Research & reports

Alison Hope Alkon, Yahya Josh Cadji, Frances C. Moore · New York University Press eBooks · United States (California)

In North Oakland, California, USA, collaborations between food justice organizations and residents, spurred by gentrification, were explored. The partnership and merger of Phat Beets Produce and the Self-Help Hunger Program were analyzed, initiated after a community garden was used in a gentrification advertisement in 2014. While this collaboration created a strong alliance, it was found to be insufficient to resist the structural forces driving gentrification.

Ana Carla Alves Gomes, Maria Lúcia Brito da Cruz · Revista Campo-Território · Brazil

This study investigated the spatial distribution of Urban Agriculture (UA) in Fortaleza, Brazil, particularly in the Lagoa Redonda neighborhood, and the permanence of these gardens amidst territorial disputes over urban space. Using bibliographic and secondary data surveys, site visits, and geoprocessing techniques, it analyzed the feasibility of UA reproduction and the implementation of specific policies for the activity. The study points to governance challenges, specifically territorial disputes concerning the permanence of urban agriculture in urban spaces.

Ted White · Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks · United States

Non-market sales, barter, trade, donations, and other creative transactions have been integral to Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) since its inception, promoting creativity and new economic thinking due to its advance payment system for unknown harvests. Based on qualitative field research, primarily in the Northeastern United States, this chapter examines the innovative transactions that have enabled CSA and other Community Supported Enterprises (CSEs) to grow. While acknowledging that the 'Community Supported' model has not solved the challenge of providing adequate incomes for producers or attracting diverse participants, the chapter presents evidence of CSA as a vibrant system connecting producers and consumers through creative transactions.

Naiane Modri Fuzinatto, Sílvio Santos · Turismo - Visão e Ação · Brazil

This qualitative case study evaluated the impact of urban agriculture (UA) on the competitiveness of a restaurant in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Data were collected through documentary research, semi-structured interviews, and direct observation, then analyzed using the VRIO model. The findings suggest that UA can develop a competitive advantage when combined with conceptual and technological elements.

Justine Lindemann · New York University Press eBooks · United States (Cleveland)

This chapter explores how gentrification in Cleveland, Ohio, impacts Black urban farmers' and gardeners' access to land in disinvested neighborhoods. It examines the ancillary effects of development on alternative land reuse efforts. The study highlights that despite a seemingly endless supply of vacant lots, gentrification negatively affects land access for these communities.

Laryssa Mylenna Silva Santos, Maria Elizabete de Oliveira, Darcet Costa Souza, Cristiane Lopes Carneiro d’Albuquerque, Marcus Vinicius Guimarães Clack · Informe Econômico. · Brazil

This paper describes and analyzes the social, economic, and technological aspects of the agroecological transition toward organic certification at the Povoado Soinho Community Garden in Teresina, Piauí, Brazil, outlining the profile of its horticulturists and their production. Teresina's Community Garden Program, created by the municipal agriculture and supply agency (SEMAB), initially aimed to reduce delinquency among socially vulnerable children and adolescents, but later added goals of increasing horticultural output, generating employment and income, and improving farming families' diets. As of 2016, Teresina had 70 production units, five of which were awaiting organic certification from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA), including the Povoado Soinho Community Garden, which was undergoing the transition to organic production with support from the rural development secretariat. The analysis found that plots managed by women predominated and showed greater production diversification than those managed by men, and that more than half of plots received help from at least one family member.

Daniele Eckert Matzembacher, Fábio Bittencourt Meira · Organizações & Sociedade · Brazil

A 2020 case study of the CSA (community supported agriculture) organization "CSA Alfa" in Minas Gerais, Brazil, using Karl Polanyi's theoretical framework. It frames CSA as a movement that repositions agricultural production around fair-trade and agroecological principles through short chains linking production and consumption, and finds that market exchange and reciprocity coexist as different regulatory principles within CSA Alfa. Friendship, tolerance, loyalty, and commitment build a communal ethos around food, and the study argues CSA acts as a counter-movement to commodification by strengthening participants' relative autonomy and raising social cohesion among participating groups.

Cristhiane Oliveira da Graça Amâncio, João Pedro Ribeiro Oliveira, Leonis Junior Santos Silva, Bruna Maria Pereira Ribas, Claudemar Mattos, Ilzo Arthur Moreira, Robson Amâncio · · Brazil (São Paulo)

Among farmers of the Rede CAU (Carioca Urban Agriculture Network) in the Vargem Grande neighborhood of western Rio de Janeiro, data collected from February to December 2019 using the LUME method analyzed production of fruit, vegetables and compost across 8 hectares of land. Total family income was estimated at R$62,632.00, of which 56% (R$38,906.00) came from agricultural income (with the greatest profit from vegetables sold at fairs) and 46% (R$30,726.00) from non-agricultural income (space rental); 65% (R$45,421.53) of total income derived from women's labor (making sweets and dried fruit for sale) and 35% (R$24,210.47) from men's labor (planting and management). The main constraint on improving production was difficult access to the steep, hard-to-reach region and the large distances between subsystems, with optimizing self-production of inputs through composting and mechanizing transport proposed as alternatives.

Rafael Pereira da Silva, Francisco Fransualdo de Azevedo · Revista de Geografia · Brazil

Focusing on Natal, Rio Grande do Norte state, Brazil, this study examines the role of institutional markets — particularly the National School Feeding Program (PNAE) — in commercializing food produced by family farming, drawing on a literature review and PNAE food procurement data from 2013 to 2017. Institutional markets were found to give farmers an alternative outlet for their production, complementing income from open-air markets and potentially reducing the role of intermediaries, but in Natal the PNAE has been underutilized because of problems in its operational structure.

Marilyn Sitaker, Jane Kolodinsky, Weiwei Wang, Lisa Chase, Julia Van Soelen Kim, Diane Smith, Hans Estrin, Zoe van Vlaanderen, Lauren Greco · Sustainability · United States

A mixed-methods evaluation examined Farm Fresh Food Box (F3B), a market innovation in which pre-ordered CSA-style produce boxes are sold through rural retail outlets, implemented from 2016 to 2018 in Vermont, Washington and California as part of a USDA-funded multi-state extension and research project. A national market survey found consumers likely to purchase F3B if it offered good value on fresh local produce without requiring a subscription. The model placed additional labor burdens on farmers and retailers and required extra time for relationship-building and record-keeping. Purchasers were generally satisfied with quality, quantity and variety, and a high proportion considered F3B good value for money. As a business innovation it showed only modest profit, though retailers and farmers considered it worthwhile for expanding their customer base, promoting their brand and developing partnerships.

Regan Emmons, Kelsey Hall, Roslynn McCann · Digital Commons - USU (Utah State University) · United States

This Utah State University extension workshop outline covers strategies for farmers markets, farm stands, and community supported agriculture (CSA) programs to reach low-income customers by accepting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits and incentive programs such as Double Up Food Bucks (DUFB). It presents planned workshop content on marketing techniques, the benefits of accepting SNAP and incentives, and ways market managers and CSA growers can incorporate SNAP into operations, without reporting original study data.

Maria Bampasidou, Whitney R. McKinzie, Bampasidou, Maria, McKinzie, Whitney R. · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · United States

This teaching case study examines Red Stick Farm, a family-operated, small-scale urban farm in greater Baton Rouge that has operated for three years, as its operators weigh two mutually exclusive growth strategies: expanding the customer base through a community-supported agriculture (CSA) program or increasing production capacity by acquiring more land. It is structured as classroom material guiding students through strategic business planning practices, including defining a mission statement, assessing strengths and threats, and identifying risks.

Janete Webler Cancelier, César De David, Janete Facco · Geosul · Brazil

A paper on Santa Maria, in Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil (2020) examines vegetable cultivation practice in the city's peri-urban area, arguing that agriculture aimed at food production within urban/peri-urban areas is redefining the use of space, bringing changes to social, environmental, and economic relations and transforming landscapes and production dynamics. Growing demand for quality food has enabled agricultural activity to persist in urban spaces, and a way of life built around a distinctive mode of production with local specificity has gained value; in Santa Maria's peri-urban areas, horticultural production takes place with products sold weekly at fairs, markets, and on producers' properties, and is regarded as a source of household income.

Pai S., Ai N., Zheng J. · Sustainable Cities and Society, 50:101683 · United States

Using Chicago as a case study, this analysis assesses the feasibility of decentralized community composting on portions of public parks in terms of cost and greenhouse gas emissions. It finds decentralized composting delivers outreach, landfill diversion and cost-saving benefits, with an estimated net benefit of about $100 per tonne, indicating the financial viability of a city-wide strategy to compost household food waste locally.

Kumudu P.P. Kopiyawattage, Laura Warner, T. Grady Roberts · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems · United States (Columbus)

This qualitative study used semi-structured interviews to describe factors influencing the intention of urban food producers in Columbus, one U.S. city, to continue farming in urban settings. It found that perceived complexity can negatively influence attitude and hinder intention, while subjective norms shaped by peer growers and family members may heighten the intention to continue. The findings also revealed personal characteristics, such as education and access to resources, that may enhance perceived behavioral control.

Junhong Chen, Zhifeng Gao, Xuqi Chen, Lisha Zhang · Sustainability · United States

Drawing on a national U.S. survey of 795 respondents, this study analyzed how motivation, perceived barriers, and advertising methods shape consumers' past, current, and future participation in community-supported agriculture (CSA). Younger consumers, higher-income families, and supporters of sustainable agriculture were more likely to renew subscriptions, and members were sensitive to the timing, price, and location of food distribution. The effects of barriers and advertising varied with members' participation status.

Becca B. R. Jablonski, Martha Sullins, Dawn Thilmany McFadden · Sustainability · United States (Colorado)

This pilot study assessed the marketing performance of community-supported agriculture (CSA) relative to other direct-market channels using data from 42 Colorado farms between 2016 and 2017. Farms incorporating CSA sales tended to be smaller in scale and to use more diverse markets, and while they had lower average weekly sales, they showed the highest average marketing profit margins among direct-market channels.

Hernández López A., Avila Alejandre A.X., Mendoza Francisco N., Hernández López H. · Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Agrícolas · Mexico

Design, construction and testing of a low-cost seed germinator built from locally available materials that automatically controls temperature and photoperiod, with an Arduino Uno temperature verifier; total cost about US$58, competitive with commercial germinators.

· Economic Geography · USA

Focuses on the unpaid 'surplus labor' that sustains urban agriculture sites, analyzing how it is appropriated and distributed. It shows these sites depend heavily on unpaid, contested embodied work central to workers' subject formation.

Michael Carolan · Journal of the American Planning Association · United States

This 2019 study, based on 82 interviews in Denver, New York, and San Francisco, investigated how traditional and digital urban agriculture converge and diverge regarding land use and gentrification. It found that both digital and traditional urban farming systems are linked to gentrification and inequitable land use patterns. Digital urban farming systems also operate in a regulatory gray area, with their "digital" aspects used to gain more zoning permission than traditional urban agriculture.

Marilyn Sitaker, Jared T. McGuirt, Weiwei Wang, Jane Kolodinsky, Rebecca A. Seguin‐Fowler · Sustainability · United States

This study compared sociodemographic and geospatial contexts with farmers' experiences for two direct-to-consumer (DTC) models: a cost-offset CSA for low-income families and food boxes distributed via rural convenience stores, across two U.S. states (Vermont and Washington). Addresses of thirteen farms and DTC pickup sites were geocoded, and road network distances to supermarkets, farmers' markets, and farms were calculated. Most pickup areas were heavily car-dependent with limited public transportation. Despite modest profitability, both models were considered worth pursuing as they expanded farmers' customer base.

Giszell Dymond Weather · Carolina Digital Repository (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) · United States

A 7-month study of the Angier Avenue Neighborhood Farm in East Durham, a predominantly Black area, found that Black residents rarely participate in farm activities. This research, based on participant observation, interviews, and food systems research, theorizes the relationship between urban farming and gentrification, arguing that equitable community food projects must incorporate local Black residents' cultures and histories to be sustainable.

Arantza Elena Sanchez Gutierrez · · Mexico

In Querétaro Municipality, Mexico, a strategy was designed and implemented to increase and incentivize the use of urban agriculture. Previous strategies implemented in Mexico had resulted in low participation and abandonment of practice due due to low interest from inhabitants and a lack of will to follow through on plans. This qualitative research analyzed the causes of these failures using User-Centered Design tools and Design Thinking. Findings showed that a "strategy of appropriation," emphasizing a sense of belonging, well-being, and commitment, resulted in an increase in this variable, which influences the abandonment of agricultural practices.

Daiara Batista Mendes · Geografia em Atos (Online) · Brazil (Pirapozinho)

This article identifies the potentialities of urban agriculture in Pirapozinho, São Paulo, focusing on food and economic use. Based on field research and interviews, the study found that urban agriculture provides quick access to quality products and fosters close farmer-consumer links. However, it also found that urban agricultural practices have not received due governmental attention at national or local scales, despite their potential.

Silvia Iveth Moreno Gaytán, Mercedes A. Jiménez-Velázquez, Martín Hernández Juárez · Estudios Sociales Revista de Alimentación Contemporánea y Desarrollo Regional · Mexico (Ciudad de México)

The sustainability of urban agriculture practiced by women in the Valle de Chalco Solidaridad, Mexico City Metropolitan Area, was investigated. A qualitative follow-up on 45 production units and a quantitative questionnaire to 25 female producers from Xico Kaa’a Comunicaciones A. C. were conducted. Urban agriculture's sustainability was found to be strong, contributing to family food self-sufficiency, employing agroecological techniques for environmental improvement, and over 50% of MESMIS diagnostic criteria were evaluated as sustainable.