Research & reports

Lucas Bricca · · Chile

This chapter details the environmental education articles of the 2022 constitutional text in relation to a community garden initiative in the Province of Los Andes, central Chile. It explores how the text's educational framework aimed to institutionalize local knowledge networks by supporting diverse learning environments, participatory education, and linking education to holistic social outcomes, examining their relevance for agroecology.

Claudia Rochael Oliveira · Terra Livre · Global

This article argues that while vertical farms (VFs) are often presented as indispensable for sustainable cities, their purported sustainability is difficult to achieve without structural changes to reduce social inequalities. Critiques of urban agriculture, including VFs, point to their contribution to gentrification, racialization of space, and vulnerability to real estate capital, indicating a critical finding regarding equity. The article advocates for VFs to be appropriated by social movements to foster critical stances against conventional agriculture and catalyze urban utopias.

Inger‐Lise Saglie · · Norway

This chapter presents the development of public policies and the main actors in urban agriculture in three Norwegian cities: Oslo, Bergen, and Trondheim. While showing common traits in institutionalization, differences exist in the role of voluntary groups, bottom-up versus top-down processes, networking, relationship to peri-urban agriculture, and implementation in plans. Oslo's approach is politically driven with traditional participatory methods, developing urban agriculture as a social activity and professional food production. In Bergen, the voluntary sector actively co-creates policy and runs a competence center. Trondheim's policy is co-produced annually with growers based on their experiences, with a strong connection to professional agriculture, and has consciously chosen not to develop specific strategies for urban agriculture.

Diane Keen · Global Qualitative Nursing Research · Global

This participatory action research explored ways to enhance the well-being of four young adults with developmental disabilities and five older adults through intergenerational interaction in a community garden. Using semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and field notes, the study identified five themes of well-being: engagement, positive relationships, accomplishment, meaning and purpose, and positive emotion. The research found that enlisting the wisdom of older adults enhanced the well-being of both young adults with developmental disabilities and the older adults themselves.

Ulrike Bayr, Svein Olav Krøgli, Sebastian Eiter · Urban forestry & urban greening · Norway (Bergen)

This study ranked urban and peri-urban farmland areas in Norway based on their suitability for urban agriculture (UA) and identified opportunities for extending UA to currently unused farmland. Through collaboration with urban farmers, four key themes and eleven criteria were identified and weighted for on-farm and off-farm sales scenarios. A GIS-based multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) using TOPSIS was performed on 1x1 km grid cells. In the City of Bergen, 15.3% (on-farm) and 14% (off-farm) of the total farmland was both unused and highly suitable for UA, compared to 2.8% (on-farm) and 2.4% (off-farm) in Oslo.

Fabiola Cabral-Rochin, Fabiola Lydie Rochin Berumen, Silvia Paulina Rochin-Berumen · South Florida Journal of Development · Global

This article describes a corporate social responsibility project that fostered sustainability and environmental awareness through five environmental education workshops. Fifteen employees participated, achieving a 70% increase in knowledge of sustainable practices, and 10 families benefited from actions like creating urban gardens. A social media campaign reached 2,648 people, increasing inquiries for the company Atelier Fábrica de Ideas by 30%.

Zahra Nobar, Akbar Rahimi · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Global

This study explores the revitalization of urban agricultural lands and the creation of edible parks as nature-based solutions for sustainable urban development. It highlights urban agriculture's role in addressing food demands and its social and environmental implications. Edible parks, utilizing public and private spaces, are presented as a strategy to build sustainable urban infrastructure, promote social interaction, and strengthen community bonds.

Emily Schneider · Amsterdam Museum Journal · Global

This essay explores the conjuncture of interspecies reciprocity, hospitality, gift-giving practices, and the co-creation of urban spaces, focusing on the potential for and complexity of neighborly relationships between humans and plants. Borrowing the concept of the ‘good neighbor’ from Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass, it considers the conditions under which relationships based on care and responsibility can thrive through ‘circular reciprocity’. Sites for close interspecies encounters, like urban foraging practices and community gardens, show the potential of a caring and attentive striving toward neighborliness but also reveal the multiplicity and ambiguity of what can be considered different, sometimes irreconcilable, interests and needs of various urban dwellers. Nevertheless, this essay argues that the practice of becoming ‘good neighbors’ ultimately benefits both humans and plants.

Mare Kõiva · Yearbook of Balkan and Baltic Studies · Estonia

This study examines the historical development, cultural meanings, and contemporary practices of indoor, balcony, and rooftop gardening in Estonia from the 19th to 21st centuries. Combining historical sources, folkloric data, horticultural literature, and qualitative interviews, the research shows that urban plant cultivation in Estonia is shaped by cultural, ecological, architectural, and personal factors.

Helene Gallis, Kimberly Weger, Adam Curtis · · Norway (Oslo)

This contribution presents Norwegian experiences from Nabolagshager and its founder Helene Gallis, focusing on the development of urban agriculture projects in Oslo. Gallis argues for a more systematic application of placemaking principles in urban agriculture to enhance social well-being. Her experience suggests that combining placemaking with urban agriculture can empower community members, residents, and fragile and undesirable groups to co-create urban agriculture in public spaces, highlighting the transformative impact of using the placemaking principle of triangulation in these projects.

Jeffery W Bentley, Paul Van Mele · CABI eBooks · Global

Supermarkets dominate the food market, resulting in lower prices for farmers and the decline of smaller shops, impacting local sourcing and quality. The abstract states that consumers and local governments can support family businesses, farm shops, and farmer markets, with examples from France to Ecuador. Allotment gardens and innovations like the Belgian ‘Juice Mobile’ are also noted for providing fresh food, social interaction, exercise, and a connection to nature.

Chiara Tornaghi · · Global

This chapter, based on 15 years of research, identifies key shortcomings in urban planning policy that prevent urban agriculture from reaching its full potential for human and non-human health. These include the failure to recognize urban agriculture as food production, the invisibility of soil and its role, and the neglect of soil care and food production specialists in public land design and soil management. The chapter suggests that agroecological considerations can enhance urban agriculture's ambition in public spaces.

Vazoumana Koné · Uirtus · Côte d’Ivoire

In Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, market gardening is widespread, but the Master Plan of Greater Abidjan does not allocate specific spaces for these crops. This forces producers to use unsuitable areas like flood-prone lowlands. A study of 45 market gardeners found that they employ various social practices to legitimize their activities and maintain their presence in urban spaces despite the lack of official land allocation.

· The MIT Press eBooks · Global

This book examines community farms in Latin America, Australia, and China, highlighting tensions between local identities and global transformation. It finds that while industrial expansion in export agribusiness generates macroeconomic benefits, it incurs micro-level costs such as the replacement of peri-urban farms by plantations, loss of biodiversity, and groundwater contamination from pesticides and fertilizers. The study suggests that food system intermediaries are crucial in connecting rural migrants with urban farms and resources.

Guilherme Raj, Giuseppe Feola · Local Environment · Portugal

This study longitudinally examines labor in three Portuguese community-supported agriculture (CSA) initiatives to reconstruct the trajectory of labor diversification over several years. The analysis shows that the CSA setup led to labor diversification in all three case studies. Findings suggest that "community" is an emergent property rather than an inherent quality of CSA, and that empowerment and disempowerment dynamics are crucial in diversifying work relations.

Hoyos Zuñiga, Elder Arnubio, Mena Gómez, Ana Cecilia · Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) · Colombia

This study examined the presence, transmission, and perceived relevance of ancestral culinary practices among 6th–7th grade students at the Agricultural Educational Institution of Argelia, Cauca, Colombia, and their influence on eating habits. A qualitative, descriptive design using semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and documentary review was employed. Findings indicated that students recognize traditional staples but reported low frequency of home preparation and limited availability at school kiosks.

Michela Lenzi, Andrea Scatolon, Luciana Carraro, Margherita Guidetti, Valentina Carfora · Current Opinion in Psychology · Global

This review explored how community connectedness influences sustainable eating, particularly meat consumption. It found that while community ties can encourage pro-environmental behaviors and support plant-based diet initiatives, a strong connection to one's community may also hinder the adoption of environmentally friendly diets by reinforcing meat-heavy culinary traditions. The potential for community connectedness to promote sustainable eating depends on factors like environmental awareness.

