Research & reports

Manuela Alves da Cunha, Ryzia de Cássia Vieira Cardoso · Ambiente & sociedade · Brazil (Salvador)

A descriptive study was conducted to highlight the contribution of urban gardens to promoting Food and Nutrition Security and sustainable development in Salvador, Brazil. Data collected from urban garden farmers in the city showed that the gardens have been promoting work and generating income for families, contributing to food supply and security. In addition to producing fresh vegetables for the local population, the activity contributes to ecosystem balance and sustainability.

Ana Clara Aparecida Alves de Souza, Fernando Dias Lopes · Cadernos EBAPE BR · Brazil (Porto Alegre)

This two-year participatory investigation of Horta da Formiga, a collective urban garden in Porto Alegre, Brazil, analyzed how key agents reconcile inherent contradictions. The study found that while individuals exhibit agency, structured conditions within the social field prevent the organic and diverse reconciliation of contradictions. This occurs despite agents aligning with state-legitimized capital.

Joshua Arnold · Processes · United States (California)

A survey of 29 urban farms in the San Francisco Bay Area from 2014 to 2017 examined on-farm spatial composition, management practices, and estimated productivity. Findings showed a large proportion of farm area dedicated to infrastructure and underutilized potential production space. All surveyed farms adopted diverse agroecological practices, and measured farms were productive with estimated seasonal yields of 7.14 kg/square meter, comparable to actual yields at two farms.

Julian Hasford, Sheldon Caruana · Canadian Journal of Children s Rights / Revue canadienne des droits des enfants · Canada

A reflective piece on the experience of mobilizing Black youth in food sovereignty activism during the COVID-19 pandemic. Authors who were part of the project's leadership team present personal narratives describing the process of establishing a Black youth-led farm project in southern Ontario, Canada, and reflect on lessons learned, including challenges of engaging in youth-led projects within the constraints of virtual spaces.

Brandy Phipps, Brian Kowalkowski, Jeremy Wescott, McFadden Brandon, Craig Schluttenhofer, K. V. Nedunuri · Current Developments in Nutrition · United States

A study protocol for measuring the impact of a "farm-to-fork" program on food security and nutrition among the Menominee Nation, located on the Menominee Indian Reservation in Wisconsin, United States. A 2015 Community Food Assessment found 73% of respondents cited hunger as a concern, and the county ranks last in the state for both food security and health outcomes, while 65% of respondents expressed interest in growing their own food if assistance were available. The protocol plans four years of interventions including a new aquaponics facility and education programming at farmers' markets, using pre- and post-surveys plus county health data to measure production, self-efficacy and nutrient intake; it hypothesizes increases in production, self-efficacy and consumption of nutrient-dense foods, but results are not yet reported.

Valéria Borges Yonegura, Henrique Manoel da Silva · Cadernos de Ciência & Tecnologia · Brazil (Curitiba)

A study of urban agriculture's effects in two neighborhoods of southern Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil - an area historically stigmatized for violence and poverty - that observed increases in quality of life, aesthetic improvement of the landscape, a greater sense of security and inclusion, and residents' topophilic attachment to place. Urban agriculture is used in the city's marketing, but the paper states that its continuity is partly threatened by the possible end of a partnership with the local electric utility and by real estate market pressure. Most results come from a master's thesis, with continued monitoring via media coverage and contact with community leaders.

Mariana Portilho, Camila Gonçalves de Oliveira Rodrigues , Annelise Caetano Fraga Fernandez · Portuguese National Funding Agency for Science, Research and Technology (RCAAP Project by FCT) · Brazil (Rio de Janeiro)

This study presents the formation of Arranjo Local da Penha, a community territorial network established in 2016 in the Penha favela complex in Rio de Janeiro. Primarily led by women and focused on promoting urban agriculture based on agroecology, this network fostered women's protagonism and built emotional ties between them and the place, mainly by enabling access to "real food" in the favela.

Bruno do Nascimento Macedo, Fernanda Nogueira Comas, Amarílis Lucia Casteli Figueiredo Gallardo · Journal of Urban Technology and Sustainability · Brazil (São Paulo)

This study discussed the main environmental services and disservices associated with urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) in São Paulo, Brazil, using a systematic literature review and spatial analysis. It identified 12 environmental services and 5 disservices, mapping 197 UPA initiatives. The research concluded that UPA has the potential to offer environmental benefits, but can also exert negative pressures on the environment, including in areas that should be protected.

Moisés Savian, Pedro Boff, Mari Inês Caríssimi Boff · Research Society and Development · Brazil

This study analyzed the contribution of urban agriculture to sustainable development in Brazilian cities and communities by reviewing 40 scientific articles published between 2009 and 2019. The findings indicate that urban agriculture is practiced across all regions of Brazil, exhibits diverse multifunctional characteristics, plays a significant role in maintaining agrobiodiversity, and supports food and nutritional security. It also contributes to economic, social, and ecological aspects of cities, potentially benefiting urban spaces, promoting health, and aiding educational processes.

Stephanie C. Boddie · Social Work & Christianity · United States

In Fall 2018, a social work professor in the United States designed a course for graduate students across social work, education, and seminary schools, based on permaculture design principles. Students addressed community challenges like food insecurity and K-12 student disengagement by supporting a local school garden. This pedagogy aimed to foster holistic and relevant learning experiences.

Nathan McClintock · Policy Press eBooks · Canada (Montreal)

In Montreal's Mile-Ex neighborhood, Canada, urban agriculture initiatives are transforming vacant lots into green spaces. Participants planted basil and threw "seed bombs" in a vacant lot as part of an effort to "reclaim the city." The practice of greening vacant lots is common in North American cities, and the relationship between vacancy and urban agriculture is historical, with city dwellers traditionally gardening in "wastelands."

André Ruoppolo Biazoti, Vitória Oliveira Pereira de Souza Leão, Rafael Junqueira Buralli, Thaís Mauad · Estudos Avançados · Brazil (São Paulo)

Agricultural production and distribution in São Paulo, Brazil, were evaluated using official databases and seven semi-structured interviews with farmers conducted between 2018 and 2020. The findings indicate growth in agricultural practices and access to a wide variety of commercialization channels within the municipality. The opening of new markets, the development of public policies, and public recognition were essential for this growth.

Martha Biddle, JungHee Kang, Julie C. Derringer, Anna M. Rose, D. Brewer, Misook L. Chung, Terry A. Lennie, Gia Mudd‐Martin, Timothy A. Woods · Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition · United States (Kentucky)

A study examined the relationships among food security status, eating patterns, and perceived barriers to food choices among 209 shareholders in a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program in Kentucky during COVID-19 stay-at-home restrictions. The food insecure group (n=33) reported lower consumption of fruits/vegetables and whole grains, greater consumption of fast foods, and more barriers to food choices compared to the food secure group. A low food insecure proportion (16%) among CSA participants suggests a potential role for CSA programs in preventing food insecurity.

Chelsea Klinke, Gertrude Korkor Samar · Canadian Food Studies / La Revue canadienne des études sur l alimentation · Canada (Calgary)

This paper argues for an academic paradigm shift in food studies to bridge the gap between scholarship and community-based transformative engagement, supporting social justice frameworks. Through a case study of urban farming in Calgary, it explores place-based learning and participatory approaches that integrate Indigenous ways of knowing. The paper provides strategies for supporting local food systems through activist scholarship and capacity building in urban farming.

Jessica Cuevas-Castilleja, Armando Martínez-Luz, Marcelo Adán López-Arzate, Itzel Arlette Ramírez-García, Gustavo Mora‐Aguilera, Norma Ávila-Alistac · Revista mexicana de fitopatología(en línea)/Revista mexicana de fitopatología · Mexico (Mexico City)

This study investigated the impact of COVID-19 on productive activities and the level of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) application among 108 urban agriculture farmers and extensionists in six areas of Mexico City. A digital survey in 2020 revealed that the sanitary emergency reduced extension services, though they continued with digital technologies. During the peak of COVID-19, 14% of farmers declined to sow the summer-fall season, and up to 75% reported 20% losses due to the epidemic. The main pest control strategies were mechanical (67%) and chemical (52%), indicating an intuitive understanding of IPM benefits despite farmers being unaware of its principles.

Bárbara de Oliveira Falce, Breno Dalcolmo de Almeida Leão, Arnaldo Henrique de Oliveira Carvalho · Meio Ambiente (Brasil) · Brazil (Ibatiba)

This study characterized urban agriculture in Ibatiba, Brazil, by analyzing 22 production units across 10 neighborhoods through spatial distribution mapping and farmer interviews. Positive aspects included a wide variety of foods, considerable independence from external inputs for seeds, fertilizers, and animal feed, and efforts towards environmental education. However, concerns were noted regarding the continued use of pesticides and issues with water origin and utilization, such as spring water capture and limited irrigation.

Cecilia M. Tsu · Amerasia Journal · United States

This article examines community gardens established for refugees from Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos in the United States during the 1980s. It argues that refugee gardeners perceived a significant disconnect between their rural lives in Southeast Asia and the role of vegetable growing in the U.S., despite advocates emphasizing continuity with their past. The gardens provided a measure of economic empowerment, but highlighted the disjuncture in their resettlement experience.

Elizabeth Chaparro y Peredo · Encartes · Mexico (Guadalajara)

This study investigates alternative economic practices that emerged in response to structural crises, aiming to satisfy needs outside conventional markets, using Guadalajara, Mexico, as an example. By mapping actors in the city's alternative economies, a network of spaces promoting practices such as alternative markets, consumption cooperatives, community gardens, and bartering clubs was identified. These practices aim to foster community and autonomy, recovering social relations, the environment, and public health.

Glenda Elizabeth Gilmore · Southern cultures · United States

This article examines urban gardening practices by women in the New South during the early 20th century, which provided self-sufficiency and profits. It chronicles how urban planners and zoning eliminated most of these urban gardening opportunities by the late 1930s. The study considers these practices through two collages by artist Romare Bearden, focusing on the gardener Maudell Sleet.

Brian James Leech, Christopher Strunk · Food Culture & Society · United States (Rock Island)

This research explores the historical evolution of urban gardening in Rock Island, Illinois, a post-industrial city, from 1913 to 2018. It finds that while urban agriculture was prominent during 20th-century crises, it has maintained a constant presence, with initiatives like Victory Gardens and community gardens sharing common goals of addressing poverty and food access. However, gardening programs have often failed to acknowledge the underlying causes of food insecurity.

Elijalma Augusto Beserra, Vivianni Marques Leite dos Santos, Eva Mônica Sarmento da Silva, Lúcia Marisy Souza Ribeiro de Oliveira, Hesler Piedade Caffé Filho · ID on line REVISTA DE PSICOLOGIA · Brazil

This descriptive, qualitative, and quantitative research, conducted from September to December 2021, investigated how the community garden of the Coelho Atikum Jurema Community in Brazil was affected by Covid-19. The study identified a series of adversities faced by the community in adapting to the market changes resulting from Covid-19 social interaction rules. These rules directly impacted the community's marketing techniques, posing challenges to economic viability.

Alline Gomes Lamenha e Silva, Miguel Aloysio Sattler · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Brazil (Feliz)

This article presents a multivariate analysis to identify areas available for urban food production in Feliz/RS, Brazil. The analysis synergistically considered the served population, family income, and continuous available areas. The results can strategically contribute to identifying suitable areas for urban food production, supporting food security policies, green corridor implementation, or environmental education initiatives.

Meredith Gaglio · · United States

The "Ecotopia" concept, promoting ecologically and socially responsible American Appropriate Technology (AT), included innovative urban planning like rooftop gardens. However, the expansion and contraction of the intranational Ecotopian network built by former Rainmakers in the mid-to-late 1970s revealed a crisis of purpose within RAIN and signaled a crisis within the AT Movement itself.

Lucas Sales dos Santos, Milena De Moura Régis, Ana Paula Branco do Nascimento · Revista Nacional de Gerenciamento de Cidades · Brazil (São Paulo)

This study investigated an organically grown community garden in the Previdência Municipal Park in the West Zone of São Paulo City, Brazil, through in-situ observations, interviews, and literature review. The findings indicated benefits for food and nutrition safety, interpersonal involvement, and environmental education. Key challenges identified were social leaderships, technical-scientific knowledge for organic productivity, and planning for project continuity.

Naiane Modri Fuzinatto, Jaciney Aparecida Danielli, Daniela Preschlak, Augusto Fischer · Revista em Agronegócio e Meio Ambiente · Brazil

This study presented a proposal for organic strawberry cultivation in urban spaces for a small producer and evaluated the financial viability of local sales. Through a qualitative and quantitative case study in Santa Catarina State, results indicated social and environmental benefits from adopting urban strawberry cultivation under an organic production system. Furthermore, the entire investment could be recovered in just over two years, representing a medium-term return on investment.