Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
1022 results(9 / 41)
Joining the ideational and the material: transforming food systems toward radical food democracy
2024Stephen Leitheiser, Rubén Vezzoni · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · Global
This paper presents a conceptualization of radical food democracy (RFD), linking diverse economies with diverse citizenship. Diverse economies scholarship, while valuable for theorizing alternative food networks (AFNs), has been criticized for essentializing the autonomy of alternative economic practices, risking the confusion of emancipatory social change with market-embedded products and the displacement of negative impacts. The paper argues that realizing RFD requires both experimenting with new economic practices that create food economies alternative to capital accumulation and cultivating new political subjects capable of universalizing these struggles.
Economic viabilityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicyCultivating Publicness Through Urban Agriculture: Learning from Aarhus and Rotterdam
2024Melissa Anna Murphy, Pavel Grabalov · The Geojournal library · Europe
A study of urban agriculture initiatives in Aarhus, Denmark, and Rotterdam, the Netherlands, explored how municipalities facilitate urban agriculture and its performance in public spaces. It identified four public service trajectories: increasing access and animation, contributing to social services, producing and distributing food, and building communities. The study found that food production and social services may be little suited for urban spaces requiring high public access, although benefits can reach a broad public if localized and facilitated appropriately.
Limited or null effectCommunityPolicyHealthReinventing Urban Agriculture in Algerian Urban Policies: Stakeholders' Visions and Operational Strategy
2024Meriem Korchi, Ouassila Bendjaballah · Indonesian Journal of Social Science Research · Algeria
This study assessed urban actors' perspectives on urban agriculture in Annaba, Algeria, and mapped agricultural activities to integrate them into urban policy. Interviews with decision-makers and farmers, combined with spatial analysis, revealed that while there is interest in urban agriculture, it is not effectively integrated into institutional and legal frameworks. Agricultural plots in cities are often reserved for future urban development.
Governance failurePolicyUrban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceCo-designing infrastructures
2024Sarah Bell, Charlotte Johnson, Tse‐Hui Teh, Kat Austen, Gemma Moore · · United Kingdom (London)
This chapter explores co-design in developing urban infrastructures, presenting a six-step "Bottom-Up Infrastructure" model. The method was applied to a rooftop garden on a London social-housing estate, intended to function as drainage infrastructure. The case study revealed the potential for co-design, but also highlighted significant constraints on implementation in cities where communities possess limited power and resources.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkageMapping wild food foraging locations reveals urban green space preferences and avenues for edible city solutions
2024Anjoulie Brandner, Karolina Taczanowska, Brenda Maria Zoderer, Christoph Schunko · Urban forestry & urban greening · Austria (Vienna)
A survey of 458 respondents in Vienna, Austria, analyzed urban wild food foraging locations and preferences for urban green spaces (UGS). 1239 foraging locations were identified across 9 UGS types, with forest and meadow landscapes, parks, and UGS mosaics being most utilized. Foragers' major concerns were contamination from traffic and dogs.
Contamination & food safetyCommunityBiodiversityHealthPolicyCreating and sustaining urban green spaces in Africa under phenomenal urbanisation: residents’ perspectives on home gardens in Wa, Ghana
2024Bernard Afiik Akanpabadai Akanbang, Millicent Awialie Akaateba, Prosper Issahaku Korah · Discover Cities · Ghana (Wa)
This exploratory cross-sectional survey in seven rapidly growing neighborhoods in Wa, Ghana, administered 285 questionnaires to residents to understand motivations, challenges, and constraints of home gardening. Results showed 56% of respondents had gardens, primarily motivated by beautification (56.1%) and food production (52.3%). Limited space (49%) and busy schedules (34%) were identified as main barriers. The study found that while garden ownership aligned with the autonomy need, the relationship need, which correlates with environmental motivations, was notably low among residents. This indicates a limited effect of environmental awareness on home gardening motivation in the surveyed population.
Limited or null effectCommunityPolicyEconomicsUrban–rural linkageLand cover changes and management effectiveness of protected areas in tropical coastal area of sub-Saharan Africa
2024Jeffrey Chiwuikem Chiaka, Gengyuan Liu, Hui Li, Wen Zhang, Mingwan Wu, Zhaoman Huo, F. Gonella · Environmental and Sustainability Indicators · Sub-Saharan Africa
This study evaluated land cover change and its drivers using spatial and statistical analysis in 22 designated protected areas (PAs) across the tropical coastal regions of sub-Saharan Africa. Results indicated that food production is prevalent in these protected areas regardless of their designation, and forest loss occurred in most PAs, suggesting weak conservation. Population density was the most significant driver of land cover change, and only 15 out of 22 protected areas showed an increase in their total ecosystem service value.
Governance failurePolicyUrban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changeBiodiversityCodification and Inclusivity of Landmark Urban Agriculture Initiatives in Madison and Dane County, Wisconsin
2024Micaela F. Lipman, Marcia Caton Campbell · Urban agriculture · United States (Wisconsin)
This chapter examines local government food systems policy and planning in Madison and Dane County, Wisconsin. Despite a history of regulatory innovation in urban agriculture, the city and county have been slow to address food injustices in local food systems planning and policy development. The study highlights local government collaboration with the nonprofit sector and how codification of goals supports or hinders urban agriculture.
Equity & displacementPolicyCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceHealthUrbanización e industrialización en zonas periurbanas: el caso de una asociación de Carapongo (Lurigancho, Lima)
2024Cavani Guzmán, Pierina · Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences (University of Skopje) · Peru (Lima)
This article discusses the impact of urbanization and industrialization processes on peri-urban agricultural production in the Nuevo Horizonte de Carapongo association in Lurigancho, Lima, Peru. The research analyzes the development of these phenomena and their relationship with the changes generated in the agricultural production of the area, contributing to the academic discussion on the deagrarianization process of peri-urban spaces.
Limited or null effectPeri-urban agricultureUrban–rural linkagePolicyEconomicsHow is urban agriculture practiced, institutionalized, implemented, and sustained? A literature review
2024Nour Alkhaja, Khaled Alawadi, Kholoud Almemari, Ghalya Alshehhi · Progress in Planning · Global
This literature review of 51 articles examines how urban agriculture (UA) is practiced, institutionalized, and sustained, focusing on governance. It identifies consistent challenges such as discord between civil and municipal actors, contextual factors hindering supportive policies, and urban densification encroaching on UA land. These issues lead to informal or constrained UA practices and tenure insecurity.
Governance failurePolicyEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceThe Urgent Role of Urban Agriculture and Food Systems Planning in the Global South
2024Lesli Hoey · Urban agriculture · Global
This paper highlights that urban agriculture (UA) serves as a vital lifeline for food and income security for many urban growers in the Global South. However, it notes that many governments in the Global South actively resist UA in the name of "modernization," and by promoting supermarkets and restricting informal food markets, they potentially undermine the positive impacts of UA on urban food security and poverty.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justicePolicyEconomicsCommunitySpatial Accessibility Disparities and Users’ Opinion Assessment of Khartoum State Public Green Spaces
2024Ahmed Alhuseen, H. M. A. M. Omer, Eva Pauditšová, Hussein M. Sulieman, Mária Kozová, Pavel Cudlín · · Sudan (Khartoum)
A study assessed spatial accessibility disparities and users' opinions regarding public green spaces (UGSs) in Khartoum State, Sudan. Using GIS and questionnaires, it evaluated potential accessibility to 44 urban parks, community gardens, and city forests within 5, 10, and 15-minute travel intervals. Results showed inequitable access opportunities to UGSs, primarily favoring first-class residential areas. Within a 5-minute walking interval, the UGSs service zone covered less than 1% of the population. User opinion assessment revealed that 80% of parks required entrance fees, and the study concluded that UGS accessibility does not correspond to international quality of life indices.
Equity & displacementCommunityUrban–rural linkageHealthPolicyFostering Citizen-Led Projects Through Multi-level Engagement in Wildemanbuurt, Amsterdam
2024Diana Krabbendam, Emiel Wolf, Bernie Deekens, Rosalie Bak, Hans Krikke · SpringerBriefs in applied sciences and technology · Netherlands (Amsterdam)
This chapter outlined activities for citizen-led projects in the Wildeman neighborhood in Amsterdam. The main challenges identified were a lack of trust and community feeling among inhabitants, a lack of involvement and ownership in neighborhood developments, and fragmented existing community activities and services.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyFood educationOrganic cycleMapping seeds of freedom with Red de Huerteros Medellín
2024Paula Restrepo · · Colombia (Medellín)
As part of the Red de Huerteros Medellín (RHM) collective, urban agriculture in Medellín was mapped to identify its features and problems. A main problem found was a poor or non-existent connection between urban farmers and key organizations like seed keepers. Few urban farmers had knowledge about the ecopolitical implications of the seed business, and even fewer obtained seeds from seed keepers or showed consideration for their labor.
Governance failureCommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyHeirloom & landraceUsing Cellphones for Visualizing the Social and Environmental Relations of Community Gardens
2024Mitchell McLarnon · · Global
This chapter describes the practice, processes, and ethical tensions of using cell phones for visual data collection, representation, and analysis in school/community garden research projects. The findings suggest that while gardens and cell phones have the potential for enhancing experiential learning, increased well-being, and ecological awareness, their use needs to be highly contextualized within critical discussions related to settler colonialism, consumerism, neoliberalism, and (green) gentrification.
Equity & displacementCommunityFood educationBiodiversityClimate changeHealthPolicyPublic Food Trees’ Usage and Perception, and Their Potential for Participatory Edible Cities: A Case Study in Birjand, Iran
2024Juliette Colinas, Francesca Ugolini, Mohammad Reza Khalilnezhad · Sustainability · Iran (Birjand)
In Birjand, Iran, a qualitative approach explored the usage and perception of public fruit trees and attitudes towards public usage and participation in two urban green spaces (Tohid Park and Akbarieh Garden). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twelve visitors, four administrators, and eight workers. Almost all visitors had a high interest in picking fruit, but usage in these green spaces was low, partly due to social norms.
Limited or null effectCommunityFood educationPolicySharing or sparing? The trade-offs among urban services, food production and ecosystem services
2024Dongxiang Chen, Yuanming Wang, Haijun Bao · Habitat International · Global
This research extended the land sharing and sparing framework to urban land use, quantifying the impact of urban services, food production, and ecosystem services. The results showed that land-sparing scenarios had a 23.6% lower overall value loss than sharing scenarios on average. However, while land-sparing mitigates losses in food production and ecosystem services, it increases the cost of urban services, creating a trade-off that challenges achieving an optimal win-win situation.
Environmental trade-offsPolicyEconomicsUrban–rural linkageClimate changeUneven Ground
2024Ángeles Donoso Macaya, Kendra Sullivan · · United States (New York City)
This chapter explores the experiences of co-authors in the "Archives in Common (AiC)" project, which aimed to strengthen public humanities infrastructure within and beyond CUNY’s Graduate Center. Conducted across three locations in New York City, the project highlighted institutional norms that fail to adequately support community-led research practices or acknowledge and reward diverse expertise.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceUrban Green Spaces and Healthy Living: A Landscape Architecture Perspective
2024Alessio Russo · Urban Science · Global
This paper synthesizes existing literature to examine the essential role of urban green spaces in fostering healthy living, emphasizing their strong positive associations with physical, mental, and social wellbeing. It discusses the importance of designing attractive and accessible green spaces that encourage physical activity and mental health, and the potential of local food production for diet improvement. The study also highlights disparities in access to quality green spaces, particularly between the Global North and South, advocating for equitable design strategies.
Equity & displacementHealthCommunityEconomicsPolicyUsing visual methods to map green infrastructure for a sustainable food economy in Letchworth Garden City
2024Amélie André · · United Kingdom
This case study of Letchworth Garden City examined the interplay between the town's layout, social practices, and governance supporting a local sustainable food economy. Food mapping and an ethnographical approach showed how Letchworth's masterplan provides a backbone for alternative food infrastructure, though the edible landscape is not always visible or effective for residents. Discussions with experts also pointed to a gap in coordination among key local stakeholders, which would be beneficial for improving the local urban food strategy.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceCultivating change: Exploring policies, challenges, and solutions to support city region food systems development in six European countries
2024Ann-Kristin Steines, Michele D’Ostuni, Anna Wissman, Kathrin Specht, Chiara Iodice, Runrid Fox-Kämper, Francesco Monticone, Isabella Righini, Véronique Saint-Gès, Antonella Samoggia, Francesco Orsini · Cities · Europe
This research addressed international and national policies, as well as related constraints and challenges affecting City Region Food System (CRFS) development in six European countries. Data was collected through desktop research, stakeholder interviews, and a workshop. The study found that planning laws restrict possibilities for food production in cities, and legal frameworks prevent the marketing and sale of food produced by non-commercial actors or informal farmers. It also identified a need to expand vocational training in the agricultural sector.
Governance failurePolicyUrban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceGreen Innovation: The Vital Role of Go Green Communities in Pakistan's Environmental Conservation
2024Waseem Ahmed Khattak · International Assulta of Research and Engagement (IARE) · Pakistan
"Go Green communities" in Pakistan were studied as grassroots movements promoting environmental awareness and sustainable practices. Using a Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach, activities included waste management, urban gardening, and policy advocacy. The initiative demonstrated increased community involvement in eco-friendly efforts, leading to tangible outcomes such as waste segregation systems and enhanced green spaces. However, challenges including financial limitations, resistance from industries, and restricted access to green technologies highlighted the need for stronger institutional support.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyClimate changeFood educationMapping the Dynamics of the Vertical Farm: A Biopolitical Epistemology of Valuation
2024Hayley Birss · Social Epistemology · Canada
This study examines Infarm's vertical farming practice, a venture capital-backed solution for climate change mitigation, by mapping its actor-network. The analysis reveals that Infarm's vertical farming and its climate change mitigation logics are shaped by venture capital and its biopolitical epistemology of valuation. This framework conceptualizes life, biology, and climate in terms of political economy, indicating that economic viability is a primary driver.
Economic viabilityDigital agricultureEconomicsPolicyUrban Agriculture and the Right to the City: A Practitioner’s Roadmap
2024Arild Eriksen, Deni Ruggeri, Esben Slaatrem Titland · The Geojournal library · Norway (Oslo)
This essay discusses the motivations for co-creating urban agriculture in public spaces from the perspective of an architect and urban farmer/beekeeper practicing bottom-up, participatory design in Oslo. It critiques the current aesthetics of impermanence and temporality in urban agriculture and questions the idea that the joy and freedom it brings should be enhanced by future development and policy. The essay presents a rich collection of stories about regeneration, change, and collective action and cultivation, rather than a replicable model.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyHealthFood sovereignty & justiceThe development process of urban agricultural networks to ensure urban food security in Hat Yai City, Songkhla Province, Thailand
2024Orathai Paiyarat, Uthaithip Jiawiwatkul · International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development · Thailand
This qualitative study examined the development process, results, and influencing factors of the Hat Yai urban agricultural network for food security in Hat Yai City, Songkhla Province, Thailand. Data was collected from 31 participants through participant observation, in-depth interviews, and group discussions. The study identified a three-stage development process: network formation, seeking cooperation, and learning and integration, with results reflected at individual, group, and network levels linked to sustainable development. Negative factors affecting the development process included the nature of Hat Yai urban residents in a developing country context, resource inadequacy, and public policy.
Governance failureCommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyEconomics