Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
7626 results(144 / 306)
(Community) garden in the city: Conspicuous labor and gentrification
2020Fatmir Haskaj · Environment and Planning A Economy and Space · United States (New York City)
This article explores the historical context of community gardens in New York and Oakland, California, to understand and contest hegemonic forces in the urban environment. It posits that the work of gardeners is co-opted into a value regime through a process called "conspicuous labor." This process reconfigures the urban poor as productive, passive, and pastoral, contributing to gentrification.
Equity & displacementCommunityPolicyEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceA systematic, mixed studies review of the outcomes of community garden participation related to food justice
2020Kate Gardner Burt, Gail Mayer, Rachel Paul · Local Environment · Global
A systematic review analyzed 277 community gardening articles to assess outcomes of community garden participation related to food justice, synthesizing 31 studies. Many positive impacts were indicated across seven social and dietary outcomes. Community garden participation was positively correlated with community connectedness, but evidence demonstrating diet improvement was neutral. Methodological rigor in study design and lack of participant racial/ethnic and socioeconomic diversity were common issues, leaving the effectiveness of community gardening as a strategy for a more equitable food system unclear.
Methodological critiqueCommunityHealthFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsConnections in the garden: opportunities for wellbeing
2020Aisling Bailey, Jonathan Kingsley · Local Environment · Australia (Melbourne)
This qualitative study investigated how community and allotment gardening may enhance wellbeing for people and place in urban Melbourne, Australia. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 23 participants representing six community/allotment gardens. The findings suggested that community and allotment gardening enhance people's wellbeing on a personal mental and physical level, through social connectedness and community, and by connecting with the natural environment through the gardens themselves.
CommunityHealthPolicySurvey on people’s attitudes and constraints of rooftop gardening in Dhulikhel
2020Sandesh Thapa, Rakshya Bhandari, Anjal Nainabasti · Ecofeminism and Climate Change · Nepal
A random sampling survey in Dhulikhel, Kavrepalanchok district, Nepal, found that while all respondents perceived rooftop farming as beneficial, many could not practice it due to constraints like fear of roof damage. Practicing farmers also faced difficulties managing rooftop gardens due to a lack of proper knowledge and reliance on non-recyclable planting materials.
Economic viabilityDIYCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceOutdoor taste education: Danish perspectives on potentials and challenges for taste education in school gardens and outdoor education
2020Morten Kromann Nielsen, Pernille Malberg Dyg, Karen Wistoft · Food Culture & Society · Denmark
This article explores taste education within the outdoor educational context of Danish school gardens, specifically the "Gardens for Bellies" program. It found that despite lacking an explicit pedagogy of taste, tasting is central to student involvement, encouraging reflection and autonomous taste judgments. The study suggests a critical, reflective, and systematic approach to taste education can link school garden experiences to broader educational goals.
Food educationCommunityUrban agriculture in the making or gardening as epistemology
2020Michael Granzow, Kevin Jones · Local Environment · Canada (Edmonton)
This paper explores the production of Prairie Urban Farm, an urban agricultural initiative in Edmonton, Canada. Drawing on interviews with regular volunteers and personal reflections, the analysis emphasizes everyday urban agriculture practices, understandings, and motivations, rather than limiting the understanding to official representations. The study pursues tensions between Prairie Urban Farm as a sustainability and food security initiative and more ambivalent understandings.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceFood educationPolicySmall Change is Beautiful: Exploring Possibilities of Eco-san on School Garden for Transformative Pedagogy
2020Kamal Prasad Acharya, Govinda Prasad Devkota, Krishna P. Dhakal · Higher Education Studies · Nepal
This article explores the possibilities of using eco-san in school gardens in Nepalese community schools, focusing on transformative pedagogical impacts on the social learning environment. The use of urine as fertilizer through eco-san positively impacted students' meaningful engagement, social connections, and confidence development, as shown by qualitative data from students, parents, and teachers. Parents and teachers highly valued increased student engagement, opportunities for experiential learning through dialogue conferences, and the building of social skills like cooperation and argumentation.
Food educationOrganic cycleCommunityCampus community gardens and student health: A case study of a campus garden and student well-being
2020Joshua W. R. Baur · Journal of American College Health · United States (San Francisco Bay area)
A web-based survey of 76 undergraduate student volunteers at an urban university in the San Francisco Bay area explored the relationship between working at a campus community garden and student well-being. Bootstrap regression indicated that connectedness to nature and general health significantly predicted general well-being. The study suggests that campus natural spaces may contribute to student success and offer urban college students opportunities to engage with nature.
CommunityHealthFood educationNature connection, experience and policy encourage and maintain adaptation to drought in urban agriculture
2020Monika Egerer, Brenda B. Lin, Lucy Diekmann · Environmental Research Communications · United States (California)
In urban community gardens on the central coast of California, USA, gardeners' adaptation of management behaviors to drought was investigated across three periods: before, during, and after the longest drought. Structural equation modeling and multivariate analyses were used to assess the impact of water policies and gardener characteristics. Findings showed that nature relatedness and gardening experience influenced drought concern, which then impacted behavioral change. Water policies were found to promote and maintain behavioral change and conservation practices even when concern was absent.
CommunityClimate changePolicyDIY10. “You Can’t Evict Community Power”: Food Justice and Eviction Defense in Oakland
2020Alison Hope Alkon, Yahya Josh Cadji, Frances C. Moore · New York University Press eBooks · United States (California)
In North Oakland, California, USA, collaborations between food justice organizations and residents, spurred by gentrification, were explored. The partnership and merger of Phat Beets Produce and the Self-Help Hunger Program were analyzed, initiated after a community garden was used in a gentrification advertisement in 2014. While this collaboration created a strong alliance, it was found to be insufficient to resist the structural forces driving gentrification.
Equity & displacementCommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyEconomicsElaboración de compostaje con los residuos orgánicos del comedor para el huerto escolar ecológico
2020Ornela María Muñoz Millet, Antonio Yepes Jiménez · · Spain
A school in Spain implemented composting of organic waste from its canteen for use in an ecological school garden, with support from the AGROA school composting program and the Aguilas City Council. The entire educational community participates, from canteen staff separating waste, to the janitor transporting it, and teachers and students organizing it for compost and using it as fertilizer. This practice serves as a didactic resource for developing environmental attitudes and sustainable habits.
CompostFood educationCommunityOrganic cycleClimate changeA agricultura urbana como forma de uso e ocupação no espaço urbano
2020Ana Carla Alves Gomes, Maria Lúcia Brito da Cruz · Revista Campo-Território · Brazil
This study investigated the spatial distribution of Urban Agriculture (UA) in Fortaleza, Brazil, particularly in the Lagoa Redonda neighborhood, and the permanence of these gardens amidst territorial disputes over urban space. Using bibliographic and secondary data surveys, site visits, and geoprocessing techniques, it analyzed the feasibility of UA reproduction and the implementation of specific policies for the activity. The study points to governance challenges, specifically territorial disputes concerning the permanence of urban agriculture in urban spaces.
Governance failurePolicyCommunityEconomics„mind grabbing und ästhetische Gentrifizierung“
2020Stefan Staehle · sub\urban zeitschrift für kritische stadtforschung · Global
This study offers an alternative perspective on the critical practice of urban gardening, highlighting the ambivalence of the phenomenon. Specifically, the decoupling of social and artistic critique is shown to lead to a programmatic weakening of initiatives and their co-optation by neoliberal urban policies. This can reverse the critical practice of spatial appropriation into its opposite.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyEconomicsQuality of Life Benefits of Urban Rooftop Gardening for People With Intellectual Disabilities or Mental Health Disorders
2020Margarita Triguero‐Mas, Isabelle Anguelovski, Judith Cirac‐Claveras, James J. Connolly, Ana Vázquez, Ferran Urgell-Plaza, Núria Cardona-Giralt, Esther Sanyé‐Mengual, Jordi Alonso, Helen Cole · Preventing Chronic Disease · Global
This study evaluated the association between urban rooftop gardening and the quality of life for individuals with moderate to very marked disabilities. Questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and field observations were conducted with 54 gardeners and 43 non-gardeners. Results indicated that urban rooftop gardening was associated with better personal development and suggested enhanced physical and emotional well-being, sense of purpose, social inclusion, interpersonal relations, and general quality of life.
HealthCommunityWelfareCompanion Planting in the school garden
2020Effrosini Melissourgou, Nefeli Kassari, Irene Manoukaraki, George Melissourgos, Amane Awir, Irene Vergaki, Yiannis Dramitinos, Ariadne Delilai, Laith Yazi, Nektarios Tsagliotis · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Global
This report shares 12 years of knowledge and practice regarding companion planting in a school garden, where seed plants are prepared in a greenhouse and transplanted to raised beds. Through testing many combinations, it was found that some combinations help companion plants flourish, leading to improved vegetable crops and quality products for the community.
Food educationCommunityBiodiversityA Study on the Activation of Urban Agricultural Education for the Students' Agricultural Literacy
2020Jongwoo Kim · · South Korea
This study aimed to propose activation measures for school-based urban agricultural education in South Korea, using focus group interviews with teachers and literature analysis. Teachers reported a lack of school gardens, particularly open-field plots, and difficulties in management, highlighting the need for personnel. They also noted the use of container gardens to compensate for the lack of space and the selection of crops for student harvesting experiences.
Governance failureFood educationCommunityPolicyWelfareFarming While Black: Soul Fire Farms Practical Guide To Liberation on the Land by Leah Penniman and Karen Washington
2020C. K. Cartagena · Southeastern geographer · United States
This paper reviews "Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farms Practical Guide To Liberation on the Land" by Leah Penniman and Karen Washington. The book serves as a step-by-step guide for Black farmers, detailing historical struggles and solutions against oppression and racial discrimination in the farming sector, including cases like Pigford v. Glickman and the over-policing of Ron Finley's property. It offers instruction on obtaining land and resources, farm business plans, land restoration, crop planning, preserving harvests, raising animals, urban farming, and movement building. The book acknowledges obstacles faced by Black farmers and aims to provide a reference for sustaining productive farmland and activism to achieve land autonomy.
Equity & displacementFood sovereignty & justiceWelfarePolicyCommunityAccess to Healthy Food and Promoting Healthy Lives
2020Donald A. Rakow, Meghan Z. Gough, Sharon A. Lee · Cornell University Press eBooks · United States
This chapter discusses community gardens that serve as sites for both food production and community education, through case studies in the United States. Initiatives such as the Bronx Green-up by the New York Botanical Garden, the Green Corps by the Cleveland Botanical Garden, the Growing to Green program by the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, and the Sankofa Farm at Batram's Garden are highlighted. These initiatives improve access to fresh produce for those living in food deserts, enable low-income residents to feel in control of their diet by growing their own food, and lead to ripple effects like reduced vandalism and petty crime in communities.
CommunityFood educationHealthWelfareAgroecology as Public Health: The Island Example of Tasmania
2020Pauline Marsh · · Australia
A 2020 study investigated the nexus between urban agroecology and public health, using four case studies of community gardens in urban and peri-urban sites in Tasmania, Australia. The research demonstrated how place-based modes of community care can impact broader public health aims, such as positive risk-taking and addressing health inequities, and have implications for urban agroecology. It concluded that an improved understanding of the connection between community gardening and public health principles allows for a better understanding of agroecology's significance and its potential contribution to human health and well-being.
CommunityHealthWelfareLaboratorios para la Vida
2020Bruce G. Ferguson, Helda Morales · · Mexico (Chiapas)
The Laboratorios para la Vida action research team in Chiapas, Mexico, trains educators to use school gardens and local food systems as venues for experiential learning. However, teachers face a host of hurdles to successful garden programs, including high teacher turnover, lack of space, and the difficulty of matching garden growth with the national curriculum calendar.
Governance failureFood educationCommunityOrganic cycleCo-designing cities
2020Andrea Baier, Christa Müller · · Germany
This chapter discusses the results of semi-structured face-to-face interviews conducted in 2016 with activists in three urban community gardens in Bremen, Cologne, and Kassel, Germany. The study focused on the relationship between urban projects and municipal administrations. It showed that initiatives taken by grassroots activists to form collaborations with administrative actors are limited, though the traditional role of citizens can be extended in new local partnerships.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyEconomicsNourishing self-planned socioecological transformations
2020Silvio Cristiano, Marco Auriemma, P Cacciari, Manola Cervesato, Domenico Maffeo, Paola Malgaretto, Francesco Nordio · · Italy
This case study describes an ongoing community-supported agriculture (CSA) project in the urban-rural sprawl between Venice and Treviso, Italy. Farmers and consumers co-design and co-manage food provisioning and crop planning, sharing risks, avoiding food waste, and addressing financial barriers. The project aims to meet community food requirements while addressing economic, environmental, and social aspects, presenting feasible paths for sustainable transition.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceOrganic cycleHet natuurlijk kapitaal van de Lutkemeerpolder
2020Jeroen Schütt, Bas Amelung · · Europe
This research, conducted by the Science Shop of Wageningen University and Research, estimated the monetary value of ecosystem services in the Lutkemeerpolder, Amsterdam, which is slated for conversion into a business park. The study identified food production, air purification, recreation, and the effect of greenery on housing prices as key services, valuing them at 1.5 to 8.6 million euros per year. These ecosystem service values were not considered in the original decision-making twenty years ago, leading to a recommendation to reconsider the development plan.
Governance failurePolicyCommunityEconomicsBiodiversityGREEN DEAL Greenhouse devices in the urban voids of historical fabrics. The case of Cuenca-Ecuador
2020Pozo Palacios, María Gabriela · · Ecuador (Cuenca)
This paper describes the context of urban agriculture in the historic center of Cuenca, Ecuador, highlighting challenges posed by urbanization and gentrification. It mentions the increase in urbanization rates in Latin America since 1950 and its impact on the food production sector. The paper also touches upon the tradition of private patios devoted to family farming in Cuenca's republican architectural typologies and the diminution of farming areas due to rising land prices, but it does not present specific research methods, findings, or conclusions.
Food sovereignty & justicePolicyCommunityUrban–rural linkageCultivating food or cultivating citizens? On the governance and potential of community gardens in Amsterdam
2020Luca Sára Bródy, Mandy de Wilde · Local Environment · Netherlands (Amsterdam)
Based on a qualitative study of 19 community gardening projects in Amsterdam, this research argues that community gardens function as “controlled space.” Various institutional governance actors, including local government, welfare organizations, green NGOs, and housing associations, exert varied levels of influence and control over the gardens. These relations both impair and enable the civic participation of gardeners, the inclusive potential of gardens, and an alternative, local food provision and distribution.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyEconomics