Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
964 results(19 / 39)
Unearthing the entangled roots of urban agriculture
2020Jonathan London, Bethany B. Cutts, Kirsten Schwarz, Li Schmidt, Mary L. Cadenasso · Agriculture and Human Values · United States (California)
This study, based on 24 interviews with urban agriculture (UA) leaders in Sacramento, California, identifies three "taproots" of UA projects: justice, health, and market. The analysis reveals how these roots interact differently with racial capitalism, creating disparities in their growth trajectories. Specifically, UA projects associated with the justice taproot are historically underrepresented and undervalued.
Equity & displacementCommunityEconomicsHealthFood sovereignty & justiceUrban agriculture and food security: a case study in Maringá, PR, Brazil
2020Paulo de Oliveira Neto, Andréa Rossi Scalco, Ana Elisa Bressan Smith Lourenzani, Sandra Cristina de Oliveira · Ciência e Natura · Brazil
This study analyzed the impact of urban agriculture on food security in community gardens in the city of Maringá, Brazil. The research was carried out using the EBIA method, with descriptive statistical analysis and multiple linear regression procedures. The results indicate that the activity did not contribute to the food security of people who depend on the resources generated, whether for consumption or income.
Limited or null effectCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceHealthEconomics“There is food we deserve, and there is food we do not deserve” Food injustice, place and power in urban agriculture in Cape Town and Maputo
2020Nicole Paganini, Stefanie Lemke · Local Environment · South Africa (Cape Town)
This study, conducted from 2017 to 2019 in Cape Town, South Africa, and Maputo, Mozambique, explored urban agriculture's contributions to livelihoods and food availability through a food justice lens. In Cape Town, NGO-led urban agriculture regulated production and market access, serving wealthy consumers, with only 15% of farmers consuming their produce. In Maputo, urban agriculture contributed to local food availability, with 99% of farmers eating their produce, but farmers depended on intermediary-determined prices and faced unequal access to inputs. The study revealed stark structural inequalities and uneven power dynamics in both contexts.
Equity & displacementFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsCommunityRacial capitalism and a tentative commons
2020Rachael Baker · · United States (Detroit)
Farming on Detroit's vacant land has been used for blight reduction and food cultivation since the 1970s, supported by initiatives like Farm-a-Lot. However, in 2015, the mayor’s office directly transferred 40 acres of city-owned land to a for-profit urban agriculture business in Detroit’s east Poletown, raising concerns about equitable resource distribution.
Equity & displacementCommunityPolicyEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceLocal foods systems and community economic development
2020Steven C. Deller, David Lamie, Maureen Stickel · · Global
This review provides a critical analysis of current research on local and regional food networks, including urban farming projects. It reveals that many presumptions of the local food movement remain largely untested, and much of the current research lacks strong theoretical grounding and quantitative rigor. The review emphasizes the importance for practitioners to distinguish between objective, research-based information and speculative, advocacy-oriented analysis.
Methodological critiqueEconomicsPolicyCSA & TeikeiFood sovereignty & justiceUne ferme urbaine multifonctionnelle : maîtrise foncière publique pour un projet d’agriculture innovant à Rovéréaz, Lausanne.
2020Françoise Jarrige, Cyril Mumenthaler, Joëlle Salomon Cavin · IRIS · Switzerland (Lausanne)
This chapter described and analyzed the implementation of a new agricultural project on a domain in Lausanne, Switzerland. The innovative process was built through confrontation between stakeholder strategies, with negotiations and adjustments. It appeared that powerful economic and legal constraints limited some expected innovations, particularly regarding land contracts. Ultimately, the anticipated multifunctional agricultural project was implemented through three coordinated structures: an association, a cooperative, and an agricultural enterprise.
Governance failurePolicyEconomicsCommunityRepurposing support tendered youth owned Small, Medium, and Micro-Enterprises in urban agri-business sector in Durban
2020Tony Ngwenya, Pfano Mashau · Problems and Perspectives in Management · South Africa (Durban)
This study investigated institutional support for youth-owned Small, Medium, and Micro-Enterprises (SMMEs) in Durban's urban agribusiness sector using a quantitative methodology. Findings indicated that CSR interventions had not yielded a fundamental impact, and there was a lack of tangible, result-driven institutional support from policymakers and authorities. Furthermore, targeted technological transfer was a constraining factor, and a lack of monetary and non-monetary access hampered the SMMEs' competitiveness and profitability.
Governance failureEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceWelfarePolicyThe Effect of Industry Extension Services Packages on the Performance of Small and Micro Enterprises in Dessie, South Wollo and Oromia Zones of Eastern Amhara
2020Mulugeta Chane Wube · RePEc: Research Papers in Economics · Ethiopia
A descriptive study analyzed the effect of industry extension service packages on the performance of Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) in Dessie, South Wollo, and Oromia Special zones, Ethiopia, sampling 248 out of 646 MSEs. The analysis revealed that industry extension services provided by TVET trainers were inadequate across all four dimensions: technical, technology, Kaizen, and entrepreneurship. The overall performance of the surveyed MSEs was found to be very low, concluding that the provided extension services were insufficient in improving their performance.
Governance failureEconomicsPolicySPATIO-TEMPORAL ANALYSIS OF THE PRACTICE OF URBAN AGRICULTURE IN LAGOS METROPOLIS AND THE IMPLICATIONS FOR URBAN PLANNING
2020Dauda Rotimi Awoniran, Omotayo Ben Olugbamila, Emmanuel Olufemi Omisore · Analele Universităţii din Oradea Seria Geografie · Sub-Saharan Africa (Lagos)
This study examined urban agriculture practices and land use changes in Lagos Metropolis, Sub-Saharan Africa, over three decades using satellite imagery and primary data from four Local Government Areas. It found that cultivated lands decreased by 28.70% between 1986 and 2000, and by 19.25% between 2000 and 2016. Urban farmlands converted to other uses by 89.48% between 1986 and 2000, and by 75.64% between 2000 and 2016, indicating that food security is under threat as land for urban farmers shrinks.
Limited or null effectPolicyUrban–rural linkageEconomicsWhat Constraints the Expansion of Urban Agriculture in Benin?
2020Mawuna Donald Houessou, Mirte van de Louw, B.G.J.S. Sonneveld · Sustainability · Benin
To identify the main constraints to the expansion of urban agriculture (UA) in Benin, a systematic literature review, a survey among experienced urban gardeners, and in-depth interviews with stakeholders were conducted. The synthesis revealed five predominant constraints: lack of land and tenure insecurity, insufficient government support, restricted market access, limited access to productive factors, and inequality issues. Specifically, the survey indicated a political unwillingness, which was explained by the unperceived benefits of investing in UA and the lack of enforcement of urban development plans.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justicePolicyEconomicsCommunityVertical Farming: An Assessment of Singapore City
2020Jacob Wood, Caroline Wong, Swathi Paturi · eTropic electronic journal of studies in the tropics · Singapore
This research examines urban farming, specifically vertical farming methods, in Singapore. Despite substantial public and private investment in R&D for high-tech, high-yielding vertical farms, Singapore faces a highly constrained urban environment where land scarcity is exacerbated by a complex regulatory land use framework.
Governance failureDigital agricultureFood sovereignty & justicePolicyEconomicsEconomic linkage between urban development and livelihood of peri-urban farming communities in Ethiopia (policies and practices)
2020Idris Mohammed, Abdella Kosa, Nuredin Juhar · Agricultural and Food Economics · Ethiopia
This study assessed the economic linkage between urban development and the livelihood of peri-urban farming communities in Ethiopia, focusing on current practices and policies. Data was collected from 30 municipal officials and 200 evicted peri-urban farmers across five municipalities in the Amara regional state. Findings indicate that the continuous eviction of peri-urban farmers from their indigenous land for redevelopment negatively affects their livelihood, highlighting significant equity issues. Factors contributing to urban expansion include economic policy reform, private investor incentives, and public sector projects, further exacerbated by policy limitations and lack of municipal intervention.
Equity & displacementPeri-urban agricultureEconomicsPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceSustainable agriculture trough regional solidary in global markets
2020Wellbrock Wanja, Daniela Ludin, Ludwig Lisa N, Kristina Muhlfeld, Wolfgang Gerstlberger · Journal of Applied and Physical Sciences · Global
This paper examines whether Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a solution to the dilemma of farmers needing to operate both economically and sustainably. Through an expert interview and a survey of members, the study identifies problems in the realization of a CSA and provides possible solutions.
Economic viabilityCSA & TeikeiEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceFormalizing Objectives and Criteria for Urban Agriculture Sustainability with a Participatory Approach
2020Paola Clerino, Agnès Fargue‐Lelièvre · Sustainability · France
This study used a participatory approach with French urban agriculture stakeholders to identify sustainability objectives and 21 criteria for professional intra-urban farms. Six objectives were established, and agro-environmental and socio-territorial criteria were deemed more important than economic ones, with food production not being mentioned. A critical finding was that decision-makers focused more on projects' external sustainability and urban farmers' agricultural background, suggesting a reliance on farmers for internal sustainability rather than direct assessment.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyEconomicsClimate changeTra espansione urbana e sicurezza alimentare: il caso della Green Belt bonearense
2020Thomas Gilardi · Geography Notebooks · Argentina
In the Bonearense region, urban expansion is encroaching on fertile plains, impacting territorial characteristics. While urban and peri-urban agriculture contributes to food sustenance for the AMBA population, it has not been sufficiently recognized for green area recovery, organic waste recycling, and wastewater management. Regional authorities have begun to acknowledge urban agriculture's role in combating urban poverty, but local economic development faces challenges in mediating food security and recreational services amidst pressures from urban real estate and agro-industrial production.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justicePeri-urban agriculturePolicyEconomicsUrban–rural linkageCultivating urban conviviality: urban farming in the shadows of Copenhagen's neoliberalisms
2020Rebecca Leigh Rutt · Journal of Political Ecology · Denmark (Copenhagen)
Ethnographic research on a small rooftop garden in Copenhagen, Denmark, explored how urban farming initiatives interact with neoliberal trends. The study found that communal, eco-social urban farming endeavors are entangled in the city's neoliberal turn, with formalization processes and austerity measures both nurturing and endangering these initiatives. Neoliberal labor, food systems, and housing policies are shown to subvert convivial urban farming efforts.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceThe challenge posed by urban dietary norms to the practice of urban agroecology
2020Brittany Kesselman, Mvuselelo Ngcoya, Daniela Casale · Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems · South Africa
This paper, based on research from two urban gardens in Johannesburg, South Africa, argues that contemporary urban dietary norms pose a challenge to urban agroecology. The dietary norms and practices of Johannesburg residents are poorly aligned with the production requirements and outputs of urban agroecology. Lessons from other countries suggest that the benefits of agroecology could be enhanced by targeting changes in food preparation and consumption practices.
Limited or null effectFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsCommunity8. Diverse Politics, Difficult Contradictions: Gentrification and the San Francisco Urban Agriculture Alliance
2020Michelle Glowa, Antonio Roman-Alcalá · New York University Press eBooks · United States (California)
This chapter examines the San Francisco Urban Agriculture Alliance, analyzing its composition, genesis, and how it has confronted the tensions and limitations of neoliberal urbanization. Based on personal experiences and research, it proposes that justice-driven urban agriculture movements are influenced by political-economic changes and can be absorbed into existing neoliberal and pro-development trajectories. This indicates a critical finding regarding equity and the challenges urban agriculture faces in resisting gentrification.
Equity & displacementPolicyEconomicsCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceGentrification e urban gardening a Berlino. Riflessioni da Tempelhofer Feld e Prinzessinnengärten
2020Sara Giovansana, Giacomo Zanolin · Geography Notebooks · Germany (Berlin)
This study examines urban creativity in Berlin, focusing on urban gardens at Tempelhofer Feld and Prinzessinnengärten. Based on field research, it reflects on the potential of creative class initiatives in relation to gentrification. The work aims to outline the Berlin green experience as a sign of urban change.
Equity & displacementCommunityPolicyEconomicsUrbane Landwirtschaft im Ruhrgebiet
2020Ulrich Häpke · sub\urban zeitschrift für kritische stadtforschung · Germany (Ruhrgebiet)
While statistical data demonstrates the significance of urban agriculture in German cities and metropolitan areas, urban agriculture faces the problem of constant land loss despite its proximity to consumers. The example of the Ruhrgebiet highlights challenges such as land loss and high proportions of leased land, indicating governance issues faced by urban agriculture.
Governance failureUrban–rural linkageEconomicsPolicyCommunityThe affordable housing, transportation, and food nexus: Community gardens and healthy affordable living in Calgary
2020Miho Lowan‐Trudeau, Noel Keough, Joshua Wong, Sara Haidey · Canadian Geographies / Géographies canadiennes · Canada (Calgary)
This study, examining community gardens in Calgary, aimed to determine the socio-economic demographics of neighborhoods supporting community gardens and their proximity to active transportation and public transit. GIS visualization and quantitative analyses were used to investigate relationships between demographic variables and transportation accessibility. Findings showed that community garden neighborhoods are located in areas with significantly fewer visible minorities, higher levels of educational attainment, and more attached dwellings like apartments and townhomes. This study suggests potential inequities in the proliferation of public community gardens based on socio-economic factors beyond economic capital.
Equity & displacementCommunityHealthWelfareEconomicsAccessibility of urban green infrastructure in Addis-Ababa city, Ethiopia: current status and future challenge
2020Sileshi Azagew, Hailu Worku · ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS RESEARCH · Ethiopia (Addis-Ababa)
This study assessed the status, accessibility, and constraints of urban green infrastructure (UGI) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It revealed that UGI land use decreased by 9.2% from 2003 to 2016, with urban agriculture declining by 11.9%. City residents lack sufficient recreational UGI, with park per capita at a very small 0.37 m² compared to Ethiopian standards of 15 m², and over 90% of the population lacking access to existing parks within walking distance. Major constraints identified include weak implementation of development plans, density, built-up area expansion, and lack of priority for UGI development.
Governance failurePolicyUrban–rural linkageEconomicsWho Participates in Urban Agriculture? An Empirical Analysis†
2020Marc F. Bellemare, Vaneesha Dusoruth · Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy · Canada (Montreal)
A survey of 882 Montreal residents investigated participation in urban agriculture. The study found that urban agriculture practitioners are more educated, more likely to be homeowners, and report higher incomes. These findings suggest that urban agriculture functions as a luxury good.
Equity & displacementEconomicsCommunityImpact of urban agriculture on business
2020Takeshi So · The Japanese Journal of Real Estate Sciences · Japan
This study discusses urban agriculture in Japan from three perspectives: suburban farming, urban farming, and isolated farming operations within urban areas. Despite its historical impact on urban planning, urban farmland has dramatically decreased and currently hinders real estate business and new business creation. It is suggested that economic rationality and public interest should be prioritized, and tax incentives for urban farmland should be reconsidered in a stepwise manner.
Economic viabilityEconomicsPolicyUrban–rural linkageLas organizaciones de usuarios de agua en la construcción de la escasez hídrica. De las acciones geolegales a una territorialización securitaria del agua
2020Chloé Nicolas-Artero · Revista INVI · Chile
This article analyzes the role of water user organizations in the construction of water scarcity within the Chilean ideological and legal water context. The existence of urban gardens in the north of the country is notable in this context, which is oriented towards water use efficiency.
Governance failurePolicyClimate changeEconomics