Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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Critical findings
628 results(17 / 26)
Horta comunitária como lócus propagador do conhecimento agroecológico
2016Glorinha Correa Neta, Francisneide de Sousa Lourenço, Naiana Marinho de Souza, J. N. de P. Lourenço, Rainielly Barbosa Soares · · Brazil
This work reports on an experience in the Nova Esperanca community in Brasileirinho, Brazil, with a project focused on a community garden as a propagator of agroecological knowledge. The project aimed to develop activities for vegetable cultivation using agroecological practices. Through tools like Venn diagrams and seasonal calendars, the study observed the difficulties the community faced in planting the Erapakatupa garden.
CommunityFood educationOrganic cycleA Complete History of the Social, Health, and Political Context of the School Gardening Movement in the United States: 1840–2014
2016Kate Gardner Burt · Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition · United States
This article explores the social, health, and political contexts influencing the school gardening movement in the United States from 1840 to 2014. It demonstrates that school gardens have remained a mainstay due to their adaptability and ability to connect with important social, health, and political issues over 150 years.
Food educationHealthPolicyCommunityStalk It Up To Integrated Learning: Using Foods We Eat And Informational Texts To Learn About Plant Parts And Their Functions
2016Rachel Wilson, Leslie Bradbury · Figshare · United States
This article presents a mini-unit taught in a third-grade classroom as part of a school garden project, aiming to connect students' understanding of plant parts with the plants they consume. The lessons integrated informational texts into an inquiry-based science unit to align with both Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Next Generation Science Standards.
Food educationCommunityHorta comunitária de base agroecológica com sistema de irrigação e compostagem
2016Talita Slota Kutz, Fernanda Daniela Bandelero, Jéssica Cardoso, Thiago de Olivera Vargas · · Brazil
This work describes a 16-hour theoretical-practical workshop conducted in a settlement in Peritoro-MA, Brazil, during the "Operacao Velho Monge" of Project Rondon in 2014. The workshop aimed to disseminate agroecological horticulture through the implementation of a pilot community garden project with drip irrigation and composting systems, facilitating learning for both the settlement community and participating students.
CommunityCompostFood educationOrganic cycleThe Role of Local and Regional Food Systems in U.S. Farm Policy
2016Renée Johnson · University of North Texas Digital Library (University of North Texas) · United States
This report provides background information on various types of operations involved in the U.S. local and regional food system. These include direct-to-consumer marketing, farmers' markets, farm-to-school programs, community-supported agriculture, community gardens, and school gardens. The report also highlights available resources within existing federal programs administered by the USDA and other agencies.
PolicyCommunityFood educationCSA & TeikeiUsing Text Messages to Promote Engagement in a Subsidized Community Supported Agriculture Program for Head Start Families
2016Colin Cox, Jessica A. Hoffman, Mariya Shiyko, Catherine Wirth · Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition · United States
A study in the United States evaluated the effect of text message reminders on farm share pickup rates among Head Start parents participating in a subsidized community supported agriculture program. While pickup rates were high for both text messaging and no text messaging groups, with 96% vs 92% within two days and 69% vs 62% on the day of delivery, no statistically significant differences were found between the groups. The study's ability to isolate the effects of text messages was limited because program coordinators used multiple methods to promote parent participation.
Limited or null effectCSA & TeikeiWelfareFood educationFood for Thought: The Intersection of Gardens, Education, and Community at Edible Schoolyard New Orleans
2015Fakharzadeh S. · Children, Youth and Environments, 25(3) (Project MUSE) · United States
A qualitative study of Edible Schoolyard New Orleans drawing on interviews and observations to examine how the school-garden program affects children. It illustrates gains in students' food security, environmental knowledge and emotional and social well-being, mapping the intersection of gardens, education and community.
Food educationCommunityWelfareSchool Gardens Enhance Academic Performance and Dietary Outcomes in Children
2015Berezowitz C., Bontrager Yoder A., Schoeller D. · Journal of School Health, 85(8):508-518 · United States
A review examining the academic and dietary effects of school garden programs. It found that garden-based learning does not harm academic performance and may favorably affect science and math achievement as well as fruit and vegetable intake and preferences.
Food educationHealthPolicyFeasibility and acceptability of a gardening-based nutrition education program in preschoolers from low-income, minority populations
2015Sharma S.V., Hedberg A.M., Skala K.A., Chuang R.-J., Lewis T. · Journal of Early Childhood Research, 13(1):93–110 · United States (Texas)
An 8-week teacher-led PLANT Gardens (Preschoolers Learn About Nutrition Through Gardens) program with 103 Head Start preschoolers in two Harris County, Texas centers. Confirmed feasibility and acceptability and a significant increase in parent-reported willingness to try new fruits and vegetables.
Food educationHealthCommunityDiversity of wild bees supports pollination services in an urbanized landscape
2015Lowenstein D.M., Matteson K.C., Minor E.S. · Oecologia, 179(3):811-821 · United States
A study measuring wild bee diversity and cucumber pollination (a pollination service) across urban Chicago. Sites with more bee species had better pollination, and even densely populated residential areas supported high bee richness. It demonstrates that growing diverse flowers in urban gardens sustains pollinators and directly benefits urban agricultural yields.
PollinatorsBiodiversityFood educationCommunityFood Safety and School Garden Program for Elementary and Middle School Students
2015Valerie Calberry, Lori Pivarnik, Ingrid Lofgren · The FASEB Journal · United States (Rhode Island)
An intervention study, part of a Rhode Island Farm to School project overseen by the nonprofit Farm Fresh RI, aimed at improving elementary and middle school students' knowledge and practices around the food safety of school-garden produce. Two lessons on good vs. bad bacteria, hand hygiene, and harvesting/washing were delivered to 115 children aged 5–11, and knowledge scores rose significantly by over 39% (from 5.3±1.8 to 7.4±2.0).
Food educationHealthBest Practices in Community Garden Management to Address Participation, Water Access, and Outreach
2015Luke Drake, Laura Lawson · Journal of Extension · United States (New Jersey)
This article uses ethnographic methods to examine how community gardens actually work, focusing on management in New Jersey. It finds that spatial and social contexts shape key issues such as water access, participation, and horticultural techniques, and argues that Extension professionals can support community gardens more effectively—in planning and organization as well as horticultural education—by tailoring advice to these contexts.
CommunityFood educationA plant to plate pilot: a cold‐climate high school garden increased vegetable selection but also waste
2015Brian Wansink, Andrew S. Hanks, David R. Just · Acta Paediatrica · United States (New York)
Using a before/after tray-waste design, this pilot tested whether a cold-climate high school garden could influence vegetable intake without nutrition education. At an upstate New York high school, adding garden-grown greens to the salad bar raised the share of students selecting salad from 2% to 10% and students ate about two-thirds of what they took, though waste rose from 5.56% to 33.33% per serving.
Food educationHealthFood lossSchool Gardens as Sites for Forging Progressive Socioecological Futures
2015Sarah A. Moore, Jeffrey R. Wilson, Sarah Kelly, Sallie A. Marston · Annals of the Association of American Geographers · United States (Tucson)
This article examines school gardens in two underresourced schools in poor neighborhoods of Tucson, Arizona, as sites for socioecological change. It argues that for some children, these gardens help overcome the alienating aspects of neoliberal school reform in the United States. The gardens foster connections with classmates, university students, plants, and animals, promoting sustainable and socially just practices.
Food educationCommunityWelfareThe Effects of School Gardens on Children's Science Knowledge: A randomized controlled trial of low-income elementary schools
2015Nancy M. Wells, Beth M. Myers, Lauren Todd, Karen Barale, Brad Gaolach, Gretchen Ferenz, Martha Aitken, Charles Henderson, Caroline C. Tse, Karen Ostlie Pattison, Cayla Taylor, Laura Connerly, Janet B. Carson, Alexandra Z. Gensemer, Nancy Franz, Elizabeth C. Falk · International Journal of Science Education · United States
A randomized controlled trial in 25 low-income elementary schools across four US states (n=3,061 students aged 6-12) examined the effect of a school garden intervention on science knowledge from Fall 2011 to Spring 2013. While science knowledge increased more in the intervention group than in the control group, overall scores remained poor and gains were very modest. A dose-response relationship was observed, where more robust intervention implementations correlated with stronger treatment effects.
Food educationHealthCommunityBrooklyn Farmer
2015Andrew Koval · Educational Media Reviews Online · United States (New York City)
The 27-minute documentary film "Brooklyn Farmer" (2014) covers organic urban rooftop farming as a business. The film offers perspectives on the cost of farm labor's exposure to pesticides versus the increased cost of organic vegetables, citing aesthetics, supply chain reduction, and human health as benefits of urban farming. While noted for its informative text and enhanced production value, a stated limitation is that it should have featured farmers in a more traditional vegetable production capacity to provide a diversity of opinion concerning the market.
DIYEconomicsHealthFood educationGoing, Doing, Gardening: School Gardens in the Underrepresented Communities of Lake Worth, Palm Springs, and Greenacres, Florida
2015Amy Wagenfeld, Erica Whitfield · Children Youth and Environments · United States (Florida)
In January 2010, the School District of Palm Beach County, Florida, received a grant to install school/community gardens to reduce obesity and increase access to fresh produce among minority communities, primarily Hispanic children and families. A 42-item survey measured the gardens' usability, curricular integration, movement/exercise capacities, and health benefits. Findings indicated that participating in garden programs positively influenced students' and teachers' lives.
Food educationHealthCommunityWelfareGrowing Together: Poverty Alleviation, Community Building, and Environmental Justice through Home Gardens in Pacoima, Los Angeles
2015Bhavna Shamasunder, R Mason, Luke Ippoliti, Laura Robledo · Environmental Justice · United States (Los Angeles)
A community-based research project in Pacoima, Los Angeles, examined 36 families who received home gardens, training, and support in 2013. Following families through one planting cycle, data showed the potential for home gardens to contribute to household food budgets, increase home pride, motivate community involvement, and provide green spaces. This project aims to address the research gap on home gardens' benefits and challenges.
CommunityWelfareHealthFood education"What We Eat Matters": Perspectives on Food and Health in the Mexican Im/migrant Farmworker Communities in Indian River County, Florida
2015Hugo Puerto · Journal of International Crisis and Risk Communication Research · United States (Florida)
This ethnographic study in Indian River County, Florida, investigated challenges in engaging Mexican im/migrant farmworkers in community-based health solutions, specifically community gardens. Despite efforts by farmworker leaders and the health department to promote community gardens for health and economic benefits, little engagement was observed within the farmworker community. The research, based on participant observation, surveys, and interviews, analyzed barriers to healthy eating and the limited role of grassroots initiatives in improving health outcomes.
Limited or null effectCommunityHealthFood educationWelfareSC Farm-to-School Programs Encourages Children to Consume Vegetables
2015Sonya J. Jones, Casey Childers, Amy T. Weaver, Jacquelyn Ball · Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition · United States (South Carolina)
In South Carolina, United States, a piloted farm-to-school program with four components, including local producer partnership, SC-grown foods in the cafeteria, promotion, and a school garden, was evaluated. A quasi-experimental design compared fruit and vegetable consumption in children from participating schools to matched comparison schools. Results showed that children in farm-to-school schools consumed more vegetables but fewer fruits than those in comparison schools.
Food educationHealthCommunityHealthy Foods Healthy Lives Project Sweetie Pie-Camden Greenhouse Project
2015Virajita Singh, Alexander Thill, Daniel Handeen · University of Minnesota Digital Conservancy (University of Minnesota) · United States (Minneapolis)
Project Sweetie Pie (PSP) is a non-profit organization in North Minneapolis, United States, that addresses food insecurity by establishing community gardens. To date, PSP has started over 25 gardens, providing fresh produce to citizens. The Camden Greenhouse planning project engaged the community to understand needs and generate ideas for creating a food hub in Camden and North Minneapolis.
CommunityFood educationWelfareFood sovereignty & justiceA política brasileira de segurança alimentar e nutricional: concepção e resultados
2015Walter Belik · Segurança Alimentar e Nutricional · Brazil
This article discusses the use of the Food and Nutritional Security concept in Brazil's Fome Zero Project and its implementation through various programs initiated in the past decade. It concludes by calling attention to the need to improve programs related to supply, food and nutritional education, and urban agriculture to enable the functioning of an integrated Food and Nutritional Security system.
Governance failurePolicyFood sovereignty & justiceWelfareFood educationHORTA ESCOLAR: ALTERNATIVA PARA PROMOVER EDUCAÇÃO AMBIENTAL E DESENVOLVIMENTO SUSTENTÁVEL NO CARIRI PARAIBANO
2015Carlos Antônio Gonçalves da Costa, José Thyago Aires Souza, Daniel Duarte Pereira · polemica · Brazil (Gurjão)
This study portrayed and analyzed the inclusion of an environmental education project using a school garden as a tool in Gurjão municipality, Brazil. The research demonstrated that the school garden facilitated learning based on various areas of knowledge and fostered conscious and critical citizens regarding environmental issues. It highlighted that the school garden can serve as an open-air laboratory to be utilized across all disciplines.
Food educationCommunityClimate changeEngaging City Youth in Urban Agriculture: Examining a Farm-Based High School Internship Program through the Lens of Self-Determination Theory
2015Elena Broaddus, Liana S. Przygocki, Peter J. Winch · Children Youth and Environments · United States (Baltimore)
A year-long case study examined six eleventh- and twelfth-grade students participating in a farm-based youth internship program in Baltimore, Maryland. Using Self-Determination Theory as an analytical framework, program components that promoted participants' engagement by meeting their needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness were identified. The findings indicate specific strategies that urban agriculture programs can use to more effectively engage youth.
Food educationCommunityHealthA CONSTRUÇÃO DE UMA HORTA COMUNITÁRIA NA PERSPECTIVA DA EDUCAÇÃO POPULAR: ESTRATÉGIA DE PROMOÇÃO DA SAