Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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Critical findings
9077 results(144 / 364)
Significance of Allotment Gardens in Urban Green Space Systems and Their Classification for Spatial Planning Purposes: A Case Study of Poznań, Poland
2021Dominika Dymek, Agnieszka Wilkaniec, Leszek Bednorz, Magdalena Szczepańska · Sustainability · Poland
This study in Poznań, Poland, examined the significance of allotment gardens in the urban green space system and developed a classification method for urban planning. While over 30% of allotment gardens were found to be of high significance, urban planning documentation indicates plans to reduce their area. Even highly significant gardens are slated for liquidation, highlighting a conflict between their ecological value and current urban development plans.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkageEffectiveness of plants and green infrastructure utilization in ambient particulate matter removal
2021K. Wróblewska, Byoung Ryong Jeong · Environmental Sciences Europe · Global
This review presents the effectiveness of plants and green infrastructure in ambient particulate matter (PM) removal. It describes the mechanisms of PM capture by plants and factors influencing PM reduction in the atmosphere. The review refers to the effectiveness of plant utilization in various forms of green infrastructure, including trees, grasslands, green roofs, living walls, water reservoirs, and urban farming. Additionally, methods to increase PM removal by plants, such as species selection, biodiversity increase, PAH-degrading phyllospheric endophytes, transgenic plants, and microorganisms, are presented.
Climate changeBiodiversityUrban–rural linkagePublic versus private: Juxtaposing urban allotment gardens as multifunctional Nature-based Solutions. Insights from Seville
2021Barbara Maćkiewicz, Raúl Puente Asuero · Urban forestry & urban greening · Spain (Seville)
This paper compares public and private urban allotment gardens (AGs) in Seville, Spain, as nature-based solutions (NBS). Both types of AGs are found to have positive impacts on user health and well-being and complement each other. The choice between public and private AGs is primarily linked to freedom of cultivation and access, rather than economic factors. The study concludes that both public and private AGs require integrated territorial, legal, and institutional frameworks within urban policies.
CommunityPolicyHealthEconomicsIntegrating Urban Agriculture and Stormwater Management in a Circular Economy to Enhance Ecosystem Services: Connecting the Dots
2021Tolessa Deksissa, Harris B. Trobman, Kamran Zendehdel, Hossain Azam · Sustainability · Global
This study reviews literature on integrating urban agriculture (UA) and stormwater green infrastructures (GIs) within a circular economy framework. It explores how cities can combine these developments to overcome barriers and enhance ecosystem services. The findings indicate that integrating UA with GIs can improve urban food production while simultaneously protecting urban water quality.
Climate changeOrganic cyclePolicyInstitutional challenges and stakeholder perception towards planned water reuse in peri-urban agriculture of the Bengal delta
2021Kamonashish Haldar, Katarzyna Kujawa-Roeleveld, Marco Schoenmakers, Dilip Kumar Datta, H.H.M. Rijnaarts, Jeroen Vos · Journal of Environmental Management · Bangladesh (Khulna)
This study assessed stakeholder awareness, perception, and willingness towards urban water reuse in Khulna City, Bangladesh, using a questionnaire with 385 urban respondents, 32 farmer interviews, one farmer focus group, and ten key informant interviews. It found an overall positive attitude among major stakeholder groups toward planned water reuse for peri-urban agriculture, with 53% of citizens willing to pay for wastewater treatment and 66% of farmers willing to pay for better-quality irrigation water. However, the public sector requires adjustments in rules and regulations, addressing issues like lack of transparency, coordination, and resources, to implement planned water reuse.
Peri-urban agricultureHealthPolicyAdapting peri-urban agriculture to climate change in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe: A qualitative assessment
2021Thulani Dube, Saziso Sibanda, Phibion Chiwara · Cogent Social Sciences · Zimbabwe (Bulawayo)
This study investigated farmers' perceived effects of climate change on peri-urban agriculture in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, and their adaptation methods. Using a sample of thirty peri-urban plots, findings revealed that farmers perceived significant climatic changes negatively impacting their farming activities, including reduced precipitation, increased atmospheric temperature, and diminishing borehole yields. Adaptation methods included repeated planting, watering plants at night, renting animal space in other farms with more water sources, and purchasing supplementary feed for livestock.
Environmental trade-offsPeri-urban agricultureClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceNature-Based Solutions for Agriculture in Circular Cities: Challenges, Gaps, and Opportunities
2021Alba Canet-Martí, Rocío Pineda‐Martos, Ranka Junge, Katrin Bohn, Teresa A. Paço, Cecília Delgado, Gitana Alenčikienė, Siv Lene Gangenes Skar, Gösta F. M. Baganz · Water · Global
This paper examines nature-based solutions (NBS) for urban agriculture (UA) in circular cities, focusing on input/output streams. It identifies that the understanding of I/O streams for different NBS is insufficient to fully leverage their potential for strengthening circularity in UA. The study pinpoints gaps that hinder UA's development as an opportunity within the Circular City framework, emphasizing the need for a broader understanding of food-related urban streams.
Limited or null effectOrganic cycleClimate changeUrban Agriculture on the Rooftop
2021Sumita Ghosh · · Global
This research conducted a desktop review and analyzed six international case studies of rooftop urban farms, community gardens, and home gardens. The analysis found that productive landscapes already exist on city rooftops, contributing positively to community, environment, ecology, economy, and society. Planning and designing rooftop gardens in dense urban areas could foster place-making through urban agriculture.
DIYCommunityClimate changeEconomicsBiodiversityAssessing Agri-Food Start-Ups Sustainability in Peri-Urban Agriculture Context
2021Ambrogio Zanzi, Valentina Vaglia, Roberto Spigarolo, Stefano Bocchi · Land · Italy (Milan)
This study assessed the sustainability of eight agri-food start-ups in a peri-urban area of Milan, Italy, using the FAO's Sustainability Assessment of Food and Agriculture systems (SAFA) framework. The application of SAFA indicators revealed positive aspects but also some limitations typical of unstructured enterprises.
Economic viabilityPeri-urban agricultureEconomicsPolicyCommunityClimate changePromoting Urban Agriculture and Its Opportunities and Challenges—A Global Review
2021Chethika Gunasiri Wadumestrige Dona, Geetha Mohan, Kensuke Fukushi · Sustainability · Global
This systematic literature review analyzed 54 articles on urban agriculture, examining socio-economic context, agriculture models, opportunities, and challenges. The review found that academic literature favors community gardens in developed countries and gives comparatively less attention to identifying challenges, benefit groups, and government support for urban agriculture.
Governance failureCommunityHealthEconomicsPolicyMonitoring the contribution of urban agriculture to urban sustainability: an indicator-based framework
2021Carlos Tapia, Linda Randall, Shinan Wang, Luciane Aguiar Borges · Sustainable Cities and Society · Denmark (Aarhus)
This study presents a novel indicator-based evaluation framework for urban agriculture, tested in Fællesgartneriet Brabrand, a community garden in Aarhus, Denmark. The framework aims to capture the contribution of gardening practices to urban sustainability, acknowledging that urban agriculture may also have social and environmental externalities depending on prevalent farming practices.
Environmental trade-offsCommunityHealthPolicyClimate change“We Have Been Part of the Response”: The Effects of COVID-19 on Community and Allotment Gardens in the Global North
2021Victoria Schoen, Chris Blythe, Silvio Caputo, Runrid Fox-Kämper, Kathrin Specht, Agnès Fargue‐Lelièvre, Nevin Cohen, Lidia Poniży, Konstancja Fedeńczak · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · Global North
This 2021 paper, based on data collected in summer 2020 from five Global North countries (France, Germany, Poland, UK, USA), examined the effects of COVID-19 on urban farms and gardens. The pandemic presented multiple challenges, including loss of support services, lost income, and reduced output due to labor supply issues. It also created opportunities like new local markets and increased community cohesion, demonstrating how gardens adapted to become more resilient.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyHealthFood sovereignty & justiceExploring the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of community-supported agriculture in Italy
2021Marco Medici, Maurizio Canavari, Alessandra Castellini · Journal of Cleaner Production · Italy
This study investigated the status and evolution of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in Italy, examining its social, environmental, and economic benefits. Using CSA data, participant observation, thematic network analysis, and interviews with CSA representatives, it found that Italian CSA generally meets sustainability goals, though with varying levels of member involvement, economic viability, and environmental impact across communities. The lack of policy support is hindering further CSA diffusion and consolidation.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsCommunityClimate changeEnvironmental and social life cycle assessment of growing media for urban rooftop farming
2021Susana Toboso‐Chavero, Cristina Madrid‐López, Gara Villalba, Xavier Gabarrell, Arne Björn Hückstädt, Matthias Finkbeiner, Annekatrin Lehmann · The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment · Global
A comprehensive environmental and social life cycle assessment of perlite, peat, and coir growing media, imported to Spain from Turkey, Germany, and the Philippines respectively, was conducted for urban rooftop farming. Environmentally, coir had the lowest burden, while perlite had the highest impacts due to mining and transport. Socially, peat performed best, but coir showed the worst scores in community infrastructure and human rights, and perlite performed lowest in health and safety.
Equity & displacementDigital agricultureClimate changeEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceContinuity under change: Towards a spatiotemporal understanding of market-oriented urban and peri-urban agriculture – Insights from Kenya
2021Alexander Follmann, Maximilian Willkomm, Gilbert M. Nduru, George Owuor, Peter Dannenberg · Applied Geography · Kenya
This study analyzes the spatiotemporal dynamics of market-oriented urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) and farmers' responses to changing socio-spatial circumstances in Nyeri and Nakuru, Kenya. Findings indicate that the continued existence of market-oriented agriculture in these cities is linked to dynamic processes of commercialization, specialization, and intensification. The research concludes that market-oriented farmers are not inevitably displaced but can actively adapt to pressures and opportunities arising from rapid urban growth.
Peri-urban agricultureEconomicsUrban–rural linkagePeningkatan ketrampilan anak jalanan melalui hidroponik sederhana
2021Riris Lindiawati Puspitasari, Arief Pambudi, Yunus Effendi, Genta Hadela · · Indonesia (Depok)
This community service activity aimed to enhance the skills of street children attending Sekolah Masjid Terminal (Master) in Depok, Indonesia, through simple hydroponics training. The training, initially conducted online due to restrictions, introduced participants to hydroponic techniques using simple equipment. Initial results showed participants gained information on simple hydroponic techniques.
Food educationWelfareCommunity258. Contexto general de la Agricultura Urbana en México durante la pandemia: uso de aplicaciones de Google para el análisis social
2021Miranda Gómez, Omar, Aguilar-Gómez, Carlos Rubén · Revistes Científiques de la University of Barcelona (University of Barcelona) · Mexico
This article proposes a methodological route for data analysis using Google applications to study urban agriculture (AU) in Mexico during the COVID-19 pandemic. Information was collected from Facebook groups dedicated to AU in various Mexican states. Findings indicate that AU in Mexico offers social benefits, while the use of these technological tools for social research presents both advantages and disadvantages.
CommunityPolicyEconomicsOPTIMALISASI PEKARANGAN MELALUI PEMBERDAYAAN LIMBAH PLASTIK SEBAGAI MEDIA TANAM PADA KELOMPOK TANI RT 07 RW 01 KELURAHAN TAMBAK AJI KECAMATAN NGALIYAN KOTA SEMARANG
2021Sumanto Sumanto, Suryani Sri Lestari, Siti Mutmainah, Muhammad Rois, Siti Hasanah, Jati Handayani, Teguh Budi Santosa, Saniman Widodo, Prima Ayundyayasti, Nurseto Adhi · Prosiding Seminar Hasil Penelitian dan Pengabdian Masyarakat · Indonesia (Semarang)
This community service activity aimed to empower a farmer group in Semarang City, Indonesia, by providing solutions for urban farming in narrow yards. The initiative focused on mentoring the group in utilizing plastic waste as planting media and developing their skills. The activity addressed the group's lack of expertise in plastic waste utilization and limited urban agriculture skills, seeking to increase the economic added value and benefits of urban farming.
CommunityDIYOrganic cycleEconomicsUrban Oasis
2021Christina Ergas · · Cuba
This chapter examines Cuba's urban agricultural food production, which developed through top-down government initiatives that later decentralized and subsidized local efforts in response to resource scarcity. While Cuban urban farmworkers' cooperatives enable local residents to sell produce at low costs, the program still faces social environmental stumbling blocks despite its successes in achieving high human development with a small ecological footprint.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityPolicyEconomicsUrban Farming with Enhanced Rock Weathering As a Prospective Climate Stabilization Wedge
2021Fatima Haque, Rafael M. Santos, Yi Wai Chiang · Environmental Science & Technology · Global
This viewpoint article proposes incorporating enhanced rock weathering (ERW) into urban farming as an additional climate stabilization measure. Urban farming utilizes extensive urban surface areas for food production and atmospheric CO2 sequestration through air-to-soil contact. Combining this with ERW offers a further opportunity for this negative emissions technology to gain greater utilization.
Climate changeUrban–rural linkageOrganic cycleBuilding communal ties in the Arranjo Local da Penha
2021Mariana Portilho, Camila Gonçalves de Oliveira Rodrigues , Annelise Caetano Fraga Fernandez · Portuguese National Funding Agency for Science, Research and Technology (RCAAP Project by FCT) · Brazil (Rio de Janeiro)
This study presents the formation of Arranjo Local da Penha, a community territorial network established in 2016 in the Penha favela complex in Rio de Janeiro. Primarily led by women and focused on promoting urban agriculture based on agroecology, this network fostered women's protagonism and built emotional ties between them and the place, mainly by enabling access to "real food" in the favela.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceHealthWelfareServiços e Desserviços Ambientais Associados à Agricultura Urbana e Periurbana no Município de São Paulo
2021Bruno do Nascimento Macedo, Fernanda Nogueira Comas, Amarílis Lucia Casteli Figueiredo Gallardo · Journal of Urban Technology and Sustainability · Brazil (São Paulo)
This study discussed the main environmental services and disservices associated with urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) in São Paulo, Brazil, using a systematic literature review and spatial analysis. It identified 12 environmental services and 5 disservices, mapping 197 UPA initiatives. The research concluded that UPA has the potential to offer environmental benefits, but can also exert negative pressures on the environment, including in areas that should be protected.
Environmental trade-offsUrban–rural linkageClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicyOrganization of a Community Garden Program through Utah State University Food $ense and Master Gardener Extension Programs for Low-Income Families in Logan, Utah
2021Jackie Hendrickson · Digital Commons - USU (Utah State University) · United States (Utah)
Utah State University's Food $ense and Master Gardener programs partnered to create the "Create Farm Fresh Gardens" community gardening program, targeting low-income families in Cache Valley, Utah. Piloted during the 2018 growing season, the program aimed to improve food security by increasing access to fresh vegetables and enhancing participants' self-efficacy in gardening and nutrition. Participants provided supportive feedback, and the program was slated for statewide implementation in Utah during the 2019 growing season.
CommunityFood educationWelfareHealthTeaching in the Garden: School Gardens as a Space for Environmental and English Learning
2021Baerbel Turner-Hill, Christian Ludwig, Lena Böttger · Ecozon European Journal of Literature Culture and Environment · Global
This paper examines school gardens as spaces for enhancing students' English language competencies and fostering critical environmental literacy. It discusses garden-based education as a form of outdoor learning and argues for its use in teaching English as a foreign language, drawing on Gardner's multiple intelligences model. The paper also reports on a school garden-based seminar for EFL teacher training at the University of Education Karlsruhe, Germany.
Food educationCommunityAGRICULTURA URBANA JARDINERÍA COMUNITARIA: EL EJEMPLO DE BERLÍN
2021ELISABETH MEYER-RENSCHHAUSEN · Materia Arquitectura · Germany (Berlin)
This paper discusses the historical presence of gardens and urban agriculture in cities, from ancient civilizations to modern times. It notes that after disappearing in the late 19th century, family gardens were replaced by garden city movements, and after WWII, land was offered for cultivation. The paper suggests that the growing demand for garden plots in the 20th and 21st centuries and the global community gardening movement represent a new type of urban agriculture.
CommunityPolicyHeirloom & landrace