Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
1138 results(7 / 46)
Challenges and Opportunities of Urban Agriculture in Major Towns Practicing Urban Agriculture in Ethiopia: A Review
2025Etefa Tilahun Ashine · International Journal of Agricultural Economics · Ethiopia
This review examines the challenges and opportunities of urban agriculture in Ethiopia, where urbanization and living costs are rising. Key challenges include limited access to land, irrigation water, and financial institutions, as well as high prices for fertilizers and pesticides, and climate variability affecting crop yields. Opportunities include strong market demand for products, employment creation for youth and women, and additional income generation for producers. The study concludes that stronger policy support and investment are needed to enhance urban agriculture's contribution.
Governance failurePolicyEconomicsCommunityUrban–rural linkagePendampingan Pengelolaan Air Limbah Rumah Tangga untuk Pengembangan Pertanian Perkotaan Kelompok Tani Cokrodirjan
2025Stefani Natalia Sabatini, Paulus Bawole, Haryati Bawole Sutanto · Jurnal Atma Inovasia · Indonesia (Yogyakarta)
This study discusses assistance provided to the Migunani Farmer Group in Cokrodirjan, Yogyakarta City, regarding household wastewater management for urban agriculture development. The assistance included education on wastewater management, education and simulation of urine processing into liquid fertilizer, and a workshop on simple garden reactor creation. While education and simulation activities increased the farmer group's capacity, the construction of the garden wastewater treatment reactor was hindered by difficulties in adjusting the location of the wastewater source.
Limited or null effectCommunityOrganic cycleClimate changeAssessing the Gap Between Intention and Implementation in Seed Lending Libraries
2025Hilary Jasmin · Evidence Based Library and Information Practice · United States and Canada
This study surveyed 58 academic and public libraries in the United States and Canada regarding their seed lending programs' goals and marketing, using an online survey. While some libraries stated intentions related to food justice and activism, their marketing and programming primarily focused on neutral gardening and how-to classes. The findings reveal a gap between the initial, less neutral intentions and the more neutral, less activist programming language used for seed libraries.
Governance failureCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceFood educationPráticas agroecológicas em franjas urbanas do Sul Global
2025Victória Pansani Silveira Maia, Sílvia Aparecida Mikami Gonçalves Pina · Periódico Técnico e Científico Cidades Verdes · Global
This case study analyzed urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) experiences in India (Bangalore, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam) and an agroforestry system in Campinas, Brazil, using literature review, document analysis, and participant observation. The study identified common obstacles to agroecological practices, including land tenure insecurity, real estate pressures, lack of specific public policies, and uneven community engagement. It also highlighted potentialities such as care networks and food resilience, emphasizing the need for institutional support and public policies.
Governance failurePeri-urban agricultureCommunityPolicyClimate changeEconomicsRooftop Agriculture in the Urban Global South: The Experience of Johannesburg
2025Jayne M. Rogerson · Modern Geográfia · South Africa (Johannesburg)
This article examines the organization and current state of rooftop agriculture in Johannesburg, South Africa, drawing on existing material. Johannesburg hosts the largest cluster of rooftop farms, primarily established for social considerations, with fewer projects for commercial reasons or business image enhancement. The study investigates the challenges confronting these rooftop farming projects.
Governance failureCommunityEconomicsPolicyThe Affective Creation of Dissonance in Alternative Organizations: The case of a shared community garden
2025Nilo Coradini de Freitas, Hélène Picard, Marcos Barros · Organization Studies · Global
This ethnographic study of a shared community garden explores the role of affective dynamics in creating dissonance within alternative organizations. The study found that intensive affective experiences generate tensions in member interactions, leading to transitional reactions that require organizational responses. This highlights how affective embodiment processes shape supposedly rational procedures and dialogue in decision-making, impacting organizational democracy.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyNúcleo de Estudos e Pesquisas Regionais e Agrários: Investigações e Proposições Geográficas
2025Édipo Alves Lacerda · Espiral revista de geografías y ciencias sociales · Brazil
This book, organized by Gustavo Henrique Cepolini Ferreira et al., compiles texts from Unimontes researchers focused on critical geography and popular struggles for land and traditional territories in northern Minas Gerais, Brazil. It discusses conflicts from agribusiness expansion, disputes over resources, climate change effects on peasant farming, and challenges faced by quilombolas, indigenous, and traditional communities. The book addresses structural racism and other aspects of rural development, highlighting negative impacts on these communities.
