Hi, Daniel--
Many of us have found that the only honest answer to such input/output
questions is, "It depends . . . . "
To show you what I mean, let's start with possible ways to calculate
"input": Is all of the infrastructure for the community garden already
in place--and if so, do you plan to amortize its original cost over a
certain number of years? Do you need to account for maintenance, or
periodic repairs and replacements? Do you want to assign a dollar value
to the labor of your volunteers and/or individual plot holders? How many
months does your particular garden's "growing season" span--and what
crops can be grown there, at what spacing, and in what sort of
succession? Do the gardeners tend their own plots, or work collectively?
What can be sown directly, by seed or sets? Are transplants started
under lights by the gardeners themselves, or purchased from a grower, or
received as donations? What ancillary expenses (e.g., for water,
insurance, etc.) should be included in the total cost? "The list," as
they say, "goes on and on."
Calculating inputs may be the easy part, though. For my money (grin),
how to measure the total value of a garden's "output" is the real
conundrum: after all, community gardens are, by definition, social
institutions designed to yield benefits far beyond what can be valued in
dollars alone. I wonder: are you perhaps seeking a formula to help you
deal with someone who is persuaded that the value of a community garden
is defined by the market value of its produce (and that, to be viable,
its measurable outputs must exceed measurable inputs)? The more we know
about what lies behind your question, the better the answers that you'll
receive from our gurus. My personal advice? Avoid getting tangled up in
justifications based solely on inputs and outputs in the first place.
Best wishes,
--Dick
484-883-7309
Daniel Bowman Simon wrote:
has anyone run the numbers on the economic return on investment from
community gardens?
i know that farming concrete has measured crop output, but they have not yet
measured input (seeds, plants, etc.)
thanks,
daniel
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The American Community Gardening Association listserve is only one of ACGA's
services to community gardeners. To learn more about the ACGA and to find out
how to join, please go to http://www.communitygarden.org
To post an e-mail to the list: community_garden@list.communitygarden.org
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