Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
32 results(2 / 2)
Urban and peri-urban agricultural production along railway tracks: a case study from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region
2013Prem José Vazhacharickal, Martina Předotová, D. Chandrasekharam, Sharit K. Bhowmik, Buerkert, Andreas · Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development in the Tropics and Subtropics (University of Kassel) · India (Mumbai)
A study surveyed 38 railway gardeners to characterize urban and peri-urban agricultural production along railway tracks in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Irrigation water contained nutrients but also heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, and mercury, and pathogens like Escherichia coli. Heavy metal levels exceeded critical thresholds in surface soils for chromium, nickel, and strontium, and in produce for lead, cadmium, and strontium.
Contamination & food safetyCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceHealthTrace Element Soil Contamination at Urban Community Gardens in Washington, DC
2012Adam J Long · Scholarship @ Claremont (The Claremont Colleges) · United States (Washington, DC)
This study investigated heavy metal soil contaminants in 13 urban community gardens in Washington, DC, analyzing 45 soil samples using X-ray fluorescence (XRF). While most samples fell below US EPA action levels for common contaminants, high concentrations of lead (above the US EPA action level of 400 ppm) were found in the native soil of three garden sites, meriting concern due to potential health problems in children.
Contamination & food safetyCommunityHealthFood sovereignty & justicePopulation-dynamics focussed rapid rural mapping and characterisation of the peri-urban interface of Kampala, Uganda
2010Kohei Makita, Eric M. Fèvre, Charles Waiswa, Mark Bronsvoort, Mark C. Eisler, Susan C. Welburn · Land Use Policy · Uganda
This paper describes a spatial representation of the peri-urban interface (PUI) of Kampala, Uganda, and identifies socio-economic factors related to peri-urbanicity using rapid rural mapping. It notes that urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) in rapidly expanding cities carries public health risks, such as zoonotic disease transmission. The study provides a methodology for describing the PUI in developing countries.
Contamination & food safetyPeri-urban agricultureFood sovereignty & justiceHealthPolicyOpportunities and Challenges of Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture in Niamey, Niger
2008Sophie Graefe, Eva Schlecht, Andreas Buerkert · Outlook on Agriculture · Niger (Niamey)
Semi-structured interviews with 130 households in Niamey, Niger, characterized urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) and assessed resource use. The study found high use of livestock manure and indiscriminate use of nutrient-loaded wastewater for irrigation, leading to significant nutrient surpluses in UPA gardens. Initial calculations suggested large gaseous emissions of nitrogenous compounds and and leaching of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium to groundwater.
Contamination & food safetyPeri-urban agricultureFood sovereignty & justiceHealthClimate changeEconomicsOverview on urban and peri-urban agriculture: definition, impact on human health, constraints and policy issues
2008Erastus K. Kang’ethe, Delia Grace, Thomas F. Randolph · East African Medical Journal · East Africa
This study synthesizes current knowledge on urban agriculture (UA) in East Africa, focusing on its human health impact. It identifies UA as an important source of food security, but notes that many zoonotic and food-borne diseases are associated with it, with a lack of evidence on human health impact and management. Major constraints include illegality and limited access to inputs and markets, indicating a need for more research to understand both positive and negative health impacts.
Contamination & food safetyHealthFood sovereignty & justicePolicyEconomicsPeri-urban agricultureHeavy metal contamination of vegetables and fruits from Bangalore city
2008Seyed Esmaeil Mahdavian, R. Somashekar · ePrints@Bangalore University (Bangalore University) · India (Bangalore)
A study in Bangalore city, India, showed that urban consumers are at greater risk of purchasing fresh fruits with high levels of heavy metals beyond the legally permissible limits defined by the Indian Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954. These national norms are less strict than international food safety standards.
Contamination & food safetyHealthFood sovereignty & justiceUsing on-farm sedimentation ponds to improve microbial quality of irrigation water in urban vegetable farming in Ghana
2008Bernard Keraita, Pay Drechsel, Flemming Konradsen · Water Science & Technology · Ghana (Kumasi)
A study in Kumasi, Ghana, assessed the use of on-farm ponds to reduce microbial contamination in wastewater-contaminated irrigation water, analyzing over 300 samples. It found that while ponds are common, their potential for pathogen removal via sedimentation is not fully optimized. Helminth eggs reduced by about 70% with careful water collection, but thermotolerant coliforms took six days in the dry season to meet WHO guidelines, indicating suboptimal performance for some pathogens.
Contamination & food safetyHealthPeri-urban agricultureFood sovereignty & justice