Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
385 results(14 / 16)
Guerrilla warfare in the planning system: revolutionary progress towards sustainability?
2013David Adams, Alister Scott, Michael Hardman · Geografiska Annaler Series B Human Geography · Global
This article examined how planning practice, exemplified by permaculture and guerrilla gardening case studies, can be rooted in confrontation and legal challenge, hindering innovative practices. The findings confirmed that spatial planning theory is largely "disintegrated" from much contemporary planning and environmental practice and wider sustainability discourses. This suggests that planners and decision-makers' prescribed and constrained management of space can impede practices with significant societal and environmental benefits.
Governance failureDIYPolicyCommunityFood Forests and Home Gardens: Their Roles and Functions in Domestic Food Production and Food Security in the Caribbean
2013Clinton L. Beckford, Donovan Campbell · Palgrave Macmillan US eBooks · Caribbean
In the Caribbean, kitchen gardens are categorized into home gardens and food forests, both grown on home plots. Home gardens are small areas for short-term crops, used for home consumption and sharing, while food forests are low-maintenance agroforestry systems with diverse plant species, including fruit trees and non-food hardwoods. These systems mimic a forest's vertical structure.
DIYFood sovereignty & justiceBiodiversityOrganic cycleDefining the skycourt and skygarden
2013Jason Pomeroy · · Egypt
The ancient Egyptian city of Fustat, now part of Old Cairo, incorporated skygardens. Archaeological findings indicate its importance as a trade hub and production center. Historical accounts describe 14-storey residential buildings with rooftop gardens irrigated by ox-drawn water wheels.
CommunityDIYDesign Thinking on Urban Agricultural Construction of Intelligent Ecological Residential Building
2013Xiao Di Li, Wei Hu, Xiao Yang · Applied Mechanics and Materials · Global
This research aims to create intelligent ecological residential buildings with small, limited agricultural rooms for city residents, fulfilling their psychological desire for nature, eco-protection, work-life balance, and a residential agronomic garden. Through logical reasoning, it was found that rapid social, political, technological, and economic development sufficiently supports the realization of intelligent eco-building ideas for urban agriculture. This is expected to initiate social concerns and further research on urban intelligent ecological agricultural buildings.
DIYClimate changeDigital agricultureFrom Garden City to City in a Garden (Case Study: Shiraz City as a ""Permaculture"" Model in Iran)
2013Sara Fattahi · · Iran (Shiraz)
Focusing on Shiraz City, Iran, rooftop gardens were examined as an example of incorporating passive, eco-friendly technology for sustainable development. Rooftop gardens are stated to help mitigate negative environmental impacts by conserving energy and water, improving air and water quality, assisting in storm water management, absorbing solar radiation, becoming a source of local food production, providing habitat restoration, and creating natural retreats.
DIYClimate changeBiodiversityOrganic cycleUrban farming a reality at the Sydney Cooking School
2013Brett Deverall · Practical Hydroponics and Greenhouses · Australia (Sydney)
The Sydney Cooking School has embraced urban farming by growing their own herbs for use in cooking classes. Chef and owner, Brett Deverall, is passionate about using the freshest produce possible and decided to implement a self-contained growing system from Elevated Gardens.
Food educationDIYEvaluación de dos variedades de tomate: Chonto Santa Cruz y Río Grande (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) mediante técnicas de agricultura urbana en el municipio de Istmina, Chocó, Colombia
2013Mirla Perea Murillo · Revista Bioetnia · Colombia (Istmina)
In Istmina, Colombia, the agronomic yield of two tomato varieties (Chonto Santa Cruz and Río Grande) was evaluated using urban farming techniques (bed and chorizo systems). Water and nutrient solution were used for plant hydration, and 12 beds and 12 chorizos were used for the study. As a result, the Río Grande variety cultivated in the bed planting system with added nutrient solution showed a higher yield, producing 134 tomatoes (16.76 kg), compared to the Chonto Santa Cruz variety, which produced 78 tomatoes (1.7 kg) using the same system and nutrient solution.
DIYFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityLa agricultura urbana y el cultivo de sí. Los huertos de ocio a la luz de las dinámicas neorrurales. (Urban agriculture and the growing of the self. Leisure gardening in light of new-rural dynamics)
2013Fernando Richter · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Global
Urban agriculture is currently expanding on rooftops, balconies, and abandoned plots. Historically, its main function was food production, but now its practice as a recreational activity and leisure experience is emphasized. This phenomenon converges with symbolic dynamics related to new-ruralism, consumption, and a nostalgic search for authenticity, with leisure studies offering a useful perspective for understanding its complexity.
