Research & reports

Amanda Jessie Weaver · Digital Commons - DU (University of Denver) · United States (Colorado)

This project combined U.S. Agricultural Census data with a survey of local producers in Colorado's Front Range Urban Corridor to examine the competition between urban development and food production. The study found that urban development is increasingly encroaching on rich agricultural lands, which are also desirable for housing. Consequently, Colorado faces increasing competition for land, potentially driving local food prices up and displacing producers to peripheral areas or out of food production entirely.

Marshall A. Baker · ˜The œAgricultural education magazine · United States (New Mexico)

This article describes two agricultural education programs in New Mexico, USA: one established in 1935 in a rural community connected to the dairy industry and the Ogallala Aquifer, and another established in 2009 in an urban area focused on sustainability and environmental issues. Both programs are successful in advancing agricultural education by connecting to local community issues. The article suggests that a program's connection to its local community and its concerns is more important than the size of the city.

Jan Ray, Koh Ming Wei, Diane M. Barrett · · United States (Hawaiʻi Island)

This study examined the effect of a week-long teacher training workshop, part of a year-long School Learning Gardens Professional Development Program, on 29 classroom and school learning garden teachers in Hawaiʻi. Teachers' attitudes toward sustainability education were measured before and after the workshop. Findings showed a statistically significant increase in teachers' overall attitudes toward sustainability education, including aspects related to productivity and comfort.

Yukihiro Yamaguchi · ScholarSpace (University of Hawaii at Manoa) · United States

This research aimed to enhance Waikīkī's image with sustainable planning and design, focusing on visitors' perceptions. While visitors' images of Waikīkī were primarily positive, the region faces environmental problems including inadequate recycling, transportation, and agriculture/aquaculture issues. The project proposes a new sustainable solution incorporating urban agriculture with an international event, Expo Hawai‘i 2020, to address these environmental challenges.

Marc Christiansen, Natalie Marie Marquardt, Katie Picchione, Thomas Sullivan · Digital WPI · United States

In Worcester, Massachusetts, an urban farmers' group called "The Shop" built a greenhouse for year-round produce, but it became too cold to sustain plant growth during winter. Drawing on the group's composting experience, a project examined using biogas -- methane from anaerobic digestion of organic waste -- to heat the greenhouse, calculating the energy needed to heat the space and the expected energy yield from different available substrates using data from case studies and other sources. The results verified biogas as a viable way to heat the greenhouse at The Shop.

City of Chicago, Department of Planning and Development · City of Chicago, Department of Planning and Development · United States

The Chicago Department of Planning and Development publishes a dataset and map of the location, satellite imagery, and square footage of green roofs citywide, derived from high-resolution multispectral imagery acquired in September 2013. The analysis identified 509 vegetated roofs within city limits totaling 5,564,412 square feet of coverage.

Mary Margaret Fischer · OpenSIUC (Southern Illinois University Carbondale) · United States

This study evaluated commercial and vermicompost-blended green roof media for annual herb production in shallow modular trays on a university roof in Southern Illinois, Carbondale, during two experiments in 2011. The commercially available media generally produced more significant results for shoot growth parameters in sweet basil, Thai basil, and parsley. Partial shade also showed significant effects on shoot-to-root ratio in the first experiment, while most basil variables were insignificant in the second.

Shuyi Lu, Mostafa Oraei, Aaron Sangha, Kingson Wong · cIRcle (University of British Columbia) · Canada

This project outlines the components of a rainwater harvesting (RWH) system and five filtration methods, then analyzes two North American RWH projects. It concludes with a triple-bottom line analysis and recommendations for implementing an RWH system in the new Student Union Building (SUB) at the University of British Columbia, which aims for LEED Platinum Certification by 2014. The RWH system is intended to significantly lower water consumption by collecting, filtering, and storing rainwater for uses like irrigating a rooftop garden and flushing toilets.

Carolin Mees, Edie Stone · · United States (New York City)

In New York City, community gardens were established by resident groups in the 1970s, contributing to recreation, food security, and sustainable urban development. Their number has fluctuated over the past 30 years, with approximately 600 gardens existing today, over 300 of which are on public land. Recently, in response to climate change and economic crisis, elements like beehives and rainwater harvesting have been legalized and used to maximize food production and conserve water. This chapter will use qualitative data analysis, secondary literature discussion, and participant observation to evaluate the employment and function of these garden components and how the city's community gardens contribute to a sustainable city.

Heather Burns, Weston Miller · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United States (Portland)

The Learning Gardens Laboratory (LGL) in Portland, Oregon, a partnership between Portland State University and Oregon State University, develops garden-based education programs to advance sustainable food systems and sustainability education. LGL's pedagogical principles, drawn from permaculture and ecological design, include interdisciplinary and place-based learning. The paper discusses these principles in relation to LGL's educational programs, highlighting the Beginning Urban Farming Apprenticeship and Lane Middle School Garden-Based Education programs.

Kevin Wonch · Hope College Digital Commons (Hope College) · United States (Detroit)

This study examines urban farming in Detroit, a city experiencing rapid decline with a population under a million, limited access to fresh food stores, and extensive vacant land. While arguing for modern urban farming as a foundation for sustainable practices and positive development, it notes that some political and business analysts question its ability to make a significant impact on the city’s future.

Jillian Thompson, Christopher C. Obropta · · United States (Newark)

In 2009, the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Water Resources Program, funded by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, implemented stormwater management education and best management practices (BMPs) in Newark, New Jersey. The initiative aimed to reduce combined sewer overflow (CSO) discharges. Through this effort, a formerly vacant lot was transformed into a community garden featuring a 1,550-gallon cistern and a rain garden, with educational training provided to ex-offenders and sixth-grade students.

William E. Fry, M. T. McGrath, Abby Seaman, Thomas A. Zitter, A. McLeod, Giovanna Danies, Ian M. Small, Kevin Myers, Kathryne L. Everts, Amanda J. Gevens, Beth K. Gugino, Sara B. Johnson, Howard S. Judelson, Jean B. Ristaino, Pamela Roberts, Gary A. Secor, K. W. Seebold, K. Snover-Clift, A. Wyenandt, Niklaus J. Grünwald, Christine D. Smart · Plant Disease · United States

The 2009 tomato late blight pandemic in the eastern United States resulted in significant crop losses for many home gardeners and organic producers. This event led to widespread questions regarding its causes and differences from previous epidemics.

Toni Y. Sims-Muhammad · · United States (South Louisiana)

This project examined the impact of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on existing food systems in Lafayette, Acadia, Evangeline, St Martin, and St Landry parishes, with a focus on home and community gardens. The researcher interviewed 57 home/community gardeners and farmers and conducted a survey on pre- and post-Katrina/Rita food sustainability problems, challenges, and perspectives on future food systems.

Seungmin Lee, Alexandra Nan, Meredith Kealty, Kevin Pan · cIRcle (University of British Columbia) · Canada

This report assesses irrigation systems for a new rooftop garden at the Student Union Building (SUB) in Vancouver, Canada, which aims for LEED Platinum+ certification. Micro-irrigation is recommended due to limited space, the need for high water efficiency, and a low carbon footprint. Micro-irrigation systems apply water directly to plants, reducing evaporation and energy costs, with an observed 80% improvement in water efficiency compared to conventional practices.

Andrew Schlesinger · ScholarWorks -A service of University of Vermont Libraries (University of Vermont) · United States (Cherry Hill)

This paper highlights the high dependency of U.S. suburban communities on fossil fuels, particularly oil. It states that while global oil supply is projected to decline, few suburban communities are currently planning for "life after oil." Presented as a proposal for the Willowdale Community Garden, the abstract does not state specific research or its findings, nor an analysis of how community gardening addresses this challenge.

Danny Simatele, Tony Binns, Munacinga Simatele · Journal of Human Development and Capabilities · Zambia (Lusaka)

This field-based research in Lusaka, Zambia, examines the impact of climate change and urban governance on urban agriculture, which serves as a source of food and income for poor households amidst deteriorating economies. The study finds that urban agriculture is often excluded from urban development and planning policy, posing significant challenges for small-scale farmers to achieve food security. A lack of policies supporting the urban poor, combined with climatic changes like drought and flooding, makes it difficult for households to adapt to the changing urban environment.

Mulala Danny Simatele, Tony Binns, Munacinga Simatele · Journal of Environmental Planning and Management · Zambia (Lusaka)

This paper, based on recent field-based research in Lusaka, Zambia, examines the relationships between urban agriculture (UA) and extreme weather conditions, and their impact on the livelihood options of the urban poor. Despite its significance as a source of food and income in many sub-Saharan African cities, UA has not been integrated into urban development and planning policy and has come under increasing pressure from extreme weather events like droughts and flooding over the last two decades.

Tim Pannkuk, Jacqueline A. Aitkenhead‐Peterson, Kurt Steinke, James C. Thomas, David R. Chalmers, Richard H. White · HortScience · United States (Texas)

This experiment quantified nutrient concentrations and fluxes in leachate from single- and mixed-species urban landscapes at two Texas sites with different irrigation water chemistry. Plant species significantly affected phosphate flux, and irrigation chemistry significantly affected all nutrient fluxes. An interaction between plant species and irrigation chemistry was found for phosphate flux.

Juliya Litichevskaya · Rutgers computer & technology law journal · United States (Chicago)

This note discusses the renewed interest in rooftop gardens due to environmental and economic concerns about energy use in buildings and cities. It highlights Chicago's initiatives, which include over 600 public and private green roofs covering two million square feet by 2011, representing 19% of US projects. The public sector, through tax incentives, grants, and regulations, has been the main stimulant for green roof development in cities like Chicago, Washington D.C., and New York City. International cities such as Toronto, Berlin, and Tokyo have also implemented mandatory green roof laws.

Sarah Taylor Lovell · Sustainability · United States

This paper reviews literature on urban agriculture for land use planning in the United States, where interest in urban food production is growing due to economic and food security concerns. It discusses urban agriculture's potential for integrating multiple functions in densely populated areas, from community farms to rooftop gardens. The paper also addresses barriers and constraints, and identifies research opportunities for urban planners and landscape designers to integrate food-systems thinking into city plans.

Sarah Presogna · ScholarlyCommons (University of Pennsylvania) · United States (Philadelphia)

The Morris Arboretum is incorporating two new Green Roofs to demonstrate sustainable and functional stormwater management. The author designed an aesthetically pleasing rooftop garden, informed by visits to other local green roofs, which will mitigate stormwater runoff and showcase native and water-wise plants suitable for the Philadelphia area.

Pablo Torres Lima, Alfonso Chávez-Muñoz, Gerardo Ávila-Jiménez, Sergio Contreras-Prado · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Mexico (Mexico City)

This article analyzes the principal components of a planning process that promotes the development of agricultural production zones in Xochimilco-Tlahuac, Mexico City. The experience was conceptualized in 2008 with the integration of data obtained through fieldwork, interviews, ethnographic techniques, and geomatics. The study highlights the critical need for district or metropolitan authorities to support urban agriculture to address various city development issues and concludes that re-assessing socio-territorial organization in the study region is also necessary to achieve an integrated, habitable, and sustainable city.

Sarah Rabkin · eScholarship (California Digital Library) · United States (California)

An oral-history interview record with Amy Courtney, founder of the Freewheelin' Farm CSA in Santa Cruz County, California, USA, conducted by Sarah Rabkin on January 16, 2009. Courtney, a 1997 graduate of UC Santa Cruz's Apprenticeship in Ecological Horticulture, started the farm in 2002 using almost no motorized vehicles, incorporating used equipment and recycled materials; CSA shares are still delivered by bicycle-drawn trailer six miles into Santa Cruz, with farming partners Kirstin Yogg and Darryl Wong. Courtney's background includes work with school gardens, the Santa Cruz Homeless Garden Project, the United Farm Workers, the AFL-CIO, and an agricultural extension program in Cuba. The farm collaborates with "Food, What?!," a youth empowerment program based at UCSC's Life Lab Garden Classroom, and hosts a community art show, yoga classes and cooking instruction with Zen priest Edward Espe Brown. At the time of the interview, Courtney and her partners had just signed a lease for an additional parcel, multiplying the farm's acreage eightfold.

Michael Raleigh · eCommons (Cornell University) · United States

This essay argues that the U.S. food system, being heavily industrialized, consumes large amounts of fossil-fuel energy — citing an estimate that it takes 10 calories of energy to produce one calorie of food — through fossil-fuel-powered planting, spraying, fertilizing, irrigation, tilling, harvesting, processing and transport, all of which generate greenhouse gases and make the food system a major contributor to climate change. It positions the development of urban farms in Buffalo as a necessary strategy to "de-carbon" the food system, on the grounds that urban farms use human labor in place of oil-powered machines and, being smaller than industrial-scale farms, can be managed with fewer machines, with home gardens and small urban farms claimed to be more productive per unit of land and energy than large-scale farms despite their low-tech approach.