Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
385 results(13 / 16)
Art Education in My Backyard: Creative Placemaking on an Urban Farm
2015Jodi Kushins · OpenSIUC (Southern Illinois University Carbondale) · Global
This paper describes an art educator's experience transforming her backyard into an urban farm with the help of friends and neighbors, combining an autoethnographic account with research. She leveraged her knowledge of artistic and educational initiatives prioritizing collective activity to position her work as participatory environmental art education. The paper is structured around the main steps of planting a garden—siting, amending, seeding, tending, and harvesting—to draw parallels between garden maintenance and designing holistic art education.
DIYCommunityFood educationGreen Facade (Vertical Greening): Benefits and Threats
2015Mehdi Rakhshandehroo, Mohd Johari Mohd Yusof, Meysam Deghati Najd · Applied Mechanics and Materials · Global
A 2015 study discussed various systems of green facades (vertical greening) as a method of sustainable development in dense urban areas. Based on existing research, the study indicated that green facades offer environmental benefits such as mitigating the urban heat island effect, increasing biodiversity and ecological value, insulating against environmental impact, improving outdoor and indoor comfort, enhancing social and psychological well-being, and improving air quality for city dwellers.
BiodiversityClimate changeDIYDiversifying for success
2015Christine Brown-Paul, Sam Ross · Practical Hydroponics and Greenhouses · Australia
A Sydney-based company supplies hydroponics products and services to a diverse range of clients in Australia, including home growers, market gardeners, commercial growers, schools, and community gardens. This broad client base provides a competitive advantage in the current market.
DIYCommunityFood educationDigital agricultureThinking about where the food you eat comes from
2015john standish · · Global
Indira Naidoo and Nick Rose have focused on improving food production and supply chains, encompassing everything from inner-city balcony and community gardens to large-scale commercial production.
CommunityDIYGREEN ONION (ALLIUM CEPA L.) AND JEWS MALLOW (CORCHORUS OLITORIUS) PRODUCTION IN SUBSTRATES IN URBAN AGRICULTURE
2015· Journal of Biological Chemistry and Environmental Sciences · Egypt (Cairo)
A study conducted over two seasons (2011/2012 and 2012/2013) at Ain Shams University in Cairo investigated the effects of four growing substrates on green onion and Jews mallow production. Green onion growth, yield, lipid, fiber, and total sugar content were highest in peatmoss + vermiculite substrate, while Jews mallow growth, yield, total carbohydrates, protein, ash, energy, sugars, indoles, and vitamin C content were highest in clay substrate. The study recommends peatmoss + vermiculite for green onions and clay substrate for Jews mallow.
DIYHealthOrganic cycleApplying Linked Open Data to Green Design
2015Takahiro Kawamura, Akihiko Ohsuga · IEEE Intelligent Systems · Global
In response to growing interest in urban agriculture and greening, the authors proposed "Green-Thumb Camera," an Android application that allows users to search for plants fitting specific environmental conditions from the linked open data (LOD) cloud. The application uses smartphone sensor information for queries and augmented reality to overlay an image of the adult plant in a specified space. The authors described the LOD content generation method and application details, then evaluated the accuracy of the LOD data and the application's usability.
DIYDigital agricultureThe Preference of High- Rise Buildings' Residents Toward Rooftop Garden to Promote Urban Agriculture: A Case Study of Malaysia
2015Mohd Yazid Mohd Yunos, Neda Jafari, Utaberta Nangkula, Nor Atiah Ismail, Sumarni Ismail, Nastaran Jafari · · Malaysia
This study examined high-rise building residents' preferences for rooftop gardens to promote urban agriculture in condominiums in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, Malaysia. A quantitative survey questionnaire revealed that most participants showed a positive correlation with having a rooftop garden in their living area. Rooftop gardens were found to reduce environmental problems and contribute to microclimate improvement.
DIYCommunityClimate changeUrban–rural linkageGreenhouse gas emissions from home composting in practice
2014Ermolaev E., Sundberg C., Pell M., Jönsson H. · Bioresource Technology · Sweden
Measures CH4, N2O and NH3 emissions from home composts in practice in Sweden; methane emissions were lower than in large-scale systems and increased with temperature and mixing.
DIYCompostDistributed Design: Media Technologies and the Architecture of Participation
2014Joel McKim · The MIT Press eBooks · Global
This book examines the usefulness and limits of "DIY citizenship" and "critical making" in recent years. It explores diverse forms of political participation, ranging from activist blogging and video production to knitting and the creation of community gardens. The collection describes DIY citizens as active interventionists, makers, hackers, modders, and tinkerers, pursuing new forms of engaged and participatory democracy.
