Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
3274 results(128 / 131)
Quality assurance initiatives for peri-urban food production in India
2002Nigel Poole, DS Bhupal, Fiona Marshall, Dolf te Lintelo · · India
New knowledge is presented on the impacts of urban and peri-urban (UPU) environmental pollution on food safety attributes of vegetable marketing systems in India. Air pollution reduces crop yield and nutritional quality, and is a major source of particulate contaminants that accumulate at toxic levels in edible crops. The study explores the balance between public and private quality assurance initiatives and identifies wholesale markets as a potential entry point for quality assurance.
Contamination & food safetyHealthPeri-urban agriculturePolicyClimate changeJapan's Utilization of Farming Land and the Relevant Promotional Policies
2002Fang Zhao · · Japan
This paper discusses Japan's utilization of farming land and related promotional policies. It notes that while progress was made before the 1960s, farming land utilization has continuously retrogressed since then. Despite a series of measures taken to correct this, the results have been unsatisfactory. However, the paper suggests that lessons can be learned from these measures regarding policy guidance, renting/contracting systems, wasteland control, land information, and urban farming garden construction.
PolicyUrban–rural linkageAgricultura Urbana em Cuba: análise de alguns aspectos técnicos.
2002Adriana Maria de Aquino · · Cuba
This study analyzes the geographical scope and organizational structure of urban agriculture in Cuba. It identifies organic matter as one of the key bases for urban agriculture and describes modalities for producing fresh vegetables and condiments.
Urban–rural linkageOrganic cyclePolicyFarmland Management Policies by Local Municipalities for the Promotion of Urban Agriculture in Collaboration with Urban Residents in the National Capital Region of Japan
2002Takashi Watanabe, Makoto Yokohari · Journal of the City Planning Institute of Japan · Japan
This study investigated the implementation status of urban agriculture promotion policies by local municipalities in Japan's National Capital Region, specifically those involving urban residents. It aimed to clarify the actual conditions of these policies, some of which predated the revised Production Green Land Law of 1992. The research emphasizes the importance of urban residents' understanding and active involvement in urban agriculture, necessitating proactive intervention by local governments.
PolicyCommunityUrban–rural linkageChanges in Official Attitudes Towards Urban Agriculture in Accra
2002Kwaku Obosu-Mensah · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Ghana (Accra)
This paper examines the initial negative attitudes of officials towards urban agriculture in Accra, Ghana, and the factors that led to a shift towards more positive support. It notes that officials began encouraging urban agriculture after recognizing its importance and due to external compelling factors. The study emphasizes that official attitudes are crucial for the profitability of urban agriculture.
PolicyCommunityCreating Livable Cities: The Need For Urban Agriculture
2002Gina E. Castillo, S. Langeveld · WIT transactions on ecology and the environment · Africa
This paper examines the contributions of civil society organizations working on urban agriculture in Africa and Latin America. It argues for the need to develop land use policies that incorporate the social, economic, and environmental benefits of urban gardens. The paper concludes that both urban agriculture and civil society organizations are essential for creating livable cities.
PolicyEconomicsCommunityClimate changeFarmers' Views on the Farming in Seoul
2002Han-Cheol Hwang, Sun-Yong Park, Kyongsoo Han · Journal of Korean Society of Rural Planning · South Korea (Seoul)
This study examined farmers' intentions and attitudes towards farming in Seoul to support urban agricultural development strategies, using survey data analyzed with contingency tables and Chi-square tests. It found that leaseholders were more satisfied with their jobs than landowning farmers, and small-scale farmers with greenhouses showed greater job satisfaction than ordinary large-scale farmers. Farmers' views on farming in Seoul varied by their status, suggesting that agricultural strategies should consider these differing attitudes.
CommunityEconomicsPolicyUrban agriculture between allotment and market gardening: contributions to the sustainability of African and Asian cities
2002L.M. van den Berg · WIT transactions on ecology and the environment · Africa, Asia
Urban agriculture, despite severe competition for space, plays roles such as fresh food supply, leisure, supplementary income for the urban poor, and green space management. Case studies in Africa and Southeast Asia demonstrate the difficulty of maintaining these roles due to public health and environmental degradation concerns. Urban agricultural producers may rely on polluted streams for irrigation, cause soil erosion through inappropriate farming techniques, or poison surrounding residents with pesticides. The paper suggests that urban agriculture could be more beneficial to the urban system if treated by town planners as a normal urban function requiring both regulation and protection.
Contamination & food safetyEconomicsHealthOrganic cyclePolicyUrban Youth Engagement with Community Gardening Initiatives in South African Cities: A Mixed Methods Impact Study on Empowerment Levels
2002Mpho Tshepiso Khumalo, Nomsie Makhubela · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · South Africa
This mixed-methods study investigated urban youth engagement in community gardening initiatives in six South African cities, using surveys, ethnographic observations, structured interviews, focus groups, and participant observation. Participants reported a significant 34% increase in self-reported empowerment levels after engaging in these initiatives. The findings suggest community gardens can be effective for youth empowerment, but further research on long-term effects and scalability is needed.
CommunityFood educationWelfarePolicyAnalysis of the Development on Urban Agriculture in Beijing
2002Ren Wei-na · · China (Beijing)
This analysis states that the development of urban agriculture in Beijing aligns with current productivity demands. Urban agriculture is considered important for solving land and water resource shortages, fulfilling environmental protection and recreational functions, and promoting bidirectional development between town-suburbanization and suburb-urbanization.
PolicyEconomicsClimate changeUrban–rural linkageMmakolwane J. Maswikaneng, M Tech Student Wim Van Averbeke, Professor
2002E. Albertse, Technikon Pretoria · · South Africa (Atteridgeville)
This article identifies and defines three extension domains among urban farmers in the informal settlements of Atteridgeville, South Africa: home gardeners, community-project gardeners, and users of open urban spaces. A survey (n=120) with face-to-face interviews, structured interview schedules, semi-structured interviews, and observations gathered information on farming space, crops, resources, and socio-economic characteristics. The study concludes by calling for greater government and public extension involvement in urban agriculture in the area, identifying specific constraints for each domain.
CommunityWelfarePolicyEconomics南京市“菜篮子”经济探讨
2002Xiang Xu, 吴敏 · 南京社会科学 · China (Nanjing)
This article explores the "vegetable basket" economy in Nanjing, China, as an extension of the "vegetable basket project" and a strategic choice for developing urban agriculture with Chinese characteristics. By analyzing the high-level supply and demand and circulation status of Nanjing's "vegetable basket" economy, the paper discusses its market positioning and development prospects. The findings aim to provide a basis for the government to formulate development strategies for the "vegetable basket" economy.
EconomicsPolicyUrban agriculture, gender and empowerment: An alternative view
2001Rachel Slater · Development Southern Africa · South Africa
This study examined urban agriculture (UA) in Cape Town, South Africa, focusing on its contribution to low-income households. It found that UA's contribution to income generation and expenditure substitution is limited. However, UA is important to women in low-income households in ways less directly related to monetary gain, being used for empowerment, establishing social networks, symbolizing a sense of security, and encouraging community development.
Limited or null effectWelfareCommunityPolicyEconomicsUrban Agriculture, the Direction of Agricultural Development in Yuxi
2001Weiguo Gao · · China (Yuxi)
This abstract proposes that agricultural production activities in Yuxi should be integrated with urban economic activities centered in Kunming. The goal is to occupy the market, serve more people, establish regional comparative advantages, and build foundational elements for urbanization.
EconomicsUrban–rural linkagePolicyDIFFERENTIATING MULTIPLE MEANINGS OF GARDEN AND COMMUNITY
2001Hilda E. Kurtz · Urban Geography · United States (Minneapolis)
This paper examines the variations among community gardens in Minneapolis, Minnesota, suggesting they reflect differing interpretations of "community" and "garden" in urban settings. While community gardens are seen as responses to urban decay, the study highlights that issues of enclosure, inclusion, and exclusion are central to their function. Decisions regarding garden enclosure shape their role in urban neighborhoods, indicating potential limitations related to equity.
Equity & displacementCommunityEconomicsPolicyGeographies of social activism: Women, democracy, and change in an urban community garden
2001Huei-Hsuan Lin · Syracuse University Libraries (Syracuse University) · United States
This three-year qualitative study of an urban community garden in a mid-size city in upstate New York, United States, examined how women community gardeners perceive their participation. It found that the community garden, intended as a space for social change, paradoxically became a site of internal struggles among participants. Emancipatory efforts to build a less unequal society did not automatically result in an egalitarian space, as the process of community building by individuals with various social positions required arduous efforts and involved negotiation and confrontations, rather than simple unity.
Equity & displacementCommunityPolicyAn Analysis of Suburban AgricuIturaI Land Allocation System and Sustainable Development Strategy──Taking Kaifeng Suburban as an example
2001Zhao Shu-mao · 系统科学与系统工程学报(英文版) · China (Kaifeng)
This paper discusses the structure and efficiency of agricultural land use in Kaifeng Suburban, China, based on system theory. It reveals current problems such as benefit deviation from resource allocation and distinguished unemployment. The study advances resolution measures for sustainable development, including farmland protection, ecological agriculture, sustainable land use, and decreased input of synthetic matter.
Economic viabilityUrban–rural linkagePolicyEconomicsUrban agriculture: international support and capacity building in Africa.
2001Camillus J. Sawio, Lori A. Spies, Djibril Doucouré · CABI Publishing eBooks · Africa
This chapter provides an overview of international efforts and initiatives to strengthen urban and periurban agriculture, with special reference to related networks in Africa.
PolicyUrban–rural linkagePeri-urban agricultureFood sovereignty & justiceA STRATEGIC DISCUSSION ON THE CONSTRUCTION OF MODERN URBAN AGRICULTURE IN SHANGHAI
2001LI Wei-jiang · Economic Geography · China (Shanghai)
This paper provides a preliminary discussion on the strategic key points for constructing modern urban agriculture in Shanghai. It examines four aspects: body-function transformation, structure adjustment, development organization, and spatial structure composition.
PolicyUrban–rural linkageL'agriculture périurbaine : paradigme et paradoxes d'une péri-agriculture. Illustration en région méditerranéenne
2001J.J. Tolron · HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe) · Europe
This article examines peri-urban agriculture, which is subject to land constraints imposed by nearby cities. Two case studies in the Mediterranean region illustrate that adaptations to the peri-urban context trigger radical changes in agricultural systems' functioning rationale, leading to sometimes paradoxical operations. The study emphasizes the diversifying effect on systems and the challenges linked to land management.
Governance failurePeri-urban agriculturePolicyEconomicsUrban–rural linkageUrban harvest: cities, food, activism and the third sector
2001Robyn Lynn · ResearchOnline at James Cook University (James Cook University) · Global
This paper highlights the significance of urban food production, which has been historically neglected despite its potential to address issues of globalization, urbanization, and environmental degradation. It explores the relationship between cities, food production, and activism, noting a growing local food movement that resists global food discourses. The paper aims to identify issues within urban food production activism and its organizational aspects.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityClimate changePolicyUrban agriculture, a project for Tunis
2001Moez Bouraoui, Pierre Donadieu, André Fleury · Cahiers Agricultures · Tunisia (Tunis)
In Tunis, the concept of public green spaces has not evolved much, and the risk of continuous urbanization is real, making agriculture not inherently sustainable between dynamic urbanization poles. However, new attitudes are emerging, with environmental concerns influencing public planning policies, and residential forms, recreational/cultural practices associated with agriculture, and new citizen interest in rural areas are appearing. These developments may signal the beginning of a new planning policy and the advent of urban agriculture in Tunis.
PolicyUrban–rural linkageCommunityStadtnahe Landwirtschaft in der Stadt- und Freiraumplanung
2001Frank Lohrberg · OPUS Publication Server of the University of Stuttgart (University of Stuttgart) · Global
This study argues that agricultural production forms near cities, often overlooked by municipal and environmental policy, are innovative, consumer-oriented, and economically efficient. It suggests that urban and and open space planning should abandon the prejudice that agriculture on the city outskirts is an outdated model. A differentiated view reveals an "urban" agriculture that is more vital than its rural counterpart and can provide important impulses for more sustainable cities and efficient planning.
Peri-urban agriculturePolicyEconomicsClimate change大力发展都市农业，加速农业现代化进程——珠海发展都市农业探析
2001黄大成 · 特区经济 · China (Zhuhai)
A favorable condition for urban agriculture development in Zhuhai City is the purchasing power of its citizens. According to expert analysis, the average annual income for Zhuhai city employees in 1997 was 12793 yuan (approximately 1505.05 USD), significantly exceeding the 500-800 USD per capita annual income considered the take-off period for tourism. A tourism bureau survey indicated that 29.44% of citizens were willing to spend under 100 yuan for a day trip, 43.51% between 100-200 yuan, and 14.11% between 200-300 yuan, which can meet the consumption demands of tourism and leisure-oriented urban agriculture projects targeting ordinary citizens.
EconomicsCommunityPolicyAgricultural Uses of Municipal, Animal, and Industrial Byproducts
2001CAST · · United States
This comprehensive report, written by a twelve-member task force, considers the changing role of agriculture in urban settings. The report frames "urban agriculture" within historical and contemporary American society, depicting geographic, demographic, and economic changes in rural and metropolitan life. Policy issues such as land preservation, alternative market opportunities, sprawl, taxation, and food security are examined.
PolicyEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkage