Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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Building Capacity for Food Justice: The Multifaceted Benefits of an Urban Home Gardening Intervention
2026Taylor Swenski, Jocelyn Smith Carter, Marjorie Kersten, Elizabeth Berkeley, K. Varner, Howard Rosing · Ecology of Food and Nutrition · United States (Chicago)
The "Grow Your Groceries Home Garden" intervention program, implemented in Chicago, United States in 2022, aimed to improve food access in food-insecure communities. A longitudinal investigation over two annual cycles surveyed 46 participants, complemented by focus groups with 9 participants, to evaluate food access, cost savings, health, and socioemotional outcomes. While results on improved gardening confidence over time emerged non-significant, participants reported increased food access, cost savings, healthier eating, stress reduction, and strengthened relational bonds.
Limited or null effectHealthWelfareCommunityFood educationThe Local Food System and Its Potential for Empowering Black Farmers and Growers
2026Mya O. Price · · United States
This chapter examines how local food systems can empower Black farmers and growers through direct-to-consumer and community-based markets, analyzing tools like farmers’ markets and urban agriculture. While case examples show Black-led initiatives, persistent barriers include limited capital, discriminatory pricing and lending, bureaucratic gaps, and uneven USDA support despite civil rights settlements. The study details these challenges.
Equity & displacementCommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justicePolicy“Regain the park from the Bad People”. Symbolic boundaries and urban exclusion in Ecatepec
2026Miguel Ángel Monteverde-Ávalos · Alteridades · Mexico (Ecatepec)
An ethnography of a dispute over a small community garden in a working-class neighborhood in Ecatepec, Mexico, revealed that internal socialization processes establish thresholds of respectability, leading to classifications that reproduce differential access to public space. The study found that these classifications result in the unequal distribution of spatial resources and contribute to the reproduction of an exclusionary urban order.
Equity & displacementCommunityPolicyHealthWhen Business as Usual Fails: The Case of Urban Agriculture in Detroit
2026Jocelyn M. Leitzinger, Robert David · · United States (Detroit)
A case study of Detroit's urban agriculture market indicates that "business-as-usual" development strategies, which prioritize large-scale investment projects, often fail to achieve their economic development potential. These strategies are noted to potentially exacerbate social or environmental issues, particularly within "moral markets" led by Black activists. The paper explores the mechanisms of such failures and offers recommendations for policymakers and entrepreneurs.
Economic viabilityCommunityEconomicsPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceInsurgent Geographies and the Problem of Violence: Lessons From Seattle's Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone
2026Alexei Anisin · Peace & Change · United States (Seattle)
This study analyzed the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ) in Seattle, which emerged in June 2020 and lasted 24 days, functioning as an urban hub for mutual aid and urban farming. The research, using randomly sampled Fire Department reports, found that CHAZ had significantly higher emergency response rates and incident variability compared to adjacent areas. The zone was dismantled due to outbreaks of violence, including five shootings, two deaths, sexual assaults, and arson, indicating a failure to address communal safety.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyHealthENTRE O DISCURSO E A PRÁTICA
2026Alan da Silva Vinhaes, Tamires Regina Rocha · Revista Tocantinense de Geografia · Brazil (Jundiaí)
This article analyzes the Urban Garden Program in Jundiaí, Brazil, to understand the contradictions between institutional discourse, normative framework, and observed territorial practice. Despite a favorable legal framework, the program's effectiveness is limited by low territorial coverage, a reduced number of active gardens, and reliance on punctual initiatives. The study concludes that long-term public policies with continuous institutional support are needed for urban agriculture to become a permanent component of urban planning.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justicePolicyCommunityA University–School Partnership Model for Sustainability Teacher Training: Integrating School Gardens into Basic Education
2026Yadeneyro de la Cruz Elizondo, Reyna Nirvana Montiel Rodríguez, Rosa María Arias Mota, Nancy Domínguez González, María de los Ángeles Chamorro Zárate · Sustainability · Mexico (Veracruz)
In Veracruz, Mexico, a university-school partnership model for teacher training in integrating school gardens into basic education was evaluated. A mixed-methods design involved a diagnostic survey of 71 teachers and subsequent training workshops for 34 teachers. Results showed high teacher motivation despite limited institutional infrastructure, and training strengthened pedagogical capacities. However, the integration of school gardens into formal curricula remains limited due to structural constraints and insufficient teacher preparation.
