Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
11 results
Urban Agriculture and Participatory Budgeting for Sustainable Cities: Evidence from Vegetable-Related Projects in Warsaw
2026Kinga Kimic, Magdalena Błaszczyk · Sustainability · Poland (Warsaw)
This study identified and assessed vegetable cultivation projects submitted to the Warsaw Participatory Budget (WPB) between 2015 and 2023. The research classified projects into six types and evaluated them across social, functional, ecological, and economic dimensions. The results showed that vegetable-related projects in the WPB were decidedly niche, with only 101 initiatives submitted and 31 implemented, primarily focusing on education for children rather than direct food access.
Limited or null effectPolicyCommunityEconomicsClimate changeGreen Islands in the City: Allotment Gardens as Urban Biofilters and Cooling Spaces in Warsaw, Poland
2026Marta Melon, Tomasz Dzieduszyński, Piotr Sikorski, Beata Joanna Gawryszewska, Maciej Lasocki, Arkadiusz Przybysz · Sustainability · Poland (Warsaw)
The capacity of Family Allotment Gardens (FAGs) in Warsaw, Poland, to provide air-pollution filtration and microclimate regulation was quantified. Particulate matter, air temperature, and relative humidity were measured inside and outside three allotment complexes in autumn 2023. Results showed a moderate reduction in PM concentrations inside gardens (by about 2 µg/m³) and slightly higher humidity (2.1%). However, the cooling effect was weak (less than 0.3 °C), indicating a limited spatial range under autumn conditions.
Limited or null effectClimate changeCommunityBiodiversityAsyl, Gemüse und Nachhaltigkeit: Urban Gardening in einer Unterkunft für geflüchtete Menschen
2025Juliane Forßmann, Simon Goebel · Zeitschrift für Flüchtlingsforschung · Germany
An urban gardening project in a residential facility for up to 230 refugees in Germany aims to counteract precarious living conditions. While the garden offers a low-threshold space for knowledge exchange on resource-saving cultivation, biodiversity, and health promotion, this paper also reflects on the project's limits.
Limited or null effectCommunityWelfareHealthBiodiversityFood educationClimate changeOn the irrelevance of (peat-free) substrates - Qualitative insights into the social practices of hobby gardeners in Germany
2024Holger Braun, Dorothee Apfel, Benedikt Rilling, Carsten Herbes · Cleaner and Responsible Consumption · Germany
A study with 44 hobby gardeners in Germany found that substrates are not a major part of gardeners' social interactions, and price is the dominant purchase criterion for substrates, with sustainability not playing an important role. Although basic knowledge about peat is widespread, purchasing substrates is a utility-driven process with mostly passive information behavior.
Limited or null effectCommunityClimate changeDIYOrganic cycleLa agricultura urbana como un modelo de transiciones justas
2024Jaume Vilasís Pamos, Pablo Aránguiz, Stefhania Lozano, Guillermo Palau Salvador · Revista Lecciones Vitales · Spain (Valencia)
This study examines urban agriculture initiatives in Valencia, Spain, which adopt an agroecological approach to promote sustainable practices like composting. While these collective strategies aim for sustainable agricultural models and contribute to food sovereignty, they face significant challenges, particularly regarding access to water. The initiatives also engage in political action and promote equitable organizational models.
Limited or null effectFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changeCommunityCompostPolicyProductivity and Efficiency of Community Gardens: Case Studies from the UK
2023Silvio Caputo, Victoria Schoen, Chris Blythe · Land · United Kingdom (London)
Data was collected from seven community gardens and one community farm in London, UK, during the 2019 and 2020 growing seasons using a citizen science approach, investigating crop yield, resource inputs, and social benefits. Results showed very mixed levels of crop and social productivity depending on organizational structure and agenda, with no clear pattern emerging. This study suggests that citywide productivity evaluations based on small data samples may not be reliable.
Limited or null effectCommunityEconomicsHealthClimate changeHydrologic and Water Quality Performance of Two Bioswales at an Urban Farm
2022Elizabeth Regier, Walter McDonald · Journal of Sustainable Water in the Built Environment · United States (Milwaukee)
This study monitored two bioswales treating runoff from an urban farm in Milwaukee, WI, United States, to assess their hydrologic and water quality performance. The bioswales effectively reduced runoff volume, peak flows, total phosphorus, and high concentrations of total suspended solids (TSS >25 mg/L), achieving a median 98% load reduction across all pollutants. However, they showed mixed results in reducing total nitrogen concentrations and TSS at low influent concentrations (≤25 mg/L).
Limited or null effectClimate changeOrganic cycleCan urban agriculture be used to improve green infrastructure and social well-being? The urban garden in the Ponticelli neighbourhood of Naples
2021Fabio Amato, Lucia Simonetti · Journal of urban regeneration and renewal · Italy (Naples)
This paper focuses on the social urban garden in the Ponticelli neighborhood on the eastern outskirts of Naples, Italy, an area facing significant social and cultural problems including high unemployment and crime rates. The urban garden demonstrates how social cohesion can be built through urban agriculture and contribute to sustainability. However, the initiative risks remaining isolated and providing limited benefit to regional environmental sustainability efforts if not framed within an overall metropolitan strategy.
Limited or null effectCommunityHealthClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceClosed-Loop Crop Cascade to Optimize Nutrient Flows and Grow Low-Impact Vegetables in Cities
2020Martí Rufí-Salís, Felipe Parada, Verónica Arcas‐Pilz, Anna Petit‐Boix, Gara Villalba, Xavier Gabarrell · Frontiers in Plant Science · Spain (Barcelona)
This study investigated a closed-loop crop cascade system in a Barcelona rooftop greenhouse, using tomato leachates to irrigate five successive lettuce cycles. The results showed that low yields (below 130 g per lettuce plant) were obtained when the cascade system was used during the early stage of the donor crop, as the nutrient amount, especially nitrogen, was insufficient for the receiving lettuce crop. Additionally, electrical conductivity values became too high (near 3 dS/m) at the end of the donor crop cycle, indicating limitations in maintaining optimal conditions throughout.
Limited or null effectOrganic cycleFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changeUrban Agriculture as the Path to Sustainable City Development. Insights into Allotment Gardens in Andalusia
2019Barbara Maćkiewicz, Raúl Puente Asuero, Antonio Garrido Almonacid · Quaestiones Geographicae · Spain
This study investigated how urban allotment gardens in Baeza, Andalusia, Spain, affect the city’s sustainable development. The research showed that allotment gardens in Baeza endorsed all three pillars of sustainable city development: ecological, economic, and social. However, it was found that developing broader community relations on the city scale, reviving the declining local grocery market, and disseminating environmental initiatives that allotment gardens could promote and facilitate were missing.
Limited or null effectUrban–rural linkageClimate changeEconomicsCommunityMicroclimates of Urban Reproduction: The Limits of Automating Environmental Control
2019Andy Lockhart, Simon Marvin · Antipode · United Kingdom (Sheffield)
This article explored the phenomenon of automated environmental control, using three sites in Sheffield, UK: a botanical glasshouse, a luxury hotel, and a university plant growth research lab. The study identified technical and ecological tensions and limits of indoor environmental control at each site, which restrict the scope of automation. It also showed that maintaining desired conditions required considerable hidden labor and energy.
Limited or null effectDigital agricultureClimate change