Research & reports

Cory Whitney, Thi Thu Giang Luu, Johannes Kopton, Eike Luedeling · Humanities and Social Sciences Communications · Vietnam

This study developed a decision analysis framework to optimize school garden interventions in Vietnamese public and private schools, evaluating their effects on child health, biodiversity, and economic outcomes across five investment scenarios. Results show that passive gardens consistently offer greater biodiversity and health benefits, whereas STEM gardens encounter financial and operational barriers, especially in public schools. The findings highlight significant financial constraints in public schools compared to private ones, revealing critical trade-offs among economic, biodiversity, and health outcomes.

Berliner, Susanne · · Germany

An ethnographic inquiry into a "refugees welcome" community garden in Germany offers power-critical reflections on social encounters, participation, inequalities, and the dynamics between 'the host' and 'the newcomer' in home-making. The study enhances understanding of how people with refugee biographies shape their surroundings and how communities navigate social heterogeneity. Specifically, it highlights inequalities and power dynamics within the context of home-making.

Rogers Hansine, Christine Bonnin, Inês Raimundo, Madal Artur, Cândida Bila · Revista Tamoios · Mozambique

The SYNERGI project, implemented from March 2023 to September 2025, aimed to promote urban community involvement in co-creating Socially Inclusive Edible Urban Green Infrastructure (IVUCs) in Maputo and Xai-Xai, Mozambique. The project successfully established IVUCs in six selected schools, increasing food production and educational opportunities. The project highlights the need for better institutional frameworks to support green infrastructure development.

Lukas Egli, Jana V. Schmidt, Hanna‐Sofie Haf, Mirco Zech · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems · Global

This exploratory quantitative survey assessed farmers' perceived sustainability impacts of converting to Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA). While most perceived impacts were positive, adverse impacts were anticipated regarding climate and water, such as increased water usage from vegetable production. Farmers in CSAs with medium to high member participation perceived significantly higher biodiversity impacts and more positive sustainability impacts for members.

Pari Diwahar, Chandran. S, Paramasivan SatheeshKumar · International Journal of Drug Delivery Technology · India (Madurai District, Tamil Nadu)

This study in Kaluvankulam, Madurai District, India, assessed the adaptability of treated municipal wastewater for marigold irrigation, where paddy yields have declined. Analysis of treated wastewater showed oil and grease and chemical oxygen demand (COD) levels exceeded permissible irrigation standards. Soil analysis revealed elevated phosphorus, potassium, and iron concentrations, indicating nutrient accumulation.

İsmail 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.

Pooja Boddupalli, Steffen Nijhuis, N. M. J. D. Tillie · Sustainability · Global

This systematic literature review investigated how landscape-based approaches (LbAs) and systems thinking (ST) have been concurrently applied to analyze and design urban agriculture and farming (UAF) initiatives. Screening 92 records, the study identified 12 peer-reviewed articles published between 2015 and 2025, reflecting the nascent state of this interdisciplinary approach. The findings revealed limited integration of spatial analysis with systems thinking across scales in current scholarship.

Carolina Rothen, Julián Gabriel Riso, Betina I. Stephan, Josefina Bompadre, Laura Fernández Bidondo · Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems · Argentina (Buenos Aires)

This study analyzed arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi in greenhouse soil from lettuce plants under agroecological, organic, and conventional management in Buenos Aires, Argentina. While agroecological management increased AM spore counts and infective propagules, effective mycorrhization of lettuce roots was low across all systems. Intensive greenhouse practices suppressed successful crop colonization, indicating a reduced AM inoculum infective potential.

Marta Melon, Tomasz Dzieduszyński, Piotr Sikorski, Beata Joanna Gawryszewska, Maciej Lasocki, Arkadiusz Przybysz · Sustainability · Poland (Warsaw)

The capacity of Family Allotment Gardens (FAGs) in Warsaw, Poland, to provide air-pollution filtration and microclimate regulation was quantified. Particulate matter, air temperature, and relative humidity were measured inside and outside three allotment complexes in autumn 2023. Results showed a moderate reduction in PM concentrations inside gardens (by about 2 µg/m³) and slightly higher humidity (2.1%). However, the cooling effect was weak (less than 0.3 °C), indicating a limited spatial range under autumn conditions.

Sneha Kumari Bharati, A. Pattanayak, Sidh Nath Prasad Yadav ‘Deen’ · Asian Journal of Environment & Ecology · Global

This study compared odonate diversity and population dynamics in rural (Manpur) and urban (Gaya city) agricultural landscapes of the Eastern Gangetic Plains from March 2022 to February 2024. The rural landscape supported 24 odonate species, while the urban landscape supported 17, showing only moderate similarity (SSI = 0.571) between the two assemblages. This indicates a lower diversity of odonates in urban agricultural areas compared to rural ones.

YeunSook Lee, Jaehyun Park, Yumi Hwang · Journal of the Korean housing association · South Korea

A longitudinal qualitative case study in a South Korean senior public rental housing community examined the first transition to self-governance in a rooftop community garden. The transition led to ecological and sensory degradation, including disrupted ecological rhythm and reduced olfactory comfort, and social fragmentation with disputes and leadership frictions. These findings revealed limits of participation-heavy models without codified rules or procedural safeguards, indicating that effective self-governance requires visible rules, procedural fairness, embedded learning, and mediation structures.

Farooq Ahmad Khan, Faheemullah Khan, Sumati Narayan, Mohammad Amir, Zaffar Mahdi Dar · International Journal of Research in Agronomy · Global

This review synthesizes the concept, design principles, carbon sequestration mechanisms, storage potential, and environmental benefits of carbon gardens, which are multifunctional landscapes designed to maximize carbon sequestration and deliver a wide range of ecosystem services. The article highlights their application in urban and rural landscapes and their integration with carbon-negative farming through practices such as biochar use and compost recycling. It also discusses key challenges related to carbon measurement, establishment costs, land availability, and long-term management.

S Wang · Advances in Economics Management and Political Sciences · China

This qualitative literature review examines informal green spaces (IGS) in Chinese cities, contrasting them with formal, hyper-managed landscapes. The study finds that while formal lawns incur high financial maintenance burdens and lower biodiversity, IGS, including spontaneous urban wilderness and community gardens, are often cleared despite offering higher biodiversity and zero maintenance costs. The research highlights a governance dilemma where the prioritization of neatness over ecology leads to the removal of IGS, which support psychological place attachment and spatial justice for marginalized groups.

Jana Marion Böhme · PubData · Europe

This study investigated the current state and professionality of biodiversity monitoring in food forest projects and influencing social-ecological factors through an online survey and interviews with German and Dutch experts. It found heterogeneous characteristics and professionality levels in monitoring activities, primarily due to context factors like actors, governance systems, and socio-economic settings. The professionality of monitoring depended on volunteer and expert availability and funding, indicating a lack of integrated, standardized, and systematic monitoring concepts and institutionalization.

Katie J. Field, Yolima Carrillo, Stuart A. Campbell, Jurriaan Ton, Adam Frew · Plants People Planet · Global

This special issue presents an innovative framework for sustainable land use, leveraging synergies between plants, soils, and societies to address global environmental crises and food insecurity. It notes that human activities, including land clearing for agriculture, rapid urban sprawl, and heavy use of chemical inputs, have pushed biogeochemical cycles of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus beyond their safe operating limits. The collection of papers collectively emphasizes the need for a fundamental shift in managing plant, soil, microbes, and human systems as interdependent components.

ROAN BAGAOISAN · Divine Word International Journal of Management and Humanities (DWIJMH) (ISSN 2980-4817) · Global

A study investigated school garden programs in elementary schools, exploring the experiences of fifteen teachers, staff, and students using a descriptive phenomenological approach and open-ended questionnaires. It found benefits in academic learning, environmental awareness, health, and social development, but also identified challenges including resource constraints, time limitations, garden maintenance, and stakeholder engagement. These challenges require careful planning, collaboration, and creative solutions.

Karina Corada, Caroline Nash, Prashant Kumar, Stuart Connop, Laura Wendling · Nature-Based Solutions · Global

A synthesis paper on the largely unexplored role of domestic gardens in influencing local air quality. While gardens are widely recognized for cultural and health benefits, particularly mental well-being and everyday contact with nature, the paper states few studies have examined air quality dynamics within residential garden settings. It notes that general urban green infrastructure research suggests vegetation structure, plant traits, and spatial configuration shape pollutant capture, but these findings have not been tested in domestic gardens, where microclimates and spatial constraints differ markedly. Evidence from food-growing gardens and allotments further suggests edible crops cultivated near roads may accumulate airborne pollutants, particularly metals, underscoring the need for research on exposure pathways and allotment locations. The paper identifies a significant gap in current green infrastructure and air-pollution research: the lack of empirical evidence on how domestic gardens function as socio-ecological systems with implications for air-quality regulation.

Subin Babu Neupane, Pedro F S Toledo, Katerina Velasco-Graham, Felipe N. Soto‐Adames, Arash Kheirodin · Journal of Integrated Pest Management · United States

This is the first report documenting the invasive thrips species Thrips parvispinus, native to Southeast Asia, in Texas, USA. Samples collected from 12 locations across Texas -- including greenhouse facilities, large retail outlets and community gardens -- from plants showing foliage injury confirmed the species' presence in November 2025, and detections across multiple counties suggest it has been introduced to multiple locations and may be widely distributed in the state.

Joan Casanelles-Abella, Monika Egerer · Frontiers in Sustainable Cities · Global

A perspective article discusses biodiversity conservation in cities as often afflicted by "suboptimal" situations where human needs and nature's needs are imbalanced or in conflict. In human-dominated landscapes, land use intensification often replaces large habitat patches critical for metapopulation stability with smaller, isolated patches, a pattern Island Biogeography Theory predicts will reduce biodiversity; this may be most extreme in cities experiencing rapid population growth and infrastructure densification, where small urban green spaces, balconies, home and allotment gardens, small forest patches and green walls, become the primary compensatory interventions for retaining habitat. However, under certain conservation frameworks (land-sparing vs. land-sharing, the SLOSS debate), such small, scattered urban green spaces may be predicted to produce suboptimal or even detrimental biodiversity outcomes if their size and isolation prevent them from sustaining viable population sizes. The article notes this "ecology of suboptimals" framing risks a futile perspective on nature conservation in densifying cities, while also considering how rethinking urban environments in light of this situation might be approached.

Dorothee Benkowitz · International explorations in outdoor and environmental education · Global

A book chapter on biodiversity education centered on seeds and plant life cycles. It states that industrial agriculture has reduced genetic diversity through monocultures and patented hybrid varieties, making small farmers dependent on large seed companies. F1 hybrids, while high-yielding, are not seed-proof — saved seed from them does not reproduce the parent traits — and this contributes to genetic erosion, limiting plants' ability to adapt to climate change and disease. The chapter notes that many people lack an in-depth understanding of plant cycles, and that studies show deficits among students specifically in classifying and explaining seeds and their role in a plant's life cycle. Hands-on experiences such as those in school gardens are said to foster better understanding and a sustainable connection to nature. Knowledge of biodiversity and plant cycles is described as crucial for topics such as healthy diets, regionality, and climate adaptation, and integrating this content into education is presented as contributing to Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) goals.

Hoque MN, Rana ML, Gilman MAA, Pramanik PK, Islam MS, Punom SA, Rahman R, Hassan J, Rahman MS, Ramasamy S, Schreinemachers P, Oliva R, Rahman MT · Environmental Monitoring and Assessment · バングラデシュ・ダッカ／ガジプール

A shotgun metagenomic study motivated by how little is known about the microbial communities and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) profiles of rooftop and surface garden soils in Bangladesh, and their potential role as reservoirs and disseminators of AMR, despite the growing expansion of urban agriculture. Twenty-seven soil samples were sequenced — 7 from Dhaka rooftop gardens, 6 from Dhaka surface gardens, 8 from Gazipur rooftop gardens and 6 from Gazipur surface gardens. The work identified 88 antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), of which 19 (21.6%) were shared across all sites, and found significant differences in resistome composition by garden type (p = 0.04). Rooftop soils harboured more ARGs (Dhaka 50, Gazipur 48) than surface soils (Dhaka 40, Gazipur 41) and were dominated by glycopeptide resistance genes, collectively 62.43-74.07% of ARGs; rooftop soils were also enriched in efflux pumps (adeF, 45.21% of rooftop ARGs) and the ribosomal-protection oxazolidinone resistance gene O23S (62.13% in Gazipur rooftops). Surface soils instead featured more genes mediating antibiotic inactivation, such as CATA (11.64% in Dhaka surface gardens) and fosBx1 (5.94% of surface ARGs).

Rduch Paulina, Hodor Katarzyna, Wilkosz-Mamcarczyk Magdalena · Cities · ポーランド・チェコ

A study of Katowice (Poland) and Brno (Czech Republic) examining how family allotment gardens function as greenery in city centres, together with the legal regulations that govern them. Drawing on statistical and cartographic data, it shows a downward trend in the area of allotment gardens within cities.

Olivier Parfait Bissemb, Rosette Christelle Ndjib, Patrice Brice Mvogo Ottou, Jacques Bruno Ngotta Biyon, Zenabou Ndiang, Georges Maxime Lamy Lamy, Eric Ngansop Tchatchouang, Ivant Stevy Nganmo, Jean Lagarde Betti, Richard Jules Priso · Journal of Environmental Protection · Cameroon (Douala)

This study assessed floristic diversity and agricultural practices around five stormwater drains in Douala, Cameroon, identifying 67 species from 24 families. Floristic diversity, measured by the Shannon-Weaver index (H'= 0.99) and low evenness (E = 0.23), indicated an unbalanced plant community dominated by a few cultivated and ruderal species. The analysis also revealed significant homogenization between drains, suggesting common agricultural practices and environmental pressures in these polluted environments.

Arild Eriksen, Deni Ruggeri, Esben Slaatrem Titland · · Norway (Oslo)

This essay examines urban agriculture from the perspective of an architect and urban farmer/beekeeper practicing bottom-up, participatory design in Oslo. Critical dimensions of urban agriculture in public space include private and corporate claims on these landscapes, and its current aesthetics of impermanence are critiqued. The essay questions the notion that the joy and freedom urban agriculture brings to a community should be built upon and enriched by future development and policy.

Xiang Zhou, Nan Wang, Jiaying Shi, Michael Hensel · Humanities and Social Sciences Communications · China (Nanjing)

A study of urban foraging behavior in Nanjing's central urban area, China, revealed significant enthusiasm among residents, linking personal childhood experiences to their foraging motivations. However, environmental pollution was identified as a critical barrier to these activities.