Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
9077 results(137 / 364)
Wage Labor and Social Inequality in Kinshasa’s Informal Economy: A Class Analysis
2022Héritier Mesa · Cahiers d études africaines · Congo (Kinshasa)
This article explores social trajectories and inequality dynamics among informal workers in Kinshasa, focusing on labor relations within the informal economy. Drawing from ethnographic data on street bread, second-hand clothing, and urban agriculture, the study finds that limited access to capital constrains many workers to sell their labor power with weakened bargaining power, revealing unequal social positionalities.
Equity & displacementEconomicsWelfareAgro-ecological urban agriculture and food resilience: The Case of Quito, Ecuador
2022Alexandra Rodríguez, David Jácome-Polit, Alain Santandreu, Denisse Paredes, Nataly Pinto Álvaro · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · Ecuador
This article reviews the history and achievements of the Participatory Urban Agriculture Project (AGRUPAR) in Quito, Ecuador, which has promoted urban agriculture for nearly 20 years. The Municipality of Quito is now implementing public food policies to strengthen the city's food security and resilience, moving beyond just urban agricultural production. The authors hypothesize that cities establishing urban agricultural programs are better positioned to implement food policies for resilience and sustainable urban development, though additional progress is needed to fully integrate urban agriculture into city-scale policy.
Food sovereignty & justicePolicyCommunityClimate changeTowards Sustainable Urban Food Systems: Potentials, Impacts and Challenges of Grassroots Initiatives in the Foodshed of Muenster, Germany
2022Janina Wittenberg, Maria Gernert, Hamid El Bilali, Carola Strassner · Sustainability · Germany (Münster)
This paper explores the role of grassroots initiatives in the transition towards a sustainable urban food system in Münster, Germany, using questionnaires, interviews, and desk research. Results indicate that many initiatives in Münster focus on education and information, raising awareness, rather than offering material alternatives. Policy, education, networks, and communication were identified as key leverage points.
Limited or null effectCommunityCSA & TeikeiFood educationPolicyUrban Farming in Atlanta, Georgia: The Seed of Neoliberal Contestation or Hybridized Compromise?
2022Julia R Bryant · Digital Archive @ GSU · United States (Atlanta)
This paper explores how urban farming in Atlanta, Georgia, shows evidence of neoliberal shaping and retooling. Through qualitative analysis, including a case study, interviews with farmers, participant observation, and archival data collection, it examines how the city and the farm are understood from the perspective of the farmer to understand the degree to which these contestations are resisting neoliberalism. The research suggests that while urban farming can provide spaces for contestation to neoliberalism, scholars should more fully consider the hybridized nature in which urban farmers understand their work.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicyCommunityLa agricultura urbana como defensa del territorio
2022Julieth Milena Jurado Chana, Irma Soto-Vallejo · Luna Azul · Colombia (Manizales)
A mixed-method approach was used to identify and understand the characteristics of urban agriculture practices in the San José commune, Manizales, Colombia, and their impact on sustainable urban development and territorial defense. Information collected through surveys, interviews, focus groups, and field observations was analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively with ATLAS.ti software. Findings indicated that urban agriculture is recognized in the commune as a strategy for territorial appropriation and defense, and community actions have led to more sustainable urban development.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkageFood Policy Processes in the City of Rome: A Perspective on Policy Integration and Governance Innovation
2022Bianca Minotti, Angela Cimini, Gabriella D’Amico, Davide Marino, Giampiero Mazzocchi, Simona Tarra · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · Italy (Rome)
This study analyzed food policy processes in the city of Rome, Italy, focusing on the Agrifood Plan, Food Policy for Rome, and Community Gardens Movement. Using a conceptual framework combining policy integration and governance innovation, the research showed that each process performs a different form of governance based on the actors and backgrounds involved. The study demonstrated a strong link between governance innovation and policy integration, with the conception and application of policy integration varying according to the process's governance vision.
PolicyCommunityFood sovereignty & justicePEMANFAATAN SEDIMEN SELOKAN SALURAN AIR DI DINOYO SURABAYA SEBAGAI CAMPURAN MEDIA TANAM GUNA MENDUKUNG URBAN FARMING YANG RAMAH LINGKUNGAN
2022Fabian Pascalis Serenai, Firra Rosariawari · EnviroUS · Indonesia (Surabaya)
This study in Dinoyo, Surabaya, Indonesia, investigated the potential of using 595,040 m3/year of canal sediment as a growing medium for urban farming. Sediment was mixed with green compost and cocopeat in 1:1:1, 1:3:1, and 1:5:1 ratios, and Capsicum frutescens seedlings were grown for two weeks. After pretreatment (drying, grinding, sieving), the 1:1:1 mixture showed optimal parameters: 3.58% C, 0.31% N, 0.02% P, 1.63% K, CEC 43.92 emol/kg, C/N 21, pH 8.55, non-toxic with 4% seed growth inhibition, optimal seedling growth, and lower nutrient loss. The research suggests that sediment can be used as a more environmentally friendly mixed growing substrate in the long term.
CompostOrganic cycleUrban–rural linkageMarket Pressure Based on International Food Standards in Export-Scale Urban Farming: Political Ecology Perspective
2022Kinanti Safirtri, Oekan S. Abdoellah, Budhi Gunawan, Yusep Suparman, Parikesit Parikesit · The Qualitative Report · Indonesia
A qualitative study with 27 export-scale urban farmers in Bandung Metropolitan investigated market pressures to meet international food standards. While intended to encourage environmentally friendly practices, farmers interpreted the implementation of international food standards as an administrative formality for export requirements, rather than a critical reflection on environmental problems from intensive agricultural practices. Consequently, market pressure from international food standards was found to be paradoxical and ineffective in fostering farmers' environmental responsibility.
Governance failureEconomicsPolicyClimate changePotensi pengembangan pertanian perkotaan dalam mewujudkan pembangunan perkotaan yang berkelanjutan (Studi Kasus KWT Anggrek Kecamatan Bara-Barayya Kota Makassar)
2022Nurhanis Abdullah, Muhammad Hasan, Muhammad Rakib · Prosiding Seminar Nasional Politeknik Pertanian Negeri Pangkajene Kepulauan · Indonesia (Makassar)
This qualitative explanatory study explored the potential of urban agriculture to contribute to sustainable urban development, using KWT Anggrek in Bara-Barayya District, Makassar City, Indonesia, as a case study. Makassar City is suitable for developing wetland, semi-wetland, horticultural, monthly, and seasonal crops by utilizing limited urban land. The findings indicate that urban agriculture is an important component that needs to be well-implemented to achieve sustainable and environmentally conscious urban development.
Climate changePeri-urban agricultureEconomicsArchitecture of Rooftop Gardens, as a New Dimension of Public Space in London. Case Studies in Qualitative Research
2022Dorota Winnicka-Jasłowska, Sabrina TKACZUK · Architecture Civil Engineering Environment · United Kingdom
This study conducted qualitative research on three rooftop gardens in London, investigating their way of use, attractiveness, maintenance, and popularity levels. Surveys were carried out among visitors, alongside two non-participant observational surveys during warm and cold months. The research established a profile of users visiting such public spaces and determined characteristic architectural features that make these spaces accessible, attractive, and willingly visited.
CommunityPolicyLegal Instruments to Support Short Food Supply Chains and Local Food Systems in France
2022Anna Kapała · Laws · France
This study aimed to identify legal instruments implemented in France that support short food supply chains and local food systems. The research identified these tools from various domains and levels, including national laws, government policies, and local government initiatives, analyzing them in relation to forms of short supply chains like direct marketing, producer stores, basket systems, urban agriculture, and public catering deliveries. The French instruments were found to be multiple, diverse, mostly innovative, and to consider social, environmental, and solidarity values.
PolicyFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsCSA & TeikeiWho Eats, Where, What, and How? COVID-19, Food Security, and Canadian Foodscapes
2022Kimberly Hill-Tout, Claudia Towne Hirtenfelder, Kiera E. B. McMaster, Megan Herod · Gastronomica The Journal of Food and Culture · Canada
In April 2021, a panel discussion on food security in Canada took place during the COVID-19 pandemic. This article aims to make visible the vulnerabilities and structural injustices embedded within Canadian foodscapes through different perspectives on food security and justice. COVID-19 rendered many of the structural injustices of food security in Canada more visible.
