Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
138 results(3 / 6)
Urban Agriculture and the Sustainability Nexus in South Africa: Past, Current, and Future Trends
2023Tinashe P. Kanosvamhira · Urban Forum · South Africa
This narrative literature review analyzed 62 peer-reviewed articles on urban agriculture in South Africa from 1993 to 2022. The findings indicate several knowledge gaps, including an under-representation of secondary cities and a general productivist focus in most studies, which limit understanding of urban agriculture for sustainable cities.
Methodological critiqueUrban–rural linkagePolicyBiodiversityAGRICULTURA URBANA E ESTÉTICA AMBIENTAL: UM MAPEAMENTO DE AUTORES INSPIRADO POR J. DOUGLAS PORTEOUS.
2023Claudia Rochael Oliveira, Eneida Maria Souza Mendonça · Geografia (Rio Claro) · Global
This article aimed to map authors discussing environmental aesthetics in urban agriculture research, inspired by Porteous's work. Using a bibliographic survey and visual representations, the study found no publications intersecting urban agriculture and environmental aesthetics. Research on urban agriculture and landscape was notably greater than on urban agriculture and aesthetics, and studies applying aesthetic theory to urban agriculture were very limited, especially in high-tech contexts like vertical farms.
Methodological critiqueUrban–rural linkageCommunityBiodiversityCombination of observational and functional trait-based approaches in developing a polyculture design tool
2023Pavlo Ardanov, Annette Piorr, Alexandra Doernberg, Sonja Brodt, Jennifer B. Lauruol, Iryna Kazakova, Valentyna Movchan, Lucas A. Garibaldi · Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems · Global
This study assessed information from multiple sources to design diversified cropping systems with vegetables and spice crops for cold temperate climates, integrating trait and observational data from databases, farmer surveys, and literature reviews. While farmers achieved medium to good levels of their main goals, they failed to reach desired multifunctionality with their polycultures. None of the individual data sources provided a comprehensive dataset, but combining them increased crop combination options while also increasing planning and management complexity.
Limited or null effectCSA & TeikeiDIYBiodiversityUnderstanding Multiple Ecosystem Services of Urban Agriculture Across Scales
2023Jiangxiao Qiu, Hui Zhao · EDIS · Global
This overview identified eight ecosystem services generally attributed to urban agriculture, including food production, microclimate regulation, stormwater retention, and social-cultural values. However, the study found that quantitative evidence for many of these ecosystem services, especially intangible ones, is scarce. It suggests that while urban agriculture could be integral to green infrastructure, further consideration is needed for types, technology, management, and potential tradeoffs.
Methodological critiqueBiodiversityClimate changeHealthOrganic cyclePolicyCommunityResilience processes and positioning of agroecological farmers in an urban horticultural fair in northwest Patagonia
2023Ana H. Ladio, Melisa Longo, Soledad Molares · Ethnobotany Research and Applications · Argentina (San Carlos de Bariloche)
This qualitative study analyzed the resilience processes of agroecological farmers at the Free Fair of Family Farmers from Nahuel Huapi in San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina. The fair's main resilience principles include high agrobiodiversity, learning and connectivity, cooperation, and adaptive systemic thinking. However, the economic and cultural viability of this fair is uncertain due to the drastic socio-environmental changes experienced in the region.
Economic viabilityCommunityBiodiversityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsNurturing soil-adarities
2023Bethaney Turner · · Global
This chapter explored human-soil relations in urban home and community gardens through ethnographic fieldwork. While biodiverse soil offers direct health benefits, the presence of contaminated, toxic soils, prevalent in lower socio-economic neighborhoods, was shown to expose inequities in access to safe gardening sites and hinder the realization of potential therapeutic benefits. It argues that the therapeutic benefits of gardens are best realized when humans cultivate attentive relationships with myriad multispecies companions.
