Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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170 results(4 / 7)
Evaluation of the irrigation water quality and cropped area of shrinking peri‐urban agriculture in the Gadap Basin, Karachi: An application of Wilcox's classification and geospatial techniques*
2020Razzaq Ahmed, Shaukat Khan, Khalida Mahmood, Ahsanullah · Irrigation and Drainage · Pakistan (Karachi)
Agricultural activities in the Gadap Basin, Karachi, Pakistan, showed a declining trend over two decades from 1997 to 2016. Analysis of 13 irrigation water samples revealed that water quality had severely degraded, with sodium concentration substantially increasing, especially near sand and gravel excavation sites. While 100% of samples were suitable for irrigation in 1997, this dropped to almost 50% by 2016, and SAR also decreased, indicating irrigation water quality degradation. Satellite imagery further showed a 60% decline and degradation of agricultural land in the basin during the same period.
Contamination & food safetyPeri-urban agricultureClimate changeAddressing Urban Mal- and Undernourishment through Sustainable Home Gardens
2020H. Tayal Neeraj · · Global
This chapter explores the potential of home gardening, as part of urban agriculture, to contribute to human health through improved nutrition. While home gardens can provide nutrient-dense foods, the potential health impact of soil contamination must be addressed, as urbanized soils tend to have elevated levels of heavy metals and other toxins.
Contamination & food safetyHealthDIYFood educationWelfarePotential of Technosols Created with Urban By-Products for Rooftop Edible Production
2020Baptiste Grard, Nastaran Manouchehri, Christine Aubry, Nathalie Frascaria‐Lacoste, Claire Chenu · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · Global
A five-year experimental trial quantified the food production potential, soil fertility, and potential contamination of Technosols created from urban wastes for rooftop edible production. The cropping system showed promising results for food production and maintained high fertility. However, a concern was identified regarding the trace metal content of certain edible crops, specifically zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu), although most trace metal levels were below existing norms.
Contamination & food safetyDIYCompostOrganic cycleHealthPre- and Post-Harvest Practices of Urban Leafy Green Vegetable Farmers in Accra, Ghana and Their Association with Microbial Quality of Vegetables Produced
2020Joycelyn K. Quansah, Cesar L. Escalante, Angela Parry‐Hanson Kunadu, Firibu Kwesi Saalia, Jinru Chen · Agriculture · Ghana (Accra)
A survey was conducted among 102 urban leafy green vegetable farmers from 12 farming areas in Accra, Ghana, to determine agricultural practices and their association with microbial safety of vegetables produced. It was observed that 70% of farmers used water from waste drains for irrigation, 99% used incompletely composted manure, 96% harvested with bare hands, and over 60% disagreed that polluted irrigation water can contaminate vegetables or make consumers sick. Vegetables cultivated by farmers with no formal education, less food safety knowledge, and those who disagreed about contaminated water causing illness were associated with higher fecal coliform and Enterococcus sp. counts.
Contamination & food safetyHealthCommunityOrganic cycleAtmospheric sources of trace element contamination in cultivated urban areas: A review
2020Salvatore Engel‐Di Mauro · Journal of Environmental Quality · Global
This review examines atmospheric sources of trace element (TE) contamination in cultivated urban areas (CUAs), noting that these sources are understudied and poorly understood despite extensive research on TE contamination in CUAs. Existing research often assesses atmospheric deposition indirectly or lacks controls for other TE contaminants, and shows little engagement with atmospheric sciences methodological guidelines, which reduces confidence in current findings. The review suggests combining atmospheric science techniques with existing robust methodologies for TE contamination studies in CUAs.
Contamination & food safetyHealthUrban–rural linkageMetal Input in Lettuce Grown in Urban Agricultural Soils
2020Silke Cram, Pilar Fernández, Horacio Carranza, M.C. Gómez Hernández, Claudia Ponce de León, Ana M. Noguez Gálvez · Open Journal of Soil Science · Global
This study evaluated metal inputs, transfer, and translocation in lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) grown in an urban plot during dry and rainy seasons in 2013, using treated wastewater and rainwater respectively. While soil characteristics and metal transfer/translocation factors varied temporally, leading to different metal concentrations in lettuce tissues, the results indicated that the metal concentration in lettuce tissues posed no harm to human health. However, site-specific studies are necessary for urban agriculture management.
Contamination & food safetyHealthOrganic cycleHeavy Metal Uptake of Lettuce and Ryegrass from Urban Waste Composts
2020Remigio Paradelo, Antía Villada, María Teresa Barral · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · Global
A two-month pot experiment studied heavy metal transference from five metal-rich urban waste composts and a manure vermicompost to lettuce and Italian ryegrass under controlled conditions. Plant concentrations of Zn, Cu, and Cd increased with their concentrations in compost, while no such relation was observed for Pb. The study found that the ratio of element concentration in plant to compost was much higher for Zn, Cd, and Cu than for Pb, indicating lower bioavailability of Pb.
Contamination & food safetyCompostHealthOrganic cycleCommunity gardens and wellbeing amongst vulnerable populations: a thematic review
2019Pernille Malberg Dyg, Søren Christensen, Corissa Jade Peterson · Health Promotion International · Global
A thematic review of 51 articles published between 1980 and 2017 examined the effects of community gardens on wellbeing among vulnerable populations. Findings suggested positive impacts on physical health and individual/social wellbeing, but food security enhancements were inconsistent. Two articles raised potential food safety concerns in urban community gardens, recommending attention to minimizing these risks.
Contamination & food safetyCommunityHealthWelfareFood educationPollutants in Urban Agriculture
2019Camille Dumat, Antoine Pierart, Muhammad Shahid, Sana Khalid · · Global
Urban agriculture, while a strategy for sustainable food production, faces a serious threat from natural and anthropogenic pollution sources in urban and peri-urban environments. These sources release hazardous organic and inorganic contaminants, leading to a high likelihood of human exposure. Consumption of vegetables grown on polluted urban soils or those that have intercepted metal-rich atmospheric particles represents a potential route of pollutant exposure and human health hazard.
Contamination & food safetyHealthPeri-urban agricultureUrban Allotment Gardens for the Biomonitoring of Atmospheric Trace Element Pollution
2019Miguel Izquierdo‐Díaz, Peter E. Holm, Fernando Barrio‐Parra, Eduardo De Miguel, Jonas Duus Stevens Lekfeldt, Jakob Magid · Journal of Environmental Quality · Global
This study evaluated air pollution in urban green areas using edible plants. Analysis of 36 unwashed leaf samples showed that plants exposed next to roads had higher contents of traffic-related elements, and outdoor samples were enriched in marine aerosol ions. Cadmium and lead concentrations did not exceed European legal maximum levels for vegetables, indicating their consumption would be safe.
Contamination & food safetyHealthCommunityThe potential for heavy metal pollution in crops from urban and peri urban horticultural farms in the Gaborone environs: a review
2019L.C. Obuseng · Botswana Journal of Agriculture and Applied Sciences · Botswana (Gaborone)
This review highlights the potential for heavy metal accumulation in soil and crops from urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) around Gaborone, Botswana, due to the intensive use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, wastewater, sludges, and industrial effluents. A literature review showed that fertilizers contain heavy metals, and the use of treated or untreated sewage water by UPA farmers can lead to heavy metal accumulation in soil and crops, posing a danger to human health. Information on heavy metal accumulation in soils is limited in Botswana, despite high agrochemical use in UPA vegetable production.
Contamination & food safetyHealthPeri-urban agricultureOrganic cycleInfección por Angiostrongylus cantonensis (Nematoda: Metastrongylidae) en Rattus rattus (Rodentia: Muridae) en una localidad de La Habana, Cuba
2019Ariamys Companioni, Jennys Peraza, Zulema Menéndez Díaz, Aileen González, Ledy X López, Ana Elisa Rodriguez, Jorge Cantillo, Fidel Ángel Núñez · Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) · Cuba
A descriptive study in La Lisa Municipality, Havana, Cuba, examined 63 Rattus rattus rodents for Angiostrongylus cantonensis infection in an urban farm field. The study found that 46.03% of the captured rodents were infected with A. cantonensis, with infection rates increasing in adult individuals (59.46%) and during the rainy season (55.88%). This demonstrated the circulation of A. cantonensis in its definitive host in the area, indicating an increased risk of transmission to humans.
Contamination & food safetyHealthUrban–rural linkageFecal Sludge Derived Products as Fertilizer for Lettuce Cultivation in Urban Agriculture
2019Surendra K. Pradhan, Olufunke Cofie, Josiane Nikiema, Helvi Heinonen‐Tanski · Sustainability · Global
This research determined the fertilizer value of sawdust and fecal sludge (SDFS) pellets and compared their effect on lettuce cultivation with other fertilizers in a greenhouse and open field. SDFS pellets, with or without enrichments, resulted in higher saleable fresh weight lettuce yields than commercial compost, poultry manure, mineral fertilizer, or no fertilizer. Open field cultivation yielded more than greenhouse cultivation. While no helminth eggs were detected, some fecal coliforms were found in lettuces fertilized with almost all tested fertilizers, including NPK and the non-fertilized control.
