Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
3765 results(136 / 151)
都市农业现代化评价分析——以北京、上海和广州等11城市为例
2009陈凯, 史红亮, 续华梅 · 技术经济与管理研究 · China
This study aimed to measure the modernization level of urban agriculture in China and analyze the causes of its disparities and influencing factors. Using the analytic hierarchy process, the research evaluated the modernization level of urban agriculture in 11 major cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. The analysis revealed the mechanisms and pathways for urban agricultural modernization.
EconomicsUrban–rural linkagePolicyAgricultura urbana y sustentabilidad en Valdivia, Chile. Una nueva alternativa microempresarial
2009O Beatriz Vera · Revista Urbano · Chile (Valdivia)
This study characterized 22 urban agricultural micro-enterprises in Valdivia, Chile, focusing on their economic, productive, and commercial aspects, and the employment they generate. Using the Snowball method to identify urban farmers, the research found that urban agriculture is a significant source of permanent employment in Valdivia, also providing temporary work during the summer season.
EconomicsCommunityWastewater Use in Cauliflower Production and Farmer’s Health: An Economic Analysis
2009Shahzad Kouser, Mr. Abedullah, Abdus Samie · The Pakistan Development Review · Pakistan (Faisalabad)
This study, conducted in 2006 with 200 farmers in two peri-urban villages of Faisalabad, Pakistan, estimated the economic values of negative health externalities from wastewater use in cauliflower production. While wastewater use appeared profitable without considering externalities, factoring in health costs strongly discouraged its use. The health externalities for a three-month cauliflower crop on 741 acres amounted to Rs 3.2 million, and for 5,283 acres of vegetables cultivated with wastewater in Faisalabad, the annual total was Rs 90.7 million. The findings indicate a significant economic loss due to wastewater use, suggesting that installing a water treatment plant is a viable option to minimize these external effects.
Contamination & food safetyHealthEconomicsPeri-urban agriculturePolicyCommercial horticultural practice in Nigeria: its socio-spatial effects in Lagos city.
2009Abegunde A. A, Emmanuel Olufemi Omisore, O. F. Oluodo, D O Olaleye · African Journal of Agricultural Research · Nigeria (Lagos)
A study in the Eti-Osa local government area of Lagos, Nigeria, investigated the socio-spatial effects of urban horticultural gardens. Of 75 identified gardens, 63 managers were interviewed, revealing that 79.4% of gardens were profit-oriented. Gardens had inadequate setbacks (mean 1.45 m) from roads, leading to off-street parking and traffic congestion. Only 20% of horticulturists aimed to improve urban aesthetics, indicating a need for urban planners to educate them to prioritize urban aesthetics over economic gain.
Environmental trade-offsEconomicsUrban–rural linkageThe Study of Urban Agriculture Development in Yixing
2009Qinglan Chen · · China (Yixing)
This paper begins with the connotation of urban agriculture, analyzing the necessity and feasibility of developing urban agriculture in Yixing, China. It discusses the patterns and layouts of urban agriculture, combining Yixing's natural conditions with experiences from other areas, and proposes measures and advice for its advancement.
PolicyUrban–rural linkageEconomicsDeterminants of Livelihood Strategies of Urban Women: The Case of Female Household Heads in Wolenchiti Town, Ethiopia
2009Metasabia Solomon Mulugeta · Maynooth University ePrints and eTheses Archive (Maynooth University) · Ethiopia (Wolenchiti)
This qualitative study in Wolenchiti town, Ethiopia, identified determinants of livelihood strategies among female household heads. Major activities included petty trading, domestic services, daily labor, prostitution, and urban agriculture. Demographic factors like age and household size, and socioeconomic factors such as access to financial, human, social, physical, and natural capital, were found to be leading determinants.
WelfareEconomics强化支农谋发展 优化结构增效益——中国农业发展银行湖北省分行营业部支持武汉市都市农业发展的调查
2009赵三志, 杨正强 · 中国农业银行武汉培训学院学报 · China
A report on how the Hubei branch of the Agricultural Development Bank of China supported urban agriculture development in Wuhan, China, by using credit as a leverage tool to cultivate pillar industries of agricultural industrialization, taking advantage of Wuhan's designation as a comprehensive pilot zone for a "resource-conserving, environmentally friendly society." It states the bank optimized its credit assets and customer structure, achieving a coordinated balance of speed, structure, quality, management and efficiency, but the abstract provides no specific quantitative data.
PolicyEconomicsUrban–rural linkageCommunityUrban agriculture in Ezibeleni (Queenstown): contributing to the empirical base in the Eastern Cape
2009Nigel L. Webb, Harrison Kasumba · Africanus Journal of Development Studies · South Africa
In Ezibeleni near Queenstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa, a sustainable-development framework was used to gather empirical findings on vegetable crop cultivation, covering duration of crop consumption, the value of produce to households, environmental benefits, and social/psychological benefits. Both the scale of cultivation and the benefits obtained were found to be modest, reinforcing prior studies that focused on the actual practice of urban agriculture rather than its hypothetical potential.
Limited or null effectCommunityHealthEconomicsBiodiversityURBAN AGRICULTURE: FACTORS AFFECTING THE DECISION TO GROW VEGETABLES IN TAMALE METROPOLIS
2009S. Al-hassan · The IUP Journal of Agricultural Economics · Ghana
Using cross-sectional data from 196 urban agriculturalists (136 vegetable farmers and 56 non-vegetable farmers) in the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly, Northern Region, Ghana, a 2009 study examined the factors determining the decision to cultivate vegetables. Results showed vegetable production in the study area was influenced by extension services, use of inorganic fertilizer (manure), and availability of farmland. The study recommends training existing extension agents in modern vegetable production techniques so they can in turn train farmers, with emphasis on quality seed production, variety selection, diversification and quality control; directing extension services toward efficient manure application; encouraging vegetable farmers to form cooperatives to network with livestock producer associations; and having policymakers provide large, suitable irrigable land for vegetable production.
CommunityEconomicsPolicyEvaluate on Innovation Capability of PRD Urban Agriculture Enterprise based on F-AHP Method
2009Jing Liu · · China
A study of urban agriculture enterprises in China's Pearl River Delta (PRD) region built an evaluation index system for innovation capability across three dimensions: management innovation, technology innovation, and institutional innovation. A fuzzy AHP model was applied to assess enterprise innovation capability against the development conditions of urban agriculture.
CommunityEconomicsPolicyPatterns of Urban Food Consumption and Expenditure in Zambia: An Overview Report Based on the CSO/MACO/FSRP Food Consumption Survey in Urban Areas of Lusaka, Kitwe, Mansa and Kasama, 2007-2008
2009Munguzwe Hichaambwa, Margaret Beaver, Antony Chapoto, Michael T. Weber, Hichaambwa, Munguzwe, Beaver, Margaret, Chapoto, Antony, Weber, Michael T. · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · Sub-Saharan Africa
An overview report based on the 2007-2008 CSO/MACO/FSRP food consumption survey in urban Lusaka, Kitwe, Mansa and Kasama, Zambia. It states that policies promoting demand-driven smallholder agriculture and improved urban food marketing system performance in Sub-Saharan Africa need to be grounded in careful food demand analysis, and that governments, donors and policymakers require an up-to-date understanding of urban consumption patterns, including the extent of and constraints on urban agriculture for household consumption and cash income. This excerpt does not present specific survey results.
EconomicsCommunityLocalisation through Alternative farming: Embeddings for a better future
2009G. Palaniappan, Christine King · Queensland's institutional digital repository (The University of Queensland) · Australia
A conceptual paper framing local food production systems—termed "alternative farming"—against a backdrop of global environmental changes (retreating sea ice, landscape drying, shifts in seasonal timing and animal migration) and climate-driven increases in energy prices and dependence on fossil fuels, which the authors say have raised interest in localization and sustainability among communities worldwide. It examines systems including organics, natural farming, biodynamics, permaculture, community gardens, and community-supported agriculture (CSA) in terms of how they might contribute to localizing food production and consumption, and discusses the transition from globalized to localized farming and re-localization's ecological and social dimensions. The paper argues that sustainability can be grounded in local ecological, social, economic, and political systems, but the discussion is conceptual rather than based on presented empirical data.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityEconomicsOrganic cycleThe Urban Agriculture of Havana
2009Sinan Koont · Monthly Review · Cuba
An article describes the development, over roughly fifteen years since the 1990s, of urban agriculture in Havana, Cuba, a capital city of more than two million people. It notes that the term "urban agriculture" in Cuba is used more inclusively than typical usage, encompassing urban fringe and suburban lands — the entire cultivated area of the Province of the City of Havana is classified as urban agriculture. The article provides no specific yield or participation figures.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyEconomics南京“一村一品”发展模式探析
2009尚华夏, 俞继东, 周四清, 储健 · 江苏农村经济 · China
A study of Nanjing, China, analyzes the city's "One Village, One Product" development model under its urban agriculture strategy, reporting that Nanjing has 150 specialized villages and 10 specialized towns, more than half of which are effectively linked with leading agribusiness enterprises. It argues that cultivating dominant industries with clear comparative advantage — based on local resources, location, industrial base, and market conditions — underpins the "one village, one product / one town, one industry" approach.
EconomicsPeri-urban agriculturePolicyThe Socioeconomic and Cultural Significance of Food Gardening in the Vladimir Region of Russia
2008Sharashkin L. · University of Missouri-Columbia (PhD Dissertation) · Russia (Vladimir Region)
A PhD dissertation examining 1,500 Vladimir Region families to show that household food gardens underpin more than half of Russia's agricultural output and fulfil wide-ranging economic, social, and cultural functions.
EconomicsCommunityWelfareFood educationImpact of treadle pump irrigation technology on smallholder poverty and food security in Malawi: a case study of Blantyre and Mchinji districts
2008· International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability · Malawi
Case study in two Malawian districts finding that adopters of low-cost treadle pump irrigation had higher net farm income per hectare than non-adopters.
DIYEconomicsFood-Miles and the Relative Climate Impacts of Food Choices in the United States
2008Weber C., Matthews H. · Environmental Science & Technology · United States
Production dominates US food-related life-cycle emissions (about 83%), while all transport accounts for roughly 11% and final delivery only about 4%, undermining the assumption that local food is low-carbon and that cutting food-miles via urban growing yields large climate gains.
PolicyEconomicsThe Effect of Community Gardens on Neighboring Property Values
2008Ioan Voicu, Vicki Been · Real Estate Economics · United States (New York City)
This study estimated the impact of community gardens on neighborhood property values in New York City using a difference-in-difference hedonic regression model. The findings indicate that community gardens have significant positive effects on property values, particularly in the poorest neighborhoods. Higher-quality gardens were observed to have the greatest positive impact.
CommunityEconomicsWelfareOpportunities and Challenges of Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture in Niamey, Niger
2008Sophie Graefe, Eva Schlecht, Andreas Buerkert · Outlook on Agriculture · Niger (Niamey)
Semi-structured interviews with 130 households in Niamey, Niger, characterized urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) and assessed resource use. The study found high use of livestock manure and indiscriminate use of nutrient-loaded wastewater for irrigation, leading to significant nutrient surpluses in UPA gardens. Initial calculations suggested large gaseous emissions of nitrogenous compounds and and leaching of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium to groundwater.
Contamination & food safetyPeri-urban agricultureFood sovereignty & justiceHealthClimate changeEconomicsCommon ground? Motivations for participation in a community-supported agriculture scheme
2008Rosie Cox, Lewis Holloway, Laura Venn, Liz Dowler, Jane Ricketts Hein, Moya Kneafsey, Helena Tuomainen · Local Environment · United Kingdom
This paper examines the motivations of producers and consumers participating in a community-supported agriculture (CSA) project in Scotland. It reveals the diverse motivations and philosophies consumers bring to the scheme, contrasting them with the organizers' stated aims. The study argues that effective communication within direct marketing schemes is important for fostering long-term commitment between producers and consumers, and for encouraging consumers to consider broader behavioral changes.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsUsing Land Inventories to Plan for Urban Agriculture: Experiences From Portland and Vancouver
2008Wendy Berry Mendes, Kevin Balmer, Terra Kaethler, Amanda Rhoads · Journal of the American Planning Association · North America
This study examined how land inventories can integrate urban agriculture into planning and policymaking for sustainable communities, using case studies of Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, British Columbia. The Portland inventory enabled integration and advanced social and ecological sustainability. In Vancouver, similar integration was achieved, but its smaller scope did little for public involvement and social sustainability.
PolicyEconomicsCommunityOverview on urban and peri-urban agriculture: definition, impact on human health, constraints and policy issues
2008Erastus K. Kang’ethe, Delia Grace, Thomas F. Randolph · East African Medical Journal · East Africa
This study synthesizes current knowledge on urban agriculture (UA) in East Africa, focusing on its human health impact. It identifies UA as an important source of food security, but notes that many zoonotic and food-borne diseases are associated with it, with a lack of evidence on human health impact and management. Major constraints include illegality and limited access to inputs and markets, indicating a need for more research to understand both positive and negative health impacts.
Contamination & food safetyHealthFood sovereignty & justicePolicyEconomicsPeri-urban agricultureThe adaptive consumer: shifting attitudes, behavior change and CSA membership renewal
2008Willow Saranna Russell, Lydia Zepeda · Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems · United States (Wisconsin)
A 2008 qualitative study in Wisconsin, USA, examined attitude and behavior changes among a subset of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) members. Modified eating or cooking habits, increased consideration of food seasonality, and enhanced appreciation for farming were observed, but no "spillover" changes like reduced driving or increased use of eco-friendly products were found. The study suggests that attitude and behavior changes are generated by CSA's structural elements, not by social norms, and that demonstrated changes increase membership renewal likelihood.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityEconomicsSmart growth ; can there be an African version?
2008Sue Wells · Western CEDAR (Western Washington University) · Tanzania
This paper examines the transferability of six Smart Growth concepts to Tanzanian cities (Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Mwanza, Dodoma, Zanzibar) given their extreme poverty and agrarian base. Primary research conducted in May-June 2007 and related publications were used. The study suggests that Smart Growth strategies from the Global North may be unsuitable for the Global South, indicating that urban agriculture in this context presents both a promise and a problem.
Economic viabilityPolicyEconomicsUrban–rural linkageUrban Agriculture and Urban Food Insecurity/Poverty in Nigeria
2008Anselm A. Enete, Anthonia Ifeyinwa Achike · Outlook on Agriculture · Nigeria (Ohafia)
A study comparing rural and urban farmers in Ohafia, southeast Nigeria, found that while urban farmers used significantly more purchased inputs than rural farmers, their output was significantly lower. This was attributed to urban farmers being poor and undercapitalized, preventing them from using adequate purchased inputs to maintain soil nutrients. The findings suggest that for urban agriculture to address urban food insecurity, the urban poor require sufficient financial empowerment.
Economic viabilityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkage