Garden Biome Project

Earth’s biodiversity plays a crucial role in human well-being by supporting food security, climate regulation, and disease prevention. However, urbanization is accelerating biodiversity loss, resulting in negative impacts on health. Rewilding, the process of restoring lost biodiversity can enhance food quality and increase exposure to beneficial microbes essential for health. The Garden Biome Project investigates the connections between biodiversity, microbial ecology, human health, urban agriculture, and education. Their research focuses on developing biodiversity gardens in urban environments to restore microbial diversity, improve the nutritional quality of fruits and vegetables, and encourage human interaction with nature. They predict that these gardens will enhance health by increasing exposure to beneficial microbes and producing phytochemically rich fruits and vegetables, recognized by their vibrant colors. They hypothesize that these improvements will diversify the gut microbiome, aiding disease prevention and promoting overall physical and mental well-being. This project aims to make a meaningful social impact at BYU by using biodiversity gardens as educational hubs, fostering a sense of community, and addressing food insecurity among college students. 

Aims 

• Promote "rewilding” to improve biodiversity of plants, soil, and microbes in Urban Environments. 
• Improve human health through providing fruits and vegetables grown in these rewilded plots. 
• Increase education of biology through the maintenance of these gardens and through public outreach.