Research & reports

Nicola Silvestri, E. Bonari · CINECA IRIS Institutial research information system (University of Pisa) · Italy

Focusing on the area around Lake Massaciuccoli in Tuscany, Italy, this paper discusses the relationship between the management of peri-urban agricultural land — the transition zone between city and countryside — and the lake's eutrophication problem. It argues that proper management of the extensive agricultural areas within this heavily anthropized territory could contribute significantly to resolving the lake's eutrophication through management and structural interventions, while noting that partially reorganizing existing agricultural models carries both cost and difficulty.

Cezary Kabała, T. Chodak, L. Szerszeń, Anna Karczewska, Katarzyna Szopka, Urszula Fratczak · Fresenius environmental bulletin · Poland (Wroclaw)

An analysis of 180 allotment garden soils in Wroclaw, Poland, found that concentrations of Cu, Pb, and Zn (12.5-659 mg Pb kg-1, 38.1-2103 mg Zn kg-1, 12.9-595 mg Cu kg-1) were influenced by industrial pollution sources, organic matter, pH, and macronutrients. Soils in gardens on former housing or industrial areas had significantly higher metal concentrations. Up to 35% of soils in the city zone were excessively contaminated, making them unsuitable for vegetable and fruit production and requiring reclamation.

AÇIKSÖZ Sebahat · Tarım Bilimleri Dergisi · Turkey (Bartın)

This study investigated whether urban agriculture activities in Bartın, Turkey, could be organized as a cluster according to Cluster Growth Theory, and examined its cluster characteristics as part of the TR-26 Bartın Regional Development Project. While urban agriculture in Bartın was identified as having cluster characteristics and growth potential, the study found that a fundamental problem for its future development is weak coordination and cooperation among stakeholders. It proposes a model for urban agriculture activities for a "Bartın Urban Initiative" at the city level.

Lucette Laurens · Journal for Geography · France

This inquiry examines peri-urban agricultural spaces in Languedoc-Roussillon and the Montpellier agglomeration, France, which are characterized by a decline in agricultural activities and abandonment. These spaces are confronted with new, uncertain, and innovative dynamics, appearing as multifunctional spaces that need to be re-invented. The study highlights the paradox of these areas caught between appropriation for different uses and agricultural decline.

Samuel Martín, Nathalie Bertrand, Nicole Rousier · Géographie Économie Société · France (Rhône-Alpes)

This paper examines spatial planning documents in two Rhône-Alpes city regions, France, as a tool for regulating land use conflicts in peri-urban agricultural areas under urbanization pressure. The analysis highlights rising tensions between local actors and suggests that agriculture is instrumentalized by spatial planning policies at the inter-communal level. At the communal level, local plans manage neighborhood and land ownership conflicts.

C. Paul Nathanail, Caroline McCaffrey, Naomi Earl, Neil D. Foster, A. G. Gillett, Richard Ogden · Human and Ecological Risk Assessment An International Journal · United Kingdom

This paper describes a deterministic method for deriving Site-Specific Assessment Criteria (SSAC) in the UK for human health risks from chronic exposure to heavy metals, metalloids, and organic substances in soil. The SSAC indicates soil concentrations above which unacceptable health risks may occur, considering standard and non-standard land uses and various exposure pathways. The method is not intended to generate or replace UK Soil Guideline Values, as this is the responsibility of UK authoritative bodies.

B. Jankiewicz, B. Ptaszyński · Polish Journal of Environmental Studies · Poland

This study determined the levels of bioavailable and total chromium (III) and chromium (VI) in the soil of an allotment garden located in the center of Łódź, Poland. Chromium was measured using the spectrophotometric method and atomic absorption spectrometry. The research also examined the effects of iron and copper ions on the determination results.

Anne C. Bellows · Food and Foodways · Poland

Polish allotment gardeners collectively represent the largest land managers in Poland, with a formalized urban allotment food production system dating back to 1997. This system, combining local and national government policy with NGO management and private use, provides a model for food security and urban open space. However, this arrangement also creates ongoing tension among stakeholders and a contentious debate regarding the private and public uses of urban land.

Tanja Pless‐Mulloli, Vivienne S. Air, Catherine Vizard, Ian Singleton, D. L. Rimmer, Philip Hartley · Epidemiology · United Kingdom

A study in an urban, industrial allotment site in the UK's northeast assessed the potential for public health impact related to soil contamination by taking 86 soil samples and analyzing vegetables and eggs. All 18 initial soil samples exceeded UK guidelines for lead (median 869 mg/kg) and arsenic (median 40 mg/kg), and widespread contamination with PCDD/F was also found. Despite high soil contamination, the uptake of lead and arsenic into vegetables and eggs was low, and these were not deemed major exposure pathways.

Clare Rishbeth · Journal of Urban Design · United Kingdom (London)

This paper investigates how urban greenspace can be designed and managed to reflect ethnic diversity and how this is perceived by users, using two case studies of community gardens in London. It found some differences in the response to the gardens by people from different ethnic backgrounds. The use of obvious symbolism was not necessarily a primary means of encouraging users from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds, though appreciated for educational and design strengths. Concern is expressed about aspects of the physical and psychological containment of ethnic groups in fixed places and identities leading to the perpetuation of stereotypes.

Tanja Pless‐Mulloli, Karen L. Foster, J Bush · Epidemiology · United Kingdom (Newcastle upon Tyne)

Investigations in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, analyzed the extent and consequences of disposing 2000 tons of incinerator ash on over forty allotments. Soil, egg, and vegetable samples (75 soil, 21 egg, 65 vegetable) revealed contamination of footpaths with dioxin/furan (max 9000 ng/kg I-TEQ) and high levels of copper, lead, and zinc. Mean dioxin/furan levels in soil were 38 ng/kg I-TEQ and in eggs were 16.4 ng/kg I-TEQ, indicating significant contamination and potential exposure pathways for allotment gardeners and children.

N. Bertrand, Nicole Rousier · HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe) · France (Grenoble)

In the Grenoble urban region, agriculture holds relatively minor economic importance despite the region's strong technological development. However, the region's 2000 master plan assigned an essential role to farming. Peri-urban agriculture is a key issue in planning policies, engaging local officials, planners, and farming community representatives, but its economic weight remains low.

Nathalie Bertrand, Nicole Rousier · Revue de géographie alpine · France (Grenoble)

This study analyzed the economic role of agriculture in the Grenoble urban region, France. From an economic perspective, agriculture was considered an activity of relatively minor importance in this region, known for its strong technological development. However, in the regional master plan approved in 2000, farming occupies an essential position. The study aimed to understand the role of peri-urban agriculture in the preparation of the urban region's development plan by specifying its assigned functions and analyzing how agriculture has been considered in regional plans.

Joe Howe · Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning · United Kingdom

This article explores the neglect of research concerning food grown within urban areas and its land-use policy implications. It details findings from a UK study on land-use policy and urban agriculture, investigating land-use officials' attitudes and knowledge of urban food production and the regulatory framework used. The article concludes that despite extensive urban agriculture practice, its urban land-use policy implications require more attention from both land-use officials and researchers than previously given.

Jean-Noël Consalès · Rives méditerranéennes/Rives méditerranéennes · Europe

This study examines allotment gardens in Marseille, Genoa, and Barcelona and finds that, although urban agriculture is potentially at stake in these cities, allotments struggle to establish themselves within complex urban contexts. Their actual function appears limited: their social role is often overestimated, while their environmental and landscape significance remains largely neglected.

B. Jankiewicz, B. Ptaszyński, Michael Wieczorek · Polish Journal of Environmental Studies · Poland (Lodz)

This study presents the results of lead determination in the soils of six allotment gardens located in various parts of Lodz. Lead was measured spectrophotometrically in the form of pink lead(II) dithizonate.

J.J. Tolron · HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe) · Europe

This article examines peri-urban agriculture, which is subject to land constraints imposed by nearby cities. Two case studies in the Mediterranean region illustrate that adaptations to the peri-urban context trigger radical changes in agricultural systems' functioning rationale, leading to sometimes paradoxical operations. The study emphasizes the diversifying effect on systems and the challenges linked to land management.

Candan Kuş · · Turkey (Ankara)

A study in Yenimahalle District, Ankara, evaluating multiple schools including 80 primary schools, assessed the importance of school gardens and their place within the urban open-green space system. The findings revealed that many school gardens were unsuitable for use by teachers and students, being narrow, containing only ceremonial areas and a few plants, and lacking sufficient furnishing elements. It was also observed that additional buildings further narrowed school gardens, and insufficient attention was given to recreation areas, sports areas, and green spaces.

B. Jankiewicz, B. Ptaszyński, Michael Wieczorek · Polish Journal of Environmental Studies · Poland (Łódź)

This study determined cadmium in the soil of six allotment gardens in Łódź, located in areas with different traffic patterns (city center and suburbs). Cadmium was detected in the form of cadmium (II) dithizonate using the extraction-spectrophotometric method. This research indicates the presence of cadmium contamination in urban allotment garden soils.

M.J. Zwankhuizen, Francine Govers, J.C. Zadoks · Phytopathology · Netherlands

A study in Southern Flevoland, Netherlands, from 1994 to 1996, assessed inoculum sources of potato late blight. It found that 74% of early disease foci in commercial potato fields were linked to nearby infested refuse piles. Infected seed tubers, volunteer plants, and infested allotment gardens appeared to be of minor importance for late blight development in potato fields. However, in August 1994, infested organic potato fields became major mid-season infection sources, spreading the disease to adjacent conventional fields.

M. Krelowska‐Kulas · Food / Nahrung · Poland (Kraków)

An investigation using atomic absorption spectroscopy in Kraków, Poland, found that vegetables from urban allotment gardens had average levels of lead, cadmium, copper, zinc, and iron several times higher than control samples from farms 100 km away. In some cases, maximum levels of certain elements approached the admissible limit. However, average levels of lead and cadmium in pigs and cattle showed no reason for objection.

P. van Lune · Netherlands Journal of Agricultural Science · Netherlands

A study analyzed cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) in soils and crops from 57 allotment gardens in potentially contaminated areas of the Netherlands. The median Cd and Pb concentrations in the soil samples were found to be higher than those in soils used for arable farming and horticulture. However, Cd and Pb concentrations in the crops themselves were normal.

Howard J. Atkinson, Naomi Gibson, Harry C. Evans · Plant Pathology · United Kingdom (Leeds)

A survey of 140 growers across 12 allotment sites around Leeds, UK, identified a wide range of crop pests, with brassicas, potatoes, and carrots being more frequently damaged. Soil samples from 33 plots at 10 established sites and 6 plots at 2 new sites revealed potentially damaging levels of pale potato cyst nematode in 21 and 1 plots, respectively. Widespread overwintering populations of carrot fly larvae and pupae were also found in soil samples from eight sites.

Bundesverfassungsgericht · Bundesverfassungsgericht (DFR, Universität Bern) · Germany

The First Senate judgment of the Federal Constitutional Court of 12 June 1979 (docket 1 BvL 19/76). It held that the combination of a blanket bar on termination, narrowly enumerated grounds, mandatory administrative approval and price control under the 1944 protection ordinance and the 1969 amending act was incompatible with the property guarantee of Article 14 of the Basic Law as it applied to private landlords. Section 1(3) of the 1944 ordinance and section 2(2) of the 1969 act were declared void for breaching rule-of-law principles. The court reasoned that allotments had shifted from subsistence necessity to recreational use, weakening the social justification for restrictions of that breadth.

E. F. Schumacher · Blond & Briggs · United Kingdom

E.F. Schumacher's 1973 book challenges the mainstream "bigger is better" economic ethos, advocating small, "appropriate" technologies as an alternative. Its four parts cover the modern economy, resources, the developing world, and organization/ownership; in 1995 the Times Literary Supplement named it one of the 100 most influential books since World War II.