Equity & displacementUrban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justicePolicyClimate changeCommunityUrban Farming Practices and Constraints to Urban Agriculture in Bauchi Metropolis
2025Yusuf Kamaluddeen Ibrahim, Zabawi Abdul Ghani, Rasheed Osuolale Oladosu, O. D. Idris,, Tamwesigire Caleb · Journal of Innovative Research · Nigeria (Bauchi)
In Bauchi metropolis, Nigeria, urban farming practices and constraints were investigated among 285 urban farmers. Findings revealed that most farmers do not own land, instead borrowing or renting it. The major constraints to urban agriculture were reported as lack of tenure security, limited land area, and poor access to microcredit facilities.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsCommunityPolicyReassessing (en)gendered responsibilities for care through community gardening in Aotearoa New Zealand
2025Maria Teresa Braga Bizarria · Gender Place & Culture · New Zealand (Wellington)
This qualitative study explored the embodied experiences of six women in three community gardens in Wellington, New Zealand, focusing on gender roles and care responsibilities. The findings indicate that participants' experiences were permeated by complicity with oppressive structures, and their actions had limitations in fostering transformative justice.
Equity & displacementCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceThe Role of Urban Farming in Enhancing Food Security and Sustainability in Lagos Metropolis: A Stakeholder Analysis
2025S Aliyu, Okhimamhe A. A, I. M. Sule · International Journal of Research and Innovation in Applied Science · Nigeria (Lagos)
This study explored the role of urban farming in enhancing food security and sustainability in the Lagos Metropolis through focus group discussions and quantitative surveys with various stakeholders, including policymakers, urban farmers, and community members. Findings suggest urban farming's potential to reduce food transportation distances, enhance local food production, and mitigate climate change impacts. However, challenges such as land demands and gender disparities persist, necessitating integrated policy approaches and targeted educational programs.
Equity & displacementFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changeCommunityPolicyPeri-urbanization and smallholder farmers’ socio-economic marginality in peri-urban Addis Ababa
2025Girma Mulu Alemu, Sophie Schramm, Wilbard Kombe · Cogent Social Sciences · Ethiopia (Addis Ababa)
This qualitative study in peri-urban Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, explored the impacts of peri-urbanization on smallholder farmers' socio-economic conditions. The research found that peri-urbanization leads to the erosion of capital assets, with dwindling agricultural land causing tenure insecurity and disrupting livelihoods. This process exacerbates smallholder farmers' marginality by weakening social ties and mutual support systems.
Equity & displacementPeri-urban agriculturePolicyEconomicsCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomic Viability of Community Gardens in Semarang City
2025Rahoyo Rahoyo, Teti Susilowati, Sri Purwantini · Economics Development Analysis Journal · Indonesia (Semarang)
This research explored the economic viability of community gardens in Semarang City, Indonesia, using a qualitative approach with 24 participants. Findings indicate that most community gardens operate at a financial loss, showing weak economic viability. However, these gardens continue to function sustainably, driven not by profit but by government programs, social cohesion, and environmental concern.
Economic viabilityEconomicsCommunityPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceAnálisis de los factores limitantes en la producción de hortalizas: Un estudio del organopónico Pueblo Griffo Viejo en Cienfuegos
2025Odeimy Sarría-Crespo, Mayelin López-Roque, Wilfredo Sis-Sánchez · Revista Metropolitana de Ciencias Aplicadas · Cuba (Cienfuegos)
A ten-month non-experimental study at the "Pueblo Griffo Viejo" organic farm in Cienfuegos, Cuba, identified limiting factors in vegetable production through surveys, field observations, and documentary review. The research found low yields due to poor substrate quality, inadequate water management, limited organic matter, and insufficient training participation. Additionally, the workforce's low educational level hindered efficient agricultural practices.
