16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.15 0 0
Number of non-edible trees 0 (0); 0.25 (1–2); 0.5 (3–5); 0.75 0.89 0.25 0 0.17 0 0.03 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.21 0 0
(6–10); 1.0 (> 10)
Presence of sitting facilities 0 (no); 1 (yes) 0.57 0.50 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.10 0.12 0 0
and artwork
Presence of education 0 (no); 1 (yes) 0.10 0.30 0 0 0.14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.08 0 0.33 0
facilities
Presence of ecological 0 (no); 1 (yes) 0.67 0.47 0 0 0 0.16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.16 0 0
elements
Presence of greenhouse 0 (no); 1 (yes) 0.05 0.21 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.16 0 0.12 0 0 0 0 0 0
Garden work activity 0 (no); 1 (yes) 0.84 0.37 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.08 0 0 0
Socialising activity 0 (no); 1 (yes) 0.39 0.49 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.16 0.04 0 0 0
Nature watching activity 0 (no); 1 (yes) 0.56 0.50 0 0 0.09 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Art creation and meditation 0 (no); 1 (yes) 0.23 0.42 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.09 0.19 0 0
activity
Educational programmes as 0 (no); 1 (yes) 0.30 0.46 0 0 0.12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.03 0 0 0
knowledge s.
Consultancy as knowledge s. 0 (no); 1 (yes) 0.07 0.26 0 0 0.18 0 0 0.11 0 0 0 0.26 0 0.06 0 0 0
Friends and family as 0 (no); 1 (yes) 0.76 0.44 0 0 0.16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.12 0.11 0 0.33 0
knowledge s.
Books, internet and other 0 (no); 1 (yes) 0.63 0.49 0 0 0.16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.02 0 0 0
knowledge s.
Community and own 0 (no); 1 (yes) 0.58 0.50 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.15 0 0 0 0.08 0 0 0.33 0.10
propagation as seed s.
Shop and other seed source 0 (no); 1 (yes) 0.75 0.44 0 0 0 0 0 0.08 0 0 0 0.24 0 0 0 0 0
Years of gardening 0.25 (< 5); 0.5 (6–10); 0.75 0.47 0.27 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.17 0 0 0 0
(11–20); 1.0 (> 20)
Harvest sale 0 (no); 1 (yes) 0.07 0.26 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.25 0 0 0 0 0
Harvest donation 0 (no); 1 (yes) 0.95 0.25 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.16 0 0 0 0
Size of gardening community 0 (0); 0.25 (1–2); 0.5 (3–5); 0.75 0.59 0.30 0 0 0.16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.16 0 0 0 0
(6–10); 1.0 (> 10)
Urban Ecosyst
Urban Ecosyst

Table 3 Regression Models explaining 15 urban sustainability composite indicator values (N = 100)

Composite Indicators for Urban Sustainability

Env1 Env2 Env3 Env4 Env5 Econ1 Econ2 Econ3 Econ4 Econ5 SoCu1 SoCu2 SoCu3 SoCu4 SoCu5

