Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
472 results(16 / 19)
Some evidence from the geographical analysis of agri-urban fringes and farm-city interactions. A French perspective
2014Yvon Le · · France
This lecture focuses on five geographical questions concerning the rural-urban interface. It was shown that major food industries are not necessarily located in main cities, leading to a frequent disconnection between agricultural and regional centralities, and that the disconnection between cities and agricultural surroundings is challenged by farmers through short food supply chains. Access to the countryside by city dwellers is a major issue for social interaction, and urban agriculture opens new opportunities for urban planning.
Urban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justicePolicyCommunityYou are Hungry: Flâneuring, Edible Mapping and Feeding Imaginations
2014Mikey Tomkins · Repository hosted by TU Delft Library (TU Delft) · United Kingdom (London)
This research explored reactions to the idea of potential urban agriculture landscapes through 32 participatory walks with 150 local residents around a 25-hectare site in east London. The walks used an "edible map" that suggested food growing in vacant urban areas. The study showed initial engagement with urban agriculture and local food systems, but also produced a strong critique of urban spatial design and a desire for place-making.
Governance failureCommunityFood educationPolicyUnemployment and Homelessness in the City of Poznań in 1929-1939
2014Marcin Graban · Pressto (Uniwersytetu Adama Mickiewicza) · Poland (Poznań)
The Polish National General Exhibition in Poznań in 1929 attracted many laborers, who later contributed to the unemployed population during the 1930s economic crisis, exacerbating the housing crisis in Poznań. City authorities initially housed the homeless in former exhibition grounds as an interim measure. For a more permanent solution, the city redeveloped allotments or community gardens by building purpose-built residential garden huts or sheds.
CommunityWelfarePolicyUrban–rural linkagePeri urban agriculture as a new strategy of urban development: A case study in Cenaia, Pisa
2014S. Mecca B. Özel · · Italy (Pisa)
Rapid urbanization has led to negative consequences such as urban poor, primarily formed in suburbs. The physical expansion of cities occurs more in suburbs, causing "urban sprawl" into rural areas beyond their boundaries, resulting in the loss of agricultural lands and stress on the surrounding natural environment.
Peri-urban agricultureUrban–rural linkageEconomicsPolicyConvergence on Sustainable Lifestyles? Mechanisms of Change and Resistance in a French Allotment
2014Géraldine Farges · Sociologia Ruralis · France
This one-year ethnographic study analyzed the integration of pro-environmental practices among amateur gardeners in a French urban allotment. Through observations and repeat interviews, it found that while gardeners adopted new techniques, the meanings of their practices and their environmental relationships differed. The diffusion of pro-environmental practices was not systematically linked to shared concerns, and practices were interpreted differently by policymakers and individuals.
CommunityOrganic cyclePolicyPolicies and practices of urban and peri-urban agriculture: a great deal of participation but a little public action/ Politiche e pratiche dell’agricoltura urbana e periurbana: molta partecipazione e poca azione pubblica
2014Giuseppe Cinà · PORTO Publications Open Repository TOrino (Politecnico di Torino) · Italy
This paper examines Italian planning, highlighting an unresolved discrepancy between urban and agricultural policies due to a long-standing separation of urban and rural worlds. It outlines how this historical gap results in two inconsistent and low-effective policies. The paper discusses agricultural parks as an attempt to overcome this planning backwardness by integrating spatial planning and agricultural activity, documenting three Italian examples.
Governance failurePolicyPeri-urban agricultureUrban–rural linkageCommunityGetting back into shape
2014Hillary J. Shaw · · United Kingdom (Birmingham)
This chapter describes four stages by which people have become divorced from the origins of human food: industrialization, globalization, supermarketization, and dromology. Ashram Acres, established in 1981 in Birmingham, England, exemplifies many merits of urban agriculture, aiming to utilize the agricultural expertise of local migrants from South Asia, the Caribbean, and Ireland.
HealthCommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyLandscape As A Resource For Squat Farming
2014Attila Tóth, Ľubica Feriancová · Acta horticulturae et regiotecturae · Spain (Barcelona)
This study investigated squat farming as a typology of urban agriculture, focusing on the case study of Can Masdeu, a squatted and cultivated land at the northern city border of Barcelona, Spain. It aimed to understand how landscape and urban structures are influenced by land cultivation and how the social dimension of squat farming is structured. Spatial and perceptual analyses were applied, and users were interviewed through discussions and questionnaires, with results describing the spatial and social characteristics of squat farming at Can Masdeu.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkagePolicyVertical farming and urban agriculture
2014Mike Nichols · Practical Hydroponics and Greenhouses · United Kingdom
The International Conference on Vertical Farming and Urban Agriculture was held at the University of Nottingham, England, on September 9-10, 2014. This event gathered scientists, engineers, industrialists, and policymakers to discuss current ideas, technologies, commercial applications, and research opportunities in vertical farming and urban agriculture. It served as a forum to evaluate benefits, opportunities, risks, and challenges, and to foster collaboration between academic and commercial sectors.
PolicyEconomicsClimate changeDevelopment of the Environmental, Social and Economic Sustainability in the Peri-Urban Agricultural Areas: Governance Opportunities in the South Milan Agricultural Park
2014Anna Gaviglio, Alberto Pirani, Mattia Bertocchi · Advanced engineering forum · Italy (Milan)
This study assessed the environmental, social, and economic sustainability of farms within the South Milan Agricultural Park (PASM), based on interactions between the Milan metropolitan area and surrounding agricultural activities. The survey was conducted using an indicator-based tool to compare farms, with data collected from various sources. Results indicated that PASM's efforts provided valid economic tools for large multifunctional farms, deeply tied to the local context through services like direct sales, short chains, and agritourism, contributing to improved environmental conditions and landscape. However, large and small specialized farms lacking these income sources did not receive equal contribution.
Peri-urban agriculturePolicyEconomicsOrganic cycleA green garden on red clay: creating a new urban common as a form of political gardening in Cologne, Germany
2014Alexander Follmann, Valérie Viehoff · Local Environment · Germany
This paper investigates NeuLand, a community garden created in March 2012 on a brownfield site in Cologne, Germany. It assesses NeuLand as typical of a new form of political engagement 2.0, focusing on local problems and direct actions, and its potential to offer a blueprint for alternative urban futures and new ways for citizens to claim their "right to the city." The study links the NeuLand experiment to broader discussions on alternative socio-ecological futures, extending beyond analyses of urban gardening solely for sustainable food production or community cohesion.
CommunityPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceProyectos de Investigación europeos y congresos internacionales sobre agricultura urbana y periurbana
2014H. Renting · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Europe
This contribution highlights a growing research interest in urban and peri-urban agriculture and related public policies, particularly within Europe and internationally. It presents major European research projects and relevant recent international conferences focusing on urban and peri-urban agriculture. The paper outlines proposed debate topics and analytical approaches used in these initiatives.
PolicyPeri-urban agricultureFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changeIs Growing Food Within the City Sustainable? Urban Agriculture in Montpellier (France)
2014Pascale Scheromm, Coline Perrin, Christophe‐Toussaint Soulard · Espaces et sociétés · France (Montpellier)
A study of urban agriculture in Montpellier, France, utilized policy analysis, spatial analysis, and an analysis of urban agricultural actors' practices and representations. The research revealed a great diversity in urban agriculture and a gap between its perception in urban policy and its spatial realities. Traditional agriculture is declining despite occupying more land, while new forms like gardens and agriparks are emerging, fostering interactions between public actors and citizens.
PolicyCommunityUrban–rural linkageClimate changeEarth under the Nails: : The Extraordinary Return to the Land
2014· Hart Publishing eBooks · United Kingdom (England and Wales)
This paper explores the phenomenon of people in England and Wales returning to the land for various food-growing projects, including over 1,000 community gardens and 82 school farms. It examines the legal frameworks regulating these diverse projects and finds that the legal framework is fragmented, poorly signposted, and often absent, with projects sometimes depending entirely on landowner goodwill. The study concludes that there is little coherency in the law regarding these initiatives.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceLos huertos urbanos de Andalucía se encontrarán para formar una red
2014Veguita de Graná · · Spain (Andalusia)
Urban gardens from Andalusia will meet in Bujalance, Cordoba, with the objective of forming a network. Manuel Cala, President of GRAECO, provides information about this event and also introduces other agricultural, livestock, and environmental activities taking place in Bujalance.
CommunityPolicyDefinicje oraz formy miejskiej agrokultury – przyczynek do dyskusji
2014Wojciech Sroka · Wieś i Rolnictwo · Poland
This article addresses the concept of urban agriculture in Polish economic and agricultural literature. It aims to develop a definition of urban agriculture, operationalize it, and present its main forms. The study reviews research from various countries and proposes a definition suitable for Polish socio-economic conditions, describing key actors, products, functions, and distinguishing two main forms: urban farming and urban horticulture.
Urban–rural linkageEconomicsPolicyRecreational use and health functions of allotments gardens in the Katowice conurbation, Poland
2014Edward Duś · Environmental & Socio-economic Studies · Poland
This analysis examines the recreational use of allotment gardens in the industrial Katowice conurbation, Silesia, southern Poland, considering their historical development. Allotment gardens serve as a primary base for recreation for their owners, offering both physical activities and passive leisure. Recreational use is seasonal and varies daily, influenced by weather and available free time, with socio-economic changes impacting utilization methods and types of recreational use.
