Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
1626 results(10 / 66)
Agricultura urbana e periurbana: análise de suas particularidades em Regente Feijó/SP e em Centre Wellington/ON – Canadá
2024Bruna Trevisan Negri, Antônio Nivaldo Hespanhol · Geography Department University of Sao Paulo · Brazil (São Paulo)
This article compares urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) in Regente Feijó, Brazil, and Centre Wellington, Canada, to understand their particularities and contributions to food security and local food supply. Data from interviews with farmers revealed that while production purposes differ—predominantly self-consumption in Regente Feijó and commercialization in Centre Wellington—UPA significantly improves food security and local supply in both areas. A key challenge identified is the inadequate government support for UPA in both studied regions.
Peri-urban agricultureFood sovereignty & justicePolicyCommunityConteúdos atuais do circuito inferior da economia urbana
2024Marcos Xavier · Boletim Campineiro de Geografia · Brazil (São Paulo)
This article aims to present peripheral urban agriculture in the outskirts of São Paulo, Brazil, as an element of the lower circuit of the urban economy. These agricultural activities, carried out by the city's poor, exhibit forms of organization and methods of practice specific to the urban context and participate in the dispute over the appropriation and use of urban space.
Peri-urban agricultureEconomicsCommunityWelfareUrban gardens and activism
2024Gustavo [UNESP] Nagib · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Brazil (São Paulo)
This chapter examines the relationship between urban activism and the establishment of non-commercial community gardens in public spaces within São Paulo, Brazil, since 2010. It details the formation of the "Hortelões Urbanos" activist network in 2011 and the subsequent creation of the "União de Hortas Comunitárias de São Paulo (UHCSP)" in 2018, which unites community garden initiatives. The analysis highlights how these gardens, despite the absence of municipal public policy, promote health, healthy eating, autonomy, and urban biodiversity through low-consumption practices.
CommunityPolicyFood sovereignty & justicePerfil de alimentação promotora de saúde entre produtores de horta comunitária de Teresina, Piauí
2024Kaline Soares da Costa, Regina da Silva Santos, Carmen Viana Ramos, Ana Karolinne da Silva Brito, Luana Kelle Batista Moura, Liriane Andressa Alves da Silva, Joyce Lopes Macedo, Maria do Carmo de Carvalho e Martins · Somma Revista Cientifica do Instituto Federal de Educação Ciência e Tecnologia do Piauí · Brazil
This cross-sectional study investigated the profile of healthy eating habits among 45 community garden producers in Teresina, Piauí, Brazil, referencing the "10 Steps to Healthy Eating" from the Brazilian Dietary Guidelines. The dietary profile of the producers was considered inadequate; while 97.78% followed the water consumption guideline, only 4.44% followed the guideline for milk/meat/eggs consumption and 6.67% for fruits/vegetables consumption. No participant followed all 10 steps, and a better socioeconomic level was associated with healthier behaviors.
CommunityHealthFood educationSquatter Care: The Social Curricula of Escuelita Semillera , an Agroecological Community Garden in San Juan, Puerto Rico
2024Carol E. Ramos-Gerena, Alane Celeste-Villalvir, Huerto Semilla School Facilitators, Aníbal Y. López-Correa, Samina Raja · Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition · United States (Puerto Rico)
This case study unveils the social curriculum and community farm practices at Escuelita Semillera, an adult agroecological school initiative located on the premises of the University of Puerto Rico-Río Piedras. Maintained by students and alumni for 14 years, this community garden offered free in-person classes to 50 participants in 2022 and 2023. The research shows how its social curriculum fosters a transition from personal care to community and ecological care, highlighting the vital role of care in adult agroecological education.
CommunityFood educationFood sovereignty & justiceCharacterization and agroecological management of school gardens in the Serra Gaúcha region, Brazil
2024Alessandra Russi, Danni Da Silva · Agroalimentaria · Brazil
This qualitative-quantitative study characterized school gardens in public education networks across twenty-four municipalities in Brazil's Serra Gaúcha region using a semi-structured questionnaire. Data revealed most schools were located in urban areas, predominantly served elementary school students during the daytime, and lacked guidance from qualified professionals and agroecological management for their gardens. Based on these findings, four educational brochures on agroecological techniques were developed for elementary students.
Food educationCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceOrganic cycleThe Integrating Cultural Aspects Into Diabetes Education (INCLUDE) Study to Prevent Diabetes in Chinese Immigrants: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial
2024Lu Hu, Nelson Lin, Yun Shi, Jiepin Cao, Mary Ann Sevick, Huilin Li, Jeannette M. Beasley, Natalie Levy, Kosuke Tamura, Xinyi Xu, Yulin Jiang, IRIS H. ONG, Ximin Yang, Yujie Bai, Liwen Su, Sze Wan Chan, Stella S. Yi · JMIR Research Protocols · United States
The INCLUDE study protocol describes a 3-year randomized controlled trial (n=150) to test a social media-based intervention adapting the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) for Chinese immigrants in the US, combined with a culturally adapted, community-supported agriculture program. Participants with prediabetes or at risk for T2D are randomized, with the intervention group (n=75) receiving 12 weeks of DPP videos, biweekly phone support, and 10 weeks of produce. Weight is the primary outcome, measured at baseline, 3-month, and 6-month intervals.
HealthCSA & TeikeiCommunityInvestigating the Social Relations of Community Gardens for Adult Education
2024Mitchell McLarnon · Canadian Journal for the Study of Adult Education · Canada
This paper described and analyzed the social relations emerging from an adult education internship and community-based garden project in Montreal, Canada. Using institutional ethnography, it uncovered how adult education internships in community gardens and gardening programming can produce disproportionate outcomes for adult learners, community workers, and community members. It elucidated that specific institutional contrivances, such as funding, policy, work processes, and discourse, structure and define who experiences access to gardens, gardening, its ostensible health and well-being benefits, and adult education.
Equity & displacementCommunityFood educationPolicy“Farming Inside Cities” – A Look Back After Two Decades
2024Martin Bailkey, Rosalind Greenstein · Urban agriculture · United States
This paper reviews “Farming Inside Cities: Entrepreneurial Urban Agriculture in the United States” (2000) by Jerry Kaufman and Martin Bailkey. This report was one of three concurrent research studies on for-market urban agriculture as a viable reuse of vacant land in major US cities. While its practical nature and description of urban agriculture's opportunities and challenges remain relevant today, it does not explicitly state the value of farming as a vehicle for social equity and food justice in urban communities of color.
EconomicsCommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkageUrban Agriculture as a Public Good: Valuing Farming and Gardening in Philadelphia and Chicago
2024Domenic Vitiello · Urban agriculture · United States
US cities have developed urban agriculture support systems reflecting competing values, with some prioritizing public good and others economic gains. A chapter reflecting on urban agriculture planning in Chicago and Philadelphia notes that institutional structures significantly impact equity and justice. The study indicates that the existing urban agriculture support systems in these cities may not adequately promote equity and justice.
Equity & displacementPolicyCommunityEconomicsHealthRAÍZES DO BEM: EXPERIÊNCIA EXTENSIONISTA VOLTADA À PROMOÇÃO DE SAÚDE E BEM-ESTAR PARA A POPULAÇÃO IDOSA ATRAVÉS DA HORTICULTURA TERAPÊUTICA
2024Stephanie Bezerra Muniz Falcão, Laysla Tamyres de Oliveira Borges, ANA PATRICIA BASTOS FERREIRA · International Journal of Health Science · Brazil
This extension project in Jaboatão dos Guararapes-PE, Brazil, aimed to promote mental health and physical well-being for elderly residents in a Long-Term Care Institution (ILPI) through horticulture. A community garden was created for therapeutic horticulture activities, including sensory gardening and aromatherapy. The project found that horticulture was effective in reducing depressive symptoms, improving mood, and enhancing the quality of life for participants.
ElderlyHealthCommunityFood educationCommunity gardens support high levels of food production, but benefit distribution is uneven across the gardener community
2024Brenda B. Lin, Peter Bichier, Heidi Liere, Monika Egerer, Stacy M. Philpott, Shalene Jha · Sustainability Science · United States (California)
A study of 18 urban community gardens in Central Coast, California, USA, used gardener surveys and field measurements to evaluate food production and its distribution. Gardeners produced an average of four pounds of food per week, saving an estimated $16 USD weekly. However, gardeners with greater food insecurity (larger families or lower incomes) were not the largest producers, indicating uneven benefit distribution despite high overall productivity.
Equity & displacementCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsHorta comunitária – produção de hortaliças para segurança alimentar de famílias com vulnerabilidade social
2024Ive Mariana Guissoni Arantes, Cícero José Da Silva, Natália Gislene Silva Salvador, Anselmo Afonso Golynski, Ênio Eduardo Basílio, Danilo Silva de Oliveira, Valentine Virginia Matheus, Eduardo Cardoso da Silva Assunção · Caderno Pedagógico · Brazil (Morrinhos-Goiás)
The Horta Comunitária extension project in Morrinhos-Goiás, Brazil, produces vegetables to ensure food security for socially vulnerable families. Managed by teachers, staff, and students from Intituto Federal Goiano Campus – Morrinhos, the project has achieved significant results in training and providing healthy food.
CommunityWelfareFood educationFood sovereignty & justiceA review of food asset maps in Canada
2024Belinda Li, Tammara Soma, Raghava Payment, Srishti Kumar, Nicole Anderson, Flora Xu, Phonpoom Piensatienkul · Canadian Food Studies / La Revue canadienne des études sur l alimentation · Canada
This study reviewed and categorized 73 food asset maps in Canada based on their included food assets and design characteristics. Most maps included built environment assets like grocery stores and food banks, as well as agriculture-based natural food assets such as farms, community gardens, and orchards. However, representations of Indigenous-focused food assets and non-agriculture-based natural food assets like forests, water bodies, and foraging areas were generally lacking. This lack of Indigenous perspectives reinforces the values of a settler-colonial food system within food asset maps.
Equity & displacementCommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyEconomicsMarginalised agrarian traditions as a tool for climate justice
2024Finn Bell · Critical and Radical Social Work · United States (Ypsilanti)
This qualitative study explored how marginalized agrarian traditions can aid communities in surviving climate change, conducting in-depth interviews with 23 marginalized food growers and community leaders in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The study found that while growing food builds resilience to food insecurity and climate change, it is difficult due to land injustice. Policy implications include the need for housing justice, proactive planning for climate refuges, and reparations for land rematriation.
Equity & displacementCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changeGreen resilience: Securing life through vegetal being
2024Delf Rothe · Political Geography · United States (New York City)
This paper critically examines the concept of "green resilience" through a case study of various green resilience projects in New York City, including survivor trees, memorial groves, and community gardens. The study argues that these spaces function as key forms of state rule and biopolitical power, identifying three tensions or contradictions of green resilience as a form of biopolitical government: visibility and invisibility, knowledge and ignorance, and control and emergence.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceYield Operations: (Re)Fitting Urban Agriculture in Existing Green Spaces for Economic and Other Benefits
2024Joshua Zeunert · UNSWorks (University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia) · United States
To investigate the economic potential of urban agriculture in existing public green spaces, gross economic returns per hectare from horticultural crops were calculated from eight sources and fourteen growing approaches. Findings showed returns ranging from $22,249 to $360,000 USD per hectare annually, with several small urban agriculture businesses achieving gross returns of $150,000-$300,000 per hectare. The study concludes that urban agriculture in existing public green spaces offers opportunities to increase economic viability, alongside additional benefits like job creation, local food availability, education, training, health, and environmental improvements.
EconomicsCommunityPolicyCultivating a Sustainable Tomorrow: Community Gardens and Food Security in the City of Santa Clara
2024Brandon, Chrislyn · Scholar Commons (Santa Clara University) · United States (Santa Clara)
The City of Santa Clara faces significant challenges in ensuring equitable access to food for its residents amidst rising living costs and economic disparities. Enhancing support for residents' food security needs through increased knowledge sharing and resource provision in community areas is an efficient strategy to reduce hunger rates and create welcoming community spaces that support sustainability. This initiative addresses two key focus areas in Santa Clara's Climate Action Plan.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changeHealthIdentificação de armadilhas cromotrópicas para manejo de insetos pragas com seletividade aos inimigos naturais
2024Gustavo Aceti de Avila, Giovanni Vonsowski Guarido, Luis Vitor Fornacciari, Arthur Almenara Rosendo, Fernando Teruhiko Hata, Carlos Alexandre Zanutto, Ednaldo Michellon, William Mário de Carvalho Nunes · Contribuciones a las Ciencias Sociales · Brazil
A participatory experiment using different colored Moericke-type flight interceptor traps was conducted in the Vila Esperança community garden in Maringá, Brazil, to identify the most effective colors for managing pests while being selective towards natural enemies. Dark blue, light blue, and yellow traps showed the best pest/natural enemy ratios (3.19, 3.01, and 1.01, respectively) and captured the most pest insects. These colors are recommended for use as they reduce pest insect populations while avoiding the capture of beneficial insects.
CommunityBiodiversityGrowing together or growing apart? A study of food donation community garden programming during the COVID-19 pandemic
2024Moses Wanyakha, Nancy Grudens‐Schuck, Ann M. Oberhauser · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United States (Iowa)
This study investigated resilience and vulnerabilities in fresh produce donation partnership programs to food pantries in Iowa during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings revealed a significant decrease in labor hours during the pandemic years of 2020–2021, attributed to government policies and social distancing requirements. Volunteer shortages, donation inconsistency, and exclusionary community practices appeared to be inherent vulnerabilities of volunteer-based food donation programs.
Limited or null effectCommunityWelfareFood lossPolicyHortas urbanas: desafios e potencialidades para o desenvolvimento sustentável de Cachoeiro de Itapemirim - ES
2024Adriana Rezende Bighi, Regiane Carla Bolzan Carvalho, Camille Rezende Sartorio, Maurício Novaes Souza · Mérida Publishers eBooks · Brazil
This study examines the role of urban gardens in Cachoeiro de Itapemirim, Espírito Santo, Brazil, exploring their economic, social, and environmental dimensions. Urban gardens mitigate environmental degradation, promote biodiversity, and have the potential to generate employment and income opportunities for local residents, while reducing food costs. Through the efficient use of local resources like idle land and organic waste, these gardens yield significant environmental benefits, including reduced pollution and improved air quality, and foster sustainable agricultural practices.
CommunityEconomicsBiodiversityClimate changeA profile of urban agricultural growers, organizations, their needs, and challenges in the Northeastern United States
2024Matthew L. Richardson, John Taylor, Megan J. Thompson, Anusuya Rangarajan, Mamatha Hanumappa, Neith G. Little · PLoS ONE · United States (Northeastern United States)
This online survey of 394 urban growers, primarily in the Northeastern United States, profiled growers and assessed urban agriculture's state, identifying needs and challenges. Most growers were white (non-Hispanic), under 45, well-educated but without agriculture degrees. Urban agriculture was dominated by small non-profits and home/community gardens. A critical finding is that urban growers face diverse barriers, with the most common being land availability and long-term access in urban areas, and many reported low revenue or operating at a net loss.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyEconomicsUrban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceHORTA MANDALA
2024Daniele Silva de Almeida, Diana da Silva Ribeiro, Ellen De Oliveira Marques · Nexus · Brazil (Itacoatiara-AM)
This study discusses the experiences and learnings from creating a mandala community garden at the Chico Xavier social work institution in Itacoatiara-AM, Brazil. Motivated by a local need for agroecological awareness, the project involved dialogical classes, soil planning, mandala-shaped bed formation, and vegetable distribution. Results included sustainable planting, environmental and artistic awareness, and the promotion of environmental education in the Amazonian context.
CommunityFood educationOrganic cycleThe Practical Ethics of Urban Agriculture in Public Housing
2024Nevin Cohen, Michael H. Stein, Annie Hancock, Alfonso Morales · Urban agriculture · United States
This paper examined two housing authority-led urban agriculture projects in New York City and Denver, Colorado, highlighting their multidimensional benefits such as skill-building and community cohesion. While these projects improved residents' daily experiences, the study noted that social problems persist despite new interactions. The analysis emphasized the need to consider both stated and implicit goals in urban agriculture ethics, acknowledging that attempts to harmonize competing claims are at the root of urban agriculture practices.
Equity & displacementCommunityPolicyHealthWelfareA Culturally Specific Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Program to Improve Diet in Immigrant Communities in Brooklyn, New York
2024Sze Wan Chan, Matthew G. Chin, Rachel Suss, Kiran Yan Kui, Stanley Z. Lam, Elizabeth Dowd, Calliope Bosen, Steve Mei, Kathleen Barth, Michelle Hughes, Stella S. Yi · Health Promotion Practice · United States (New York City)
A community-supported agriculture (CSA) pilot program was implemented for 38 immigrant families in Brooklyn, New York, from June to October 2022 over a 20-week period, providing Chinese-specific produce and nutrition education. Participants reported eating more and a greater variety of vegetables, and had higher vegetable intake measured via skin carotenoid scores. This pilot program may inform the adaptation of nutrition interventions to reduce inequities in chronic diseases in immigrant communities.
CSA & TeikeiHealthCommunityWelfare