Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
2015 results(74 / 81)
Agriculture urbaine et valorisation des déchets au Bénin : une approche de développement durable
2010Hygin Faust Kakai, Alban Gilles Kakai, Armelle Grey Tohouegnon · VertigO · Benin (Cotonou)
This study in Benin examined urban agriculture and waste valorization in Cotonou, Abomey, and Abomey-Calavi. In Cotonou, overexploitation of sandy, organic-poor soil in market gardening led to soil impoverishment, forcing gardeners to use chemical fertilizers with negative environmental impacts. However, some market gardeners adopted compost use, transitioning to organized organic urban agriculture after a waste management project supported waste valorization. This dynamic was not observed in Abomey, where urban agriculture is practiced in family spaces and public areas, unlike Cotonou's developed sites. Abomey-Calavi, despite rapid demographic growth, was almost devoid of urban agriculture practices.
Environmental trade-offsOrganic cycleCompostEconomicsHealthOn the past and the future of the urban agriculture movement: Reflections in tribute to Jac Smit
2010Diana Lee-Smith, L. J. A. Mougeot, Michael Levenston, Peter Mann, Katherine Brown, Jerry Kaufman · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · Global
This reflection on the urban agriculture movement notes that 19th and early 20th-century urban reforms, including urban gardens, aimed to improve living conditions in industrial cities. However, these initiatives also shifted the burden of sustenance from industrialists and fair-wage policies onto urbanizing families, particularly women. Despite this, garden spaces provided nourishment and retreats in densely populated areas.
Equity & displacementPolicyCommunityWelfareUrban and Peri-Urban Agriculture in Developing Countries Studied using Remote Sensing and In Situ Methods
2010Kwasi Appeaning Addo · Remote Sensing · Ghana (Accra)
This paper discusses the need for sustainable management of urban and peri-urban agriculture in Accra, Ghana. A lack of reliable data on the extent of urban/peri-urban areas used for farming has hindered the development of sustainable policies to manage urban farming in Accra. Ground-based survey methods are problematic and prohibitively expensive, making accurate assessment of urban farming's future role difficult.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicyPeri-urban agricultureTransitie duurzame tuinbouw: lokale initiatieven in internationaal perspectief: Analyse van een aantal cases in ontwikkeling
2010C.J.M. van der Lans · Socio-Environmental Systems Modeling · Global
This study analyzes the sustainability of international horticulture initiatives, including those by Dutch businesses and Wageningen UR, particularly questioning their continuity if foreign support withdraws and their viability given limited foreign currency in developing countries. Using the Multi-Level Perspective framework, two cases were examined: an Integrated Pest Management project in Ethiopia's floriculture sector and the transition to large-scale urban agriculture in Detroit, USA. The report raises concerns about the long-term economic viability and self-sufficiency of these initiatives.
Economic viabilityEconomicsPolicyUrban–rural linkageFactors influencing the concentration of heavy metals in soils of allotment gardens in the city of Wroclaw, Poland
2009Cezary Kabała, T. Chodak, L. Szerszeń, Anna Karczewska, Katarzyna Szopka, Urszula Fratczak · Fresenius environmental bulletin · Poland (Wroclaw)
An analysis of 180 allotment garden soils in Wroclaw, Poland, found that concentrations of Cu, Pb, and Zn (12.5-659 mg Pb kg-1, 38.1-2103 mg Zn kg-1, 12.9-595 mg Cu kg-1) were influenced by industrial pollution sources, organic matter, pH, and macronutrients. Soils in gardens on former housing or industrial areas had significantly higher metal concentrations. Up to 35% of soils in the city zone were excessively contaminated, making them unsuitable for vegetable and fruit production and requiring reclamation.
Contamination & food safetyHealthCommunityThe Impact of Community Gardens on Numbers of Property Crimes in Urban Houston
2009M.R. Gorham, Tina M. Waliczek, Amy Snelgrove, Jayne M. Zajicek · HortTechnology · United States (Houston)
A pilot study in Houston, Texas, investigated the impact of 11 established community gardens on property crime numbers using 2005 crime data. Statistical comparisons between community garden areas and randomly selected city areas showed no statistically significant differences in the mean number of crime occurrences. The presence of a community garden was not found to be a predictor of a lower crime rate for a neighborhood.
Limited or null effectCommunityHealthOral History Interview: Julie Schneider (1166)
2009Emma Schroeder, Julie Schneider · · United States (Eagle Heights)
Julie Schneider's 2009 interview discusses her five years at the Eagle Heights Community Garden. She described vegetables grown, organic gardening, rules and restrictions, and tensions with the university, as well as changes in the community gardens since the early 1990s. This interview was conducted for a Master's thesis on the Eagle Heights Community Gardens.
Governance failureCommunityOrganic cyclePolicyFirst Report of Cherry virus A in Sweet Cherry Trees in China
2009W.-L. Rao, Z.-K. Zhang, Runzhong Li · Plant Disease · China (Kunming)
In June 2007, sweet cherry trees with mottling and mosaic symptoms were observed in a private garden near Kunming, Yunnan Province, China. Twenty-four samples from sweet cherry, sour cherry, flowering cherry, and peach trees in private and community gardens were tested for eight viruses by RT-PCR. Cherry virus A (CVA) was detected in two symptomatic sweet cherry trees, marking the first report of CVA in sweet cherry in China.
Contamination & food safetyBiodiversityCommunityCharacterization and Low-Cost Remediation of Soils Contaminated by Timbers in Community Gardens.
2009Wendy Heiger‐Bernays, Alexa Fraser, Vaughn R. Burns, Kerry Diskin, David Pierotti, K Merchant-Borna, Michael D. McClean, Daniel J. Brabander, H. Patricia Hynes · PubMed · United States
A study characterized urban community garden soils contaminated by timbers, specifically finding elevated levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from railroad ties and arsenic from chromated copper arsenate (CCA) treated lumber. Researchers determined the extent of contamination, designed a remediation plan, and assessed the safety of adding city compost as a soil amendment in Boston community gardens. Recommendations for healthful gardening practices were also provided.
Contamination & food safetyCommunityHealthGarden of Eden? The impact of resettlement on squatters' ‘agri-hoods’ in Fiji
2009Alec Thornton · Development in Practice · Fiji
This article examines the impact of Fiji's squatter-resettlement scheme on the livelihoods of 'farming squatters' engaged in urban agriculture. Interviews with key informants and squatter residents revealed contrasting attitudes and approaches, indicating that the scheme threatens these livelihoods. The article suggests a more participatory process to address the needs of 'farming squatters'.
Equity & displacementWelfarePolicyFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityUrban farming in the informal settlements of Atteridgeville, Pretoria, South Africa
2009W. Van Averbeke · Water SA · South Africa (Pretoria)
This study in five informal settlements of Atteridgeville, Pretoria, South Africa, used a pilot study, household survey, and multiple case studies to assess urban farming's contribution to food security and household income. While over half of households participated in urban farming, its contribution to total household income and food security was generally modest. Main constraints included lack of space and limited access to irrigation water.
Limited or null effectCommunityWelfareHealthFood sovereignty & justiceReducing risk from wastewater use in urban farming – A case study of Accra, Ghana
2009Pay Drechsel, Liqa Raschid-Sally, Robert Clement Abaidoo · · Ghana (Accra)
Urbanization in West Africa has led to most domestic wastewater contaminating surface water sources. In Accra, Ghana, vegetables on urban markets are highly contaminated, with about 200,000 urban dwellers consuming street food containing raw vegetables from these sources daily. This research explores on-farm risk mitigation options, finding potential to significantly reduce helminth egg counts and bacterial contamination through improved washing practices.
Contamination & food safetyHealthUrban–rural linkageBumble Bees (Bombus spp) along a Gradient of Increasing Urbanization
2009Karin Ahrné, Jan Bengtsson, Thomas Elmqvist · PLoS ONE · Sweden (Stockholm)
This study investigated bumble bees in allotment gardens along an urbanization gradient from inner Stockholm to rural areas. Findings showed that bumble bee diversity decreased with increasing urbanization, from approximately eight species in rural areas to five to six species in urban allotment gardens. Higher variability in the abundance of certain species in the most urban areas suggested a potentially weaker reliability of the pollination ecosystem service in areas strongly influenced by human activity.
Environmental trade-offsBiodiversityPollinatorsCommunityPeri-urban agricultureUrban–agricultural water appropriation: the Hyderabad, India case
2009Mattia Celio, Christopher A. Scott, Mark Giordano · Geographical Journal · India (Hyderabad)
A study in Hyderabad, India, examined urban water capture and its impacts on pre-existing claims, particularly agriculture. Urban water appropriation often leads to conflict with existing water uses. The findings indicate that the magnitude and direction of impacts from urban water transfer on agriculture vary spatially and temporally, depending on location-specific rainfall patterns, existing water infrastructure and institutions, and farmers' adaptive capacities, including recourse to groundwater.
Environmental trade-offsUrban–rural linkagePolicyEconomicsStudy on the Development of Urban Agriculture in Dingxi City
2009Liang Wei · Anhui nongye kexue · China (Dingxi)
This study analyzed the advantages, disadvantages, and existing problems in the development of urban agriculture in Dingxi City, China. Strategic concepts and countermeasures were proposed to provide consultation for urban agriculture development in Dingxi City and similar regions.
Governance failurePolicyEconomicsResource use efficiency in urban agriculture in southwestern Nigeria.
2009Remi Adeyemo, F. Kuhlmann · Tropicultura · Nigeria
This paper evaluates the efficiency of resource use in urban food crop production in five districts of two cities in southwestern Nigeria, based on an effective sample of 120 respondents. The analysis showed that urban food crop production is profitable, with an average revenue of N51,294 per hectare and a gross margin of N23,688. However, there was disequilibrium in resource use, with planting seeds and agrochemicals used efficiently, but land and labor used inefficiently, indicating that urban food crop production has not yet attained an optimum level of resource combination.
Economic viabilityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justicePolicyHorizontal nutrient fluxes and food safety in urban and peri-urban vegetable and millet cultivation of Niamey, Niger
2009Rodrigue V.C. Diogo, Andreas Buerkert, Eva Schlecht · Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems · Niger (Niamey)
This 24-month study investigated nutrient efficiency and food safety in urban and peri-urban agriculture in Niamey, Niger. Nutrient inputs and offtakes were quantified for 10 vegetable gardens and 9 millet fields, and contamination of irrigation water and selected vegetables with fecal pathogens and heavy metals was determined. Above-threshold levels of Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli were detected in lettuce irrigated with river water and fertilized with animal manure, and in lettuce irrigated with wastewater, indicating food safety concerns.
Contamination & food safetyOrganic cycleHealthPeri-urban agricultureCultivating Just Planning and Legal Institutions: A Critical Assessment of the South Central Farm Struggle in Los Angeles
2009Clara Irazábal, Anita Punja · Journal of Urban Affairs · United States (Los Angeles)
This qualitative case study analyzes the destruction of the 14-acre South Central Farm in Los Angeles in July 2006, arguing it was a landscape of resistance against discriminatory legal and planning practices. The study contends that environmental justice and planning ethics provided a substantive rationale for the city to prevent its dismantling. This case highlights a failure in governance to protect community gardens threatened by dismantlement in capitalist societies.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceTenure and Land Markets for Urban Agriculture
2009Mark Redwood · Open House International · Global
Urban farmers often produce food on land with limited or no security of tenure, exposing them to the risk of being evicted for more profitable land uses. Without legal status, most forms of credit are inaccessible to farmers, pushing them to the margins. Recent projects suggest that banking systems need to develop a methodology to value informally controlled lands and indicate that advocacy groups can increase security and access to land for urban farmers.
Governance failureEconomicsPolicyDevelopment of vegetable farming: a cause of the emergence of insecticide resistance in populations of Anopheles gambiae in urban areas of Benin
2009Anges Yadouléton, Alex Asidi, Rousseau F Djouaka, B. James, Christian Agossou, Martin Akogbéto · Malaria Journal · Benin
A study in urban areas of Benin investigated the impact of rapid vegetable farming development on the emergence of insecticide resistance in Anopheles gambiae populations, using sociological data, bioassay tests, and biochemical analysis. The expansion of urban agriculture led to improper insecticide use for vegetable pests, exerting strong selection pressure on mosquito larval populations. This resulted in the emergence of insecticide resistance in malaria vectors, with permethrin mortality rates of 76% in Parakou, 23.5% in Porto-Novo, and 17% in Cotonou.
Environmental trade-offsEconomicsHealthClimate changeThe polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations in soils in the Region of Valasske Mezirici, the Czech Republic
2009Daniela Plachá, Helena Raclavská, Dalibor Matýsek, Mark H Rümmeli · Geochemical Transactions · Czech Republic
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contamination was investigated in urban, agricultural, and forest soil samples from the surroundings of Valasske Mezirici, Czech Republic. While PAH levels in urban/agricultural soils were within the typical range for industrialized areas, forest soils showed elevated PAH concentrations compared to other forest soils in Western and Northern Europe. PAH concentrations were highest in localities at higher altitudes and decreased with increasing distance from the town.
Contamination & food safetyHealthEvaluating the Modernization of the Urban Agriculture——take the case of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou and other 8 cities
2009XU Hua-me · Technoeconomics & Management Research · China
This article evaluates the level of Urban Agriculture Modernization in China's major cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, using the Analytic Hierarchy Process method. It finds that modern urban agriculture has developed rapidly based on urbanization and agricultural modernization, but disparate development is obvious in China. The article analyzes the reasons for this disparity and various factors for Urban Agriculture Modernization, revealing the mechanism and path for its realization.
Equity & displacementPolicyEconomicsUrban–rural linkageTowards Sustainable Urban Organic Agriculture and Food Security in Zimbabwe: a Comparative Study of Urban Low and High Density Suburbs of Mabelreign-Marlborough-Westgate and Mabvuku-Tafara, Harare 2005-2008
2009Crispen Dirwai, P.M. Makonese, N. Mboto · Figshare · Zimbabwe (Harare)
This study investigated how urban poor (Mabvuku-Tafara) and urban rich (Mabelreign, Marlborough, Westgate) communities in Harare, Zimbabwe, addressed the food crisis between 2005 and 2008. Using a mainly qualitative methodology to compare urban agricultural activities, findings showed that the urban poor engaged in seasonal, often inorganic, less paying off-yard farming, exposed to nature's vagaries. In contrast, the urban rich practiced on-plot perennial, often organic, researched (including soil testing) farming with greenhouses, which yielded better returns.
Equity & displacementCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsOrganic cycleImpact of Community Gardening Workshops on Food Security in Ghanaian Favelas
2009Kwesi Acheampong, Amoako Mensah, Boatemaa Boateng · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Ghana
A survey conducted from January to March across five favelas in Accra, Ghana, investigated the impact of community gardening workshops on food security. While participants gained knowledge on sustainable gardening techniques, 45% of respondents still lacked access to necessary resources like seeds and tools. The study concluded that workshops improved awareness but further support is needed to address practical implementation barriers.
Limited or null effectCommunityFood educationFood sovereignty & justiceWelfareDeterminants of sustainability in urban and peri-urban agriculture
2009Andreas Buerkert, Eva Schlecht, Martina Předotová, Rodrigue V.C. Diogo, Katja Kehlenbeck, Jens Gebauer · eScholarship (California Digital Library) · Sub-Saharan Africa
This study analyzed urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) systems in major Sub-Saharan African cities, measuring carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fluxes and conducting biodiversity studies. In Niamey, low-input gardens showed annual gaseous carbon emissions of 20-25 t ha-1, predominantly CO2, and high-input gardens irrigated with wastewater had annual CO2-C emissions of 27 t ha-1, with N2O as a major nitrogen loss contributor. Animal manure stored in the open was subject to large carbon and nitrogen losses, indicating environmental tradeoffs. However, UPA gardens in Niamey maintained a large variety of fruit and vegetable species, with richness increasing with garden and household size and commercialization.
Environmental trade-offsOrganic cycleBiodiversityClimate changePeri-urban agricultureEconomics