Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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Critical findings
9074 results(158 / 363)
Citizen Science in Vegetable Garden Cultivar Evaluation in Tennessee
2021Virginia R. Sykes, Natalie R. Bumgarner, Stefanie Brooke Keadle, A. Naseema and K.I. Wilson, Francisco Javier Perales Palacios · Horticulturae · United States (Tennessee)
The University of Tennessee Extension and research faculty developed the Home Garden Variety Trial (HGVT) program, a citizen science approach for cultivar evaluation. This collaborative effort involved over 450 individual gardeners in more than half of Tennessee's counties, conducting trials in their own gardens from 2017 over five years. The HGVT program serves as an effective tool to introduce gardeners to new crops and cultivars while providing previously unavailable data to researchers, supporting residential and community food production.
CommunityFood educationHealthDIYUrban food growing and social sustainability
2021Salvatore Engel‐Di Mauro, George Martin · · Global
Claims that urban food production raises food security and creates a more just society are questionable and contradicted by data from the Global North. Urban land is insufficient, sunlight is often inadequate, and soil pollution is widespread. Technological attempts like vertical and rooftop farming have limited feasibility, may worsen environmental and social problems, and do not address major food sources, access, or waste. Furthermore, urban gardens are increasingly linked with socially devastating gentrification.
Limited or null effectFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicyClimate changeChromium Laden Soil, Water, and Vegetables nearby Tanning Industries: Speciation and Spatial Distribution
2021Adugnaw Maru Gezahegn, Fekadu Fufa, Esayas Alemayehu, Abebe Beyene · Journal of Chemistry · Ethiopia (Modjo city)
This study investigated the spatial distribution and speciation of chromium in water, soil, and edible plants in tannery-contaminated areas of Modjo city, Ethiopia. Total chromium in the Modjo River was 20.6 mg L−1 upstream, and soil Cr (III) and Cr (VI) concentrations were found to be higher than guideline values. Chromium concentrations in edible plants were also significantly higher than in control areas, with roots accumulating more chromium than leaves and fruits. It was concluded that water, soil, and edible plants in this area contain chromium concentrations higher than recommended for a healthy environment and human consumption.
Contamination & food safetyHealthUrban–rural linkagePractices and Barriers to Sustainable Urban Agriculture: A Case Study of Louisville, Kentucky
2021Leigh Whittinghill, Sait Sarr · Urban Science · United States (Louisville, Kentucky)
A survey of 40 urban farmers and gardeners in Louisville, Kentucky, assessed their agricultural practices and barriers. Most growers engaged in urban agriculture for non-commercial reasons, with only 11% operating for profit, and smaller farms were less likely to be profitable or certified. Common sustainable practices included composting (60%) and crop rotation (54%), while challenges involved limited space, farm certification access, pests, and lack of record-keeping.
Economic viabilityCommunityEconomicsPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceLet's Hear It For Ladybugs!: Observing Ladybugs Offers Opportunities To Integrate Language Arts Into A Life Cycle Unit
2021Rachel Wilson · Science and Children · United States
As part of a school garden project, second graders in the United States participated in integrated lessons exploring ladybug life cycles, culminating in the release of beneficial insects in our school garden. The unit aimed to connect life cycle concepts to a new organism, using a 5E format and integrating language arts activities. This approach met both science content objectives and English Language Arts standards.
Food educationBiodiversityPollinatorsBuilding resilient cities with stringent pollution controls: A case study of robust planning of Shenzhen City’s urban agriculture system
2021Yang Zhou, Yang Zhou, Jing‐Cheng Han, Jie Li, Ya Zhou, Ya Zhou, Keyi Wang, Yuefei Huang · Journal of Cleaner Production · China (Shenzhen)
This study focused on robust planning for Shenzhen City's urban agriculture system under stringent pollution controls, aiming to build resilient cities. A robust-optimization-based urban agriculture planning (ROB-UAP) model was developed and applied to Shenzhen City. Results indicated that under expected economic conditions, agricultural restructuring could increase the system's overall output by at least 8%. Furthermore, the total amount of major pollutants could be reduced in both risk-averse and risk-tolerant scenarios, highlighting the importance of robust decision-making for environmentally low-impact outcomes.
PolicyEconomicsClimate changeSchool Garden Benefits: Health Promotion and Environmental Conservation
2021Gina K. Alexander, Donald R. Grannum · NASN School Nurse · Global
This article reviews existing literature on the benefits of school gardening. It also describes firsthand experiences to achieve success in school gardens.
Food educationHealthBiodiversityOptimizing irrigation in urban agriculture for tomato crops in rooftop greenhouses
2021Felipe Parada, Xavier Gabarrell, Martí Rufí-Salís, Verónica Arcas‐Pilz, Pere Muñoz, Gara Villalba · The Science of The Total Environment · Spain (Barcelona)
This study investigated the agronomic performance and environmental life cycle impacts of three different fertigation management practices (open, 30% recirculation, and recirculation with a further 15% fresh water reduction) for tomato crops in a rooftop greenhouse in Barcelona. All three practices resulted in similar yields, but the recirculation with reduced fresh water input was the most water-efficient, requiring 48.7 liters per kg of tomato. In terms of environmental performance, the recirculation practice showed the best performance in most impact categories, particularly in marine and freshwater eutrophication, with 44% and 93% fewer impacts than the open management.
Climate changeDIYOrganic cycleSocial aspect of urban agriculture with examples from Croatia
2021Ana Poštek, Ivica Kisić, Marija Cerjak, Luka Brezinščak · Journal of Central European Agriculture · Croatia
This paper analyzes various social aspects of urban agriculture and presents examples from Croatia where social benefits are the primary purpose. Urban agriculture can have social effects such as fostering activism, gender equality, social cohesion and inclusion, education, and cultural heritage preservation. However, policymakers struggle to implement urban agriculture within city planning.
Governance failureCommunityFood educationPolicyFood sovereignty & justicePotentially Toxic Trace Elements in the Urban Soils of Santiago de Compostela (Northwestern Spain)
2021Cecilia Herbón, María Teresa Barral, Remigio Paradelo · Applied Sciences · Spain (Santiago de Compostela)
The concentrations of trace elements Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, Cr, and As were investigated in 55 urban soils in Santiago de Compostela, northwestern Spain. While most soils showed higher trace element concentrations than regional backgrounds, they were not classified as contaminated according to Spanish regulations. However, geoaccumulation index values indicated low to moderate pollution levels in most soils, with Cu, Pb, and Zn highest in city center green areas, and Cr and Ni linked to parent material lithology.
Contamination & food safetyHealthOrganic cycleCommunityAn Analysis of Policy Implementation Factors of the School Farm Program in Seoul, South Korea
2021Subeen Jang · The Korea Association of Yeolin Education · South Korea (Seoul)
This study analyzed the implementation process of the School Farm Program in Seoul, South Korea, through a literature review. The analysis found that there was a risk of the policy's focus deviating from school and educational issues, as multiple policymakers pursued diverse economic and social goals using school farms. Additionally, policy effects at the target level could differ from policymaker goals depending on each school's context, and interaction among policy implementers and various interest groups like civic organizations, experts, and media was insufficient.
Governance failurePolicyFood educationCommunityAbiotic and biotic drivers of strawberry productivity across a rural-urban gradient
2021Kyla D. Scherr, Mary A. Jamieson · Basic and Applied Ecology · United States (Michigan)
This three-year study investigated environmental factors influencing strawberry productivity for two cultivars at ten farms across a rural-urban gradient in Michigan, USA. It found no direct effect of urbanization on strawberry production or fruit pathogen and pest damage, but temperature significantly influenced crop productivity, with cooler rural and warmer urban temperatures limiting fruit number. While no relationship was found between urbanization and overall arthropod pest, predator, or pollinator abundances, Vespidae abundance was positively associated with urbanization, and Araneae abundance was negatively associated.
Limited or null effectUrban–rural linkageBiodiversityClimate changePersepsi Masyarakat terhadap Penerapan Teknologi Hidroponik dalam Mendukung Ekonomi Masyarakat Mandiri di Kota Tarakan Kalimantan Utara
2021Nurlela Machmuddin, Ahmad Mubarak, Rayhana Jafar, Jufriadi Jufriadi · Jurnal Ilmiah Membangun Desa dan Pertanian · Indonesia (Tarakan)
This study, conducted in Tarakan City, Indonesia, from April to June 2021, analyzed public perception of hydroponic technology for independent household food procurement. Respondents, with an average age of 30 and high school education, showed a heightened perception (81.11%) of hydroponics. The highest perceived benefits included healthier plants, maintained quality, easy and practical maintenance, and a high selling price compared to conventional methods.
EconomicsCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceDIYGrassroots Sustainability in a Concrete Landscape
2021Christina Ergas · · United States
This chapter explores urban ecovillages in the United States, highlighting challenges faced by ecovillagers in a neoliberal context. It examines cultural conflicts between sustainability and consumer culture, and points out the exclusive, upper-class, white nature of the local food movement in the US. Monetary and time constraints have made local organic food an elite phenomenon, often cited as a first step to gentrification in urban communities.
Equity & displacementCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsClimate changeHealthThe cultural economy of human waste reuse: perspectives from peri-urban Karnataka, India
2021Zachary Burt, C. Shambu Prasad, Pay Drechsel, Isha Ray · Journal of Water Sanitation and Hygiene for Development · India (Karnataka)
A preference-ranking model was developed to understand the acceptance of fecal sludge-derived fertilizer (FSF) in Karnataka, India, by modeling farmowners and farmworkers separately. The study found that farmers willing to use FSF prefer to conceal its origins from workers and their caste group, especially caste-adhering, vegetarian farmowners. Workers were open to FSF if it resembled cow manure, revealing that the waste economy in rural India is shaped by unacknowledged caste hierarchies and practices.
Equity & displacementOrganic cyclePeri-urban agriculturePolicyEconomicsHealthCommunityMICORRIZAS ARBUSCULARES EM HORTALIÇAS DAS FAMÍLIAS ASTERACEAE, ALIACEAE, APIACEAE, AMARANTHACEAE E BRASSICACEAE, CULTIVADAS SOB MANEJO ORGÂNICO / ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAE IN VEGETABLES FROM THE FAMILIES OF ASTERACEAE, ALIACEAE, APIACEAE, AMARANTHACEAE AND BRASSICACEAE, GROWN UNDER ORGANIC MANAGEMENT
2021Pedro Henrique Sousa Silva, Iara SuilaAlmeida do Nascimento, Cauê Barbosa Coelho, Patrícia Barbosa da Silva, Regina Lúcia Félix de Aguiar Lima · Brazilian Journal of Development · Brazil
This study evaluated the occurrence and degree of association between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and leafy vegetables from Asteraceae, Aliaceae, Apiaceae, Amaranthaceae, and Brassicaceae families, grown organically in an urban community garden in Brazil. Mycorrhizal colonization in lettuce varieties (Asteraceae) ranged from 10% to 40%. Chives (Aliaceae) showed an average colonization of 16%, and Apiaceae species had colonization ranging from 7.4% to 23%. In contrast, Amaranthaceae species (beetroot and spinach) showed no AMF structures in their roots, and Brassicaceae species showed colonization ranging from 0% to 19.5%.
Organic cycleCommunityPhytoavailability of Lead for Vegetables in Urban Garden Soils
2021Chammi P. Attanayake, Ganga M. Hettiarachchi, Mónica Palomo, Gary M. Pierzynski, Blanca Calderón · ACS Agricultural Science & Technology · United States
The effect of limestone and composted manure on lead (Pb) in vegetables and Pb bioaccessibility was assessed in a contaminated urban garden (total Pb ~200 mg kg⁻¹). Amendments did not affect Pb in vegetables or Pb bioaccessibility. Peeling reduced Pb concentration in radish by half, and removing surface dust reduced Pb in leafy vegetables by 40-50%. Daily Pb intake from consuming lettuce and carrot/beetroot from this garden was approximately 1.5 times higher than the interim reference level proposed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Contamination & food safetyHealthCompostCommunityKESEDIAAN MEMBAYAR (WILLINGNESS TO PAY) KONSUMEN MILENIAL DALAM MENGKONSUMSI SAYURAN ORGANIK (Suatu Kasus pada Warung Sehat 1000 Kebun, Kota Bandung)
2021Bagus Imran Saptadji Handoko, Iwan Setiawan · MIMBAR AGRIBISNIS Jurnal Pemikiran Masyarakat Ilmiah Berwawasan Agribisnis · Indonesia (Bandung)
This quantitative study, conducted at Warung Sehat 1000 Kebun in Bandung, Indonesia, investigated the willingness of millennial consumers to pay for organic vegetables. Using survey methods with questionnaires, the research found that psychological factors significantly influenced millennials' willingness to consume organic vegetables.
EconomicsHealthCaracterización tecnológica de productores hortícolas peri-urbanos en tres parroquias del cantón Cuenca, Ecuador
2021Maria Elena Peralta-Culcay, Hugo Alberto Cedillo-Tapia, Alfonso Suárez-Tapia · Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) · Ecuador (Cuenca)
This research characterized the technological use among small (500-1000 m2) and medium (1000-3000 m2) peri-urban horticultural producers in San Joaquín, Baños, and Sayausí, Cuenca, Ecuador, using a survey. The survey found that most production is sold in local markets, following an ancestral system with some additional technology. The identified technological efficiency was at a medium level (3 on a scale of 1 to 5), indicating a technological deficit.
Limited or null effectPeri-urban agricultureEconomicsCommunityDigital agricultureThe beginning of work on school gardens in Norway – Andreas M. Feragen's garden in Holt on Agder
2021Ernst Håkon Jahr · Scripta Neophilologica Posnaniensia · Norway
This paper describes the origins of the School Gardening Movement in Norway, initiated by 19th-century teacher Andreas M. Feragen. In the late 1850s and early 1860s, Feragen advocated for gardening as both a subject and practical activity in primary schools, publishing pieces on kitchen, fruit, and flower gardens in a 1863 reader. His efforts began with his own school gardens in Holt, Agder, and he also argued for including basic gardening knowledge in teacher training.
Food educationUrban agriculture to enhance a city from a sustainability point of view
2021S Priyadharshina, V. Sumitra Devi, Sheeba Chander · · Global
This paper explores urban agriculture as a solution to the increasing urban population's reliance on rural areas for food. It defines urban agriculture as developing, processing, and distributing food in or around metropolitan areas, including various practices like animal cultivation and agroforestry. The paper suggests that urban agriculture can enable cities to implement sustainable practices, reduce carbon footprints, and foster self-sustainability.
CommunityClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsTrinity assessment method applied to heavy-metal contamination in peri-urban soil–crop systems: A case study in northeast China
2021Xingjia Wang, Wenbo Li, Dongyan Wang, Songze Wu, Zhuoran Yan, Jiaqi Han · Ecological Indicators · China
A 'trinity' assessment method was developed to evaluate heavy-metal contamination in peri-urban soil–crop systems in Northeast China, covering total, available, and accumulated heavy metals. While traditional methods indicated less contamination, the trinity method revealed spatial clustering of heavy-metal contamination in cultivated lands caused by urbanization and industrialization, and a decreasing urban–rural trend in contaminated areas, particularly in transition zones.
Contamination & food safetyPeri-urban agricultureHealth노후 공동주택의 감축형 리모델링에 관한 연구 - 독일 Leinefelde House 1～7과 Halle (Saale), House 8의 사례분석을 중심으로 -
2021김명식 · 한국문화공간건축학회 논문집 · Germany
This study analyzes German cases of reduction-type remodeling for aging apartment housings to provide implications for Korea. It finds that reduction-type remodeling should align with urban regeneration plans, involving demolition of upper floors or vertical sections, and integration of units. Improved characteristics include private gardens for ground floor residents, rooftop gardens, and customized spaces after resident consultation.
DIYCommunityEstrategia de educación y comunicación ambiental para el manejo integral de residuos orgánicos en la colonia zipor, Xalapa, ver.
2021Ana Karen Ricaño Ochoa, María de los Ángeles Chamorro Zárate Achamorro · South Florida Journal of Development · Mexico (Xalapa)
An environmental education and communication strategy for integrated organic waste management was applied in the Zipor neighborhood of Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico. This project aimed to raise awareness and provide training for residents, promote citizen participation in organic waste classification and biological treatment, and install community urban gardens for compost utilization. A total of 30 residents, divided into three groups (representing 5% of the neighborhood's inhabitants), participated in three stages: waste separation workshops, compost module construction, and urban garden installation.
CommunityCompostFood educationA Socially-Based Redesign of Sustainable Food Practices: Community Supported Agriculture in Italy
2021Alessandra Piccoli, Adanella Rossi, Angela Genova · Sustainability · Italy
To understand the potential of the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model in Italy, two investigations were conducted in 2019 and 2020, analyzing structural and organizational aspects, and resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Findings indicate that CSAs represent a radically innovative experience capable of redefining production and consumption practices, demonstrating remarkable resilience due to their common value basis and strong interdependence and solidarity among members.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomics