Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
590 results(24 / 24)
Urban agriculture between allotment and market gardening: contributions to the sustainability of African and Asian cities
2002L.M. van den Berg · WIT transactions on ecology and the environment · Africa, Asia
Urban agriculture, despite severe competition for space, plays roles such as fresh food supply, leisure, supplementary income for the urban poor, and green space management. Case studies in Africa and Southeast Asia demonstrate the difficulty of maintaining these roles due to public health and environmental degradation concerns. Urban agricultural producers may rely on polluted streams for irrigation, cause soil erosion through inappropriate farming techniques, or poison surrounding residents with pesticides. The paper suggests that urban agriculture could be more beneficial to the urban system if treated by town planners as a normal urban function requiring both regulation and protection.
Contamination & food safetyEconomicsHealthOrganic cyclePolicySpectrophotometric determination of lead in the soil of allotment gardens in Lodz
2001B. 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.
Contamination & food safetyHealthCommunitySchool Gardens: Can a Hands-on Teaching Tool Affect Students' Attitudes and Behaviors Regarding Fruit and Vegetables?
2000Sarah Lineberger, Jayne M. Zajicek · HortTechnology · Global
This study evaluated the "Nutrition in the Garden" program's effect on students' attitudes and behaviors regarding fruit and vegetables. While students' attitudes towards vegetables and fruit/vegetable snacks became significantly more positive after gardening, no differences were detected in attitudes towards fruit. Crucially, students' fruit and vegetable consumption did not significantly improve, remaining at an average of 2.0 servings per day, which is below national averages and recommendations.
Limited or null effectFood educationHealthSpectrophotometric Determination of Cadmium (II) in Soil of Allotment Gardens in Łódź
2000B. 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.
Contamination & food safetyHealthCommunityA Community Diabetes Education and Gardening Project to Improve Diabetes Care in a Northwest American Indian Tribe
2000Donna Armstrong · The Science of Diabetes Self-Management and Care · United States
This study aimed to design a culturally appropriate diabetes education program for a Northwest American Indian tribe. A community-based intervention, including workshops on health themes and a community garden, was designed to address multiple barriers to diabetes care. However, prior to the implementation of the community workshops and evaluations, the tribal government chose to discontinue receiving federal funding for this project.
Governance failureCommunityHealthFood educationWelfareDevelopment of Potato Late Blight Epidemics: Disease Foci, Disease Gradients, and Infection Sources
1998M.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.
Limited or null effectHealthImpact sanitaire de l'utilisation d'eaux polluées en agriculture urbaine. Cas du maraîchage à Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso)
1997Guéladio Cissé · Infoscience (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) · Burkina Faso (Ouagadougou)
This thesis investigates the sanitary risks of using polluted water for urban agriculture in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, where vegetables, including those eaten uncooked, are irrigated with such water. The study aims to assess diarrhoea incidence, parasitic infection prevalence, microbiological pollution levels in water, soil, and vegetables, and sociocultural factors. Initial findings indicate that peripheral sectors are more polluted than central ones, and exploited surfaces vary significantly by season. The abstract highlights potential sanitary risks due to pathogenic germs surviving in water, soil, and plants.
Contamination & food safetyHealthUrban Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition in Low Income Areas of the City of Nairobi, Kenya
1996A. Mboganie-Mwangi, Dick Foeken · Leiden Repository (Leiden University) · Kenya (Nairobi)
A 1996 study in Nairobi, Kenya, compared the food security and nutritional status of low-income households engaged in urban agriculture with those not farming. It found that urban farmers primarily produced for home consumption and faced theft as a major problem. While the Undugu Society Urban Agriculture Project (USUAP) group showed better food situations and higher energy and protein intakes than other groups, all three groups had inadequate energy intake on average. The long-term beneficial effect of urban agriculture on nutritional status was negligible.
Limited or null effectFood sovereignty & justiceHealthWelfareCommunityUrban Agriculture in Zimbabwe: Implications for Urban Management and Poverty
1995Beacon Mbiba · · Zimbabwe (Harare)
This paper addresses the implications of urban agriculture for urban management and poverty in Zimbabwe, covering various aspects such as off-plot cultivation in Harare, urban cultivation at home, urban maize markets, and institutional responses to uncontrolled urban cultivation. Evidence from Harare suggests that urban agriculture can be a counterproductive activity, highlighting challenges and conflicts in urban management.
Governance failureCommunityWelfarePolicyHealthMetals in urban gardens ‐ effect of lime and sludge
1995James R. Preer, Ahmed N. Abdi, Harkewal S. Sekhon, George B. Murchison · Journal of Environmental Science and Health Part A Environmental Science and Engineering and Toxicology · Global
This study investigated cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn) concentrations in vegetables grown in community gardens on different urban soils. Vegetables from a low-pH urban soil without contamination history showed higher Cd and Zn levels than those from a reclaimed landfill with digested sewage sludge, and also higher than a low-metal, neutral-pH site. Liming on the low-pH site reduced Cd and Zn concentrations in beet, lettuce, radish, and Swiss chard leaves, reaching background levels after four years. The findings indicate that soil pH is more important than total soil Cd and Zn in determining vegetable metal availability.
Contamination & food safetyHealthCommunityOrganic cycleRecognizing Ethiopia's urban farmers.
1993Lee M · PubMed · Ethiopia
In Ethiopia, urban agriculture faces significant challenges due to government disapproval of public land use for farming and difficulty in obtaining credit. A 1983 survey in Addis Ababa found that 17% of 1352 households produced their own food on less than 25 sq. meters, with 90% of non-farmers citing lack of land. Despite urban agricultural cooperatives demonstrating 70% higher member income, their lack of government legalization prevents access to loans for productivity improvement.
Governance failureCommunityEconomicsPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceHealthWelfareClimate changeUrban–rural linkagePeri-urban agricultureFood educationBiodiversityCompostDIYElderlyFood lossHeirloom & landraceOrganic cyclePollinatorsFood miles & supply chainCSA & TeikeiDigital agricultureBestimmung des Gehaltes ausgewählter Lebensmittel an Blei, Cadmium, Kupfer, Zink und Eisen
1988M. 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.
Contamination & food safetyHealthCommunityCadmium and lead in soils and crops from allotment gardens in the Netherlands.
1987P. 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.
Contamination & food safetyHealthA study of common crop pests in allotment gardens around Leeds
1979Howard 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.
Contamination & food safetyCommunityBiodiversityHealthA study of soil contamination and plant lead uptake in Boston urban gardens
1979T. M. Spittler, William A. Feder · Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis · United States
This study demonstrated a serious problem of lead contamination in Boston's urban environment by analyzing about 900 soil samples from backyards, play areas, community gardens, and playgrounds using X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. An average lead level of 800 ppm was found, traceable to the past widespread use of lead paint. Selected plant species grown in soils with lead levels ranging from 100–2000 ppm showed differing affinities for lead uptake, with fruits taking up less than roots and roots less than tops, indicating positive translocation of lead from soil into plant tissue.
Contamination & food safetyHealth