Jasmin Arif Shah · Universiti Putra Malaysia Institutional Repository (Universiti Putra Malaysia) · Malaysia

The practice of urban farming in Malaysia is recognized for promoting the well-being of urban dwellers and smallholder farmers, and for achieving sustainable food production. Urban farming is viewed as a catalyst for achieving the well-being of urban dwellers and the natural environment, with social and health benefits being among the highest motivating factors for urban communities. The development of urban farming communities and the emphasis on sustainable food production through these initiatives are considered important steps towards empowering locals and creating food-independent communities.

Noryana Ahmad Khusaini, Munifah Siti Amira Yusuf · Universiti Putra Malaysia Institutional Repository (Universiti Putra Malaysia) · Global

This review examines the significance of digital record-keeping in urban agriculture, focusing on its impact on efficiency, productivity, market access, economic benefits, sustainability, and environmental benefits. The review identifies challenges such as a lack of digital skills, high implementation costs, inadequate technological infrastructure, limited connectivity, data privacy, and security. These challenges hinder the adoption of digitalization in urban agriculture.

M. L. Wahlqvist · Food and nutrition · Global

This chapter defines food systems and their evolution, noting that current systems contribute significantly to environmental degradation. It highlights the urgent need for transformation due to increasing global food demand, environmental issues, political instability, and climate change. The chapter discusses alternative food systems, including urban agriculture, that prioritize sustainability, resilience, and social justice to address challenges in industrialized food production and ensure access to nutritious food.

Şeyma Ulukök Yıldırım, Duygu Sönmez · · Global

This study aimed to analyze academic publications focusing on school gardens in science education using bibliometric methods. It included 128 articles from the Web of Science database, conducting descriptive and network analyses with VOSviewer software. Findings revealed that research on school gardens has experienced a fluctuating increase over the past decade, with Environmental Education Research being the journal with the most publications and the United States the country with the most studies published.

Diego Roldán · Revista Kawsaypacha Sociedad y Medio Ambiente · Argentina (Rosario)

This article explores how urban agriculture in Rosario, Argentina, challenges hegemonic discourses on landscape and territory, offering insights to rethink green public spaces. The study uses critical interpretation of documents, key informant interviews, and direct observation of agroecological initiatives. It investigates the origins of urban agriculture and its links to economic crises and peripheries, analyzing the historical dissociation between aesthetic-recreational and production-environmental imaginaries in green public spaces. The article addresses the potential of agroecological fairs and park-gardens to integrate agroecology and public space, aiming to reassemble nature-city relationships.

Ivana Stankov, Andrés F. Useche, Peter Lekkas, Rosie Mae Henson, Irene Headen, Jonathan Purtle, Brent A. Langellier · Obesity Reviews · Global

This scoping review characterized 40 peer-reviewed studies from 1370 unique records, identified through a comprehensive search of six databases, that used interest-holder-driven causal loop diagrams to examine food systems, diet, and obesity. All studies identified individual and behavioral drivers of obesity, while studies in the Global South and those engaging minoritized populations more frequently emphasized structural factors like racism, urban agriculture, and gentrification. The review highlights the potential of causal loop diagrams to capture the complexity of these issues and identifies gaps in geographical coverage and population representation.

Yosra Abduljalel Alajeli, Gunavathy Selvarajh · Journal of Business and Social Review in Emerging Economies · Global

This qualitative desk research investigated urban farming's economic, environmental, and societal impacts on sustainable economic development. Findings indicate urban farming enhances local economies, provides fresh produce, strengthens community engagement, and promotes green infrastructure. However, its broader adoption is hindered by limited land access, inadequate legislative support, and low public awareness.

Ana Claudia Ribeiro Pinheiro, Miriã Aparecida Fidelis da Silva, Érica Coelho Pagel · Revista Latino-americana de Ambiente Construído & Sustentabilidade · Global

This qualitative study aimed to understand school communities' perceptions of green areas, particularly gardens, to develop didactic school garden designs. Through questionnaires and extension activities, the project created landscape design proposals. It found that while schools recognize the importance of greenery, they face challenges, and creative, collaborative solutions can make didactic gardens feasible.