Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
1204 results(12 / 49)
Challenges of Formation and Development of Legal System of Urban Agriculture
2024Farhang FaghihLarijani, Elaheh Amani Vamarzani · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Iran
This study investigated whether an independent legal system exists in urban areas of Iran to recognize, maintain, and develop urban agriculture. It found that despite urban laws recognizing agricultural activities, legislators have not enacted a comprehensive law specifically for urban agriculture, nor explicitly included it in urban land definitions. The study hypothesized that a primary challenge is the lack of a compatible legal framework.
Governance failurePolicyEconomicsCommunityDancing with foxes: More‐than‐human design in ‘the chicken city’
2024Catherine Oliver · Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers · United Kingdom (London)
This paper examines urban chicken-keeping in London, where urban spaces are transformed to accommodate chickens. It argues that the human-imposed design of urban barnyards is often impractical for chickens, leading to lawns being torn up, plants demolished, and vegetable patches consumed. Additionally, chickens are vulnerable to local foxes, highlighting that chickens' behaviors and territoriality often overflow their assigned space, challenging human design intentions.
Environmental trade-offsCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceBiodiversityUrban–rural linkageSocial prescribing of urban agriculture: The importance of minimizing risks from soil contamination
2024Luke Beesley, Michael Hardman · Cities · Global
This opinion piece discusses the potential risks of urban agriculture (UA) practices within Green Social Prescribing (GSP), particularly in post-industrial regions. It highlights barriers related to heavy metal-enriched urban soils, emphasizing the need for greater awareness and management of these risks. The piece provides recommendations for improving knowledge exchange on urban soils and risk in GSP contexts.
Contamination & food safetyHealthCommunityPolicyGREEN INFORMALITIES AS SOCIALLY JUST ECOLOGICAL INFRASTRUCTURE: Enduring with Dignity at the Edges of Resilient Development in Dhaka
2024Efadul Huq · International Journal of Urban and Regional Research · Bangladesh (Dhaka)
This article argues that in the global South, ecological infrastructure often displaces marginalized urban dwellers by erasing existing informal agricultural practices, or "green informalities." Based on research with urban farmers facing eviction in Dhaka, Bangladesh, it highlights that these green informalities are crucial for understanding grassroots practices and collective power-building. The study advocates for recognizing the political and affective dimensions of informal urban agriculture as a socially just ecological infrastructure that prioritizes justice and dweller agency.
Equity & displacementFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityWelfarePolicyEconomicsCommunity gardens support high levels of food production, but benefit distribution is uneven across the gardener community
2024Brenda B. Lin, Peter Bichier, Heidi Liere, Monika Egerer, Stacy M. Philpott, Shalene Jha · Sustainability Science · United States (California)
A study of 18 urban community gardens in Central Coast, California, USA, used gardener surveys and field measurements to evaluate food production and its distribution. Gardeners produced an average of four pounds of food per week, saving an estimated $16 USD weekly. However, gardeners with greater food insecurity (larger families or lower incomes) were not the largest producers, indicating uneven benefit distribution despite high overall productivity.
Equity & displacementCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsInvestigating the role of women producers in alternative food networks implementing organic farming in Berlin Brandenburg
2024Faiza Darkhani · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · Germany (Berlin)
A qualitative content analysis of interviews with active female respondents in community-supported agriculture, food cooperatives, and self-harvest gardens in Berlin Brandenburg revealed challenges faced by women in alternative food networks. Interviewees expressed optimism but emphasized the need for increased governmental support and community engagement, and the data highlighted demands for gender equality improvements and support mechanisms.
Equity & displacementCommunityCSA & TeikeiPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceUnderstanding the emerging phenomenon of food forestry in the Netherlands: An assemblage theory approach
2024Anna M. Roodhof · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · Netherlands
To map and analyze food forestry (FF) in the Netherlands, a survey of 109 participants and interviews with five experts were conducted, identifying 231 food forests established since 2017. The survey data indicates that while FF initiatives are diverse in goals, few focus on profitability. Practitioners are largely homogeneous, consisting of university-educated individuals aged 40 to 60.
Economic viabilityCommunityPolicyEconomicsUrban–rural linkageTackling Social Inequality in the City of Porto, Northern Portugal: Grassroots Horticultural Practices and the Desired City
2024Paula Mota Santos · Social Inclusion · Portugal (Porto)
Grassroots urban horticultural plots (hortas) in the Porto Metropolitan Area, Northern Portugal, are informal communities that have existed for decades, often involving over 20-30 people. However, these low-income urbanite horticultural communities are not cherished by city governance, which does not prevent their destruction. This incompatibility between urban governance and grassroots communities hinders the right to the city for the low-income urbanites who created them.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceHandmade Spaces: Creative Placemaking in a Local Neighborhood
2024Silvia Gullino, Heidi Seetzen · · United Kingdom (London)
This ethnographic research in a former Victorian square in South London examined how residents transformed derelict spaces, including creating two community gardens, over three decades. The study found that while informal, bottom-up practices shaped a vibrant urban culture, the neighborhood is now undergoing progressive gentrification. This gentrification reflects trends in other London neighborhoods, posing challenges to community initiatives.
Equity & displacementCommunityPolicyA review of food asset maps in Canada
2024Belinda Li, Tammara Soma, Raghava Payment, Srishti Kumar, Nicole Anderson, Flora Xu, Phonpoom Piensatienkul · Canadian Food Studies / La Revue canadienne des études sur l alimentation · Canada
This study reviewed and categorized 73 food asset maps in Canada based on their included food assets and design characteristics. Most maps included built environment assets like grocery stores and food banks, as well as agriculture-based natural food assets such as farms, community gardens, and orchards. However, representations of Indigenous-focused food assets and non-agriculture-based natural food assets like forests, water bodies, and foraging areas were generally lacking. This lack of Indigenous perspectives reinforces the values of a settler-colonial food system within food asset maps.
Equity & displacementCommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyEconomicsGreen Informalities as Socially Just Ecological Infrastucture: Enduring with Dignity at the Edges of Resilient Development in Dhaka
2024Huq, Efadul · Smith ScholarWorks (Smith College) · Bangladesh (Dhaka)
Research in Dhaka, Bangladesh, indicates that ecological infrastructure often erases existing informal agricultural practices, leading to the displacement of marginalized urban dwellers. Based on engaged research with a collective of urban farmers facing eviction, this paper argues that green informalities are crucial for understanding grassroots practices and can be appreciated as socially just ecological infrastructure.
Equity & displacementCommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyWelfareMarginalised agrarian traditions as a tool for climate justice
2024Finn Bell · Critical and Radical Social Work · United States (Ypsilanti)
This qualitative study explored how marginalized agrarian traditions can aid communities in surviving climate change, conducting in-depth interviews with 23 marginalized food growers and community leaders in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The study found that while growing food builds resilience to food insecurity and climate change, it is difficult due to land injustice. Policy implications include the need for housing justice, proactive planning for climate refuges, and reparations for land rematriation.
Equity & displacementCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changeGreen resilience: Securing life through vegetal being
2024Delf Rothe · Political Geography · United States (New York City)
This paper critically examines the concept of "green resilience" through a case study of various green resilience projects in New York City, including survivor trees, memorial groves, and community gardens. The study argues that these spaces function as key forms of state rule and biopolitical power, identifying three tensions or contradictions of green resilience as a form of biopolitical government: visibility and invisibility, knowledge and ignorance, and control and emergence.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceSoil quality in the urban gardens of Barcelona (Spain)
2024Cosimo Dondini, Xavier Úbeda, Giacomo Certini, Marcos Francos · Journal of Soils and Sediments · Spain (Barcelona)
This study analyzed soils from ten urban gardens in Barcelona, Spain, with a special focus on possible contaminants. Irrigation water was also analyzed, and some of the waters contained a high concentration of salts and nitrites, which are listed as a pollutant. While three tests for heavy metals did not attest to significant pollution, other toxic elements not considered in this study could come from road transport gases or the port of Barcelona. Overall, the soil quality was concluded to be suitable for growing vegetables.
Contamination & food safetyOrganic cycleHealthCommunityPemanfaatan Limbah Organik Pertanian Sebagai Media Tanam Pertanian Perkotaan (Urban Farming) Dalam Membangun Kemandirian Pangan di “Kampung Wisata Terpadu” Desa Mulyoagung, Kecamatan Dau, Kabupaten Malang
2024Tri Wahyu Nugroho, Aulia Luqman Aziz, Hery Toiba, Ahmad Imron Rozuli, Suyadi Suyadi · JAPI (Jurnal Akses Pengabdian Indonesia) · Indonesia (Malang)
This community service activity in Mulyoagung Village, Malang, Indonesia, aimed to empower the local economy through urban farming by utilizing organic waste such as cocopeat and polybags as growing media. The program successfully enabled the community to adopt urban farming concepts, proving its effectiveness in addressing shrinking agricultural land and strengthening the local economy. However, it is also noted that sources of materials, human resources, and market access are among the obstacles causing urban farming failures.
Economic viabilityOrganic cycleFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsCommunityGrowing together or growing apart? A study of food donation community garden programming during the COVID-19 pandemic
2024Moses Wanyakha, Nancy Grudens‐Schuck, Ann M. Oberhauser · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United States (Iowa)
This study investigated resilience and vulnerabilities in fresh produce donation partnership programs to food pantries in Iowa during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings revealed a significant decrease in labor hours during the pandemic years of 2020–2021, attributed to government policies and social distancing requirements. Volunteer shortages, donation inconsistency, and exclusionary community practices appeared to be inherent vulnerabilities of volunteer-based food donation programs.
Limited or null effectCommunityWelfareFood lossPolicyMANAJEMEN RISIKO RANTAI PASOK INTERNAL HORTIKULTURA SAWI (Studi Kasus: Buruan SAE “Mang Odedâ€, Kota Bandung, Jawa Barat)
2024Legenda Samuel Pardede, Tomy Perdana, Dhany Esperanza, Endah Djuwendah · Jurnal Agristan · Indonesia (Bandung)
This qualitative case study investigated the internal supply chain risk management for mustard greens (sawi) at the "Buruan SAE Mang Oded" urban farming group in Bandung City, Indonesia. Using the House of Risk method, the study identified 23 risk events and 23 risk agents within the supply chain, with 14 priority risk agents requiring control. The findings indicate significant challenges in managing the internal supply chain, suggesting that the current system faces numerous risks that hinder efficiency and effectiveness.
Economic viabilityCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsOota Kathegalu: Tracing the food stories of Bengaluru, India
2024Marthe L. Derkzen, Maitreyi Koduganti, Sheetal Patil, Parama Roy · · India (Bengaluru)
Bengaluru has transitioned from a "Garden City" to a "Global Technology Hub," resulting in food production being pushed out and productive lands converted to residential and commercial uses. This urbanization has led to rising land values, sharpening inequalities, and recurrent water insecurity. In response, new forms of urban farming, such as kitchen gardens and community farms, have emerged to mitigate space constraints and meet local food aspirations. This chapter will use participatory mapping, interviews, film, and photography to explore how Bengaluru residents from diverse backgrounds perceive food as cultural connections, community feelings, and environmental resilience.
Equity & displacementCommunityDIYFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageA profile of urban agricultural growers, organizations, their needs, and challenges in the Northeastern United States
2024Matthew L. Richardson, John Taylor, Megan J. Thompson, Anusuya Rangarajan, Mamatha Hanumappa, Neith G. Little · PLoS ONE · United States (Northeastern United States)
This online survey of 394 urban growers, primarily in the Northeastern United States, profiled growers and assessed urban agriculture's state, identifying needs and challenges. Most growers were white (non-Hispanic), under 45, well-educated but without agriculture degrees. Urban agriculture was dominated by small non-profits and home/community gardens. A critical finding is that urban growers face diverse barriers, with the most common being land availability and long-term access in urban areas, and many reported low revenue or operating at a net loss.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyEconomicsUrban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceImplementation of the Pancasila Student Profile Strengthening Project in Driving Schools in Alor Regency
2024Engelbertus Nggalu Bali, Cornelia Theresia Asamal, Vanida Mundiarti · Early Childhood Education Development and Studies (ECEDS) · Indonesia
This descriptive qualitative study observed the transformation of a campus teaching program strengthening the Pancasila student profile in early childhood education in Alor Regency, Indonesia. Data was collected through observations and interviews with 3 principals and 1 teacher in 4 driving schools. The study found that challenges included media limitations, unstable electricity and network conditions, and teachers' understanding of modules and assessments.
Governance failureFood educationCommunityConstrucción del sujeto colectivo: utilidades sociales de los huertos urbanos comunitarios
2024Lucas López Sosa, Gloria E. Casanova Molina · Revista Temas Sociológicos · Spain (Barcelona), Chile
This ethnographic study conducted in Barcelona and Santiago de Chile comparatively analyzed the social utilities, conflicts, and tensions faced in the daily management of urban community gardens. The study found significant symbolic and practical similarities between the gardens in both cities, despite geographical and cultural differences, highlighting their value as tools for urban and social regeneration.
Governance failureCommunityWelfareA Comprehensive Review on Evolution, Challenges of Models, Opportunities in Urban Farming Practices in the World
2024Anushi Anushi, A. Krishnamoorthi, Jitendra Chaurasia, Bijay Kumar Baidya, Abhishek Singh, Sapna, Vijay Kumar, Anushka Singh · Journal of Scientific Research and Reports · Global
This review explores the historical evolution and diverse models of urban farming, highlighting their contributions to food security, environmental sustainability, and community resilience. Challenges faced by urban farmers include limited space, soil contamination, regulatory hurdles, and access to resources.
Contamination & food safetyCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changePolicyEconomicsFrom Planetary Core to the High Seas
2024Mary Mattingly · Intellect eBooks · Global
This essay shares two research practices stemming from the author's seven-year engagement with extractive supply chains for specific objects. Swale is a floating food forest that uses the common law of the waterways as a loophole to do what was illegal on common land, highlighting governance challenges within existing systems.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityUrban–rural linkageUrban Farming, Planning and Environmental Jurisprudence in Delhi
2024Anubhav Pradhan · South Asia Research · India
This article analyzes the recalibration of justice for agrarian communities along the Yamuna in Delhi. Following a 2015 ban on edible crop farming by India's apex environmental court, the Delhi Development Authority has conducted multiple demolition drives for nearly a decade to evict farmers and clear land for redevelopment. The ongoing contentions involving farmers, planning agencies, and the judiciary in this region are symptomatic of the erosion of social justice in urbanizing India.
Governance failurePolicyCommunityUrban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justicePrincipais problemas da agricultura urbana e pontos de alavancagem
2024Juan Camilo Fontalvo Buelvas, Maria Teresa Pulido Silva, Miguel Ángel Escalona Aguilar · Magazine Portal Bibliotech Digital (Universidad Nacional de Colombia) · Global
This bibliographic review identified the main problems of urban agriculture and actions for sustainability. The study found that the primary deficiencies in urban agriculture are inadequate management practices, a lack of organization, and absent or inefficient public policies. Key leverage points for change include agroecology, policies for land access and sustainable financing, and dissemination processes.
Governance failurePolicyEconomicsCommunityFood sovereignty & justice