Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
3241 results(100 / 130)
Driving forces of land use
2014Matilda Thelin · · Sweden
This qualitative study in peri-urban Uppsala, Sweden, identifies driving forces influencing land use decisions by commercial farmers and institutional landowners. It notes that approximately 700 hectares of land in Sweden are diverted from food production annually, with Uppsala Municipality showing the greatest change in 2013. The expropriation of agricultural land for urban development leads to farmers losing land resources and increased competition for remaining land, resulting in high land prices.
Governance failurePeri-urban agriculturePolicyEconomicsUrban–rural linkageDefinicje oraz formy miejskiej agrokultury – przyczynek do dyskusji
2014Wojciech Sroka · Wieś i Rolnictwo · Poland
This article addresses the concept of urban agriculture in Polish economic and agricultural literature. It aims to develop a definition of urban agriculture, operationalize it, and present its main forms. The study reviews research from various countries and proposes a definition suitable for Polish socio-economic conditions, describing key actors, products, functions, and distinguishing two main forms: urban farming and urban horticulture.
Urban–rural linkageEconomicsPolicyCharacterization of municipal waste in Kampala, Uganda
2014Allan John Komakech, Noble Banadda, Joel R. Kinobe, Levi Kasisira, Cecilia Sundberg, Girma Gebresenbet, Björn Vinnerås · Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association · Uganda (Kampala)
A study characterized municipal waste in Kampala, Uganda, from July 2011 to June 2012, analyzing waste delivered to Kiteezi landfill during dry and wet months. Waste was sorted, weighed, and organic samples were analyzed for nutrients and energy content. Findings showed that organic waste constituted 88.5% in wet months and 94.8% in dry months, with an average moisture content of 71.1% and significant nutrient levels. The organic waste was concluded to be a suitable source of plant nutrients for urban agriculture, with characterization results differing from other Sub-Saharan African cities.
CompostOrganic cycleEconomicsDoes Organic Command a Premium When the Food is Already Local?
2014Cristina Connolly, H. Allen Klaiber · American Journal of Agricultural Economics · United States
This study used a hedonic model with firm-level prices and CSA characteristics from 453 CSA farms in Michigan, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania during the summer 2012 growing season to value CSA attributes. Results showed a price premium of approximately 7% for USDA organic certification, though this varied by state, but no premium for competing certified naturally grown programs. CSA farms exhibited little market power and appeared to act competitively.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceEizenberg, Efrat. 2013. From the ground up: community gardens in New York City and the politics of spatial transformation. Farnham: Ashgate. Reviewed by Matt W. Murray
2014Matt Murray · Journal of Political Ecology · United States (New York City)
Efrat Eizenberg's book "From the Ground Up" explores New York City's community gardens as spaces that resist the commodification of land. The book details the history of these gardens, including their emergence during the 1970s economic crisis when primarily Black and Hispanic residents transformed vacant land into communal green spaces. As the real estate market recovered in the 1980s, land values increased, and many gardens were threatened by gentrification pressures. Eizenberg analyzes these transformations at individual, collective, and institutional levels, highlighting how gardeners create common spaces, solidify interpersonal ties, and organize to defend their gardens.
Equity & displacementCommunityPolicyEconomicsMinnesota’s Community Supported Agriculture
2014Alexandra Jeanne Hiniker · Digital Commons - Hamline (Hamline University) · United States
This study surveyed Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms in Minnesota, asking farm owners and operators about demographics, farm specifics, and marketing practices. Results indicate that Minnesota's CSA community is robust and diverse in its offerings. It was found that face-to-face communication is preferred above all else to support farm activities.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsCommunity supported agriculture in Romania: Is it driven by economy or solidarity?
2014Brînduşa Bîrhală, Judith Möllers, Bîrhală, Brînduşa, Möllers, Judith · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · Romania
This study investigated Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in Romania, focusing on costs and benefits for both farmers and consumers in three pioneering CSA groups offering organic vegetables to contracted consumers in the western part of the country. It found that consumers are typically urban dwellers with higher education and income, prioritizing organic-quality fresh products over solidarity, which is a value aspired by the initiating NGO. Farmers' main motivation for CSA involvement is the need for a stable market with fair prices, indicating that both parties use CSA to compensate for market failures.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsCommunityHealthAbordagem Complexa e Desenvolvimento Local por meio do Turismo Solidário: o caso da rede “Brasilidade Solidária”
2014Rafael Ângelo Fortunato, Elza Neffa · Revista Turismo em Análise · Brazil
This article reflects on the potential of solidarity tourism for local development, analyzing the "Horta Comunitária do Morro da Coroa" community garden in Brazil. Based on a literature review, phenomenology, and one year of participant observation, the study identified the potential of the "6Vs" of solidarity tourism as pillars for a new concept. It also found that network formation, as proposed, is an important instrument for political action aimed at strengthening local development initiatives.
CommunityEconomicsTowards the Revitalization of Farmer's Markets in Marseille. Wen Citizens Advocate for a Greener City
2014Jean Lagane · HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe) · France
This paper examines the challenges of food provisioning in Marseille due to global food networks and environmental issues like global warming and metropolization. A three-year ethnographic study of the "Marche du Cours Julien" in Marseille explored how citizens revived local farmers' markets and promoted bottom-up ecologization. The study also analyzed the links between the Cours Julien farmers' market, which hosts a French Community-supported agriculture (CSA), and the development of Alternative Food Networks and Short Food Supply Chains.
CommunityCSA & TeikeiFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsResearch on Pre-control Mechanism for Water-saving Irrigation Cost of Coastal Urban Agriculture in Tianjin:A Perspective of Engineering Design Innovation
2014Meng Fan-ru · Jieshui guan'gai · China (Tianjin)
This paper investigates the pre-control mechanism for water-saving irrigation costs in coastal urban agriculture in Tianjin, China, from an engineering design innovation perspective. It analyzes the operational and maintenance cost trends of water-saving facilities and the complexity of water-saving irrigation requirements. The study identifies engineering design innovation as key to cost pre-control and discusses obstacle factors, governance approaches, and the impact of investment and financing models on both fund shortages and cost pre-control.
EconomicsClimate changeEvaluation of water conservation service on urban agriculture in Xi’an
2014Chen Shan-sha · Ganhanqu dili · China (Xi'an)
This paper evaluated the water conservation service of Xi'an urban agriculture in 2011, using socioeconomic and geographical data. The total water conserved by urban agriculture was 16.6×10^8m^3, with a monetary value of 1.05×10^8 yuan. Water conservation capacity varied by district, with cropland providing a large proportion of the total value and orchards having the largest per unit area value. The spatial pattern of urban agriculture's water conservation was opposite to that of the urban district, suggesting that urbanization could negatively impact urban agriculture development.
Climate changeEconomicsAnalysis of Urban Agriculture Development and Carbon Emissions Decoupling Relationship Based on the theory of Decoupling about Tapio Elastic Analysis
2014Zhang Yu-me · Jingji wenti · China (Beijing)
This study analyzed the decoupling relationship between urban agriculture development and carbon emissions in Beijing, China, using the Tapio elastic method. Findings indicate that Beijing maintained agricultural self-sufficiency while carbon emissions decreased annually. The relationship between agricultural economic growth and carbon emissions shifted from recession decoupling to strong decoupling. Livestock, particularly cattle, swine, and poultry, were major carbon sources, suggesting the need for scientific feeding and improved feed conversion rates for sustainable urban agriculture.
Climate changeEconomicsOrganic cycleUrban–rural linkageLeberecht Migge et la colonie agricole évolutive « selon les principes biologiques »
2013Jaquand C. · In Situ. Revue des patrimoines, no. 21 · Germany
Examines Migge's landscape designs for urban extensions in Berlin, Frankfurt and Dessau and his organic city-garden relationship based on recycling water and urban waste, including the evolving self-sufficient settlement system of his 1932 book.
Organic cycleEconomicsWelfareSustainable urban agriculture and the adoption of composts in Cameroon
2013Sotamenou J., Parrot L. · International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability · Cameroon (Yaoundé, Bafoussam)
A survey of 242 urban farmers in Yaoundé and Bafoussam found that 36% adopted compost (alone or mixed with inorganic fertilizers), with compost uptake driven by fertilizer expenditure, vegetable production scale, land ownership, and farm distance. The study provides policy insights for sustainable soil management in Cameroonian urban agriculture.
CompostOrganic cycleEconomicsCommunity‘We don’t have no neighbourhood’: Advanced marginality and urban agriculture in Detroit
2013Paul Joseph Draus, Juliette Roddy, Anthony McDuffie · Urban Studies · United States (Detroit)
Based on 20 qualitative interviews with people working or living in a heavily depopulated section of Detroit slated for an urban agriculture project, this paper examines residents' views of the project, which proposes using vacant land and marginalized residents to produce marketable products. Most respondents had little hope for neighborhood improvement and few expectations that urban agriculture would change daily life, viewing some efforts with suspicion. Drawing on concepts of advanced marginality and neighborhood effects, the authors argue idealistic urban agriculture efforts must do more to engage residents and address legacies of displacement.
CommunityEconomicsCrop physiological response across the Chicago metropolitan region: Developing recommendations for urban and peri-urban farmers in the North Central US
2013Ross K. Wagstaff, Sam E. Wortman · Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems · United States (Chicago)
This study measures atmospheric pollutants, microclimatic factors, and the physiological response and yield of vegetable crops across an urban-to-rural transect of six sites in the greater Chicago region, aiming to determine their relative influence on urban food production. Preliminary 2013 data suggest substantial variability in environmental factors and crop yield across the transect, and the work aims to establish practical crop and cultivar recommendations for urban and peri-urban farmers in the North Central US.
EconomicsThe Assessment of the Use of Eco-Friendly Nets to Ensure Sustainable Cabbage Seedling Production in Africa
2013· Agronomy · Africa (tropics)
Assesses low-cost eco-friendly net (EFN) covers as an affordable technology for sustainable cabbage seedling (nursery) production by small-scale growers. Net covering raised temperature and humidity, improved seedling growth, and reduced insect pest damage.
DIYEconomics都市部における体験農園経営の立地と利用者需要－東京都内を対象とした実証分析－
2013八木洋憲 · 農村計画学会誌 · Japan (Tokyo)
A 2013 empirical analysis of how location shapes demand for 'experience farms' (taiken nouen, farmer-led pay-to-participate allotments) in Tokyo, Japan, combining a user survey with small-area census statistics (Journal of Rural Planning Association 32, Special Issue, pp. 323–328). Most users lived within 2 km of the plot, and roughly 0.5% of residents within 250 m became users. Nearby competing experience farms reduced demand at more distant sites, whereas adjacent conventional allotment gardens showed no competitive relationship. For an operator this means the catchment is narrow and neighbouring facilities of the same type divide the same demand, so siting largely determines whether the operation works. The paper does not analyse fees or profit and loss.
EconomicsCommunityDeterminants of vacant lot conversion into community gardens: evidence from Philadelphia
2013In Kwon Park, Patricia Ciorici · International Journal of Urban Sciences · United States (Philadelphia)
This study in Philadelphia, United States, identified determinants of vacant lot conversion into community gardens using a logit model. Data on lot attributes were collected from the Philadelphia Neighbourhood Information System and a city-wide survey. The results indicate that neighborhood characteristics like poverty level, educational attainment, zoning, and owner occupancy, along with parcel characteristics such as ownership and topography, significantly impact the conversion.
CommunityPolicyEconomicsThe Moral Economy Is a Double‐edged Sword: Explaining Farmers’ Earnings and Self‐exploitation in Community‐Supported Agriculture
2013Ryan E. Galt · Economic Geography · United States (California)
A study of 54 Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms in California's Central Valley used qualitative and quantitative data to explain farmers' earnings. An ordinary least squares regression analysis revealed that farmers' age, number of employees, and CSA type strongly influence earnings. The study found that the moral economy of CSA often results in self-exploitation due to farmers' strong sense of obligation to members, despite allowing for economic rents.
Economic viabilityCSA & TeikeiEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceEnvironmental Challenges Threatening the Growth of Urban Agriculture in the United States
2013Sam E. Wortman, Sarah Taylor Lovell · Journal of Environmental Quality · United States
This review paper characterized the limited state of scientific knowledge regarding abiotic environmental factors threatening the growth of urban agriculture in the United States. It identified challenges influencing urban cropping systems, including soil contamination and remediation, atmospheric pollutants and altered climatic conditions, and water management, sources, and safety. The development of a science-based approach in these areas is noted as essential for the economic and environmental sustainability of urban agriculture.
Contamination & food safetyClimate changeEconomicsCommunityFood educationDynamics of peri-urban agricultural development and farmers' adaptive behaviour in the emerging megacity of Hyderabad, India
2013Zakir Hussain, Markus Hanisch · Journal of Environmental Planning and Management · India
This paper describes the adaptation of agricultural management practices in the urban periphery of Hyderabad, India, due to structural changes. Based on 120 farmer interviews, the study found that increasing costs for agricultural inputs like labor and land motivated farmers to intensify water, machine, and chemical use, which created problematic environmental impacts. Farmers also adapted by resorting to part-time farming and organizing efforts to share family labor.
Environmental trade-offsPeri-urban agriculturePolicyEconomicsAnalysis of Constrains Facing Urban Agriculture Development in Tehran, Iran
2013Soraya Pourjavid, Hassan Sadighi, Hossein Shabanali Fami · RePEc: Research Papers in Economics · Iran (Tehran)
This study identified constraints affecting urban agriculture in Tehran, Iran, by surveying 320 city dwellers across 22 municipal districts. The most important constraints identified were "high start-up costs" and "lack of knowledge among managers and authorities." Factor analysis revealed seven factors explaining 67.36% of the variance, including financial-economic and technical aspects.
Economic viabilityEconomicsPolicyCommunityTo Develop Urban Agriculture in Small Towns Using the Concept of Ecological Civilization
2013Lijie He · · China
This article analyzes the current situation and problems of urban agricultural development in small towns of China. It identifies severe problems hindering progress, including decreasing agricultural land, severe waste of land resources, serious agricultural pollution, low quality and income of agricultural labor, limited transport capacity, insufficient funding, and a lack of related policies and regulations.
Governance failurePolicyEconomicsClimate changeUrban–rural linkageBusiness Strategy Choice of Allot Gardens in Beijing Based on SWOT-AHP
2013Yue Guan · Beijing Linye Daxue xuebao · China (Beijing)
This paper analyzes the business strategy of allot gardens in Beijing, which face difficulties despite their recent growth. Based on a field survey of 11 allot gardens, the study uses SWOT analysis and the AHP model to quantitatively assess internal and external operating environments and propose business strategies.
EconomicsPolicyCommunity