Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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Perspectives on Heavy Metal Soil Testing Among Community Gardeners in the United States: A Mixed Methods Approach
2019Candis Hunter, Dana Williamson, Matthew Gribble, Halle Bradshaw, Melanie Pearson, Eri Saikawa, P. Ryan, Michelle Kegler · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · United States
Drawing on the Theory of Planned Behavior, this mixed methods study examined community gardeners' beliefs about and intentions to conduct heavy metal soil testing. It combined five focus groups of garden leaders in Atlanta, Georgia with a questionnaire administered to 500 community gardeners across the United States, finding that soil testing intention was associated with attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control.
CommunityHealthHealth Center–Based Community-Supported Agriculture: An RCT
2019Seth A. Berkowitz, Jessica O’Neill, Edward Sayer, Naysha N. Shahid, Maegan Petrie, Sophie Schouboe, Megan Saraceno, Rochelle Bellin · American Journal of Preventive Medicine · United States (Massachusetts)
This randomized controlled trial (RCT) tested whether a subsidized community-supported agriculture (CSA) intervention could improve diet quality for socioeconomically vulnerable individuals. Conducted from May 2017 to December 2018, 128 participants from a community health center in central Massachusetts were randomized to receive either subsidized CSA membership or healthy eating information (control group). The intervention group showed a clinically meaningful increase of 4.3 points in the Healthy Eating Index total score (p=0.03) and lower food insecurity (RR=0.68) compared to the control group.
CSA & TeikeiHealthWelfareBiosolids Improve Urban Soil Properties and Vegetable Production in Urban Agriculture
2019Odiney Alvarez‐Campos, Gregory K. Evanylo · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems · United States
This field study in Blacksburg, VA, investigated the effects of exceptional quality (EQ) biosolids on urban soil properties and vegetable yield over two years (2016-2018). Biosolids increased soil carbon storage by 37-84% compared to controls, but soil nitrogen availability was lower than expected. Reclamation rates of biosolids resulted in higher yields for cabbage (∼3.1 kg m⁻²) and Siberian kale (∼1.1 kg m⁻²) than inorganic fertilizer (1.0 kg m⁻² and 0.4 kg m⁻² respectively) in fall 2017, indicating potential to increase vegetable yield despite limiting soil conditions.
Organic cycleDIYHealthGeospatial analysis and assessment of garden soil contamination in New York City
2019Anna Paltseva, Zhongqi Cheng · RUDN Journal of Agronomy and Animal Industries · United States (New York City)
Elevated trace metal concentrations, particularly lead (Pb), are prevalent in New York City urban soils. This study analyzed the spatial distribution of lead in NYC gardens and assessed pollution levels and ecological risks. Findings indicated that lead posed moderate to significantly high ecological risk, and the majority of NYC garden soils were characterized as polluted.
Contamination & food safetyHealthCommunityA Randomized Trial to Encourage Healthy Eating Through Workplace Delivery of Fresh Food
2019Rachel Feuerstein-Simon, Roxanne Dupuis, Ryan Schumacher, Carolyn C. Cannuscio · American Journal of Health Promotion · United States
This randomized trial (n=60) at a large urban worksite investigated a subsidized workplace Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program with cooking education to increase home-cooked meals. Intervention participants received 8 biweekly fresh food deliveries. Results showed increased home-cooked meals, 3.8 times higher odds of twice-daily fruit consumption, and 6.2 times higher odds of twice-daily vegetable consumption compared to controls. Intervention participants also experienced an 89% reduction in food insecurity.
CSA & TeikeiHealthFood educationBerrycare
2019Abbey L. Moellering · UKnowledge (University of Kentucky) · United States
This paper highlights that older adults often do not meet dietary requirements for fruits and vegetables, increasing their risk of chronic disease. Community gardens are presented as a successful intervention to engage older adults, offering benefits such as improved dietary behaviors, increased socialization, and better mental health. Sustainable interventions of this type require collaborative efforts among university researchers, community members, and cooperative extension, engaging all socioeconomic levels.
ElderlyHealthCommunityEnvironmental Studies Major Educates Community About Healthy Living at Somerset Development
2019Kandace Kohr · · United States
Thomas Riordan, an environmental studies major from Dickinson, worked as a community garden manager at Somerset Development. In this role, he educated and encouraged the community regarding healthy living.
CommunityFood educationHealthAgricultura Urbana e Periurbana
2019Maira dos Santos, Mariana Campos Martins Machado · Segurança Alimentar e Nutricional · Brazil (Florianópolis)
A qualitative study was conducted with 11 participating families of a community garden in the Campeche neighborhood of Florianópolis, Brazil, to evaluate the impact of Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture (AUP) on Food and Nutritional Security (SAN) and eating behavior. Through interviews using semi-structured questionnaires, the community garden was understood as a space for health promotion, strengthening healthy eating practices, and preserving the municipality's food culture. The community garden proved effective in promoting and guaranteeing SAN principles, strengthening healthy eating practices, and fostering citizenship.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceHealthOrganic cycleNext Steps from a School Gardening Partnership Conference (AGES: Academic Gardening to Enrich our Students): Expanding the Impact of School Gardens Through Higher Education, K-12 School and Community Coalitions
2019Martha Assefa, Pat Barnosky, Michelle Beaulieu, Amy Borg, Casey Burns, Marguerite Cawley, Jennifer De Jordy, Daina Cheyenne Harvey, Kelsey A. Hopkins, Sue Hunt, Joanne Jaber Gauvin, Isabelle Jenkins, Eliza Lawrence, Anna Marinescu, Mackenzie May, Gina Plata-Nino, Grace Sliwoski, Adam Saltsman · The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Network (American Medical Association) · United States (Worcester)
In Worcester, Massachusetts, a broad community coalition formed to brainstorm novel implementation models to improve the use and sustainability of school gardens in a city with high poverty and food insecurity rates. The group decided to foster new collaborations among higher education, K-12 schools, and community organizations. The resulting AGES conference provided information on school garden partnership models, curriculum integration, research evidence, community building strategies, and garden planning and maintenance.
Food educationCommunityHealthAgricultura urbana no Brasil
2019Deise de Oliveira Alves, Adeildo de Quadros Moura, Glauco Schultz · DRd - Desenvolvimento Regional em debate · Brazil
This study conducted a bibliometric survey of publications on urban agriculture in Brazil to identify available approaches, existing types of urban agriculture, and states with the highest concentration of studies. Analyzing 27 articles from Scopus and Web of Science, the research found that urban agriculture practices in Brazil focus on themes such as health, sustainability, public policies, landscaping, teamwork, vertical agriculture, rural-to-urban migration, and indigenous agriculture in urban areas. Studies are concentrated in the state of Pará, followed by São Paulo, Rio Grande do Sul, Recife, and Amazonas.
CommunityHealthPolicyLiving pharmacies practice in the municipality of Fortaleza, Ceará, and the need for a systemic extensiion action
2019Leonardo Lopes Rufino, Guillermo Gamarra-Rojas, Mary Anne Medeiros Bandeira, José Pedro de Camargo Rodrigues de Souza, José Newton Pires Reis · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Brazil (Fortaleza)
A multi-case study characterized Living Pharmacies (LPs) in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil. LPs are dedicated to the production, consumption, and distribution of medicinal plants, with 30% also meeting the SUS phytotherapics demand. Medicinal gardens function as urban agriculture and spaces for learning, demonstrating their multifunctionality. The study suggests paying attention to integrated cultivation and the need for systemic extension services in production, management, and processing.
CommunityHealthFood educationBiodiversityProyecto Jardín Community Garden: Traditional Medicine & Health Among Latinx in Boyle Heights
2019Hernández Romero, Jude Claudia · · United States (California)
This ethnographic dissertation, conducted at Proyecto Jardín community garden in Boyle Heights, California, documents the development of a medicinal garden, its design, and herbal remedy workshops. Based on observations and gardener conversations, it argues that Latinxs at Proyecto Jardín choose herbal modalities for self-reliance and to revive traditional medicine, not solely as alternatives to an inaccessible medical system. The study, though limited to a few participants, highlights the complex interplay of culture, socioeconomic factors, and identity politics in traditional medicine choices, and the garden's function as an informal health education space.
CommunityHealthFood educationANÁLISE DA AGRICULTURA URBANA EM SÃO JOSÉ DO RIO PRETO - SP
2019Maria Vitória Cecchetti Gottardi Costa, Klisly Dark Pereira de Jesus, Kamila Gomes Uzeloto, Miriam Pinheiro Bueno, Adriano Luís Simonato, Teresa Cristina Castilho Gorayeb · · Brazil (São José do Rio Preto)
This interpretive study analyzed the importance of urban agriculture in São José do Rio Preto, Brazil, using data from questionnaires. Results showed urban agriculture is present across all social classes, utilizing residential spaces for cultivating food and non-food products, with spices and fruits being the most common food items. The study concluded that urban agriculture contributes to healthy eating and quality of life.
CommunityEconomicsHealthFood sovereignty & justiceThe Local Food Environment and Food Security: The Health Behavior Role of Social Capital
2019Christopher Paul, John E. Paul, Rosa S. Anderson · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · United States (North Carolina)
This paper investigates the role of social capital in food security, proposing a theoretical linkage between social capital and health behavior. Based on empirical work in North Carolina involving community gardens, faith communities, and the local food environment, the analysis examined the links between minority status, food security, social capital, and health.
CommunityHealthFood sovereignty & justiceWhat’s on the menu? Succulent sustainability goes to school
2019M. A. McKenna, Jessica Wall, Suchitra Roy · · Canada
This chapter summarizes the status of plant-based food initiatives in Canadian schools. While considerable progress has been made in establishing school gardens, youth leadership programs, and food sustainability education, researchers note that more work is needed to reach all students, offer programs addressing all aspects of food literacy, and achieve system change.
Limited or null effectFood educationCommunityHealthThe Relationship Between Dietary Intake and Parental Support with Child Cooking Involvement in a Youth Population (FS16-03-19)
2019Fiona M. Asigbee, Annie K. Markowitz, Matthew J. Landry, Sarvenaz Vandyousefi, Reem Ghaddar, Nalini Ranjit, Judith L. Warren, Jaimie N. Davis, Alexandra van den Berg · Current Developments in Nutrition · United States (Texas)
This study analyzed baseline data from 1325 3rd-grade students and their parents in 28 low-income Texas schools to assess the relationship between child cooking involvement (CCI), parental support, vegetable preference (VP), and fruit/vegetable intake. Children who never cooked with their families preferred fewer vegetables (7.0 vs. 8.7/9.4), consumed less vegetables (1.9 vs. 2.6/3.5 servings/day), and ate less fruit (1.2 vs. 1.5/2.09 servings/day) compared to those who sometimes or always cooked. The findings suggest a positive association between cooking involvement and dietary intake.
Food educationHealthNOVO OLHAR DA PRODUÇÃO E DO CONSUMO DE ALIMENTOS: UMA EXPERIÊNCIA DE HORTA URBANA NO LAR DOS IDOSOS E SEGURANÇA ALIMENTAR (NEW LOOK AT FOOD PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION: AN URBAN HORTICULTURE EXPERIENCE AT THE MIDDLE EAST AND FOOD SAFETY)
2019Maria Lúcia da Silva Sodré, Ubirani Oliveira Santos, Altemar S. Dias · Revista GeoNordeste · Brazil
This study demonstrated the experience of vegetable production and consumption at an elderly home in Cruz das Almas, BA, Brazil. Field research, including semi-structured interviews, was conducted after the vegetable garden was built. The main results indicated that the produced food provided access to agrochemical-free consumption, ensuring food and nutritional security. It also portrayed the inmates' life histories, family memories, and recollections of past agricultural activities, leveraging their cultural background in the urban territory.
ElderlyFood educationHealthCommunityProducing urban agroecology in the East Bay: from soil health to community empowerment
2019Alana Bowen Siegner, Charisma Acey, Jennifer Sowerwine · Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems · United States (California)
This paper analyzed survey responses from 35 East Bay urban farms through an agroecology lens. The analysis documented how these diverse farms form part of a fragile system that produces important spaces of food, community, health, and culture. It is noted that public investment for urban agriculture in U.S. cities remains both inequitable and inadequate, resulting in uneven and ad hoc outcomes for urban agriculture initiatives.
CommunityPolicyHealthEconomicsGrowing Citizens: Students’ Social Emotional Learning via School Gardens
2019Kathryn Markham-Petro · Scholarship@Western (Western University) · Canada
This qualitative study explored the social and emotional practices of primary grade students (kindergarten through grade five) in urban elementary schools in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, through gardening experiences. Data was collected from 14 educators across six schools. Findings indicated that gardening experiences benefited most students, especially those with diverse needs, and increased social and emotional skills related to collaboration and conflict resolution.
Food educationHealthCommunityFarm-to-school education grants reach low-income children and encourage them to learn about fruits and vegetables
2019Caroline Rains, Kristen Giombi, Anupama Joshi · Translational Behavioral Medicine · United States (Oregon)
Oregon's Farm to School Education Grant Program aimed to increase knowledge of and preference for fruits and vegetables among children in low-income school districts. The study analyzed Oregon Department of Education Farm to School Baseline and Progress Reports from school year 2015-2016 and conducted interviews with education grantees. Education grants reached over 20,000 students in 30 districts, including 25 low-income districts. Reported activities included nutrition and food-based lessons, school gardens, and farm field trips, leading to students eating fruits and vegetables, trying new foods because of gardens, and learning about growing produce.
Food educationWelfareHealthAn Assesment of the Preferences of Urban Residents for Green Space
2019Isaiah O. Aridou, Nicholas Robert Alescio, Rachael E. Mair · Digital WPI · United States
This project assessed urban residents' preferences for green space in their communities to inform the Massachusetts Statewide Land Conservation Plan. Through eight case studies and surveys and interviews with urban residents, the study identified parks, community gardens, and walking paths as the top preferences. Recommendations included considering parking availability, utilizing NGO connections, and conducting more data collection for green space development.
CommunityPolicyHealthDigging Deeper: Photovoice and Youth Identity in the Garden
2019Samathryn Witham · Carolina Digital Repository (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) · United States
This Photovoice study, conducted over a 10-week youth summer program at an urban community garden, involved teenage photographers documenting their food experiences. The youth created a creative project and exhibit, using popular food media slogans to promote local food, defy stereotypes, and explore their identities as gardeners and media producers.
CommunityFood educationHealthUrban Agriculture, Revalorization, and Green Gentrification in Denver, Colorado
2019Joshua Sbicca · · United States (Colorado)
This study investigated the potential for urban agriculture to drive green gentrification, using Denver, Colorado, as a case study. Urban agriculture was shown to drive gentrification and act as a force for displacement, even when advocates are aware of its exclusionary potential for urban farmers and residents. The research argues that political economy and cultural forces create neighborhood disinvestment and economic marginalization, and urban agriculture contributes to green gentrification through a process of revalorization that exploits rent gaps.
Equity & displacementEconomicsPolicyCommunityHealthLimited Access to Healthy Foods: How Zoning Helps to Close the Gap
2019Tara Hubbard · Carolina Digital Repository (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) · United States (Spokane)
In Spokane, United States, city planners are exploring the potential of zoning ordinances to create healthier food environments in response to rising rates of obesity and chronic diseases. Some low- or mixed-income neighborhoods have limited access to healthy foods, and this brief provides specific guidance on utilizing zoning to increase access to farmers' markets, urban agriculture, and healthy food retail, while also limiting fast foods.
PolicyHealthCommunityComprehensive Farm-to-School: A Mixed-Methods Case Study of the Classroom, Cafeteria, and Community
2019Suzanna Elkin · ScholarWorks -A service of University of Vermont Libraries (University of Vermont) · United States
This dissertation presents a mixed-methods case study of a comprehensive Farm-to-School (FTS) program in a northern California school district. It comprises three papers, each exploring one of the "3-C" domains: classroom, cafeteria, and community. The first study qualitatively examines teacher involvement in FTS, the second uses mixed methods to research a new school lunch program, and the third examines the community aspect.
Food educationCommunityHealthEconomics