Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
25 results
From Impact Accounting to Accounting for the Loops: Activating Sustainable Communities for Climate Action
2026Dario Cottafava, Francesco Marengo, Giuseppe Emiliano Di Martino, Laura Corazza · Business Strategy and the Environment · Global
This study introduced a social impact accounting framework, "accounting for the loops," for sustainability education for climate action (SECA), applying it to a university-led community garden case study. It found that a sense of belonging and personal recognition activate positive reinforcing loops. However, project size and community autonomy counterintuitively triggered balancing loops, leading to increased bureaucratic obstacles and institutional support needs, which negatively impacted participant motivation.
Governance failureCommunityClimate changeFood educationPolicyA(GR)TECTURE: Designing an Agricultural Learning Facility to Energize Food Production in the Urban Areas of Dominica
2026Kendel Constant · DigitalCommons - Kennesaw State University (Kennesaw State University) · Dominica
This thesis explores improving Dominica's urban agricultural sector, examining challenges like hurricanes, landslides, temperature shifts, limited adoption of advanced farming techniques, an aging farmer population, and soil erosion. The proposed Agricultural Learning Facility aims to address these issues by leveraging smart farming methods and enhancing traditional practices. However, the proposed greenhouse and hydroponic systems cannot completely replace traditional farming practices, but rather help increase food production.
Governance failureFood educationCommunityClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceResearch on Urban Agriculture Scene Innovation Driven by Generative AI
2025Tong Wu · Scientific and Social Research · Global
This study analyzed the impact of generative AI on the intelligent transformation of urban agriculture from theoretical and technical perspectives. Generative AI was shown to be applicable in production optimization, marketing innovation, and farmer education, enhancing resource utilization efficiency and industrial sustainability. However, its widespread application faces challenges such as agricultural data silos, model adaptability, cost, and talent shortages, requiring collaborative support from policies, technologies, and talent.
Governance failureDigital agricultureEconomicsPolicyFood educationAnálisis de los factores limitantes en la producción de hortalizas: Un estudio del organopónico Pueblo Griffo Viejo en Cienfuegos
2025Odeimy Sarría-Crespo, Mayelin López-Roque, Wilfredo Sis-Sánchez · Revista Metropolitana de Ciencias Aplicadas · Cuba (Cienfuegos)
A ten-month non-experimental study at the "Pueblo Griffo Viejo" organic farm in Cienfuegos, Cuba, identified limiting factors in vegetable production through surveys, field observations, and documentary review. The research found low yields due to poor substrate quality, inadequate water management, limited organic matter, and insufficient training participation. Additionally, the workforce's low educational level hindered efficient agricultural practices.
Governance failureCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceFood educationMathematics Teachers’ Opinions on the Use of School Gardens in Lessons
2024Melikenur Kalfaoğlu, Hasan Hüseyin Aksu · Shanlax International Journal of Education · Global
This qualitative case study explored the opinions of 27 mathematics teachers in MoNE secondary schools regarding the use of school gardens in lessons during the 2023-2024 academic year. Teachers generally supported using school gardens but reported facing problems with maintaining discipline, attracting student attention, and scheduling conflicts.
Governance failureFood educationCommunityGreen Innovation: The Vital Role of Go Green Communities in Pakistan's Environmental Conservation
2024Waseem Ahmed Khattak · International Assulta of Research and Engagement (IARE) · Pakistan
"Go Green communities" in Pakistan were studied as grassroots movements promoting environmental awareness and sustainable practices. Using a Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach, activities included waste management, urban gardening, and policy advocacy. The initiative demonstrated increased community involvement in eco-friendly efforts, leading to tangible outcomes such as waste segregation systems and enhanced green spaces. However, challenges including financial limitations, resistance from industries, and restricted access to green technologies highlighted the need for stronger institutional support.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyClimate changeFood educationAnalisis Dampak Kebijakan Program Kebun Sekolah untuk Mengatasi Kekurangan Gizi pada Anak
2023Deni Permana · ANTASENA Governance and Innovation Journal · Global
This analysis evaluated the impact of school garden programs on students' nutritional status and nutritious food intake, using surveys, interviews, and nutritional status measurements before and after program implementation. School gardens positively impacted students' nutrition knowledge and increased fresh fruit and vegetable consumption, contributing to a reduction in malnutrition prevalence with significant increases in children's weight and height. However, the program's success was constrained by budget limitations and a lack of training for educators, highlighting the need for adequate training, stable financial support, and curriculum integration.
Governance failureFood educationHealthPolicyWelfareSocial aspect of urban agriculture with examples from Croatia
2021Ana Poštek, Ivica Kisić, Marija Cerjak, Luka Brezinščak · Journal of Central European Agriculture · Croatia
This paper analyzes various social aspects of urban agriculture and presents examples from Croatia where social benefits are the primary purpose. Urban agriculture can have social effects such as fostering activism, gender equality, social cohesion and inclusion, education, and cultural heritage preservation. However, policymakers struggle to implement urban agriculture within city planning.
Governance failureCommunityFood educationPolicyFood sovereignty & justice"Don't Just Come for Yourself": Understanding Leadership Approaches and Volunteer Engagement in Community Gardens
2020Jeffrey Gilbert, Christina Chauvenet, Brett C. Sheppard, Molly De Marco · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · Global
This study investigated leadership styles and volunteer engagement in community gardens through interviews with 13 garden managers and six focus groups with 48 volunteers. Findings revealed that managers struggled to recruit and retain volunteers capable of maintaining gardens. Garden managers exhibited either collaborative or directive leadership styles, both of which were acknowledged and appreciated by participants.
Governance failureCommunityHealthFood educationA Field of learning and living: Suitability of school gardens for children
2020Gülşah KURU, Esra DEMİR ÖZTÜRK, Furkan Atmaca · İlköğretim Online · Global
A study using semi-structured interviews with 30 primary school teachers and 12 school managers revealed opinions on the evaluation of primary school gardens. The majority of participants believed their school gardens were inadequate, citing examples such as a lack of playgrounds, insufficient green areas, and the use of gardens as car parks.
Governance failureFood educationCommunityHealthWhy garden in schools?
2020Lexi Earl, Pat Thomson · · Global
This chapter considers the challenges faced by school gardens. School gardens often have tenuous links with subjects other than health, nutrition, geography, or science, and practical challenges exist in their establishment and maintenance. Key issues of teacher learning, management of resources, and school identity and ethos are also highlighted regarding school change. The chapter concludes with unanswered questions about the prospects for school gardening, particularly whether and how school gardens might be part of an educational solution to the questions posed by the pandemic and climate collapse.
Governance failureFood educationCommunityClimate changeHow Will We Eat and Produce in the Cities of the Future? From Edible Insects to Vertical Farming—A Study on the Perception and Acceptability of New Approaches
2019Kathrin Specht, Felix Zoll, Henrike Schümann, Julia Bela, Julia Kachel, Marcel Robischon · Sustainability · Global
Nineteen qualitative expert interviews were conducted to identify perceptions of sustainability, social acceptability, and ethical aspects of new urban food production approaches. While major perceived benefits included educational effects and efficient resource use, significant conflicts involved negative side-effects, legal constraints, and high investment costs. Acceptance barriers were largely tied to the "unknown," encompassing a lack of understanding of new approaches, uncertainty about benefits, health risk concerns, unfamiliarity with products, and ethical doubts about animal welfare. The study concluded that adapting the unsuitable regulatory framework, which discourages investors, is a crucial first step to foster dissemination of urban food production approaches.
Governance failureDigital agricultureEconomicsPolicyFood educationThe challenges of deploying urban agriculture
2019Mathilde Martin-Moreau, David Ménascé · OpenEdition (OpenEdition) · Global
The deployment of urban agriculture relies on initiatives from companies, startups, and non-profit organizations, alongside support from public authorities, especially local governments. Challenges include the need to raise consumer awareness of new production methods and to train urban farmers for quality supply chains. The abstract indicates that commitment from local stakeholders is crucial for scaling up urban agriculture projects.
Governance failurePolicyEconomicsCommunityFood educationO ensino de ecologia em uma horta escolar / Teaching ecology in a school garden
2019Andréia Quinto dos Santos, Ricardo Jucá‐Chagas, Regileno da Silva Santana, Evton Farias Quinto Santos, ALISSON SANTOS DA SILVA · Brazilian Journal of Development · Global
This research evaluated the limits and possibilities of learning ecological interactions in elementary school using a school garden, involving a supervising teacher, a classroom teacher, and 30 students. While students demonstrated understanding of ecological interactions through oral communication, the study identified significant limitations including difficulties in reading and writing, a lack of volunteers, and insufficient technical and administrative support from the school.
Governance failureFood educationBiodiversityObstacles for school garden program success: Expert consensus to inform policy and practice
2018John Diaz, Laura A. Warner, Sue Webb, Debra M. Barry · Applied Environmental Education & Communication · Global
This study used a consensus-driven process to identify central issues impeding the sustained success of school gardens. It outlined practical, logistical, and institutional barriers that need to be addressed to ensure their success in supplementing education.
Governance failureFood educationPolicyCommunityImplementación de una huerta escolar como herramienta estratégica para fomentar la investigación
2018Jose Martinez Carbonell · Cultura Educación y Sociedad · Colombia
A qualitative study involving twelve tenth-grade students and their parents at Jose Dadul Agroecological Technique IED in Colombia implemented a school garden as a research tool. The study found limitations during activity implementation, including lack of interest from parents acting as companions, insufficient space and time, and cessation of academic activities. Despite these constraints, it was possible to increase motivation for both parents and students through research and contemporary strategies.
Governance failureFood educationCommunityIn the Shadow of a Willow Tree: A Community Garden Experiment in Decolonising, Multispecies Research
2018Kate Wright · Cultural Studies Review · Australia (New South Wales)
A postdoctoral project involving collaboratively planting and maintaining a community garden on land that was once part of the East Armidale Aboriginal Reserve in New South Wales, Australia, began in 2014. This research offers a personal narrative of involvement in an anti-colonial multispecies research project within the confines of a neoliberal university, interrogating the potential and limitations of anti-colonial projects undertaken from colonial subject positions predicated on social and environmental privilege.
Governance failureCommunityFood educationPolicyCOMMUNITY GARDENS AND ECOLOGICAL CITIZENSHIP: THEIR POTENTIAL AND LIMITATIONS IN FOSTERING ENVIRONMENTALISM
2017Michael Kennedy · OpenSIUC (Southern Illinois University Carbondale) · Global
Community gardens can serve as important local greenspaces to address environmental degradation and educate individuals about the importance of food and the environment. However, certain barriers need to be overcome and addressed before community gardens are successfully implemented. Participation and interaction within community gardens may provide a pathway to long-term commitment to sustainability, encouraging individuals to adopt more environmentally supportive behaviors and a deeper commitment to environmentalism.
Governance failureCommunityFood educationBiodiversityClimate changeSchool Gardens: A Qualitative Study on Implementation Practices
2017Nele Huys, Katrien De Cocker, Marieke De Craemer, Marleen Roesbeke, Greet Cardon, Sara De Lepeleere · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · Belgium (Ghent)
In four primary schools in Ghent, Belgium, twelve interviews with 14 key members and five focus groups with 38 children (fifth to sixth grade, 10-13 years old) were conducted to investigate school garden implementation practices and perceptions. School gardens were primarily initiated to involve children in nature, not to improve vegetable consumption. Participants were positive about school gardens but also experienced various barriers, including difficulties with startup, maintenance during summer holidays, and integration into the school curriculum.
Governance failureFood educationCommunityHealthCollaborative planning via urban agriculture: The case of Tegucigalpa, Honduras
2017Andrea Oyuela, Arnold van der Valk · Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems · Honduras (Tegucigalpa)
This study questions the adequacy of Tegucigalpa's top-down planning system in Honduras and explores urban agriculture (UA) as a potential building block for a bottom-up strategy. While UA is organized in Tegucigalpa due to residents' need to overcome food insecurity and hardship, the concept of active citizenship and bottom-up development is not yet consolidated. Furthermore, challenges exist regarding the resources needed for practicing UA and the diffusion of knowledge to the population.
Governance failurePolicyCommunityFood educationFood sovereignty & justice‘Because the ego started to grow bigger than the project itself’: a case study of founder’s syndrome on an educational community of practise
2017Donovon Ceaser · Ethnography & Education · Global
This study analyzed the leadership of founder John Browne at Green Shoots, a nonprofit service-learning urban farming school established in 2010, using the theory of founder's syndrome. Browne, despite an openly egalitarian community of practice ethic, created a hierarchy at the school that led to a staff walk-out and subsequent firings. Findings revealed Browne as a charming and inspirational teacher who engaged in dominating leadership contradicting the community of practice's ideals, resulting in disrespected students, disillusioned staff, and a founder unable to take responsibility for his leadership.
Governance failureCommunityFood educationPolicyProyectos de agricultura urbana del Jardín Botánico de Bogotá "José Celestino Mutis" analizados desde la perspectiva de la educación ambiental (2004 - 2016)
2016Katherine Alexandra Herrera Hernández, Yohanna Marcela Pinzón, Ruth Zamira Herrera Rincón · · Colombia (Bogotá)
This project aimed to contribute to the study of Urban Peri-urban Agriculture (UPA) in Bogotá by describing projects led by the José Celestino Mutis Botanical Garden from 2004 to 2016, analyzed from an environmental education perspective. Using a qualitative methodology, the study investigated fundamental elements in education-management development, such as participation, the construction of the concept of environment, and the strengths and weaknesses in achieving these projects within the framework of successive city governments during that period.
Governance failureFood educationCommunityPolicyPeri-urban agriculture“They don't garden here”: NGO constructions of Maya gardening practices in Belize
2013Douglas Carl Reeser · Development in Practice · Belize
An analysis of an NGO school garden program in two Q'eqchi' Maya communities in southern Belize revealed challenges faced by NGOs. These challenges included issues of legitimacy, cultural appropriateness, self-interest, and constructed conceptions of their target communities, raising questions about the priority between autonomous, healthy communities and the preservation of the NGO program.
Governance failureFood educationHealthCommunityWelfareSchool gardens: teaching and learning outside the front door
2012Rowena Passy · Education 3-13 · Global
This article reports on two projects investigating school gardens, finding that while they can effectively engage primary children in learning, a divide exists among teachers regarding garden use. The article argues that mixed messages in policy concerning outdoor learning act as a barrier to teachers utilizing school gardens.
Governance failureFood educationPolicyUSING SCHOOL GARDENS AS A VEHICLE FOR HEALTH PROMOTION FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL YOUTH: A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
2011Hillary Anne Doerfler · D-Scholarship@Pitt (University of Pittsburgh) · Global
A literature review examined the use of school garden programs for health promotion among elementary school youth. The review found that school gardens successfully improved academic achievement, increased fruit and vegetable consumption, and enhanced social skills. However, significant barriers to implementation were identified, particularly in low socioeconomic status schools, including a lack of funding, insufficient gardening knowledge among teachers, and limited community and parent involvement.
Governance failureFood educationHealthCommunityWelfare