CommunityDIYUrban–rural linkageUrban gardening
2013Àngels Viladomiu Canela · AusArt · Global
This article reviews artistic interventions that address specific uses of urban territory and forms of cultivation. These actions, through planting and cultivating, create spaces for the expression of artistic, political, and social identities in the interstices of cities, such as abandoned lots, undeveloped areas, riverbanks, and highway verges.
CommunityPolicyDIYDonegal Garden GNOMES
2013Getting Together Killybegs (MHI) · · Ireland (Donegal Town)
The Donegal Garden G.N.O.M.E.S is a community garden group in Donegal Town, Ireland, that organically grows fruit and vegetables. The group meets weekly on Thursdays from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM at the Bluestack Foundation building. It is partly funded by Donegal Local Development and partners with Mental Health Ireland.
CommunityDIYHealthFood educationLa agricultura urbana y el cultivo de sí: los huertos de ocio a la luz de las dinámicas neorrurales
2013Fernando Richter · Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) · Global
This article examines the current boom in urban agriculture, noting a shift from its historical function of food production to a focus on recreational and leisure activities. It suggests that symbolic dynamics associated with new-ruralism, consumption, and a nostalgic search for authenticity converge in this phenomenon. The study proposes that Leisure Studies offer a valuable perspective for understanding the complexity of urban agriculture as a leisure experience.
CommunityDIYHealthUrban–rural linkageEl cultivo de setas: del huerto urbano al uso multifuncional del bosque
2013Esteban Sinde Stompel · Navarra forestal: revista de la Asociación Forestal de Navarra · Global
Mushroom cultivation is being introduced into urban garden design and as a real silvicultural alternative to be implemented on forest land. In the latter case, the production of saprophytic fungi on valueless wood waste offers a notable environmental advantage by recycling biomass and providing a highly nutritious ecological food.
DIYOrganic cycleBiodiversityFood sovereignty & justiceLa escritura en un proyeto de agroecología escolar : la recuperación del huerto urbano
2013Xavier Fontich Vicens, Mariona Espinet Blanch, Germán Llerena del Castillo · · Global
This record concerns writing in a school agroecology project and the recovery of an urban garden. It is based on the publication's abstract, as part of a monograph titled "Teaching and Learning Scientific Discourse."
Food educationCommunityDIYA Deweyan Defense of Guerrilla Gardening
2012Shane J. Ralston · The Pluralist · Global
This research article, published in The Pluralist in 2012, presents a Deweyan defense of guerrilla gardening. The full text of the article is available only as a PDF.
CommunityDIYFood sovereignty & justiceDeveloping a Space for Children: An Internship with the Mullumbimby Community Garden
2012Eden K Olsen · School for International Training Digital Collections (School for International Training) · Australia
This paper details an internship at the Mullumbimby Community Garden (MCG) in Byron Shire, Australia, focusing on the development of its Children's Garden. The intern spent 152.5 hours over four weeks in late 2012 on tasks including planting, project planning, and designing new structures. The study also examines the broader importance of community gardens and children's spaces, drawing conclusions on environmental education and communication practices based on participant observations and three interviews.
CommunityFood educationDIYFood sovereignty & justiceEvaluation of Different Soil Media and Soil Ameliorants in Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Miller), Green Onion (Allium sativum) and Pechay (Brassica rapa L.)
2012Jenny Calabio, Ma. Luisa Albacete · WVSU Research Journal · Philippines (Iloilo City)
This study, conducted from July 2007 to July 2008 at the Urban Agriculture Demonstration Site in La Paz, Iloilo City, evaluated soil media and ameliorants for container-grown green onion, pechay, and tomato. Pure compost was found to be the best medium for increasing yields. However, the use of IMO and rice hull as soil ameliorants did not increase yields for the three tested vegetables, and rice hull generally reduced pechay yields.
Limited or null effectCompostDIYWelfareHealthEconomicsUteservering för Hotell & Restaurang Villa Anna
2012Adam Roigart · · Sweden (Uppsala)
A new patio concept was designed for Hotel and Restaurant Villa Anna in Odinslund, Uppsala, Sweden, exploring how urban farming can thrive in a restaurant context. The design, informed by a literature study on urban farming and storytelling and discussions with the restaurateur, aimed to convey the cuisine's core values and strengthen the sense of place through storytelling. The author found storytelling useful in landscape architecture and highlighted urban farming's potential to offer a new perspective on food procurement and eating trends within restaurants.
DIYFood educationEconomicsMicro-agricoltura e sistemi lineari
2012Alessandra Giannini, Andrea Oldani · TERRITORIO · Global
Micro-agriculture refers to small-scale agriculture, in contrast to intensive agriculture and monoculture. It is a collection of 'small scale' agricultural practices, including horticulture (such as urban vegetable gardens), fruit-growing, or flower-growing. Micro-agriculture is a landscape defined by garden plots and materials, forming a unified yet diversified whole that differs from traditional agricultural landscapes in its reduced scale, biological richness, material variety, and heterogeneous landscape.
DIYCommunityUrban–rural linkageEnacting food sovereignty: values and meanings in the act of domestic food production in urban Australia
2012Nicolette Larder, Kristen Lyons, Geoffrey Woolcock · Local Environment · Australia
This article explores the values and meanings domestic food producers associate with urban backyard food production in Australia. Through interviews with eight domestic food producers in one Australian city, the study finds that the act of growing food at home offers space for hope. These small acts are seen as part of the broader food sovereignty movement seeking to remake the global food system.
Food sovereignty & justiceDIYCommunityEdible Landscaping and Xeriscaping
2012Avi Friedman · Island Press/Center for Resource Economics eBooks · Global
This chapter discusses the problems of conventional landscaping, which requires excessive water, maintenance, and chemicals, leading to resource depletion and pollution. Alternative practices such as edible landscaping and xeriscaping are gaining traction in residences, as they can significantly reduce adverse environmental effects while maintaining aesthetic value. The principles and applications of these methods are discussed in this chapter.
DIYClimate changeOrganic cycleLos diseños verticales y la agricultura unidos para la producción de alimentos en los Módulos para Huertas Urbanas Verticales
2012Fritz Hammerling Navas Navarro, Luz Mila Peña Torres · Revista de Investigación Agraria y Ambiental · Global
Urban Vertical Garden Modules (MHUV) are introduced as a hybrid of vertical gardens and urban agriculture. This study presents a "culinary and medicinal module" that can be placed in kitchens, rooftops, or patios, proposing the cultivation of species like thyme, mint, and parsley. The module consists of three recyclable plastic baskets, each with four rows and a capacity for fourteen seedlings, supported vertically by a recycled wooden structure.
DIYUrban–rural linkageHealthGrowing Community Resilience: Empowering Neighborhoods with Tools of Design for the Northern Climate
2012Anna Biebrauer · University of Minnesota Digital Conservancy (University of Minnesota) · Global
This handbook provides a basic design primer for urban farmers, gardeners, and community groups interested in creating pocket farms, community gardens, or CSAs. It compiles urban agriculture components, precedents, and design considerations for arrangement, construction, perception, and use by farmers and their communities. The suggested ideas and plants are tailored for the Northern climate (hardy to USDA Zone 4).
CommunityDIYCSA & TeikeiUrban Agriculture Production Mode 2:Research and Development of Ornamental Vegetable
2012Yang Dan-ni · Journal of Changjiang Vegetables · Global
This paper examines the changing functions of vegetable production in urban agriculture and highlights the significance of promoting ornamental vegetable production and marketing. It proposes that the research and development of ornamental vegetables represents a viable urban agriculture production mode, facilitating cultivation shifts from rural areas to cities, enterprises to families, and fields to balconies. Key development areas include cultivar selection, equipment innovation, cultivation technology, marketing, and service system construction.
DIYEconomicsUrban–rural linkageThe role of green roof technology in urban agriculture
2011Leigh Whittinghill, D. Bradley Rowe · Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems · Global
Urban agriculture faces limitations including competition for space, lack of formalized land use rights, and health hazards from food contamination. Green roof technology is proposed as a method to alleviate these issues, potentially reducing the use of contaminated land and water at ground level. However, for large-scale implementation, installation costs must be reduced, roof weight limitations assessed, and appropriate management practices developed.
Contamination & food safetyDIYHealthPolicyClimate changePossibilities of using ornamental vegetables in landscape architecture.
2011S. L. Balcău, Maria Apahidean · Bulletin of University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca Horticulture · Global
This paper emphasizes that vegetables can be used not only for alimentary purposes but also for decoration, proposing the "edible landscaping" system. Root vegetables can be used for creating vegetation carpets and beds, kale for borders, squares, and flower stands, and vegetables cultivated for pods, beans, and capsules for decorating pergolas and towers. Green vegetables are preferred for creating colorful views or color contrasts. To arrange beautiful gardens using ornamental vegetables, basic landscape architecture principles must be followed, and plants chosen carefully.
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