CommunityHealthPolicyBuilding Culture: Ernst May and the New Frankfurt am Main Initiative, 1926–1931
2013Henderson S. R. · Peter Lang (Studies in Modern European History, vol. 64) · Germany
A comprehensive history of Ernst May's New Frankfurt initiative within the Weimar context, covering housing settlements, construction and material innovations, the parks-and-garden-colony program, the Frankfurt Kitchen, and reforms in schools and medical facilities.
PolicyCommunityWelfareFood educationObserving Guerrillas in the Wild: Reinterpreting Practices of Urban Guerrilla Gardening
2013David Adams, Michael Hardman · Urban Studies · United Kingdom
This paper uses ethnographic data from 'F Troop', a guerrilla gardening group in an English midland city, to re-examine urban guerrilla gardening practices. It argues that these practices may not be as "resistant" or "celebratory" as often suggested in existing literature. The study highlights that the social backgrounds and motivations of participants, along with their relationships with other users of the space, are important but largely unacknowledged aspects of guerrilla gardening.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkageUrban Gardening. Eine soziokulturelle Betrachtung neuer Gartenformen
2013Marta Bobowski · Facta Simonidis · Germany
This article addresses the phenomenon of urban gardening, with a specific focus on Germany. Part I defines and categorizes the main forms of non-economically motivated gardening in urban public space, outlining its core attributes and historical background. Part II indicates how the culture of a historical period affects the shape of green areas and clarifies the correlation between urban gardening and present political, social, and ecological discourses.
CommunityPolicyClimate changeAliseda 18. Muralismo desde la participación ciudadana, para la recuperación urbana
2013María Antonia Fernández Nieto, Eduardo Zamarro Flores · Arte y Ciudad · Spain (Madrid)
This study presents a case of urban recovery through citizen participation in mural painting at Aliseda18, an urban garden on the outskirts of Madrid. Various age groups participated transversally in the mural's creation, transforming previously identity-less walls into a backdrop that provides identity to the urban garden and its neighborhood. This case demonstrates processes of public space reappropriation and urban landscape generation at the local level, responding to inhabitants' initiatives.
CommunityPolicyÉtude de cas sur l'action collective : Italie
2013OECD · OECD eBooks · Italy
This chapter presents three case studies on collective action in Italy. The "Land Conservation" project in Tuscany involves a local public body and farmers co-producing environmental services to enhance flood resilience and landscape maintenance. The shared garden in Campania describes the concerted management of a green area on a degraded site transformed into an eco-archaeological park. The collective management of mountain meadows and pastures in the Aosta Valley coordinates multiple stakeholders with regional support to maintain the landscape and preserve biodiversity.
CommunityBiodiversityPolicyMappare la campagna in città: uno sguardo tra New York City e l’Italia
2013Pierluigi Musarò, Roberta Bartoletti · Archivio istituzionale della ricerca (Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna) · United States (New York City), Italy, Europe
This study maps urban gardening in New York City and Italy, tracing the evolution of urban gardens from 19th-century worker gardens to the 1970s community garden movement. It notes that contemporary urban horticulture in Italy, while influenced by the US movement, primarily focuses on social, cultural, and civic-political values, with economic and productive potential not being central or sometimes excluded.
CommunityPolicyFood educationWelfareProductive Landscapes and Resilient Cities
2013Meliz Akyol, Hayriye Eşbah Tunçay · · Turkey (Istanbul)
This study explores the role of productive landscapes, specifically urban agriculture, in creating resilient cities. Istanbul, Turkey, is presented as a case study, noting the historical influence of food on the city's image and traces of agricultural uses along the Theodosian Walls and in old neighborhoods. Despite agricultural lands being transformed into settlement areas due to rapid urbanization, the study suggests that combining agriculture with new technology, architectural trends, and sustainable master plans will encourage urban agriculture and create more resilient urban environments.
Urban–rural linkageClimate changePolicyItaly case study
2013OECD · OECD eBooks · Italy
This chapter presents three Italian case studies: "Custody of the Territory" in Tuscany, a community garden in Campania, and mountain pastures in Aosta Valley. These cases discuss agri-environmental public goods provided by collective action, factors affecting outcomes in collective action, and policy measures supporting collective action, through environmental services by local government agencies and farmers' agreements, collaborative green spaces converted from degraded sites, and collective management of mountain pastures with regional support.
CommunityPolicyBiodiversity