Research & reports

Eric Schwamberger, Adrian José Ramos, Alicia Weber, Eduarda Nunes, Emile de Lima Pollheim, Gabriela Santos Patriarca, Giovana Schwamberger, Isadora Bombassaro, Jamily Assini, Vitor Gomes, Kassia Kathellyn Barboza, Roberta Hoepers Mascarenhas, Rossie Katherine dos Santos, Samuel Carvalho de Matos-Filho, Vinícius Verwiebe, Tatiane Sueli Coutinho · Anais da Mostra Nacional de Iniciação Científica e Tecnológica Interdisciplinar (MICTI) - e-ISSN 2316-7165 · Brazil

A community garden with medicinal herbs serves as an excellent tool for study and environmental awareness for students involved in the project and the wider academic community, as well as for internal and external communities utilizing the accessible herbs. In this project, beds with various medicinal herbs, including ora-pro-nobis, mint, basil, horsetail, boldo, alfavaca, aloe vera, lemon balm, and lemongrass, were created and maintained. The project aims not only to provide natural treatment to the community but also, importantly, to raise awareness about the harms that excessive use of allopathic medicines can cause to metabolism.

Jonathan Hall, Isabel Shargo, Niya Khanjar, Jianna Howard, Laura Schmidt, Ashley Deng, Camryn Edwards, Isabelle Berman, Joseph Galarraga, Sacoby Wilson · Environmental Justice · United States

This study in Baltimore, Maryland, used GIS mapping and spatial analysis to assess the proximity of urban farms to environmental hazards, including those with heavy metal contamination. Analyses indicated that contamination of urban farms is a possibility due to proximity: more environmental hazards were found in census tracts with urban farms, and low-income communities of color had hazards near urban farms. Historically industrial areas showed a higher concentration of environmental hazards with heavy metal or unknown contamination.

Isabel Shargo, Jonathan Hall, Ashley Deng, Niya Khanjar, Camryn Edwards, Isabelle Berman, Joseph Galarraga, Sacoby Wilson · Landscape Journal · United States (Baltimore)

This study in Baltimore, Maryland, used GIS mapping and hotspot analysis to assess the proximity of urban farms to environmental hazards. Most urban farms were located in low-income communities of color. However, most environmental hazards were not near urban farms but in predominantly White areas or historical industrial centers. Despite a generally low risk of contamination, some urban farms in low-income and Black/African American communities were potentially contaminated by hazardous sites.

Christy Gene Somsen · Digital Commons - USU (Utah State University) · United States (Utah)

Farmers’ markets, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs, and community gardens, while aiming to help low-income families access fresh produce, often assist more middle-class families. In Utah, these programs could be improved, as the state does not utilize the WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program or accept WIC Cash Value Vouchers, and has few Farm to School Programs.

Karen Besterman‐Dahan, Sarah Bradley, Nora B. Arriola, Kiersten Downs · Wellbeing Space and Society · United States

In collaboration with a local garden, an evaluation explored the perceived benefits of gardening for veterans from two Veterans Affairs (VA) programs in the United States. Using focus groups and photovoice methods, four main benefits of participation were revealed: supporting mental and emotional wellbeing, improving socialization and comradery, nurturing life and identity, and learning new skills.

Denise Junqueira Matos, Fernanda Pinto Ferreira, Natália Ingrid Pezzoti, Luana de Melo Scardovelli, Italmar Teodorico Navarro, Letícia Santos Balbino, Gabrieli Dutra Gonçalves, Kátia Denise Saraiva Bresciani · Brazilian Journal of Development · Brazil

A 2021 study examined environmental management conditions and the occurrence of Escherichia coli in irrigation water, helminths in vegetables, and protozoa (Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia spp. and Toxoplasma gondii) in soil, fertilizer, water and vegetables from community gardens in Araçatuba, São Paulo State, Brazil, covering all six gardens registered with the city's Agro-industrial Development Secretariat. An epidemiological questionnaire was administered to garden workers, and each garden was sampled for 40 liters of treated water or 10 liters of untreated water, about 10 g of soil, 10 g of fertilizer, and one bunch each of lettuce and another vegetable. E. coli in irrigation water was detected using the Colilert Kit (IDEXX Laboratories); helminths and their eggs in vegetables were assessed by optical microscopy; and Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia spp. and T. gondii were assessed by PCR in water, soil, fertilizer and vegetable samples. Results showed that an urban location, use of treated water, absence of open pits, area limits set by walls or fences, and absence of domestic animals in the community gardens were together sufficient to prevent detection of E. coli in irrigation water, helminths in vegetables, and Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia spp. and T. gondii in water, soil, fertilizer and vegetable samples.

