The Impact of Urban Farming on Psychological Well-being in University Settings

Growing food and non-food crops in and near cities contributes to healthy communities by engaging residents in work and recreation that improves individual and public well-being. Apart from the promotion of food security and physical urban environments, urban farming brings significant mental benefits to individuals and their communities. This article focuses on striking awareness of mental health gain in terms of implementing urban farming activities in the setting of universities.

Beyond the obvious advantages of urban farming regarding food supply and physical environment, urban farming has also been recognized as beneficial to mental health improvement. As study concludes, urban farming activities such as a community garden help people in bringing “recovery from stress and fatigue, increased self-esteem, improved life satisfaction and better social networks” (Soga et. al, 2017). Furthermore, several psychological theories support farming’s positive impact on mental health. The biophilia hypothesis (Erich Fromm, 1973; Edward O. Wilson, 1984) suggests that there is an innate tendency for humans to feel intimate with nature, and thus activities like urban farming allows for reconnection to this primal affinity. As a result, engaging with plants and the natural environment has been shown to reduce stress, improve mood, and increase overall well-being.

Particularly, as National Farm to School Network claims, “farm to school” appears as a triple win for students, farmers, and the community. In the context of universities, academic pressures and all kinds of life pressures can negatively influence students’ mental health. Thus, urban farming becomes a valuable channel to promote psychological wellbeing and retrieve emotional balance.

Figure 1: Image credit: The Launch of NYU Florence’s Community Farm, Villa La Pietra

The hands-on nature of farming activities pulls people from the rigors of academic routine, offering students a way of refreshment and decompression. In November 2023, we held a seed-starting workshop at NYU Shanghai and found its positive reception a demonstration of how urban farming contributes to the university community. We observed the hands-on experiences (container cutting, soil mixing, seed planting, etc.) engaged students to a great extent, with students describing it as “satisfying”. We interpret this phenomenon as a result of (1) physical pleasure of touching and playing with soft material, (2) urban students’ scarcity of exposure to growing materials (mud, seed), and (3) a shift of attention from academic tasks, which carry heavy pressure and purpose, to something relaxing and less purposeful.

In addition to individual well-being, urban farming shows great potential in its collective impact on the university community. Because of the easy access, students, faculty and staff can all come together to care for lands and plants. Therefore, a community spirit is fostered, creating shared goals and memories regardless of social hierarchies’ barriers. This sense of community profoundly contributes to the university population’s overall mental health.

Figure 2: Seed-starting workshop at NYU Shanghai (soil mixing)

Figure 3: Seed-starting workshop at NYU Shanghai (student planting)

However, some challenges exist despite all the positive voices. With a large body of young populations, safety and equity stand out as critical concerns needing to be considered and addressed. In addition, a good participation in urban farming in universities requires proper marketing and engaging strategies, as related activities can easily be regarded as pristine or non-academic. Therefore, it is essential to highlight the educational and holistic benefits of urban farming in university settings. In the end, we still envision universities playing a crucial role in not only cultivating academic successors, but also crops and balanced minds.

Written by: Eadin Wang and Freddie Yang