Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
465 results(7 / 19)
Seeds and the city: a review of municipal home food gardening programs in Canada in response to the COVID-19 pandemic
2022Janet Music, Lisa Mullins, Sylvain Charlebois, Charlotte Large, Kydra Mayhew · Humanities and Social Sciences Communications · Canada
This study compared 19 municipal urban home food gardening programs in Canada in 2020, which provided free gardening supplies and instructions. It found a complicated relationship between municipalities, gardening programs, and food security, and determined that gardening somewhat alleviated social and emotional challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic. However, municipalities are limited in their policy capacities to adequately address food insecurity in Canada.
Governance failurePolicyFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityHealthIntegration of Urban Farming into City Infrastructure Development
2022Ayobami Abayomi Popoola, Bolanle Wahab, Hangwelani Hope Magidimisha, Lovemore Chipungu · CSID Journal of Infrastructure Development · Nigeria (Ibadan)
This mixed-methods study in Ibadan, Nigeria, surveyed 236 urban farmers across five local government areas to determine patterns of integrating urban farming into city infrastructure development. Findings indicated that old age limited farmers' travel distance and farm produce theft was detected, highlighting challenges in current urban farming practices and infrastructure.
Governance failurePolicyCommunityFood sovereignty & justice“Connecting With Good People and Good Plants”: Community Gardener Experiences in New York State During the COVID-19 Pandemic
2022Tomasz B. Falkowski, Bethany Jorgensen, Donald A. Rakow, Ashmita Das, Stewart A.W. Diemont, Theresa Selfa, Austin B. Arrington · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · United States
A study in four New York cities analyzed the benefits and challenges of community gardens during the COVID-19 pandemic through surveys and semi-structured interviews with community gardeners. Gardeners experienced benefits such as connection, mental and physical well-being, and a safe refuge, but the biggest challenge was limited socializing due to personal behavioral changes and garden rules. This research suggests that while community gardens can be resilient sites of reprieve during crises, the pandemic also exposed their vulnerabilities.
Governance failureCommunityHealthWelfareFood sovereignty & justiceA agricultura urbana e os circuitos curtos de comercialização de alimentos: estudo da Cidade de Álvares Machado - SP
2022Rosangela Hespanhol, Antônio Nivaldo Hespanhol · Revista de Tecnologia & Gestão Sustentável · Brazil
A case study of urban agriculture in Álvares Machado, Brazil, identified challenges including difficulties in accessing land and water for irrigation, the absence of official technical assistance services, and a lack of public policies at national, state, and municipal levels. Despite these difficulties, urban farmers are responsible for a significant portion of leafy greens and legumes production, establishing direct relationships between producers and consumers through markets and street stalls.
Governance failureCommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justicePeri-urban agricultureTHEORY FROM EMPTY LAND: Informal Commoning Outside/Within Economies and Ecologies of the Urban
2022Asa Roast · International Journal of Urban and Regional Research · China
An ethnographic study in Chongqing, Southwest China, examined informal peri-urban agriculture on undeveloped land created by state-led expansion since the early 2000s. This "empty land" is informally used by displaced peasants and migrant workers for agriculture. The study reveals that these spaces are ambiguously positioned outside urban governance and are under threat of rapid enclosure within urban accumulation regimes.
Governance failurePeri-urban agricultureCommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justice"What we raise ourselves": Growing food sovereignty in the Mississippi Delta
2022Emily A. Holmes, Mary F. Campbell, Ryan Betz · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United States
This study used the concept of food sovereignty to assess the level of local control over food production, distribution, and consumption in the Mississippi Delta. Research involved site visits, participant observation, focus groups, and surveys of communities affiliated with the Delta EATS public school garden program. Findings demonstrated low levels of food sovereignty, though high levels of agency and ingenuity in accessing desired foods were observed.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityFood educationPolicyContradictions in the collective practice of urban agriculture: a Bourdieusian analysis
2022Ana Clara Aparecida Alves de Souza, Fernando Dias Lopes · Cadernos EBAPE BR · Brazil (Porto Alegre)
This article analyzes an urban collective garden, Horta da Formiga, in Porto Alegre, Brazil, through a two-year participatory investigation using Pierre Bourdieu’s framework. The study found that the more protagonists of Horta da Formiga align with capitals considered legitimate by the state, the more they can reconcile contradictions in this field. However, despite individual agency, participants face structured conditions that do not allow for more organic and diverse forms of contradiction reconciliation.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyEconomicsGuerrilla gardening as normalised law-breaking: Challenges to land ownership and aesthetic order
2022Andrew Millie · Crime Media Culture An International Journal · United Kingdom
This article considered guerrilla gardening, which involves taking on other people’s land without permission. A qualitative study of guerrilla gardeners from the North West of England found that guerrilla gardening is a normalised form of law-breaking. Despite not necessarily being to everyone’s taste and gardeners having an autocratic view of property, it is broadly accepted and welcomed, even by those who enforce the law.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyDIYChinese Residents’ Perceived Ecosystem Services and Disservices Impacts Behavioral Intention for Urban Community Garden: An Extension of the Theory of Planned Behavior
2022Can Wu, Xiaoma Li, Yuqing Tian, Ziniu Deng, Xiaoying Yu, Shenglan Wu, Di Shu, Yulin Peng, Feipeng Sheng, Dexin Gan · Agronomy · China (Changsha)
This study investigated the impact of perceived ecosystem services (ES) and disservices (EDS) on behavioral intention towards urban community gardens (UCGs) among 1142 residents in Changsha, China. While government decision-makers often refuse UCGs, residents' attitudes, perceived behavioral control, and subjective norms positively impacted their behavioral intention towards UCGs. Perceived ES had a direct positive impact on behavioral intention, whereas perceived EDS had a direct negative impact.
Governance failureCommunityBiodiversityPolicyVisionscapes: combining heritage and urban gardening to enhance areas requiring regeneration
2022Grete Swensen, Vebjørn Egner Stafseng, Véronique Karine Simon · International Journal of Heritage Studies · France (Bordeaux)
This comparative case study examines two regeneration projects, the Darwin Ecosystem Project in Bordeaux, France, and Dr. Dedichen’s Greenhouse in Oslo, Norway, to understand how heritage combined with urban gardening can enhance areas requiring regeneration. The study notes that conflicting economic, political, and cultural views are likely to affect the heritage discourse in marginalized urban areas. It describes how old buildings and historical fragments can be integrated into urban planning initiatives, with residents, artists, and citizen groups cooperating with planning authorities to transform neighborhoods.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyEconomicsHealthWhy local is not enough! Constrains for adaptive governance in peri-urban areas. A case study in Mexico City
2022Pablo Torres Lima, Kristen Conway-Gómez, Karla Almanza-Rodríguez · Frontiers in Sustainable Cities · Mexico (Mexico City)
This study examined local community involvement in governance processes in Milpa Alta, a peri-urban agricultural area of Mexico City, using surveys, interviews, and participatory workshops. It found that Milpa Alta lacks integral adaptive capacity to address urban pressures, environmental deterioration, and agricultural dynamics. Limited participation, low local organizational levels, and distrust of government institutions hinder effective governance, indicating that a "local is not enough" approach is insufficient for adaptive governance in this peri-urban context.
Governance failurePeri-urban agriculturePolicyCommunityURGENSI KOMUNITAS, BUDAYA LOKAL DAN KETAHANAN PANGAN DALAM GERAKAN URBAN FARMING DI MASA PANDEMI COVID-19
2022Gabe Arif Ditama Sinaga, Yani Kurniawan, Ayuni Kusumawati · Jurnal Ilmu Sosial dan Humaniora · Indonesia (Malang)
This reflective study, conducted with 30 informants in Malang City, Indonesia, investigated factors driving urban farming success during the COVID-19 pandemic. Previous research identified external constraints, such as minimal government intervention, and internal issues, like low public enthusiasm. However, this study found that during the pandemic, urban farming conditions, public enthusiasm, and government intervention increased. The research also correlated communal society and local cultural elements with urban farming activities, suggesting optimal practice when implemented at a community scale and linked to local culture.
Governance failureCommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyBarriers of Local Organizations for Providing Free Food Support in the Priority Neighborhood, Toronto: What We Need Further
2022Qazi Shafayetul Islam, Nasima Akter · European Journal of Nutrition & Food Safety · Canada (Toronto)
This qualitative study, involving nine community organization representatives and 15 volunteers in Toronto's priority neighborhoods, identified significant barriers to providing and receiving free food support during COVID-19. Community members faced a lack of information, language barriers, social stigma, and fear of COVID-19. Organizations struggled with insufficient information on needs, limited transportation, storage space, committed volunteers, and funding, highlighting systemic and financial challenges in effective food support programs.
Governance failureWelfareCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceUrban hen legislation: Exposing an unexpected public health problem
2022Wanda Martin, Lindsey Wagner, Kerry Marshall · Human Geography · Canada
This qualitative study investigated the controversy surrounding urban hen bylaws in Canadian cities, based on semi-structured interviews with 15 urban residents. The research identified three main areas of struggle: the need for education on urban agriculture, differing values for city life, and tensions between individual rights and the collective good. The findings expose challenges in urban hen legislation.
Governance failurePolicyCommunityHealthComparative study of domestic and international mandatory policies on three-dimensional greening - Shenzhen as an example
2022Zihao Chen, Lin Guo, Zilong Zhang · Highlights in Science Engineering and Technology · China (Shenzhen)
As urbanization accelerates in China, urban green space is becoming increasingly insufficient. This study analyzed Shenzhen's current three-dimensional greening policies and compared them with those of advanced foreign cities. The findings revealed three problems in Shenzhen's policies: a small scope of application, a lack of planning elements, and a low degree of compulsion. The paper proposes improvement solutions and optimization suggestions based on the governance experiences of other cities to address these shortcomings.
Governance failurePolicyClimate changeCommunityDifferent Perspectives Surrounding Urban Agriculture
2022Susan Anne Mansel Fitzgerald · · Cuba
This chapter reviews various perspectives on urban agriculture in Havana, Cuba, focusing on farm types, food access, and cultural expressions. It highlights that research also addresses the hierarchies and power struggles surrounding urban agriculture sites and their integration into land-management systems. The study advocates for understanding the rhythms of everyday life to deepen insights into these sites.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justicePolicyCommunityEconomicsA work-in-progress politics of space
2022Shawn Bodden · City · Hungary (Budapest)
This essay reflected on the everyday political work of community projects to open up space for new possibilities of living with difference within hostile political environments, drawing on Doreen Massey's ideas of space. Through the case of the Auróra community center in Budapest, Hungary, and its members' community garden project, it examined the mundane and local techniques community groups use to construct better possible futures. The analysis suggested the importance of analyzing the situated and ongoing "terms of engagement" through which people open up, or close down, better possible spaces and ways of living with difference.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyStrengthening Vegetable Production and Consumption in a Kenyan Informal Settlement: A Feasibility and Preliminary Impact Assessment of a Sack Garden Intervention
2022Alexandra Zivkovic, Emily V. Merchant, Thomas Nyawir, Daniël J. Hoffman, James E. Simon, Shauna Downs · Current Developments in Nutrition · Kenya (Nairobi)
A feasibility and preliminary impact assessment of sack gardens for women in Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya, involving 21 participants in 2018-2019, found reduced household food insecurity. However, key barriers included insufficient inputs and difficulties in group work, particularly communication. The study suggests sack gardens may partially improve diet quality, but further research is needed on household income impact.
Governance failureWelfareCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceValuing the Benefits and Enhancing Access: Community and Allotment Gardens in Urban Melbourne, Australia
2022Aisling Bailey, Jonathan Kingsley · Land · Australia (Melbourne)
This qualitative study explored perceptions of benefits and challenges in six urban community and allotment gardens in Melbourne, Australia, through semi-structured interviews with 23 participants. Findings identified perceived benefits and demographic patterns, but also highlighted challenges to participation due to insecurity around ongoing land access. The gardens were perceived to contribute to social and environmental wellbeing.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyHealthEconomicsAgricultura urbana, relações e desenvolvimento: um olhar sobre Maputo, Moçambique
2022Axel Prestes Dürrnagel, Matias Siueia Júnior, Simone Prestes Dürrnagel · Boletim GeoÁfrica · Mozambique
In Maputo, Mozambique's capital, urban agriculture is at a critical point, with accelerated urban growth and climate change impacts increasingly compromising agricultural spaces. A qualitative case study focusing on farmer associations in the urban district of KaMavota indicated that horizontal relationships among farmers enable information sharing and social capital creation. Conversely, vertical relationships between farmers and the government primarily promote knowledge exchange and competencies related to agricultural extension and land rights allocation.
Governance failureCommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyClimate changeReview of “How Green Became Good. Urbanized Nature and the Making of Cities and Citizens”
2022Fiona Greenland · Social Forces · Germany (Ruhr valley)
This review of "How Green Became Good" by Hillary Angelo examines why urban greening became a public good, challenging conventional accounts. Tracing urban greening in Germany's Ruhr valley, Angelo argues that greening constructs not only physical spaces but also social imaginaries, where nature as a public good is mutually constitutive with economic production needs, rather than being in opposition. The work shifts the understanding of urbanized nature from inherently contentious politics to a socio-cultural process of urban modernization.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyEconomicsTowards defining agricultural projects in towns: METH-EXPAU®, a multi-phase method
2022Giulia Giacchè, Véronique Saint-Gès, Yoann Durrieu, Mélanie Collé, Christine Aubry · Territoire en mouvement · France
A multi-phase method, METH-EXPAU®, is proposed for defining urban agriculture (UA) projects, aiming to help landowners select appropriate UA forms based on territorial characteristics. Applied to three case studies in France—Montrouge, a priority district in Lille, and a new district in Bordeaux—the method revealed its potential and shortcomings. It demonstrated how structural, technical, and social characteristics of spaces and agents can rule out certain UA forms that do not correspond to the territory's current needs.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyPeri-urban agricultureSTRATEGI PENINGKATAN MUTU PERTANIAN PERKOTAAN UNTUK KETAHANAN PANGAN DI PROVINSI BALI
2022Putu Adi Wiratenaya, Ni Nyoman Yuliarmi · Jurnal Penjaminan Mutu · Indonesia (Bali)
This research investigated strategies to improve urban agriculture quality for food security in Bali Province, Indonesia, using a literature study method. The findings revealed that urban farming in Bali faces many obstacles, including the absence of regulations on urban farming, the lack of an institution to protect urban farming communities, and ineffective marketing methods. Government support is needed for the agricultural sector.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justicePolicyEconomicsCommunityAlmost there: On the importance of a comprehensive entrepreneurial ecosystem for developing sustainable urban food forest enterprises
2022Arnim Wiek, Stefanie Albrecht · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems · United States (Phoenix)
A multiyear transdisciplinary project in Phoenix, United States, analyzed the development of a sustainable urban food forest enterprise. The project built a coalition of supporters, secured a suitable site, codeveloped a vision and action plan, and fundraised a major start-up donation. However, research findings indicate that despite achieving success factors to some extent, an underdeveloped sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystem jeopardizes long-term success and multiplication efforts.
Governance failureCommunityEconomicsClimate changeFood sovereignty & justicePerspectives critiques et analyse territoriale. Applications urbaines et régionales, Hélène Bélanger et Dominic Lapointe (dir.), Québec, Presses de l’Université du Québec, 2019, 224 p.
2022Yannick Baumann, Emanuel Guay · Nouvelles perspectives en sciences sociales · Canada
This is a book or article titled "Perspectives critiques et analyse territoriale. Applications urbaines et régionales," edited by Hélène Bélanger and Dominic Lapointe, published in 2019 by Presses de l’Université du Québec. It is an article from the journal "Nouvelles perspectives en sciences sociales" on the theme "Urban agriculture: towards a reconfiguration of social and territorial ties."
Governance failureCommunityUrban–rural linkagePolicy