Equity & displacementFood sovereignty & justicePolicyEconomicsCommunityFactors Influencing the Sustained Adoption of Innovative Techniques by Urban Farmers in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo
2022Maurice Kesonga Nsele, Jules Nkulu Mwine Fyama, Kevin Maréchal, Thomas Dogot · Agriculture · Democratic Republic of Congo (Lubumbashi)
In urban agriculture in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo, an innovative technology package was disseminated, but ten years later, farmers' daily income was less than USD 1.25, and critical exceedances of heavy metal content standards in crops were recorded. Survey data from 202 farmers and a Logit model identified factors influencing the sustained adoption of two innovations: motor pumps and integrated soil fertility management. Socio-demographic factors were not significant for motor pump adoption, and only mutual aid moderately influenced integrated soil fertility management. Economic factors like land tenure and income diversification were significant for motor pump adoption, but no economic factors were significant for integrated soil fertility management. Institutional factors such as access to credit and association membership were significant for the sustained adoption of both innovations.
Contamination & food safetyEconomicsPolicyHealthAnalysis of the Description of the Multifunctionality of Farmland in the Administrative Plans of Local Municipalities
2022Yosuke Masuda, Takashi Oka, Erika Yoshinari, Takaaki Nishida, Tadashi Ikeda · Ecological research monographs · Japan
This research collected eight types of administrative plans from local governments across Japan related to the multifunctionality of farmland and reviewed the extent to which they describe these functions. Findings revealed that farmland's multifunctionality was incorporated into many municipal plans, with municipalities of a certain population size and high financial strength index tending to mention these roles more frequently. However, descriptions of functions like "disaster mitigation and response" and "water and food supply" in times of disaster were less common.
PolicyBiodiversityUrban–rural linkageMobilizing ‘impermaculture’: Temporary urban agriculture and the sustainability fix
2022Eugene McCann, Nathan McClintock, Christiana Miewald · Environment and Planning E Nature and Space · United States (Portland, Oregon)
This paper introduces "impermaculture," a model of urban agriculture where farmers in cities like Portland, Oregon, embrace the impermanence of their operations, viewing the potential for displacement by higher-value developments as an intended modus operandi. This approach, utilizing portable growing systems, is presented as a means of stabilizing the "sustainability fix" in neoliberal cities. The study suggests that this 'impermaculture by design' shores up and temporally rescales the sustainability fix, providing stability to urban agriculture initiatives despite their temporary nature.
Governance failurePolicyCommunityEconomicsIntegrated Planning and Implementation of a Blue-Green Architecture Project by Applying a Design-Build Teaching Approach
2022Friederike Well, Ferdinand Ludwig · Land · Germany (Munich)
A design strategy for blue-green architecture (BGA) was applied and evaluated in a practical project at a school garden in Munich, Germany. Architecture and landscape architecture students designed and implemented a BGA, building a nature-based system where school garden greywater is treated in a constructed wetland and combined with rainwater to feed a redesigned pond. This increased biodiversity, contributed to the environmental education of pupils, and demonstrated high learning success for the students.
Food educationBiodiversityClimate changeCommunityEnvironment
2022· University of Westminster Press eBooks · Taiwan
This chapter explores society's interaction with the environment through four pieces. A case study from LanCheng, Taiwan, by Shaw-wu Jung, examines how a community garden re-engaged local elderly populations with traditional farming methods. Other pieces analyze food anxiety in Chinese poetry, the historical context of waste separation in China, and the concept of "smart villages" in Maoist science fiction.
CommunityElderlyFood educationPENGABDIAN MASYARAKAT MELALUI PELATIHAN PENGEMBANGAN KEWIRAUSAHAAN TANAMAN HIAS UNTUK MENINGKATKAN KUALITAS PERMUKIMAN di Lingkungan Permukiman di Kelurahan Cipaganti, Kecamatan Coblong, Kota Bandung
2022Lucy Yosita, Kunthi Herma Dwidayati, Rd. Diah Sri Hartati, Usep Surahman, Yan Nurcahya · Lentera Karya Edukasi · Indonesia (Bandung)
This community service activity in Cipaganti Village, Bandung, Indonesia, aimed to empower the PKK community by improving ecological space, food security, and family economic resilience through urban farming. The program provided training on cultivating ornamental plants, specifically caladium, aglonema, and sansiviera, which are easy to breed and maintain. The goal was to increase community understanding of environmental protection, foster care for green spaces, and boost economic potential through new entrepreneurs.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPopulation Growth and Urban Agriculture in Moundou City (South-west Chad)
2022Demoundou Namodji, Ndoutorlengar Medard · International Journal of Humanities Social Sciences and Education · Chad
This article notes that while urban agriculture is protected and encouraged by governments in developed countries like Japan, in Africa, urban farmers often face repressive measures from urban administrators or planners. Despite its role as a safety valve for low-income households, urban agriculture in Africa is subject to these restrictive governmental actions.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyEconomicsWelfareInformal Community Growing Characteristics and the Satisfac-tion of Concerned Residents in Mountainous Urban Areas of Southwest China
2022Zhong Xing, Canhui Cheng, Yu Qiao, Junyue Yang, Hao Ma, Jian Yang, Xiaomin Du · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · China (Chongqing)
This study investigated informal community growing in Yongchuan, Chongqing, Southwest China, using a field survey and semantic differential questionnaire. It found that growers, mainly vulnerable groups, use traditional methods to cultivate diverse fruits and vegetables on barren slopes, creating a local food supply for economic gain and green food acquisition. Both growers and non-growers expressed satisfaction with food supply and economic benefits, but dissatisfaction with environmental and social benefits and the planting process.
CommunityWelfareEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceContested Greenspace Solidarities?
2022Nicola C. Thomas, Anders Blok · Nature and Culture · Denmark (Copenhagen)
This study analyzes the social and political conditions of urban allotment gardens in Copenhagen, which are specially protected as valuable urban nature. It finds that asymmetric civic-public compromises, while enabling protection, result in new material conflicts between civic and municipal actors. These conflicts are linked to unresolved competing visions of civic, green, and market sustainability in urban development.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyGrowing Seeds, Minds, and Community: A Case Study Evaluation of the Green Thumb Project’s Youth Internship Program
2022Caroline Burner, William R. Veal · Interdisciplinary Journal of Environmental and Science Education · Global
This case study evaluated The Green Thumb Project's eight-week Youth Internship Program in an urban community garden, assessing 12 participants' changes in career preparedness skills, healthy living attitudes, and content knowledge using mixed methods. Results indicated the program was effective in positively changing all interns' skills, attitudes, and knowledge. Significant positive relationships between these areas suggested that learning gains in one area contributed to gains in others, demonstrating the program's effectiveness in personal, professional, and academic growth.
CommunityFood educationHealthThe 3-H social and emotional learning cycle and the three sisters garden
2022Kathy Cabe Trundle, Rita Hagevik, Laura Wheeler, Katherine Vela, Michelle Parslow, David N. Joy · Science Activities · Global
This study introduces the Three Sisters Garden activity within a 3-H Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Cycle for secondary school students. This activity teaches biodiversity and sustainability, encouraging students to connect their own need for social connections with plant growth. Students enhance their sense of participation in the scientific process by analyzing gardens from a systems perspective.
Food educationCommunityBiodiversityThe Value of Urban Farming in Oslo, Norway: Community Gardens, Aquaponics and Vertical Farming
2022Geir Wæhler Gustavsen, Helge Berglann, Elisabeth Jenssen, Signe Kårstad, Divina Gracia P. Rodriguez · International journal on food system dynamics · Norway (Oslo)
This study conducted a contingent valuation survey in Oslo, Norway, to assess citizens' attitudes and willingness to pay for non-commercial (community gardens, educational gardens) and commercial (aquaponics, vertical farming) urban agriculture. The results indicate that Oslo citizens are willing to increase their tax payments to support the further development of urban farming in the city.
CommunityPolicyEconomicsHealthClimate changeBiodiversityThe bee fauna associated with Pacific Northwest (USA) native plants for gardens
2022Aaron Anderson, Lucas Costner, Lincoln R. Best, Gail Langellotto · Conservation Science and Practice · United States
This study compared the attractiveness of 23 native Pacific Northwest plant species to bees over three field seasons, using timed bee counts and vacuum sampling. It found that Douglas' aster, California poppy, varileaf phacelia, Canada goldenrod, farewell-to-spring, globe gilia, and Oregon sunshine consistently supported high bee abundance and species richness. These findings can inform urban pollinator conservation efforts in gardens and public spaces.
BiodiversityPollinatorsCommunity