Research & reports

Diogo José Amorim de Almeida, Dilamar Dallemole, Arturo Alejandro Zavala Zavala · Revista Ibero-Americana de Ciências Ambientais · Brazil (Varzea Grande)

This study analyzed the urban and peri-urban horticultural production structure in Varzea Grande, Mato Grosso, Brazil, using an exploratory empirical and bibliographic approach followed by Cluster Analysis of primary data from local producers. Despite contributing to food production and maintaining disease-vector-free land, the research found that this activity is in decline. Its low profitability and challenging commercialization process make it unattractive or merely a supplementary income, as small productive forces struggle to sustain themselves against the current market structure and unfavorable social policies.

Christiane Joi Allen · Libraries and Cultural Resources (University of Calgary) · India (Mumbai)

This study evaluated the environmental, social, and economic benefits of urban agriculture in Mumbai, India, using Life Cycle Assessment and Cost Benefit Analysis. Results indicate that urban agriculture has lower greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption, and water consumption but higher eutrophication potential compared to commercial large-scale agriculture.

Araceli Calderón Cisneros · Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) · Mexico (Chiapas)

This qualitative study analyzed the role of family urban agriculture in urban sustainability in San Cristobal de Las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico, using open and structured interviews. The visited agricultural systems showed characteristics favoring resilience and sustainability, such as low use of external inputs and recycling of domestic waste. However, a limitation found was that the contribution of own production to family consumption is very low, despite existing food, environmental, and socio-cultural motivations for its continuity.

Jennifer C. Latimer, David Van Halen, James H. Speer‬, Stephanie Krull, Patricia G. Weaver, Joseph M. Pettit, Heather Foxx · PubMed · United States (Indiana)

This study collected over 1,061 surface soil samples from an approximately 1.25-acre urban community garden in Terre Haute, Indiana, during the summer of 2012, to evaluate the spatial distribution of lead at the plot level. The results highlighted significant variability in lead concentrations within small areas of a former residential property, with some areas showing high lead concentrations (600 ppm). Based on these findings, several areas of concern were identified, and the community garden was reconfigured to reduce potential lead exposure to gardeners and the local community.

Starecheski, Amy · · United States (New York City)

This chapter examines the contested nature of value, urban citizenship, and property claims through the study of squatting, urban homesteading, and community garden activism in the South Bronx, New York City. It highlights how squatters' initiatives, while challenging neoliberal privatization, could also be coopted into a discourse of individual responsibility in a neoliberalizing city. The research explores how squatters claimed a right to the city based on their labor and citizenship, and used history and property rights to redefine their urban presence amidst renegotiated meanings of debt and homeownership.

N. Claire Napawan, Stacie A. Townsend · Landscape Research · United States (California)

This study investigated the landscape of urban agricultural practice in Sacramento, California, examining past and present urban agricultural projects, advocacy, and city and state policies. The research found that community interest in urban agriculture is outpacing local policies in Sacramento. The authors concluded that city-wide initiatives might improve efforts at increasing opportunities for new urban agriculture projects.

Kamal Kishore Yadav, Pradeep Kumar Singh, R. C. Purohit · Water science and technology library · India (Udaipur)

A study in the peri-urban area of Udaipur City, India, investigated heavy metal contamination in soil, vegetable crops, and groundwater due to wastewater reuse. While groundwater-irrigated vegetables showed heavy metal levels within WHO limits, wastewater-irrigated spinach, tomato, and radish at site 3 (Kanpur – Madri Villave) exceeded maximum permissible limits for Fe, Zn, and Cd. Urban wastewater-irrigated spinach was found to accumulate Fe, Zn, and Cd significantly above permissible limits at all three selected locations, making it unsafe for human consumption.

Ellen van Holstein · Environment and Planning A Economy and Space · Australia (Sydney)

Empirical research at three community gardens in Sydney, Australia, examined property practices such as transplanting, plotting, and fencing. The study found that community gardeners create overlapping understandings of common and private property, driven by contradictory motivations for community inclusion and personal interest protection. Feelings of ownership, while contributing to belonging, also legitimize defensive and exclusive spatial claims within these gardens.

Amy Laura Cahn, Paula Z. Segal · ˜The œFordham urban law journal/Fordham urban law journal · United States

This paper argues that the invisibility of community-stewarded spaces, such as community gardens, within urban governance frameworks in North American cities leads to their enclosure and loss. It highlights that marginalized residents often have the least acknowledged claim to urban space. The study suggests that making existing community-stewarded places visible and exposing pathways to access is crucial to prevent enclosure and promote equity.

Isaiah Sewanu Akoteyon, Adeyemi Davidson Aromolaran · International Journal of Environment and Sustainable Development · Nigeria (Lagos)

This study evaluated peri-urban market gardening and shallow well water quality for irrigation in Lagos, Nigeria. It found that the mean values of bicarbonate, calcium, and pH in shallow wells exceeded detection levels in 66.7%, 60%, and 53.3% of samples, respectively. Salinity and sodium hazard patterns showed that approximately 66.7% of shallow wells had low salinity, 26.7% medium, and 6.7% high.

Taylor L. Frazier, Jin‐Kyu Jung · International Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities · United States (Seattle)

This study employed a mixed-methods research design to explore the hypothesis that areas around Seattle's P-Patch community gardens were associated with a reduction in crime from 1996 to 2006. Spatio-temporal GIS analyses, statistical analyses, and qualitative interviews with gardeners were utilized. Outcomes of the correlation between P-Patch and crime variables were inconclusive.

Rusida Rusida · Plano Madani : Jurnal Perencanaan Wilayah dan Kota · Indonesia (Belopa)

A study in the urban area of Belopa, Indonesia, assessed the potential for urban agriculture, identifying suitable land for various crop types and key commodities. However, the research found that extensive housing development, particularly on the outskirts, and limited land availability mean not all land can be developed for urban agriculture. Urban agriculture supports food security, and public and government perceptions influence future land plans.

Joshua Oluwole Olowoyo, Gladness Nteboheng Lion · South African Journal of Science · South Africa

This review reports on the concentrations of trace metals in crops, including leafy vegetables, harvested from various urban areas. It highlights the presence of trace metals in leafy vegetables and discusses various pathways of uptake, possible health risks associated with urban farming, and morphological and physiological impacts of trace metals in leafy vegetables.

Silvia Mancarella, Giuseppina Pennisi, Daniela Gasperi, L. Marchetti, V. Loges, Francesco Orsini, Giorgio Gianquinto, Gilmo Vianello, Livia Vittori Antisari · Archivio istituzionale della ricerca (Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna) · Brazil (Recife)

This study assessed heavy metal accumulation in an urban garden in Recife, Brazil, at varying distances from a high-traffic road. It found that increasing distance from the street decreased the accumulation of many potentially toxic elements. However, the study revealed a greater human health danger associated with the accumulation of antimony in lettuce, while concentrations of other elements in leaf tissues were within reported thresholds.

Hardiyanto Hardiyanto, Constancio C. de Guzman · Indonesian Journal of Agricultural Science · Philippines (Metro Manila)

This study investigated the levels and distribution of lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) in white cabbage, soil, and irrigation water from urban agricultural sites in Las Piñas and Parañaque, Metro Manila, Philippines. Field areas were divided into three sections based on distance from the main road (0, 25, and 50 m), and metal contents were measured by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry. The average Pb content (1.09 µg g-1 dry weight) in white cabbage was highest immediately beside the main road, with a similar trend in soil. A negative relationship was found between distance from the main road and Pb and Cd contents in white cabbage and soil. While overall concentrations of Pb and Cd in white cabbage, soil, and irrigation water were within acceptable limits, further study on heavy metal contamination in crops, especially those grown along main roads, was suggested.

Júlio Cézar de Almeida Lopes, Hélder Ribeiro Freitas, Eliéser Santurbano Gervásio · Cadernos de Agroecologia · Brazil

This study evaluated the adoption of a drip irrigation kit in an agroecological community garden in Juazeiro, Brazil. The introduction of the system and the social organization of the group led to low adoption of the drip irrigation system, with several farmers returning to manual watering and, to a lesser extent, micro-sprinkler systems.

Alessandra Silva Araújo · URBANA Revista Eletrônica do Centro Interdisciplinar de Estudos sobre a Cidade · Portugal

This research compared factors leading to community garden initiatives in Porto, Portugal, and Belo Horizonte, Brazil, focusing on the influence of urban planning processes. It found differences in how urban planning in both cities incorporates urban agriculture practices. The connections between urban agriculture and urban planning, facilitated by environmental planning practices, were found to be incipient, hindering planning's goal of catalyzing a sustainable city.

Rob Moquin, Alan P. Diduck, A. John Sinclair, Iain J. Davidson‐Hunt · Canadian Food Studies / La Revue canadienne des études sur l alimentation · Canada

This research documented participants' experiences of community-building through community gardening in Kenora, Ontario, Canada, using Photovoice with twelve participants, follow-up interviews, and participant observation. Findings revealed a relational perspective of community gardening and the importance of sharing and learning, but also identified barriers to social capital and ecological citizenship. Future initiatives must address colonial and racial barriers to collaboration and ensure accessible garden locations.

Kafeel Ahmad, Zafar Iqbal Khan, Asma Ashfaq, Ameer Khan, Hazoor Ahmad Shad, Mujahid Sher, Zahoor-ul-Hassan Dogar, Ijaz Rasool Noorka, Sumaira Yasmin, Vincenzo Tufarelli, Eugenio Cazzato · The Philippine Agricultural Scientist · Pakistan

This study analyzed heavy metal and metalloid levels in soil and cabbage (Brassica oleracea) from two urban farming sites in Sargodha, Pakistan, irrigated with wastewater. Findings showed that mean concentrations of arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd) in soil, and manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), molybdenum (Mo), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb) in cabbage, exceeded permissible limits at both sites. Significant differences were observed in metal and metalloid levels in vegetable samples between sites.

Subhashni 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.

肇 石原, Hajime ISHIHARA · Institutional Repositories DataBase (IRDB) · Japan

This study analyzed changes in green space components (parks, agricultural land, forests) across Aichi Prefecture, Japan, from 1970 to 2010. While forest area decreased less significantly than agricultural land, and park area increased, the increase in park area was insufficient to offset the reduction in agricultural land. Consequently, the overall green space ratio showed a declining trend in most areas, particularly in Nagoya City and its surrounding regions.

Noëllie W. Kpoda, Mariam Sou Dakouré, Boubacar Savadogo, Amadou H. Maïga, Jean-Noël Poda, G.B. Kabre · Journal of Water and Environment Technology · Burkina Faso (Ouagadougou)

This study in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, compared the parasitological characteristics of wastewater at a treatment plant's inlet and outlet, and in an open channel conveying treated wastewater to a garden site. Non-viable parasite cysts or eggs were found at the treatment plant, but viable parasite cysts and eggs were detected in the open channel. An epidemiological study demonstrated that open defecation by highly infected individuals within the garden site caused recontamination of the treated wastewater.

Natalie Hall · · China

This ethnographic research, based on two months of fieldwork in Beijing and Shanghai, investigated alternative food networks in China, including organic farms, farmers' markets, and garden plot rentals. The study argues that these networks exhibit complex and contradictory characteristics, not neatly aligning with either alternative or conventional food systems. The practice of alternativeness is presented as a pragmatic response to food safety uncertainty and declining social trust, rather than an escape from capitalism or a purely transformative agenda.

Bettina König, Ranka Junge, András Bittsánszky, Morris Villarroel, Tamás Kőmíves · Ecocycles · Global

A literature review was conducted on the social, environmental, and economic impacts of aquaponics. The technology has potential applications in various settings, including commercial or community-based urban food production, industrial-scale production, small-scale farming, and educational systems. However, it is concluded that due to the complexity within markets, value chains, communities, infrastructure, and policy settings, further research and data acquisition are needed to fully assess all sustainability aspects.

Katharina Nowak · Freiburger Geschlechterstudien/Freiburger Zeitschrift für Geschlechterstudien · United Kingdom (London)

This paper explores participation in London's local organic food network, Organiclea, examining how whiteness and coloniality influence engagement in food activism. Using inductive interviews and intersectionality, the study found disproportionate participation of diaspora subjects in the design and operation of local organic food practices. This highlights racialized ecological identity formation within such networks.