Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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Critical findings
602 results(12 / 25)
Mapping and Characterizing the Green Belt of Córdoba: Land Dynamics and the Urban-Rural Transformation Process
2019Nicolás A. Mari, Nicolás A. Mari, Beatriz Giobellina, Beatriz Giobellina, Alejandro Benítez, Alejandro Benítez, Victoria Marinelli, Victoria Marinelli, Victoria Marinelli · Journal of Agronomy Research · Argentina (Córdoba)
A study mapped and quantified urban growth and land use in Córdoba, Argentina's Green Belt. Using remote sensing and GIS, it evaluated urban growth between 1974 and 2014 and land use in peri-urban and rural areas in 2015. The study revealed a 46.5% urban area growth over nearly 40 years, alongside an increase in farm plot size, indicating land ownership concentration and a reduced number of producers. This transformation highlights a conflict between peri-urban horticulture, industrial agriculture, and urban development.
Governance failurePeri-urban agricultureUrban–rural linkagePolicyBiodiversityAgricultural intensification and urbanization negatively impact soil nematode richness and abundance: a meta-analysis
2019Satyendra Kumar Pothula, Parwinder S. Grewal, Robert M. Augé, Arnold M. Saxton, Ernest C. Bernard · Journal of Nematology · Global
A meta-analysis of 111 published articles assessed the impact of human interventions on soil nematode richness and abundance in urban, agriculture, and disturbed grassland ecosystems compared to natural grassland and forest ecosystems. The study found that overall nematode richness was higher in forest ecosystems than in natural grassland, disturbed grassland, urban, and agriculture ecosystems. The meta-analyses concluded that human interventions, specifically agricultural intensification and urbanization, adversely impact both the richness and abundance of nematodes, which serve as soil health bioindicators.
Environmental trade-offsBiodiversityUrban–rural linkageNew agricultural purposes in the city
2019Mathilde Martin-Moreau, David Ménascé · OpenEdition (OpenEdition) · Global
This article discusses the revival of urban agriculture, which serves multiple purposes by strengthening city-nature links, creating new urban development models, and reinventing food production systems. It highlights how urban agriculture reintroduces natural and productive spaces into cities, responding to urban dwellers' aspirations to integrate rural practices.
CommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceReviving urban spaces through tactical urbanism in Baghdad: Five common tactics
2019Shaimaa Hameed Hussein, Samah A. Abrahem · Periodicals of Engineering and Natural Sciences (PEN) · Iraq (Baghdad)
This research investigated the socio-spatial causes and consequences of tactical urbanism practices in Baghdad, identifying main creators and their motivations. It recognized five common practices: public art, pop-up rest areas, pavement plazas, guerrilla gardening, and open streets. Examining evidence from fieldwork, interviews with involved individuals, and a questionnaire for architecture and urban design professionals, the study argued that tactical urbanism applications in Baghdad could revive urban spaces and positively impact local communities.
CommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkageInfección por Angiostrongylus cantonensis (Nematoda: Metastrongylidae) en Rattus rattus (Rodentia: Muridae) en una localidad de La Habana, Cuba
2019Ariamys Companioni, Jennys Peraza, Zulema Menéndez Díaz, Aileen González, Ledy X López, Ana Elisa Rodriguez, Jorge Cantillo, Fidel Ángel Núñez · Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) · Cuba
A descriptive study in La Lisa Municipality, Havana, Cuba, examined 63 Rattus rattus rodents for Angiostrongylus cantonensis infection in an urban farm field. The study found that 46.03% of the captured rodents were infected with A. cantonensis, with infection rates increasing in adult individuals (59.46%) and during the rainy season (55.88%). This demonstrated the circulation of A. cantonensis in its definitive host in the area, indicating an increased risk of transmission to humans.
Contamination & food safetyHealthUrban–rural linkageDiseases and health; case of wetland populations in the Bamenda urban area, North West Region of Cameroon.
2019Yolar Blandine N., Lawrence F. Fombe, Mokwe Bea Patrick J., Nuipokoh Oscar M. · Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal · Cameroon (Bamenda)
A study examining the impact of diseases and health on wetland populations in the Bamenda urban area of Cameroon found that increased human investment in wetlands enhances inhabitants' vulnerability to flood hazards and diseases like malaria, cholera, and typhoid. The wetlands in Bamenda are rapidly degrading due to population pressure, leading to reclamation, pollution, and urban agriculture, which exacerbates the proliferation of disease vectors.
Environmental trade-offsHealthUrban–rural linkageCommunityPAESAGGIO E URBAN FOOD PLANNING
2019Giacomo Pettenati · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Global
This paper explores the concept of landscape in food systems and urban food planning. It presents three main perspectives on food landscapes: food systems as producers of landscape, foodscapes as frameworks for any food-related action, and food landscapes as heritage. Urban food landscapes are explored, focusing on landscapes of urban agriculture, the role of consumers as co-producers of landscape, and urban foodscapes as resources for new urban images strategies of urban development. The paper investigates the underrepresentation of landscape as a field of action in existing Urban Food Strategies/Policies. Conclusions discuss the potential role of landscape in urban food policies both as the object of specific strategies or actions and as a useful conceptual framework, able to connect the actors of the food system, in sharing a vision for its future evolution.
PolicyCommunityUrban–rural linkageThe countryside in the city? Rural-urban dynamics in allotment gardens in Brno, Czech Republic
2019Lucie Sovová, Radoslava Krylová · Moravian Geographical Reports · Czech Republic (Brno)
This paper evaluates the position of urban allotments within the rural-urban spectrum, investigating how urban and rural characteristics are materialized, represented, and practiced in five allotment sites in Brno, Czech Republic. The research examines the physical environment, social life, and food production within these spaces. It suggests that overcoming the urban-rural dichotomy could facilitate the inclusion of urban gardening in contemporary cities.
CommunityUrban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceTrade‐offs in the performance of alternative farming systems
2019Navin Ramankutty, Vincent Ricciardi, Zia Mehrabi, Verena Seufert · Agricultural Economics · Global
A review was conducted on the production, environmental, and socioeconomic performance of three alternative farming systems: organic, smallholder, and urban agriculture. Organic agriculture offers environmental, livelihood, health, and nutritional benefits but is hampered by lower yields and higher prices. Smaller farms exhibit higher yields and biodiversity but result in lower incomes for farmers. Urban agriculture can alleviate pressure on rural landscapes, provide nutritional benefits to the urban poor, and engage urban dwellers in food system challenges, but it cannot scale up to be a substantial solution on its own.
Limited or null effectUrban–rural linkageHealthEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceVulnerability and urban farming: Coping with price volatility in Ejisu-Juaben municipality, Ghana
2019Michael Osei Asibey, Mohammed Abubakari, Charles Peprah · Cogent Food & Agriculture · Ghana
This paper investigated how urban farmers in Ejisu-Juaben Municipality, Ghana, cope with input and crop price fluctuations. Data from 380 respondents identified four major factors influencing input price volatility (oil prices, exchange rates, cocoa producer prices, and inflation), but farmers had no coping strategies for these. Crop price fluctuations were influenced by natural and demand/supply factors, and farmers coped by adding value to crops and diversifying income sources, among others. However, shifting to cocoa cultivation and farming in flood plains was shown to have adverse environmental and ecological implications.
Economic viabilityEconomicsClimate changeUrban–rural linkageSTANARSKE BAŠTE U PROCESU REVITALIZACIJE SLOBODNIH PROSTORA STAMBENIH SUSEDSTAVA
2019Ivana Bogdanović Protić, Milica Ljubenović, Milica Igić, Miomir Vasov, Mihailo Mitković · Zbornik radova Građevinskog fakulteta · Serbia (Nis)
This paper aims to explore the potential implementation of community gardens in the revitalization process of open spaces in residential neighborhoods in the city of Nis, Serbia. It examines the concept of community gardens and analyzes an example of best practice, stating that the research results can serve as a basis for promoting the application of community gardens in urban theory and practice.
CommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkageEvaluación del uso de enmiendas orgánicas procedentes de residuos urbanos y agropecuarios como técnica de reducción del riesgo en emplazamientos contaminados
2019Ignacio Laorga Fernández · · Global
This study analyzed the "risk reduction" effect of organic amendments from urban and agricultural waste (coffee grounds, domestic compost, livestock manure) on metal-contaminated soils. The method aimed to reduce the bioavailability of metals by increasing soil organic matter, enabling remediation for potential reuse as urban gardens. It was shown that immediate dilution and immobilization of contaminants occur, significantly reducing their mobility and absorption by edible plants.
CompostOrganic cycleUrban–rural linkageQuelle agriculture urbaine pour atteindre l’autosuffisance en ville ?
2019Eurêkoi · · Global
This record describes a query from a user of Eurekoi, a remote response service provided by librarians, seeking documents on urban self-sufficiency. The user requested information ranging from identifying needs to presenting existing solutions. Librarians from the Liège library provided the response.
Food sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageEconomicsTHE FUTURE OF SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND URBAN AGRICULTURE
2019Cvijetin Živanović, Miroslav Nedeljković · AKADEMSKI PREGLED · Global
This paper focuses on agricultural urbanism, using urban agriculture as a sustainable approach to food production, preparation, processing, and distribution in cities. Analytical methods like analysis, abstraction, and specialization, along with synthetic methods including synthesis, concretization, and generalization, were employed. The results indicate that, in most cases, industrialization and its growing social problems are the primary causes of disturbed human behavior, broken community ties, disrupted traditions, and increased crime and fear among people.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageClimate changeSustainable Urban Design in Singapore
2019· International Journal of Recent Technology and Engineering (IJRTE) · Singapore
Singapore has achieved significant progress in sustainable urban design, contributing less than 0.2% of global greenhouse gas emissions and being recognized as Asia's greenest metropolis. The country has applied 21st-century technological innovations to enhance sustainability in areas such as transportation, energy, building, water, and urban farming.
PolicyClimate changeUrban–rural linkageAgricultura Urbana y Periurbana. Reconfiguraciones territoriales y potencialidades en torno a los sistemas alimentarios urbanos
2019Héctor Ávila Sánchez · Investigaciones Geográficas Boletín del Instituto de Geografía · Global
This study analyzed the impact and potential of Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture (UPA) on urban food systems, focusing on cities in Western Europe, North America, and Latin America. It concluded that while UPA practices have increased, their presence in urban food systems remains limited, and their consideration in territorial public policies is still marginal. In developed countries, its impact has been primarily therapeutic, landscape-related, and for heritage preservation, while in poorer countries, it has contributed to self-sufficiency for low-income urban populations, public space recovery, social fabric strengthening, and community development.
Limited or null effectUrban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justicePolicyEconomicsDevelopment of Smart Farming Technologies in Malaysia
2019Gabriel Wei En Wee, Haritharan Devanthran · TEST Engineering & Management · Malaysia
This paper explored the development and adoption of smart farming technologies in Malaysia through a meta-analysis of worldwide scientific literature and perspectives from experienced farmers. Research on smart farming in Malaysia began in 1999, with "Internet of Things" identified as the most researched technology. The development trend points towards urban farming solutions and sustainable agriculture.
Digital agricultureClimate changeUrban–rural linkageThe second green revolution: Innovative urban agriculture's contribution to food security and sustainability – A review
2019Dian Triastari Armanda, Jeroen B. Guinée, Arnold Tukker · Global Food Security · Global
This review examined emerging innovative urban agriculture (IUA) practices, revitalized since 2010 by scientific knowledge and agricultural technology. It assessed IUA's potential contribution to food security and environmental sustainability by comparing scientific literature and actual data from eighteen practitioners worldwide. The most productive IUA practice can yield up to 140 kg of vegetables per m2/year, indicating IUA's potential to support local food supply, strengthen the food value chain, and apply more sustainable practices for global food security.
Urban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changeDigital agricultureGlobal urbanization and food production in direct competition for land: Leverage places to mitigate impacts on SDG2 and on the Earth System
2019Stephan Barthel, Christian Isendahl, Benjamin N. Vis, Axel Drescher, Daniel Evans, Arjan van Timmeren · The Anthropocene Review · Global
Global urbanization and food production are in direct competition for land. Displacing crop production from urban and peri-urban land due to soil quality issues will demand a substantially larger proportion of the Earth’s terrestrial land surface than the area lost to urban encroachment. This risks triggering distancing effects, unfair social-ecological teleconnections, and amplifying effects within the Earth System, potentially leading to food riots in cities of the Global South. The paper identifies multi-level leverage points, specifically an advisory global policy aligned with regional policies enabling robust common property rights for bottom-up actors in urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA), to navigate urban expansion away from fertile croplands.
Governance failurePolicyUrban–rural linkagePeri-urban agricultureFood sovereignty & justiceLa ville en puzzle: Centralité et « subalternité » des espaces urbains à Bruxelles au Moyen Âge
2019Paulo Charruadas, Bram Vannieuwenhuyze · Studies in European urban history · Belgium (Brussels)
While conventional historical literature distinguishes urban territory inside and outside city walls, recent research points to the greater complexity of urban reality. This research reveals the existence of urban agriculture and the emergence of more or less urban or rural "third-party" spaces that do not fit the classic urban-rural dichotomy. In the case of Brussels, the fragmented representation of space transcending the city wall and documented attempts at centrifugal extension are re-evaluated using "Spatial Turn" models and concepts to better understand these essential spaces.
Urban–rural linkageEmergence and diffusion of social innovation through practice fields
2019Maria Rabadjieva, Anna Butzin · European Planning Studies · Global
This paper analyzes how social innovations diffuse, proposing that they spread through "travelling elements" of material, competence, and meaning, rather than solely social interaction. This perspective explains the global emergence of similar social innovations, such as urban gardening initiatives, without direct interaction between actors. The research argues that "practice fields," defined as bundles of similar social innovation initiatives, facilitate this diffusion.
CommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkageHistorical perspectives on the ties between cities and food
2019Nicolas Bricas, Damien Conaré · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Global
The 20th century marked a significant shift in how cities approach their food supply. While the revival of urban food policies extends beyond urban agriculture and food production, urban agriculture can play a role in reintroducing nature and agriculture into the heart of the city while rebuilding social ties. The challenge is less about feeding cities, given its limited production potential, and more about its symbolic dimension.
PolicyFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageCommunityUrban Dreams and Nightmares
2019Julian Cribb · Cambridge University Press eBooks · Global
This paper points out that none of the world's megacities can feed themselves, and food chain risks pose an imminent threat of starvation. It presents concepts such as climate-proof food supplies, novel urban food production systems, the importance of urban permaculture, rewilding, and developing wise consumers as solutions to urban food risk. However, it does not explicitly state that these solutions fully resolve the issue of urban food self-sufficiency.
Limited or null effectFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changeUrban–rural linkageEconomicsUrban Farming Movement
2019Pierluigi Nicolin · IGI Global eBooks · Global
This article describes the urban farming movement as a global phenomenon, emerging in cities worldwide from Mumbai to Tokyo, where cultivated areas produce food distributed locally. Driven largely by the poor and women on small farms, this politico-cultural movement integrates with urban ecosystems through food production, educational aims, and sustainability. It creates new landscapes that warrant aesthetic analysis and could influence urban visual conventions and lifestyles if scaled up.
CommunityFood educationUrban–rural linkageWelfareFood sovereignty & justiceUrban Agriculture Development Experiences in the World and its Enlightenments to China
2019Wei Wei · DEStech Transactions on Social Science Education and Human Science · Global
This paper summarizes and compares successful urban agriculture experiences from the United States, the Netherlands, and Japan, then provides policy suggestions and development ideas for urban agriculture in China based on existing problems. Urban agriculture has become a global trend in modern urban suburban agriculture, solving urbanization and resource allocation issues in many developed countries.
PolicyUrban–rural linkage