Governance failureCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceFood educationPsychological and Environmental Impacts of Climate Change in Villages around the Mutanda Mining Site (Lualaba Province, Democratic Republic of Congo)
2025Yvon Mwengwe Muhongo, Eric Nice Nshembe Chishungu · Journal of Advanced Psychology · Democratic Republic of Congo
This study investigated the psychological and environmental impacts of climate change and mining degradation in villages surrounding the Mutanda Mining site in Lualaba province, Democratic Republic of Congo, using a mixed-methods approach. Findings reveal that proximity to the mining site is a major determinant of ecological deterioration and psychological distress. Villages within 5 km of the site showed higher environmental degradation, stronger perceptions of climate change, and significantly elevated eco-anxiety and ecological stress levels. Community resilience mechanisms such as social support, community gardens, and local ecological restoration initiatives partially mitigate psychological impacts.
Environmental trade-offsCommunityHealthClimate changeClaiming space
2025Kirsty Lohman, Ruth Pearce · Community Development Journal · United Kingdom (Durham)
This article describes a community garden in Durham, United Kingdom, maintained by volunteers working to retain common access to green space. The garden is located on a disused bowling green, against a backdrop of a struggle over land, ownership, and community use. The council had reportedly failed to maintain the land for many years, and much of the surrounding area is owned by Durham University. The community association aims to obtain control of the land through an adverse possession claim to prevent it from being sold off by the council.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyQuiet right to the city: contributing to urban sustainability by converging allotment and community gardens
2025Michaela Pixová, Christina Plank · Environmental Sociology · Czechia (Prague, Brno)
This paper compared the roles of allotment and community gardens in urban sustainability, using Prague and Brno, Czechia, as case studies. It analyzed perceptions of both by municipal actors, gardeners, and activists across four dimensions: public access to urban greenery, community building, food cultivation, and environment/climate protection. The paper argues that governments' preference for gardens aligned with the status quo undermines citizens' right to the city, urban sustainability, and resilience against future threats.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changeEcosystem services of urban food forests and their contributions to health and sustainability of North American cities: a narrative review
2025Sara-Charlotte Cayen, Kesnamelie-Ann Outha, Pierre Paul Audate · International Journal of Environmental Health Research · North America
This narrative review synthesized the ecosystem services of urban food forests and their contributions to urban health and food sustainability in North American cities. Based on 13 studies published between 2018 and 2023, it identified that food forests provide services such as sustainable food production and climate regulation. However, their implementation faces challenges including public space governance, maintenance costs, regulatory barriers, and ecological risks like invasive species.
Governance failureBiodiversityClimate changeHealthCommunityCidade-Campo no Brasil: dinâmicas e contradições
2025Paulo Ricardo Santos Miranda · Revista Mutirõ Folhetim de Geografias Agrárias do Sul · Brazil
A collection of 13 chapters explores the interactions between city and countryside in Brazil, critically examining how capital traverses urban and rural territories, promoting expropriation and spatial reconfigurations. Studies on Uberlândia, Montes Claros, São Paulo, and the North and Northeast regions highlight land conflicts, peripheral industrialization, urban agriculture, and peasant resistance. The work emphasizes the ambiguous role of the State.
Equity & displacementUrban–rural linkageCommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyTHE WILD IN THE CITY: DIFFERENT CONCEPTS AND THEIR ROLE IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF URBAN COMMUNITY GARDENS OF GOUTTE D'OR DISTRICT OF PARIS.
2025Marina Abrão Ballak Dias · Revista Andaluza de Antropología · France (Paris)
This article explored how different conceptions of human-nature relationships shaped practices in two community gardens in Paris's Goutte d’Or neighborhood. Conceptions grounded in a human–nature divide prevailed, leading to a conservationist approach. Practices stemming from this perspective were found to be in constant tension with garden goals like increasing urban biodiversity and human socialization.
Governance failureCommunityBiodiversityPolicyURBAN AGRICULTURE AS A PLATFORM OF EVERYDAY GOVERNANCE : Case Studies of Policy and Practice in Three South Korean Community Gardens
2025Ilana Herold, Buhm Soon Park · International Journal of Urban and Regional Research · South Korea (Daejeon)
Ethnographic case studies of three urban community gardens in Daejeon, South Korea, illustrated how urban agriculture (UA) serves as a platform for civil society groups, national government, and local governments to advance their political and sociocultural goals. The study argued that while national UA legislation was passed to advance top-down sustainable development goals, local actors challenge the functions of UA and ideas of expertise through their practice.
Governance failurePolicyCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceUrban African food systems as sites of challenges and opportunities for household food equity and resilience
2025Corrie Hannah, Jordan Blekking, Julia Davies, Jane Battersby, Allan Chilenga, Dorcas Kabuya, Percy Toriro · Ecology and Society · Zambia
This empirical case study examined how the COVID-19 pandemic affected urban food systems (UFS) in 14 Zambian cities, using household survey data from 2019, 2020, and 2021. Descriptive and regression analyses assessed household food sourcing, including urban agriculture. Households from diverse socioeconomic quartiles faced similar food security challenges but coped differently based on capacities and resources, indicating a lack of equitable outcomes. Smaller and remote cities sourced food from open-air markets, vendors, and urban agriculture, while more connected cities used local shops.
Equity & displacementFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageEconomicsClimate changeCommunityEffect of Forced Eviction and Land Grabs on Household Economic Capital Security of Displaced Pre-Urban Farmers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
2025Kejela Gnamura, Michael Akwasi Antwi, A Belete · Land · Ethiopia (Addis Ababa)
This mixed-methods study investigated the effects of urbanization-induced displacement on economic capital security by comparing 223 evicted and 223 non-evicted peri-urban farming households in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Logistic regression and thematic content analysis revealed that evicted households are approximately 72.7% less likely to achieve economic security compared to non-evicted households. The study concluded significant differences in household economic capital security between the two groups.
Equity & displacementPeri-urban agricultureEconomicsPolicyCommunityWelfareTransformando desde los intersticios: huertos urbanos comunitarios ante la crisis ecosocial
2025Sara Sama Acedo, David Berná Serna, Patricia Homs Ramírez de la Piscina · Etnografica · Spain (Madrid)
This paper analyzes the case of community urban gardens in Madrid integrated into the Municipal Program of Community Urban Gardens. These initiatives are situated in the interstices between community management and public institutional management, generating new demands on the management of urban green commons and enabling forms of shared governance. The study reveals that these gardens face the challenge of maintaining themselves as transformative spaces without being absorbed by commercial logics or marginalized into welfare-oriented or community volunteer spaces.
Governance failureCommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyCriminal Liability for the Use of Electrified Cables: Legal Implications in Death Cases in Aceh
2025Rahmalisa Rahmalisa, Wiratmadinata Wiratmadinata, Anhar Nasution · Jurnal MEDIASAS Media Ilmu Syari ah dan Ahwal Al-Syakhsiyyah · Indonesia (Aceh)
This study analyzes criminal liability in cases where electrified cables, installed to protect crops from wild animals in community gardens, resulted in fatalities in the Aceh region of Indonesia. Using a normative legal research approach, the study of death cases in Bireuen and Aceh Timur showed that the installation of electrical cables leading to loss of life was caused by the perpetrator's negligence in adhering to safety standards, fulfilling elements of criminal negligence under Indonesian criminal law. The resolution pattern for these cases follows the litigation route.
Governance failureCommunityPolicySlippery pathways to socio-ecological utopias of community gardening: examples from Poland
2025Dorota Rancew-Sikora, Anna Horolets, Joanna Krukowska · Environmental Sociology · Poland
This article investigates how community gardening ideals are materialized and abandoned, applying Hannah Arendt’s distinction between types of work. Based on empirical analysis of narratives and observations in 12 gardens across Poland, the research demonstrates obstacles to democratic sustainability transitions. It proposes a processual concept of "slippage" to understand mechanisms by which departures from ideals occur in community gardens.
Governance failureCommunityPolicy