Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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721 results(14 / 29)
Investment priorities for research and innovation in urban agri-food systems: Toward more resilient cities in the Global South
2022Gordon Prain, Dávid Simon, Jess Halliday, Pay Drechsel · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · Global South
Urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) in the Global South faces challenges such as limited recognition, land conversion, and water pollution, which threaten its potential for urban resilience. Innovations in urban governance are required to integrate food systems into urban planning through food mapping and multisectoral platforms.
Governance failurePolicyEconomicsClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceEmpreendedorismo e riscos da criminalidade na agricultura urbana: o caso do bairro Curuçambá, Região Metropolitana de Belém
2022Paulo Silvano Magno Fróes-Júnior, Fabrício Khoury Rebello, Marcos Antônio Souza dos Santos, Cyntia Meireles Martins, Maria Lúcia Bahia Lopes, João Paulo Borges de Loureiro · Conjecturas · Brazil (Belém)
This study interviewed 63 urban farmers in Curuçambá, Belém Metropolitan Region, Brazil, analyzing business management and entrepreneurial skills amidst urbanization and crime risks. It found that 98.41% of businesses are family-managed, but 52.38% have little management experience, with 76.19% never keeping financial records and 81.71% never seeking technical assistance. A significant 33.33% of farmers rated criminality as "very high" severity, indicating that a lack of public safety severely limits commercial performance and investment in urban agriculture.
Governance failureEconomicsCommunityWelfareFood sovereignty & justiceThe $16 Taco: Contested Geographies of Food, Ethnicity, and Gentrification
2022Denise Misleh · The AAG Review of Books · Global
Organic stores, trendy coffee shops, and food initiatives generally associated with the alternative food movement, such as farmer's markets and community gardens, have become a clear symbol.
Equity & displacementCommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justicecooperativismo como elemento de fortalecimento da agricultura urbana e periurbana
2022Rafael Lima Oliveira, Gabrielly Dos Santos Lima Oliveira, José Raimundo Oliveira Lima · P2P E INOVAÇÃO · Brazil
This study investigated the role of cooperativism as an element for strengthening urban and peri-urban agriculture (AUP) in Brazil. Findings revealed that the absence of public policies and credit availability are limiting factors for AUP. Increased production and product outflow are also difficulties faced by these farmers, which could potentially be resolved through cooperation.
Governance failureCommunityEconomicsPolicyFood sovereignty & justicePeri-urban agricultureUrban Farming in Atlanta, Georgia: The Seed of Neoliberal Contestation or Hybridized Compromise?
2022Julia R Bryant · Digital Archive @ GSU · United States (Atlanta)
This paper explores how urban farming in Atlanta, Georgia, shows evidence of neoliberal shaping and retooling. Through qualitative analysis, including a case study, interviews with farmers, participant observation, and archival data collection, it examines how the city and the farm are understood from the perspective of the farmer to understand the degree to which these contestations are resisting neoliberalism. The research suggests that while urban farming can provide spaces for contestation to neoliberalism, scholars should more fully consider the hybridized nature in which urban farmers understand their work.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicyCommunityWho Eats, Where, What, and How? COVID-19, Food Security, and Canadian Foodscapes
2022Kimberly Hill-Tout, Claudia Towne Hirtenfelder, Kiera E. B. McMaster, Megan Herod · Gastronomica The Journal of Food and Culture · Canada
In April 2021, a panel discussion on food security in Canada took place during the COVID-19 pandemic. This article aims to make visible the vulnerabilities and structural injustices embedded within Canadian foodscapes through different perspectives on food security and justice. COVID-19 rendered many of the structural injustices of food security in Canada more visible.
