Research & reports

· Journal of Urban Affairs · USA

Documents how municipal greening and redevelopment plans expose residents to green gentrification—displacement from housing and public space—and how communities must build counter-infrastructure, framing the greening policy itself as the source of harm.

Williams, C., Martinez, G., Adeyemi, K., Jackson, L. · Journal of Urban Affairs · Americas

Study of 28 urban agriculture projects in low-income neighborhoods showing 40% increase in vegetable consumption and $2,000-8,000 annual income per household.

Chipo Hungwe · Journal of Women & Aging · Zimbabwe (Bulawayo)

A qualitative case study based on interviews with 19 older women heading grandmother-headed households in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. Urban agriculture did not reduce food insecurity or social exclusion for these participants. The barriers reported were difficulty obtaining land to cultivate, health problems associated with ageing, and the physically demanding nature of the farming work itself. The author concludes that social assistance, rather than reliance on urban agriculture as a livelihood strategy for elderly-headed households, is what these households need.

William D. Schanbacher, James C. Cavendish · Frontiers in Public Health · United States (Florida)

An online survey of community-garden leaders in 13 counties of Central Florida, USA, conducted July–December 2021: 45 of 79 identified gardens responded (57%), most of them in the Tampa Bay area (31 in Hillsborough, 23 in Pinellas, 8 in Sarasota County). Pandemic effects were mixed rather than uniform: 31% reported no significant operational change and 11% saw membership grow, while 40% reported negative impacts and gardens attached to public schools faced mandated closures. 13% specifically cited loss of volunteers or reduced participation. 27% of leaders were aware of rising local food insecurity, and 20% intensified production and worked with food banks. The authors note the study rests solely on leaders' perceptions, with harvest quantities and food-bank donations unverified, no survey of individual gardeners or distribution organisations, and no longitudinal data on commercial supply disruption.

Clive R. Hollin · · Global

This research shifts focus from individual gardening to collective gardening activities shared by groups of people, examining communal gardens that benefit groups such as hospital residents, school pupils, or prison inmates. These "gardens for the people" take various forms, including allotments primarily for food production, school gardens for academic and social purposes, prison gardens for prisoner well-being and rehabilitation, gardens tended by immigrant populations, and guerrilla gardening.

Diane Smith, Katherine Selting Smith · Advances in biological sciences research/Advances in Biological Sciences Research · United States

This paper describes a SNAP CSA pilot and introduces the Farm to Families (F2F) Toolkit, developed to engage low-income consumers receiving SNAP benefits in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). USDA rules now permit SNAP benefits for CSA shares, provided the CSA is SNAP-authorized and prepayment is within 14 days of produce receipt. This aims to expand access to fresh produce for SNAP recipients and support farmers.

Adita Utami, M. Agung Pradana, Ismail Marosy, Irdyna Syachira, Putri Monika, Ahmad Habib Romadhon Hardiyansyah · Jurnal ABDINUS Jurnal Pengabdian Nusantara · Indonesia (Palembang)

This community service project in a remote area of Palembang, Indonesia, aimed to empower local mothers through urban farming (hydroponics) to generate additional family income. Activities included counseling, land preparation, hydroponic system installation, seeding, maintenance, training, and product marketing. The project resulted in partners independently conducting hydroponic planting and selling agricultural products with higher profits than initial capital.

Muhammad Iqbal Usman, Muhammad Hasan, Citra Ayni Kamaruddin, Nunu Nurdiana, Nur Jannah Nurjannah · Societas Jurnal Ilmu Administrasi dan Sosial · Indonesia (Makassar)

This qualitative study examined the community empowerment model through urban farming in the Orchid Women Farmer Group (KWT) in Bara-Barayya Village, Makassar City, Indonesia. Using the CIPOO model approach, the study found that while some aspects of the empowerment model were not fully met, the overall empowerment results in urban farming at the Orchid KWT were effective. This led to increased resource utilization and community harmony among participants.

Sarah E. Orr · American Entomologist · United States

Community gardens are presented as a solution to food insecurity and a means to promote native bee conservation. They provide local fresh produce, affordable nutritious options, and foster education in gardening and nutrition. Additionally, community gardens support biodiversity, as roughly 35% of human food crops depend on animal pollination, with bees being primary pollinators for many crops.

Ideni Terezinha Antonello, Léia Aparecida Veiga, Alan Alves Alievi · Revista de Geografia · Brazil

This qualitative study in Londrina, Brazil, investigated the initial actions of an extension project by the State University of Londrina with residents of the Abussafe irregular settlement. Using secondary and primary data, it found that families in the irregular settlement face social vulnerability and food insecurity. Both these families and residents of the nearby formal neighborhood desire to create a community garden and neighborhood association, suggesting that dialogue between the university and residents is a fruitful path for collective actions to improve quality of life.

Alison Berg, Heather M. Padilla, Catherine E. Sanders, Christina T. Garner, Hannah G. Southall, Grace Holmes, Shanda Ashley, Luke Crosson, Barbara Twilley, Denise D. Everson, Rachel Hubbard, Courtney Brown, Alexa J. Lamm, Laura P. Johnson, Marsha Davis · Health Promotion Practice · United States (Georgia)

This mixed-methods study explored the role of 19 community gardens implemented across five rural Georgia counties as part of an obesity prevention project. While only 8.3% of 265 survey respondents identified gardens as a food source, interviews and focus groups suggested these gardens acted as a catalyst for broader community health change. They increased awareness of healthy food value and generated excitement for future policy, systems, and environmental initiatives to improve food and physical activity access in rural areas.

Pauline Marsh, Suzanne Mallick, Dave Kendal, Renae Riviere · · Australia (Hobart)

In Hobart, Australia, a conservation program for culturally and linguistically diverse adult migrants was implemented. This study used mixed methods to examine how a structured program of plant nursery and field-based community conservation activities helped overcome participants' sense of feeling "out of place." Positive impacts were found on indirect health and wellbeing factors such as work skills, language acquisition, and social connection, and participants' self-esteem, happiness, and social connection were also cultivated.

Luis Carlos Estupiñán Aponte · Repositorio Institucional UPTC · Global

This project explores urban and peri-urban agriculture as a viable, though not comprehensive, solution to food vulnerability in urban areas, where access to food is often limited by purchasing power. It applies circular economy and agroecological principles, utilizing available resources for garden assembly, processing plant waste into fertilizers, and employing botanical and microbiological controls for phytosanitary management. The initiative emphasizes broad community participation, knowledge exchange, and the creation of social spaces to enhance food and nutrition security.

Sumaina Duku · Al-Basyar Jurnal Pengembangan Masyarakat Islam · Indonesia (Palembang)

This community assistance program in Bukit Sangkal village, Kalidoni district, Palembang City, aimed to map potential vacant lands for urban farming and suitable commodities for cultivation. The program found that while urban farming has been implemented as a poverty alleviation method in Bukit Sangkal, the utilization of vacant land remains suboptimal, with many residents still disposing of waste indiscriminately. Continued involvement from various parties is needed to provide information and extension services on urban farming and innovation adoption.

Shannon Doocy, Emily Lyles, Robert Kenyi Morjan, Kayla Pfieffer-Mundt, Courtland Robinson, Kevin Savage · Agriculture & Food Security · South Sudan

A prospective cohort study in South Sudan (2019–2021) examined the impact of cash assistance for work in community gardens on food security among 1213 cash-receiving, 582 non-intervention, and 300 later cash-receiving households. The study found no significant differences in changes over time in household hunger, coping strategies, or meal frequency between participants and the comparison group. Cash transfers did not appear to have lasting benefits on food security and livelihoods coping strategy use.

Fabèkourè Cédric Kambiré, Sheick Sangaré, Rayangnéwendé Adèle Ouédraogo, Adama Zanga Ouattara · Journal of Agricultural Chemistry and Environment · Burkina Faso (Bobo-Dioulasso)

This study investigated the chemical quality of soils across six market gardening sites in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, considering the impact of fertilizer use and site location. Soil samples from 30 farms in urban, semi-urban, and rural areas were analyzed for carbon, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, and pH, revealing that soil chemical parameters, except for available K, were affected by site location. Urban farm soils were less acidic, and long-term organic matter application improved soil chemical quality, though soil quality tended to decrease with area expansion.

Abigail Schoneboom, Daniel Mallo, Armelle Tardiveau · Journal of Classical Sociology · United Kingdom

This sensory ethnographic study, using pinhole photography, explored how time is experienced by unemployed volunteers at a community garden in the north-east of England. It found that the garden's ability to provide meaningful time is rooted in its food-growing and composting cycles, as well as enduring elements like mature trees and volunteer-made structures. The study argues that urban community gardens offer an "elongated present" that fulfills individuals and sustains community and nature.

Claudia J. Ford · · United States

This essay provides a critical historiography of Black women's roles in the food justice movement, using storytelling and historical analysis to amplify their voices. It highlights figures such as Leah Chase, the women of Rise and Root Farm, Barbara Norman, and Edith Floyd, who established Growing Joy Community Gardens. The author positions these Black women as advocates for community food justice and creators of community healing spaces, moving beyond individual healthy lifestyle improvements.

Sumarno Adi Subrata, Hamisa Juniar Latesa, Salma Inas Rafida, Muhammad Wildan Alfarisi, Fitri Fitri, Citra Delima Sakinadya · Community Empowerment · Indonesia

An urban farming program was implemented in Kalinegoro Village RW III, Magelang Regency, Indonesia, with the PKK team and housing residents. The program aimed to address potential food shortages during the Covid-19 pandemic. Participants showed enthusiasm, leading to the creation of a park incorporating urban farming practices. The initiative is expected to serve as a solution for food security during the pandemic.

Licia María Lilli · kult-ur revista interdisciplinària sobre la cultura de la ciutat · Argentina (Rosario)

This study reflects on sustainable food systems through the biographical narrative of Antonio Lattuca, a key figure in urban agriculture development in Rosario, Argentina. Based on a semi-structured interview, the research focuses on his activism in establishing urban gardens and institutionalizing collective strategies within the municipal government since the 1990s, including the Urban Agriculture Program. Rosario has over 34 years of urban agroecological experiences addressing urbanization, poverty, and exclusion.

Siti Hasanah, Mustika Widowati, Sri Hardiningsih, Vita Arumsari · KACANEGARA Jurnal Pengabdian pada Masyarakat · Indonesia (Semarang)

This community service project targeted women in the "Ijo Royo-Royo" Women Farmers Group in Tambakaji, Semarang City, Indonesia, addressing their limited experience in utilizing narrow home yards for planting and lack of skills in waste management. The project provided assistance in creating urban gardens for daily food independence, managing plastic waste for vertical planting, and processing vegetable and fruit waste into healthy drinks and organic fertilizer. The aim was to increase the economic value and benefits of urban backyard farming.

Sophie Kathrin Schaffernicht, Elisabeth Quendler · Merits · Austria

This study aimed to identify systemic barriers to inclusion in horticultural working life and potential solutions for people with disabilities within urban agriculture in Vienna, Austria. A pilot project was conducted from May to October 2019, involving a university, three social institutions, two horticultural farms, and fifteen people with disabilities. The findings suggested that urban agriculture opportunities should extend beyond simple cooperation between social institutions and horticultural farms.

Jen Rae · Performance Research · Australia (Melbourne)

During the 2020-21 COVID-19 lockdowns, Fawkner Commons in Melbourne, Australia, transformed a community garden into an urban farm and a disused lawn bowling club into a food hub. This initiative, led by local residents, distributed over $116,000 worth of no-cost/low-cost culturally relevant food boxes and over 2,400 prepared meals in 2020 to the food-insecure suburb of Fawkner. This article reflects on the creative methodologies that supported Fawkner Commons' success in providing food relief when other organizations were overwhelmed.

Peter Sanjo Adewale, Sunday Clement Olubunmi Makinde, V. Kusemiju · Journal of Environment and Sustainable Development · Nigeria (Lagos)

This mixed-method study in Lagos State, Nigeria, examined the effects of Urban and Peri-urban Vegetable Production (UPVP) on farmers' livelihood subscales using a Household Livelihood Survey and Focus Group Discussion. The findings indicate that all livelihood subscales (Physical, Natural, Financial, Social, Human) were positively and significantly impacted by UPVP, with a moderately high overall impact. The study concludes that UPVP can be a resilient sector for the economy and sustainable development.

Bethaney Turner · · Global

This chapter explored human-soil relations in urban home and community gardens through ethnographic fieldwork. While biodiverse soil offers direct health benefits, the presence of contaminated, toxic soils, prevalent in lower socio-economic neighborhoods, was shown to expose inequities in access to safe gardening sites and hinder the realization of potential therapeutic benefits. It argues that the therapeutic benefits of gardens are best realized when humans cultivate attentive relationships with myriad multispecies companions.