Research & reports

Larisa Alonso Moreno, Cristian Lizarazo-Ortega, Guadalupe Rodríguez Castillejos · Bioagro · Mexico

This study aimed to characterize the bacteriome of four different substrates used in urban gardens: peat, black soil (nursery), agricultural soil (northern Tamaulipas, Mexico), and a mix of agricultural soil with vermicompost and mycorrhizae. Genomic DNA was extracted and the 16S region amplified for analysis. The most prevalent phyla were actinobacteria, proteobacteria, and firmicutes, with dominant genera including Bacillus, Solirubrobacter, Rubrobacter, and Streptomyces, all linked to crop benefits.

Mesut YILDIZ · Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems · Turkey (İzmir)

The Kadifekale Urban Orchard in İzmir, Turkey, was analyzed as a qualitative case study, showing that municipally supported urban agriculture functions as a relational public infrastructure reconfiguring women's labor, care responsibilities, solidarity networks, and public visibility. Based on one year of participant observation, in-depth interviews with 96 women, and focus group discussions, findings revealed women use the orchard to create space outside the home, build solidaristic ties, and increase public visibility. However, the case also revealed a persistent governance tension: municipal support is indispensable, yet women's influence over strategic decisions remains limited.

Charlotte Gallagher, Daniel López-García, Parisi, Anton, Cuevas, Soledad · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Europe

An outcome report from strategic workshops in Valladolid, Flanders, and Wrocław, engaging 33 diverse local stakeholders, assessed key policy and governance challenges facing urban agriculture. The most urgent and actionable priority identified across all three regions is the lack of coordination and knowledge sharing, underscoring a critical need to build resilient urban agriculture coalitions. To address broader structural issues like land access, stakeholders emphasized bridging the urban-rural divide, overcoming political short-termism, and establishing a shared understanding of urban agriculture's multifunctionality.

Elmira Ramazanova, Manvitha Marni, Roger Wong, Leah Gable, Zezhen Pan, Zorimar Rivera‐Núñez, Daniel E. Giammar · Environmental Geochemistry and Health · United States (St. Louis)

A study in St. Louis, Missouri, examined total metal/metalloid concentrations and in-vitro Pb bioaccessibility in soil from twenty community gardens. Lead was identified as a metal of concern, with soil in 21% of sampled plots containing Pb concentrations above recommended thresholds for gardens. Although Pb bioaccessibility was low (< 5.4%), total metal/metalloid concentrations varied spatially within gardens, and Pb and As concentrations correlated positively with garden age, highlighting the importance of multiple plot sampling.

ROAN BAGAOISAN · Divine Word International Journal of Management and Humanities (DWIJMH) (ISSN 2980-4817) · Global

A study investigated school garden programs in elementary schools, exploring the experiences of fifteen teachers, staff, and students using a descriptive phenomenological approach and open-ended questionnaires. It found benefits in academic learning, environmental awareness, health, and social development, but also identified challenges including resource constraints, time limitations, garden maintenance, and stakeholder engagement. These challenges require careful planning, collaboration, and creative solutions.

Deborah Dutta, Miwa Aoki Takeuchi · Journal of Intercultural Studies · Global

This paper explores immigrant growers' sense of belonging at a community urban farm, moving beyond human-centered integration models. Using ethnographic and participatory methods, it highlights how growers' relationships with crops demonstrate agency and socio-ecological adaptations, arguing that belonging emerges through placemaking relationships with the land and the multispecies community.

Hidayatsyah Hidayatsyah, Sudirman Sudirman, Masithah Mahsa, Khairani Hanum, Cut Rozatul Haliza, Risfani Putri, Syakilla Adza Maya, Sri Anggi Rezeki, Shofia Ummi · Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat Bangsa · Indonesia

An independent agriculture education program based on Luffa acutangula (gambas) cultivation was implemented for environmental cadres at SMPN 1 Sawang in Indonesia. Using a participatory approach, the activity led to significant improvements in participants' understanding of urban agricultural ecosystems, motivation for environmental sustainability, and technical skills in cultivating multi-purpose plants. A post-activity evaluation showed that 90% of participants were able to independently design gambas-based school gardens.

Elías Machado · Editora Científica Digital eBooks · Brazil (Guarapuava)

This study examines the relationship between climate change, urbanization, and urban and peri-urban agriculture in Guarapuava-PR, Brazil. It emphasizes how regional atmospheric variability intensifies existing socio-environmental vulnerabilities. Guarapuava's climate, characterized by high thermal amplitude, frequent frosts, and irregular rainfall, significantly conditions agricultural production systems, especially in urban and peri-urban areas, negatively affecting productive cycles.

Ada Folques, Mario R. Paredes, Vanessa Apaolaza, Patrick Hartmann · Business Strategy and the Environment · United States

This study examined demand-side drivers of consumers' willingness to pay for food forest produce in the United States, using a quota-based online panel sample of 845 adults. It focused on nature connectedness, perceived health risks from monoculture farming, climate change concern, and need for uniqueness. All four factors positively influenced willingness to pay, with nature connectedness being the most influential. The impact of climate change concern on willingness to pay was stronger among consumers with low uniqueness-seeking and weaker among those with high uniqueness-seeking.

Rose Jennings · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · United Kingdom (Glasgow)

Helen Traill explores the social complexities of community growing projects based on six years of ethnographic work in Glasgow. She followed two community growing sites during the Brexit transition and the COVID-19 pandemic, examining concepts such as inclusion and exclusion, freedom, social justice, and political activism in urban agriculture projects. This study critically looks at gardens as sites for individual and community transformation.

Sofyan Sufri, Jonatan Lassa · Environmental Hazards · Indonesia (Aceh)

This article examined the barriers and opportunities of the Climate Village Programme (ProKlim) in Aceh, Indonesia. Key stakeholder interviews (N=38) and policy content analysis in three villages within Banda Aceh city revealed hypothetical barriers to CCAM, including the absence of a sustained mechanism for effective flood adaptation, insufficient resources for supporting adaptive urban agriculture practices, lack of community participation, and inadequate integration of scientific and local knowledge into early warning systems. Despite ProKlim being an innovative program, challenges remained, as past disaster events were viewed as distant memories, hindering proactive risk reduction efforts by local authorities and residents.

Alexa McLaughlin, Stephanie Ward Chiasson, Jeanne Godin · Canadian Food Studies / La Revue canadienne des études sur l alimentation · Canada (New Brunswick)

This process evaluation assessed the reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance of the New Brunswick School Food Pilot Project (NBSFPP) using the RE-AIM framework in eleven schools across New Brunswick, Canada. While school administrators reported positive impacts on program optimization, student leadership skills, food literacy, and eating behaviors, no significant effect was found on teachers’ perceptions of students’ diet or academic outcomes. Program sustainability was largely dependent on receiving funding.

Supriya Dadaso Dighe · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · New Zealand

This study provides an eco-critical analysis of Eleanor Catton’s novel "Birnam Wood," exploring the entanglement of environmental activism, capitalist expansion, and identity formation. While the novel depicts conflicts between activist collectivism and corporate techno-capitalism through guerrilla gardening and land commodification, the study argues that its allegorical structure and reliance on familiar ideological binaries may constrain its capacity to generate radically new ecological insight. The research ultimately raises questions about the limits of literary representation in envisioning transformative environmental futures.

Enaira Liany Bezerra dos Santos, Maria Betânia Ribeiro Torres, Rodrigo Guimarães de Carvalho, Mayra Alves Pinheiro · International Journal Semiarid · Brazil (Mossoró)

This study analyzed the potential for food cultivation in public squares in Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. Researchers mapped 42 public squares, measured free areas via satellite imagery and on-site visits, and projected productive potential based on a model garden. Findings showed 16 squares have potential for gardens, with a total free area of 4,898.00 m², cultivable area of 2,742.82 m², and a productive potential of 31.93 tons of food per year.

Jake Simkins, Elijah Burt, Finnbarr Kelly · DigitalCommons - CalPoly (California State Polytechnic University) · United States (California)

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Construction Management students undertook the City Farm SLO Sheep Shed Foundation Slab project to improve a livestock shelter's structural integrity. The project involved removing an existing shed, preparing subgrade in muddy winter conditions, and constructing a reinforced 5-inch, 4500 PSI concrete slab with drainage. This hands-on endeavor demonstrated technical competency in construction and site logistics, with lessons learned including equipment coordination and adapting to site constraints.

Piedley Macêdo Saraiva, Aline Maia de Macedo, Cicera Giovanna Michelly Ferreira de Oliveira, Enzo Fernandes Sá, Laysa Yanne Silva Moreira, Thayla Sousa de Oliveira, Rayna Petrola Rocha Dias Milfont · Revista Ibero-Americana de Humanidades, Ciências e Educação · Brazil

This study analyzed the implementation of a vertical garden in a nursing home in Juazeiro do Norte-CE, Brazil. The intervention contributed to the reuse of construction waste, the production of toxic-free food, and increased opportunities for interaction among residents and caregivers. However, it also revealed limitations related to the vulnerability of the target audience, scheduling incompatibilities with the academic team, and the institution's dependence on continuous garden maintenance.

Dagmar Haase, Dara V. Gaeva · Plant-Environment Interactions · Germany (Berlin)

An exploratory study conducted in allotment gardens in Berlin, Germany, from May to July 2019, investigated plant species richness and ecosystem services, particularly pollinator habitats and local food provision. Comparing 10 plots with varying management intensities, 376 plant species were identified. The study found that native species richness, weedy plant species richness, and the richness of species contributing to regulation and maintenance ecosystem services were significantly negatively correlated with garden management intensity. Urban allotments support pollinator populations due to a wide variety of nectar-producing plants, but this capacity is greatly affected by local gardener management.

Salwa Yasyifa Azzahrah, Lies Sulistyowati · MIMBAR AGRIBISNIS Jurnal Pemikiran Masyarakat Ilmiah Berwawasan Agribisnis · Indonesia (Jakarta)

This study analyzed the financial and economic feasibility of urban farming projects and their role in women's empowerment in Cengkareng Barat and Duri Kosambi sub-districts, Jakarta. Using descriptive analysis, cost-benefit analysis, and the Likert scale, the research found that urban agriculture programs are financially and economically viable, showing positive Net Present Value and a Benefit-Cost Ratio greater than one. Socially, these programs contribute to women's empowerment through additional income, skill enhancement, self-confidence building, and community participation.

Ding X., Li W., Sun X., Peng Y. · Journal of Environmental Management · China

Proposes a method for assessing urban-agriculture potential at the residential-community scale, combining cluster analysis, 3D model reconstruction, multi-criteria decision-making and GIS. Low-density high-rise communities showed the strongest spatial suitability, while high-density low-rise communities scored highest on sustainable potential; overall ranking was low-density high-rise > high-density low-rise > large-footprint pitched-roof > old communities. Construction year was the key factor, with building density, gross floor area and roof slope shaping potential via sunlight, planting area and accessibility.

Malone M., Johnson B., Richard SI., Garcia N., Hamlin S. · Journal of Environmental Management · United States (Seattle)

Compares heavy-metal concentrations in vegetables grown in urban community gardens in the Seattle metropolitan area with produce from the grocery stores participants regularly used — a question set by the partnering farmers themselves. Metal concentrations frequently exceeded health guidelines in both, but were generally higher in the community-garden produce. Cadmium and lead posed the greatest risk and may exacerbate health risks for some populations.

Devotha B. Mosha · East African Journal of Agriculture and Biotechnology · Tanzania

A study of Tanzania combining a systematic literature review with a comparative analysis of rural and urban food-production systems, examining how patriarchal land tenure, unpaid care work, and insecure urban farming arrangements restrict women's participation in higher-value agricultural production. The findings show that technical support alone is insufficient unless paired with structural reforms strengthening women's land rights, labour-saving technologies, and changes to unequal gender norms. Based on this, the study proposes a Gender-Transformative Approach linking legal reform, institutional support, technological innovation, and community-level change.

Michelle A. Fleming, Colleen Saxen, Dusty Columbia Embury · Science and Children · United States

An article examining a practice combining nature-based observation with creative writing in a kindergarten classroom at an urban public school in the United States. Centred on a school garden inhabited by a spider and a squirrel, the activity had kindergarteners record scientific observations of the garden's resident flora and fauna before creatively writing fable stories inspired by those observations. The kindergarteners were reported to be highly engaged, to have improved their scientific understanding, and to have learned to communicate information creatively; the cross-curricular activity is described as deepening students' understanding of how living things survive in the school garden and developing their observation and critical-thinking skills.

A Muh Alwilah Akbar, Jairin Jairin, B Sumarni, Ratnawati Tahir, Hasriani Lukman, Muh Al Aswar Rusman · Tekirdağ Ziraat Fakültesi Dergisi · Indonesia

A study of Tello Urban Village, Makassar City, Indonesia, conducted from July to September 2024, analysing the influence of social capital and women farmers' institutions on the development of urban farming. Using purposive sampling, the study involved 20 active members of women farmer groups, analysed with descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression. Results showed that social capital - characterised by information sharing, activity coordination, and collective decision-making - and women farmer institutions functioning as units of cooperation, learning, and production both played a significant role in supporting urban farming development. However, both factors were found to have only a moderate, not decisive, influence on urban farming's growth, indicating that additional external support such as government facilitation, resource access, technological innovation, and policy strengthening is still required.

Paul Shing-fong Chan, Joseph Kawuki, Mythily Subramaniam, Elizabeth Broadbent, Esther Yuet Ying Lau, Kelvin Fai Hong Lui · Education Sciences · Global

This systematic review, pre-registered with PROSPERO (CRD420251250712) and conducted following PRISMA guidelines, synthesized global evidence on the effects of horticulture-based interventions (HBIs) on student well-being. It searched PubMed, Web of Science, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and APA PsycInfo from inception to June 30, 2025, and included 15 studies (more than 2,000 students aged 5-18) from South Korea (8), Taiwan (3), Mainland China (1), Hong Kong (1), Italy (1), and the United States (1). Results showed HBIs have the potential to enhance emotional/psychological well-being (e.g., stress reduction, mood improvement), social well-being (e.g., peer relations, social skills), cognitive and educational benefits (e.g., attention, academic attitudes), and physical and overall health benefits (e.g., physical activity, quality of life). The review states that future randomized controlled trials with diverse populations are needed to address limitations such as small sample sizes and geographic bias.

Tao Shi, Ian MacLachlan · Urban Geography · China

A qualitative case study combining observation and interview data on an informal urban garden in Shenzhen, China. In contrast to formal urban horticulture practices in neighboring areas, grower-squatters were found to claim usufructuary rights through informal transactions, sustaining active urban horticulture for the past decade through non-confrontational land claims, social networks governed by tacit understandings, and self-motivated recycling of resources. Notably, these informal arrangements not only endured but consistently outperformed adjacent formal community gardens, which fell into neglect despite official sanction and investment. The authors argue that such informal practices can contribute to the development of sustainable, self-organizing urban gardens in megacities.