Despite the fact that households including an adult with a disability report food-insecurity rates as high as 33.9 % in 2023, disabled individuals are rarely included in community gardening or urban agriculture, most notably due to accessibility assumptions and barriers. 

 

This exclusion means Disabled people are significantly more

likely to be disconnected from food-growing practices and participation in interdependent community-based self-reliance. 

 

Community food cultivation deepens social connections and

lessens isolation, something Disabled people experience at higher rates. Additionally, there are numerous studies that substantiate the significant boosts in mental health, mood, and quality of life that gardening provides.