Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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Applying Sen's Capability Approach to Poverty Alleviation Programs: Two Case Studies
2008John Schischka, Paul Dalziel, Caroline M. Saunders · Journal of Human Development · New Zealand
This research investigated the application of Sen's Capability Approach to two human development programs: a community garden-based poverty alleviation program in a New Zealand city and a self-help project for women in Samoa. Sixteen focus groups of participants described significant changes in their capabilities, including learning new skills and discovering existing valuable capabilities. This finding aligns with Sen's emphasis on participant agency.
CommunityWelfareEconomicsBuying into Community Supported Agriculture: Strategies for Overcoming Income Barriers
2008Cristin B. Forbes, Alison H. Harmon · Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition · Global
This article examines strategies employed by Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms to help limited-resource consumers overcome income barriers to membership. Due to the typical lump sum membership fee, CSA can be inaccessible. Identified strategies include accepting government food assistance, offering payment plans, working shares, subsidized or low-cost shares, transportation assistance, bartering, outreach, and connections to emergency food assistance.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsWelfareFood sovereignty & justiceEcological scales and social network structure in urban landscapes: management and governance of urban ecosystem services in Stockholm, Sweden
2008Henrik Ernstson, Stephan Barthel, Erik Andersson, Sara Borgström · · Sweden (Stockholm)
This thesis investigates social-ecological features shaping the generation of ecosystem services (ES) in the urban landscape of Stockholm, Sweden. Through interdisciplinary case studies, it showed that informally managed allotment gardens have a higher abundance of pollinators, and voluntary actor groups motivated by a sense-of-place support ES generation. Social-ecological memory among allotment gardeners retains and transmits practices linked to ES, suggesting that sustaining urban ES requires considering historical property rights, diverse actor groups, and local communities of ecosystem practice.
BiodiversityPollinatorsCommunityPolicyCommunity resilience and contemporary agri‐ecological systems: reconnecting people and food, and people with people
2008Christine King · Systems Research and Behavioral Science · Global
This paper explores how agri-ecological systems such as Organic Agriculture, Biodynamics, CSA, Permaculture, Farmers Markets, and Community Gardens contribute to agri-ecological and community resilience. These systems contribute to more sustainable and resilient communities through community development processes like relationship building, genuine participation, inclusiveness, resource mobilization, and creating space for knowledge sharing. The paper compares ecological systems models to agri-ecological systems and suggests how ecological systems theories might contribute to the future of community-based agri-ecological resilience.
CommunityCSA & TeikeiBiodiversityFood sovereignty & justiceRussia's Unknown Agriculture: Household Production in Post-Socialist Rural Russia
2007Pallot J., Nefedova T. · Oxford University Press (Oxford Geographical and Environmental Studies Series) · Russia
A monograph based on four years of fieldwork across European Russia examining the scale, geography, and socioeconomic significance of household plot production in post-socialist rural Russia.
EconomicsPolicyCommunityWastewater Agriculture in Kurunegala City, Sri Lanka
2007Jayakody P., Gunawardana I., Guneratne S., Clemett A., Dissanayake P. · IWMI Research Reports (WASPA Asia Project Report 8), International Water Management Institute · Sri Lanka (Kurunegala)
This IWMI report documents peri-urban paddy cultivation using diverted municipal wastewater around Kurunegala city, highlighting the practice as representative of urbanization impacts on Sri Lankan agriculture while identifying significant public health risks from untreated effluent irrigation.
EconomicsHealthOrganic cyclePolicySharing the Harvest: A Citizen's Guide to Community Supported Agriculture
2007E. Elizabeth Henderson, Robyn. Van En · · Global
This book serves as a citizen's guide to Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). It covers the context of CSA, how to get started, organization, food aspects, various models, and its future. The guide also includes CSA resources, references, and an index.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityDIYOn Development of Urban Gardening from Perspective of Sociology
2007Xiaolan Tang · Nanjing Linye Daxue xuebao · Global
This paper examines the sociological implications of urban gardens from an urban sociology perspective. It discusses traditional gardens as collective memory, modern gardens as urban development symbols, and new gardens as shared social spaces. The paper also explores the future urbanization trend of natural ecology and offers suggestions for addressing challenges in urban gardening development.
CommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkageChallenges and key success factors to integrating learning and change in monitoring and evaluation of development projects.
2007Bertha Camacho Tuckermann · Knowledge Management for Development Journal · Cuba
An action-research study within an Urban Agriculture project in Cuba identified challenges in integrating learning and change into the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of development projects. The main challenge was that the project team did not recognize M&E as a learning tool, believing results could be used against their work. A lack of time for learning and knowledge sharing was another observed challenge. To address these, resistance was overcome through dialogue, reflection, and action, leading to team empowerment, and the role of an external facilitator proved key in steering the learning process.
Governance failurePolicyCommunityUrban Horticulture and Agriculture in the Developing World
2007Jim Godfrey · The Journal of Horticultural Science and Biotechnology · Global
This article, titled "Urban Horticulture and Agriculture in the Developing World," was published in The Journal of Horticultural Science and Biotechnology, 82(1), p. 1. The abstract provides only the publication details and title of the article.
Urban–rural linkageEconomicsCommunityRisk factors for Schistosoma mansoni and hookworm in urban farming communities in western Côte d'Ivoire
2007Barbara Matthys, Andres B. Tschannen, Norbert T. Tian‐Bi, Hermann Comoé, Salia Diabaté, Mahamadou Traoré, Penelope Vounatsou, Giovanna Raso, Laura Gosoniu, Marcel Tanner, Guéladio Cissé, Eliézer K. N’Goran, Jürg Utzinger · Tropical Medicine & International Health · Côte d'Ivoire
A cross-sectional survey was conducted in urban farming communities in Man, western Côte d'Ivoire, involving 113 farming households (586 individuals) and 21 non-farming households (130 individuals). The prevalences of S. mansoni and hookworm in farming households were 51.4% and 24.7%, respectively. Risk factors for S. mansoni included close proximity to the Kô River, water contact with irrigation wells and ponds, and low education attainment, while risk factors for hookworm included living in smallholder irrigated rice plots or large rice perimeters, using domestic well water, and low socioeconomic status.
Contamination & food safetyHealthCommunityMeeting Youth Where They Live: Participatory Approaches to Research with Marginalized Youth Engaged in Urban Agriculture
2007Caroline Keenan · Children Youth and Environments · Tanzania (Dar es Salaam)
This study explored the potential of urban agriculture projects to improve the lives of marginalized youth in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. It employed various participatory research approaches, emphasizing the importance of engaging young participants to ensure their voices and experiences are heard.
Food educationWelfareCommunityChanges in Understanding Environmental Health Risks Linked Participatory Education and Action Research Among Senegalese Farmers
2007Nita Chaudhuri, Daryl Cole, D S Niang · Epidemiology · Senegal (Dakar)
A Participatory Education and Action Research (PEAR) process was conducted with 3 farmers in periurban Dakar, Senegal, and surveyed 55 farmers using pre- and post-intervention questionnaires. Post-intervention, farmers showed a clearer understanding of environmental impacts like water contamination and pesticide runoff, and perceived a broader range of health risks linked to urban agriculture. Observations also indicated reduced pesticide container litter in the fields.
HealthFood educationCommunityPeri-urban agricultureUrban Agriculture i den hållbara staden
2007Anna Eklund, Camilla Björk · · Nicaragua (Managua)
This diploma work, a case study in Managua, Nicaragua, explored how urban agriculture can improve the life situation of urban populations. The study found evidence that urban agriculture can be a key strategy for the urban poor, securing food access, improving public health and the environment, increasing income possibilities, and strengthening social belonging.
Food sovereignty & justiceEconomicsClimate changeWelfareFarming the City
2007Peta Christensen · Local-Global: Identity, Security, Community · Global
This article discusses the development of community gardens as a means for neighborhoods to foster ownership, pride, connection to food, and friendships. Community gardens are presented as accessible spaces appealing to diverse populations, suitable for educational workshops and celebrations. The text also explores the concept of building city gardens to enhance urban beauty.
CommunityFood educationComparison of Origin and Function on Urban Agriculture In Different Countries
2007Huang Ying · · Global
This paper compares the origins and functions of urban agriculture (UA) in various countries. It notes that UA is flourishing globally, with its origins, evolution, and modalities differing across nations due to diverse natural, economic, and social conditions. The study aims to better develop UA by examining these characteristics in typical countries.
CommunityEconomicsPolicyÍndice e indicadores para el desarrollo sustentable: una contribución para el análisis de la viabilidad de emprendimientos comunitarios de producción agroecológica
2007Virginia Hamdan, Paula Natinzon · REVISTA BRASILEIRA DE AGROECOLOGIA · Argentina
This study quantified the organizational sustainability of 41 agroecological urban gardens within the UNMdP Food Autoproduction Program in Argentina. It developed a Socio-Organizational Sustainability Index (ISO) based on Group Potential, Capacity of Automanagement, and Organizational Practices. Most gardens showed a "Middle" degree of ISO, primarily due to Capacity of Automanagement and Organizational Practices.
CommunityOrganic cycleEconomicsCountervailing Market Responses to Corporate Co-optation and the Ideological Recruitment of Consumption Communities: Table 1
2007Craig J. Thompson, Gökçen Coskuner-Balli · Journal of Consumer Research · Global
This paper argues that the corporatization of the organic food movement, typically seen as co-optation, can instead generate a countervailing market response. This response actively promotes the oppositional aspects of a counterculture that are attenuated by commercial mainstreaming. The study analyzes community-supported agriculture (CSA) as an example of this response to corporate co-optation.
Economic viabilityCSA & TeikeiEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityAesthetic Regard for Nature in Environmental and Land Art
2007Emily Brady · Ethics Place & Environment · Global
This article explores whether environmental and land art-making encourages positive aesthetic-moral relationships between nature and humans. It critically examines a particular type of aesthetic objection to these artworks and defends the work of Robert Smithson and Andy Goldsworthy, among others, against this charge. It is argued that some forms of environmental and land art show "aesthetic regard" for nature, rather than constituting an "aesthetic affront" to nature.
CommunityBiodiversityHealthEnvironmental Education in a Culturally Diverse School
2007Donna Tangen, Ruth Fielding‐Barnsley · Australian Journal of Environmental Education · Global
This study evaluated the effects of school gardening on English as Second Language (ESL) students' learning about good nutrition in a culturally diverse school. Data collected indicated positive gains in student learning and increased feelings of belonging to the school community. The study suggested that teacher attitudes significantly influence ESL student engagement in environmental education, and garden-enhanced lessons provided effective experiential learning that supported in-class nutrition education.
Food educationCommunityHealthThe Role of Community Gardens in Sustaining Healthy Communities
2007Susan Thompson, Linda Corkery, Bruce Judd · · Australia (Sydney)
This research investigated a community garden scheme within a large high-rise public housing estate in Sydney's inner west, Australia, as part of an urban renewal program. The study found that the project yielded a broad range of positive physical and psychological well-being outcomes for tenants, including opportunities for relaxation, physical activity, socialization, cultural exchange, learning horticulture, and access to low-cost fresh produce. The findings confirm that community gardens can significantly enhance physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being, contributing to healthy and socially sustainable communities.
CommunityHealthPolicySTUDY ON THERMAL ENVIRONMENT AND BEHAVIOR OF VISITORS AT A LARGE ROOFTOP GARDEN ON A COMMERCIAL BUILDING IN SUMMER
2007Hiroyuki Akagawa, Katsuyuki FUKUMI, Takayuki Kubota, Hideki Takebayashi, Masakazu Moriyama · Journal of Environmental Engineering (Transactions of AIJ) · Global
This study investigated the thermal environment and visitor behavior at a large rooftop garden on a commercial building during summer. Findings indicated that resting places in tree shade were "non-Hot" under high solar radiation, though SET* was higher than in shaded open spaces due to wind speeds around 1m/s. The rooftop garden featured well-shaded footpaths that provided "non-Hot" conditions for most of the afternoon. Tree shade was desirable on fine days, while open spaces were preferred on cloudy days. SET* was identified as the most appropriate index for evaluating the relationship between human behaviors and the thermal environment.
HealthClimate changeCool green water wise streets ... saving money while giving stormwater, energy, comfort and quality of life benefits
2007S Fjell · Rainwater and Urban Design · Global
This paper presents the concepts of "Cool Streets," "Green Streets," and "Water Wise Streets" to mitigate urban heat islands and create sustainable urban environments. Cool Streets reduce heat absorption, Green Streets promote improved air quality, stormwater management, and urban agriculture through vegetation. These multidisciplinary design approaches can achieve cost-effective Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD) outcomes, and the concept has been implemented in Pentridge Village, Coburg, Victoria, Australia.
Urban–rural linkageClimate changeBiodiversityEconomicsWhat is the Deal with Local Food Systems: Or, Local Food Systems from a Regional Science Perspective
2007David W. Hughes, Daniel Eades, Kenneth L. Robinson, Carlos E. Carpio, Isengildina, Olga, Cheryl Brown, Hughes, David W., Eades, Daniel C., Robinson, Kenneth L., Carpio, Carlos E., Isengildina, Olga, Brown, Cheryl · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · Global
This paper critiques the current literature on local food systems, which are promoted for local economic growth and reduced environmental impact, but often lack rigorous analysis from a regional science perspective. Using the Porter Diamond framework, it discusses how regional science can analyze local food systems as an economic development tool and assesses their potential environmental benefits.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsFood miles & supply chainClimate changeUrban Agriculture Innovation Hubs in Egyptian Megacities: Efficiency, Adoption Paces, and Economic Growth Potential
2007Hussein Sharafat, Ahmed El-Sayed, Abdelaziz Ahmed Abdelhafez · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Egypt
A quantitative study surveyed farmers in urban agriculture innovation hubs (UAHs) across Cairo, Alexandria, and Port Said, Egypt. It found that vegetable production in UAHs was 25% more efficient than traditional methods, with advanced irrigation and community management enhancing yields and market access. The study suggests government policies should incentivize UAH development through subsidies and training.
EconomicsDigital agricultureFood sovereignty & justice