Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
11393 results(101 / 456)
7 Countryside–City Revisited
2024John Wilkinson · Bristol University Press eBooks · Global
This book argues that the wave of agri-food innovations under review takes urban life, rather than rural production, as its point of departure, motivated by urban sensibilities like health, climate, and animal wellbeing, and existing urban food consumption practices. The two main innovations analyzed—climate-controlled agriculture and alternative proteins—can be integrated into the urban environment, radically reducing the agricultural footprint and environmental pressure. Combined with deindustrialization and energy transition, new food perspectives question the historical urbanization-agriculture relation, identifying varied food provision forms, often involving significant urban food production. A radical city-country separation occurred only in the early 20th century due to public hygiene, transport innovations, and the end of horse transport. Deindustrialization in the North and urban poverty in the South see urban agriculture reintroduced as a food security strategy. Urban designers envision food reintegration into the city, compatible with the innovations analyzed.
Urban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changeSchool gardening through the perspective of the Whole School Approach
2024Maria Neocleous Maliotou, Γεωργία Λιαράκου · Education 3-13 · Global
This research employed the Whole School Approach framework to address obstacles in setting up and operating a school-integrated, long-sustained school garden. A school case study involving in-depth interviews with school stakeholders was utilized. Findings suggest that a long-sustained school garden requires collective vision and strategic planning, a holistic curriculum connection, continuous staff capacity building, and school community involvement.
Food educationCommunityPolicyWill Climate Endowment Affect the Improvement of Agricultural Production Efficiency? Evidence From Cities in Zhejiang Province, China
2024Yihang Hu, Junbiao Zhang, Yangmei Zeng, Jie Li · Land Degradation and Development · China
A study in Zhejiang Province, China, examined the impact of climate factors on agricultural production efficiency using a pooled OLS model. While precipitation production potential showed a significantly positive impact, the effects of temperature, evapotranspiration, and insolation were not significant or exhibited poor stability. Furthermore, the benefits of precipitation potential varied, with only a few cities experiencing significant improvements.
Limited or null effectClimate changeEconomicsUrban–rural linkageOccupant Needs for Neighborhood Outdoor Spaces Based on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs: Evidence from Wuxi, China
2024Jing Zhao, Faziawati Abdul Aziz, Norsidah Ujang · International Journal of Business and Technology Management · China (Wuxi)
This study investigated the correlation between residents' needs and the provision of neighborhood outdoor spaces in Wuxi, China, through the lens of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, using survey data from 372 residents. Findings revealed that residents seek clean and verdant spaces at the physiological level, well-lit and secure spaces for safety, environments like community gardens that encourage interaction for love and belonging, aesthetically appealing spaces that bolster local identity for esteem, and areas providing avenues for personal development, such as neighborhood vegetable gardens, for self-actualization.
CommunityHealthWelfareHandmade Spaces: Creative Placemaking in a Local Neighborhood
2024Silvia Gullino, Heidi Seetzen · · United Kingdom (London)
This ethnographic research in a former Victorian square in South London examined how residents transformed derelict spaces, including creating two community gardens, over three decades. The study found that while informal, bottom-up practices shaped a vibrant urban culture, the neighborhood is now undergoing progressive gentrification. This gentrification reflects trends in other London neighborhoods, posing challenges to community initiatives.
Equity & displacementCommunityPolicyA 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 & justicePolicyEconomicsPemberdayaan Warga Griya Pataruman Asri Berbasis Urban Farming
2024Sopian Alviana, Bobi Kurniawan · Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat Tekno. · Indonesia
This community service program aimed to empower residents of Griya Pataruman Asri, Indonesia, through hydroponic urban farming, addressing limited agricultural land in urban areas. The program provided training and understanding of hydroponic technology, and distributed 10 hydroponic kits to residents. This initiative sought to utilize vacant land and enable residents to cultivate crops with limited space.
CommunityDIYFood educationPotential of ecological water treatment elements to reduce pollution of river water used for urban agriculture in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
2024Terusaw Solomon, Kumelachew Yeshitela, Wondmagegn Taye Abebe · Discover Water · Ethiopia (Addis Ababa)
This study assessed the effectiveness of a vetiver grass floating treatment wetland in reducing irrigation water pollution at the Mekanisa-Gofa-Lafto Cooperative farm in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. After a 7-day treatment, the wetland reduced BOD (73.68%), COD (73.92%), pH (0.39%), Chloride (43.12%), Total Hardness (66.56%), and TSS (96.21%), approaching recommended irrigation water quality guidelines within 3 days. However, Electro Conductivity (22.2%) and Sodium (15.2%) concentrations increased, exceeding recommended values.
HealthOrganic cycleClimate changeGreen Informalities as Socially Just Ecological Infrastucture: Enduring with Dignity at the Edges of Resilient Development in Dhaka
2024Huq, Efadul · Smith ScholarWorks (Smith College) · Bangladesh (Dhaka)
Research in Dhaka, Bangladesh, indicates that ecological infrastructure often erases existing informal agricultural practices, leading to the displacement of marginalized urban dwellers. Based on engaged research with a collective of urban farmers facing eviction, this paper argues that green informalities are crucial for understanding grassroots practices and can be appreciated as socially just ecological infrastructure.
Equity & displacementCommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyWelfareA tale of service regimes in irrigated urban agriculture: evidence from two cities in the Global South
2024B.J.M. van Vliet, Kamonashish Haldar, Matthijs T. Wessels, Katarzyna Kujawa-Roeleveld, Gert Jan Veldwisch · Water International · Global
This study examined the governance of irrigated urban agriculture in Arusha, Tanzania, and Khulna, Bangladesh, from a service regime perspective. Findings showed how service regimes bridge the gap between formal governance institutions and practices around irrigated urban agriculture. It is concluded that acknowledging, facilitating, and aligning these regimes can strengthen governance arrangements.
Governance failurePolicyHealthFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changeSCHOOL GARDEN PROGRAMS AND NUTRITIONAL KNOWLEDGE IMPACT ON ADOLESCENT EATING HABITS IN RURAL PUNJAB
2024Vaneeza Iftikhar, Nageena Ghafoor · Axis Journal of Agriculture & Biological Sciences · India
A quasi-experimental study with 194 adolescents aged 11–15 years in government schools of South Punjab, India, assessed if integrating school gardening with nutrition education improves dietary habits. After a 12-week intervention, the intervention group showed an increase in mean dietary diversity from 4.2 to 6.1 and a decrease in weekly junk food servings from 9.8 to 5.2. Compared to the control group, the intervention group demonstrated statistically significant improvements in both dietary diversity and junk food consumption.
Food educationHealthPrincipales spéculations maraîchères cultivées dans les zones urbaines et périurbaines de la ville de Kinshasa (<i>Synthèse bibliographique</i>)
2024Jean de Dieu Minengu, Aiko Ikonso Mwengi, Romain Kawanga, Simon Mwengi, Oscar Mangunda Yama · Revue Africaine d’Environnement et d’Agriculture · Africa
Market gardening in Kinshasa's urban and peri-urban areas faces multiple constraints, including land insecurity, low natural soil fertility, the incidence of diseases and pests, weak technical support, climate hazards, poor input supply, and problematic marketing systems. These constraints limit yields in production sites and hinder the development of market gardening activities.
Governance failureUrban–rural linkagePeri-urban agricultureEconomicsClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceAssessing how pro-environmental perspectives impact participation in rooftop organic agriculture in urban neighborhoods
2024Mohammad Enamul Hoque, Abdullah Al Mamun, Perengki Susanto · International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management · Bangladesh
A study collected data from 352 households in two major Bangladeshi cities to predict organic food production intention and behavior in urban rooftop gardens using the value-belief-norm (VBN) theory and theory of planned behavior (TPB). Findings showed that biospheric and egoistic values improved ecological worldview, which, along with awareness of consequences and social norms, predicted personal norms. Personal and social norms forecasted the intention to produce organic food in rooftop gardens.
DIYClimate changeCommunityOrganic cycleMarginalised 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 & justiceGrowing utopia – undoing risk through self-sufficiency and urban gardening?
2024Elin Montelius · Journal of Risk Research · Sweden
This paper analyzes the utopia of self-sufficiency as a response to risk and uncertainty, particularly focusing on the growing interest in gardening and cultivating vegetables in Sweden. Using intersectional risk theory, it examines how narratives of self-sufficiency function to address ecological risk and uncertainty, and how utopian narratives can contribute to undoing risk.
DIYCommunityClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceSoil quality in the urban gardens of Barcelona (Spain)
2024Cosimo Dondini, Xavier Úbeda, Giacomo Certini, Marcos Francos · Journal of Soils and Sediments · Spain (Barcelona)
This study analyzed soils from ten urban gardens in Barcelona, Spain, with a special focus on possible contaminants. Irrigation water was also analyzed, and some of the waters contained a high concentration of salts and nitrites, which are listed as a pollutant. While three tests for heavy metals did not attest to significant pollution, other toxic elements not considered in this study could come from road transport gases or the port of Barcelona. Overall, the soil quality was concluded to be suitable for growing vegetables.
Contamination & food safetyOrganic cycleHealthCommunityExploring climate change adaptation strategies of crop and livestock farmers in urban Ghana
2024Godwin K. Naazie, Isaac Agyemang, Anthony Mwinilanaa Tampah-Naah · Discover Environment · Ghana
This study investigated climate change adaptation strategies among 191 urban crop and livestock farming households and 13 key informants in Ghana using mixed methods. Findings revealed a significant link between farmers' educational status, gender, and climate adaptation information sources. Strategies include cultivating improved crop varieties, rearing exotic animal breeds, and treating animals with vaccinations and chemicals, but access to agricultural extension services remains a primary challenge.
Climate changeFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageSubsistence to commercial: urban farming transformation builds food security and social empowerment
2024Ilham Nur Hanifan Maulana, Chandra Dinata, Aditya Chisabul Amali, Ditania Arya Dewi · JRTI (Jurnal Riset Tindakan Indonesia) · Indonesia (Malang)
This qualitative case study in Sukun Village, Malang City, Indonesia, investigated urban farming's potential for diverse food security and community empowerment through commercialization. Data was collected via in-depth interviews with 15 stakeholders, participatory observations, and document analysis. Findings indicate that urban farming contributes to micro-food security by providing fresh produce, fostering social solidarity, and increasing household incomes through cooperative models and agrotourism, also highlighting its integration with educational tourism for economic sustainability.
CommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceINTRODUCTION TO GRASS JELLY CULTIVATION THROUGH THE URBAN FARMING CONCEOT FOR FAMILY WELFARE AND EMPOWERMENT GROUP OF RW IX, GRIYA BHAYANGKARA
2024Puji Lestari Tarigan, Edi Purnomo Sasongko, Haidar Fari Aditya, Wanti Mindari, Ramadhani Mahendra Kusuma, Fitri Wijayanti · Journal of Community Service · Indonesia (Sidoarjo)
This community service activity in RW IX, Griya Bhayangkara, Sidoarjo, East Java, introduced the cultivation of green grass jelly using urban farming methods like polybags and pots to PKK groups. The aim was to highlight the plant's benefits for digestion, blood sugar, and cancer prevention, and its potential for household-scale processing. The activity, which included lectures and practical sessions, resulted in the distribution of grass jelly plants for care and harvesting, with the PKK group finding them interesting and beneficial for various food preparations.
DIYCommunityWelfareFood educationGrowing Your Own Food and Dietary Quality: Results from a Survey
2024Larissa S. Drescher, Carola Grebitus · EuroChoices · Europe
This study investigated the link between growing one's own food and dietary quality, using the Healthy Food Diversity Index, Berry-Index, and a produce consumption indicator. It found that growing food at home and in community gardens is associated with the highest fruit and vegetable consumption, while not growing any food is associated with the lowest produce consumption. Overall, the results indicate that growing food is linked to higher dietary quality values, suggesting potential health benefits from home and community gardens. The negative association between not growing food and diet quality highlights a need to promote food-growing programs.
DIYCommunityHealthA growing concern: investigating sustainable water quality and urban food production in Freetown, Sierra Leone
2024Lee D. Bryant, Roy Maconachie, Bastian Schnabel, Abubakarr Swaray, Howard Gigi, Solomon Gbanie, Kabba Haroun Bangura, Anthony Kamara, Prince Antwi-Agyei · Water Science & Technology Water Supply · Sierra Leone (Freetown)
This paper examined the environmental health status of three urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) sites in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Qualitative and quantitative data revealed heavy metal concentrations significantly exceeding regulatory limits in sweet potato leaves and arable soil. Additionally, soaring levels of faecal coliform bacteria were found in irrigation water, and crops were identified as hyperaccumulators for environmental contaminants.
Contamination & food safetyHealthPeri-urban agricultureFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPemanfaatan Limbah Organik Pertanian Sebagai Media Tanam Pertanian Perkotaan (Urban Farming) Dalam Membangun Kemandirian Pangan di “Kampung Wisata Terpadu” Desa Mulyoagung, Kecamatan Dau, Kabupaten Malang
2024Tri Wahyu Nugroho, Aulia Luqman Aziz, Hery Toiba, Ahmad Imron Rozuli, Suyadi Suyadi · JAPI (Jurnal Akses Pengabdian Indonesia) · Indonesia (Malang)
This community service activity in Mulyoagung Village, Malang, Indonesia, aimed to empower the local economy through urban farming by utilizing organic waste such as cocopeat and polybags as growing media. The program successfully enabled the community to adopt urban farming concepts, proving its effectiveness in addressing shrinking agricultural land and strengthening the local economy. However, it is also noted that sources of materials, human resources, and market access are among the obstacles causing urban farming failures.
Economic viabilityOrganic cycleFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsCommunityClimate Change Adaptation through Urban Agriculture Food Barn in Tambakrejo, Semarang City
2024Muhammad Sholeh, Deby Luriawati Naryatmojo, Saptono Putro, Andri Sumihar Simbolon · Jurnal Abdimas · Indonesia (Semarang)
In Tambakrejo, Semarang City, Indonesia, an urban farming initiative supported by SAKA Energi Muriah Limited and Semarang State University aimed to enhance food security and climate change adaptation. The program involved community empowerment, training, and implementation of urban farming models like vertical pipes and hanging pots. This initiative successfully provided alternative food sources, especially during floods, and increased community awareness of food security and the environment.
Climate changeFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityFood educationA Systematic Review of Korean Studies on the Health Effects of Care Farming
2024Minah Baek, Eunseo Jeong, Eunjeong Kang · Academy of Urban Health · South Korea
This systematic review analyzed 19 domestic studies on the health effects of care farming in South Korea, noting an increase in research since 2020 across diverse fields. Horticultural therapy was the most common intervention, with insect, forest, and urban gardening showing positive effects on stress, depression, and cognitive and emotional functions. Recommendations included increased attention from healthcare researchers, standardization of practices, and policy support.
HealthWelfareElderlyCommunity