Garden type β 0.00 −0.00 −0.04 −0.02 0.08 −0.01 0.03 0.03 0.06 −0.09 −0.06 0.02 −0.02 0.03 0.06
(BKG = 0; (p) (0.89) (0.88) (0.27) (0.55) (0.08) (0.80) (0.30) (0.34) (0.06) (0.04) (0.09) n(0.44) (0.72) (0.56) (0.04)
RTG = 1)
Garden area size β 0.00 0.02 −0.01 0.03 0.05 0.02 0.03 0.00 0.03 0.02 0.00 0.01 0.02 −0.03 0.02
(m2, logarithmic) (p) (0.85) (0.14) (0.54) (0.03) (0.08) (0.04) (0.04) (0.98) (0.03) (0.18) (0.58) (0.56) (0.21) (0.12) (0.06)
Gender (female = 0; β −0.03 −0.06 −0.05 −0.07 −0.08 −0.05 −0.09 −0.01 −0.05 −0.07 0.03 −0.05 −0.07 −0.08 −0.05
male = 1) (p) (0.32) (0.06) (0.20) (0.08) (0.11) (0.08) (0.01) (0.70) (0.11) (0.14) (0.42) (0.12) (0.12) (0.12) (0.13)
Age (years) β −0.01 0.01 0.00 0.02 0.08 0.00 0.03 −0.02 0.03 −0.05 −0.02 0.02 −0.00 0.06 0.04
(p) (0.69) (0.76) (1.00) (0.50) (0.01) (1.00) (0.11) (0.35) (0.06) (0.09) (0.24) (0.26) (0.88) (0.03) (0.02)
Education (none = 0; β −0.02 −0.02 −0.03 −0.05 −0.01 −0.01 −0.05 −0.04 −0.01 0.03 −0.03 −0.03 −0.07 −0.03 −0.02
Prim. = 1; (p) (0.41) (0.36) (0.28) (0.07) (0.68) (0.75) (0.06) (0.05) (0.58) (0.34) (0.30) (0.11) (0.03) (0.35) (0.41)
Sec. = 2; Higher
sec. = 3;
Grad. = 4;
Post-grad. = 5)
Household members β −0.00 0.01 −0.01 0.02 0.01 −0.00 0.02 0.00 0.01 −0.02 −0.00 0.00 0.00 0.02 0.01
(number) (p) (0.88) (0.51) (0.35) (0.09) (0.49) (0.62) (0.01) (0.76) (0.47) (0.06) (0.88) (0.70) (0.92) (0.07) (0.22)
Food expenditure β 0.01 −0.02 0.04 0.02 0.02 0.01 0.03 0.03 0.01 0.04 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.01 −0.00
(<20% = 1; (p) (0.50) (0.28) (0.06) (0.23) (0.52) (0.40) (0.06) (0.07) (0.69) (0.11) (0.86) (0.70) (0.94) (0.67) (0.97)
21–40% = 2;
41–60% = 3;
61–80% = 4; >
80% = 5)
Motivation food β 0.04 0.02 −0.01 0.08 0.11 0.03 0.09 0.01 0.09 −0.07 0.05 0.06 0.04 0.17 0.12
production (p) (0.15) (0.61) (0.80) (0.06) (0.03) (0.38) (0.01) (0.76) (0.01) (0.13) (0.20) (0.06) (0.36) (0.00) (0.00)
(yes = 1; no = 0)
Motivation β 0.03 0.06 0.11 0.09 0.01 −0.02 −0.04 −0.04 0.01 0.02 0.11 0.13 0.14 0.10 −0.00
recreation (p) (0.33) (0.13) (0.03) (0.08) (0.94) (0.71) (0.34) (0.37) (0.86) (0.72) (0.04) (0.00) (0.02) (0.14) (0.87)
(yes = 1; no = 0)
Motivation learning β 0.00 −0.00 0.04 −0.01 −0.01 0.04 −0.01 −0.00 0.00 0.07 0.03 0.02 0.01 −0.04 0.01
(yes = 1; no = 0) (p) (0.87) (0.94) (0.34) (0.80) (0.75) (0.22) (0.80) (0.89) (0.92) (0.12) (0.34) (0.56) (0.82) (0.39) (0.71)
Constant β 0.50 0.42 0.45 0.26 −0.19 0.20 0.05 0.60 0.04 0.24 0.61 0.37 0.70 0.30 −0.01
(p) (0.00) (0.01) (0.03) (0.24) (0.46) (0.24) (0.77) (0.00) (0.82) (0.34) (0.00) (0.02) (0.01) (0.28) (0.96)
Adjusted R2 0.00 0.04 0.09 0.21 0.17 0.05 0.30 0.06 0.17 0.11 0.08 0.19 0.12 0.20 0.20

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