Research & reports

Zulma Lopez Reyes, Dalia Alshahrani, Jovana Čvorović, Mary May, Maged M. Saad · Frontiers for Young Minds · Global

An educational article on Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger) describing how soil microbes act as natural fertilizers that improve soil quality and protect plants. The authors are researching how to use microbes to help plants grow in warmer climates, testing this work in school gardens where students learn about healthy soils and growing nutritious food using new technologies.

Jacek Antonkiewicz, Iwona Paśmionka, Grzegorz Szychowski · Soil Science Annual · Poland

Following a flood that inundated allotment gardens in Nysa, southern Poland, for up to 14 days after the water rose on 14 September 2024, researchers analyzed 12 soil samples collected in early spring 2025 from two allotment garden sites. Most soils were found limed and disinfected, with high organic matter but low total potassium, sodium and sulfur. Zinc and copper concentrations exceeded the average for Polish arable soils, pointing to use of materials enriched with these elements.

I Gede Fery Surya Tapa, I Kadek Angga Budi Astrawan · Community Development Journal Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat · Indonesia

A community service report from SDN 3 Serangan, a public elementary school in the Serangan sub-district, Indonesia, describes a program to grow family medicinal plants (TOGA) on school grounds to raise environmental health awareness. Activities included site observation, plant species selection, land preparation, seedling procurement, and training and outreach to students. The program is reported to have increased use of school land for TOGA cultivation, expanded students' knowledge of TOGA, and encouraged active student participation in environmental health activities.

Mohamed Lamine Dramé, Abdoulaye DIAWARA, Hamadoun GARBA, Bonkana MAIGA, Hamadoun SYLLA, Yacin Guirre OSMAN, Ntcughunene Rokissi Ondombe, Soumaila DIARRA, Bakary DIARRA, Akory Ag Iknane, Fatou Diawara · Asian Food Science Journal · Mali

A study analyzed food security, dietary diversity and their socio-demographic determinants among households in Bamako, Mali, between 2018 and 2022. Using National Food Security and Nutrition Survey (ENSAN) data on 5,792 households, it applied descriptive statistics, bivariate analysis and multivariable logistic regression, with Household Dietary Diversity Scores (HDDS), Food Consumption Scores (FCS) and wealth quintiles as primary predictors. Household diets were cereal-based (99.3%) and largely lacking protein-rich foods such as eggs (20.1%) and legumes (36.7%). The prevalence of food security fell significantly, from 64.5% in 2018 to 59.2% in 2022 (p<0.01). Urban residence and higher education were strong positive predictors of food security (AOR 1.8, 95% CI 1.4-2.3, and AOR 2.1, CI 1.7-2.6, respectively), while households in the lowest wealth quintile (AOR 0.4, CI 0.3-0.6) and polygamous households (AOR 0.7, CI 0.5-0.9) showed significantly lower food security. The study concludes that Bamako's food insecurity stemmed from economic instability and educational disparities despite a degree of dietary diversity.

Márliton Santos, Martele Brito Santos, Josilene Martins Inez · REVISTA PONTO DE VISTA · Global

A systematic review following the PRISMA protocol, covering articles published between 2014 and 2024 in the CAPES and SciELO databases, analyzed the effect of school-based urban agriculture projects on students' emotional health. The review found that participation in school gardens was associated with a significant reduction in stress and anxiety levels and promoted the development of social skills. Pedagogical practices linked to urban agriculture were reported to foster a collaborative environment and improve emotional well-being, and the presence of green areas in schools was also found beneficial for academic performance and mental health.

