Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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みんなのうえんPARK湊川にPARK BARが完成しました
2023独立行政法人都市再生機構（UR都市機構） · UR都市機構 西日本支社 ニュースリリース · Japan
A news release from UR (Urban Renaissance Agency) reporting the completion of the PARK BAR facility at 'Minna no Uen PARK Minatogawa' on UR land in Kobe, introducing the farm-plus-park social experiment for community exchange, childcare and welfare.
CommunityWelfareUrbanization, agrifood systems transformation and healthy diets across the rural–urban continuum
2023FAO · FAO — background paper for SOFI/SOFA 2023 · Global
Urban populations in low- and middle-income countries are growing at ~3% a year. An empirical, cross-country analysis of food supply, food security and diets across the rural-urban continuum, examining how urbanization shapes access to healthy diets.
HealthPolicyThe Role of Urban–Rural Connections in Building Food System Resilience
2023Berkhout E., Sovová L., Sonneveld A. · Sustainability (MDPI) 15(3), 1818 · Global
Analyzes urban-rural connections across four resilience dimensions (agency, buffering, connectivity, diversification), positioning mid-size cities as key hubs for rural food supply and drawing lessons for post-COVID food systems in low- and middle-income countries.
An integrated literature review on Urban and peri-urban farming: Exploring research themes and future directions
2023Srinivasan K., Yadav V.K. · Sustainable Cities and Society · Global
A bibliometric integrated review of urban and peri-urban farming literature (2002–2022), identifying food security, local food systems and sustainable agriculture as core themes, with IoT, resilience and LCA emerging as new directions.
The role of urban and peri-urban agriculture in global food security from post-war to the COVID-19 crisis
2023Bertolini A.M., Jaime P.C., Di Giulio G.M. · Saúde e Sociedade (SciELO), 32(3):e230330 · Global
A historical review of urban and peri-urban agriculture's contribution to food security from the post-war era to the COVID-19 crisis, reassessing urban-rural food connection through the lenses of food justice and global health.
HealthLongitudinal analysis of home food production and food sharing behavior in Japan: multiple benefits of local food systems and the recent impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
2023Kamiyama C., Hori K., Matsui T., Pretty J., Saito O. · Sustainability Science (Springer) · Japan
Using national surveys from 2015 and 2021, shows that more agricultural areas have higher home food production and neighborly sharing, and that interest in home production rose in urban areas after COVID-19—longitudinally demonstrating the multiple benefits of local food systems.
CommunityHealthGovernance and Actions for Resilient Urban Food Systems in the Era of COVID-19: Lessons and Challenges in China
2023Xue H., Zhai Y., Su W.-H., He Z. · Agriculture (MDPI) 13(9), 1681 · China
Analyzes the governance response of China's urban food systems during the COVID-19 pandemic, drawing out from cases the disruption of rural-urban food distribution, the reality of administrative intervention and its challenges.
PolicyCo-creative research for transitioning toward a fair and sustainable agri-food system in Brussels, Belgium
2023Hermesse J., Vankeerberghen A., Lohest F., Truyffaut A. · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · Belgium (Brussels)
Examines six co-creative, transdisciplinary research projects in Brussels that engaged diverse stakeholders to co-produce knowledge on urban food production, distribution, and equitable food access, highlighting recommendations for institutional and legislative reform to support food system transitions.
CommunityFood educationPolicyMultidimensional performance of periurban horticulture: assessing agroecological transition and soil health
2023Sokolowski A.C., Álvarez V.E., Mangiarotti A., Gonçalves Vila Cova C. · Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems · Argentina (Buenos Aires)
In Buenos Aires peri-urban family farms, TAPE surveys and soil measurements showed that self-defined agroecological farms outperformed conventional ones on soil health indicators including aggregate stability and organic carbon.
Organic cycleCommunityBiodiversityDriving sustainable urban development: Exploring the role of small-scale organic urban agriculture in Bogotá, Colombia: A case study
2023Riaño-Herrera D.A., Varela-Martínez D.A., Chenet J.G., García-García D.A., Díaz-Verus S.D. · Sustainable Cities and Society · Colombia (Bogotá)
This case study analyzed rooftop organic agriculture in Bogotá over 11 months, documenting an 82.1% relative yield from 336 harvested vegetables and estimating food autonomy potential for over 11,000 families through 432 projects.
Organic cycleCommunityEconomicsHealthSocial Metabolism in Buruan SAE: Individual Rift Perspective on Urban Farming Model for Food Independence in Bandung, Indonesia
2023Purnomo D., Sitepu G.L., Nugraha Y.R., Rosiyan M.B.P. · Sustainability · Indonesia (Bandung)
Using a social metabolism framework derived from individual variables, this paper analyses urban farming activities in Bandung's Buruan SAE programme and finds that implementation paradoxically stifled agricultural development, with most groups unable to sustain activities beyond two years. The study reveals how top-down policy formulation undermines the emergence of independent urban farmers.
CommunityPolicyEconomicsA scoping study of urban community gardening promoted by the Philippine National Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture Banner Program (NUPAP)
2023Bayot R.S., Schreinemachers P., Mwambi M., Dominguez D.D., Oro E.M., Gonsalves J.F. · World Vegetable Center (CGIAR) · Philippines (Metro Manila)
This scoping study evaluated urban community gardening sites under the Philippines' National Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture Banner Program (NUPAP) across Metro Manila, covering 26 sites in 7 cities. Findings showed the program lacked targeted support for vulnerable populations despite coordinating numerous urban farming initiatives.
CommunityPolicyFood educationHealth"It's Not Only Our Task": Administrative Barriers of Enabling Urban Gardening in Tampere, Finland
2023Willman K. · ACME: An International Journal for Critical Geographies, Vol. 22, No. 2 · Finland (Tampere)
Through discourse analysis of interviews with eight Tampere city officials, this study reveals how bureaucratic caution and institutional ambiguity create a constrained operational space for community gardening, despite political-level support for its expansion.
CommunityPolicyDrivers of Innovative Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture in Bamenda City, Cameroon
2023Ngetleh N., Bime-Egwu M., Tambi M. · Agricultural Sciences · Cameroon (Bamenda)
This study identifies the socioeconomic and institutional drivers behind innovative urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) adoption in Bamenda City, Cameroon, demonstrating that UPA is a critical livelihood strategy for the urban poor amid rapid urbanization. The findings inform policy recommendations to support sustainable urban food production.
EconomicsCommunityPolicyFood educationCrop–pollinator interactions in urban and peri-urban farms in the United Kingdom
2023Nicholls E., Griffiths-Lee J., Basu P., Chatterjee S., Goulson D. · Plants, People, Planet · United Kingdom
Study of crop-pollinator interactions in UK urban and peri-urban farms, quantifying ecosystem services provided by pollinators in city farming systems.
PollinatorsBiodiversityCommunityUrban agriculture and its biodiversity: What is it and what lives in it?
2023Royer H., Yengue J., Bech N. · ScienceDirect · Global
Systematic review of biodiversity impacts of urban agriculture globally, comprehensively analyzing agriculture's role in urban ecosystems.
BiodiversityCommunityOrganic cycleMicroclimate characteristics and multi-effect analysis of facade and rooftop agriculture based on in-situ observation and meta-analysis
2023Li Y., Ma E., Liao L., Li J., Zhu S., Zhang Q. · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · Global
Meta-analysis of microclimate effects from facade and rooftop agriculture, demonstrating building-integrated farming's role in climate adaptation and urban heat mitigation.
BiodiversitySMART GROW – Low-cost automated hydroponic system for urban farming
2023Kueh Yung Shin K., Tan P.P., Goh Boon Ling M., Chong C.J., Bolhassan N.A. · HardwareX, 16:e00498 · Malaysia
An open-hardware study designing and publishing SMART GROW, a low-cost automated IoT hydroponic system paired with an Android app for small-scale urban farming. It monitors and controls basic parameters such as pH, EC and water level and can be readily replicated, self-built and customised at home. It exemplifies DIY and maker culture in which citizens tackle urban food production with self-built equipment.
DIYCommunityEconomicsPlanning the foodshed: Rural and peri‐urban factors in local food strategies of major cities in Canada and the United States
2023Kerstin Schreiber, Klara J. Winkler, Killian Abellon, Graham K. MacDonald · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems · United States
This study analyzes 25 local food strategy and action-plan documents from 22 major US and Canadian cities (over 300,000 residents) to assess how cities plan for peri-urban and rural food production. It finds that topics such as farmland access and quality, farm viability, agricultural training, processing infrastructure, and the needs of marginalized groups (including BIPOC) are often overlooked, and that fewer than half of cities defined how progress would be measured.
PolicyEconomicsSurveying and localized screening of soil contamination with the growth of urban community agriculture in Northern Utah
2023Frank Oliver, Melanie N. Stock, Paul Grossl, Grant Cardon · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems · United States (Salt Lake County)
This study conducted an initial screening survey of soil contaminants (lead, arsenic, and benzo(a)pyrene) in community gardens and urban farms in Salt Lake County, Utah, where urban agriculture is expanding. Lead ranged from 14.8 to 516 mg/kg (mean 91.8) and arsenic from 2.83 to 39.3 mg/kg (mean 11.8), with all arsenic values exceeding the US EPA regional screening level of 0.68 mg/kg. The baseline data were used to develop local screening levels and soil management plans for producers.
CommunityHealthCommunity‐Engaged Assessment of Soil Lead Contamination in Atlanta Urban Growing Spaces
2023Samuel J. W. Peters, Sydney M. Warner, Eri Saikawa, P. Barry Ryan, Parinya Panuwet, Dana B. Barr, Priya E. D'Souza, Gil Frank, Rosario Hernandez, Taranji Alvarado, Arthur Hines, Chris Theal · GeoHealth · United States (Atlanta)
Using community-engaged research, researchers and community gardeners co-designed a study measuring soil lead concentrations via XRF and ICP-MS at 19 urban agricultural and residential sites in west Atlanta and three rural Georgia sites. Most sites were below the EPA residential screening levels but above the University of Georgia's low-risk agricultural levels, and some sites containing metal-refining waste or slag reached three times the EPA level. The findings led local and federal agencies to initiate cleanup of the slag residue.
CommunityHealthPolicyChemically Catalyzed Phytoextraction for Sustainable Cleanup of Soil Lead Contamination in a Community Garden in Jersey City, New Jersey
2023Zhiming Zhang, Dibyendu Sarkar, Frances Levy, Rupali Datta · Sustainability · United States (Jersey City)
This field study demonstrated the effectiveness of a chemically catalyzed phytoextraction model, using the biodegradable chelating agent EDDS with vetiver grass, in a lead-contaminated community garden in Jersey City, New Jersey. Despite ongoing lead input from a nearby construction site, soil lead fell from 1144 to 359 mg/kg over three years. EDDS converted non-plant-available lead forms into plant-available forms, and vetiver roots accumulated more lead than in plots without EDDS.
CommunityHealthDigging in: Toward a more just urban garden land policy
2023Hannah Ramer, Kristen Nelson · Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development · United States (Minneapolis)
Using a contextualized case comparison of the City of Minneapolis and the independently elected Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, this study examines how urban garden land policies granting access to publicly owned land can either reduce or exacerbate racial inequities. It argues that seemingly minor policy details systematically shape who benefits, and that the Park Board went substantially further on racial equity—aided by more intensive public participation in developing the policy details.
PolicyCommunityLand tenure security and luxury support plant species and trait diversity in urban community gardens
2023Stacy M. Philpott, Peter Bichier, Genesis Perez, Shalene Jha, Heidi Liere, Brenda B. Lin · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · United States (California)
This study examined how garden physical features, garden "luxury," and land-tenure security influence plant species richness, functional diversity, and composition in community gardens on the California central coast. It found that land-tenure-secure gardens had higher plant and crop richness, while luxury-associated variables raised ornamental richness and flower abundance but lowered crop richness.
CommunityBiodiversityPolicyMycorrhizal fungi and soil factors influence toxic element uptake in urban grown produce
2023Logan Bowdish, Adalie Duran, Justin Richardson, Eric Vukicevich · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems · United States
In an urban community farm, this study evaluated how crop identity, harvested tissue, and soil factors—including arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi—affect crop uptake of lead and arsenic. Lead uptake increased with lower soil pH and lower soil phosphorus, greater AM fungal colonization was associated with greater lead uptake, while more fungal storage vesicles related to less arsenic uptake into leaves.
HealthCompost