N. R. Madeira, Valdely Ferreira Kinupp, Lídio Coradin · · Brazil

This book chapter brings together reflections on neglected and underutilized species (NUS) in Brazil — plants popularly known today as "non-conventional edible plants" (PANC in Portuguese) — discussing the historical context of their use in this continental country with enormous biodiversity and cultural diversity. It highlights significant efforts undertaken to spread knowledge of and rescue and promote the use and conservation of NUS, and addresses related issues of agroecology, climate change, urban agriculture, local production, nutrition, gastronomy and food sovereignty.

Melinda Suto, Shelagh A. Smith, Natasha Damiano, Shurli Channe · Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy · Canada

Sustaining well-being is a challenge for people with serious mental health issues. Community gardening is used as an occupation to promote clients' well-being, though evidence supporting this intervention remains limited. This paper examined how facilitated community gardening programs changed the subjective well-being and social connectedness of people living with mental health issues. Using a community-based participatory research approach and qualitative methods with 23 adults living in supported housing and participating in supported community gardening programs, data were analyzed inductively from a constructivist stance. Participation in the programs enhanced well-being through welcoming places, a sense of belonging, and positive feelings developed through doing. Connection to living things and responsibility for plants grounded participants in the present and offered a distinct venue for learning about gardening and about themselves. The paper concludes that practitioners and service-users should collaborate to develop leadership, programs, places, and processes within community gardens to support well-being.

James J. Connolly · · United States (California)

This case study examines the leading edge of gentrification along San Francisco's Third Street T streetcar line. Bayview-Hunters Point (B.V.H.P.), the end of the streetcar line's first phase, is an ethnically mixed, working-class neighborhood and the last historic concentration of African American residents in San Francisco. While gentrification-driven change is already visible further up the line, its presence in B.V.H.P. remains comparatively shallow so far. Nonetheless, many residents and community activists perceive that a fast-moving gentrification frontier leaves them with a conundrum: remain in a contaminated, post-industrial, climate-exposed environment, or advocate for their health while risking displacement. The neighborhood has seen greening such as community gardens and a waterfront promenade, alongside inequalities including enduring racial segregation, environmental privilege, green gentrification, luxury development, climate-related health risks, and continued exposure to contamination.

Ana Maria Girotti Sperandio, Ângela Alessandra Torezan Silingardi, Giovanna Gastaldo Cifoni, Rafael de Souza Salomão · ˜The œurban book series · Brazil

This chapter reviews Brazilian urban planning responses to COVID-19, connecting concepts of healthy cities, reviews of Brazilian legal frameworks, international documents, and case records to argue that articulation and cooperation among cities were essential to minimizing pandemic impacts. It presents active mobility initiatives, reframed public space use, and the implementation of urban community gardens as practical examples with immediate results during the pandemic, without reporting original quantitative data.

Midori ASAOKA · Japanese Journal of Environmental Education · United States (California)

This paper traces the history of the Life Lab program in Santa Cruz, California, United States, and re-evaluates it from a sustainability education perspective. Life Lab, a non-profit established in 1979, grew out of "Nature Study" in an elementary school garden into a science-based environmental and sustainability education program emphasizing pupil-centered, experiential learning and critical thinking to build connection to the Earth; participants learn ecological soundness, key agroecology concepts, and relationships among insects, flowers, vegetables, other foods, and humans. The paper discusses farmers' markets, community-supported agriculture (CSA), and the Community Agroecology Network (CAN) in the Santa Cruz area as examples of organic and agroecological movements, arguing that direct producer-consumer relationships foster alternatives to the global corporate market, and proposes introducing sustainability education into Japanese food and agriculture education by building school gardens.

Yvonne Ma, Jessica Chen, Karen Fong, Stephanie Nadya, Kevin J. Allen, Chad Laing, Kim Ziebell, Ed Topp, Laura M. Carroll, Martin Wiedmann, Pascal Delaquis, Siyun Wang · Antibiotics · Canada

Genomic and phenotypic analysis of 55 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) isolates of diverse serotypes, recovered from surface waters and sediments in a mixed urban/agricultural landscape in British Columbia, Canada (Antibiotics, 2021), found reduced antibiotic susceptibility across multiple drug classes: florfenicol (65.5%), tetracycline (52.7%), ampicillin (49.1%), streptomycin (34.5%), amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (21.8%), kanamycin (20.0%), ceftiofur (18.2%), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (12.7%), gentamicin (10.9%), chloramphenicol (7.3%), ceftriaxone (3.6%) and cefoxitin (3.6%), while all isolates remained susceptible to ciprofloxacin, nalidixic acid, ertapenem, imipenem and meropenem. Eight isolates (14.6%) were multidrug resistant, and resistance genes including floR, dfrA, sul1/2, tetA/B, aadA, aph, blaTEM-1b and blaCMY-2 were identified alongside multiple plasmid replicon types. The resistance profiles matched those reported in generic E. coli from food animals, and the authors conclude that aquatic environments in the region are a potential reservoir for the maintenance and transmission of antibiotic-resistant STEC, their resistance genes, and associated plasmids.

Loren Alcorn · Proceedings of Student Research and Creative Inquiry Day · United States

A student research presentation on middle school students in the United States (2021) discusses the correlation between school gardens and nutrition education, asking whether students relying on school lunches actually benefit from the nutrition standards those lunches must meet. It argues that a school garden would let students learn to grow their own food, encounter new foods, and interactively learn how different foods affect health, with garden produce potentially incorporated into cafeteria lunches. Citing existing evidence that greater access to fruits and vegetables increases consumption and that school lunches generate substantial food waste, it suggests that nutrition education and exposure to new foods through a school garden could reduce that waste; the presentation itself does not report original measured data directly testing the garden-nutrition education correlation.

Gabriela Eustáquio Lacerda, Julliany Lopes Dias, Guilherme Nobre Lima do Nascimento, Ilsamar Mendes Soares · Revista Brasileira de Plantas Medicinais · Brazil

Dried leaf bark and freeze-dried gel from Aloe vera grown in community gardens in Palmas, Tocantins, Brazil were analyzed for chemical composition, phytochemistry, and heavy metals. Moisture content ranged from 7.06 to 10.62%, ash from 13.62 to 32.63%, crude protein from 5.58 to 7.47%, lipids from 0.58 to 2.04%, and crude fiber from 16.22 to 16.49%. Phytochemical analysis identified gallic acid, catechin, gallocatechin, ellagic acid, naringin, myricetin, quercetin, and kaempferol. No heavy metals were detected in the samples analyzed. The authors note further research is needed on how seasonality affects these compounds.

Lilian Nadja Silva Brito, Renally Cristine Cardoso Lucas, Fernanda Ferreira de Andrade, Ygor Alexandre Beserra Sousa, Rilva Suely de Castro Cardoso Lucas, Renata Rocha Cardoso Madruga, Gabriella Barreto Soares · Revista da ABENO · Brazil

This article reports the experience of a group of dentistry students at the State University of Paraíba, Brazil, who, in the second half of 2018, formed a "health-promoting space" bringing together culture and art with the Unified Health System (SUS) at the Argemiro de Figueiredo Family Health Unit (USF) in Campina Grande. The space was built through an experience titled "Graffiti that brings life" and through the process of building a community garden at the USF. The activities were marked by strong interaction among students, the community, the health team, and local social resources, and they strengthened the bond between the health team and the population. The presence of dentistry students in primary care was observed to be important, with students recognizing that the dentist's role in primary care extends beyond providing oral health assistance.

Allea Martin, Amy Coplen, Lauren Lubowicki, Betty T. Izumi · Health Education & Behavior · United States

A Photovoice study of the CSA Partnerships for Health program in the United States, a subsidized community-supported-agriculture scheme designed to lower the cost barrier to fresh produce for low-income households. Twenty-eight participants photographed aspects of the program over 2 to 4 weeks and discussed selected images in focus groups; they reported that the program supported positive changes in their physical and social health and helped them learn about new foods, cooking and agriculture. Based on these self-reported, qualitative accounts, the authors suggest that a reduced-cost CSA membership combined with cooking education can support participants' ability to try new foods, build skills and improve health outcomes.

Laryssa Roberta Alves Farias, Sanádia Gama dos Santos · Revista Interseção · Brazil

A qualitative case study examines a school garden project at a rural school in Arapiraca, Alagoas, Brazil, carried out as part of the Mais Educação program (2018-2019), aimed at promoting good nutrition and environmental education practices by using unused spaces on school grounds for an organic garden. The results describe the development of pedagogical and environmental activities centered on growing vegetables for school meals, with a focus on good nutrition, health, and improving students' quality of life.

Kate G. Burt, Kathleen Delgado · Electronic Green Journal · United States (New York)

This study developed and validated a survey measuring the social and dietary outcomes of community garden participation in relation to food-system equity, testing it with community gardeners in New York City (n=38). The resulting 25-item Just Community Gardening Survey showed high test-retest reliability and internal consistency and covers domains such as social cohesion, collective efficacy, dietary intake, and food access, incorporating food-justice aspects not assessed in prior research.

Savanah St. Clair, Maryam Saraylou, Daila Melendez, Norman Senn, Serina Reitz, Destini Kananipour, Angelo Alvarez · Applied and Environmental Soil Science · United States (Los Angeles)

This research characterized the arable soils at Los Angeles Pierce College to address health and food-security challenges, using soil physical/chemical measurements, microbial cultivation, and 16S rDNA sequencing on a citizen-science platform. It found plant-growth-promoting, antibiotic-producing and bioremediating bacteria—including abundant Streptomyces, Bacillus and Methylobacteria—across fields with distinct microclimates, and tests indicated that plant-based oils could control antibiotic-resistant bacteria more effectively than common antibiotics. The authors say the results can guide future trials and product development by identifying target soil microorganisms and the most viable fields.

· Journal of Economic Entomology · USA

Tests low-cost, spun-bonded-fabric low tunnels as a physical barrier against airborne insects on Brussels sprouts. Finds they reduce insect populations, insecticide applications, and chewing damage.

· Environmental Science & Technology · United States

Using a tiered model, the study shows that consuming vegetables grown in PFAS-impacted soil or irrigation water can be an important human exposure pathway, raising concern over produce from contaminated sites.

Cooper A., Felix D., Alcantara F., Schroeder J. · Plant Direct · USA (San Diego)

At an urban community garden in San Diego, in-ground vegetables and fruit trees accumulated lead and arsenic, showing urban garden soils can contaminate food crops; raised beds with clean soil eliminated detectable contamination.

Doris González-Fernández, Ana Sofía Mazzini Salom, Fermina Herrera Bendezu, Sonia Huamán, Bertha Rojas Hernández, Illène Pevec, Eliana Mariana Galarza Izquierdo, Nicoletta Armstrong, Virginia Thomas, Sonia Vela Gonzáles, Carlos Gonzáles Saravia, Marilyn E. Scott, Kristine G. Koski · Frontiers in Public Health · Peru (Lima)

In peripheral settlements of the Pachacámac district of metropolitan Lima, Peru, community health promoters delivered a sequence of (1) home and community gardens, (2) 'conscious nutrition' and (3) parenting workshops (ICDP), comparing 113 children aged 0–3 in intervention communities with 127 in control communities at baseline, 8 and 12 months. The interventions significantly reduced the risk of food insecurity (adjusted risk ratio 0.20, 95% CI 0.08–0.51) and of language delay (0.39, 0.19–0.82), but did not significantly improve motor or social/cognitive delay. Multiple micronutrient supplement use lowered motor delay risk (0.12), while households with more pets had higher risk of motor delay (3.24), social/cognitive delay (2.72) and food insecurity (1.73). Because gardens were bundled with nutrition and parenting components, the contribution of the gardens alone cannot be isolated.

Vatsi Meneghel Danilevicz · Psicologia & Sociedade · Brazil (Bahia)

This experience report details the journey of a community garden at a Family Health Unit (USF) in southern Bahia, Brazil, aiming to revive local knowledge and create visibility. Using a cartographic methodology, the study analyzed the garden's effects on participants' health and the bond between health workers and service users. The garden, primarily involving around ten poor, elderly Black women residents, proved to be a powerful tool for therapeutic support, relationship building, cultivation of medicinal plants, reduction in allopathic medication use, and production of vegetables and fruits for participants' consumption.

Emily A. Holmes, Mary F. Campbell, Wesley James, Karen Matthews · Ecology of Food and Nutrition · United States (Mississippi Delta)

This research evaluated the impact of school garden programs on fifth-grade students' garden knowledge, self-perception, and standardized test scores in the Mississippi Delta. The study found no effect on standardized test scores, but students showed increased garden knowledge and reported positive feelings about their future, teamwork, and leadership ability, supported by observations of joy and confidence.