Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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1006 results(16 / 41)
Nature-Based Solutions as Building Blocks for the Transition towards Sustainable Climate-Resilient Food Systems
2023Saskia Keesstra, J.A. Veraart, A. Verhagen, Saskia Visser, Marit E. Kragt, Vincent Linderhof, Wilfred Appelman, Jolanda van den Berg, Ayodeji O. Deolu‐Ajayi, Annemarie Groot · Sustainability · Global
This paper examines the role of nature-based solutions (NBS) in the transition towards sustainable, climate-resilient food systems. A conceptual framework was developed to assess NBS contributions, evaluating three types: intrinsic NBS utilizing existing ecosystems, hybrid NBS managing and adapting ecosystems, and inspired NBS consisting of newly constructed ecosystems. Inspired NBS, in particular, are shown to increase opportunities for achieving sustainable development in food systems, facilitating the transition and contributing to reaching SDGs by 2030.
Climate changeFood sovereignty & justiceBiodiversityThe Skarù·ręʔ (Tuscarora) Food Forest Project—Reconciliation in Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education through Cross-Cultural Agroforestry Demonstration
2023Samantha Bosco, Bradley G. Thomas · Ethnobiology Letters · United States
The Skarù·ręʔ (Tuscarora) Food Forest Project is a community-based initiative in ancestral Haudenosaunee territories (New York State) demonstrating the contemporary contributions of temperate nut trees to Indigenous food systems. This project aims to address social justice concerns in agricultural science by providing a methodological testing ground for reconciliation-based and decolonial participatory action research. It expands ongoing food sovereignty, community health, and education initiatives, highlighting nuts as important, yet lesser-known, woodland foods.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceBiodiversityClimate changeStudy on soil quality in different functional zones of Sofia region
2023Elena Todorova, Miglena Zhiyanski · One Ecosystem · Bulgaria (Sofia)
This study examined urban soil conditions and their potential for regulating ecosystem services in different functional zones of Sofia, Bulgaria. Data from 30 experimental plots (0-10 cm soil layer) were analyzed for heavy metal concentrations (Cu, Zn, Pb, Fe) and soil quality indicators (pH, CEC, total carbon, total nitrogen). The results showed differences in the capacity of green, industrial, residential, and urban agriculture zones to regulate and maintain soil quality, informing mitigation measures for soil protection and restoration.
Organic cycleBiodiversityPeri-urban agricultureSchool Gardens in Poland – Rediscovered Places
2023Joanna Ziemkowska · Studia Ecologiae et Bioethicae · Poland
A historical outline of school gardens in Poland and their past and current possibilities of use were presented. In recent decades, school gardens had lost their educational appreciation, remaining in few schools primarily for aesthetic functions. This article discusses how school gardens may contribute to preventing "nature deficit" and provide a sense of closeness to nature even in urban realities, noting their re-emerging therapeutic potential (hortitherapy).
Food educationCommunityBiodiversitySpatio-temporal Analysis of the Changes in Rooftop Gardening in Dhaka Metropolitan Area
2023Asib Ahmed, Nazmun Nahar, Md. Shamim Hossain, Md. Shams Shahriar · Social Science Review · Bangladesh (Dhaka)
This study identified spatio-temporal changes in rooftop gardening (RTG) practices in the Dhaka Metropolitan Area (DMA) between 2016 and 2021, using digitized Google Earth images. The DMA experienced a moderate 15% increase in RTG during this period, with the western part having a larger RTG area than the eastern part. Planned residential areas showed higher RTG areas, while most government/non-government buildings had less RTG across 20 zones and the Dhaka Cantonment area.
Climate changeFood sovereignty & justiceBiodiversityPeri-urban agricultureOptimizing the Monitoring of Urban Fruit-Bearing Flora with Citizen Science: An Overview of the Pomar Urbano Initiative
2023Filipi Miranda Soares, Luís Ferreira Pires, Maria Carolina Garcia, Aline Martins de Carvalho, Sheina Koffler, Natália Pirani Ghilardi-Lopes, Rubens Silva, Benildes Coura Moreira dos Santos Maculan, Ana María Bertolini, Gabriela Rigote, Lídio Coradin, Uiara Bandineli Montedo, Débora Pignatari Drucker, Raquel Santiago, Maria Clara de Carvalho, Ana Carolina da Silva Lima, Karoline Reis de Almeida, Stephanie Gabriele Mendonça de França, Hillary Dandara Elias Gabriel, Bárbara Junqueira dos Santos, António Mauro Saraiva · Biodiversity Information Science and Standards · Brazil
The "Pomar Urbano" (Urban Orchard) project collaboratively monitors 411 native and exotic fruit-bearing plant species across all 27 Brazilian state capitals. Data collection uses iNaturalist Umbrella and Collection projects, with each capital having a specific collection project. The project involves a multidisciplinary team exploring biodiversity value, creating fruit-inspired products in creative industries, and developing recipes featuring frequently observed fruits in São Paulo to promote culinary diversity.
CommunityBiodiversityMeanings
2023Amartya Deb · · Global
This chapter examines the multi-layered social construction of "ambivalent landscapes" in wild green spaces, connecting them to concepts like age-value in heritage conservation and guerrilla gardening. It argues that plant-built assemblages offer novel imaginations of urban nature and contribute to environmental justice. The chapter also explains that the isolation of spontaneous nature on buildings from a city's metabolic processes makes it difficult to value as green infrastructure, yet microsites of wild vegetation hold potential for greening resource-scarce neighborhoods.
CommunityBiodiversityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyInfluence of the Type and Use of Soil on the Distribution of Organic Carbon and Other Soil Properties in a Sustainable and Resilient Agropolitan System
2023Purificación Marín Sanleandro, Ana María Gómez-García, M. Arantzazu Blanco Bernardeau, Juana María Gil-Vázquez, María Asunción Alías-Linares · Forests · Spain
This study in the mid-plain of the Segura River (SE Spain) assessed soil properties and agricultural potential by collecting 68 arable soil samples. Statistical analysis revealed significant differences in organic carbon distribution between calcaric Fluvisols and calcaric Regosols, and among industrial, cultivated, and abandoned soil uses. Cultivated Fluvisols showed a higher average organic carbon content (11.35 g kg−1) compared to abandoned (9.33 g kg−1) and industrial (5.13 g kg−1) uses.
Organic cycleBiodiversityPeri-urban agricultureUrban Vegetation: Anthropogenic Influences, Public Perceptions, and Wildlife Implications
2023Catherine Simpson, Cade Coldren, Ioana A. Coman, Caitlyn E. Cooper, Gad Perry · IntechOpen eBooks · Global
This review focused on urban vegetation, whose importance is growing with expanding urban environments, examining its multiple uses, significance for urban wildlife conservation and sustainability, and media portrayal. Previously, the importance of urban vegetation was often emphasized in narrow literature niches related to horticulture and landscape architecture. This study surveyed diverse uses of urban horticulture and considered the role urban vegetation plays in urban ecosystem services and biodiversity.
BiodiversityCommunityDiversity of substrate type, ethnomycology, mineral composition, proximate, and phytochemical compounds of the Schizopyllum commune Fr. in the area along Palu-Koro Fault, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia
2023Yusran Yusran, Erniwati Erniwati, Akhmad Khumaidi, Ramadhanil Pitopang, Ignasius Radix Astadi Praptono Jati · Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences · Indonesia (Central Sulawesi)
This study investigated the wood types serving as substrates, ethnomycology, mineral composition, proximate, and phytochemical compounds of the wild macro fungus Schizophyllum commune Fr. in the area along the Palu-Koro fault, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, using a descriptive explanatory approach. Fungi and wood substrate samples were collected through purposive sampling in forest areas, agroforestry, and community gardens. The results identified 92 types of rotted wood, belonging to 36 families, where S. commune grew. Nutritional content was found to be good, although it varied based on the type of wood growing media.
CommunityBiodiversityA Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ Approach to Pest Management in Your Edible Landscape
2023Tina McIntyre, Rachel Gutner, Hamutahl Cohen, Tiare Saracino, Esen Momol · EDIS · United States (Florida)
This 8-page publication from the UF/IFAS Environmental Horticulture Department defines common pests for home gardeners and advocates for diversifying landscapes to manage them. It introduces the "triangle" of Integrated Pest Management (IPM), providing examples of multi-method tools applicable in home settings for pest control.
DIYBiodiversityFood educationIntegration of the Livelihood and Ecosystem Services Frameworks—A Case Study on Urban Agriculture in Mexico City
2023Mayra I. Rodríguez González, Christian Kelly Scott, Tatiana Marquina, Demeke B. Mewa, Jorge García Polo, Binbin Peng · Earth Interactions · Mexico
This mixed-method study in Mexico City, Mexico, explored urban agriculture's (UA) role as an alleviation and land management strategy, integrating ecosystem services and livelihoods frameworks. It quantified food production, crop diversity, six ecological processes, cultural benefits, and contributions to livelihood capitals. UA supported ecological processes, connected humans to nature, and provided supplemental income, but also showed trade-offs between ecological processes, limits in promoting formal education beyond agroecological knowledge, and an inability to fully lift families out of poverty.
CommunityBiodiversityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceFungal-bacterial associations in urban allotment garden soils
2023Maraike Probst, María Gómez‐Brandón, Cecilia Herbón, María Teresa Barral, Remigio Paradelo · Applied Soil Ecology · Spain
This study evaluated fungal and bacterial communities in 40 soil samples from 10 urban allotment gardens in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, using DNA sequencing. While microbial richness was comparable to less anthropogenically influenced urban soils, the deterministic effect of soil properties and geographical distances was negligible. Fungal and bacterial communities followed a random distribution and formed very small, often unconnected, microbial association modules, suggesting potential implications of anthropogenic activity for soil health and ecosystem functionality.
CommunityBiodiversityOrganic cycleUrban and Peri-Urban Agriculture Sourcebook – From Production to Food Systems
2022FAO, Rikolto, RUAF · Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Rikolto & RUAF · Global
A comprehensive guide co-published by FAO, Rikolto and RUAF for local decision-makers, urban planners and practitioners. It frames urban and peri-urban agriculture from production through to urban food systems and policy, promoting reduced food loss via short supply chains, biodiversity protection, social inclusion, and urban-rural linkages.
PolicyCommunityOrganic cycleFood lossEconomicsBiodiversityEcosystem service delivery by urban agriculture and green infrastructure – a systematic review
2022Evans D.L., Falagán N., Hardman C.A., Kourmpetli S., Liu L., Mead B.R., Davies J.A.C. · Ecosystem Services, 54, 101405 · Global
A systematic review synthesizing 157 peer-reviewed articles that compares which ecosystem services are delivered by different types of urban agriculture and green infrastructure. It finds that community gardens, green spaces and parks deliver the most diverse services, that local climate and air-quality regulation are best provided by green infrastructure alone, and that biological control and genetic-diversity maintenance peak when green infrastructure is combined with urban agriculture.
BiodiversityCommunityHealthEconomicsAn integrated genomic and biochemical approach to investigate the potentiality of heirloom tomatoes: Breeding resources for food quality and sustainable agriculture
2022Tripodi P., D'Alessandro A., Francese G. · Frontiers in Plant Science 13:1031776 · Italy
Integrated genomic and biochemical analysis of heirloom tomatoes linking fruit shape and size to sugars, organic acids, and aroma compounds. Demonstrates heirlooms as germplasm resources for high food quality and sustainable agriculture.
Heirloom & landraceBiodiversityHealthOrganic cycleState of ex situ conservation of landrace groups of 25 major crops
2022Ramirez-Villegas J., Khoury C.K., Achicanoy H.A., Diaz M.V., Mendez A.C., Sosa C.C., Kehel Z., Guarino L., Abberton M. · Nature Plants 8:491-499 · Global
A global gap analysis predicting distributions of over 70 landrace groups across 25 crops, finding a mean 63% represented in genebanks and major collecting gaps in South Asia, the Mediterranean, the Andes and Africa.
Heirloom & landraceBiodiversityPolicyOn-farm diversity, use pattern, and conservation of enset (Ensete ventricosum) genetic resources in southern Ethiopia
2022Dilebo T., Feyissa T., Asfaw Z., Zewdu A. · Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 18:74 · Ethiopia
An ethnobotanical survey of 240 households across four zones of southern Ethiopia documenting on-farm landrace diversity, use patterns and farmer conservation of the staple crop enset.
Heirloom & landraceBiodiversityFood educationCommunityねりま都市農業プロジェクト検討会 報告書
2022練馬区 · 練馬区 調査報告書 · Japan
Final report of Nerima's review panel building on the World Urban Agriculture Summit, organising directions for publicly supported urban agriculture under four pillars — circulation, environment, fairness and collaboration — including farmland conservation, agriculture-welfare links, ward allotments and outreach.
PolicyCommunityFood educationBiodiversity名古屋農業振興地域整備計画書
2022名古屋市 · 名古屋市 農業振興地域整備計画 · Japan
Nagoya's agricultural revitalisation area development plan, setting the institutional framework for municipally supported urban agriculture through conserving quality farmland, modernising facilities, promoting farmer-led citizen farms and collaborative local land use.
PolicyCommunityBiodiversityEconomicsLand sharing between cultivated and wild plants: urban gardens as hotspots for plant diversity in cities
2022Seitz B., Buchholz S., Kowarik I., Herrmann J., Neuerburg L., Wendler J., Winker L., Egerer M. · Urban Ecosystems, 25(3):927-939 · Germany (Berlin)
A survey of cultivated and spontaneously occurring wild plants in 18 community gardens across metropolitan Berlin, classifying each species as native or non-native. It found that gardens host many plant species — especially wild ones, including some endangered natives — regardless of surrounding urbanization, and that more cultivated species co-occur with more wild species (land sharing). The authors argue urban gardens can be sites of 'reconciliation ecology' that combine food production with conservation of native and wild flora.
BiodiversityCommunityPolicyManaging Urban-Rural Linkages for Biodiversity
2022UN-Habitat · UN-Habitat · Global
Frames the role of urban-rural linkages in biodiversity conservation, presenting integrated urban-rural governance through ecological corridors, green belts and farmland protection.
BiodiversityPolicyUrban–Rural Linkages and Ecosystem Restoration
2022UNCCD · UNCCD (UN Convention to Combat Desertification) Working Paper · Global
A policy analysis of how urban expansion cascades into rural land degradation and ecosystem loss, arguing for urban-rural linkage governance to drive land restoration and combat desertification.
BiodiversityPolicyFood democracy and sustainability in France and Chile: Community gardens promote ecological citizenship
2022Biskupovic C., Maurines B., Carmona R., Canteros E. · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · Chile
This qualitative comparative study of community and shared gardens in France and Chile found that small-scale collective gardening fosters human–nonhuman relationships and the transmission of caring practices, thereby promoting ecological citizenship and more sustainable forms of community living.
CommunityFood educationBiodiversityHomegardens as Sustainable Urban Agroforestry Systems to Promote Household Well-Being in Kandy, Sri Lanka
2022Jayakody S.K., Basu M. · Blue-Green Infrastructure Across Asian Countries (Springer Singapore), pp. 223–249 · Sri Lanka (Kandy)
This book chapter examines how traditional homegardens in the Kandy District function as integrated urban agroforestry systems supporting biodiversity conservation, physical exercise, and mental health, while noting that increasing urbanization threatens their long-term sustainability.
BiodiversityHealthCommunityWelfare