Contamination & food safetyCommunityHealthBiodiversityOrganic cycleWelfareATTITUDE AND PERCEPTION OF LOCAL FARMERS TOWARD AGROBIODIVERSITY IN HOME GARDEN. CASE STUDY: BUOT VILLAGE, CHIENG YEN COMMUNE, VAN HO DISTRICT, SON LA PROVINCE, VIETNAM
2023Tuyet Truong, Khoirunnisa Khuzaimah, H.T.M. Pham, Ho Ngoc Son, Tuan Van Bui, Long Ha · SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL OF TAN TRAO UNIVERSITY · Vietnam (Son La Province)
A study surveyed 39 local farmers in Buot village, Son La province, Vietnam, to examine their perception of agrobiodiversity and factors influencing the adoption of syntrophic farming in home gardens. The survey found that most farmers understood the importance of agrobiodiversity and were willing to adopt syntrophic farming. However, challenges in capital, market access, and a lack of irrigation systems were identified as barriers hindering their adoption of syntrophic farming.
Economic viabilityBiodiversityDIYEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceUrban agriculture and environmental sustainability
2023Gizaw Ebissa, Kumelachew Yeshitela, Hayal Desta, Aramde Fetene · Environment Development and Sustainability · Global
This study investigated urban agriculture's (UA) contributions to environmental sustainability (ES) using scholarly search engines. Findings indicate UA contributes to ES by mitigating greenhouse gases, urban heat island effects, and floods, while enhancing biodiversity and promoting agro-tourism. However, challenges such as lack of policy support, exclusion from urban land use planning, and urbanites' behavior towards UA products limit its full benefits.
Governance failureClimate changeBiodiversityPolicyCommunityEcosystem services of urban agriculture and prospects for scaling up production: A study of Detroit
2022Joshua Newell, Alec Foster, Mariel Borgman, Sara Meerow · Cities · United States (Detroit)
A study in Detroit's Lower Eastside (~15 sq. miles) examined the spatial extent, characteristics, and residents' perceptions of urban gardens using spatial analysis and interviews. Gardens covered less than 1% of vacant land and were often ephemeral. Primary obstacles to scaling up urban agriculture in Detroit include uncertainty over land tenure, environmental pollutants, potential ecosystem disservices, and a lack of government support and capital investment.
Governance failureCommunityBiodiversityPolicyEconomicsClimate changeHealthLandscape Change Analysis: Ecosystem Services in the Peri-urban Agriculture of Bangkok
2022Fa Likitswat, Alisa Sahavacharin · Journal of Architectural/Planning Research and Studies (JARS) · Thailand (Bangkok)
This research analyzed landscape transformations, specifically agricultural landscape structures and functions, in eight selected sites in the urban fringe of Bangkok from 1952 to 2018. The study found that the significant loss of agricultural landscape in Bangkok's peri-urban areas resulted in the loss of seasonal water retention areas, productive landscapes, and urban wildlife habitats. It concludes there is a research gap regarding the lack of policies and practices to promote ecosystem services linked to preserving peri-urban agriculture in Bangkok.
Environmental trade-offsPeri-urban agricultureClimate changeBiodiversityPolicyLow 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-offsBiodiversityPollinatorsCommunityProspects 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 effectBiodiversityDIYChinese Residents’ Perceived Ecosystem Services and Disservices Impacts Behavioral Intention for Urban Community Garden: An Extension of the Theory of Planned Behavior
2022Can Wu, Xiaoma Li, Yuqing Tian, Ziniu Deng, Xiaoying Yu, Shenglan Wu, Di Shu, Yulin Peng, Feipeng Sheng, Dexin Gan · Agronomy · China (Changsha)
This study investigated the impact of perceived ecosystem services (ES) and disservices (EDS) on behavioral intention towards urban community gardens (UCGs) among 1142 residents in Changsha, China. While government decision-makers often refuse UCGs, residents' attitudes, perceived behavioral control, and subjective norms positively impacted their behavioral intention towards UCGs. Perceived ES had a direct positive impact on behavioral intention, whereas perceived EDS had a direct negative impact.
Governance failureCommunityBiodiversityPolicyExercise, Urban Food Production, Preparation and Consumption: Implications, Benefits and Risks to Grow-Your-Own (GYO) Gardeners
2022Jonathan Stubberfield, Mads Troldborg, E. Louise Ander, N.M.J. Crout, Scott D. Young, Rupert Hough · Agronomy · United Kingdom
This study investigated the influence of gardening routines on health benefits and risks among 120 urban gardeners in the UK. Participants showed a correlation between autumn/winter gardening activity and fruit/vegetable consumption, with higher physical activity levels and lower BMI than average. However, while gardening offers health benefits, the health risks from gardening on soils mildly contaminated with cadmium and lead may outweigh these benefits, requiring formal consideration within a risk management framework.
Contamination & food safetyHealthDIYBiodiversityBalancing urban agriculture with sustaining ecosystem services
2022Monika Egerer, Brenda B. Lin · CABI Reviews · Global
This review evaluated ecosystem services (ES) within urban agriculture (UA) systems and the trade-offs between these services. Urban agriculture provides many benefits and environmental services such as food provision, social cohesion, and climate regulation. However, it was shown that management decisions can create trade-offs between ecosystem services, where an increase in one service may potentially reduce the system's ability to provide another service at a desired level.
Environmental trade-offsBiodiversityClimate changeCommunityOrganic cyclePotensi dan Kendala Pengembangan Urban Farming di Sempadan Rel Kereta Api Kelurahan Bangetayu Wetan Kecamatan Genuk Kota Semarang
2022Ro'fatul Maulaa, Niken Kusumarini, Dian Triastari Armanda · BIOLOGICA SAMUDRA · Indonesia (Semarang)
The potential and constraints of urban farming development on the railroad border in Bangetayu Wetan Village, Genuk District, Semarang City, Indonesia, were investigated through observation, interviews, and documentation. The approximately 1 to 2-hectare area cultivated crops such as corn, cassava, and sugarcane, with yield predictions sufficient to meet food needs. However, the presence of pests, diseases, and weeds were identified as constraints, indicating challenges for urban farming development.
Limited or null effectCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceBiodiversityHealthReasons and Remedies to the Dying Plant Walls
2021Hayley Q McGough · DigitalCommons - CalPoly (California State Polytechnic University) · Global
This paper investigates why plant façades on buildings frequently die, preventing them from fully realizing benefits like urban heat island reduction and improved air quality. Through interviews with landscape architects, it examines factors for maintaining plant façades and assesses if new approaches, such as earlier integration of landscape architects or biocurtains, can address the high mortality rates. The study highlights that these plant façades often fail, leading to waste and unfulfilled potential.
Limited or null effectClimate changeBiodiversityEconomicsDIYQuantification and Analysis of Microplastics in Farmland Soils: Characterization, Sources, and Pathways
2021Hoda Fakour, Shang‐Lien Lo, Nathan Thadeo Yoashi, Angelbetter Marselian Massao, Nelson Naboth Lema, Fezile Bethusile Mkhontfo, Patrick Chris Jomalema, Nasra Shabani Jumanne, Bright Hubert Mbuya, James Travor Mtweve, Moslem Imani · Agriculture · Taiwan (Tainan)
A study in Tainan city farms, Taiwan, quantified and analyzed microplastics (MPs) in farmland soils. MPs were found in all soil samples at depths ranging from 12–117 items/m2. Farms adjacent to suburban roads had approximately three times more MPs than enclosed farms. Fragment and fibers were the main forms, with low-density polyethylene being the dominant polymer, originating from historical land use, plastic mulch, and fruit protection foams.
Contamination & food safetyHealthBiodiversityHeavy metals and metalloids concentrations across UK urban horticultural soils and the factors influencing their bioavailability to food crops
2021Marta Crispo, Miriam C. Dobson, Roscoe S. Blevins, William Meredith, Janice A. Lake, Jill L. Edmondson · Environmental Pollution · United Kingdom
Heavy metal (HM) and metalloid concentrations were assessed in 200 urban horticultural soils across ten UK cities. HM were found to be widespread, with most concentrations below UK soil screening values (C4SLs). However, 83% of lead (Pb) concentrations exceeded C4SLs, which is a significant concern. Bioavailable HM concentrations represented a small fraction (0.01–1.8%) of total concentrations, and black carbon (BC) and organic carbon (OC) were suggested to contribute to HM immobilization.
Contamination & food safetyHealthCommunityBiodiversityHow are allotment gardens managed? A comparative study of usage and development in contemporary urban space in Germany and Poland
2021Magdalena Szczepańska, Ewa Kacprzak, Barbara Maćkiewicz, Lidia Poniży · Moravian Geographical Reports · Germany; Poland
A comparative study analyzed the use and development of allotment gardens (AGs) in Westphalia and Lippe (Germany) and Wielkopolska (Poland). AGs in Westphalia and Lippe are accessible and harmoniously integrated into the landscape, while AGs in Wielkopolska are less accessible, prioritize internal users, and do not always blend with their surroundings. The considerable freedom enjoyed by Polish plot-holders leads to a gradual marginalization of edible-plant growing.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyBiodiversityUrban–rural linkageRooftop garden an organic farming to grow uncontaminated vegetable improved food quality and food security in Bhubaneswar City, India
2021K. C. Sahu, M. K. Satapathy · International Journal of Agriculture Extension and Social Development · India
This paper discusses rooftop gardens as an alternative for vegetable production in Bhubaneswar City, India. While rooftop agriculture can improve ecosystem services and enhance urban biodiversity, vegetable production activities on rooftops are limited due to multiple challenges that need to be addressed for widespread implementation. Rooftops are not a total solution for food security but can supplement other urban food sources.
Limited or null effectDIYFood sovereignty & justiceBiodiversityClimate changeFood forests: Their services and sustainability
2021Stefanie Albrecht, Arnim Wiek · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · Global
This study compiled evidence from over 200 food forests worldwide, with detailed insights from 14 exemplary food forests in Europe, North America, and South America, gained through site visits and interviews. Findings indicate that most food forests perform well on social-cultural and environmental criteria, such as building capacity, providing food, enhancing biodiversity, and regenerating soil. However, for broader impact, food forests need to enhance their economic viability, as they currently show a deficit in this area.
Economic viabilityCommunityBiodiversityEconomicsFood educationAbiotic and biotic drivers of strawberry productivity across a rural-urban gradient
2021Kyla D. Scherr, Mary A. Jamieson · Basic and Applied Ecology · United States (Michigan)
This three-year study investigated environmental factors influencing strawberry productivity for two cultivars at ten farms across a rural-urban gradient in Michigan, USA. It found no direct effect of urbanization on strawberry production or fruit pathogen and pest damage, but temperature significantly influenced crop productivity, with cooler rural and warmer urban temperatures limiting fruit number. While no relationship was found between urbanization and overall arthropod pest, predator, or pollinator abundances, Vespidae abundance was positively associated with urbanization, and Araneae abundance was negatively associated.
Limited or null effectUrban–rural linkageBiodiversityClimate changeA Study to Improve The Sustainability of Ecological and Character Education in an Elementary School Garden
2021Mun Gi Hong, Bo Eun Nam · Journal of Character Education and Research · South Korea
This study analyzed the suitability of G National University's campus as an educational site for ecological and character education for elementary students. The campus had a green space ratio of approximately 40% and 120 woody plant species. However, vulnerabilities in plant diversity were identified, including a bias towards certain species like oak and azalea, and multiple species concentrated in small numbers. A critical finding was the overlapping flowering and fruiting seasons for most species, which could negatively impact the ecology of wild animals like insects and birds that rely on these resources.
Environmental trade-offsFood educationBiodiversityUsing constructed soils for green infrastructure – challenges and limitations
2020Maha Deeb, Peter M. Groffman, Manuel Blouin, Sara Perl Egendorf, Alan Vergnes, Viacheslav Vasenev, Donna L. Cao, Daniel C. I. Walsh, Tatiana Morin, Geoffroy Séré · SOIL · Global
This review examines the use of Constructed Technosols (CTs), mixtures of organic and mineral waste, for green infrastructure (GI) in urban spaces. While CTs have high potential to provide multiple soil functions and contribute to urban greening, urban soils are often physically, chemically, or biologically unsuitable for GI features. The analysis suggests that the composition and structure of CTs should be adapted to available wastes and by-products, as well as future land use and environmental conditions, highlighting the need for careful design to overcome existing limitations.
Environmental trade-offsOrganic cycleClimate changeBiodiversityDIY