Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
7626 results(141 / 306)
Soil Lead Concentration and Speciation in Community Farms of Newark, New Jersey, USA
2020Omanjana Goswami, Ashaki A. Rouff · Soil Systems · United States (Newark)
Soils from seven community farms in Newark, New Jersey, USA, were analyzed for lead (Pb) concentration and speciation. Single-step extractable Pb concentration ranged from 22 to 830 mg kg−1, with 21% of samples exceeding the NJDEP limit of 400 mg kg−1 for residential soils. Lowest Pb concentrations were detected in raised beds, while uncultivated native soil and parking lot samples had the highest values. Although most Pb is associated with reducible and oxidizable soil fractions, indicating a lower risk of mobility and bioavailability, Pb exposure through ingestion and inhalation pathways remains a concern when directly handling the soil.
Contamination & food safetyHealthCommunityThe history and management of a community garden established on vacant land by an NPO
2020Naomi Shimpo · Toshi keikaku hokokushu/Toshi keikaku houkokushuu · Japan (Tokyo)
This paper investigated the establishment and management of a community garden opened by an NPO on vacant land in Sumida Ward, Tokyo. Interviews and document analysis revealed that the garden was established to cultivate traditional vegetables to foster human interaction, and the NPO status was acquired to receive municipal subsidies and potentially resolve property tax issues. NPO status is considered advantageous for the economic stability of community garden operations.
CommunityPolicyEconomicsThe multiple logics of school gardening: a ‘return to nature’ or ‘love of labour’?
2020Elsie Rockwell · History of Education · United States
This article explores the history of school gardens in early twentieth-century US educational projects, finding that gardening activities were primarily for urban children lacking farming experience. It compares gardening's role in northern experimental schools with proposals for rural and segregated southern schools. The analysis identifies various logics, including arguments for promoting or dismissing school gardening and rationales for educating or retaining specific labor forces, highlighting a paradox between "return to nature" and "love of labor" in the discourse.
Food educationCommunityUrban–rural linkagePolicyAgricultura urbana e divulgação científica: quando a extensão tem em seu horizonte a mobilização social, a reflexão política e o enfrentamento de problemas sociais
2020Cristiana Guimarães Alves, Bráulio Silva Chaves, Lucas Araújo Dutra Rodrigues · Cadernos de Agroecologia · Brazil
In August 2017, the CEFET-MG Project "Cabana do Pai Tomas. to the Aglomerado da Serra: links between science, technology and education" in Brazil conducted activities to connect science, technology, and education. As part of this project, a ten-module Agroecology Course was offered, providing training to residents of Casa da Cabana, CEFET-MG students, and the general public on knowledge related to urban agriculture, food security, agroecology, the creation and maintenance of urban gardens, and social technologies.
CommunityFood educationFood sovereignty & justiceHow Healthcare Organizations Are Facilitating Access to Fruits and Vegetables in Their Patient Populations: A Systematic Scoping Review
2020Susan Veldheer, Christina Scartozzi, Amy Knehans, Tamara K. Oser, Natasha Sood, Francis Puleo, Joie Cooper, Daniel R. George, Alicia J. Cohen, Renate M. Winkels · Current Developments in Nutrition · Global
This systematic scoping review analyzed 46 manuscripts from 30 studies published between 1990 and 2019 to understand clinical strategies used by healthcare organizations to increase patient access to fruits and vegetables (F&V). Six program models were identified, including garden-based programs and CSA. The overall quality of the included studies was weak due to selection bias and incomplete reporting, with only 6 out of 30 studies including a control group. While some studies showed improvements in dietary intake, objective health markers such as blood pressure and BMI had mixed results.
HealthWelfareFood educationCommunityThe affordable housing, transportation, and food nexus: Community gardens and healthy affordable living in Calgary
2020Miho Lowan‐Trudeau, Noel Keough, Joshua Wong, Sara Haidey · Canadian Geographies / Géographies canadiennes · Canada (Calgary)
This study, examining community gardens in Calgary, aimed to determine the socio-economic demographics of neighborhoods supporting community gardens and their proximity to active transportation and public transit. GIS visualization and quantitative analyses were used to investigate relationships between demographic variables and transportation accessibility. Findings showed that community garden neighborhoods are located in areas with significantly fewer visible minorities, higher levels of educational attainment, and more attached dwellings like apartments and townhomes. This study suggests potential inequities in the proliferation of public community gardens based on socio-economic factors beyond economic capital.
Equity & displacementCommunityHealthWelfareEconomicsFirst records of the introduced African carder bee, Pseudoanthidium (Immanthidium) repetitum (Hymenoptera : Megachilidae), in Western Australia
2020Kit Prendergast · Pacific Conservation Biology · Australia
The African carder bee, Pseudoanthidium (Immanthidium) repetitum, first recorded in Queensland in 2000, has now been found in Western Australia, marking a significant distribution expansion. Three confirmed and one unconfirmed localities were identified in the Mandurah region, with abundant female specimens observed in one garden. The presence of this introduced species necessitates vigilance due to known negative impacts on native fauna and flora.
Environmental trade-offsBiodiversityPollinatorsCommunityAllotment Gardens (AG) in the days of the covid-19 pandemic. The case of “Żeromskiego” AG in Łask-Kolumna and “Wolinka” AG in Zduńska Wola (Poland)
2020Roman Szkup · Journal of Geography Politics and Society · Poland
A questionnaire survey was conducted among users of two allotment gardens ("Żeromskiego" AG and "Wolinka" AG) in the Łódź suburban area, Poland, to verify the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their behavior and recreation. The analysis showed that while the pandemic affected the behavior and rest of allotment garden users, the impact was not as large as could be expected.
CommunityHealthWelfareThe community economies of Esch-sur-Alzette: rereading the economy of Luxembourg
2020Gerald Taylor Aiken, Christian Schulz, Benedikt Schmid · Voluntary Sector Review · Luxembourg
This article outlines the community economies of Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg's "second city." Esch-sur-Alzette features multiple community-based organizations and movements, including an energy cooperative, urban gardening, an upcycling clothing factory, and a local food shop and restaurant. The article uses Luxembourg's case to reread the relationship between the state and the so-called third sector, defending the political possibilities of community economies.
CommunityEconomicsPolicyUnderstanding the effects of the Hobart Apartments student accommodation community garden project
2020Suzanne Mallick, Philip Marsh, Dave Kendal · Figshare · Australia
This research aims to understand how a community garden project at the University of Tasmania's Melville St student accommodation in Hobart CBD can benefit the health and wellbeing of students and the broader community. The first phase involved collecting and analyzing qualitative, quantitative, and observational data before the garden's installation, using interviews, focus groups, observational studies, and an online survey. The second phase will collect and analyze data after the community garden has been established.
CommunityHealthMayol Pascal, Gangneron Etienne, 2019, L’agriculture urbaine : un outil déterminant pour les villes durables
2020Pierre Donadieu · Territoire en mouvement · France
This paper presents an opinion from the French Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE), positioning urban agriculture as a decisive tool for sustainable cities. During the 2010s, six major publications on urban agriculture sought to identify this economic and social phenomenon, which has been emerging or returning in France and globally for at least 20 years. There is abundant literature in this field, with three collective works in French initiating these publications.
PolicyCommunityClimate changeRECOMENDAÇÕES PARA A VALORIZAÇÃO DA BIODIVERSIDADE LOCAL A PARTIR DAS PLANTAS ALIMENTÍCIAS NÃO CONVENCIONAIS EM HORTAS COMUNITÁRIAS URBANAS
2020Layssa Kmiecik Layssa Kmiecik, André de Souza Lucca · Revista Gestão & Sustentabilidade Ambiental · Brazil (Curitiba)
This qualitative study, focused on the Cajuru Community Garden in Curitiba, Brazil, aimed to propose recommendations for projects promoting native Unconventional Food Plants (PANCs). Using bibliographic, documentary, field research, and surveys, it generated recommendations for communicating PANCs' qualities and for their sustainable cultivation and responsible consumption in urban community gardens.
CommunityBiodiversityFood sovereignty & justiceCivic modes of greening the city? Urban natures in-between familiar engagement and green critique
2020Jakob Laage‐Thomsen, Anders Blok · Local Environment · Denmark
This article explores variations in civic engagement with urban sustainability politics by examining "urban green communities" in Denmark, including urban gardening and beekeeping. Using a conceptualization of civic and place-based material participation from pragmatic sociology, particularly Laurent Thévenot's work, the study traces translations between familiar attachments and public critiques within these communities. A comprehensive digital mapping exercise identified six civic modes of urban greening and their group engagement styles, with implications for care, justice, and democracy in sustainable city-making.
CommunityBiodiversityPolicyCommunion Composed: Fostering Unity Through a Nourished Architecture
2020David Acevedo · Syracuse University Libraries (Syracuse University) · Guatemala
This thesis explores how architecture can have greater agency in unifying people, especially distraught communities, by utilizing food and its inherent social properties. Guatemala is chosen as the zone of exploration for implementing such a collaboration at a ceremonial scale. The approach combines techniques from ecologically efficient urban food production, intimate domestic food consumption, and ceremonial food preparation to create a new edible landscape of socially sustaining architecture.
CommunityUrban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceA Place to Breathe in the Dense City: Community Gardening and Participatory Urbanism in Paris
2020Carrie Ann Benjamin · Sociální studia / Social Studies · France (Paris)
This study examines community gardening and participatory urbanism in Paris, focusing on the Goutte Verte, a temporary nomadic community garden. The continued existence of the Goutte Verte is in opposition to the city's much-needed housing, with gardeners caught between a desire for green space and a demand for comfortable housing. Community gardens are shown to act as a material alternative to urban planning and governance that often fail to account for a "place to breathe" in the city.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyHealthEVALUASI KARAKTER TERHADAP BEBERAPA GENOTIPE CABAI HIAS (CAPSICUM SPP.) POPULASI F2
2020Program Studi Agroekoteknologi, Fakultas Bioindustri, Universitas Trilogi, Disky Farros Al Fauzaan · JURNAL BIOINDUSTRI · Indonesia
This study evaluated the characteristics of F2 genotypes of ornamental chili (Capsicum spp.) at the Experimental Garden of Trilogy University Agroecotechnology Study Program from November 2019 to April 2020, using the single plant method. Significant differences were found in quantitative characters such as plant height, fruit weight, fruit length, fruit diameter, and seed number. Qualitative characters also showed diversity among the planted genotype population.
DIYCommunityPemberdayaan Kelompok Wanita Tani Harapan Jaya Melalui Pelatihan Produksi Jahe Instan Herbal
2020Nur Arifaini, Ika Kustiani, Purba Aleksander, Amril Ma’ruf Siregar · · Indonesia (Bandar Lampung)
A community service program in Rajabasa Jaya Village, Bandar Lampung, Indonesia, addressed land conversion and irrigation issues in an urban fringe agricultural area. The program aimed to empower the Harapan Kita Women Farmers Group by providing training on urban farming methods for ginger cultivation in home gardens. It also included installing instant herbal ginger processing machines and training on producing instant ginger to enhance the economic value of their harvest.
CommunityEconomicsDIYPeri-urban agricultureSignificance of Place in the Lives of Recreation Practitioners
2020Michael Dubnewick · Leisure Sciences · Global
This narrative inquiry explored the experiences of two recreation practitioners and the author, who participated in a community garden project as a researcher-practitioner over two years. The study demonstrates that place is significant in recreation practice, shaping relational spaces where practitioners and participants interact. Place influences identity and development, especially when considered alongside temporality and sociality.
CommunityFraming Food Access: Do Community Gardens Inadvertently Reproduce Inequality?
2020Katie L. Butterfield, A. Susana Ramírez · Health Education & Behavior · United States (Minnesota)
A quantitative content analysis was conducted on descriptions, missions, and goals provided by 411 community garden managers across Minnesota. Six frames were consistently present, including "greater good" and "community orientation," which were the most common. The findings suggest that the prevalent "greater good" frame may inadvertently reproduce inequality by alienating food-insecure populations, similar to other alternative food programs.
Equity & displacementCommunityHealthWelfareFactors Associated with Acquiring Food from a Farmers Market and Community or Home Garden Among Primarily African American Residents from Under-Resourced Neighborhoods
2020Jeanette Gustat, Yu-Zhang Lee, Taylor Johnson, K. O’Malley, Brian Luckett, Leann Myers · Journal of the Louisiana Public Health Association · United States (New Orleans)
This cross-sectional survey in two low-income, predominantly African American neighborhoods in New Orleans, Louisiana, interviewed 901 participants to explore factors associated with acquiring food from farmers markets (FMs) and community/home gardens (C/HGs). Daily fresh fruit and vegetable servings were positively associated with acquiring food from FMs and C/HGs in the past three months. African Americans and those living farther from an FM were less likely to acquire food from an FM, while those who cooked at home were more likely to use C/HGs.
CommunityHealthWelfareWho Participates in Urban Agriculture? An Empirical Analysis†
2020Marc F. Bellemare, Vaneesha Dusoruth · Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy · Canada (Montreal)
A survey of 882 Montreal residents investigated participation in urban agriculture. The study found that urban agriculture practitioners are more educated, more likely to be homeowners, and report higher incomes. These findings suggest that urban agriculture functions as a luxury good.
Equity & displacementEconomicsCommunityA agricultura urbana na Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso), dividida entre desejo dos moradores da cidade e ação pública
2020Amélie Robert, Jean Louis Yengué, A. Fanny, Mikael Motelica‐Heino, Edmond Hien, Alain Sanou · Risco Revista de Pesquisa em Arquitetura e Urbanismo (Online) · Africa
This research, conducted in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, utilized in situ observations, interviews with farmers and decision-makers, and an analysis of planning documents. It found that urban agriculture has experienced a significant increase in surface area and is popular among city residents. However, it is not officially considered in urban planning, revealing divergences in viewpoints between farmers and public decision-makers.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceA dimensão socioambiental do ensino de ciências na horta escolar
2020José Silveira Filho, Marcelo Rodrigues Tenório · Cadernos de Agroecologia · Brazil
This qualitative research, based on Paulo Freire's dialogical pedagogy, aimed to develop environmental education awareness in elementary school students through organic agriculture and sustainable cultivation techniques in a school garden. Semi-structured interviews with students revealed that activities in the school garden contributed to modifying their habits and attitudes towards nature. The study found that the school garden fostered a sense of solidarity, group work, and the development of citizens capable of addressing social and environmental problems.
Food educationCommunityOrganic cycleClimate changeComposition and chemical properties of the soils of the city of Santiago de Compostela, northwestern Spain
2020Remigio Paradelo, Cecilia Herbón, María Teresa Barral · Journal of Environmental Quality · Spain (Santiago de Compostela)
This study analyzed 56 urban soil samples (0–20 cm) from Santiago de Compostela, Spain, across various parent materials and land uses, to characterize their physicochemical properties. The soils were found to be coarse textured (sandy loam), acidic (pH 4.7–6.9), with moderate to high organic matter (13–137 g organic C kg−1). Unlike many urban soils, they did not exhibit alkalinity, high bulk density, or large amounts of artifacts, showing similarity to natural regional soils.
Organic cyclePeri-urban agricultureCommunityThe state of the art of school gardens as a pedagogical tool for the new environmental rationale paradigm in Butanta, Sao Paulo, Brazil
2020Beatriz Sinelli Laham, Francisco Melo Aires, Gabriel Akira Teshima Soto, Gustavo Lopumo Arruda · Brazilian Journal of Development · Brazil (São Paulo)
A mixed-methods approach was used to identify knowledge constructed during the implementation, maintenance, and didactic usage of school gardens in 15 municipal schools in Butantã, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Main difficulties identified were human resources, school staff integration, and financial resources, with a demand for specific training, especially for didactic usage. Access to quality soil posed the primary obstacle for garden maintenance, yet a general perception of positive effects on students' behavioral and pedagogical aspects was observed.
Food educationCommunityFood sovereignty & justice