Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
594 results(16 / 24)
Os dilemas da agricultura urbana: a experiência da maior e mais antiga horta orgânica do Vale do São Francisco
2017Denes Dantas Vieira, Reimilde Gomes da Silva Amorim · EXTRAMUROS - Revista de Extensão da Univasf · Brazil (Juazeiro)
This study aimed to investigate the dilemmas of the social trajectory of the Povo Unido community garden in Juazeiro/BA, Brazil, located on the banks of the São Francisco River. This garden is known for its organic vegetable production and as one of the first groups focused on overcoming poverty and combating hunger in Brazil's semi-arid northeast. The research contributes to reflection based on social organization and organic food production.
Economic viabilityWelfareCommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceNeoliberalism and alternative food movements: markets, the state, and knowledge production in Southern California
2017Rebecca Gresh · Illinois Digital Environment for Access to Learning and Scholarship (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) · United States (California)
This qualitative study investigated two alternative food projects in San Diego, California, to reveal how food justice is envisioned and practiced. "Project New Village (PNV)" in a low-income area resists institutional racism and class inequality through a community garden and farmers market. In contrast, the affluent "San Diego Roots Sustainable Food Project (SDRS)" resists suburban sprawl and environmental destruction through sustainable food production. PNV faces obstacles like law enforcement patrols interrupting community rebuilding, indicating that alternative food movements may reproduce structures of oppression.
Equity & displacementCommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyGrace Lee Boggs
2017· Policy Press eBooks · United States (Detroit)
This interview chapter features Grace Lee Boggs discussing revolution, evolution, and change in Detroit. Boggs posits that revolutions stem from communities claiming spaces to realize their desired world, viewing urban agriculture and grassroots movements as acts of revolution that "grow our souls." She highlights Detroit as a pioneer in this new form of revolution, advocating for revolution as a way of life rather than a power grab.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyAssessing the edible city: Environmental implications of urban agriculture in the Northeast United States
2017Benjamin Goldstein · · United States
This project aims to address uncertainties regarding the environmental performance of urban agriculture, using the Northeast United States as a case study. Existing literature lacks environmental appraisals comparing urban and rural food production, leaving questions about whether the benefits of reduced farm-to-fork distance are outweighed by energy demands of year-round growing systems, and if farm-scale resource efficiencies translate to meaningful shifts in a city's environmental footprint. This report comprises six chapters that explore and contribute to the understanding of urban food systems.
Climate changeFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageA Aldeia Vertical e a Horta no Morro
2017Camila Bevilaqua · Ponto Urbe · Brazil (São Paulo)
Fieldwork in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, accompanied three indigenous people from "Aldeia Vertical." Since 2016, these individuals have been developing a community garden in the Complexo de Favelas do São Carlos. The garden is constructed as a space for "dissemination of indigenous culture" through relationships involving bodies, food, and techniques. The study focused on the relationships between "culture" and "learning" as established by these individuals, dialoguing with Amerindian ethnology and Afro-indigenous approaches.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceFood educationEntre lugares e espaços: uma caminhada no grupo de CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) de Barão Geraldo
2017Maria Luiza de Andrade Benini · Cadernos de Agroecologia · Brazil (Campinas)
This study examined how place and space influence the consolidation and configuration of a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) group, using the example of a group in Barão Geraldo, Campinas, Brazil. CSA is a consumer group where consumers finance agricultural production and share benefits like food health, as well as risks like production losses. Field research, using observation and open interviews, showed that the configuration and appropriation of a space are essential for strengthening the CSA group.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageActivist (1915–2015)
2017· Policy Press eBooks · United States (Detroit)
In this interview chapter, Grace Lee Boggs discusses revolution, evolution, and change in Detroit, reflecting on her life's work. Boggs states that revolutions stem from communities claiming spaces to realize their desired world, rather than from seizing power. She views urban agriculture and other grassroots movements as acts of revolution that help "grow our souls," highlighting Detroit's pioneering role in this new approach.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceA Preliminary Overview of Community Orcharding in the United States
2017Megan Betz, Jacob Mills, James Farmer · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United States
This study conducted a qualitative, inductive survey of community orchard organizations in the U.S. (42.64% response rate) to establish a baseline understanding. Participants were identified via internet presence, meaning little is known about orchards without an online presence. Findings showed that community orchards are primarily established on public land, with primary motivations including environmental concern, education, and a sense of community. Organizers reported that fruit and nuts produced feed residents in the immediate surrounding area.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicySearching for Haknip Achukma (Good Health): Challenges to Food Sovereignty Initiatives in Oklahoma
2017Devon A. Mihesuah · American Indian Culture and Research Journal · United States
In Oklahoma, tribes have initiated numerous food projects over the past three decades aimed at achieving food sovereignty. However, Oklahoma's complex history, environmental issues, and current politics present challenges such as uneven food quality, poor indigenous health, intratribal factionalism, racism, and a stark dichotomy of affluence and extreme poverty. These factors complicate the creation of self-sufficient food systems and the reconnection of tribal members with traditional foodways.
Equity & displacementFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityFood educationHealthUC pursues rooted research with a nonprofit, links the many benefits of community gardens
2017Mirle Rabinowitz Bussell, James Bliesner, Keith Pezzoli · California Agriculture · United States
This study collaborated with the San Diego Community Garden Network to analyze the production, distribution, and consumption of produce from eight community gardens in San Diego County. UC San Diego researchers and students worked with county residents and community-based organizations to develop a survey. Interviews with gardeners and survey data documented how community gardens contribute to individual and household health, well-being, and community development. The findings suggest that community gardens have the potential to contribute meaningfully to community development, particularly in low-income neighborhoods.
CommunityHealthEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceCity of Farms
2017Lindsay K. Campbell · Cornell University Press eBooks · United States (New York City)
In New York City, chapter six revealed how civic and public actors working outside PlaNYC iteratively embedded urban agriculture and food policy into municipal planning efforts. Within the void created by city hall’s lack of engagement, other figures in the municipal government seized the opportunity to advance food policy agendas for New York City. The 2011 update to PlaNYC included a brief crosscutting section on food, although it lacked capital funding to fuel the achievement of its stated goals, and was seen by advocates as a symbolic and political achievement.
Governance failurePolicyCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceUrban agriculture: connecting producers with consumers
2016Carolyn Dimitri, Lydia Oberholtzer, Andy Pressman · British Food Journal · United States
Based on a 2012 national survey of urban farmers in the USA (35 questions), this study analyzed the social missions of urban farms, their extent, and differences and similarities among farms with varying missions. The survey found that food production is an essential mission for all urban farms, and some also have social missions related to food security, education, and community building. Farms with explicit social missions were found to donate a higher share of food and were less likely to own farmland compared to market-oriented farms.
EconomicsCommunityFood educationFood sovereignty & justiceIntegrating Spatial Technologies in Urban Environments for Food Security
2016Edwin Joseph, Elizabeth O'Dea · Advances in environmental engineering and green technologies book series · United States (South Bend)
This chapter examines South Bend, Indiana, a city facing urban decay and food insecurity among its poor, similar to some developing countries. It reviews the city's history, economic strategies, and efforts by various organizations to alleviate poverty and hunger. The chapter advocates for integrating spatial technologies, such as GIS, to promote collaboration and sustainable urban agriculture among diverse stakeholders to address poverty and malnutrition.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityDigital agricultureWelfareIndividualist and collectivist consumer motivations in local organic food markets
2016Zachary Schrank, Katrina Running · Journal of Consumer Culture · United States
This study analyzed consumer motivations in Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs using interview data from 58 members in a large southwestern US city. Researchers investigated whether members were primarily motivated by individual interests (e.g., nutritional benefits, taste) or collective concerns (e.g., environmental, economic). Findings indicated that CSA members pursued individualist and collectivist goals equally, emphasizing environmental issues and sustainability through local organic consumption as a pathway to individual health.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceMore‐than‐Active Food Citizens: A Longitudinal and Comparative Study of Alternative and Conventional Eaters
2016Michael Carolan · Rural Sociology · United States (Colorado)
Researchers in Colorado studied individuals participating in alternative food practices (CSA, farmers' markets, food cooperatives) and conventional eaters. Participants were surveyed and re-surveyed two years later, with 119 qualitative interviews conducted, and a phone survey of 106 conventional eaters. The study aimed to understand how alternative foodscape engagement compares to conventional eating, how responses change after exposure to alternative foodscapes, and why individuals might think and behave differently.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsAgricultura urbana e segurança alimentar: estudo de caso da horta comunitária da COHAB em Lavras/MG
2016Heliene Macedo de Araújo, Thiago Rodrigo de Paula Assis, Ana Paula Borges Martins · Cadernos de Agroecologia · Brazil (Lavras)
This qualitative case study aimed to identify the potential of urban agriculture in promoting food and nutritional security (SAN) based on the experience of the COHAB community garden association in Lavras/MG, Brazil. Interviews were conducted with 13 (48%) of the 27 association members using semi-structured questionnaires. Findings revealed that all interviewees had ancestral ties to farming, and cultivation was learned and passed down through generations. Food access was consistently ensured for families and neighborhood residents through commercialization, self-consumption, and donation, with 11 members prioritizing self-consumption. The garden produced 58 diverse products, demonstrating urban agriculture's link to SAN promotion and improved family diets.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityHealthEconomicsAgricultura urbana familiar en una ciudad media en Chiapas. Implicaciones para la sustentabilidad urbana Family urban agriculture in an average city in Chiapas. Implications for urban sustainability
2016Araceli Calderón Cisneros · Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) · Mexico (Chiapas)
This qualitative study analyzed the role of family urban agriculture in urban sustainability in San Cristobal de Las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico, using open and structured interviews. The visited agricultural systems showed characteristics favoring resilience and sustainability, such as low use of external inputs and recycling of domestic waste. However, a limitation found was that the contribution of own production to family consumption is very low, despite existing food, environmental, and socio-cultural motivations for its continuity.
Limited or null effectDIYOrganic cycleFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changeThe Narrators
2016Starecheski, Amy · · United States (New York City)
This chapter examines the contested nature of value, urban citizenship, and property claims through the study of squatting, urban homesteading, and community garden activism in the South Bronx, New York City. It highlights how squatters' initiatives, while challenging neoliberal privatization, could also be coopted into a discourse of individual responsibility in a neoliberalizing city. The research explores how squatters claimed a right to the city based on their labor and citizenship, and used history and property rights to redefine their urban presence amidst renegotiated meanings of debt and homeownership.
Equity & displacementCommunityPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceThe landscape of urban agriculture in California’s capital
2016N. Claire Napawan, Stacie A. Townsend · Landscape Research · United States (California)
This study investigated the landscape of urban agricultural practice in Sacramento, California, examining past and present urban agricultural projects, advocacy, and city and state policies. The research found that community interest in urban agriculture is outpacing local policies in Sacramento. The authors concluded that city-wide initiatives might improve efforts at increasing opportunities for new urban agriculture projects.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceAgricultura urbana conquistando o mercado institucional da alimentação escolar em Belo Horizonte/MG/BR:
2016Ivana Cristina Lovo, Alain Santandreu, José Divino Lopes Filho · Raízes Revista de Ciências Sociais e Econômicas · Brazil (Belo Horizonte)
In Belo Horizonte, the "Productive Garden" project, launched in 2008, promoted urban agriculture and food security. From 2009 to 2011, it integrated into the "From Seed to Table" program, encouraging urban farmers to sell vegetables to the institutional school meal market. Based on action research, the project enhanced farmers' technical and organizational capacity, resulting in public schools procuring vegetables from "Productive Garden," an experience that remains active. This experience demonstrated that urban agriculture is economically viable and contributes to food security.
Food educationEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceCommunitySocial-Ecological Refuges: Reconnecting In Community Gardens In Lincoln, Nebraska
2016Joana Chan, Lisa Pennisi, Charles Francis · Journal of Ethnobiology · United States
This article explores the social-ecological functions of community gardening based on a case study conducted in Lincoln, Nebraska, USA. Through semi-structured interviews with 20 community garden participants and staff, it was found that community gardening provides opportunities for participants to foster resilience to personal, cultural, and economic challenges resulting from urban migration. Participants were able to develop a sense of belonging and connection with cultural identity, social community, and the local environment.
CommunityHealthWelfareFood sovereignty & justiceAgricultura urbana e periurbana: limites e possibilidades de constituição de um sistema agroalimentar localizado no município de Teresina – PI
2016Sérgio Luiz de Oliveira Vilela, Maria Dione Carvalho de Moraes · Revista Econômica do Nordeste · Brazil (Teresina)
This article discusses the importance of Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture (UPA) and the challenges of its management, particularly the need to institutionalize a Localized Agri-Food System (SAL) in Teresina, Brazil. The concentration of 46 gardens, occupying almost 140 hectares within Teresina, meets the basic requirements for establishing a SAL. Based on bibliographic research and empirical knowledge, the study concluded that adopting a SAL is a fruitful measure for Teresina to address necessary transformations in UPA, making it a significant part of the municipal planning agenda.
PolicyPeri-urban agricultureFood sovereignty & justiceA Hedonic Analysis of Community Supported Agriculture Share Prices in Midwestern United States
2016Binod Khanal · Lincoln (University of Nebraska) · United States
A hedonic model was developed to estimate consumer valuations of attributes for 466 Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms across seven Midwestern US states: Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, and South Dakota. The most statistically valued CSA attributes were home delivery, commanding an approximately $18 premium, and belonging to the fifth quintile of CSA membership size ($15.00). Increased vegetable variety (between $0.80 and $1.20) and USDA organic certification (about $10) were also valued, but farming practices like integrated pest management and distance to the nearest metropolitan area were not statistically significant.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceidentificação de oportunidades de projeto para o processo produtivo e comercialização
2016Diego Maia da [UNIFESP] Costa, Carla Cipolla · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Brazil (Rio de Janeiro)
This article defines the specific characteristics of urban agriculture (UA) through a literature review and identifies key aspects for developing new products and services. It analyzes the activities of the Centro de Educação Multicultural (CEM), which practices urban agriculture in the Penha favela complex in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
CommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceEspinhaço Journal interviews Dickson D. Despommier (Columbia University)
2016Alyssa Fico, Douglas Sathler · Portuguese National Funding Agency for Science, Research and Technology (RCAAP Project by FCT) · United States (New York City)
Dr. Dickson D. Despommier, a Columbia University professor and urban agriculture expert, was interviewed by Revista Espinhaço in New York on November 19-20, 2015. The informal interview, conducted during the "Geography 2050" event, featured his reflections on the field of urban agriculture.
Food sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkage