Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
1022 results(35 / 41)
Challenges of Women in Urban Agriculture in Kwara State, Nigeria
2013Adedayo A, A. M. Tunde · Sustainable Agriculture Research · Nigeria (Kwara State)
This study assessed the challenges faced by women farmers in urban areas of Kwara State, Nigeria. A total of 1,801 women farmers were sampled from different urban areas, and Focus Group Discussions were conducted. Matrix ranking revealed that lack of credit facilities was one of the most significant challenges hindering increased production by women. Other identified challenges included restricted accessibility to land and a lack of farm input.
Equity & displacementCommunityEconomicsPolicyGreen Economy and Infrastructure Contributions of USDA Urban and Nonfarm Soil Projects in the U.S.
2013Maxine J. Levin · Soil Horizons · United States
This commentary highlights a growing demand for soil information for green economy initiatives and climate change adaptation over the last 25 years. Despite this, USDA's funding and technical support for soil surveys in urban and nonfarm areas have been inconsistent and, in some places, nonexistent. The author argues for the vital role of modern soil surveys in addressing current needs.
Governance failureClimate changePolicyCommunityOrganic cycleResearch on Urban Agriculture Scientific Development Path of the Construction of Central Economic Region——Taking Zhengzhou Urban Agriculture as an Example
2013WU De-hu · Anhui nongye kexue · China (Zhengzhou)
This study elaborated on the significance of developing characteristic agriculture in China's Central Economic Zone, using Zhengzhou urban agriculture as an example. It identified existing problems in urban agriculture development, including understanding deviation, extensive development, market confusion, short industrial chains, low specialization, and harsh environments. The research proposed countermeasures such as strengthening government macro-control, perfecting compensation mechanisms, and promoting scientific innovation and industrialization.
Economic viabilityPolicyEconomicsUrban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceImported from Detroit: An Examination of a City in Crisis
2013Freda G. Sampson, Thomas G. Costello, Stacey Stevens, Desiree Squire · Journal of Law and Society · United States (Detroit)
This paper examines Detroit, United States, as a city in crisis, analyzing redevelopment conflicts between gentrification and revitalization. It applies a "Litmus Test for Equity and Opportunity" to current redevelopment efforts, including the Detroit Future City Plan and projects by Michael Ilitch & Company and Dan Gilbert. The analysis suggests that despite efforts, the complexities of this post-industrial city, particularly regarding its predominantly African-American population, are only superficially addressed, indicating ongoing equity challenges.
Equity & displacementCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicyPlanning the unplanned: incorporating agriculture as an urban land use into the Dar es Salaam master plan and beyond
2013Afton Halloran, Jakob Magid · Environment and Urbanization · Tanzania (Dar es Salaam)
Urban agriculture in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, has received little political support from central and local governments over the past 30 years due to its informal status, leading to land insecurity for many urban farmers. The incorporation of urban agriculture into the Dar es Salaam 2012-2032 Master Plan (unapproved as of June 2013) and its legitimization processes were examined. It was noted that legitimization through policy could also further marginalize urban farmers cultivating open spaces within the city.
Governance failurePolicyCommunityUrban Agriculture and Poverty Mitigation in Zimbabwe: Prospects and Obstacles in Bulawayo Townships
2013Philani Moyo · Journal of Human Ecology · Zimbabwe
This study qualitatively examined the role and contribution of urban agriculture to household food security, employment creation, and income generation among low-income working-class and urban poor households in Bulawayo townships, Zimbabwe. It was found that urban food production significantly contributes to household food access and security, improving dietary diversity and nutritional intake. However, the potential of urban agriculture is constrained by factors including land tenure insecurity, erratic water access, small plot sizes, inadequate capital for optimizing plot productivity, and ambivalent application of urban land-use laws.
Economic viabilityWelfareEconomicsFood sovereignty & justicePolicyMunicipal commonage in South Africa: a critique of artificial dichotomies in policy debates on agriculture
2013Doreen Atkinson · African Journal of Range and Forage Science · South Africa
This paper critiques the assertion that commercialization of smallholder agriculture poses dangers for sustainable rangeland management in South Africa. It argues that a range of policy options are required, including commercialization and subsistence farming, large-scale and smallholder farming, various land tenure options, rural and peri-urban farming, and part-time farming. The case of municipal commonage land is used to demonstrate the effectiveness of flexible policy options regarding land ownership, farming scale, and the social nature of farming, but it is noted that effective institutional development is a key requirement in all cases.
Governance failurePolicyPeri-urban agricultureUrban–rural linkageChallenges in Vertical Farming and Controlled Environments Agriculture
2013Michael R. Hoadley · Illinois Digital Environment for Access to Learning and Scholarship (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) · Global
A talk by Michael Hoadley, founder of Chicago firm Fewzion, discussed challenges in vertical farming and controlled environment agriculture. The presentation emphasized the importance of framing discussions within the context of economically self-sustainable models, free of dependence on policy subsidy and philanthropy. This highlights concerns about policymakers' over-zealous view of urban agriculture as a panacea for social ills.
Economic viabilityEconomicsPolicyClimate changeFresh Squeezed: The Dilemma of Local Food Production Along Colorado's Front Range Urban Corridor
2013Amanda Jessie Weaver · Digital Commons - DU (University of Denver) · United States (Colorado)
This project combined U.S. Agricultural Census data with a survey of local producers in Colorado's Front Range Urban Corridor to examine the competition between urban development and food production. The study found that urban development is increasingly encroaching on rich agricultural lands, which are also desirable for housing. Consequently, Colorado faces increasing competition for land, potentially driving local food prices up and displacing producers to peripheral areas or out of food production entirely.
Governance failureUrban–rural linkageEconomicsPolicyClimate changeImpact of illegal urban agricultural activities on bio-diversity of Emakhandeni high density suburb of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
2013Patrick F. Banga · · Zimbabwe
Unsanctioned urban agricultural activities in Emakhandeni High Density Suburb of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, negatively impact biodiversity. Researchers interviewed 100 people and conducted field visits, finding that the majority of cultivators operate outside existing laws and guidelines. This leads to progressive land degradation, massive deforestation, soil erosion, dried wetlands, lowered water table, and compromised groundwater quality due to pesticides and inorganic fertilizers.
Environmental trade-offsCommunityBiodiversityPolicyClimate changeUrban Agricultures: Spatial, Social and Environmental Transformations in Rome
2013Giovanni Attili · IRIS Research product catalog (Sapienza University of Rome) · Italy (Rome)
This study focused on community gardens in Rome, Italy, which largely result from informal appropriation practices. While these gardens can enhance environmental and social quality of life, they require institutional support and present a crucial challenge for urban planning. The study highlights the need to explore tensions between social practices and institutional powers, and questions how public policy can legitimize these self-guiding societal expressions.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyBiodiversityHealthThe Rise of Urban Agriculture: A Cautionary Tale – No Rules, Big Problems
2013Matthew V. Bradshaw · The William & Mary Law School Scholarship Repository (William & Mary) · United States
This Note identifies that while the urban agriculture movement is growing in popularity across the United States, legislatures have often ignored foundational laws related to the sale and distribution of goods, including inspection, labeling, labor, and compensation laws. This oversight has led to the creation of unconstitutional trade barriers in some instances. The study raises a cautionary voice to government officials regarding the potential future consequences of these regulatory gaps.
Governance failurePolicyThe City as an "Agricultural Powerhouse"? Perspectives on Expanding Urban Agriculture from Detroit, Michigan
2012Kathryn Colasanti, Michael W. Hamm, Charlotte M. Litjens · Urban Geography · United States (Detroit)
This research explores perceptions of expanding urban agriculture in Detroit, Michigan, through semi-structured interviews and focus groups. While revealing widespread support for urban agriculture as a strategy for food security and urban sustainability, the study highlights contested aspects regarding the extent to which it should occur, its purpose, and the people it would involve.
Equity & displacementCommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyToward a Food Policy “First Step” in Oakland, California: A Food Policy Council’s Efforts To Promote Urban Agriculture Zoning
2012Nathan McClintock, Heather Wooten, Alethea Brown · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United States (California)
This 2012 reflective case study documented the efforts of the Oakland Food Policy Council (OFPC) in Oakland, California, to develop recommendations for urban agriculture zoning. Despite popular interest in urban agriculture, zoning often acts as an obstacle to its expansion. The OFPC faced obstacles in gaining the attention of city officials and advancing its policy agenda for new zoning definitions and operating standards for urban agriculture.
Governance failurePolicyFood sovereignty & justiceZoned Out: The Potential of Urban Agriculture Planning to Turn Against its Roots
2012Community Gardening Works! ACGA 2011 Conference, Carolin Mees, Edie Stone · Cities and the Environment · United States
This abstract discusses the rapid expansion of the community gardening movement in US urban areas. It highlights the potential for urban agriculture planning to turn against its original community-driven roots, as suggested by the title. The movement began over 30 years ago, with residents creating gardens on abandoned land, supported by programs like New York City's GreenThumb.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyEconomicsSchool gardens: teaching and learning outside the front door
2012Rowena Passy · Education 3-13 · Global
This article reports on two projects investigating school gardens, finding that while they can effectively engage primary children in learning, a divide exists among teachers regarding garden use. The article argues that mixed messages in policy concerning outdoor learning act as a barrier to teachers utilizing school gardens.
Governance failureFood educationPolicyHiri-nekazaritza Bilbo inguruan
2012David Tijero · Aldiri: arkitektura eta abar · Spain (Bilbao)
This article criticizes the municipal administration's attitude towards informal allotments on the outskirts of Bilbao. It analyzes the consequences of green space reclamation plans executed in recent years and advocates for policies promoting both formal and informal urban agriculture.
Governance failurePolicyCommunityPeri-urban agricultureImplementing a Rainwater Sustainable Control in Sahel-Feedback from "Niayes" Zone of Dakar
2012Sylvestre Dasylva · Journal of environmental science & engineering · Senegal (Dakar)
This paper discusses rainwater management in the "niayes" zone of Dakar, Senegal. This area is characterized by agricultural depressions with typically high groundwater levels, but a recent drop has turned some into runoff-gathering sites, used for urban agriculture among other services. However, two acute problems are observed: hydrological drying due to insufficient rainwater refill and urbanization of these bottom-lands. Furthermore, decreasing pluviometry exacerbates nuisances like floods and malaria.
Environmental trade-offsClimate changeUrban–rural linkagePolicyPeri-urban agricultureBackyard chicken keeping in the Greater London Urban Area: welfare status, biosecurity and disease control issues
2012I. Karabozhilova, Barbara Wieland, Silvia Alonso, Laura Salonen, Barbara Häsler · British Poultry Science · United Kingdom (London)
A 2010 questionnaire survey of 30 backyard chicken flock-keepers in the Greater London Urban Area found that while chickens generally had conditions for natural behaviors, most owners did not comply with regulations on catering waste feeding. Disease prevention measures were rare, and a lack of avian and zoonotic disease knowledge among owners was observed, indicating implications for disease control.
Governance failureHealthPolicyCommunityChapter 29 Public space, urban agriculture and the grassroots creation of new commons: lessons and challenges for policy makers
2012Chiara Tornaghi · · United Kingdom
This academic-activist research on grassroots urban agriculture initiatives, focusing on four projects in Leeds, UK, found that local and regional institutions have limited ability to respond to these new demands. Planning traditions constrain institutions, failing to create flexible public spaces. Consequently, short-term solutions are found in "loose spaces" or ad-hoc negotiations, but these remain emergency or residual practices, highlighting challenges for urban public space management.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageDevelopment status and strategy of urban agriculture in Guangzhou
2012Shengzhong Chen · Guangdong nongye kexue · China (Guangzhou)
This study analyzed the development conditions, process, characteristics, and barriers of urban agriculture in Guangzhou City. It showed that while urban agriculture in Guangzhou has formed functions such as production, technology demonstration, ecological barriers, and leisure services, it faces internal and external development barriers including a decline in agriculture's status, expansion of urban land, labor shortages, and environmental pollution. These barriers hinder the healthy and sustainable development of urban agriculture.
Governance failurePolicyEconomicsUrban–rural linkageClimate change도시공원 진화상의 비판적 고찰을 통한 도시농업공원의 발전 가능성
2012윤희정, 조미경 · · Korea
This study aimed to critically consider and classify new paradigms for urban parks in the 21st century. While urban parks exhibit progressive aspects such as process, openness, productivity, and community space, they face significant criticism regarding the long development period for tree growth, covering open spaces, ecological limitations, economic validity, urban sprawl, underutilization as a low-carbon strategy, and negative consilience with contiguous fields. Based on these critical considerations, the study proposed urban agricultural parks as an alternative.
Governance failurePolicyCommunityEconomicsUrban–rural linkageRegulation of Farmland Conversion on the Urban Fringe: From Land-Use Planning to Food Strategies. Insight into Two Case Studies in Provence and Tuscany
2012Coline Perrin · International Planning Studies · France, Italy
Case studies in Provence and Tuscany indicate that planning prescriptions and land-market control are insufficient for protecting farmland on the urban fringe. Farmland is not effectively protected if regulatory approaches are not integrated into a global strategy for agriculture and food based on community involvement. Farmland protection policies are more effective when combining top-down policies with bottom-up initiatives and recognizing the multifunctional character of urban agriculture.
Governance failurePolicyPeri-urban agricultureCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceSuccessful strategies and barriers to community gardening in metro Atlanta, Georgia
2012Julie L. Self, Amanda Wyatt, Aimee Webb Girard · The FASEB Journal · United States (Atlanta)
This research characterized community gardens (CGs) in two urban counties in Atlanta, Georgia, through semi-structured interviews with diverse garden leaders. The study identified primary barriers to creating and sustaining CGs as leadership constraints, reliable access to natural resources, and unclear regulations. It also found that CGs foster access to fresh food, knowledge, and community connections, with benefits varying by community.
Governance failureCommunityHealthPolicy단지 내 조경요소로서 도시농업 활성화를 위한 작물지표 도출 및 생태면적률 개선방안
2012강현정, 김세용 · 한국주거학회 학술발표대회 논문집 · South Korea
Modern cities prioritize development, leading to environmental deterioration. The biotope area ratio may not adequately reflect spatial utilization and plant growth conditions in multi-unit dwellings. While urban agriculture holds potential for environmental reform, a systematic framework and clear guidelines for its practical application are currently lacking. This study aims to derive crop indices for revitalizing urban agriculture and propose development directions for the biotope area ratio.
Governance failureClimate changePolicyCommunity