Governance failureFood educationCommunityPolicyToward digital community economies: California’s alternative food networks navigating market digitalization
2026Sasha Pesci, Ryan E. Galt · Agriculture and Human Values · United States (California)
This paper, based on 28 semi-structured interviews with direct market farmers in California, explores their experiences with market digitalization. It finds that while some farmers perceive online tools as eroding social and environmental connections, others view them as supportive of these connections, highlighting tensions in market digitalization for Alternative Food Networks.
Economic viabilityDigital agricultureEconomicsCSA & TeikeiCommunityFORMAL MATHEMATICS AND ETHNOMATHEMATICS IN THE PRODUCTION OF URBAN COMMUNITY GARDENS
2026João Paulo Moreira dos Santos, Luis Carlos Rodrigues da Mata, Maria Clara da Cunha Carvalho, Gabrielly Rodrigues de Araújo, Robério Soares dos Santos, Maria Eduarda Santiago de Araujo, Iraneide Da Cunha Santiago, Edinalva Pereira Campos, José Gustavo Santiago Santos · Journal of Interdisciplinary Debates · Brazil (José de Freitas)
This qualitative case study in José de Freitas, Brazil, analyzed mathematical rationalities in urban community gardens, using participant observation, interviews, and field notes. It found that farmers use ethnomathematical knowledge for spatial organization, soil management, and commercialization. However, these practices showed limitations when confronted with institutional demands for standardization, highlighting a need for critical articulation with formal mathematics.
Methodological critiqueCommunityDIYEconomicsAvaliação parasitológica e microbiológica de hortaliças submetidas à sanitização com hipoclorito de sódio
2026Threice Natália Ribeiro Pexe, Julia Yumi Muraoka, Fabiana Cristina Donofrio, Cibele Bonacorsi · Scientific Electronic Archives · Brazil (Sinop)
Parasitological and microbiological evaluation was conducted on 40 vegetable samples (watercress, lettuce, chicory, kale, escarole, arugula, parsley) randomly selected from supermarkets, open-air markets, and a community garden in Sinop, Brazil. Before treatment, 12 out of 40 (30.0%) vegetable samples were contaminated with enteroparasites, and all 40 showed microbial growth, with 3 (7.5%) containing Escherichia coli. After sanitization with sodium hypochlorite, parasitic forms were absent, but high initial contamination was confirmed.
Contamination & food safetyHealthCommunityUrban agriculture as regenerative infrastructure on a university campus in Brazil: challenges, opportunities and design requirements
2026Anelise Anapolski, Ana Passuello, Miguel Aloysio Sattler · International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education · Brazil
This study investigated urban agriculture (UA) as regenerative infrastructure on a university campus in Brazil, assessing challenges and opportunities before project implementation and proposing design requirements for future projects. Data collected from 120 questionnaires and 9 interviews revealed key challenges including maintenance, stakeholder engagement, risk of discontinuity, and lack of institutional support. The academic setting offers opportunities through integration with teaching, research, and outreach, and the campus community positively associates UA with innovation.
Governance failurePolicyFood educationCommunityUrban–rural linkageStrengthening urban resilience in the United States: community preferences for green rooftops integrating agriculture and solar energy
2026Natalie Meyer, Simona Trandafir · Journal of Environmental Economics and Policy · United States (Rhode Island)
A choice-based survey of over 600 US residents from Rhode Island examined preferences and perceived value for green rooftop (GR) space allocations for agriculture, solar energy, and recreation. Latent class modeling revealed that Class 1, representing 20% of respondents, was generally unsupportive of GR installation and expressed disutility towards GR space allocation for solar energy. Both classes uniformly favored allocating GR space for agriculture production and showed a positive willingness to pay for this feature.
Limited or null effectCommunityPolicyEconomicsClimate changeUrban Agriculture and Smart Cities: The Integration of Controlled Environment Agriculture, Community Gardens, and Public Health Policies
2026Evelyn Seilhe Guerreiro, Márcio Luis Valença Araújo, Adilson Oliveira de Almirante, Eduardo Oliveira Teles, Aloísio Santos Nascimento Filho, Hugo Saba Pereira Cardoso · Journal of Bioengineering, Technologies and Health · Brazil
This study analyzed the integration of Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA), community gardens, and public health policies, using case studies from Brazilian cities such as Salvador, Recife, São Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro. CEA contributes to enhanced productivity in small spaces with reduced water and input consumption, while community gardens strengthen social cohesion, mental health, and local food supply. However, challenges remain regarding high implementation costs, regulatory gaps, and lack of institutional support.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyEconomicsClimate changeBraiding Food Systems Co-constructing Indigenous Seed Systems in Northern Ontario for Food Sovereignty, Security, and Climate Adaptation
2026Charlotte Potter, Silvia Sarapura, Camilo Jimenez Gonzalez, Justina Walker-Mohamed, Paul Benalcazer, Biinjitiwaabik Zaagging Anishinaabek, Netmizaaggamig Nishnabeg, Red Rock Indian Band · Rural Review Ontario Rural Planning Development and Policy · Canada (Northern Ontario)
The 'Braiding Food Systems' project, a community-led partnership with three Northern Ontario First Nations, used mixed-methods Participatory Action Research to examine conditions influencing food security and sovereignty. Community members identified structural constraints rooted in colonial governance, contemporary ecological pressures, and local transformation opportunities. This research demonstrates that sustained, community-led collaboration can counterbalance colonial food systems by reorganizing decisions, strengthening access, and enhancing resilience within Indigenous food networks.
Governance failureCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changePolicyFood-based interventions to mitigate household food insecurity in Canada: a systematic review
2025Leanne Idzerda, Calin Lazarescu, Tricia Corrin, Eric Vallières, Alix Couture, Sara Khan, Lynn McIntyre, Valerie Tarasuk, Alejandra Jaramillo Garcia · Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention in Canada · Canada
A systematic review (PROSPERO CRD42021254450) searching four databases to 19 February 2025, with duplicate independent screening, risk-of-bias assessment and certainty grading, on food-based interventions that could reduce household food insecurity (HFI) in Canada. Exposure to food voucher programmes may reduce HFI, but exposure to food box, community gardening, school food, hunting and fishing, and food charity programmes may have little to no effect on HFI. The authors conclude that because HFI is primarily an economic problem, food-based responses are unlikely to have a major impact on overall HFI and a more comprehensive public policy approach is required. This is direct counter-evidence to framing community gardens as a food-insecurity intervention.
Limited or null effectHealthPolicyCommunityFeeding the green gentrification machine: urban agriculture and the barriers to a just ecological transition in Montréal, Québec
2025Christina Frendo · Urban Geography · Canada (Montréal)
This study analyzed how urban agriculture contributes to green gentrification in Montréal. Based on interviews with planners, developers, and community actors, and discourse analysis of municipal policy documents, it showed that ecological initiatives are prioritized over housing, and sustainability fixes reconcile progressive rhetoric with growth imperatives, leading to policy trade-offs that undermine housing affordability. These findings reveal how progressive governments reproduce structural injustices through their ecological transition agendas within the context of a housing crisis.
Equity & displacementCommunityPolicyEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceEfectividad del Huerto Urbano: Un Enfoque para el Bienestar de los Adultos Mayores Urban Garden Effectiveness: An Approach to the Well-being of Older Adults
2025Marisol Silva-Vera, María de Jesús Jiménez González, Laura Varela Almanza · JÓVENES EN LA CIENCIA · Mexico
A quasi-experimental study in Mexico with 21 adults over 65 evaluated a community urban garden intervention for nutritional status. Participants showed increased nutrition knowledge, a 47.7% rise in vegetable intake, and a 23.8% increase in physical activity. However, anthropometric variables did not show significant differences, indicating limited impact on physical measurements despite positive changes in knowledge and habits.
Limited or null effectElderlyHealthFood educationCommunityThe spaces in between: an actor network analysis of alternative food systems in Latin America and the Caribbean
2025Gonzalo Lizarralde, Sara Latorre, Neidy Clavijo, Benjamín Herazo, Manuel Pérez, Kevin Gould, Myriam Paredes, Elsa Monsalve, Nicolás Ordoñez, Roberto Burdiles, Claudio Araneda, Lisa Bornstein, Ricardo Dueñez, Adriana Patricia López Valencia, Oswaldo López, Andrés Olivera, Pedro Tex Martinez, Gloria Artze · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · Latin America and the Caribbean
This study investigated the emergence, legitimization, and survival of alternative food systems in low-income settlements across Latin America and the Caribbean. Researchers conducted 340 interviews and 312 questionnaires, following 18 bottom-up initiatives related to food production, distribution, transformation, and consumption in urban and peri-urban areas of Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, and Chile. Empirical results demonstrated the inadequacy of existing regulations and policies to comprehend the dynamic resistance occurring in the "in between" spaces of both identities and urban structure.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityEconomicsPolicyEstablishing a community garden in Miawpukek First Nation, Newfoundland, Canada: Research brief on soil contamination challenges and solutions
2025Robert J. Moriarity, Meaghan J. Wilton, Eric N. Liberda, Tim Drew, Ada John, Howard Jeddore, Atanu Sarkar, Jim D. Karagatzides, Leonard J. S. Tsuji · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · Canada (Newfoundland)
This study aimed to develop safe community garden sites in Miawpukek First Nation, Newfoundland, Canada, addressing potential soil contamination. Soil testing revealed inorganic arsenic levels exceeding Canadian agricultural guidelines. Hügelkultur-style raised beds with imported soil were used, resulting in undetectable arsenic in potatoes grown there, while potatoes from contaminated soil exceeded safety limits. Kale grown in both raised beds and native soil remained within safety limits.
Contamination & food safetyCommunityHealthFood sovereignty & justiceThe Contradictions of Pursuing Holistic Sustainability on a CSA Farm
2025Caitlin Morgan · Gastronomica The Journal of Food and Culture · United States (upstate New York)
This study is a case study of Essex Farm, a full-diet Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) operation in upstate New York. The farm struggled to balance its ecological and social values with the economic imperatives and pressures of surviving in a competitive, capitalist market. Consequently, the farm's social fabric, critical to its initial success, began to fray over time.
Economic viabilityCSA & TeikeiEconomicsCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceUrban Farms as Social and Resiliency Spaces in San Juan, Puerto Rico Following Hurricane Maria
2025Ana Zepeda, Maria C. Ortíz-Rivera, Clare Cannon, Amanda Crump · The Professional Geographer · United States
This research, conducted in San Juan, Puerto Rico in July 2019, investigates how women experienced the impacts of Hurricane Maria on their urban farms (huertos urbanos). Findings show that while many women enjoy urban farming and it provides fresh produce, almost all women farmers experienced a decline in volunteer participation a few years after the farms' establishment and even more so after Hurricane Maria. Despite this, many women described the urban farms as very important for community food cultivation and gathering.
Limited or null effectCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changeHealthMultidrug resistance in bacteria associated with leafy greens and soil in urban agriculture systems
2025E. Ryan Harrelson, Qingyue Zeng, Mairui Gao, Magaly Toro, Ryan A. Blaustein · Frontiers in Plant Science · United States (Washington, D.C.)
This study analyzed 87 multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial strains from leafy greens (n=29), root zone soil (n=42), and bulk soil (n=16) in Washington, D.C. urban agriculture systems using whole genome sequencing. The isolates, spanning 4 phyla and 14 genera, carried diverse antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) and mobile genetic elements (MGEs). The results indicate that MDR bacteria are present in urban agriculture systems, including on fresh produce, dominated by soil-associated taxa carrying diverse ARGs and MGEs, which suggests implications for resistance mobilization.
Contamination & food safetyHealthCommunityHORTAS DOMÉSTICAS: BENEFÍCIOS, DESAFIOS E MOTIVAÇÃO NO CULTIVO URBANO EM DOM PEDRITO/RS
2025Lucas Velasques, Janaína Wohlenberg, Osmar Manoel Nunes, D. Friedrich, Norton Víctor Sampaio · Revista Científica Agropampa · Brazil (Dom Pedrito/RS)
This field study, involving 20 residents of Dom Pedrito/RS, Brazil, who practice home gardening, aimed to identify motivational factors, difficulties, and benefits. The main difficulties reported were the time required for cultivation and the presence of pests and insects. While benefits included consuming healthy food, health improvements, and supermarket savings, the significant challenges of time commitment and pest management indicate limitations to the widespread positive impact of home gardening.
Limited or null effectDIYCommunityHealthOrganic cycleThe New Urbanism in New York City: A Case Study Comparing Battery Park City and Alphabet City
2025Lena Farley · Scholarship @ Claremont (The Claremont Colleges) · United States (New York City)
This thesis compares Battery Park City and Alphabet City in Manhattan, examining how they embody New Urbanist principles despite different planning approaches. While both neighborhoods show core New Urbanist characteristics, the research raises critical questions regarding community engagement in master-planned developments and the mitigation of gentrification in evolving urban landscapes.
Equity & displacementCommunityPolicyLeveraging community agroecological values across scales for food system transformation in Ka’a’gee Tu First Nation, Northwest Territories
2025Jennifer Temmer, Alison Blay‐Palmer, Andrew Spring · Canadian Food Studies / La Revue canadienne des études sur l alimentation · Canada (Northwest Territories)
A Participatory Action Research study in Kakisa, Northwest Territories, applied the Community Agroecological Values Framework to food system planning. While the community successfully leveraged extra-regional resources by building relationships with organizations outside the territory, findings indicated that unstable relationships and conflicting perspectives regarding land use and agriculture constrained access to critical regional supports, including gardening knowledge networks, funding, and training opportunities. This study highlights the necessity of both short-term regional support and long-term local capacity building for sustainable food production.
Governance failureCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changePolicy