Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
2115 results(84 / 85)
School Gardens: Can a Hands-on Teaching Tool Affect Students' Attitudes and Behaviors Regarding Fruit and Vegetables?
2000Sarah Lineberger, Jayne M. Zajicek · HortTechnology · Global
This study evaluated the "Nutrition in the Garden" program's effect on students' attitudes and behaviors regarding fruit and vegetables. While students' attitudes towards vegetables and fruit/vegetable snacks became significantly more positive after gardening, no differences were detected in attitudes towards fruit. Crucially, students' fruit and vegetable consumption did not significantly improve, remaining at an average of 2.0 servings per day, which is below national averages and recommendations.
Limited or null effectFood educationHealthVegetable Growing as a Teaching Material for Environmental Education : (1) Utilization of LISH (Low-Input Sustainable Horticulture) and Vegetable Garden as a School Garden
2000智 藤田, Satoshi FUJITA · Institutional Repositories DataBase (IRDB) · Japan
At Keisen Women's College farm in Japan, the potential of using Low-Input Sustainable Horticulture (LISH) and vegetable gardening as environmental education materials was investigated over 15 years, starting in 1984. The study found that 16 different vegetable varieties could be grown organically, but cucumbers, other fruit/vegetables, and Cruciferae were virtually impossible to grow organically. However, damage could be reduced for some varieties through specific cultivation methods, and the vegetable garden was found to maintain beauty even in cold seasons and provide a suitable hands-on learning experience for environment and food.
Limited or null effectFood educationDIYOrganic cycleThe Myth of the Urban Peasant
2000Simon Clarke, Elena Varshavskaya, Сергей Алашеев, Marina Karelina · Work Employment and Society · Russia
This paper examines the "myth of the urban peasant" in Russia, which suggests urban households survive economic collapse through subsistence agriculture. Based on official and survey data analysis, it shows that while many urban households grow food, those with low incomes are least likely to do so, and subsistence production complements rather than replaces paid employment. Furthermore, those who grow their own food work long hours for little return, spending no less on purchased food than those who grow nothing.
Limited or null effectEconomicsCommunityWelfareUrban–rural linkageSpectrophotometric Determination of Cadmium (II) in Soil of Allotment Gardens in Łódź
2000B. Jankiewicz, B. Ptaszyński, Michael Wieczorek · Polish Journal of Environmental Studies · Poland (Łódź)
This study determined cadmium in the soil of six allotment gardens in Łódź, located in areas with different traffic patterns (city center and suburbs). Cadmium was detected in the form of cadmium (II) dithizonate using the extraction-spectrophotometric method. This research indicates the presence of cadmium contamination in urban allotment garden soils.
Contamination & food safetyHealthCommunity특집 : 지역사회와 농업구조의 변화 / 도시근교농업의 복합산업화와 공간 활용
2000유병규 · · Global
This paper argues that peri-urban agriculture faces difficulties in maintaining its agricultural production function alone due to external factors such as rising land prices, urban development, the IMF crisis, and WTO agricultural renegotiations. It proposes that to revitalize peri-urban agriculture, a multi-industrialization strategy is needed, emphasizing not only agricultural production but also the spatial concept of "rural areas" by incorporating secondary and tertiary industry concepts. Specifically, the paper suggests that multi-industrialization strategies within the spatial concept of urban-integrated rural areas, such as the creation of "urban agricultural villages," are essential for the maintenance and development of agriculture.
Economic viabilityPeri-urban agricultureEconomicsPolicyUrban–rural linkageLocal food and land-use in Washington County, Oregon
2000Joshua J. Cousins · · United States (Oregon)
This qualitative study examined local food networks in Washington County, Oregon, focusing on small-scale agricultural landscapes and farmers selling through farmers markets or CSAs. It explored farmers' concerns about urbanization, farmland preservation, and their difficulties participating in local food networks. The research concluded that local food sold through alternative venues can help preserve and develop specific farm sites.
Economic viabilityCSA & TeikeiCommunityEconomicsPeri-urban agricultureUrban–rural linkageA Community Diabetes Education and Gardening Project to Improve Diabetes Care in a Northwest American Indian Tribe
2000Donna Armstrong · The Science of Diabetes Self-Management and Care · United States
This study aimed to design a culturally appropriate diabetes education program for a Northwest American Indian tribe. A community-based intervention, including workshops on health themes and a community garden, was designed to address multiple barriers to diabetes care. However, prior to the implementation of the community workshops and evaluations, the tribal government chose to discontinue receiving federal funding for this project.
Governance failureCommunityHealthFood educationWelfareA Case Study on Resident's Awareness of the Meaning and Role of Edible Landscape
2000Isami Kinoshita · Journal of The Japanese Institute of Landscape Architecture · Japan
This study analyzed residents' awareness of edible plant cultivation on their properties and the formation of edible landscapes in public spaces, in relation to childhood experiences and memories. The findings showed that childhood experiences influenced the formation of edible landscapes on private properties, which held multiple meanings, but the attribution of meaning to edible landscapes in public spaces was weak, highlighting resident involvement as a challenge.
Governance failureCommunityFood educationUrban–rural linkageAnalysis of the Present Condition of an Allotment Garden in Japan
1999Megumi Higuchi · Japanese Journal of Human Geography · Japan
This paper analyzed the Minuma Fureai Garden in Kawaguchi City, Saitama prefecture, finding that its operation costs exceed annual income from user fees (15,000 Yen/person/year), with municipal subsidies covering 18% of total income. While land use regulations keep rent low, deregulation could threaten the garden's existence. A user survey revealed 70% of users were over 50, and 60% re-applied after a one-year contract, though this varied by distance.
Economic viabilityCommunityPolicyEconomicsFarming in the shadow of the city: changes in land rights and livelihoods in peri-urban Accra
1999Daniel Maxwell, Wordsworth Odame Larbi, Grace Mary Lamptey, Sawudatu Zakariah, Margaret Armar‐Klemesu · Third World Planning Review · Ghana (Accra)
This paper compares four cases within peri-urban Greater Accra, Ghana, to assess the impact of rapid urban sprawl on the surrounding area. The study examines cases including land loss to housing, protection of agricultural land from urban sprawl, environmental degradation due to urbanization, and commercialization of peri-urban agricultural production from changing market demand. The paper also reviews the perspective that rapid peri-urban growth leads to the destruction of agricultural livelihoods without necessarily replacing them with alternative economic activity.
Equity & displacementPeri-urban agriculturePolicyEconomicsUrban–rural linkageThe changing nature of the peri‐urban zone in Africa: Evidence from Dar‐es‐Salaam, Tanzania
1999John A. G. Briggs, Davis Mwamfupe · Scottish Geographical Journal · Tanzania (Dar-es-Salaam)
Drawing on recent evidence from Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, this paper suggests that a combination of structural adjustment measures and the eased economic crisis in the 1990s changed conditions, resulting in the increasing commodification of land in the peri-urban zone. This shift transformed the peri-urban zone into an area of investment and economic opportunity, rather than survival, leading to the increasing exclusion of poorer urban groups. Furthermore, confusion arising from current Tanzanian land law, particularly tensions between customary and statutory law, complicates the situation.
Equity & displacementPeri-urban agricultureEconomicsPolicyUrban–rural linkageThe Policy of Facilities and Management of Allotment Garden Based on an Analysis of User's Conscious
1999Keiichi Moritsuka, Yoshiyuki Tokunaga, Hiraku Hoshi, Hiroshi Suda · INFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING REVIEW · Global
This paper proposes policies for allotment garden facilities and management, based on a survey of users' consciousness. The survey found that some users rent gardens that do not satisfy their purpose due to a lack of publicly available information about allotment gardens. The paper concludes that garden managers must publicize the purpose of establishing gardens and show eagerness, while users should communicate with managers, guides, and other users.
Governance failurePolicyCommunityUrban Agriculture, Food Security and the Environment: Socio-economics, Land Use Conflicts and Cultivators’ Views
1998Godfrey D. Mudimu, Shepherd Siziba, Benjamin Hanyani‐Mlambo · OpenDocs (Institute of Development Studies) · Zimbabwe (Harare)
This study in Harare, Zimbabwe, examined the socio-economics of urban crop production on municipal lands, cultivators' views, and land use conflicts. Urban agriculture, a widespread practice for subsistence maize and food security, is not supported by planners and conflicts with urban land use provisions. Findings revealed a serious lack of environmental concern among cultivators, with most ignoring stream bank regulations and lacking knowledge of environmental effects.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsCommunityPolicyDevelopment of Potato Late Blight Epidemics: Disease Foci, Disease Gradients, and Infection Sources
1998M.J. Zwankhuizen, Francine Govers, J.C. Zadoks · Phytopathology · Netherlands
A study in Southern Flevoland, Netherlands, from 1994 to 1996, assessed inoculum sources of potato late blight. It found that 74% of early disease foci in commercial potato fields were linked to nearby infested refuse piles. Infected seed tubers, volunteer plants, and infested allotment gardens appeared to be of minor importance for late blight development in potato fields. However, in August 1994, infested organic potato fields became major mid-season infection sources, spreading the disease to adjacent conventional fields.
Limited or null effectHealthLocational Character of Allotment Gardens and Landowners' Attitudes. A Case of Ichinomiya City in Aichi Pref.
1997Yasunari Miyake, Yasuo Matsumoto · JOURNAL OF RURAL PLANNING ASSOCIATION · Japan (Ichinomiya City)
This study examined the future of allotment gardens in Ichinomiya City, Aichi Prefecture, by interviewing 20 landowners regarding land ownership and land use. Allotment distribution expanded into marginal urban regions, with new allotments concentrating in frontier areas. While most landowners were satisfied and intended to maintain allotments, those in urbanization promotion areas faced financial difficulties due to high taxes and motivation for land use conversion, indicating that allotment management will fail in these areas.
Economic viabilityCommunityUrban–rural linkageEconomicsThe Paleoecology and Ancient Settlement of the Petexbatun Region, Guatemala
1997Nicholas P. Dunning, Timothy Beach, David J. Rue · Ancient Mesoamerica · Guatemala
This study of the Petexbatun region, Guatemala, found that ancient Maya peoples in Preclassic times cleared large areas of upland tropical forest for agriculture, leading to significant soil erosion. During the Late Classic period, population expanded, forest clearance resumed, and upland agriculture, including terracing, was practiced, which significantly checked soil erosion. The study suggests considerable variation in urban agriculture among the region's major centers.
Environmental trade-offsUrban–rural linkageClimate changeImpact sanitaire de l'utilisation d'eaux polluées en agriculture urbaine. Cas du maraîchage à Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso)
1997Guéladio Cissé · Infoscience (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) · Burkina Faso (Ouagadougou)
This thesis investigates the sanitary risks of using polluted water for urban agriculture in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, where vegetables, including those eaten uncooked, are irrigated with such water. The study aims to assess diarrhoea incidence, parasitic infection prevalence, microbiological pollution levels in water, soil, and vegetables, and sociocultural factors. Initial findings indicate that peripheral sectors are more polluted than central ones, and exploited surfaces vary significantly by season. The abstract highlights potential sanitary risks due to pathogenic germs surviving in water, soil, and plants.
Contamination & food safetyHealthCOMMUNITY SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE: FILLING A NICHE MARKET
1996Richard L. Farnsworth, Saråhelen Thompson, Kathleen A. Drury, Richard E. Warner, Farnsworth, Richard L., Thompson, Sarahelen R., Drury, Kathleen A., Warner, Richard E. · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · Global
This research suggests that social objectives primarily drive CSA shareholders' decisions to join, with economic and "club-related" objectives being secondary. While the CSA movement is expected to grow, its emphasis on social objectives, inability to supply food year-round, and the development of size-neutral organic technologies will likely prevent it from becoming a major market channel in the next century.
Economic viabilityCSA & TeikeiCommunityEconomicsUrban agriculture in Dar es Salaam: Its contribution to solving the economic crisis and the damage it does to the environment
1996M. R. S. Mlozi · Development Southern Africa · Tanzania (Dar es Salaam)
This article discusses urban agriculture in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, examining its role in helping residents cope with the country's economic crisis. The study also associates urban agriculture with environmental degradation in the city. Factors encouraging urban agriculture at four levels are identified, and concerted efforts at all four levels are suggested to mitigate further environmental degradation.
Environmental trade-offsEconomicsClimate changeUrban–rural linkageURBAN AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITIES AND WOMEN'S STRATEGIES IN SUSTAINING FAMILY LIVELIHOODS IN HARARE, ZIMBABWE
1996Godfrey D. Mudimu · Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography · Zimbabwe (Harare)
This study examines the role of women in urban agriculture and perceptions of urban space use for agriculture in Harare, Zimbabwe. Despite its utility in meeting household food needs, urban agriculture is not planned for or supported by urban planners and managers as a legitimate urban land use. The activities of women, who are the main participants in urban agriculture, directly conflict with planning provisions for urban space. The study offers empirical insight on perceptions of space use for agriculture in an urban tropical environment, where conflicts can arise from different perceptions and alternative uses.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justiceWelfarePolicyCommunityUrban Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition in Low Income Areas of the City of Nairobi, Kenya
1996A. Mboganie-Mwangi, Dick Foeken · Leiden Repository (Leiden University) · Kenya (Nairobi)
A 1996 study in Nairobi, Kenya, compared the food security and nutritional status of low-income households engaged in urban agriculture with those not farming. It found that urban farmers primarily produced for home consumption and faced theft as a major problem. While the Undugu Society Urban Agriculture Project (USUAP) group showed better food situations and higher energy and protein intakes than other groups, all three groups had inadequate energy intake on average. The long-term beneficial effect of urban agriculture on nutritional status was negligible.
Limited or null effectFood sovereignty & justiceHealthWelfareCommunityUrban Community Gardens as Contested Space
1995Karen Schmelzkopf · Geographical Review · United States (New York City)
This article examines community gardens in Loisaida, a high-crime, poverty-stricken area of Manhattan's Lower East Side in New York City. The gardens provide social and economic functions, serving as safe open spaces for socialization and sources of food. A major problem identified is the competition for these sites between gardening and housing development.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyEconomicsUrban Agriculture in Zimbabwe: Implications for Urban Management and Poverty
1995Beacon Mbiba · · Zimbabwe (Harare)
This paper addresses the implications of urban agriculture for urban management and poverty in Zimbabwe, covering various aspects such as off-plot cultivation in Harare, urban cultivation at home, urban maize markets, and institutional responses to uncontrolled urban cultivation. Evidence from Harare suggests that urban agriculture can be a counterproductive activity, highlighting challenges and conflicts in urban management.
Governance failureCommunityWelfarePolicyHealthMetals in urban gardens ‐ effect of lime and sludge
1995James R. Preer, Ahmed N. Abdi, Harkewal S. Sekhon, George B. Murchison · Journal of Environmental Science and Health Part A Environmental Science and Engineering and Toxicology · Global
This study investigated cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn) concentrations in vegetables grown in community gardens on different urban soils. Vegetables from a low-pH urban soil without contamination history showed higher Cd and Zn levels than those from a reclaimed landfill with digested sewage sludge, and also higher than a low-metal, neutral-pH site. Liming on the low-pH site reduced Cd and Zn concentrations in beet, lettuce, radish, and Swiss chard leaves, reaching background levels after four years. The findings indicate that soil pH is more important than total soil Cd and Zn in determining vegetable metal availability.
Contamination & food safetyHealthCommunityOrganic cycleInstitutional responses to uncontrolled urban cultivation in Harare: prohibitive or accommodative?
1994Beacon Mbiba · Environment and Urbanization · Zimbabwe (Harare)
This review examines local government responses to uncontrolled urban cultivation in Harare, Zimbabwe, covering both the colonial period and post-independence since 1980. The study finds that local authorities struggle to manage urban agriculture effectively and sustainably. It suggests new directions for policy and research to address these difficulties.
Governance failurePolicyCommunity