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.

Taylor 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.

L. Lue, K. Reis, H. Kanasa, S. Rutherford, C. Desha · Environmental Education Research · Global

A review of 22 studies (2001-2024) across six countries, primarily the US and Canada, examined how high school garden programs support adolescent food security and resilience. Findings indicated contributions across multiple socio-ecological levels, but uneven implementation significantly constrained their overall impact. Specifically, opportunities for shared decision-making were limited, and short-term, inconsistent support for policy, funding, and governance structures restricted long-term effectiveness.

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.

Yadeneyro 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.

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.

Dario Cottafava, Francesco Marengo, Giuseppe Emiliano Di Martino, Laura Corazza · Business Strategy and the Environment · Global

This study introduced a social impact accounting framework, "accounting for the loops," for sustainability education for climate action (SECA), applying it to a university-led community garden case study. It found that a sense of belonging and personal recognition activate positive reinforcing loops. However, project size and community autonomy counterintuitively triggered balancing loops, leading to increased bureaucratic obstacles and institutional support needs, which negatively impacted participant motivation.

Anelise 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.

Firli Alya Rahma, Tri Budiarto, Agief Julio Pratama, Henry Kasmanhadi Saputra · JURNAL PENYULUHAN PEMBANGUNAN · Indonesia (Surabaya)

This study in Surabaya, Indonesia, investigated hydroponic cultivation among two farmer groups, Kelompok Tani Anggrek (19 members) and Kelompok Tani Sawi (14 members). It found that the farmer groups were not yet optimal in hydroponic cultivation due to a lack of understanding, minimal assistance, and improper use of fertilizers and seeds. However, knowledge among the farmer groups increased by 51.52% due to extension activities, and most respondents agreed that hydroponics is a suitable solution for food security and that assistance had a positive impact.

Kendel Constant · DigitalCommons - Kennesaw State University (Kennesaw State University) · Dominica

This thesis explores improving Dominica's urban agricultural sector, examining challenges like hurricanes, landslides, temperature shifts, limited adoption of advanced farming techniques, an aging farmer population, and soil erosion. The proposed Agricultural Learning Facility aims to address these issues by leveraging smart farming methods and enhancing traditional practices. However, the proposed greenhouse and hydroponic systems cannot completely replace traditional farming practices, but rather help increase food production.

Eric Vukicevich · Urban Ecosystems · Global

This paper describes a class-based soil testing project where undergraduate students partner with local community gardeners to investigate urban soil health. The project involves students examining soil properties such as pH, organic matter, nutrients, and toxic elements, and ensuring crop safety. Students develop project plans, interpret data, and make recommendations for soil management.

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.

Alexa McLaughlin, Stephanie Ward Chiasson, Jeanne Godin · Canadian Food Studies / La Revue canadienne des études sur l alimentation · Canada (New Brunswick)

This process evaluation assessed the reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance of the New Brunswick School Food Pilot Project (NBSFPP) using the RE-AIM framework in eleven schools across New Brunswick, Canada. While school administrators reported positive impacts on program optimization, student leadership skills, food literacy, and eating behaviors, no significant effect was found on teachers’ perceptions of students’ diet or academic outcomes. Program sustainability was largely dependent on receiving funding.

Mellania Rima Fajaryah, Hafid Aditya Pradesa, Teni Listiani, Edah Jubaedah · Academia Open · Indonesia (Bandung)

A study of agricultural extension workers in Bandung's "Buruan SAE" urban farming program, Indonesia, examining how competencies align with role demands across job levels. It found consistent gaps where competency achievement fell below importance ratings, particularly in agribusiness management, agro-processing, commercialization, institutional development and technology facilitation, while communication and leadership competencies remained comparatively strong. The gaps grew more complex at higher job levels. Importance-Performance Analysis was used to prioritize competencies, and the study proposes a competency-development framework based on a 70:20:10 learning model.

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.

Oyewole Michelle T., Pellow David N., Cassels Susie · Environmental Justice · 米国

A study measuring soil lead by X-ray fluorescence at 31 Brooklyn public schools with active garden programmes, sampling both garden beds and adjacent school grounds. Proximity to 306 known environmental hazard sites was mapped geostatistically and combined with demographic data and soil-management surveys. Of the samples, 42% exceeded the US EPA's minimum screening level for child-accessible soils near known lead sources (100 ppm); garden soils showed lower average lead concentrations than adjacent school-ground soils. The authors argue that soil lead in schools, and the disparities in it, have received far less attention than lead in paint and water.

Marisol 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.

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.

Juliane 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.

Rico Yanuar Ardiansyah, Hamidah Hendrarini, Wahyu Santoso · Jurnal Ilmiah Sosio Agribis · Indonesia (Surabaya)

A study in Surabaya City, Indonesia, analyzed community participation in urban farming among 50 respondents from three farmer groups from April to June 2025, using Importance Performance Analysis. While urban farming performed optimally in ecological, socio-cultural, educational & tourism, and health aspects, the economic aspect showed the lowest performance and largest gap. This indicates a need for strengthening outcome management, market access, and community economic empowerment to optimize economic contributions.

Limachi Pérez, Vicente · Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences (University of Skopje) · Bolivia (Cochabamba)

This study examined the influences of family, school, and sociodigital networks on environmental awareness among secondary school students in urban and rural Cochabamba, Bolivia. Data from three schools showed students' environmental concerns varied by region, and the internet was their primary information source. Despite isolated initiatives like school gardens, schools did not effectively integrate environmental education into the curriculum, limiting its formative impact.

· The MIT Press eBooks · Brazil (Rio de Janeiro), China (Beijing)

This account describes the challenges in building support for Rio de Janeiro's Hortas Cariocas urban farming initiative in 2016. Negotiations among environmental protection officers, education officials, and school administrators generated "fiery discussions" regarding garden placement, teacher training, and incentives. The presence of a foreign professor was used to strengthen arguments for urban farming's benefits.

Meredith L. Mull, Mario Torralba · Frontiers in Nutrition · Global

This exploratory Q-methodology study investigated how university students in sustainability programs conceptualize sustainable food systems. Analysis revealed five distinct narratives, with consensus on food security and transparent governance. However, elements like urban agriculture, GMOs, and food traditions were consistently deprioritized by the participants. The findings emphasize incorporating plural perspectives and context-sensitive approaches in food system research and policy.

Mercedes 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.

María Fernanda Ríos Acuña, Rocío Elena Matos Chávez, Nicolás Manuel Herrera Robles, Carlos Enrique Quispe Vargas, Juliana Beatriz Torres Luján · Ibero Ciencias - Revista Científica y Académica - ISSN 3072-7197 · Peru (Lima)

This review article analyzed the effects of school urban gardens on environmental education and child nutrition in public institutions of Metropolitan Lima. Examining 25 national and international scientific studies using the PRISMA methodological approach, findings showed that school gardens strengthen ecological awareness and promote fruit and vegetable consumption. However, structural barriers such as lack of resources, teacher training, and sustained institutional support were also identified.