Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
600 results(22 / 24)
Dynamics of land-use and land-cover change in Freetown, Sierra Leone and its effects on urban and peri-urban agriculture – a remote sensing approach
2011Gerald Forkuor, Olufunke Cofie · International Journal of Remote Sensing · Sierra Leone (Freetown)
A land-use and land-cover (LULC) change mapping exercise in Freetown, Sierra Leone, used multi-temporal Landsat data from 1974, 1986, and 2000 to map nine LULC classes. Built-up areas increased by at least 140% between 1974 and 2000, and 882 ha (27%) of agricultural lands in 1986 were converted to residential purposes by 2000. These conversions indicate a strong link between urbanization, agriculture, and deforestation, negatively impacting agricultural land availability.
Governance failureUrban–rural linkagePeri-urban agriculturePolicyDiscussion on Formation Reasons of Vulnerability of Urban Agriculture and Strategies for its Healthy Development
2011Hong‐Yi Chen · Nongye xiandaihua yanjiu · Global
This article discusses the vulnerability of urban agriculture, identifying its performance in human resources, land resources, capital flows, and the ecological environment. The primary reason for this vulnerability is the unreasonable flow of human, financial, and material production factors, driven by opportunity costs, amidst rapid urbanization. Strategies for healthy development include enhancing protection awareness, promoting orderly rural labor flow, improving investment, and strengthening land resource protection.
Governance failureEconomicsPolicyUrban–rural linkageAgricultura urbana
2011Maura Neves Coutinho, Heloísa Soares de Moura Costa · Revista Geografias · Brazil (Belo Horizonte)
This article discusses urban agriculture (UA) concepts and practices, focusing on initiatives in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, by both residents and local government. It considers UA's potential for ecological, productive, and inclusive cities, but notes the difficulty of secure access to urban land. The discussion on UA is still fragile and faces challenges in becoming an effective social policy.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceGT6 - 1013 AGRICULTURA URBANA: PRÁTICA ESPONTÂNEA, POLÍTICA PÚBLICA E TRANSFORMAÇÃO DE SABERES RURAIS NA CIDADE
2011Maura Neves Coutinho, Heloísa Soares de Moura Costa · Anais ENANPUR · Brazil (Belo Horizonte)
This paper discusses urban agriculture (AU) practices occurring in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, both through informal and spontaneous initiatives by residents in peripheral neighborhoods and as an object of public intervention by the local government for specific purposes. The study concludes that secure access to urban land for maintaining AU practices is difficult, and the discussion on AU remains fragile, facing challenges for its implementation as a social policy impacting urban policies.
Governance failurePolicyCommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceProximité entre ville et agriculture au Nord et au Sud de la Méditerranée
2011Saloua Toumi, Roland Vidal · Projets de paysage · Europe, Africa
Urban agriculture is expanding in various metropolitan areas, but its agro-economic and socio-spatial logic differs by context. Tunisia's urban agriculture is threatened by increasing urban expansion and is not yet integrated into territorial projects. Issues related to land value appreciation are dominant, and its landscape and environmental benefits could be compromised in the relatively short term if it does not find its place in urban development plans.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicyUrban–rural linkage余杭现代农业“两区”建设的问题和对策
2011胡永林 · 浙江现代农业 · China (Yuhang)
This paper examines the development of modern urban agriculture in Yuhang District, China, driven by an urbanization strategy. It notes that the provincial initiative in 2010 to establish "two zones" (modern agricultural demonstration zones and grain production functional zones) provides a clear direction and strong framework for advancing modern urban agriculture, necessitating in-depth research and practical implementation.
Governance failurePolicyUrban–rural linkageEconomicsGovernance of Urban Agricultural Space: Struggle for Land in Kinshasa (DRC)
2011Inge Wagemakers, Oracle Makangu Diki · Palgrave Macmillan UK eBooks · Congo (Kinshasa)
In rapidly growing African cities, particularly Kinshasa, urban agriculture is crucial for food provision, yet land available for agriculture decreases as cities expand. This study points out that in Kinshasa, population growth and a lack of empty land are pushing agriculture towards the city's periphery, threatening urban agricultural space. This situation highlights a conflict between the need to produce food and the need for living space.
Governance failurePolicyFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsUrban–rural linkageEntre el jardín y el huerto urbano. Propuestas de intervención crítica en la ciudad.
2011José Luis Galdeano Tostado · Creatividad y sociedad: revista de la Asociación para la Creatividad · Global
This paper observes an increasing awareness of environmental issues and neighborhood action in city centers, with concepts like urban gardens and self-managed spaces becoming more familiar. It suggests that vacant lands and unused building sites in cities offer significant potential for citizens' creative initiatives. The abstract does not present any specific findings on governance challenges or critical interventions.
Governance failureCommunityDIYPolicyUrban–rural linkageLand quality, urban development and urban agriculture within the Cape Town urban edge
2011H.S. Geyer, Bennie Schloms, Danie du Plessis, Amanda van Eeden · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · South Africa (Cape Town)
An analysis of agricultural land consumption within the Cape Town urban edge between 2002 and 2007 revealed that low-density residential development is the primary consumer of high-potential agricultural land. Commercial, industrial, and informal residential developments had minimal impact on agricultural land loss. High-potential agricultural land is not adequately protected, and urban agriculture is constrained by competition with more profitable land uses like residential development.
Governance failurePolicyEconomicsUrban–rural linkage三富地域における持続的な循環型都市農業の課題〔論文〕
2011幸治 江口 · Institutional Repositories DataBase (IRDB) · Japan
The Santome Area in Saitama Prefecture has practiced circular urban agriculture utilizing plain woods for 300 years, but urbanization, particularly in Kawagoe City and Tokorozawa City, is causing a significant decline in farmland and plain woods. While the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and Saitama Prefecture promote urban agriculture and plain wood preservation, the plain-wood-utilizing circular urban agriculture in Santome Area faces specific problems. This paper identifies land systems, including taxation, as a central issue among these problems and examines the possibility of integrated preservation for farmland and plain woods.
Governance failureOrganic cyclePolicyEconomicsUrban–rural linkageKaupunkiluonto käsin tehtynä
2011Ari Jokinen, Ville Viljanen, Krista Willman · Alue ja Ympäristö · Finland (Tampere)
This article analyzes the social and ecological significance of the Pispala allotment area in Tampere, Finland, where nearly 300 plots are used for urban farming, despite city plans for building purposes. A mixed-method analysis, using field observation, planning documents, biological surveys, and questionnaires, found that farming practices make the place visible, foster social interaction, and link the site ecologically to rare plant species. However, these crucial features of urban diversity are frequently disregarded by local administrative bodies in planning.
Governance failureCommunityBiodiversityPolicyUrban–rural linkageAgricultura urbana na cidade de Teresina: hortas comunitárias - políticas públicas ou segurança alimentar?
2011Marcos Antonio de Castro Marques Teixeira · Aleph UCLA Undergraduate Research Journal for the Humanities and Social Sciences · Brazil
This study surveyed urban gardens in Santa Maria da Codipi and Dirceu Arcoverde, Teresina, Brazil, to assess their economic viability for gardeners. The study found that urban gardens in both areas do not provide income security for those who work them. Problems identified include petty theft, low education levels, lack of technical assistance hindering investment in new crops, and pesticide use creating a competitive disadvantage.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsHow City Hall Can Foster the Urban Farming Revolution in Buffalo
2011Michael Raleigh · eCommons (Cornell University) · United States (Buffalo)
The City of Buffalo has made progress in accepting urban farming on vacant land, but remains unwilling to take risks in this area. Policies restrict farmers' access to land, long-term security, food diversity (including animals), and sales. To foster urban farming, the City should amend these policies to grant farmers more freedom and could promote farming through a city-wide composting program and a demolition policy requiring vacant lots to be seeded with clover.
Governance failurePolicyCommunityEconomicsCompost‘More punitive penalties should be given to urban farmers’:
2011Romborah Simiyu, Dick Foeken · · Kenya
This chapter reviews national and Eldoret Municipal Council laws and policies related to Urban Agriculture (UA) in Eldoret town, Kenya. It assesses how these policies have shaped the livelihoods of urban farmers and the development of UA as a strategy for urban dwellers. The chapter also reflects on recent developments towards a more facilitative policy framework for UA at the national level.
Governance failurePolicyEconomicsUrban Agriculture and Other Green Uses: Remaking the Shrinking City
2010Catherine J. LaCroix · Case Western Reserve University School of Law Scholarly Commons (Case Western Reserve University) · United States (Cleveland)
This paper explores legal challenges faced by shrinking cities, using Cleveland, Ohio as an example. It specifically examines issues related to downzoning urban property for urban agriculture and other green uses, focusing on takings law, fairness, and the limitations of current legal structures for Brownfield revitalization when traditional redevelopment is improbable. The study identifies significant legal constraints and challenges in implementing such land use changes.
Governance failurePolicyUrban–rural linkageEconomicsHavana’s changing urban agriculture landscape: A shift to the right?
2010Charles French, Mimi Larsen Becker, Bruce E. Lindsay · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · Cuba (Havana)
This study examined urban agriculture in Havana, Cuba, using secondary data and interviews with 11 urban gardeners. It found that while agrarian reforms after 1991 led to the growth of private urban gardens and cooperatives, Cuba's integration with the global economy and adoption of free-market principles have since forced dramatic adjustments in the urban agriculture sector. This shift presents challenges to the sector's original role in food security.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justicePolicyEconomicsCommunityReuse of wastewater in urban farming and urban planning implications in Katsina metropolis, Nigeria
2010Mohammed Murtala Ruma, Abdullahi Usman Sheikh · African Journal of Environmental Science and Technology · Nigeria (Katsina)
This paper investigated the status of wastewater reuse in urban farming in Katsina, Nigeria, by interviewing 120 households out of 250 registered with the Katsina Urban Planning Authority. It was found that wastewater reuse in urban farming is a full-time, sole income earner for many households and is indispensable for this semi-arid city. However, the urban planning process has not officially recognized or given attention to this important activity.
Governance failureEconomicsPolicyUrban–rural linkageCultivating Kaunda's plan for self-sufficiency: Is urban agriculture finally beginning to receive support in Zambia?
2010Alec Thornton, Etienne Nel, Godfrey Hampwaye · Development Southern Africa · Zambia
A review of urban agriculture in Zambia's four largest cities revealed that despite attempts by the Kaunda government in the 1960s–1970s to create supportive policies, there is currently a near absence of institutional support, constraining farmers' activities. A survey of 400 farmers confirmed the value of urban agriculture as a survival strategy but also highlighted the lack of necessary support measures.
Governance failurePolicyEconomicsWelfarePeri-urban agricultureUrbana odlingsrörelser återbrukarträdgårdsstadens visioner
2010Lisen Hendeberg · · Sweden
This study compared Ebenezer Howard's garden city ideals with contemporary urban farming movements in Sweden through a literature review and analysis of three active movements. It found that when garden city ideas were implemented in Sweden between 1905 and 1930, much of the original ideological basis for self-sufficient small towns and collectively owned land was lost. While similarities exist in ideological starting points, their approaches to change differ.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkageOral History Interview: Krishna Ramanujan (1163)
2010Emma Schroeder, Krishna Ramanujan · · United States
In his 2010 interview with Emma Schroeder, Krishna Ramanujan shared his memories of the Eagle Heights Community Garden. Mr. Ramanujan discussed the ethnic diversity of the gardeners, the tensions between the Gardens and the University, and balancing graduate school while raising a young family in the Eagle Heights community. This interview was conducted for inclusion in a Master's thesis on the Eagle Heights Community Gardens.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyUrban and Peri-Urban Agriculture in Developing Countries Studied using Remote Sensing and In Situ Methods
2010Kwasi Appeaning Addo · Remote Sensing · Ghana (Accra)
This paper discusses the need for sustainable management of urban and peri-urban agriculture in Accra, Ghana. A lack of reliable data on the extent of urban/peri-urban areas used for farming has hindered the development of sustainable policies to manage urban farming in Accra. Ground-based survey methods are problematic and prohibitively expensive, making accurate assessment of urban farming's future role difficult.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicyPeri-urban agricultureOral History Interview: Julie Schneider (1166)
2009Emma Schroeder, Julie Schneider · · United States (Eagle Heights)
Julie Schneider's 2009 interview discusses her five years at the Eagle Heights Community Garden. She described vegetables grown, organic gardening, rules and restrictions, and tensions with the university, as well as changes in the community gardens since the early 1990s. This interview was conducted for a Master's thesis on the Eagle Heights Community Gardens.
Governance failureCommunityOrganic cyclePolicyStudy on the Development of Urban Agriculture in Dingxi City
2009Liang Wei · Anhui nongye kexue · China (Dingxi)
This study analyzed the advantages, disadvantages, and existing problems in the development of urban agriculture in Dingxi City, China. Strategic concepts and countermeasures were proposed to provide consultation for urban agriculture development in Dingxi City and similar regions.
Governance failurePolicyEconomicsCultivating Just Planning and Legal Institutions: A Critical Assessment of the South Central Farm Struggle in Los Angeles
2009Clara Irazábal, Anita Punja · Journal of Urban Affairs · United States (Los Angeles)
This qualitative case study analyzes the destruction of the 14-acre South Central Farm in Los Angeles in July 2006, arguing it was a landscape of resistance against discriminatory legal and planning practices. The study contends that environmental justice and planning ethics provided a substantive rationale for the city to prevent its dismantling. This case highlights a failure in governance to protect community gardens threatened by dismantlement in capitalist societies.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceTenure and Land Markets for Urban Agriculture
2009Mark Redwood · Open House International · Global
Urban farmers often produce food on land with limited or no security of tenure, exposing them to the risk of being evicted for more profitable land uses. Without legal status, most forms of credit are inaccessible to farmers, pushing them to the margins. Recent projects suggest that banking systems need to develop a methodology to value informally controlled lands and indicate that advocacy groups can increase security and access to land for urban farmers.
Governance failureEconomicsPolicy