Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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833 results(13 / 34)
Land Tenure Security and Urban Agriculture: Focusing on the Vegetable Cultivation in Morogoro Municipality, Tanzania
2022Betty Mntambo · Huria Journal of the Open University of Tanzania · Tanzania (Morogoro Municipality)
This study examined land tenure security in urban agriculture among 69 male and female vegetable farmers in Morogoro Municipality, Tanzania, using snowball sampling and a cross-sectional design. Findings revealed that farmers access land informally by renting from legal landowners, with social relationships determining tenure security. Land tenure insecurity negatively affects vegetable cultivation and generates uncertainty and animosity between farmers and landlords.
Governance failurePolicyEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceCultivating inclusive public space with urban gardens
2022Melissa Anna Murphy, Peter E. Parker, Margot Hermus · Local Environment · Global
This article aims to unpack how urban settings, organizational forms, and municipal enabling affect urban gardening (UG) practices towards inclusion in public space. It draws on urban commons theory and research on inclusion in public space to understand multi-faceted UG governance and its exclusionary aspects. A comparative analysis of UG initiatives in three Northern European municipalities explores both municipal enabling and the co-production of inclusive public space.
Equity & displacementCommunityPolicyHealthLow resource availability drives feeding niche partitioning between wild bees and honeybees in a European city
2022Joan Casanelles‐Abella, Simone Fontana, Bertrand Fournier, David Frey, Marco Moretti · Ecological Applications · Switzerland (Zurich)
This study in 23 urban gardens in Zurich, Switzerland, examined feeding niche partitioning between wild bees and honeybees. Researchers found that feeding niche partitioning increased with wild bee species richness and in sites with lower landscape-scale resource availability, which also had lower honeybee abundances. However, beekeeping intensity at local and landscape scales did not directly influence community feeding niche partitioning or wild bee species richness, suggesting direct competition for resources was not a main driver for the wild bee community.
Environmental trade-offsBiodiversityPollinatorsCommunityCommunity-Supported Agriculture Networks in Wales and Central Germany: Scaling Up, Out, and Deep through Local Collaboration
2022Bernd Bonfert · Sustainability · Wales
This paper investigated local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) networks in Wales and Germany using semi-structured interviews and observations. It found that local collaboration enables CSAs to integrate supply chains, engage communities, and participate in food councils. However, the study also revealed competitive tensions between neighboring CSAs, which presents a previously unknown challenge to CSA's potential scalability.
Economic viabilityCSA & TeikeiCommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceSunlight, Soil & Shit (De)Cycle - Exhibtion
2022Ionat; id_orcid 0000-0001-9080-2282 Zurr, Oron; id_orcid 0000-0002-2893-5364 Catts · UWA Profiles and Research Repository (University of Western Australia) · Australia
The "Sunlight, Soil & Shit (De)Cycle" project, presented by SymbioticA in February 2022, is a performative experiment exploring agricultural technology (AgTech) and its aim to remove natural elements like sunlight, soil, and organic waste from food production. This project considers whether the precursor to sustainable food systems will be the creation of a metabolic rift, where the means of production grow ever distant from nature. It highlights a critical environmental tradeoff by questioning the separation of humans from nature in technological farming.
Environmental trade-offsDigital agricultureCommunityOrganic cycleFood sovereignty & justiceProspects for the use of apple tree species from the collection of the GBS RAS in landscaping
2022Victоria Kryuchkova, Vitaly Donskih, Yuri Gorbunov, Tatiana Aniskina, О. С. Волкова · АгроЭкоИнфо · Russia (Moscow)
This 2011-2022 study at the MBG RAS laboratory in Moscow, Russia, assessed 20 wild apple tree species for their landscaping potential. While Malus baccata, M. neidzwedzkyana, M. x zumi, M. sargentii, and M. mandshurica were identified as promising for urban conditions, M. ioensis showed low frost resistance and M. fusca and M. sievesii were susceptible to scab infestation, limiting their suitability for urban gardening in Moscow.
Limited or null effectBiodiversityDIYSystematization of the Environmental Educational Experience: The Home/School Garden as a Strategy to Address Food Security in the Post-COVID-19 Confinement School
2022Claudia Marcela Puerto Layton · Interdisciplinary Journal of Environmental and Science Education · Colombia
This article reports the systematization of an experience with home/school gardens in an educational institution in Bogotá, involving high school students (seventh and eighth grades) in face-to-face and remote modalities. Results include the reconstruction of the strategy and didactic process, highlighting aspects that affect or support the educational process in each modality. Reflections with students indicated that while home gardens can contribute to food security, pesticides can pose a risk to food security in Colombia.
Contamination & food safetyFood educationFood sovereignty & justiceHealthCommunityDeterminants Affecting Public Intention to Use Micro-Vertical Farming: A Survey Investigation
2022Yiming Shao, Zhugen Wang, Zhiwei Zhou, Haojing Chen, Yuanlong Cui, Zhenghuan Zhou · Sustainability · Global
Vertical farming faces challenges such as high energy consumption, costs, and a lack of social acceptance. This study investigated public acceptance of micro-vertical farming using a deconstructed theory of planned behavior model. Results showed that the overall mean of public behavioral intentions to use vertical farming was 3.9, which is above neutral (3.00) but less than positive (4.00).
Economic viabilityDigital agricultureEconomicsCommunityPolicyUrban agriculture and shortened supply chain – different approaches to local food production
2022Ada Górna · Prace i Studia Geograficzne · Global
A study analyzed urban agriculture supply chains in Havana, Kigali, Bissau, and Singapore based on fieldwork conducted from 2018 to 2020. It found that while shortened supply chains are typical for urban agriculture, their benefits are not arbitrary and depend on local economic, social, and spatial conditions, as well as the supply chain's organization and structure. The positive effects of localized food production are not universal, indicating a need for further research into supply and value chain structures.
Limited or null effectEconomicsFood miles & supply chainUrban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceLand Take Processes and Challenges for Urban Agriculture: A Spatial Analysis for Novi Sad, Serbia
2022Jelena Živanović Miljković, Vesna Popović, Aleksandra Gajić · Land · Serbia (Novi Sad)
A study conducted in Futog, Novi Sad, Serbia, investigated land take (LT) processes and challenges for urban agriculture, focusing on the role and implications of land use planning. Quantifying LT for 2000–2018 using CORINE Land Cover and Urban Atlas datasets revealed that a significant portion of agricultural land in Futog, registered as a Geographical Indication (GI) for Futog cabbage, was planned for conversion into construction land. The study concluded that current land use planning in Serbia is inadequate to ensure the protection of either urban agriculture or GIs.
Governance failurePolicyUrban–rural linkageEconomicsCommunity Gardens
2022Stephanie Ross · · Global
This paper explores various needs that community gardens seem poised to meet, such as education, community activism, individual growth, and enhancement, offering a balanced assessment of their likely success. It considers large-scale indoor hydroponic farming as a potential remedy for many of the social ills that community gardens address.
Limited or null effectCommunityFood educationWelfareVertical Transfer of Bacteriological and Parasitological Pollutants from Irrigation Water to Soil and Crops
2022Jihan Faouzi, Imane Bedoui, Sanae Rezouki, Tarik Moubchir, Aimad Allali, Noureddine Eloutassi, Amal Lahkimi · Ecological Engineering & Environmental Technology · Morocco (Fez)
This study in Fez, Morocco, compared bacteriological and parasitological contamination in urban, peri-urban, and rural irrigation waters, and their transfer to soil and crops (cardoon and eggplant). Investigated microorganisms included total and thermotolerant coliforms, helminth eggs, Salmonella, and cholera vibrio. Results revealed contamination exceeding national and international standards for both types of coliforms in treated wastewater (TWW), wastewater (WW), Oued Fez water, and upstream well water in both winter and summer. This fecal contamination was found in soils and crops irrigated by urban and peri-urban water. Helminth eggs and cholera vibrio were also present in these waters, soils, and crops, with Salmonella detected in TWW in summer. Only the plot irrigated with Oued Bitit water in the rural zone met standards across all three levels of irrigated water, soil, and plants, and in both periods.
Contamination & food safetyHealthOrganic cyclePeri-urban agricultureThe Implementation of the Project "Camp School-Garden" for Indigenous Peoples' Children of the North (Results of Monitoring in 2022)
2022Artur Amirovich Galyamov · Социодинамика · Russia
This article presents preliminary sociological monitoring results from 2022 for the "Camp School-garden" pilot project, aimed at primary education for indigenous children in remote areas of Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug – Yugra. While positive indicators like satisfaction with educational services were noted, the study also identified less positive and negative indicators, including inconsistent internet quality and differing opinions on distance learning organization, which require consideration for future project implementation.
Limited or null effectFood educationCommunityWelfareEffects of Mixed Cropping of Garden Plants with Brassica parachinensis on Remediation of Cr-Polluted Soil in Community Garden
2022Shiyu Cui, Wenbin Liu, Hexian Jin, Yi Qiao, Ying Wang, Dan Liu · Atmosphere · Global
This study investigated the effects of mixed cropping garden plants (Festuca arundinacea, Ageratum conyzoides, Trifolium repens) with Brassica parachinensis on Cr-contaminated soil remediation. While mixed cropping with Trifolium repens resulted in the highest B. parachinensis yield and Cr content below standard in edible parts, mixed cropping with Ageratum conyzoides aggravated Cr pollution in edible parts of B. parachinensis, making it unsuitable for planting.
Contamination & food safetyCommunityHealthOrganic cycleOvercoming divergence: managing expectations from organisers and members in community supported agriculture in Switzerland
2022Claudia Vaderna, Robert Home, Paola Migliorini, D. Roep · Humanities and Social Sciences Communications · Switzerland
This study explored the main challenges faced by eight Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) initiatives in Switzerland and the pathways used to address them. It was shown that while organizers often have enthusiastic ideas, generating sufficient income for a fair producer salary is difficult, posing a challenge to long-term existence. The members' perspective (254 responses) indicated a divergence between organizers' expectations and members' more pragmatic approach.
Economic viabilityCSA & TeikeiCommunityEconomicsReaping the Fruits of Informal Urbanism: An Ethnography of Tactical Gardening in Limassol, Cyprus
2022Theodoros Kouros · Built Environment · Cyprus (Limassol)
This ethnographic study in Limassol, Cyprus, examines tactical gardening as a form of informal urbanism. It found that, contrary to common perceptions of guerrilla gardening as community-building, these interventions by home and business owners often serve private gain by expanding into public spaces and can exclude other community members from using those public spaces. The research highlights a negative aspect of tactical gardening, where it contributes to the privatization of public areas.
Equity & displacementCommunityPolicyChallenges and Sustainability Dynamics of Urban Agriculture in the Savannah Ecological Zone of Ghana: A Study of Bolgatanga Municipality
2022Elias Danyi Kuusaana, Isaac Ayurienga, Joyce A. Eledi Kuusaana, Joseph Kwaku Kidido, Ibrahim Abu Abdulai · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · Ghana (Bolgatanga)
A study in Bolgatanga Township, Ghana, used field surveys, key informant interviews, and GIS mapping to examine urban agricultural practices. It found that agricultural lands significantly decreased in size and contiguity since 1996 due to urban sprawl, forcing farmers to use segregated plots and undeveloped residential areas which are easily lost to development. The study concluded that urbanization exacerbates food production challenges without policies to protect agricultural lands.
Governance failurePolicyEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkage'Cultivating and fighting at the same time': an immigrants innovative entrepreneurial journey in the agricultural scene in Norway
2022Norma Wong, Marte C. W. Solheim · Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks · Norway
This case study details Tugushan Alp's entrepreneurial journey in Norway, where he pioneered hydroponic lettuce production in a bomb shelter. Alp faced multiple hurdles, including battling regulatory bodies for a legal premise. Despite these challenges, he achieved success and recognition for his innovative urban farming method.
Governance failureDigital agricultureEconomicsPolicyThe spatial distribution of urban community gardens and their associated socio-economic status in Tehran, Iran
2022Sina Razzaghi Asl, Anahita Azadgar · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · Iran (Tehran)
A study in Tehran, Iran, mapped the spatial distribution and socio-economic attributes of 26 urban community gardens using semi-structured interviews, qualitative analysis, and secondary data from the 2020 Tehran statistical yearbook. The findings revealed a geographical distribution imbalance, with most gardens located in the southern part of the city. Community gardens were mainly placed in areas with lower average land prices, lower median household income, and higher education graduates, indicating an uneven distribution that favors socio-economically disadvantaged areas.
Equity & displacementCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceWelfareEconomicsFood Insecurity, Food Sourcing and Food Coping Strategies in the OOO Urban Corridor, Namibia
2022Ndeyapo Nickanor, Lawrence N. Kazembe, Jonathan Crush · · Namibia
A household survey of 853 households in Namibia's Oshakati-Ongwediva-Ondangwa (OOO) urban corridor found 77% household food insecurity and a mean dietary diversity of less than 5. The most common coping strategies were relying on less preferred and less expensive foods (67%) and rural-urban food transfers (55%). Urban agriculture was found to be very limited in this region.
Limited or null effectFood sovereignty & justiceWelfareEconomicsUrban–rural linkageDetecting wetland encroachment and urban agriculture land classification in Uganda using hyper-temporal remote sensing
2022Stella Kabiri, Molly Allen, Judith Tomma Okuonzia, Beatrice Akello, Rebecca Ssabaganzi, Drake N. Mubiru · Open Research Africa · Uganda
This study investigated the extent of wetland loss and encroachment by urban agriculture in Wakiso and Kampala, Uganda, over 30 years from 1986 to 2016. Using field surveys, Landsat, and MODIS NDVI data, the analysis found that 72,828 ha (73%) of Wakiso-Kampala wetlands were lost, while agricultural areas doubled. Of this, 16,488 ha (23%) were converted from wetlands, with all cultivated agriculture in Kampala occurring in wetlands and 73% in Wakiso.
Environmental trade-offsUrban–rural linkageClimate changePolicyHydrogel Application in Urban Farming: Potentials and Limitations—A Review
2022Swarna Devi Palanivelu, Nur Amira Zainul Armir, Amalia Zulkifli, Ainul Hafiza Abdul Hair, Kushairi Mohd Salleh, Keith Lindsey, Muhamad Hafiz Che Othman, Sarani Zakaria · Polymers · Global
This review discusses the potentials and limitations of hydrogel in urban agriculture. While hydrogel has been introduced in urban agriculture over the past few decades, its application is still being explored regarding hydrogel types, structure, physical and chemical properties, changes due to external factors, and suitability for different plant species. The study presents the current state of knowledge on hydrogel production methods, characteristics, advantages, and limitations.
Methodological critiqueDigital agricultureClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceDifferent Perspectives Surrounding Urban Agriculture
2022Susan Anne Mansel Fitzgerald · · Cuba
This chapter reviews various perspectives on urban agriculture in Havana, Cuba, focusing on farm types, food access, and cultural expressions. It highlights that research also addresses the hierarchies and power struggles surrounding urban agriculture sites and their integration into land-management systems. The study advocates for understanding the rhythms of everyday life to deepen insights into these sites.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justicePolicyCommunityEconomicsA work-in-progress politics of space
2022Shawn Bodden · City · Hungary (Budapest)
This essay reflected on the everyday political work of community projects to open up space for new possibilities of living with difference within hostile political environments, drawing on Doreen Massey's ideas of space. Through the case of the Auróra community center in Budapest, Hungary, and its members' community garden project, it examined the mundane and local techniques community groups use to construct better possible futures. The analysis suggested the importance of analyzing the situated and ongoing "terms of engagement" through which people open up, or close down, better possible spaces and ways of living with difference.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyValuing the Benefits and Enhancing Access: Community and Allotment Gardens in Urban Melbourne, Australia
2022Aisling Bailey, Jonathan Kingsley · Land · Australia (Melbourne)
This qualitative study explored perceptions of benefits and challenges in six urban community and allotment gardens in Melbourne, Australia, through semi-structured interviews with 23 participants. Findings identified perceived benefits and demographic patterns, but also highlighted challenges to participation due to insecurity around ongoing land access. The gardens were perceived to contribute to social and environmental wellbeing.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyHealthEconomics