Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
15 results
Determination of Flowering Plants in High Schools in Giresun City Center
2026İsmail Suat Başoğlu, Bahadır KOZ · Karadeniz Fen Bilimleri Dergisi · Turkey (Giresun City Center)
This research evaluated the diversity of flowering plants, physical properties of garden areas, and green space in 18 high schools in Giresun City Center. A total of 45 flowering plant species were identified in the school gardens, but the overall presence of endemic and rare species was found to be low. These findings indicate that high school gardens in Giresun City Center require improvement in terms of existing green areas and plant diversity.
Limited or null effectBiodiversityFood educationAsyl, Gemüse und Nachhaltigkeit: Urban Gardening in einer Unterkunft für geflüchtete Menschen
2025Juliane Forßmann, Simon Goebel · Zeitschrift für Flüchtlingsforschung · Germany
An urban gardening project in a residential facility for up to 230 refugees in Germany aims to counteract precarious living conditions. While the garden offers a low-threshold space for knowledge exchange on resource-saving cultivation, biodiversity, and health promotion, this paper also reflects on the project's limits.
Limited or null effectCommunityWelfareHealthBiodiversityFood educationClimate changeEl fenómeno de los huertos urbanos y sus posibilidades para el Trabajo Social Comunitario
2025Mercedes Muriel Sáiz · Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) · Spain (Madrid)
This article examines the phenomenon of urban gardens from a socio-community perspective, based on a methodology combining a literature review and participant observation in the community garden Ensancha el huerto (Alcorcón, Madrid). The analysis shows that urban gardens operate as micro-ecosystems of mutual support and learning, but the study also highlights risks associated with institutionalization, commodification, and legal insecurity surrounding such initiatives.
Governance failureCommunityFood educationPolicyWelfareSchool principals’ practices and their facing barriers to sustainable development in Turkish K12 schools
2024Neşe Börü · International Journal of Leadership in Education · Turkey
This case study investigated school principals' practices and barriers to sustainable development in Turkish K-12 schools under centralized management, using semi-structured interviews. The findings highlighted the need for leadership skills, collaboration with external bodies, public education, reward systems, and school budgets under a centralized management approach. The research identified that the centralized management system itself presents a barrier to sustainable development efforts in these schools.
Governance failureFood educationCommunityPolicyFostering 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 cycleViews of Teachers and Headteachers about Outdoor Learning in Pre-School Education Institutions in Turkey and England
2023Ayşe Öztürk Samur, Paulette Luff · İnsan ve Toplum Bilimleri Araştırmaları Dergisi · Turkey; United Kingdom
This phenomenological study investigated the views and experiences of 9 headteachers and 9 teachers from 6 preschool institutions in Turkey and England regarding outdoor learning. It found that in Turkey, school gardens, equipment, and time spent outside are insufficient compared to England. While family participation in outdoor learning is more common in Turkey, teachers and headteachers there experience greater family pressure concerning child safety, illness, and dirty clothes, and feel anxious due to a lack of classroom assistance. Both countries showed insufficient inclusion of outdoor learning in vocational and in-service training.
Limited or null effectFood educationCommunityTowards Sustainable Urban Food Systems: Potentials, Impacts and Challenges of Grassroots Initiatives in the Foodshed of Muenster, Germany
2022Janina Wittenberg, Maria Gernert, Hamid El Bilali, Carola Strassner · Sustainability · Germany (Münster)
This paper explores the role of grassroots initiatives in the transition towards a sustainable urban food system in Münster, Germany, using questionnaires, interviews, and desk research. Results indicate that many initiatives in Münster focus on education and information, raising awareness, rather than offering material alternatives. Policy, education, networks, and communication were identified as key leverage points.
Limited or null effectCommunityCSA & TeikeiFood educationPolicyAnalysis of the Physical Structure of School Gardens as Learning Environments
2021Zerrin Mercan, Büşra BİLİR, Nilüfer Darıca · Cukurova University Faculty of Education Journal · Turkey
This qualitative study examined the gardens of 27 preschool education institutions in Gaziantep province as physical learning environments. Findings showed that while physical and social areas existed in school gardens, they required qualitative support. Silent areas were very limited and located within vocal areas, and creative and sensory areas were not present in the school gardens.
Limited or null effectFood educationCommunityHealthSpatial Usage and Qualifications of Outdoor Recreation Areas in Primary Schools: A Case Study From Üsküdar
2020Selda Cansu TEMEL · GRID - Architecture Planning and Design Journal · Turkey
This study analyzed the planning and design criteria of public primary school gardens in Üsküdar district, Istanbul, Turkey, to determine their proficiency levels against national, international, and academic standards. Using quantitative and qualitative methods, including on-site observation, the research identified architectural disadvantages and inadequacies in the school gardens. The findings indicate deficiencies in the current state of these outdoor recreation areas.
Limited or null effectFood educationCommunityHealthNew School maintains an established garden
2020Lexi Earl, Pat Thomson · · United Kingdom (midlands in England)
This chapter examines a school garden with farm elements at a primary school in a deprived market town in the midlands of England, established as part of an 'eco-school' initiative driven by the former head teacher. The garden included various spaces like a farm, raised beds, a pond, and a herb garden, used for science learning and natural exploration. However, the study notes that the impetus for outdoor learning diminished after the initiating head teacher departed, as school priorities shifted due to other pressures.
Governance failureFood educationCommunityBiodiversityPEDAGOGICAL EXPECTANCES FROM THE PLAYGROUNDS IN THE SCHOOL GARDENS IN CLASSROOM TEACHERS
2018Fikret ALINCAK, Mehmet Ali Öztürk, Tuğba TURAK · The Online Journal of Recreation and Sport · Turkey (Gaziantep)
This study investigated the pedagogical expectations of 25 classroom teachers in Gaziantep, Turkey, regarding playgrounds in school gardens, using open-ended questions and content analysis. The findings revealed that teachers perceived school gardens as inadequate and unsuitable for students' levels, and considered the areas unreliable. Teachers concluded that playgrounds should be wide, have diverse game tools, be educational, and have corrected ground for student safety to support children's development.
Limited or null effectFood educationThe Use and Value of Green School Grounds in Developing Countries
2018Arlinda Sheqiri, Parna Rastgo · Journal of Environmental Science and Engineering - A · Europe
A study on the use and value of green school grounds in developing countries was conducted across five schools in Podujevo, Kosovo. The findings revealed that the potential of green school grounds in most studied cases has not been utilized. Opportunities provided by the municipality and environmental NGOs are insufficient, suggesting a need to rethink the design and use of green school grounds in developing countries.
Governance failureFood educationHealthCommunityPolicyOkul Öncesi Eğitim Kurumlarının Bahçelerinin Peyzaj Tasarımı ve Alan Kullanımlar
2017Sertaç Güngör · Journal of Agricultural Faculty of Gaziosmanpasa University · Turkey (Konya)
This study investigated the current state of gardens in 7 nursery schools in Selçuklu district, Konya city, Turkey, regarding landscape design and space usage. The findings revealed that the nursery school gardens were not used effectively, lacked sufficient green space in their landscape design, and were not properly designed to contribute to children's mental and physical development.
Limited or null effectFood educationHealthCommunityYou are Hungry: Flâneuring, Edible Mapping and Feeding Imaginations
2014Mikey Tomkins · Repository hosted by TU Delft Library (TU Delft) · United Kingdom (London)
This research explored reactions to the idea of potential urban agriculture landscapes through 32 participatory walks with 150 local residents around a 25-hectare site in east London. The walks used an "edible map" that suggested food growing in vacant urban areas. The study showed initial engagement with urban agriculture and local food systems, but also produced a strong critique of urban spatial design and a desire for place-making.
Governance failureCommunityFood educationPolicy‘Plants Are Fashioned by Cultivation, Man by Education’
2014Robert Mattock · · United Kingdom
This article discusses the decline in horticultural skills and work ethic in the United Kingdom over the last century, attributing it to the welfare state's de-incentivization of the workforce. The diverse plant vocabulary and cultivation skills once common among Victorian gardeners and landscape designers are now largely lost, impacting the conservation of designed landscapes. While efforts are being made to revive school gardens and promote apprenticeships and craft skills, the article concludes that more work is needed to re-establish a traditional work ethic in apprenticeships.
Limited or null effectFood educationDIY