Research & reports

Lee M · PubMed · Ethiopia

In Ethiopia, urban agriculture faces significant challenges due to government disapproval of public land use for farming and difficulty in obtaining credit. A 1983 survey in Addis Ababa found that 17% of 1352 households produced their own food on less than 25 sq. meters, with 90% of non-farmers citing lack of land. Despite urban agricultural cooperatives demonstrating 70% higher member income, their lack of government legalization prevents access to loans for productivity improvement.

Johan Pottier · Africa · Rwanda

This article explores the themes of knowledge, ignorance, and power in the context of a Rwandan development project, demonstrating how ignorance is generated through agricultural extension. It argues that agronomic services rely on power structures reminiscent of social inequality, and assesses whether the project-induced creation of ignorance leads to the displacement of local knowledge and the adoption of new methods.

Michael S. Jamison · Sociological Quarterly · Global

This study assesses the organizational cultures of collectives and bureaucracies within the urban gardening movement, finding serious underlying differences despite government assistance. Although government agencies provided resources and established projects, collectives and bureaucracies interpreted the urban gardening experience differently. This divergence in understanding the benefits and structuring the experience reveals a source of potential bureaucratic/collectivist conflict.

Bernard Hourcade · Revue Géographique de l Est · Iran (Tehran)

This research investigates the origins and current economy of the Anti-Alborz region, an arid mountain east of Tehran, Iran. Due to military compounds and royal hunting grounds, the expansion of Tehran has been artificially limited, leaving the Anti-Alborz as a remote area. In this region, urban, agricultural, and pastoral economies are growing in conflictual ways, indicating governance challenges in managing land use and development.

Bundesverfassungsgericht · Bundesverfassungsgericht (DFR, Universität Bern) · Germany

The First Senate judgment of the Federal Constitutional Court of 12 June 1979 (docket 1 BvL 19/76). It held that the combination of a blanket bar on termination, narrowly enumerated grounds, mandatory administrative approval and price control under the 1944 protection ordinance and the 1969 amending act was incompatible with the property guarantee of Article 14 of the Basic Law as it applied to private landlords. Section 1(3) of the 1944 ordinance and section 2(2) of the 1969 act were declared void for breaching rule-of-law principles. The court reasoned that allotments had shifted from subsistence necessity to recreational use, weakening the social justification for restrictions of that breadth.

Jeff Garmany · The Journal of Modern African Studies · Africa

This article argues that many African countries, in their pursuit of rapid economic development, risk misaligning their strategies and priorities concerning the rural-urban and agricultural-industrial balance. It specifically advocates for increased research attention on traditional food farming, whether for subsistence or cash, which has been neglected despite its crucial and inevitable role in supporting growing populations over the long term.

Natalia Przesmycka, Rafał Strojny · Teka Komisji Architektury Urbanistyki i Studiów Krajobrazowych · Poland (Lublin)

This article examines allotment gardens in downtown Lublin, Poland, from a historical, architectural, and landscape perspective, focusing on the oldest garden, "Nasza Zdobycz nad Bystrzycą." It identifies that city-center allotment gardens are at risk from commercial development and discusses the increasing alienation of owners and progressing devastation of these areas. The study also attempts to explain these issues and suggests design applications for revitalization.

Natália da Silva Lemos, Liza Maria Da Souza de Andrade, Valério Augusto Soares de Medeiros · Paranoá cadernos de arquitetura e urbanismo · Brazil

This research analyzed urban planning challenges in Brazil from the perspective of urban agriculture, examining social policies and legal frameworks including the City Statute (Law 10.257/2001) and Law 6.766/1979. The findings indicate a gap in legal provisions for urban agriculture actions and practices within land use and occupation regulations. The study suggests guidelines for implementation to address this deficiency.