Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
2091 results(16 / 84)
Urban green infrastructure: bridging biodiversity conservation and sustainable urban development through adaptive management approach
2024Dong Wang, Peiyuan Xu, Bo-Wen An, Qiuping Guo · Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution · Global
This paper introduces a conceptual framework for urban green infrastructure (UGI) to integrate ecological principles, urban planning, and adaptive management for resilient urban landscapes. UGI aims to enhance ecological connectivity, restore ecosystem functions, and provide habitats, emphasizing multifunctionality, connectivity, diversity, and accessibility. Global case studies demonstrate UGI's effectiveness in biodiversity conservation and its contribution to sustainable urban development through ecosystem services. Challenges for UGI include funding constraints, institutional fragmentation, and equity issues, requiring innovative financing, community involvement, and policy innovations.
CommunityBiodiversityClimate changeCommunity Gardens as Places for Ecological Caring in Action
2024Amal Ibourk, Lauren Wagner, Deb Morrison, Syrena Young, Justin Milledge · Science and Children · Global
This article describes a fifth-grade climate change action project involving building a community garden, aligned with science standards. Students learned about monarch butterfly migration, life cycles, and greenhouse gases by planting milkweed. The article offers educators ideas and suggestions for implementing such a project within a school community.
CommunityFood educationBiodiversityPollinatorsClimate changeMujeres y Agricultura Urbana Comunitaria: un estudio de caso múltiple en Bogotá, Colombia
2024Clara Pantoja Bohórquez, Karen Johanna Martínez Grisales, Jessica Paola Rincón Vivas, Linda Vanessa Boada Arias · Convergencia Revista de Ciencias Sociales · Colombia (Bogotá)
This qualitative multiple case study in Bogotá, Colombia, explores the role of women in seven community urban farming initiatives and their collective resistance practices. It found that women pursue food sovereignty, transform relationships with nature, and re-signify public space. Women play a significant role in community self-management, with high recognition of their knowledge and practices, and their networks of affection and intergenerational exchange strengthen female autonomy and leadership.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyEconomicsOlder Persons and Horticultural Therapy Practice
2024Karen Haas, Sharon P. Simson, Nancy C. Stevenson · · Global
Horticulture is a leisure pursuit for hundreds of thousands of older adults who enjoy tending flower and vegetable gardens or indoor plant collections. For an increasing number of older adults, gardening is an essential therapeutic activity that helps in maintaining health, aids in rehabilitation from chronic diseases and impairments, or slows the effects of dementia.
ElderlyHealthCommunityAI-Driven Decision Support System for Green and Sustainable Urban Planning in Smart Cities
2024Can Xu · Applied Mathematics and Nonlinear Sciences · Global
This study demonstrates advancements in sustainable urban planning through an an AI-driven decision support system. Experimental results show solar panel efficiency at 25%, rainwater harvesting capacity at 600 liters per square meter, and 3 square meters of community garden space per resident. The system also provided 1.5 bike-sharing stations per 1000 residents, exceeding market averages in several areas.
CommunityPolicyDigital agricultureCommunity-Led Gardens as Transformative Classrooms
2024Deborah Carter · · Global
This chapter explores community-led gardens as transformative, innovative literacy learning environments for refugee learners and their families. It reviews literature on refugees' utilization of community-led gardening, highlighting concepts of cultural reflection and inspiration, cultural cohesion and sense of belonging, and adaptation and resilience. The author shares experiences creating a community-led garden for refugees and describes language literacy pedagogical activities that utilize a community garden for learner-centered, experiential learning and communicative language teaching.
CommunityFood educationWelfareContemporary Urban Agriculture in European and Chinese Regions: A Social-Cultural Perspective
2024Yichen Jiang, He Fang, Shihui Li, Hang Lu, Rouran Zhang · Land · Global
This paper compares urban agriculture (UA) patterns in Europe and China using bibliometric analysis of Web of Science and 2230 CNKI publications, alongside field research on nine European practices and UA development in Hangzhou, China. The study recommends that China consider European approaches for realizing social and cultural benefits in future UA practices. It also suggests integrating UA projects into urban green space planning and rationalizing construction types.
CommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkageHands-on Activities through Gardening: Building Twenty-First Century Skills for Lifelong Learning
2024Kamal Prasad Acharya, Kalpana Gyawali, Indra Raj Upadhyaya · Interdisciplinary Research in Education · Nepal
This article explores the contribution of garden-based activities to developing 21st-century skills in public schools in Nepal. Using participatory action research in three intervention schools, the study found that school gardening, involving flower and vegetable cultivation, enhances critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving skills. Students also viewed gardening as a valuable learning platform that encourages creative thinking, environmental sustainability, and lifelong learning competence.
Food educationCommunityHealthClimate changeEvidence of COVID-19 pandemic influence on well-being produced by urban gardening: a before-after study
2024Laura S. Tuominen, Heikki Helanterä, Patrik Karell, Lauri Rapeli, Timo Vuorisalo, Jon E. Brommer · npj Urban Sustainability · Finland (Turku)
This before-after study in Turku, Finland, examined the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on urban box gardening from 2019 to 2021. While box gardening's importance for resilience increased and gardeners remained motivated, participants reported receiving fewer benefits from gardening during the pandemic. This suggests a negative influence of the pandemic on well-being, extending to urban gardening outcomes.
Limited or null effectHealthCommunityClimate changeReflections: Lessons Learned, Limitations, and the Way Forward for Urban Agriculture in Public Space
2024Beata Sirowy, Deni Ruggeri · The Geojournal library · Global
This chapter reflects on urban agriculture practices in public spaces, emphasizing their unique role in the individual and communal well-being of city dwellers. It concludes with a brief reflection on the future trajectories for urban agriculture practices in compact cities.
Governance failureCommunityHealthPolicyWHAT CAN MODERN FARMERS’ DO?
2024Muslikhun Muslikhun, Rismawati Br Sitepu, Amjad Hameed · JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES SOCIAL SCIENCES AND BUSINESS (JHSSB) · Global
This qualitative study aimed to emphasize the rise of urban farming as a new cultural phenomenon and shed light on its increasing popularity and impact on individuals and communities. Urban farming has emerged as a solution in numerous cities worldwide due to the decline in traditional agricultural land. The study's findings demonstrate that promoting urban farming, including hydroponic systems, can address unemployment and boost economic productivity.
EconomicsCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceSustainable vegetable garden in the school environment: A STS approach in elementary school
2024Elizângela dos Santos Oliveira Magerski, Felipe Fontana, Irene Yukiko Kimura · Seven Editora eBooks · Global
This qualitative research investigated the pedagogical potential of an educational product for constructing a sustainable vegetable garden with 5th-year elementary school students. Structured with a Science, Technology, and Society (STS) approach, the product aimed to develop students' understanding of science, technology, and their societal and environmental implications. Data from a field diary revealed that school garden activities, supported by an STS approach, foster students' critical thinking about food and healthy processes related to human health.
Food educationHealthCommunityAgriculture and the ideals of urban modernity: the case of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
2024Matthijs T. Wessels, Gert Jan Veldwisch, B.J.M. van Vliet, Alphonce Kyessi, Shaaban M. Mgana · Water International · Tanzania (Dar es Salaam)
This study examined the policy dynamics of irrigated urban agriculture in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, using stakeholder interviews and a literature review. It found that while irrigated urban agriculture is positively received for its productivity, it faces challenges from discourses prioritizing health and modernity. Authorities pursue modern farming models, but most urban farmers operate with informal and insecure access to land and water, highlighting a tension between planning ideals and urban reality.
Governance failurePolicyEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityImprovement Model Framework of Urban Agriculture Program in Malaysia: PLS-SEM Analysis
2024Munifah Siti Amira Yusuf, Norsida Man, Nur Bahiah Mohamed Haris, Ismi Arif Ismail, Siaw Shin Yee, Tengku Halimatun Sa’adiah T. Abu Bakar · Sarhad Journal of Agriculture · Malaysia
This study evaluated the effectiveness of Malaysia's Urban Agriculture Program, implemented by the Department of Agriculture since 2010. Primary data from 230 participants were analyzed using PLS-SEM, revealing a positive association between all CIPP factors (Context, Input, Process, Product) and program effectiveness.
PolicyCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsGreen Space Provision and Equity in the City
2024Magdalena Biernacka · · Global
Ensuring equal access to attractive green spaces for all urban residents, including vulnerable groups, is crucial due to pandemics, climate change, and lifestyle diseases. Both formal and informal green spaces provide ecosystem services, and smaller green infrastructure can be effective in compact city centers.
CommunityHealthClimate changePolicyLa zotea: saberes performados, territorios afro y experiencias ontológico-estéticas en la escuela
2024Edison Rafael Castro-Hernández, David Santiago Moreno-Castañeda, Mayeli Enríquez-Muñoz, David Alba-Sedano · Revista CS · Colombia (Bogotá)
This article explored reflections on and ways of appropriation of a critical intercultural process approaching the practices and knowledge of Afro-Colombian peoples through the virtual, narrative, and physical resignification of "zoteas" (ancestral community gardens) by Afro-Pacific populations at schools in Bogotá, Colombia. An emerging process was identified through ethnographic recording in an intensive diary and student audiovisual content production, where the articulation of ancestral practices with experimental artistic disciplines like performance shed light on other ancestral knowledge. This intervention connected the process with contemporary expressions of the Afro worldview and allowed for questioning and gradually transforming the organization of time, space, and roles in knowledge construction at school.
CommunityFood educationHeirloom & landraceA quasi-experimental study to assess the impact of green gardens on elderly anxiety: A socio-ecological perspective
2024Somayeh Gholami, Shahpar Geravandi, Farahnaz Rostami · Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment · Iran
This quasi-experimental study investigated the effects of green gardens on the mental well-being of elderly individuals in eldercare facilities in Kermanshah city, western Iran. Eighty participants were purposively sampled and divided into an experimental group (n=40) and a control group (n=40). Using pre-test/post-test measures with the Geriatric Anxiety Inventory, the experimental group showed statistically significant reductions in cognitive (p < .01), arousal (p < .01), and somatic (p < .01) anxiety after green garden initiatives, while the control group showed no significant changes.
HealthElderlyCommunityThe Relationship of Urban Farming with Horticultural Therapy for Urbanites: A Systematic Review
2024Nurul Raihana Ramzi, Che Bon Ahmad, Helmi Hamzah, Noriah Othman · Built Environment Journal · Global
This systematic review, analyzing SCOPUS articles from 2010 to 2022, explored the relationship between urban farming and horticultural therapy in reducing urban stress. It found that horticultural therapy incorporating urban farming elements was linked to multiple therapeutic interactions, with nature-based elements serving as a potential source of significant positive outcomes. The review emphasizes the value of connecting horticultural therapy with urban farming and proposes a conceptual framework illustrating their constructive interaction for improving mental and physical health.
HealthCommunityWelfareAdaptacija postojećih ravnih krovova solitera u zelene krovove na području Općine Kakanj u cilju osnaživanja i promovisanja koncepta urbane poljoprivrede
2024Nedžada Zahirović, Sabina Trakić, Pavle Krstić, Lejla Biber · Radovi Šumarskog fakulteta Univerziteta u Sarajevu · Bosnia and Herzegovina (Kakanj)
This project aims to develop a conceptual plan for adapting the existing flat roofs of three towers (S-1, S-2, S-3) built in the 1980s in the Municipality of Kakanj, Bosnia and Herzegovina, into green roofs. This plan seeks to strengthen and expand urban agriculture, bringing ecological, social, and economic benefits, and promoting a healthier lifestyle through daily contact with greenery.
BiodiversityPollinatorsCommunityHealth“We Can Come in Together and Garden”: A Mixed Methods Study of School Connectedness in a Middle School Garden Project
2024Heidi L. Hollingsworth, William D. Giblin · Journal of Research in Childhood Education · Global
This mixed methods study investigated the impact of a middle school garden project on 6th-graders’ school connectedness. Surveys of 46 middle school students indicated that most had home gardening experience and enjoyed the school garden activities. However, pre-post results did not show increased school connectedness following the garden unit, as ratings were moderately high both before and after. Interviews with 25 participants revealed that the garden project facilitated home-school, student-student, and student-teacher connections, serving as a context for engagement and enjoyment for students.
Limited or null effectFood educationCommunityEducation Outside the Classroom in Norway: The prevalence, provision, and nature of uteskole
2024Gabriele Lauterbach, Mads Bølling, Ulrich Dettweiler · International Journal of Educational Research · Norway
A national survey was conducted in Norway on the prevalence, provision, and nature of "uteskole" (education outside the classroom). Out of 2671 schools contacted, a total of 869 schools (32.53%) provided valid data, including additional phone surveys. The results revealed that 87.6% of schools in Norway, from grades 1 to 10, practice uteskole, with 68.7% doing so for at least half a day every second week.
Food educationCommunityCommunity agroecology. Facilitation of the cultivation of medicinal plants and family phytotherapy
2024Luis L. Vázquez · Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Research · Global
This article discusses community agroecology, focusing on the cultivation of medicinal plants in agroecological family and community gardens. It highlights that the use of these plants for treating symptoms and diseases is a common practice. The integration of family and community self-management of medicinal plants into primary care services contributes to sustainability in health management.
CommunityHealthDIYBotanical extracts for insect management: lessons from participatory research in peri-urban horticultural systems of central Argentina
2024María Amparo Gaona Flores, Martín Videla, Gerardo Serra, Luis Narmona, Jorge Gabriel Barbero, Milene Rocío Barcenilla, Evangelina Beatriz Argüello · Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems · Argentina
This study evaluated botanical insecticides as a technological device for synthetic input substitution in peri-urban horticultural systems of central Argentina. A Participatory Action Research (PAR) framework was used to assess the performance of garlic extracts (GE) for pest and natural enemy regulation in lettuce crops in conventional and agroecological contexts. Through three PAR cycles, GE effectiveness on aphids, thrips, and natural enemies was observed, and context-specific adaptations were noted: GE was useful near harvest in conventional systems and highlighted biodiversity's relevance for system redesign in agroecological systems.
Peri-urban agricultureOrganic cycleBiodiversityCommunityReview of the Benefits of Green Roofs
2024Consultant Engineer, 107B El. Venizelou str., 73132, Chania, Crete, Greece, John Vourdoubas · International Journal of Current Science Research and Review · Global
This review emphasizes the multiple environmental, economic, energy, and social benefits of green roofs installed on urban buildings. Green roofs are reported to remove atmospheric pollutants, release oxygen, mitigate the urban heat island effect, reduce building energy consumption, improve rainwater management, and promote urban agriculture. Their construction is financially subsidized in several countries due to these benefits, which contribute to urban sustainability and resident well-being.
Climate changePolicyCommunityBiodiversityAgricultura Urbana en la Finca Aranjuez: Análisis de Investigaciones Agroecológicas (2016-2020)
2024Josue Bejarano Chumacero, Manuel Horacio Jiménez Huamán · AGRO - ECOLÓGICA · Bolivia
This study reviewed 16 research papers on urban agriculture conducted at the Aranjuez Occupational Therapy Farm in Sucre, Bolivia, between 2016 and 2020. The review focused on agroecological practices in horticulture (37%), cereals and forages (31%), fruit growing (19%), and livestock production and soil improvement (13%). Findings indicate these practices contribute to local food security and sustainable agroecological approaches, with harvested products used by the therapy center itself. The study also highlighted both advances and limitations in adopting sustainable agricultural technologies in urban and peri-urban settings.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityOrganic cycle