Equity & displacementFood sovereignty & justicePolicyEconomicsCommunityGardening from the ground up: a review of grassroots governance and management of domestic gardening in Canada
2022Janet Music, Charlotte Large, Sylvain Charlebois, Kydra Mayhew · Local Environment · Canada
This systematic scoping review revealed the extent of existing knowledge regarding the governance and management of urban grassroots agri-food organizations in Canada. Among Canadian studies, 15 were qualitative case studies, 11 were exploration/analysis papers, one was a literature review, and one was a quantitative analysis. It was found that for greater success in urban agriculture, municipal policymakers need to intentionally and radically shift policy to plan for and integrate urban agriculture networks into the urban environment without taking over the networks themselves. The review also indicated a lack of broad research into the influence of gender dynamics on the organization and management of urban agriculture or community gardens.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceHousehold Dietary Patterns and Food Security Challenges in Peri-Urban South Africa: A Reflection of High Unemployment in the Wake of Rising Food Prices
2022Gamuchirai Chakona · · South Africa
A study surveyed 314 randomly selected households in four peri-urban settlements in South Africa to assess dietary diversity and food security. Findings revealed generally low dietary diversity and high levels of food insecurity across all sites, with male-headed households experiencing worse conditions than female-headed households. Food insecurity was linked to high poverty, unemployment, and low education levels.
Equity & displacementFood sovereignty & justiceWelfarePeri-urban agricultureEconomicsRecent challenges and new possibilities with urban agriculture in Victoria, British Columbia
2022Abdolzaher Ghezeljeh, Jutta Gutberlet, Denise Cloutier · Canadian Geographies / Géographies canadiennes · Canada (Victoria)
This study used qualitative research methods to explore the main barriers to urban agriculture as perceived by community-based groups in Victoria, British Columbia. Data from 18 semi-structured interviews and two community mapping workshops with residents, government officials, and non-governmental groups revealed "urban agriculture zones" and "garden-style" apartment housing as important avenues. However, progress towards far-reaching changes requires an efficient urban agriculture development process, including creating site inventories, increasing stakeholder participation, reducing waitlists, and tackling high land prices.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justicePolicyCommunityFull Issue
2022Contingent Horizons · Contingent Horizons The York University Student Journal of Anthropology · Canada (Winnipeg)
This paper uses the Rainbow Community Garden in Winnipeg as a case study to discuss the benefits and challenges of community gardening for new immigrant and refugee families. Through a literature review and interviews with gardeners, the study emphasizes the role of food and community gardens in facilitating cross-cultural interactions, providing culturally appropriate food, and expressing cultural identity. The main conclusion is that for new immigrant and refugee participation, a garden is not only physical soil but also an important place for practicing culture and engaging in meaningful cross-cultural interaction beneficial for adjusting to a new life in Canada.
Equity & displacementCommunityWelfareFood sovereignty & justiceFood educationNutrient and toxic elements in soils and plants across 10 urban community gardens: Comparing pXRF and ICP‐based soil measurements
2022Ainsley C. McStay, S.L. Walser, Eric C. Sirkovich, Nicolas Perdrial, Justin B. Richardson · Journal of Environmental Quality · United States
This study evaluated portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) measurements of macronutrients, micronutrients, and toxic elements (As, Pb) in soils and plants from 10 urban community gardens across the eastern United States. It found that pXRF and traditional methods provided agreeable estimates for some elements (Mn, Cu, Zn, Pb) but not for macronutrients (Ca, K, P). While pXRF is an accurate tool for screening Mn, Cu, Zn, and Pb, macronutrients were poorly estimated in fruits, leaves, and roots, and genus-specific and garden-specific factors may be important for plant uptake models.
Contamination & food safetyCommunityHealthBiodiversityFood sovereignty & justiceContradições na prática coletiva da agricultura urbana: uma análise Bourdieusiana
2022Ana Clara Aparecida Alves de Souza, Fernando Dias Lopes · Cadernos EBAPE BR · Brazil (Porto Alegre)
This two-year participatory investigation of Horta da Formiga, a collective urban garden in Porto Alegre, Brazil, analyzed how key agents reconcile inherent contradictions. The study found that while individuals exhibit agency, structured conditions within the social field prevent the organic and diverse reconciliation of contradictions. This occurs despite agents aligning with state-legitimized capital.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceAdapting peri-urban agriculture to climate change in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe: A qualitative assessment
2021Thulani Dube, Saziso Sibanda, Phibion Chiwara · Cogent Social Sciences · Zimbabwe (Bulawayo)
This study investigated farmers' perceived effects of climate change on peri-urban agriculture in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, and their adaptation methods. Using a sample of thirty peri-urban plots, findings revealed that farmers perceived significant climatic changes negatively impacting their farming activities, including reduced precipitation, increased atmospheric temperature, and diminishing borehole yields. Adaptation methods included repeated planting, watering plants at night, renting animal space in other farms with more water sources, and purchasing supplementary feed for livestock.
Environmental trade-offsPeri-urban agricultureClimate changeFood sovereignty & justice“We Have Been Part of the Response”: The Effects of COVID-19 on Community and Allotment Gardens in the Global North
2021Victoria Schoen, Chris Blythe, Silvio Caputo, Runrid Fox-Kämper, Kathrin Specht, Agnès Fargue‐Lelièvre, Nevin Cohen, Lidia Poniży, Konstancja Fedeńczak · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · Global North
This 2021 paper, based on data collected in summer 2020 from five Global North countries (France, Germany, Poland, UK, USA), examined the effects of COVID-19 on urban farms and gardens. The pandemic presented multiple challenges, including loss of support services, lost income, and reduced output due to labor supply issues. It also created opportunities like new local markets and increased community cohesion, demonstrating how gardens adapted to become more resilient.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyHealthFood sovereignty & justiceEnvironmental and social life cycle assessment of growing media for urban rooftop farming
2021Susana Toboso‐Chavero, Cristina Madrid‐López, Gara Villalba, Xavier Gabarrell, Arne Björn Hückstädt, Matthias Finkbeiner, Annekatrin Lehmann · The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment · Global
A comprehensive environmental and social life cycle assessment of perlite, peat, and coir growing media, imported to Spain from Turkey, Germany, and the Philippines respectively, was conducted for urban rooftop farming. Environmentally, coir had the lowest burden, while perlite had the highest impacts due to mining and transport. Socially, peat performed best, but coir showed the worst scores in community infrastructure and human rights, and perlite performed lowest in health and safety.
Equity & displacementDigital agricultureClimate changeEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceUrban Oasis
2021Christina Ergas · · Cuba
This chapter examines Cuba's urban agricultural food production, which developed through top-down government initiatives that later decentralized and subsidized local efforts in response to resource scarcity. While Cuban urban farmworkers' cooperatives enable local residents to sell produce at low costs, the program still faces social environmental stumbling blocks despite its successes in achieving high human development with a small ecological footprint.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityPolicyEconomicsServiços e Desserviços Ambientais Associados à Agricultura Urbana e Periurbana no Município de São Paulo
2021Bruno do Nascimento Macedo, Fernanda Nogueira Comas, Amarílis Lucia Casteli Figueiredo Gallardo · Journal of Urban Technology and Sustainability · Brazil (São Paulo)
This study discussed the main environmental services and disservices associated with urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) in São Paulo, Brazil, using a systematic literature review and spatial analysis. It identified 12 environmental services and 5 disservices, mapping 197 UPA initiatives. The research concluded that UPA has the potential to offer environmental benefits, but can also exert negative pressures on the environment, including in areas that should be protected.
Environmental trade-offsUrban–rural linkageClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicyThe Sprouting Farms: You Are What You Grow
2021Jamie Wang · Humanities · Singapore
This article explores the rise of urban farming in Singapore, following small- to medium-scale urban farms, including rooftop gardens, community farms, and organic farms, through the politics of localism and the notion of care. It investigates how localism, in some contexts, has been reduced to a narrow sense of geographic location. The study also examines what is being cared for in urban farming and how it might transform bio-cultural and social-technological relations.
Equity & displacementPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityDigital agricultureHow to guarantee food supply during pandemics? Rethinking local food systems from peri-urban strategic agents’ behaviour: The case study of the Barcelona Metropolitan Region
2021Sònia Callau-Berenguer, Anna Roca-Torrent, Josep Montasell-Dorda, Sandra Ricart · Investigaciones Geográficas · Spain (Barcelona)
This study analyzed the food system behavior in the Barcelona Metropolitan Region, Spain, during the initial stage of the Covid-19 pandemic (March-May 2020). Semi-structured interviews with 11 peri-urban entities and institutions revealed shortcomings in the operation and logistics of the metropolitan food system. Findings also indicated complicity between local producers and urban consumers, the role of peri-urban agricultural areas in food supply, and a need for cooperation among food system agents.
Governance failurePeri-urban agricultureFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicyPeri-urban agriculture and alternative food networks in Athens: Solidarity dynamics, spatial planning challenges and institutional reforms
2021Sofia Nikolaidou · Cahiers de la Méditerranée · Greece (Athens)
This article analyzed the role of peri-urban agriculture and alternative food networks (AFN) in the Athens metropolitan area, Greece, using a mixed method approach including qualitative, quantitative research, and spatial data collection. Bottom-up claims for food security positively impacted sustainable food systems and public policies, while informal retail channels and self-production schemes strengthened agricultural resilience. However, poor land management and zoning control are major constraints to sustainable agricultural production and farmers' resilience in the Athens metropolitan area.
Governance failurePeri-urban agricultureFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityPolicyPerspectives of integrated pest management in CDMX urban agriculture and impacts of SARS-CoV-2 health emergency
2021Jessica Cuevas-Castilleja, Armando Martínez-Luz, Marcelo Adán López-Arzate, Itzel Arlette Ramírez-García, Gustavo Mora‐Aguilera, Norma Ávila-Alistac · Revista mexicana de fitopatología(en línea)/Revista mexicana de fitopatología · Mexico (Mexico City)
This study investigated the impact of COVID-19 on productive activities and the level of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) application among 108 urban agriculture farmers and extensionists in six areas of Mexico City. A digital survey in 2020 revealed that the sanitary emergency reduced extension services, though they continued with digital technologies. During the peak of COVID-19, 14% of farmers declined to sow the summer-fall season, and up to 75% reported 20% losses due to the epidemic. The main pest control strategies were mechanical (67%) and chemical (52%), indicating an intuitive understanding of IPM benefits despite farmers being unaware of its principles.
Economic viabilityHealthEconomicsPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceDynamics of the Nature and Value of Urban Agriculture in Arusha City, Tanzania: The Case of Daraja Mbili and Lemala Wards
2021Pastory Salvatory Thomas, Wilbard Kombe, Aldo Lupala · Current Urban Studies · Tanzania (Arusha)
This study examined factors characterizing changes in the nature and value of urban agriculture in Arusha City, Tanzania, a rapidly urbanizing city, through in-depth interviews with 60 respondents in Daraja Mbili and Lemala wards. Findings revealed that limited access to ideal urban agriculture areas leads some farmers to acquire small plots in unlawful areas, restricting livestock numbers and crop types, and reducing their ability to meet food needs. While uncontrolled agricultural practices accelerate environmental degradation and pollution, they also support the livelihoods of needy farmers; however, the study concluded that urban agriculture cannot thrive without adequate access to agricultural land and a strong institutional framework.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicyUrban–rural linkageSTACKED
2021Luuk Graamans · Architecture and the Built Environment · Global
This research investigated the potential and limitations of plant factories (vertical farming) for urban food production. The STACKED method was developed to assess plant factory performance across multiple scales, from leaf to facility to city, analyzing resource requirements including energy, electricity, water, CO2, and land area use for fresh vegetable production. The study found that while plant factories feature extensive climate control, their necessity, effectiveness, and efficiency remain questionable, and their effects on the urban energy balance were also assessed.
Economic viabilityDigital agricultureClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsBuilding a food-resilient city through urban agriculture: The case of Ilorin, Nigeria
2021Akeem Ola · Town and Regional Planning · Nigeria (Ilorin)
This study examined the effects of urban planning practices on urban agriculture (UA) in Ilorin, Nigeria, and its contribution to the city's food shock resilience. Findings revealed that UA contributed 16.9% to meat/fish/egg requirements, 4.5% to yam/cassava/potato, 0.58% to vegetables, 0.6% to fruits, and 0.5% to grain requirements. However, the Respondents’ Agreement Index (RAI) indicated that poor access to finance (0.93), limited land area (0.75), and lack of tenure security (0.44) were dominant variables influencing UA's poor contribution to food security.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justicePolicyEconomicsCommunityRefugee Community Gardens and the Politics of Self-Help
2021Cecilia M. Tsu · Amerasia Journal · United States
This article examines community gardens established for refugees from Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos in the United States during the 1980s. It argues that refugee gardeners perceived a significant disconnect between their rural lives in Southeast Asia and the role of vegetable growing in the U.S., despite advocates emphasizing continuity with their past. The gardens provided a measure of economic empowerment, but highlighted the disjuncture in their resettlement experience.
Equity & displacementCommunityWelfareEconomicsFood sovereignty & justice