Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
1074 results(15 / 43)
A agricultura urbana em Porto Ferreira - SP: o que é? Como é? E para quem é?
2022Alan da Silva Vinhaes, Antônio Nivaldo Hespanhol · Revista de Geografia · Brazil (Porto Ferreira)
This study aimed to understand and analyze urban agriculture practices in Porto Ferreira, Brazil. Fieldwork, including a survey of 60 urban farmers, revealed that urban gardens promote social inclusion for low-income individuals, unemployed people, the elderly, and women. Among the surveyed farmers, 55 used their produce for self-consumption or sold it at their production sites, two sold at the market, and three sold directly to supermarkets.
CommunityWelfareEconomicsDisability-inclusive community development: A case of a community garden in Limpopo province in South Africa
2022Brian Tigere, Theresa Moyo · African Journal of Disability · South Africa
A qualitative study in rural Limpopo province, South Africa, examined the role of community gardens in uplifting persons with disabilities and their communities. Using face-to-face interviews with 21 participants, including people with disabilities and government officials, the study found that community gardens contributed to the economic and social well-being of persons with disabilities by providing income and creating jobs. The study recommends a disability access audit to address accessibility challenges.
CommunityWelfareEconomicsA szociális farmok helyzete és elméleti keretei
2022István Bazsik · Studia Mundi - Economica · Hungary
A study examined the situation and theoretical frameworks of social farms in Hungary. The social farm system in the country is in its infancy, with fewer than 50 farms, many of which are not necessarily farms. Initiatives often focus exclusively on specific target groups and prioritize social functions over agricultural production, which limits successful inclusion and integration.
WelfareHealthCommunityFood educationElderlyFeminism and the Urban Practice: Three Lines of Analysis
2022Larissa Siqueira Chaves, Giovanna Simokado Magalhães, Soraya Nór · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Brazil
This article reflected on the potential of feminism in urban development as a practice of counter-hegemonic architectures. Through a cartography of central Florianópolis, it was shown that only ten streets in the city center were named after women, revealing that patriarchal patterns are fixed in the territory. Women in urban agriculture are presented as individual and collective body-territories that construct a counter-hegemonic praxis in urban spaces and social movements, politically building alternatives that foster care, reproduction of life, reconnection with nature, protection of popular traditions, as well as gender issues and the right to the city.
Equity & displacementCommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyWelfareGrowing Character: A Model For Incorporating SEL & Social Justice In Agriculture Education
2022Corona-Munoz, Sergio · DigitalCommons - CalPoly (California State Polytechnic University) · United States
"Growing Character" is a three-lesson series modeling how agricultural spaces, particularly school gardens, can integrate social emotional learning (SEL) and social justice education. The program aims to empower students with skills for healthy emotional management and socially conscious behavior through an educational experience.
Food educationCommunityWelfareNORMAL LIVING: ARSITEKTUR BERPERAN SEBAGAI PENGUBAH STIGMA BURUK & DISKRIMINASI ATAS KAUM DIFABEL
2022Jihan Nurmaulida, Suryono Herlambang · Jurnal Sains Teknologi Urban Perancangan Arsitektur (Stupa) · Indonesia (Jakarta)
"Normal Living" is an architectural project in Sunter Agung, Jakarta, Indonesia, designed to address discrimination and physical barriers faced by people with disabilities, particularly wheelchair users. The project provides opportunities for disabled individuals to work in industries like kebayas, dresses, and suits, and offers decent living accommodation with urban farming activities for daily food needs. It aims to remove negative stigmas about disabilities and foster self-confidence through activities like wheelchair dance and fashion runways.
WelfareCommunityThe urban poor: profile and constraints affecting their participation in allotment gardens
2022Mawuna Donald Houessou, B.G.J.S. Sonneveld, Augustin K. N. Aoudji, Fréjus THOTO, D. J. Snelder, Anselme Adégbidi, Tjard de Cock Buning · Development in Practice · Benin
A survey of 88 urban poor individuals in Benin investigated their profiles and constraints affecting participation in allotment gardens. Findings revealed low educational and income levels, overcrowded and unsanitary housing, and limited access to social services and health facilities among the participants. Furthermore, 76% of them experienced food insecurity, and engaging them in allotment gardens was constrained by requirements for farming skills, financial capital, and safety issues.
Equity & displacementWelfareCommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceParticipation in cost-offset community-supported agriculture by low-income households in the USA is associated with community characteristics and operational practices
2022Karla L Hanson, Lynn Xu, Grace A Marshall, Marilyn Sitaker, Stephanie B Jilcott Pitts, Jane Kolodinsky, April Bennett, Salem Carriker, Diane Smith, Alice S Ammerman, Rebecca A Seguin-Fowler · Public Health Nutrition · United States
This study analyzed factors associated with participation in cost-offset community-supported agriculture (CO-CSA) among low-income households with children in ten communities across New York, North Carolina, Vermont, and Washington states. Participation rates varied significantly (33% to 89% of weeks picked up) across communities. Offering multiple share sizes was associated with higher participation (76.8% vs. 57.7% of weeks), while offering community pick-up locations was associated with lower participation (64.7% vs. 78.2% of weeks).
CSA & TeikeiWelfareHealthCommunityThe wellbeing paradox in Hungarian local sustainable agriculture: a health psychology approach
2022Ilona Liliána Birtalan, Imre Fertő, Ágnes Neulinger, József Rácz, Attila Oláh · BMC Public Health · Hungary
This study examined situational and engagement-related work difficulties for Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farmers in Hungary, using interpretive phenomenology and semi-structured interviews. The research found that new modes of consumer-producer connectivity create novel issues for farmers, leading to three experiential themes: conflicted autonomy, the pressure of boxes, and social overload. These difficulties are rooted in the economic characteristics of alternative agriculture and structural conditions that require conflicting farmer roles. The study highlights the health and wellbeing costs of sustainable farming, noting that farmers often lack the time, experience, or skills for new producer-consumer connections.
Limited or null effectCSA & TeikeiHealthWelfareCommunityThe invisible crisis: the determinants of local food insecurity in Gauteng municipalities, South Africa
2022Adrino Mazenda, Nonkosazana Molepo, Tinashe Mushayanyama, Saul Ngarava · British Food Journal · South Africa (Gauteng)
This quantitative cross-section study estimated the determinants of household food insecurity in the Gauteng City-Region, South Africa, using binary logistic regression on 13,616 observations from the Gauteng City-Region Observatory Quality of Life 2020/2021 data. The main findings highlight unemployment, health status, education, household size, indigency, and income as the primary determinants of food insecurity. Further studies are needed for an in-depth assessment of household coping mechanisms, the influence of government social grants, and access to credit.
HealthPolicyEconomicsWelfareProcesos de empoderamiento espacial de mujeres en la agroecología urbana en Bogotá
2022Birgit Hoinle · Revista Iberoamericana de Economía Solidaria e Innovación Socioecológica · Colombia (Bogotá)
This chapter explores the emancipatory potential of urban agroecology in Bogotá, Colombia, and its surrounding Sabana region. Based on participatory action-research conducted between 2014 and 2017 with agroecological groups, it develops a theory of spatial empowerment. The study highlights the potential of solidarity economy within the urban agroecology movement to foster spatial empowerment, discussing both contributing and hindering factors.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageWelfarePROGRAMA PLANTA RORAIMA: PRODUÇÃO DE ALIMENTOS E SUSTENTABILIDADE NO MEIO URBANO
2022Antônio Carlos Ribeiro Araújo Júnior, Roberto Xavier da Costa, Mirian Pereira dos Reis Oliveira · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Brazil
The "Programa Planta Roraima" project, initiated by the civil society organization Movimento ID, proposes establishing a Reference Center for Food and Nutritional Security in the Cidadão Housing Complex. This center will create an urban community garden to promote sustainable integration among immigrants, refugees, and socially/economically vulnerable nationals. The project aims to understand access to knowledge for food production, transformation, distribution, and consumption in small urban spaces, and to analyze access to income-generating technologies for vulnerable populations. Based on an analysis of the "PROJETO PLANTA RORAIMA: Minha Horta Comunitária Cidadã" developed by SETRABES, the project is relevant as it provides basic technical training in food production, fostering autonomy and integrating vulnerable populations as productive citizens, and demonstrates that idle urban spaces can be valuable for collective uses like community gardens.
CommunityFood educationWelfareFood sovereignty & justicePerceptions of nutrition education classes offered in conjunction with a community-supported agriculture intervention among low-income families
2022R.A. Seguin, A.S. Ammerman, W. Wang, I. Lu, J. Kolodinsky, J. Garner, L.C. Volpe, E.H. Belarmino, L. Gonsalves, S.B. Jilcott Pitts, M. Sitaker, K.L. Hanson · UNC Libraries · United States
This qualitative study examined the experiences of 96 low-income participants in 28 focus groups across rural and micropolitan communities in New York, North Carolina, Vermont, and Washington (USA) regarding nutrition education classes complementing a cost-offset community-supported agriculture (CSA) program. Participants reported improved nutrition knowledge, food preservation skills, and cooking behaviors, and a promoted sense of community. However, other obligations and class logistics were barriers to attendance, with recommendations for flexible scheduling and better integration of CSA produce into lessons.
CSA & TeikeiFood educationHealthWelfareFEW-meter Final Report
2022Caputo Silvio, Dorr Erica, Runrid Fox-Kämper, Hawes Jason K., Lelièvre Agnes, Newell Josh, Poniży Lidia, Schoen Victoria, Jean-Soro Liliane, Specht Kathrin, Yaman Rokiah · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Global
The three-year FEW-meter project, funded by the Sustainable Urbanization Global Initiative, was developed by an international consortium from France, Germany, Poland, the UK, and the US. It investigated the Food-Water-Energy (FEW) nexus in urban agriculture through collaboration between researchers, farmers, gardeners, and various associations. This report presents the main outcomes of the project, which involved co-production of knowledge and feedback on methodology and data analysis.
CommunityClimate changeFood educationWelfareENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND FOOD INSECURITY: THE URBAN GARDENS AS RESPONSE OF BLACK COMMUNITIES IN URBAN AREAS
2022DANDARA TEIXEIRA MALVINO · DIGNIDADE RE-VISTA · United States (Champaign)
This article aims to analyze the strategies created by low-income Black communities in Champaign, Illinois, to confront food deserts through the creation of urban community gardens, as a form of resistance to food insecurity.
CommunityWelfareFood sovereignty & justiceHealthCome Grow With Us: An Action Plan for Morrow Community Garden
2022T. E. H. Williams · Digital Archive @ GSU · United States
The Morrow Community Garden, established in 2012, expanded from 14 to 32 beds, enabling residents to grow produce and donate to a local clinic. Facing unstable membership, limited space, and reliance on membership dues, the garden requires an action plan to achieve its goals. An action plan was created to help stabilize membership, expand the garden, educate residents, and create a youth engagement program.
CommunityFood educationHealthWelfareUrban Gardening and Wellbeing in Pandemic Era: Preliminary Results from a Socio-Environmental Factors Approach
2022Diana Harding, Kevin Muhamad Lukman, Matheus Jingga, Yuta Uchiyama, Jay Mar D. Quevedo, Ryo Kohsaka · Land · Indonesia
A preliminary study conducted in Indonesian metropolitan areas investigated the subjective wellbeing of 67 urban gardening practitioners using the "satisfaction with life scale (SWLS)" and "scale of positive and negative experience (SPANE)". The study found that urban gardening practitioners tend to be in positive moods and have better overall wellbeing, with 52.24% of respondents highly satisfied with their life. Motivations for starting gardening included hobby and utilization of free space as prominent reasons.
CommunityHealthWelfareUrban Farming in Food Security Efforts at Household Level in Indonesia: Systematic Review
2022Sofyan Musyabiq Wijaya · International Journal of Current Science Research and Review · Indonesia
A systematic review of 12 articles, identified from an initial search of 43 research articles on PubMed, Science Direct, and Google Scholar, examined urban farming in Indonesia. The review found that urban farming can increase family food security, with vegetables and fruits being common crops. Identified problems included communication issues and varying levels of knowledge and skills related to urban farming.
Food sovereignty & justiceWelfareFood educationCommunityAplikasi Limbah Kota untuk Meningkatkan Kandungan Klorofil dan Produksi Microgreen
2022Wira Bhakti Pangestu, Mochamad Zidane Deanova, Furi Faturohmat, Reni Nurjasmi · Jurnal Ilmiah Respati · Indonesia
A study conducted from June to September 2021 at the Faculty of Agriculture Experimental Garden, Respati University, Indonesia, investigated the potential of urban waste as a growing medium for microgreens (spinach and mustard greens). The research used a completely randomized design with four treatments: rockwool with AB Mix as a control, onion peels, rabbit manure, and quail manure, each replicated five times. Organic fertilizers from urban waste significantly affected the germination percentage, height, wet weight, and chlorophyll content of mustard green and spinach microgreens. While the rockwool control yielded the best chlorophyll content and microgreen production, among urban wastes, quail manure produced the highest chlorophyll content and production for mustard green microgreens. For spinach microgreens, onion peels resulted in the highest germination percentage and wet weight, while quail manure yielded the highest chlorophyll content.
Organic cycleCompostWelfare‘I lost my job suddenly, but I was prepared’: the significance of urban and peri-urban agriculture in Benin City, Nigeria
2022Emaediong Uko, Tony Binns, Etienne Nel · Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems · Nigeria (Benin City)
This study investigated the significance of urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) in Benin City, Southern Nigeria. Field-based data, collected using qualitative research methods (observation, in-depth interviews, and questionnaire surveys), revealed that in the context of unpredictable and frequent economic shocks, households across all socio-economic levels significantly depend on food production activities. This dependence serves not only for immediate survival but also as a means of reducing household vulnerability and building resilience against future shocks.
EconomicsWelfareFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageHidroponik Sederhana Bagi Komunitas Anak Jalanan
2022Riris Lindiawati Puspitasari, Arief Pambudi, Yunus Effendi · Jurnal Pemberdayaan Masyarakat Universitas Al Azhar Indonesia · Indonesia (Depok)
This community service activity implemented simple hydroponics training to enhance the skills of the street children community in Depok. Training involved street children students at Sekolah Master Depok, practicing hydroponics with simple equipment, and group mentoring. Participants gained information on simple hydroponics techniques and successfully grew vegetables like water spinach, spinach, mustard greens, and pakcoy, which grew unimpeded until harvest at 8 weeks after planting.
Food educationWelfareCommunityDIYEmpreendedorismo e riscos da criminalidade na agricultura urbana: o caso do bairro Curuçambá, Região Metropolitana de Belém
2022Paulo Silvano Magno Fróes-Júnior, Fabrício Khoury Rebello, Marcos Antônio Souza dos Santos, Cyntia Meireles Martins, Maria Lúcia Bahia Lopes, João Paulo Borges de Loureiro · Conjecturas · Brazil (Belém)
This study interviewed 63 urban farmers in Curuçambá, Belém Metropolitan Region, Brazil, analyzing business management and entrepreneurial skills amidst urbanization and crime risks. It found that 98.41% of businesses are family-managed, but 52.38% have little management experience, with 76.19% never keeping financial records and 81.71% never seeking technical assistance. A significant 33.33% of farmers rated criminality as "very high" severity, indicating that a lack of public safety severely limits commercial performance and investment in urban agriculture.
Governance failureEconomicsCommunityWelfareFood sovereignty & justiceWage Labor and Social Inequality in Kinshasa’s Informal Economy: A Class Analysis
2022Héritier Mesa · Cahiers d études africaines · Congo (Kinshasa)
This article explores social trajectories and inequality dynamics among informal workers in Kinshasa, focusing on labor relations within the informal economy. Drawing from ethnographic data on street bread, second-hand clothing, and urban agriculture, the study finds that limited access to capital constrains many workers to sell their labor power with weakened bargaining power, revealing unequal social positionalities.
Equity & displacementEconomicsWelfarePopulation Growth and Urban Agriculture in Moundou City (South-west Chad)
2022Demoundou Namodji, Ndoutorlengar Medard · International Journal of Humanities Social Sciences and Education · Chad
This article notes that while urban agriculture is protected and encouraged by governments in developed countries like Japan, in Africa, urban farmers often face repressive measures from urban administrators or planners. Despite its role as a safety valve for low-income households, urban agriculture in Africa is subject to these restrictive governmental actions.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyEconomicsWelfareInformal Community Growing Characteristics and the Satisfac-tion of Concerned Residents in Mountainous Urban Areas of Southwest China
2022Zhong Xing, Canhui Cheng, Yu Qiao, Junyue Yang, Hao Ma, Jian Yang, Xiaomin Du · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · China (Chongqing)
This study investigated informal community growing in Yongchuan, Chongqing, Southwest China, using a field survey and semantic differential questionnaire. It found that growers, mainly vulnerable groups, use traditional methods to cultivate diverse fruits and vegetables on barren slopes, creating a local food supply for economic gain and green food acquisition. Both growers and non-growers expressed satisfaction with food supply and economic benefits, but dissatisfaction with environmental and social benefits and the planting process.
CommunityWelfareEconomicsFood sovereignty & justice