Forum: Community gardens for growing not only plants but also relationships
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The article “ ‘Disappointed, angry’: Theft at allotment garden plots in Singapore riles up some gardeners
While the frustration over theft is understandable, what happened also invites a deeper conversation about the purpose and accessibility of such gardens.
Allotment and community gardens are intended to promote environmental awareness, wellness and neighbourliness. Yet, as they are currently implemented, these spaces often feel like the privilege of a few, allocated to those who manage to secure a plot through balloting. These plots are sometimes behind locked gates, while others look in from the outside.
This risks turning a potentially inclusive public good into an individualised, even exclusive, pursuit.
Rather than focusing on individual ownership or productivity, we should reframe these gardens as community infrastructure, spaces that bring residents together, create shared experiences, and cultivate social capital.
Community gardening should be an open and welcoming activity, fostering a spirit of cooperation, not competition or grievance.
In doing so, we would restore the original intent of these spaces, which is to grow not only plants, but also relationships.
Samuel Chng