Contamination & food safetyOrganic cycleHealthCompostPersistance de <i>E. coli</i>, des oeufs d’helminthes et des kystes de protozoaires contenus dans les eaux usées urbaines d’arrosage sur les cultures maraîchères à Dschang, Ouest-Cameroun
2019Honorine Ntangmo Tsafack, Émile Temgoua, Thomas Njiné · International Journal of Biological and Chemical Sciences · Cameroon
This in situ study in Dschang, West Cameroon, monitored the survival time of E. coli, parasite eggs, and cysts on lettuce, carrot, and eggplant irrigated with polluted urban wastewater for one week. Despite significant E. coli reductions (73-99% over seven days depending on crop and season), E. coli levels on lettuce and carrot remained above health thresholds (10^3 E. coli/g). Positive samples for eggs and cysts ranged from 0-25% on lettuce and carrot, and 0-8% on eggplant, posing a danger to consumers of raw vegetables.
Contamination & food safetyHealthTrace Element Uptake by Herbaceous Plants from the Soils at a Multiple Trace Element-Contaminated Site
2019Obinna Elijah Nworie, Junhao Qin, Chuxia Lin · Toxics · Global
This study investigated trace element uptake by wild herbaceous plants at a multiple trace element-contaminated site. It found significant variability in bioaccumulation and translocation factors among plant species, identifying some as hyperaccumulators for specific elements. The marked accumulation of trace elements in plant tissues suggests that the site may not be suitable for urban agricultural production.
Contamination & food safetyHealthOrganic cycleTrace Metal(oid) Accumulation in Edible Crops and Poplar Cuttings Grown on Dredged Sediment Enriched Soil
2018Mohamad Assad, Michel Chalot, Fabienne Tatin‐Froux, Valérie Bert, Julien Parelle · Journal of Environmental Quality · Global
This study investigated element transfer in edible crops (cucumber, pepper, cabbage, lettuce) and poplar (Skado cultivar) grown on soils contaminated with sediments dredged from water canals in the 1960s, aiming to develop a biomonitor. The results showed accumulation of cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn) in the edible parts of crops, particularly leafy vegetables, indicating that Cd could be ingested in amounts reaching the tolerable daily intake (TDI) in this context. No accumulation of lead (Pb) was detected.
Contamination & food safetyHealthSoil Properties on Farmers’ Fields Amended with Untreated Solid Urban Wastes in Ouagadougou Peri-urban Area, Burkina Faso
2018P.S. Bouda, Edmond Hien, A. Dioma, Hyacinthe Kambiré, Yacouba Maïga, Der Adolphe Somé, Sylvie Nazaret, A.S. Ouattara · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Burkina Faso
A study in Ouagadougou sub-urban agricultural fields, Burkina Faso, assessed the impact of using untreated Solid Urban Wastes (SUW) as agricultural fertilizers on soil properties and crop production. SUW amendment significantly increased pH, total C, N, P, and available P, and maize height and biomass yield were 124% and 164% higher in amended plots, respectively. However, trace metal elements (Cu, Zn, Pb, Ni, Cr) concentrations were higher in amended fields, indicating that urban waste carries contaminants posing public health risks.
Contamination & food safetyOrganic cycleHealthPeri-urban agricultureFrom field to plate: discussion on transfer of metals in food chain
2018Zane Vincēviča–Gaile, William Hogland, Māra Stapkēviča, Juris Burlakovs · Linnaeus Eco-Tech · Latvia
This study investigates the transfer of metallic elements in the soil-plant segment of the food chain through laboratory and field experiments. It also includes a quantitative analysis of food samples from Latvia, including fruits and vegetables from Riga city allotment gardens, to identify element composition and potential contamination risks from urban pollution. Results of experiments and analyses revealed the influence of factors such as seasonality, botanical origin, site-specific factors, agricultural practice, and food processing on element transfer.
Contamination & food safetyHealthCommunityTotal and Bioaccessible Soil Arsenic and Lead Levels and Plant Uptake in Three Urban Community Gardens in Puerto Rico
2018John Misenheimer, Clay Nelson, Evelyn Huertas, Myriam Medina-Vera, Alex Prevatte, Karen D. Bradham · Geosciences · Puerto Rico
Total and bioaccessible arsenic (As) and lead (Pb) levels, and their uptake by 10 commonly grown garden plants, were examined in three urban community gardens in Puerto Rico. Total As ranged from 2 to 55 mg/kg and Pb from 19 to 172 mg/kg in soils. Leaves accumulated higher concentrations of As and Pb than edible flesh, with culantro leaves showing the highest concentrations (3.2 mg/kg dw As, 8.9 mg/kg dw Pb).
Contamination & food safetyCommunityHealthOrganic cycleGlobal scale arsenic pollution : increase the scientific knowledge to reduce human exposure
2018Muhammad Shahid, Camille Dumat, Nabeel Khan Niazi, Sana Khalid, Natasha Natasha · VertigO · Global
Arsenic concentrations exceeding the World Health Organization's recommended limit (10 μg/L) have been frequently found in groundwater in several countries globally, exposing millions to arsenic. This study synthesizes recent interdisciplinary knowledge on arsenic, particularly for urban gardeners and farmers who may face contamination in well water or produced vegetables. Geogenic arsenic poses a major health threat in many countries, especially in Asia, and advice is proposed to avoid and reduce human exposure to arsenic in urban agriculture contexts.
Contamination & food safetyHealthGeostatistical Analysis Of Contamination Of Soils In An Urban Area In Ghana
2018Simon Kojo Appiah, Eric Nimako Aidoo, Derrick Asamoah Owusu, M. W. Nuonabuor · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Ghana (Kumasi)
This paper assesses the spatial distribution of heavy metals and potential ingestion risks in Kumasi, Ghana, using geostatistical techniques on topsoil samples. Results from univariate and multivariate semivariogram models showed strong spatial dependence with autocorrelations ranging from 100 to 300 meters. The produced risk maps indicate strong spatial heterogeneity for most soil heavy metals, with extremely high contamination risk found near commercial areas.
Contamination & food safetyHealthUrban–rural linkageCopper Oxide Nanoparticle Foliar Uptake, Phytotoxicity, and Consequences for Sustainable Urban Agriculture
2017Tiantian Xiong, Camille Dumat, V. Dappe, Hervé Vezin, Eva Schreck, Muhammad Shahid, Antoine Pierart, S. Sobanska · Environmental Science & Technology · Global
This study assessed the phytotoxicity of copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO-NPs) in lettuce and cabbage, exposing them via leaves for up to 15 days to various CuO-NP concentrations. High foliar Cu uptake occurred, leading to decreased plant weight, net photosynthesis, water content, and necrotic Cu-rich areas. The findings highlighted a potential health risk associated with consuming vegetables contaminated with CuO-NPs.
Contamination & food safetyHealthWastewater for Urban Agriculture: A Significant Factor in Dissemination of Antibiotic Resistance
2017Blaise Pascal Bougnom, Laura J. V. Piddock · Environmental Science & Technology · Global
This global perspective highlights the significant role of wastewater in urban agriculture as a factor in the dissemination of antibiotic resistance. Approximately 50-90% of antibiotics are excreted and end up in water ecosystems, particularly in low and middle-income countries with high antibiotic consumption. The aquatic environment acts as a reservoir and channel for the spread of clinically relevant antibiotic resistance traits.
Contamination & food safetyHealthScreening analysis of toxic metals on specific allotment garden areas in the city of Brno and its surroundings
2017Milan Geršl · · Czech Republic (Brno)
A study in Brno, Czech Republic, assessed toxic metal levels and soil attributes (pH, ORP, conductivity) in specific allotment garden areas using XRF analysis. Four out of eight metals (Cd, Cu, V, and Zn) exceeded legal norms, with cadmium (Cd) being the most hazardous at 12.69 mg/kg against a legal norm of 0.5 mg/kg. Despite high levels, the mobility of these metals was expected to be low given the detected soil attributes.
Contamination & food safetyHealthCommunityMonitoring of heavy metal residues in cauliflower and their respective health hazards
2017Muhammad Asif Khan Rai Muhammad Amir · International Journal of Biosciences (IJB) · Pakistan (Faisalabad)
To investigate heavy metal residue levels in cauliflower grown in the peri-urban area of Faisalabad district, Pakistan, 30 cauliflower samples were collected from 10 selected farmers. Analysis revealed variable heavy metal residue levels (nickel, lead, zinc, copper, arsenic, and mercury) in the samples, indicating that the cauliflower was contaminated with multiple heavy metals. This contamination is attributed to the use of untreated sewage water for cultivation, which is the single largest contributor to heavy metal accumulation in cauliflower.
Contamination & food safetyHealthPeri-urban agricultureFood sovereignty & justice