Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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3144 results(116 / 126)
Interaction Mechanism Between Sustainable Development of Urban Agriculture and Increase of Peasants' Income
2008Wei Xu · Chinese Journal of Population Resources and Environment · Global
This study examines the interaction between the sustainable development of urban agriculture and the increase in peasants' income, treating them as a combined system. It identifies a synergistic relationship between increased peasant income and urban agriculture development, but also a competitive relationship between maximizing short-term income and ecological sustainable development. The research suggests that a sustainable urban agricultural resource allocation mechanism can foster coordination and positive interaction, with urban circular agriculture economy being a basic strategy for this coordination.
Economic viabilityEconomicsOrganic cyclePolicyUrban–rural linkageFrom Industrial Garden to Food Desert: Unearthing the Root Structure of Urban Agriculture in Oakland, California
2008Nathan McClintock · eScholarship (California Digital Library) · United States (California)
This paper explores the rise of urban agriculture (UA) in Oakland, California, using an urban political ecology framework. A macro-level structural analysis of Oakland's history reveals how 20th-century industrial capital flows and racialized urban planning concentrated capital devaluation in the flatlands, ultimately giving rise to food deserts. The study suggests that food justice activists are mobilizing through UA to counter these uneven transformations, despite critiques that some urban garden programs are neoliberal, emphasizing self-betterment while filling state-left gaps.
Equity & displacementFood sovereignty & justicePolicyEconomicsCommunityThe Application of ANP in Evaluation Index System of Urban Agriculture
2008Rui Chen · Chinese Agricultural Mechanization · Global
Urban agriculture is based on a combination of manufacture, life, and ecology, emphasizing urban and rural development in step, and the co-prosperity of economy, ecology, and society. This study adopted the analytic network process (ANP) to construct an evaluation index system of urban agriculture, based on domestic and international research. Theoretical foundations of ANP were discussed, and dependence and feedback among indexes were analyzed. The result of the ANP model for the index system was obtained with SD software.
EconomicsOrganic cycleUrban–rural linkagePolicyThe theory and policy of Japanese urban agriculture enlighten Chinese urban agricultural development
2008YU Ju-sheng · Shanghai nongye xuebao · Japan, China
This study compared the course of urban expansion and urban agriculture development in Japan with China's recent urbanization, particularly the economic development of its eastern coastal areas. It noted that both Japan and China share the Oriental agricultural characteristic of separate management on a small scale. The study concluded that it is important for China's urban agricultural development to examine Japan's urban agricultural history and experience.
PolicyUrban–rural linkageEconomicsPerformance and Challenges of Government Supported Micro and Small Scale Associations in Wolkite and Boutajira City Administrations
2008Adnew, Walelign · National Academic Digital Repository of Ethiopia · Ethiopia
This study assessed the general performance and challenges of Micro and Small Scale Associations (MSSAs) in Wolkite and Boutajira city administrations, using questionnaires for 92 operators and interviews with 5 officials. Findings revealed that government supports have not ensured the sustainability of these associations, and service provision is not aligned with national strategy. MSSAs exhibit high closure rates, member dropout, fail to create long-term jobs, and show insignificant women's participation.
Governance failurePolicyEconomicsCommunityInformation seeking and use among urban farmers in Kampala District, Uganda
2008Helen M. Byamugisha, Robert Ikoja-Odongo, George William Nasinyama, Shuaib Lwasa · · Uganda
In Kampala, Uganda, urban farmers lack access to adequate information on innovative agricultural technologies, inputs, and balancing productivity with environmental requirements. This information deficit results in low urban farming production despite supportive legal frameworks. This paper presents preliminary findings on information search and acquisition mechanisms among urban farmers in Kampala District, exploring their contribution to reducing or exacerbating urban food insecurity, and plans to design an information seeking and use model for them.
Food sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicyCommunityAlternative water sources for agricultural production in Beijing
2008Ji WenHua, Cai Jianming, R. van Veenhuizen · · China (Beijing)
This paper describes the water balance between water resources and water use in Beijing, China, which faces severe water shortage. It discusses efforts by the Beijing government to relieve water pressure and identifies agriculture as the biggest water user. The paper suggests that finding alternative water sources like wastewater and rainwater is important for urban agriculture development.
PolicyClimate changeUrban–rural linkage论“长株潭”都市农业对湖南现代农业的示范引领作用
2008Zhu Song Mei, 应若平 · 农村经济与科技 · China (Hunan)
This paper analyzes the six demonstrative and leading functions of "Chang-Zhu-Tan" urban agriculture for the development of modern agriculture in Hunan Province, China. It proposes basic ideas and overall strategic concepts for fully leveraging this role. Taking the "double low" rapeseed industry as an example, it constructs an operational model where urban modern agricultural pilot zones radiate and drive the coordinated development of advantageous agricultural industries across the province.
PolicyEconomicsUrban–rural linkageInformation needs and seeking behaviour among Urban farmers in Kwara State, Nigeria
2008I. Ogunlade, O. I. Oladele, A. A. Falaki · University of Dar es Salaam Library Journal · Nigeria
This study investigated the socio-economic characteristics, information needs, and seeking behavior of 100 urban farmers in Ilorin metropolis, Kwara State, Nigeria, using a structured questionnaire. It found that urban farming was a supplementary activity for highly literate individuals, with farms mainly within the city and more animal than crop production. The study suggested that urban farmers could achieve better results if technical and financial support were provided, and recommended official government recognition for urban farming.
Governance failureEconomicsPolicyCommunityRuralizar la ciudad. Metodología de introducción de la agricultura como vector de sostenibilidad en la planificación urbana
2008Graciela Arosemena Díaz · Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) · Global
This thesis proposes a methodology for introducing urban agriculture into urban planning to achieve urban sustainability by closing nutrient cycles. It aims to integrate urban and agrarian systems by balancing urban waste production with vegetable needs and cultivated space output with nutrient restitution. The research develops formulas to define criteria for urban agriculture introduction, including required cultivated area and organic waste reuse, and analyzes historical and contemporary green systems in relation to agriculture.
Organic cyclePolicyUrban–rural linkageSpatial Planning for Agricultural Production for Making the Beijing City as a Good Living Place
2008Fengrong Zhang · 资源科学 · China (Beijing)
Beijing faces water and land resource deficiencies while increasing its focus on environmental protection and ecological conservation. This paper proposes four agricultural development zones tailored to Beijing's urban spatial structure and socioeconomic development, aiming to leverage urban agriculture's sightseeing, landscape, and ecological functions. It notes that this spatial planning prioritizes public benefits over farmers' economic benefits, making market-based realization difficult and necessitating direct government subsidies to farmers.
PolicyUrban–rural linkageClimate changeCommunityLinking research, capacity building, and policy dialogue in support of informal irrigation in urban West Africa
2008Pay Drechsel, Olufunke Cofie, R. van Veenhuizen, Theophilus O. Larbi · Irrigation and Drainage · West Africa
Informal irrigation in urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) in West Africa offers benefits but is often hindered by water pollution, threatening public health. A multi-stakeholder process implemented since 2005 in six West African cities, including Accra, Ghana, aimed to integrate UPA into sustainable urban development. However, an internal lesson learned was that local partners may not prioritize every project, and capacity-building efforts might not provide expected incentives for commitment.
Contamination & food safetyPolicyHealthPeri-urban agricultureCommunityEleanor Graham Community Garden and Ashland Park Design Project
2008Kathryn Skelton · University of Minnesota Digital Conservancy (University of Minnesota) · United States
The District 13 Gardens Committee sought a Conceptual Master Plan for the Eleanor Graham Community Garden and the surrounding green space. This project summary shows the community input process and includes a copy of the final site design.
CommunityPolicyMinneapolis Community Gardens: A Study of Public Policies in Minneapolis and Hennepin County
2008Erin Foster West · · United States (Minneapolis)
This study explores the interaction between community gardens and public agencies in Minneapolis and Hennepin County, United States. It identifies that despite a large number of community gardens in the Twin Cities Metro Area, there is no comprehensive city policy for community gardening, making land acquisition difficult as vacant land becomes scarce. The research inventories public policies related to land use, water, and compost specific to community gardens, highlighting the need for public agencies to provide essential services.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyCompostThinking about Developing Urban Agriculture in Guiyang City
2008Xi Chen · Guizhou nongye kexue · China (Guiyang)
This paper presents suggestions and countermeasures for accelerating urban agricultural development in Guiyang City, based on investigation information. It states that the rapid development of urban agriculture benefits the improvement of urban residents' quality of life, promotes rural economic development in the outskirts, and contributes to the construction of a new socialist country.
PolicyEconomicsCommunityUrban–rural linkageResearch on the Urban Agriculture in Zhengzhou City
2008Liu Chang-yun · Anhui nongye kexue · China (Zhengzhou)
This study points out that Zhengzhou City, as the capital of Henan province and a national transportation hub, possesses many advantages for developing urban agriculture, including location, resources, science and technology, and market. It suggests that the city should advance urban agriculture according to different divisional areas, categorized as core, expanded, and peripheral areas, and provides countermeasures and constructive advice.
PolicyEconomicsThe Feminist Pedagogy of SAVE NATURE-SAVE CULTURE: A Double-Coded Art Installation
2008M. Pilar Viviente · Visual Culture & Gender · United States (New York City)
This visual essay discusses the feminist pedagogy of double-coding embedded in the "SAVE NATURE-SAVE CULTURE" (2006) art installation. The installation, located in Le Petit Versailles (LPV), a community garden in New York City's East Village, addressed the sustainability of community gardens. LPV is a public garden maintained by neighbor volunteers, focusing on environmental sustainability and themes such as housing, graffiti, gender, and sexuality.
CommunityPolicyFood educationEcological scales and social network structure in urban landscapes: management and governance of urban ecosystem services in Stockholm, Sweden
2008Henrik Ernstson, Stephan Barthel, Erik Andersson, Sara Borgström · · Sweden (Stockholm)
This thesis investigates social-ecological features shaping the generation of ecosystem services (ES) in the urban landscape of Stockholm, Sweden. Through interdisciplinary case studies, it showed that informally managed allotment gardens have a higher abundance of pollinators, and voluntary actor groups motivated by a sense-of-place support ES generation. Social-ecological memory among allotment gardeners retains and transmits practices linked to ES, suggesting that sustaining urban ES requires considering historical property rights, diverse actor groups, and local communities of ecosystem practice.
BiodiversityPollinatorsCommunityPolicyLeberecht Migge's "Green Manifesto": Envisioning a Revolution of Gardens
2007Haney D. H. · Landscape Journal, 26(2), 201-218 · Germany
Analyzes Migge's 1919 'Green Manifesto', one of the most overtly political tracts by a landscape architect, proposing that intensive vegetable gardens for everyone could solve Germany's social and economic problems through a technologically modern synthesis of garden and dwelling.
Organic cycleCommunityPolicy地区レベルの計画に位置づけられた都市農村交流の効果と課題に関する研究
2007日本都市計画学会 · 都市計画論文集(日本都市計画学会)42.3, 877 · Japan
An empirical analysis of the effects and challenges of urban-rural exchange projects written into district-level plans, critically examining the structural gap between the planning system and on-the-ground practice.
PolicyCommunityRussia's Unknown Agriculture: Household Production in Post-Socialist Rural Russia
2007Pallot J., Nefedova T. · Oxford University Press (Oxford Geographical and Environmental Studies Series) · Russia
A monograph based on four years of fieldwork across European Russia examining the scale, geography, and socioeconomic significance of household plot production in post-socialist rural Russia.
EconomicsPolicyCommunityWastewater Agriculture in Kurunegala City, Sri Lanka
2007Jayakody P., Gunawardana I., Guneratne S., Clemett A., Dissanayake P. · IWMI Research Reports (WASPA Asia Project Report 8), International Water Management Institute · Sri Lanka (Kurunegala)
This IWMI report documents peri-urban paddy cultivation using diverted municipal wastewater around Kurunegala city, highlighting the practice as representative of urbanization impacts on Sri Lankan agriculture while identifying significant public health risks from untreated effluent irrigation.
EconomicsHealthOrganic cyclePolicyOn Development of Urban Gardening from Perspective of Sociology
2007Xiaolan Tang · Nanjing Linye Daxue xuebao · Global
This paper examines the sociological implications of urban gardens from an urban sociology perspective. It discusses traditional gardens as collective memory, modern gardens as urban development symbols, and new gardens as shared social spaces. The paper also explores the future urbanization trend of natural ecology and offers suggestions for addressing challenges in urban gardening development.
CommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkageChallenges and key success factors to integrating learning and change in monitoring and evaluation of development projects.
2007Bertha Camacho Tuckermann · Knowledge Management for Development Journal · Cuba
An action-research study within an Urban Agriculture project in Cuba identified challenges in integrating learning and change into the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of development projects. The main challenge was that the project team did not recognize M&E as a learning tool, believing results could be used against their work. A lack of time for learning and knowledge sharing was another observed challenge. To address these, resistance was overcome through dialogue, reflection, and action, leading to team empowerment, and the role of an external facilitator proved key in steering the learning process.
Governance failurePolicyCommunityDiscussion on the Relation of Building New Countryside and Developing Urban Agriculture
2007Wang Guo-yue · Journal of Agricultural Mechanization Research · China
This article reviews the historical background and principles of building a new countryside in China, emphasizing the importance of modern agriculture. It uses urban agriculture as an example, explicating its development experience and models in foreign countries. Based on these experiences, the article proposes measures to promote urban agriculture development and plans for building a new countryside in China.
PolicyUrban–rural linkageEconomics