Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
198 results(7 / 8)
Beneficial but Constrained: Role of Urban Agriculture Programs in Supporting Healthy Eating Among Youth
2016Subhashni Raj, Samina Raja, Bree-Ana Dukes · Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition · United States
This study examined the influence of urban agriculture (UA) programming on fruit and vegetable consumption among urban youth in Buffalo, New York. Results indicated that while youth were willing to try new foods, other food behaviors did not change. The study found that UA programming is beneficial but not sufficient to engender healthy eating behavior in youth, with fruit and vegetable consumption also associated with gender and neighborhood median household income.
Limited or null effectFood educationHealthCommunityProyectos de agricultura urbana del Jardín Botánico de Bogotá "José Celestino Mutis" analizados desde la perspectiva de la educación ambiental (2004 - 2016)
2016Katherine Alexandra Herrera Hernández, Yohanna Marcela Pinzón, Ruth Zamira Herrera Rincón · · Colombia (Bogotá)
This project aimed to contribute to the study of Urban Peri-urban Agriculture (UPA) in Bogotá by describing projects led by the José Celestino Mutis Botanical Garden from 2004 to 2016, analyzed from an environmental education perspective. Using a qualitative methodology, the study investigated fundamental elements in education-management development, such as participation, the construction of the concept of environment, and the strengths and weaknesses in achieving these projects within the framework of successive city governments during that period.
Governance failureFood educationCommunityPolicyPeri-urban agricultureA systematic review of the health and well-being impacts of school gardening: synthesis of quantitative and qualitative evidence
2016Heather Ohly, Sarah Gentry, Rachel Wigglesworth, Alison Bethel, Rebecca Lovell, Ruth Garside · BMC Public Health · Global
A systematic review of 40 articles on school gardening programs found that quantitative research was generally of poor quality, with limited evidence for changes in fruit and vegetable intake based on self-report. Qualitative research, though of better quality, attributed a range of health and well-being impacts to school gardens, but more robust quantitative research is needed to support these findings.
Methodological critiqueFood educationHealthCommunityThe Black Bear Food Guild: Student-Run Community Supported Agriculture From Roots to Fruition
2016Sara L. Lyons · DigitalCommons (California Polytechnic State University) · United States
The University of Maine Black Bear Food Guild is an entirely student-run Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) operation that offers student learning and work opportunities. Despite providing various benefits, the Black Bear Food Guild requires financial support to expand its program and ensure its sustained success, indicating a critical need for funding to maintain its future viability.
Economic viabilityCSA & TeikeiCommunityFood educationEconomicsTeaching STEM through Horticulture: Implementing an Edible Plant Curriculum at a STEM-centric Elementary School
2016Leila A. Graves, Harrison Hughes, Meena M. Balgopal · Journal of Agricultural Education · Global
This case study examined the implementation of a horticulture-based curriculum by two 3rd grade teachers and two STEM coordinators. While one STEM coordinator found the curriculum addressed academic science standards and provided relevant inquiry activities, the other STEM coordinator and teachers believed garden plants did not address science standards and only supported enrichment. This highlights a divergence in perception regarding the curriculum's alignment with academic standards.
Limited or null effectFood educationCommunityUsing Community-Based Participatory Research to Explore Backyard Gardening Practices and Soil Lead Concentrations in Urban Neighborhoods
2016Sheri L. Johnson, Dalila Cardona, J. H. C. Davis, Benjamin Gramling, Chelsea Hamilton, Ray G. Hoffmann, Sabrina J. Ruis, Douglas J. Soldat, Steve Ventura, Yan Ke · Progress in community health partnerships · Global
This study used community-based participatory research to explore backyard gardening practices and soil lead concentrations in urban neighborhoods. Interviews with 20 adult gardeners revealed perceived benefits but few initial concerns about lead exposure, despite children's active involvement. Soil lead concentrations from 17 residential properties ranged from 7 to 3,234 mg kg-1, significantly higher than commercial soils (6 to 13 mg kg-1), indicating a contamination risk.
Contamination & food safetyHealthCommunityFood educationSustenance and sustainability: maximizing the impact of school gardens on health outcomes
2015Jaimie N. Davis, Mackenzie R Spaniol, Shawn Somerset · Public Health Nutrition · Global
A review of thirteen school garden programs for children (kindergarten to 8th grade) found methodological limitations: three studies lacked control groups, and none were randomized. While six of eleven programs showed increased vegetable intake and seven of eight showed increased preference for vegetables, four programs had no effect on intake. More research is needed to understand long-term dietary improvements.
Methodological critiqueFood educationHealthSINIF ÖĞRETMENLERİNİN OKUL BAHÇELERİ HAKKINDAKİ PEDAGOJİK BEKLENTİLERİ
2015Nida Bayındır · Route Educational and Social Science Journal · Global
This research investigated primary school teachers' pedagogical expectations regarding school gardens. The study found that 60.7% of primary school teachers considered their school gardens pedagogically insufficient. Teachers primarily identified a need for more pedagogical equipment in school gardens, and desired features like Atatürk busts, flags, mini activity corners, floor games, and functional sports fields.
Limited or null effectFood education"What We Eat Matters": Perspectives on Food and Health in the Mexican Im/migrant Farmworker Communities in Indian River County, Florida
2015Hugo Puerto · Journal of International Crisis and Risk Communication Research · United States (Florida)
This ethnographic study in Indian River County, Florida, investigated challenges in engaging Mexican im/migrant farmworkers in community-based health solutions, specifically community gardens. Despite efforts by farmworker leaders and the health department to promote community gardens for health and economic benefits, little engagement was observed within the farmworker community. The research, based on participant observation, surveys, and interviews, analyzed barriers to healthy eating and the limited role of grassroots initiatives in improving health outcomes.
Limited or null effectCommunityHealthFood educationWelfareA política brasileira de segurança alimentar e nutricional: concepção e resultados
2015Walter Belik · Segurança Alimentar e Nutricional · Brazil
This article discusses the use of the Food and Nutritional Security concept in Brazil's Fome Zero Project and its implementation through various programs initiated in the past decade. It concludes by calling attention to the need to improve programs related to supply, food and nutritional education, and urban agriculture to enable the functioning of an integrated Food and Nutritional Security system.
Governance failurePolicyFood sovereignty & justiceWelfareFood educationPesticide Misuse in Rural-Urban Agriculture: A Case Study of Vegetable Production in Tano South of Ghana
2015Emmanuel Yennumi Wandaat, Joseph Xorse Kugbe · Asian Journal of Agriculture and Food Sciences · Ghana
A study on vegetable production in Ghana's Tano South District surveyed 132 urban farmers and 5 stakeholders. Farmers relied solely on chemical pesticides for pest control and lacked in-depth knowledge of Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Inappropriate handling and non-use of protective clothing led farmers to report health issues like dizziness, skin irritation, and nausea, while indiscriminate spraying resulted in pesticide residues posing serious health risks to consumers and the environment.
Contamination & food safetyHealthFood educationPeri-urban agriculturePsicologia, agricultura urbana, universidade: o que podem pés descalços?
2015Ana Paula Louzada, Ernesto Grillo Rabello, Yan Menezes Oliveira · Revista Interinstitucional Artes de Educar · Brazil
This study documents the collective construction experience of an agroecological garden by psychology students at the Federal University of Espírito Santo. The paper emphasizes the relevance of this practice in producing integral health and critiques the current context of Integrated World Capitalism, which separates humans from nature.
Economic viabilityFood educationCommunityHealthFood sovereignty & justiceANÁLISE DE AÇÕES EXTENSIONISTAS NA IMPLANTAÇÃO DE HORTAS ESCOLARES DE BASE ECOLÓGICA, SEUS EFEITOS E DESAFIOS NO CONTEXTO EDUCACIONAL
2015José Tobias Marks Machado, Jeferson Tonin, Evandro Pedro Schneider · SHILAP Revista de lepidopterología · Brazil
This study, conducted in two schools in Cerro Largo - RS, Brazil, during 2013, performed a post-implementation analysis of ecologically based school gardens introduced through a university extension program. Positive results included the proliferation of similar projects. However, significant difficulties were emphasized in integrating the school gardens with disciplinary education, attributed to existing conservatism in the educational context.
Governance failureFood educationCommunityHealthOrganic cycleHortas escolares: possibilidades de anunciar e denunciar invisibilidades nas práticas educativas sobre alimentação e saúde
2015Elizabete Cristina Ribeiro Silva, Alexandre Brasil Carvalho da Fonseca, Fernanda Pereira Dysarz, Ernani Jardim Reis · Alexandria Revista de Educação em Ciência e Tecnologia · Brazil
This research identifies parameters for school gardens in Brazil, analyzing various experiences and an urban public school case. The study correlates the health of students and farmers in agricultural activities, explicitly pointing out negligences in this regard. It argues that a healthy eating concept from school gardens requires an equally healthy production system, and attention to student safety can highlight farmers' working conditions, which is crucial for food and nutritional education.
Equity & displacementFood educationHealthCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceMaking the Garden a Viable Part of Curriculum
2015Laura Forbes · Digital Commons - CSUMB (California State University, Monterey Bay) · United States (California)
School gardens are common in elementary schools, but teachers find it challenging and unnecessary to incorporate them into their time and everyday curriculum due to time restrictions and the need to focus on required classroom curriculum. This capstone focuses on the beneficial factors students can receive by properly implementing the school garden into everyday curriculum and how teachers can successfully incorporate it. By creating a garden-based program and lesson plans that incorporate required subjects, teachers can spend the necessary time teaching required subjects while utilizing the school garden.
Limited or null effectFood educationSocioeconomic Disparities in the Provision of Outdoor Time in Portland, Oregon Public Elementary Schools
2015Sabine Lefkowitz · · United States (Portland)
This thesis examined the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and outdoor time in Portland, Oregon public elementary schools. The study found that higher SES elementary schools spend more time outdoors than low SES schools. This disparity amplifies existing disadvantages for children in high-poverty schools, suggesting an inequity in outdoor time provision.
Equity & displacementFood educationCommunityHealthEconomicsYou are Hungry: Flâneuring, Edible Mapping and Feeding Imaginations
2014Mikey Tomkins · Repository hosted by TU Delft Library (TU Delft) · United Kingdom (London)
This research explored reactions to the idea of potential urban agriculture landscapes through 32 participatory walks with 150 local residents around a 25-hectare site in east London. The walks used an "edible map" that suggested food growing in vacant urban areas. The study showed initial engagement with urban agriculture and local food systems, but also produced a strong critique of urban spatial design and a desire for place-making.
Governance failureCommunityFood educationPolicyEffect of an After-School Garden Club Program on Elementary Students.
2014Maggie Caroline McGriff · Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science · United States
This study investigated whether three elementary school garden club programs influenced students' attitudes and behaviors regarding fruit and vegetable consumption. Quantitative analysis using pretest and posttest questionnaires found non-significant results, indicating no significant effect on participants' perceptions of fruit and vegetable consumption. Qualitative analysis of participant interviews also showed mostly non-significant changes in healthy eating, although participants reported positive experiences in other aspects like respect for nature and enjoyment of activities.
Limited or null effectFood educationHealthCommunityThe Historical Development of the School Garden Movement in the USA
2014Green Hope, River Edge, New Jersey 07661, USA., Hye Jin Keum · Journal of people, plants, and environment · United States
The philosophical background and historical development of the school garden movement in the USA were examined. The movement demonstrated a process of formation, decline, and revival. It began to diminish after World War I and was pushed to extinction by technological advancements in the 1950s, before resurging from the 1990s to address childhood obesity, nature-deficit, and improve academic achievements.
Limited or null effectFood educationHealthPolicySustaining Sustainability: a Management Plan for ACRES Student Farm
2014Sarah Legg · Figshare · United States (Wyoming)
ACRES Student Farm, a University of Wyoming organization, has grown significantly over six years, providing local produce, CSA shares, composting, and educational opportunities. However, the farm suffers from continuous losses in efficiency and acquired knowledge due to the transient nature of its student management and workforce, leading to unsustainable internal functioning. This project aims to develop a management plan and handbook to address these issues and improve the farm's operational efficiency.
Governance failureCSA & TeikeiCompostFood educationCommunity‘Plants Are Fashioned by Cultivation, Man by Education’
2014Robert Mattock · · United Kingdom
This article discusses the decline in horticultural skills and work ethic in the United Kingdom over the last century, attributing it to the welfare state's de-incentivization of the workforce. The diverse plant vocabulary and cultivation skills once common among Victorian gardeners and landscape designers are now largely lost, impacting the conservation of designed landscapes. While efforts are being made to revive school gardens and promote apprenticeships and craft skills, the article concludes that more work is needed to re-establish a traditional work ethic in apprenticeships.
Limited or null effectFood educationDIYEnvironmental Challenges Threatening the Growth of Urban Agriculture in the United States
2013Sam E. Wortman, Sarah Taylor Lovell · Journal of Environmental Quality · United States
This review paper characterized the limited state of scientific knowledge regarding abiotic environmental factors threatening the growth of urban agriculture in the United States. It identified challenges influencing urban cropping systems, including soil contamination and remediation, atmospheric pollutants and altered climatic conditions, and water management, sources, and safety. The development of a science-based approach in these areas is noted as essential for the economic and environmental sustainability of urban agriculture.
Contamination & food safetyClimate changeEconomicsCommunityFood education東京都稲城市における農家直売所の経営特性 : 都市における「農」の役割を考える
2013卓也 林 · Institutional Repositories DataBase (IRDB) · Japan (Inagi City)
This study examined the management characteristics of direct farm sales outlets and the role of agriculture in urban areas, using pear farmers in Inagi City, Tokyo, as an example. Field surveys confirmed a decrease in pear picking activities and a high ratio of direct sales and home delivery. While familiarity with agriculture has increased due to farmers' cooperation in agricultural experience learning and the establishment of many community gardens, a limitation was identified: to convey the value of urban agriculture to those with low interest, the enhancement of pear picking, allowing easy interaction with farmers on farmland, is required.
Limited or null effectCommunityFood educationEconomicsUrban–rural linkage“They don't garden here”: NGO constructions of Maya gardening practices in Belize
2013Douglas Carl Reeser · Development in Practice · Belize
An analysis of an NGO school garden program in two Q'eqchi' Maya communities in southern Belize revealed challenges faced by NGOs. These challenges included issues of legitimacy, cultural appropriateness, self-interest, and constructed conceptions of their target communities, raising questions about the priority between autonomous, healthy communities and the preservation of the NGO program.
Governance failureFood educationHealthCommunityWelfareTelling Consumers, Gardeners, and Farmers about the Possible Risk of Rat Lungworm in the Local Food Supply in Hawai‘i
2013James R. Hollyer · PubMed Central · United States
This article discusses the potential risk of rat lungworm (Angiostrongylus cantonensis) in Hawai‘i's local food supply, which can cause eosinophilic meningitis if ingested by humans. While the statistical risk is extremely low compared to other foodborne agents, two individuals in Hawai‘i developed serious eosinophilic meningitis in late 2008 after consuming insufficiently washed local produce. The article highlights the challenge of informing the public about this rare but potentially serious disease, especially amidst efforts to promote local produce and school gardens.
Contamination & food safetyHealthFood education