DIYCommunityGarden space: Mapping trade-offs and the adaptive capacity of home food production
2014Valérie Dewaelheyns, Frederik Lerouge, Elke Rogge, Liesbet Vranken, Dewaelheyns, Valerie, Lerouge, Frederik, Rogge, Elke, Vranken, Liesbet · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · Belgium (Flanders)
This study developed a theoretical model to capture, quantify, and interrelate the most relevant variables and constraints of potential food production in domestic gardens. The model development was fostered by quantitative and qualitative data collection for the Flanders case study, providing insights into current and potential food production in Flemish domestic gardens. While not finalized, the model allows exploration of spatial and temporal constraints of individual domestic gardens for food production, contributing to a better understanding of the adaptive capacity of small-scale multifunctional spaces.
DIYEconomicsUrban–rural linkagePermaculture Design: On the Practice of Radical Imagination
2014Katja Rothe · Scholarworks (University of Massachusetts Amherst) · Global
This article examines permaculture design, developed by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, not only as an application of systems theory but also as a form of figurative, ecological reasoning. Permaculture challenges the division between theory and practice, or rationality and sensibility, inextricably linking these modes of knowledge in explorations of patterns. Specifically, it describes permaculture design thought through three aspects: visual thinking in patterns, the role of radical imagination and speculation, and systems theory thought drawing from the Gaia hypothesis.
DIYCommunityUrban–rural linkageClimate changeCity Farmer: Adventures in Urban Food Growing
2014Michael Classens · UnderCurrents Journal of Critical Environmental Studies · Global
This is a review of Lorraine Johnson's book "City Farmer: Adventures in Urban Food Growing" by Michael Classens. Johnson argues that small-scale 'city farmers' are the vanguard of an emerging transformation of the contemporary food system, despite urban farming being more prefigurative than productive in aggregate. The book reveals the potential in interstitial urban spaces for food production and urges a reimagining of our relationship to cities as farms.
DIYCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changeLos latidos de la tierra: Arte ecologico para acompasar nuestros ritmos
2014Ma Isabel Soler Ruiz, Pilar Soto Sánchez · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Global
This paper reviews the evolution of ecological movements from the late 19th century to the mid-1960s, focusing on the defense of natural spaces and urban sustainability actions. It examines collective initiatives like the reforestation of abandoned industrial areas and the creation of urban gardens, as well as individual artistic actions that aim to reconnect viewers with the earth.
CommunityDIYUrban–rural linkageEvaluation of bokashi fermentation leachate as a biofertilizer in urban horticulture
2014Olle Lind · · Sweden (Malmö)
This study tested bokashi fermentation leachate from four food waste sources in Malmö and Lund, Sweden, on pak choi in sand, garden waste compost, and peat substrates to evaluate its potential as a biofertilizer in urban farming. The leachates were generally low in nitrogen, leading to poor plant growth in nitrogen-poor substrates, though they were high in potassium and phosphorus. Avoidable food waste contained higher sodium and chloride than unavoidable food waste, suggesting unavoidable food waste is a more suitable source for bokashi leachate fertilizer.
CompostOrganic cycleDIYDomestic Residential Garden Food Production in Melbourne, Australia: a fine-grained analysis and pilot study
2014Zainil Zainuddin, David Mercer · Australian Geographer · Australia (Melbourne)
This pilot study conducted a fine-grained analysis of domestic residential garden food production among 15 selected householders in metropolitan Melbourne, Australia. Participants collected detailed daily information about their food production over a three-month period, with two respondents maintaining records for one or more years. The results demonstrated enormous diversity in harvested food and extremely high productivity levels from relatively small domestic spaces.
DIYCommunityEconomicsNEHS grants set to make garden projects grow
2014Tim Cook · · Global
Over 30 community projects, including guerrilla gardening and "grow your own" initiatives for family food banks, received grant funding from the North of England Horticultural Society (NEHS).
CommunityWelfareDIYEcología urbana: diseño de espacios productivos comunitarios y evaluación de condiciones del medio de crecimiento y asociación de especies
2014Leslie Vorraber, María Sebastián López, Esteve Fernández, Marcelo Scofano · Redalyc (Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México) · Argentina (Flores)
Since 2012, the University of Flores (UFLO) in Buenos Aires, Argentina, has implemented an Urban Agriculture Development Program. This program creates organic garden models with various production systems and designs, utilizing recycled materials and urban-adapted formats, to be promoted in community productive spaces. It involves monitoring and evaluating physical-chemical parameters of system components to ensure optimal development and the use of seasonal species adapted to the local climate.
CommunityDIYOrganic cycleFood educationSUITABILITY FOR URBAN AGRICULTURE AND PERMACULTURE OF SOME BIOTYPES AND NEW VARIETIES OF SPECIES WITH SANOGENE CHARACTERISTICS AND QUALITIES
2014Balan Viorica, V. Tudor, Oana Mencinicopschi, Carmen Gabriela Manole, Baia Sprie · AgroLife Scientific Journal · Romania (Bucharest)
Multidisciplinary research at UASVM of Bucharest recommended specific varieties and biotypes with sanogene characteristics suitable for cultivation in urban and suburban gardens. These included Deea, Elita 124, and Roxia from black currant; Rolan and Jh. Van Tets from red currant; V2 biotype from wolfberry; and Rares, Valeria, Carmela, Viorica, Bucovina, and Ilinca from apricot. These selections were based on characteristics such as early fruiting, production under ecological conditions, low to medium shrub and tree volume, plant density, high self-compatibility, and the quality, organoleptic, biochemical, and sanogene properties of the fruits.
DIYPolicyBiodiversityOrganic cycleDomestic scale vermicomposting for solid waste management
2013· International Journal of Recycling of Organic Waste in Agriculture · Global
Investigates domestic-scale vermicomposting as a low-cost, low-maintenance option for managing household solid organic waste by converting kitchen waste into worm castings.
DIYCompostOrganic cycleEvaluation of Vegetable Production on Extensive Green Roofs
2013Leigh Whittinghill, D. Bradley Rowe, Bert M. Cregg · Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems · Global
This study evaluated vegetable and herb production across three growing systems—a green roof, raised green roof platforms, and in-ground—over three seasons (2009–2011). Tomatoes, green beans, cucumbers, peppers, basil, and chives were cultivated. All plants except pepper survived and produced biomass in all systems, yielding crops for analysis in 2009 and 2010. Yields and basil biomass were higher in-ground in 2009, while roof and platform systems showed similar results. The study suggests that vegetable and herb production is possible and productive in extensive green roof systems with proper management.
DIYClimate changeOrganic cycleSustainability through Urban Gardening
2013Sherece Burma Tami Ambury · Earth Common Journal · Global
This article explores three visions of sustainability through urban gardening at individual, community, and city levels, as visually presented by MacEwan University Design Studies students in their final documentary photography project. It details the students' project development process, including subject location and interviews, and highlights their increased awareness and interest in how urban and suburban residents can find or grow their own food.
CommunityDIYFood educationClimate changePresent Status of Rooftop Gardening in Sylhet City Corporation of Bangladesh: an Assessment Based on Ecological and Economic Perspectives
2013Md. Habibur Rahman, Mizanur Rahman, Md. Mostafa Kamal, Md. Jasim Uddin, Most. Jannatul Fardusi, Bishwajit Roy · Journal of Forest and Environmental Science · Bangladesh
This study analyzed rooftop gardening in Sylhet City Corporation, Bangladesh, from July-September 2010, collecting data from 450 gardeners. Findings showed rooftop gardening was primarily for mental satisfaction (95.3%) and leisure (87.8%), with middle-income classes most interested (43.78%). The survey recorded 53 plant species, and while few gardeners considered it commercial, cost-return analysis suggested economic viability with proper management.
DIYEconomicsCommunityBiodiversityText Twitter and tweet: Sustainability
2013Sharon McDonough · Practically primary · Australia (Melbourne)
This reflective piece explores the concept of sustainability and its connection to gardening in Melbourne, Australia. The author observes that a focus on sustainability encourages individuals to engage in personal and community gardening, including planting on nature strips. An example in Melbourne highlights neighbors collaboratively planting and caring for herbs, fostering community engagement and shared resource management.
CommunityDIYClimate changeEl fenómeno de los huertos urbanos: Volver a los orígenes
2013Miguel Lorente · Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) · Global
This paper describes the recent social movement promoting urban gardens as sources of leisure, social interaction, and healthy self-consumption food. Factors such as environmental awareness, increased unemployment, physical exercise for retirees, the pleasure of producing one's own food, and trends are contributing to the creation of small vegetable gardens in and around cities. This small-scale activity allows urban populations to discover and understand the role of agriculture.
CommunityHealthEconomicsDIYFood educationSegmentation and Preference Analysis of Urban Farming Patterns
2013Jeong Im Hwang, Yoon Ji Choi, Bo Gyung Jang · The Korean Journal of Community Living Science · Global
This study segmented urban farming patterns and analyzed preferences using two-step cluster analysis, chi-square analysis, and ANOVA, based on face-to-face surveys from 9 urban farms. Three clusters were identified: 'hobby-oriented farming', 'producing-oriented farming', and 'multipurpose farming'. Significant differences were found among these groups regarding age, presence of children under 14, household income, and housing type, indicating that urbanites' farming patterns vary with socio-demographic profiles.
CommunityDIYEconomics