If you're not familiar with urban agriculture, it might be quite hard to tell the difference between a collective and community garden at first glance. In our time in Montreal, we encountered three major organizational models for urban agriculture. The first is the community garden which is typically established as a membership-based nonprofit with assigned individual garden plots. Community gardens typically have a long wait list--two years or more in many neighborhoods--but allow a degree of autonomy and freedom in growing culturally relevant and useful foods. Community gardens are administered typically by a board that contains a President, Vice President, and Treasurer. Listen below to hear more about how one garden--La Pointe Verte in Pointe-Saint-Charles--is structured.
The next type of urban agriculture organization is a collective , which is managed by a group of individuals according to an agreed upon structure. Rather than individual plots, the garden members work together to decide what to plant and they provide work in exchange for some of the garden's produce and the learning experience it provides. Typically, collectives make decisions in a more horizontal leadership structure. Rather than a President or other positions, collectives tend run the garden through specializations as opposed to official hierarchy. See below as Alexandre from Miel Montreal explains the structure of their beekeeping collective. Apologies, the audio is a bit windy at times.
The next type of model for urban agriculture is the business model. We will delve more into the nuances of the profit motive as it relates and contrasts with the collective and non-profit structures detailed here.
Adam
Adam
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