Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
8 results
La 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 changeCommunityCompostPolicyUrban Gardens vs. Community Gardens: Tensions and Trajectories for Urban Agriculture in Istanbul
2023Candan Türkkan · Moment Journal · Turkey (Istanbul)
This paper analyzes urban gardening practices in Yedikule Bostanlari and Kuzguncuk Bostani in Istanbul, examining the convoluted relationship between the food movement and urban agriculture. It argues that while urban agriculture initiatives are significant for generating community and proposing alternative uses for urban space, they do relatively little to mitigate the structural problems underlined by the food movement. As such, even though they are examples of urban agriculture in practice, their aspirations do not readily associate with those of the food movement.
Limited or null effectCommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyCan 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 changeMultitemporal Geospatial Evaluation of Urban Agriculture and (Non)-Sustainable Food Self-Provisioning in Milan, Italy
2019Giuseppe Pulighe, Flavio Lupia · Sustainability · Italy (Milan)
A spatiotemporal quantification of urban agriculture in Milan, Italy, assessed its food self-provisioning potential using Google Earth images from 2007 and 2014. The study found that even in the best-case scenario, the current urban agriculture production (98 ha of vegetable gardens, 2539 ha of arable land) is insufficient to meet the vegetable and cereal consumption needs of over 1.3 million city residents. It could only satisfy approximately 63,700 vegetable consumers and 321,000 cereal consumers.
Limited or null effectFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsUrban Agriculture: evaluating informal and formal practices
2018St Clair, Rebecca, Hardman, Michael, Adams, David, Armitage, Richard, Barry, Veronica, Larkham, Peter, Sherriff, Graeme · Research Explorer (The University of Manchester) · United Kingdom
This paper reviews the diversity of urban agriculture (UA) activities in England, from small-scale guerrilla gardening to large community projects. It suggests that UA is under-theorized, with previous research focusing on practicalities and activism. The paper highlights UA's problematic contribution to food production and warns of the 'local trap'.
Limited or null effectCommunityPolicyHealthEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceUrban Gardening Realities: The Example Case Study of Portsmouth, England
2015Alan Hallsworth, Alfred Wong · International journal on food system dynamics · United Kingdom (Portsmouth)
This empirical case study examined the potential for urban gardening to contribute to individual food security. Focusing on Portsmouth, England, the study found that prevailing economic and social structures hamper the likelihood that urban gardening can offer much greater food security. Realistically, contemporary urban gardening most closely resembles a middle-class pursuit for personal enjoyment, rather than a significant contributor to food security.
Limited or null effectEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityShopping Versus Growing: Food Acquisition Habits of Dutch Urban Gardeners
2014E.J. Veen, P.H.M. Derkzen, A.J. de Visser · Food and Foodways · Netherlands
This article compares food acquisition habits among participants in four Dutch urban food-growing initiatives: two allotments and two Alternative Food Networks (AFNs). Allotment gardeners integrate gardening into daily routines and easily use harvests, while AFN members, who primarily engage in shopping, struggle to regularly consume urban-grown food due to competition with supermarkets. The study concludes that involvement in shopping versus growing significantly impacts urban-grown food consumption, indicating a limited effect of motivations to change the food system when confronted with everyday routines.
Limited or null effectCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomics