Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
1089 results(15 / 44)
Cultivating communities in Mendoza, Argentina: Exploring social aspects of urban agriculture
2023Lena Katharina Mietz, Bárbara Civit, Alejandro Pablo Arena · Environmental & Socio-economic Studies · Argentina (Mendoza)
This study investigated vegetable consumption patterns, interest in vegetable production, opinions on urban agriculture, and barriers in the metropolitan city of Mendoza, Argentina. Using quantitative research methods and a citizen survey, the results showed strong interest from citizens in urban agriculture, but also identified barriers such as lack of time and resources.
Limited or null effectCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicyEvaluating Importance of Community Gardens in Times of Calm and Crisis: From Relaxation to Food Self-Provisioning
2023Marek Hekrle, Jan Macháč, Lenka Dubová · Resources · Czechia
This study investigated how ecosystem services (ES) provided by the community garden 'Žížala na Terase' in Czechia are affected during crises related to the COVID-19 pandemic and increased food prices. Results indicated that the importance of social interaction and educational ES significantly decreased in the COVID-19 scenario. Conversely, the role of community gardens as places for recreation increased. In the food self-provisioning scenario, provisioning ES increased at the expense of recreational ES. Economic assessment further showed that cultural ES were the most monetarily valued, followed by provisioning ES.
Limited or null effectCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsHealthPotential And Need of Urban Horticulture for A Sustainable Future
2023Mansi I. Bhati and R.K. Dubey · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Global
Urban horticulture, a new concept for growing family-sufficient food in urban and peri-urban areas, is gaining importance. However, environmental challenges for urban farming in urban environments include soil contamination, micro-climate alteration and air pollution, and contaminated water resources. Appropriate guidelines for urban and peri-urban agricultural practices are required.
Contamination & food safetyDIYPeri-urban agricultureClimate changeFood sovereignty & justicePropuesta de indicadores para la planificación de la agricultura urbana en Camagüey
2023Yurisandra Sierra Reyes, Ana de Dios Martínez, Jorge Pereda Mouso, Manuel Francisco Rodríguez Saldaña · Cuadernos de Administración · Cuba (Camagüey)
This article proposes indicators for urban agriculture planning in Camagüey, Cuba, aiming to contribute to urban sustainability and food sovereignty. The methodology involved theoretical analysis and synthesis, a mixed focus group for variable delimitation, and the IADOV method for validation. These indicators are presented as a useful tool for decision-making, enabling the diagnosis and characterization of urban agriculture and its integration into territorial planning.
PolicyFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changeInterpretation of the imaginary of farmers about the products obtained through urban agriculture
2023María Angélica Vargas, Diego Armando Osorio, Leonela Narváez, Verenice Sánchez Castillo · Perspectiva austral. · Colombia (Florencia)
This exploratory study in Florencia, Caquetá, aimed to identify factors affecting the adoption of urban agriculture practices. Data was collected through surveys and interviews with Mr. José. The research analyzed farmers' perceptions of urban agriculture products and provided recommendations to promote adoption and improve impact on the local population.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityEconomicsWhich urban agriculture conditions enable or constrain sustainable food production?
2023Seongeun Lee, Seongmin Shin, Hansol Lee, Mi Sun Park · International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability · Global
A systematic review of urban agriculture (UA) case studies identified conditions enabling and constraining UA development across different country income groups. For high-income countries, a lack of farmers' knowledge and urban development are significant challenges to UA implementation. Common requirements for all income levels include motivation, labor, policy, social capital, and arable land.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justicePolicyEconomicsCommunityNature-Based Solutions as Building Blocks for the Transition towards Sustainable Climate-Resilient Food Systems
2023Saskia Keesstra, J.A. Veraart, A. Verhagen, Saskia Visser, Marit E. Kragt, Vincent Linderhof, Wilfred Appelman, Jolanda van den Berg, Ayodeji O. Deolu‐Ajayi, Annemarie Groot · Sustainability · Global
This paper examines the role of nature-based solutions (NBS) in the transition towards sustainable, climate-resilient food systems. A conceptual framework was developed to assess NBS contributions, evaluating three types: intrinsic NBS utilizing existing ecosystems, hybrid NBS managing and adapting ecosystems, and inspired NBS consisting of newly constructed ecosystems. Inspired NBS, in particular, are shown to increase opportunities for achieving sustainable development in food systems, facilitating the transition and contributing to reaching SDGs by 2030.
Climate changeFood sovereignty & justiceBiodiversityPOTENSI AIR KOLAM LELE BIOFLOK SEBAGAI PENGGANTI LARUTAN HIDROPONIK KOMERSIAL PADA BUDIDAYA TANAMAN SAWI
2023Anang Suhardianto, Ariyanti Hartari · SAINTEKES Jurnal Sains Teknologi Dan Kesehatan · Global
This study investigated the effect of using biofloc catfish pond water, AB mix solution, and their 1:1 combination for aquaponic cultivation of caisim, pakchoy, and kailan plants. The combination of biofloc pond water and AB mix solution at a 1:1 ratio yielded the highest growth parameters, including plant height, number of leaves, and fresh weight, for all three plant types. The research concluded that biofloc catfish pond water can serve as a substitute for AB mix solution in aquaponic cultivation of caisim, pakchoy, and kailan.
DIYFood sovereignty & justiceDigital agricultureBuenos Aires
2023Camilo Espitia · · Argentina (Buenos Aires)
After the 2001 national economic crisis, Buenos Aires, Argentina, faced increased food insecurity due to higher local product prices and difficulties for low-income families. This chapter describes the city's urban development and food security challenges, discussing urban agriculture as a mitigation strategy implemented by Buenos Aires to reduce dependency on national food production. The city uses zoning and land use ordinances, with community engagement, to bring food closer to people.
Food sovereignty & justicePolicyCommunityEconomicsFood challenges, technological changes and food geopolitics
2023Georges Flexor · Revista de Economia e Sociologia Rural · Global
This article explored various technological paths that can emerge in response to rising food prices and the need to preserve land. Based on a diagram analysis of the economic model of technological change, it indicated through specialized literature that the hypotheses derived from the model already exist. It also investigated the potential geopolitical effects of these technological shifts on the global agri-food industry, stating that changes aimed at conserving land must encourage urban food production.
Urban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicy« Nous sommes la montagne qui ressent »
2023Victorine Dréau · EcoRev · Colombia
In Bello Oriente, Medellin, Colombia, displaced peasant communities resist extractivist expansion and neoliberal territorial reconfiguration through practices like urban agriculture, reasserting collective land use. This research reveals a struggle to reclaim land from the control and speculation logics of criminal gangs and urban planning institutions, indicating critical governance issues.
Governance failureCommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyMapping the consumer foodshed of the Kampala city region shows the importance of urban agriculture
2023Lisa‐Marie Hemerijckx, Gloria Nsangi Nakyagaba, Hakimu Sseviiri, Katarzyna Janusz, Michelle Eichinger, Shuaib Lwasa, Julian May, Peter H. Verburg, Anton Van Rompaey · npj Urban Sustainability · Uganda
This paper quantitatively analyzed the spatial extent of the food provisioning area for consumers in Kampala, Uganda, using a foodshed lens and primary survey data from households and food vendors. The study found that 50% of food consumed in Kampala originates within a 120 km radius, with 10% coming from within the city itself. Urban agricultural activities are currently twice as important as international imports for the city's food supply. High-income urban dwellers exhibit a more local foodshed due to their broad participation in urban agriculture, whereas low-income newcomers depend significantly on retailers sourcing food from rural Uganda.
Urban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsCommunityOpportunities and Constraints for Creating Edible Cities and Accessing Wholesome Functional Foods in a Sustainable Way
2023Katarzyna Świąder, Dražena Čermak, Danuta Gajewska, Katarzyna Najman, Anna Piotrowska, Eliza Kostyra · Sustainability · Global
This review analyzed opportunities and constraints for creating edible cities and accessing wholesome functional foods sustainably. While urban food production methods like controlled-environment farms and home gardens exist, significant constraints include pollution, a lack of government support, and economic challenges for urban farms. These issues must be resolved for edible cities to become widespread.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changeHealthPolicyUrban Farming and Its Socioeconomic and Environmental Benefits for Ensuring Sustainable and Inclusive Growth in Jordan
2023Karolina Zubel · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Jordan
This policy paper explores the potential of urban farming in Jordan to address pressing issues of food security, climate-induced risks, and socioeconomic vulnerability in urban centers. Urban farming is identified as a crucial solution to feed vulnerable groups, enhance cities' resilience and employment opportunities, act as a center for community engagement and youth education, and provide ecological benefits. The paper also examines stakeholders' perceptions, beneficiaries, inclusivity in decision-making processes, and governance challenges related to urban farm development.
Food sovereignty & justiceWelfareClimate changeFood educationCommunityEconomicsSpatio-temporal Analysis of the Changes in Rooftop Gardening in Dhaka Metropolitan Area
2023Asib Ahmed, Nazmun Nahar, Md. Shamim Hossain, Md. Shams Shahriar · Social Science Review · Bangladesh (Dhaka)
This study identified spatio-temporal changes in rooftop gardening (RTG) practices in the Dhaka Metropolitan Area (DMA) between 2016 and 2021, using digitized Google Earth images. The DMA experienced a moderate 15% increase in RTG during this period, with the western part having a larger RTG area than the eastern part. Planned residential areas showed higher RTG areas, while most government/non-government buildings had less RTG across 20 zones and the Dhaka Cantonment area.
Climate changeFood sovereignty & justiceBiodiversityPeri-urban agricultureMeanings
2023Amartya Deb · · Global
This chapter examines the multi-layered social construction of "ambivalent landscapes" in wild green spaces, connecting them to concepts like age-value in heritage conservation and guerrilla gardening. It argues that plant-built assemblages offer novel imaginations of urban nature and contribute to environmental justice. The chapter also explains that the isolation of spontaneous nature on buildings from a city's metabolic processes makes it difficult to value as green infrastructure, yet microsites of wild vegetation hold potential for greening resource-scarce neighborhoods.
CommunityBiodiversityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyReview and Analysis of the Motivations Associated with Urban Gardening in the Pandemic Period
2023Valentina Cattivelli · Sustainability · Global
This paper examined people's motives for urban gardening during the pandemic waves of 2020 and 2021 through a literature review. Analyzing relevant articles published from early 2020 to mid-2022, findings revealed that the most widespread motivations were related to personal and community wellbeing, as well as food supply security, including the opportunity to spend time having fun outside the home. Additionally, community resilience emerged as a new motivation not previously detected.
CommunityHealthFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsAplicación tecnológica en agricultura urbana desde un enfoque comunitario que promueve la seguridad alimentaria en poblaciones vulnerables. Experiencia de un semillero
2023Laura Amelia López, Juan Pablo Ayala, Nicoll Yeliltza Parra, Adriana Alejandra Vargas, Juan Sebastián González, John Manuel Silva · Encuentro de Ciencias Básicas · Colombia (Bogotá)
This study presents a project by students from the Catholic University of Colombia, focusing on community-oriented urban agriculture to promote food security in vulnerable populations. An experimental strategy was used, employing a vertical module with an ESP 32 board and sensors to observe variables such as temperature, humidity, and pH. Prototype development, device design, and the production and growth of Batavia lettuce seedlings were achieved, followed by field piloting of the sensor application in community urban farming modules.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceWelfareDigital agricultureSmart aquaponic garden with an IoT monitoring
2023Raj, T. Yuvan, Divashen, C., Pillaiy, K. Nishart, Pretthic, S., Rishwin, S. · UiTM Institutional Repositories (Universiti Teknologi MARA) · Global
This smart aquaponic garden system integrates aquaculture and hydroponics with IoT sensors to monitor water parameters and optimize plant growth. A central monitoring platform processes real-time data to maintain optimal conditions for plants and fish and detect abnormalities. The system offers remote access and control, aiming to promote sustainable agriculture, reduce water consumption, and provide an accessible platform for local food production in urban farming and community gardens.
Digital agricultureDIYFood sovereignty & justiceRethinking How City Dwellers Get Their Food
2023Claudia Wiese, Bernd Pölling, Wolf Lorleberg · Frontiers for Young Minds · Global
This article discusses how cities, despite covering only 2-3% of land, consume 75% of global energy and produce 80% of CO2 emissions, making them dependent on distant food sources. It describes how urban agriculture can help cities address climate change and environmental problems, while simultaneously improving living environments for urban populations.
Climate changeFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityUrban–rural linkageThree gardens as places of performative resistance and resilience
2023Pekka Ilmari Niskanen · Ruukku Studies in Artistic Research · Global
This paper examines three gardens—a Sahrawi sandoponic garden in Algerian refugee camps, a Helsinki Sandoponic Garden, and the Jardin Truillot in Paris—as sites for community gathering and addressing trauma. The Helsinki garden, a project by PHOSfate, highlights injustices faced by the Sahrawi population and the Baltic Sea, linking refugee status to phosphate mining and eutrophication. The study argues that recognizing injustice is central to the activism in these gardens and related practices.
Equity & displacementCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changeThe contributions of urban horticulture to cities' liveability and resilience: Insights from Singapore
2023Angelia Sia, Puay Yok Tan, Kenneth B. H. Er · Plants People Planet · Singapore
This opinion article discusses the role of urban horticulture in Singapore, focusing on four national-level programs. It illustrates how these initiatives contribute to cultivating community ownership, fostering community ties, and promoting interest in horticulture among urban dwellers. The programs include community gardens, allotment gardens, the Gardening with Edibles program, and therapeutic horticulture programs.
CommunityHealthFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changeDesign of a Smart Portable Farming Kit for Indoor Cultivation Using the Raspberry Pi Platform
2023Muhammad Izzad Ramli, Muhammad Azizi Mohd Ariffin, Zarina Zainol, Mohd Nazrul Mohd Amin, Dedeng Hirawan, I D Sumitra, Nursuriati Jamil · Pertanika journal of science & technology · Global
This paper proposes a design for a Smart Portable Farming Kit, an IoT-based system for cultivating short-duration vegetables and mushrooms indoors in urban areas. The prototype design is simple, lightweight, and durable, requiring minimal user attention. It proved better than traditional setups by increasing mushroom yield, making oyster mushroom cultivation easier and more profitable in urban areas.
DIYDigital agricultureFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changeWork in progress: power in transformation to postcapitalist work relations in community–supported agriculture
2023Guilherme Raj, Giuseppe Feola, Hens Runhaar · Agriculture and Human Values · Portugal
This comparative case study of three Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) initiatives in Portugal analyzed how power shapes transformations to postcapitalist work relations. Results showed that while CSA creates non-alienated, non-monetized, and care-filled postcapitalist work relations, they insufficiently unmake unbalanced power relations established in capitalist work relations. The selected CSA initiatives could benefit from actively deconstructing internal hierarchies, decentralizing decision-making power from farm owners, and addressing oppressive power relations ossified in their local and cultural context when establishing postcapitalist work relations.
Equity & displacementCSA & TeikeiCommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceNature-based solutions in informal settlements: A systematic review of projects in Southeast Asian and Pacific countries
2023Erich Wolff, Hanna A. Rauf, Perrine Hamel · Environmental Science & Policy · Global
This study analyzed past Nature-based Solutions (NbS) projects in informal settlements across Southeast Asian and Pacific countries, utilizing both grey and academic sources. Six main types of NbS were identified, used to address various social, ecological, and cultural challenges in these settlements, including traditional community gardens and constructed wetlands, some differing from those in the Global North. NbS are often framed as grassroots initiatives led by local communities or as technical systems implemented within "upgrading programs."
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changePolicy