Anna Stage (17743305), Marie Caroline Vermund (11075551), Mads Bølling (6661577), Camilla Roed Otte (21175813), Alberte Laura Oest Müllertz (21175816), Peter Bentsen (3527732), Glen Nielsen (10468844), Peter Elsborg (8894495) · Figshare · Denmark

A study protocol describes FoodACT, a multimethod, quasi-experimental investigation of the existing Danish school garden program Gardens to Bellies (GtB) and its effects on children's food literacy (FL), climate change literacy (CCL), school motivation (SM) and physical activity (PA), preregistered on ClinicalTrials.gov (#NCT05839080). The study covers six GtB locations across Region Zealand and Region of Southern Denmark, recruiting approximately 1,600 fourth-grade GtB pupils as the intervention group and approximately 1,600 fourth-grade pupils from non-GtB schools as controls. Pupils grow, prepare and cook food across eight garden sessions; FL, CCL and SM are measured via pre- and post-intervention surveys, PA via accelerometry, and acute SM via text-message surveys, alongside semi-structured and focus-group interviews with garden facilitators and pupils on implementation and mechanisms.

Md. Maruf Billah, Al Muzahid, Md. Nasrul Millat, Mohammad Mahmudur Rahman‬ · Journal of Environmental Science Health & Sustainability · Bangladesh

A structured face-to-face survey of 200 randomly selected residents in Bangladesh, conducted in 2024 and analyzed with SPSS version 29, examined perceptions of urban agriculture. 34.5% of respondents fell into the early-adopter category; rooftop gardening was the most widely adopted practice (93.5%), followed by homestead gardens (80%) and container gardens (66.5%). 94.5% perceived urban agriculture as contributing medium to high to environmental sustainability, and 92.5% saw reduced cost of living as its main benefit. Innovativeness, training exposure, extension access, media contact, education, group membership and market access were identified as adoption factors, while 89% of respondents reported facing medium to high constraints to adoption.

I Wayan Dikse Pancane, Maulana Ari Danuarta, Aan Oka Suryadinatha, Ni Ketut Anjani, Ni Ketut Arniti · Jurnal Abdi Masyarakat Indonesia · Indonesia

A community-service report on cultivating family medicinal plants (TOGA) to improve public health at "Kebun Berdaya" (empowerment garden) in Tonja Ward, North Denpasar, Indonesia, carried out from January 13 to February 28, 2025. Following field observation, situation analysis, and work-program development, TOGA planting was carried out with the Women Farmers Group (KWT) of Tonja Ward as the main partner. The goals were to raise community awareness of TOGA's benefits and to develop Kebun Berdaya as a center for empowerment and greening. The results showed increased community understanding and participation in using TOGA. Constraints identified included limited land and insufficient knowledge about plant types and processing. A continuation program is proposed, involving intensive training and mentoring to maximize TOGA's health and economic benefits.

Hellen Chrystianne Lucio Barros, Danielle Fernandes de Araújo Oliveira, Iris Alves Feitoza Albuquerque · Ambiente & Educação · Brazil

A study, based on interviews with six teachers at a state school in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, that has a community school garden project among its open spaces, examining possible relationships between green environments at school and the promotion of learning, well-being, and environmental care. The analysis found that teachers perceive the school garden as a pedagogical resource that facilitates learning, promotes well-being associated with students' mental health, and allows for discussion of environmental care and healthy eating, viewing it as a potential resource for learning in the field of socio-environmental education.

Mecca Howe, Jennifer Meta Robinson · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United States

This case study examined psychosocial impacts among 13-to-17-year-old participants in the Felege Hiywot Center's 2023 STEAM Farm Camp in an underserved urban US neighborhood with limited access to affordable, nutritious food, where teens designed and maintained garden plots, prepared shared meals, and did science projects. Using survey and facilitated-journaling data, the study found that gardening produced positive feelings and was experienced as stress relief and a source of accomplishment, that teens built friendships and mentorships, and that participation was associated with metacognitive skill development including self-awareness and reflection.

Christopher Tate, Shariq Mumtaz Hashmi, Niamh O’Kane, Ruth F. Hunter · Cities · Global

This systematic review searched four bibliographic databases and identified eleven studies on horticultural therapy (HT) interventions drawing on urban agriculture practices for people with pre-existing diagnoses of depression, anxiety, or acute stress disorder. Six studies reported improvements in depressive symptoms, three found HT mitigated stress, and two reported a positive influence on anxiety, but more than two-thirds of the included studies carried moderate (n=6) or high (n=2) risk of bias with substantial methodological heterogeneity, and the small number of studies limits the generalisability of the findings; the review concludes that further research is needed to establish a robust causal link between HT interventions and improved mental health outcomes in this population.

Mysha Clarke · EDIS · Global

This extension publication outlines the potential benefits of urban gardens for nearby neighborhoods, the broader urban community, peripheral communities, and visitors to a city, aimed at urban planners, residents, and community members planning new gardens or maintaining existing ones. It presents guidance rather than original study data or measured outcomes.

Wen‐Pei Sung, Ming-Cheng Liao, Hsian-Ling Peng, Chung-Tien Huang, Yun-Jung Chuang, J Wang · Sustainability · Global

Against a backdrop of intensifying urban heat island effects and residents' mental health problems amid urbanization, this study examined the impact of an Urban Food Forest Program on urban environmental comfort, heat island mitigation, and the mental health of middle-aged and elderly residents. Using on-site field measurements and questionnaire surveys, it analyzed the environmental comfort of green spaces in urban heat island hotspots and assessed participants' mental health. The Urban Food Forest Program significantly reduced surrounding environmental temperature, with an average cooling effect of 2.4°C particularly in soil areas, and reduced heat island intensity in the surrounding area by 15%. In the mental health survey, male participants scored significantly higher than female participants (p = 0.017), and middle-aged and elderly participants who took part more than five times per week scored 17% higher, significantly better, than low-frequency participants. The study notes that its relatively small sample size and limited observation period may affect the generalizability of its findings, and that it focused on one specific urban area that may not represent the broader urban context.

B Sreejith, B Maneesh · South Asian Journal of Agricultural Sciences · Global

Set against challenges to social equity, ecological balance, and global food availability from population growth and rapid urbanization, this review paper surveys existing literature linking urban agriculture to multiple Sustainable Development Goals — including poverty eradication, ending hunger, health and well-being, gender equality, economic growth and employment, inclusive urban development, sustainable consumption and production, climate action, land ecosystems, and global partnerships — and discusses policy implications for India. It compiles prior findings associating urban agriculture with locally grown food supply, resource optimization and emissions reduction through urban forestry, rooftop gardens and vertical farming, reduced food miles, and education, skill-building and community participation opportunities including for women and youth. The paper presents no original empirical data of its own.

Pierre‐Alexandre Deyris, Franck Pélissier, Claire M. Grison, Claude Grison · Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances · Global

Herbicide use worldwide has doubled over the past 30 years, and diuron contamination of tropical aquatic ecosystems — affecting food crops such as pineapple — has been reported across Southeast Asia, the Pacific, and Africa. This perspective article examines taro (Colocasia esculenta), a widely cultivated crop whose tubers are consumed locally, as a nature-based means of mitigating diuron impact on tropical aquatic ecosystems through rhizofiltration, i.e., phytoaccumulation of the herbicide by the roots. Analysis of treated tubers found that diuron levels in the tuber core were below recommended European standards, indicating the tubers could remain edible for the local population and confirming compatibility with existing food uses.

Gaynell M. Simpson, Wendy Lustbader · Innovation in Aging · Global

This symposium overview highlights cultural assets long relied upon by African American and Latina communities, focused on the formal and informal mutual aid of grandparent caregivers, which it describes as often overlooked or underutilized despite being a vital source of support. It states that historically, underserved grandparents have drawn on mutual aid practices such as neighbors relying on one another, sharing produce from community gardens, exchanging skills and abilities, and standing together with extended families when other societal resources were inaccessible. Four presenters address these themes: Carole Cox presents a virtual empowerment program on skill building, social connection, and empowerment; Nancy Mendoza offers recommendations on how the cultural assets of Latino grandparent caregivers can support their caregiving; Tina Peterson examines mutual aid among African American grandmothers raising grandchildren and how support networks compensate for gaps in formal and informal services; and Gaynell Simpson addresses the need for intergenerational programs and macro-level advocacy to address structural inequalities affecting grandparent caregivers and their families.

Jannatul Nayma Bona, Md. Zaki Faisal, Durjoy Hur, Saniya Afrin Swarna, Md. Muntaseer Al Mamun · Agriculture Archives. · Asia

In the Dhanmondi and Mohammadpur areas of Dhaka, Bangladesh, a mixed-methods study of 100 randomly selected rooftop gardeners drawn from a target population of 250 used structured interviews, focus group discussions and key informant interviews between March and May 2024 to examine the environmental and nutritional benefits of rooftop gardening (RTG). 49% of respondents perceived moderate environmental benefits and 25% perceived high benefits, with increased rooftop vegetation (mean perception index 245), reduced indoor temperatures and improved biodiversity as ecological outcomes. On nutrition, 65% reported significant benefits, 63% reported healthier dietary habits and 75% reported meeting a substantial share of their vegetable needs through rooftop cultivation; both environmental and nutritional benefits correlated positively with respondents' education level (r=0.628 and r=0.544) and gardening experience (r=0.946 and r=0.532) at the 1% significance level. Over half of participants, however, cited limited technical knowledge (perception index 231), seasonal water scarcity, high input costs and pest management difficulties as challenges.

Ratna Suminar, Nyang Vania Ayuningtyas Harini, Gian Sapta Andrialin · Journal of Agriculture and Animal Science · Indonesia

Against a backdrop of low vegetable consumption in Indonesia and rising demand for environmentally friendly urban farming solutions, a systematic literature review of sources published between 2016 and 2024 — accredited journals, reference books and research reports — examined the nutrient and bioactive-compound content of microgreens, their health benefits, and their potential for cultivation at scales including the household. It found that microgreens are high in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, have a short harvest period and low land requirements, that technologies such as LED lighting, growing media and seed quality strongly affect cultivation success, and that challenges remain in distribution and product shelf life.

Sarah Corcoran, Rachael Condley, Rachel A Liebe, Tuba Khan, Jillian Joyce, Deana Hildebrand, Ashlea Braun · Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition · United States (California)

At a hybrid food and resource center with an attached community garden in California, USA, a longitudinal, sequential explanatory mixed-methods study of 30 patrons (mean age 45.9, 73.3% women) combined quantitative measures (survey and skin carotenoids) with qualitative semi-structured interviews to examine barriers to and facilitators of fruit and vegetable intake. Skin carotenoid levels, a biomarker of fruit and vegetable intake, were largely unchanged before and after (P = .51); among the 26 participants interviewed, facilitators cited included perceptions of quality and alignment with health goals, while barriers included mental health and competing priorities, leading to the conclusion that programs aiming to improve fruit and vegetable intake should prioritize non-diet determinants.

Zahara Abdul Manaf, Louise Tee, Nurul Mirza Mohamad Shah, Siti Hajar Mohammad, Abdul Arieffarid Abdul Wahid · Journal of Health Population and Nutrition · Malaysia

This quasi-experimental study involved 72 ten-year-old children at a primary school in the Klang Valley, Malaysia, recruited by convenience sampling. The intervention group received a two-month program combining a talk on fruits and vegetables, educational gardening, cooking activities, and an educational board game, while the control group received only a dietitian's talk on fruits and vegetables. Height and weight were measured to calculate BMI, and changes in knowledge, attitudes, and practices around fruit and vegetable consumption were measured with a self-administered structured questionnaire. Knowledge and awareness improved significantly among girls in the intervention group (p = 0.010) but not among boys (p = 0.272), and knowledge improved significantly among overweight and obese participants (p = 0.033) but not among those with normal or underweight BMI (p = 0.215). Attitude (p = 0.980) and practice (p = 0.233) toward fruit and vegetable consumption showed no statistically significant improvement after the intervention.

Abubakar Mohd Habu, Ali Sanusi Hassan, Adeniyi Olarewaju Adeleye, Michael Edet Nkereuwem, Ijanu Emmanuel Madu, Garba Barde Bate, Olukemi Adeleye, Usman Mohammed Isah · Biological Environment and Pollution · Nigeria

This study assessed heavy-metal accumulation and non-carcinogenic health risks in commonly consumed leafy vegetables -- lettuce, spinach, and cabbage -- cultivated with wastewater in Zawaciki, Kano State, Nigeria. Vegetable and rhizospheric soil samples were analyzed for cadmium, lead, chromium, nickel, zinc, and copper using atomic absorption spectrophotometry, and bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) were calculated as the ratio of metal levels in plant tissue to soil. Metal concentrations varied significantly across the vegetables (p < 0.05), with lead in lettuce leaves exceeding the FAO/WHO permissible limit by more than 120 times; chromium in cabbage reached 32.22 mg/kg, while lettuce showed elevated zinc (19.83 mg/kg) and copper (9.26 mg/kg). Hazard-quotient risk assessments found HQs for chromium and lead both exceeding 1, and the cumulative hazard index exceeded 1 for all vegetables, reaching its highest value of 18.861 in lettuce.

Jan Grossarth · Discover Cities · Global

This paper critically examines the dominance of quantification—certification scores, KPIs, life-cycle assessment—in sustainability practice for cities and buildings (including urban agriculture), arguing that data-driven metrics strip out the emotional and narrative meaning of sustainability. The authors label the shift from a culturally rich orientation to a purely technical, quantitative practice a "tragedy of sustainability," and argue that narrative-focused interviews and real-life storytelling in architecture and urban planning should not just accompany KPIs and ratings but be prioritized over them. The paper is a conceptual argument, not an empirical study with data or case findings.

Md. Rafiqul Islam, Syed Anisur Rahman, Tanvir Ahmed · International Journal of Agriculture and Food Science · Asia

Six heavy metals (lead, cadmium, chromium, nickel, copper, zinc) were measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry in spinach, amaranth and fenugreek collected from four peri-urban sites around Dhaka, Bangladesh, during January-March 2024, where more than 2,000 hectares of vegetable land are irrigated with untreated industrial and domestic wastewater via canal networks. Lead in amaranth from the industrial-effluent site reached 0.94 mg/kg fresh weight, more than three times the WHO/FAO permissible limit of 0.30 mg/kg, while cadmium, chromium and nickel stayed within permissible limits at all sites and zinc, though highest in absolute terms (8.6-14.7 mg/kg), also remained within safe limits; contamination was highest at the industrial-effluent site and lowest at the borewell-irrigated control site, indicating a localized food-safety risk for consumers of peri-urban leafy greens grown with wastewater irrigation.

Jarosław Chmielewski, Barbara Gworek, Alicja Walosik, Magdalena Florek-Łuszczki · Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine · Poland

Soil (N=196) and root vegetable (N=94) samples from 16 allotment gardens in Warsaw, Poland, were analyzed for manganese, zinc, copper, lead and cadmium and assessed for health risk. Parsley, carrots, beetroots and celery grown in these gardens accumulated elevated levels of all five metals, and the health risk assessment found an increased risk of carcinogenic effects from cadmium and lead in consumers of these root vegetables; the authors conclude consumption of vegetables from the examined gardens should be very limited or eliminated from the diet entirely.

Ikrema Hassan, Innocent Mugudamani, Saheed Adeyinka Oke · Environments · Canada

Top and subsoil samples from Carleton community garden in New Brunswick, Canada, affected by an industrial fire hazard, were analyzed for toxic heavy metals using ICP-OES and ICP-MS, with ecological risk assessed via the ecological risk factor and potential ecological risk index (PERI) and human health risk assessed using a standard approach. Mean concentrations of lead, zinc, copper and tin exceeded permissible limits under Canadian soil quality guidelines and upper continental crust values; nickel posed a high ecological risk across both soil layers while all other metals showed low ecological risk, and overall PERI indicated low ecological threat. In the human health assessment, children faced non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risk from arsenic exposure while adults did not face risk from any of the metals studied, identifying arsenic as the primary contaminant of concern and children as the most vulnerable population.