Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
11393 results(116 / 456)
Optimizing tea waste as a sustainable substrate for oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) cultivation: a comprehensive study on biological efficiency and nutritional aspect
2023· Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · Global
Studies discarded tea waste as a low-cost, sustainable substrate for oyster mushroom cultivation, assessing biological efficiency and nutritional quality. Demonstrates reuse of an agricultural waste stream for cheap mushroom production.
DIYOrganic cycleHealthIoT-Enabled Smart Drip Irrigation System Using ESP32
2023· IoT (MDPI) · Global
Design of a low-cost IoT smart drip irrigation system comprising an ESP32, solenoid valve, and soil-moisture, temperature, humidity and water-flow sensors that automates watering based on sensor readings.
DIYEconomicsDevelopment of a Low-Cost Plant Growth Chamber for Improved Phenotyping Research
2023· Journal of Biosystems Engineering · Global
Development of a low-cost plant growth chamber using open-source technology that controls internal temperature, LED lighting and aeroponics with remote operation; the prototype achieved over 600 umol m-2 s-1 PPFD and 21/17 degree C day/night temperatures.
DIYEconomicsDesign of a Small-Scale Hydroponic System for Indoor Farming of Leafy Vegetables
2023· Agriculture · Bulgaria
An IoT-based small-scale hydroponic system for leafy vegetables was designed using low-cost materials and sensors, enabling remote monitoring and automation of the cultivation process.
DIYDevelopment of an economic smart aquaponic system based on IoT
2023Mahmoud M.M., Darwish R.R., Bassiuny A.M. · Journal of Engineering Research · Egypt
An economically oriented smart aquaponic system was developed and implemented, using IoT technology to monitor and control aquaponic operations.
DIYEconomicsAssessing the Feasibility of Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting for Food Production in Northwestern Arizona on the Hualapai Indian Reservation
2023· Sustainability · Arizona, USA
Assesses the feasibility of rooftop rainwater harvesting for food production on the Hualapai Indian Reservation, discussing its potential to alleviate community water stress.
DIYCommunityEnhancing Food Literacy and Food Security through School Gardening in Rural and Regional Communities
2023· International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · Australia
A study on enhancing children's food literacy and food security through school gardening in rural and regional communities, identifying dedicated garden/kitchen spaces and committed teachers as basic requirements.
Food educationCommunityCommunity garden developed by refugees from Syria—A sanctuary and a space for learning and empowerment
2023· Wellbeing, Space and Society · Denmark
A participatory action research project in which Syrian refugee families in Denmark jointly developed a community garden; gardening and cooking together built community, social capital, and a sense of belonging.
WelfareCommunityHealthAgrotourism and fast urbanisation: The double pressure of development on peri‐urban agriculture in Hôi An, a small city of central Vietnam
2023Pham · Asia Pacific Viewpoint · Vietnam (Hôi An)
Case study of peri-urban agriculture in Hôi An, Vietnam, analyzing how agrotourism development and rapid urbanisation jointly pressure farming.
EconomicsPolicyCommunityUnexpected effects of urban food activism on community and human wellbeing
2023· Local Environment · United Kingdom (Aberdeen)
Based on interviews with food-growing project participants in Aberdeen, UK, finds unexpected wellbeing effects of urban food activism, notably heavy burdens on volunteer coordinators of community gardens.
CommunityWelfareHealthHow does community food growing build community bonds? Insights from grassroots visual storytelling
2023· Local Environment · United Kingdom
Uses grassroots visual storytelling to explore how community food-growing activities build community bonds through emotional attachment and placemaking.
CommunityWelfareFood educationPush and pull motivations of international voluntary workers on organic farms (the WWOOFers)
2023· Current Issues in Tourism · International
Analyzes the push and pull motivations of international volunteer workers (WWOOFers) who participate in labour and exchange on organic farms.
EconomicsCommunityOrganic cycleUrban Farming Activities in Southeast Asia: A Review and Future Research Direction
2023Southeast Asia Research Collective · ResearchGate / Regional Academic Database · Southeast Asia
Reviews current state, challenges, and future directions of urban farming in Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines). Includes case studies from Indonesian cities (Bandung, Denpasar, Palembang) and Thailand's sustainability initiatives. Documents citizen-led agriculture as a counter-strategy to agricultural land loss from rapid urbanization.
Interrelation of urban farming and urbanization: an alternative solution to urban food and environmental problems due to urbanization in Indonesia
2023· Frontiers in Built Environment · Indonesia
Analyzes urban farming as an alternative solution to food insecurity and environmental problems caused by rapid agricultural land loss in Indonesia. Documents cases from Bandung, Denpasar, and Palembang cities, demonstrating urban agriculture's positive effects on food security and environmental conditions.
Effectiveness of horticultural therapy in aged people with depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis
2023· Frontiers in Public Health · Global (systematic review)
A systematic review and meta-analysis synthesizing randomized controlled trials to evaluate the effectiveness of horticultural therapy for older people with depression.
ElderlyHealthHouseholds' participation in agri-food based livelihoods: Insights from urban and peri-urban contexts of Tanzania
2023· Cogent Economics & Finance · Tanzania
Analyzes household participation in agri-food based livelihoods across urban and peri-urban contexts of Tanzania.
EconomicsWelfareUrban agroecology enhances agrobiodiversity and resilient, biocultural food systems. The case of the semi-dryland and medium-sized Queretaro City, Mexico
2023· Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · Mexico (Queretaro)
Shows how urban agroecology enhances agrobiodiversity and resilient, biocultural food systems in the semi-dryland, medium-sized city of Queretaro, Mexico.
BiodiversityCommunityOrganic cycleFloral species evenness is the major driver of wild bee communities in urban gardens
2023Rossi Rotondi B. · Urban Ecosystems · Cordoba, Argentina
Surveying bees and blooms across 13 gardens in Cordoba, Argentina, the study found floral species evenness to be the strongest driver of bee abundance, diversity and functional trait diversity.
PollinatorsBiodiversityCompost quality of a peri-urban waste composting facility: A case of Mukono municipality, Uganda
2023Kizza-Nkambwe S., Mpewo M., Kasima J. S., Mfuranzima K. · Sustainable Environment · Mukono, Uganda
Assesses compost quality from a waste composting facility in Mukono municipality, central Uganda, analysing physicochemical parameters and heavy metals and arsenic in mature compost.
CompostOrganic cycleAssessment of Heavy Metal Distribution and Health Risk of Vegetable Crops Grown on Soils Amended with Municipal Solid Waste Compost for Sustainable Urban Agriculture
2023Bhardwaj P., Sharma R. K., Chauhan A., Ranjan A., Rajput V. D., Minkina T., Mina U., Tripathi A. · Water · India
Evaluates amending soil with municipal solid waste compost at different ratios and its effect on growth and yield of brinjal, tomato and okra, assessing heavy metal distribution and health risk for sustainable urban agriculture.
CompostHealthRight to the city or environmental gentrification? A discussion about risks and potential of urban agriculture
2023· Urban Geography · Global
A critical discussion arguing that urban agriculture can drive environmental gentrification: by boosting neighborhood attractiveness through greening it may attract affluent newcomers and contribute to the displacement of lower-income residents and people of color.
CommunityPolicyInvestigating local policy instruments for different types of urban agriculture in four European cities: A case study analysis on the use and effectiveness of the applied policy instruments
2023Marini M., Caro D., Thomsen M. · Land Use Policy · Europe (Barcelona, Lyon, Trieste, Udine)
Reviews 83+ policy documents and surveys local managers in four EU cities. Finds land-use frameworks fail to prioritise urban agriculture, that only allotment gardens are meaningfully supported, and that local policies are formulated ad hoc outside any comprehensive UA framework, weakening effectiveness.
PolicyEconomicsMeasuring the Effectiveness of Food Policy Councils in Major Cities in the United States
2023Range Camille, O'Hara Sabine, Jeffery Tia, Toussaint Etienne C. · Foods · USA
Assesses effectiveness of food policy councils in major US cities, highlighting how unstable funding and weak institutional support undercut their ability to influence policy. Concludes that many councils underperform relative to their mandate due to resource and capacity constraints.
PolicyGovernance tools for urban food system policy innovations in the Milano Urban Food Policy Pact
2023Polman Daniel, Bazzan Giulia · European Urban and Regional Studies · Europe (26 cities)
Uses fuzzy-set QCA across 26 European Milan Pact cities. Finds that the absence of governance practices—initiative mapping, integrated food strategies, and monitoring/evaluation—prevents most cities from becoming policy-innovative, so many signatories deliver only limited food-policy innovation.
PolicyGreen gentrification and changing planning policies in Vienna?
2023· City · Austria (Vienna)
Examines how greening-oriented planning policy shifts in Vienna interact with gentrification pressures, analyzing whether municipal planning instruments mitigate or inadvertently enable green gentrification in a social-democratic housing context.
PolicyWelfare