Research & reports

Lalieta Somwaru · Brazilian Journal of Science and Technology · Suriname

In Suriname, "The Green School" project, initiated in October 2013, is being implemented in all primary schools nationwide. This project aims to positively influence children's environmental behavior through practical activities, focusing on biodiversity (including school gardens), waste, water, and energy. Of the 333 primary schools in Suriname, 286 have been officially designated "Green Schools," and monitoring has shown improvements in classroom and schoolyard cleanliness and sustainable water and energy usage.

Young Hyoo Kwon, Su‐Jin Kim, Ha Kyeong Oh, Sang-Kyun Han, Seak Jin Kim · Journal of people, plants, and environment · Global

This study examined the effects of media kinds and container forms on the growth of herbaceous and woody plants for urban greenery and landscape gardens. Five plant species were experimented on three different media kinds (horticultural substrate, decomposed granite, and a mix) and two container forms (vinyl pot and plug tray). Most species experimented on horticultural substrate tended to have the highest growth rate in plant height, root length, number of leaves, and fresh biomass weight. The use of plug trays was found to be more applicable than vinyl pots, considering plant growth rates and shipment convenience.

Heather Yeatman · Research Online (University of Wollongong) · Global

This chapter focuses on how food literacy is developed through experiences with food production in different settings, including agriculture, urban food production, and home and school gardens.

Marie-Dominique Pivetaud et Jean-Claude Legendre, Entrepreneurs chez Nature et potager en ville · · Global

This workshop focuses on the sale of pre-vegetated planters to individuals and businesses as a new market within the urban agriculture sector.

Francesca Ostuzzi, Peter Conradie, Lieven De Couvreur, Jan Detand, Jelle Saldien · The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning · Global

This case study explored opportunities for 47 Industrial Design Engineering students to share open-ended urban gardening design solutions during a two-week intensive course, using Instructables.com. Open sharing of local solutions triggered global discussions and reported instances of re-appropriation. However, the study also showed difficulty in keeping students engaged in global discussions, with online activity dropping to near silence after a few weeks, and challenges in tracking re-appropriation cycles.

Fabrizio Valpreda, Ilaria Zonda · Sensors · Global

This study presents Grüt, a gardening sensor kit for children, aiming to change children's attitudes towards food and reduce waste by increasing their knowledge about food production and consumption. The project combines real and virtual reality, connecting plants to the Internet of Things via sensors and an app. User testing was executed with Dutch children in Amsterdam.

Sarah Jurkiewicz · Social Science Open Access Repository (GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences) · Global

This study analyses two cultural initiatives in Kuwait City -- one organizing walking tours, another creating an urban garden in a public park -- as new forms of reclaiming urban space. It examines the entrepreneurial frameworks, from "social entrepreneurship" to "commons," through which these initiatives are articulated, but finds that despite their aim of constructing participatory spaces, the initiatives have nevertheless been targeted toward a particular stratum of Kuwaiti society -- chiefly middle-class Kuwaitis with a cosmopolitan outlook.

Shlrene Quaik, Kaizar Hossain, Mahamad Hakimi Ibrahim · International Journal of Agricultural Research · Global

Liquids derived from vermicomposting of pre-composted cow dung—vermiwash and vermicomposting leachate—were diluted to prevent leaf scorching and applied to sweet potato as a foliar treatment. Chemical analysis confirmed the presence of plant nutrients, and increases in chlorophyll content (chlorophyll a, b and total) and improved nutrient distribution in sweet potato leaves were observed. The results indicate vermiwash and vermicomposting leachate have potential as organic foliar fertilizers, and their application in field-scale urban farming fertigation is feasible, though enriching their nutrient content further would require adding other nutrient-rich substrates.

Sandra Yamile Salamanca Corredor, Brayan Osnaider Diaz Morales · · Colombia

This pilot study, focused on the La Estancia neighborhood of Bogotá, assessed the technical and economic feasibility of implementing home practices for utilizing household waste -- (1) vermiculture for organic waste, (2) urban agriculture and vertical gardens, and (3) reuse of greywater for non-potable uses. It also investigated whether residents of the neighborhood already use these practices for managing waste and greywater, and their level of interest in the topic.

· PLOS ONE · Global

Describes the design and construction of an inexpensive homemade plant growth chamber built from low-cost materials as an accessible alternative to costly commercial units for controlled indoor plant growth.

· HortTechnology · Global

An automated irrigation controller built from open-source Arduino boards, capacitance soil-moisture sensors and solenoid valves that logs volumetric water content and triggers irrigation by threshold; inexpensive and suited to home gardens, greenhouses and nurseries.

Daniel Andrés Vega Castro · Luna Azul · Colombia

A 2015 descriptive study in Colombia evaluated the production of criolla potato Solanum phureja 'Paisa' clone in an urban context. High-density polyethylene double-bottom containers and agroecological production techniques, including fertilization based on organic matter, minerals, and microorganisms, were used. Results showed an average production of 528.36 g/plant for S. phureja in containers, indicating a viable alternative compared to average production in Colombia and the department of Cundinamarca.

Stephane Bour · · Global

Ecotrancoso focuses on restoring life to an ecosystem that has been transformed into a desert by unsustainable agricultural practices. This is achieved through the creation of a food forest.

Abdul‐Halim Abubakari, Laura Atuah, B. Banful, Hypolite Bayor · Journal of Soil Science and Environmental Management · Ghana

A study in Ghana reviewed literature and surveyed farmers on soil amendments for urban horticulture. The review found that research on soil amendments has been limited to land management and nutrient recovery, not addressing quality issues for specific production systems. Farmers adopt varying application rates due to lack of standardization, and barriers include technology for collection, funds for purchase, and labor employment.

Neda Jafari, Mohd Yazid Mohd Yunos, Md Azree Othuman Mydin, Osman Mohd Tahir · Applied Mechanics and Materials · Malaysia

This quantitative survey research examined residents' awareness and preferences regarding urban agriculture at rooftop gardens in The Heritage condominium in Selangor and Sri Putramas 2 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The survey results indicated that residents who participated agreed with the awareness of urban agriculture at rooftop gardens. The study aims to promote sustainable building and the use of urban agriculture in residential rooftop gardening.

Jodi 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.

Mehdi 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.

Christine 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.

john 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.

· 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.

Takahiro 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.

Mohd 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.

Ermolaev 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.

Joel 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.

Valérie 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.