Previous research has suggested that activities such as community gardens could offer a wide range of health benefits. The aim of the article is to systematically review the available literature to analyse the magnitude of the phenomenon, the geographical distribution, and the main characteristics in terms of health outcomes and target populations. The search addresses the question whether the activity in community gardens improves health and well-being outcomes of individuals. From the total amount of 7226, 84 selected articles showed that:(1) up to 50% are published by U.S. universities or institutions; (2) up to 44% of the studies considered “community gardens” as the main activity of the research focus; (3) one-third of the studies included adults; (4) almost 25% of the studies used “general health” as the main outcome when investigating the benefits of community gardens; (5) the percentage of studies that achieved their outcomes was heterogeneous among the different health dimensions. In conclusion, while a certain degree of heterogeneity in the used definition and outcome still exist, community gardens may be a viable strategy for well-being promotion in terms of psychological, social, and physical health and may be considered as an innovative urban strategy to promote urban public health.

Le rôle fondamental de la préservation et de la sauvegarde de l’agro-biodiversité est caché dans la relation entre la nature et la culture. L’article vise à présenter deux cas spécifiques, les projets de l’Arche du Goût et des Sentinelles, promus par l’association Slow Food International dont l’ambition est de préserver les races autochtones et les variétés végétales locales, de soutenir les produits de qualité, les territoires, les écosystèmes fragiles et/ou complexes, en récupérant les méthodes de transformation traditionnelles. Grâce à une action intersectorielle et à une analyse intégrée des écosystèmes, y compris les composantes naturelles et anthropiques, il sera donc possible de renforcer la diversité biologique.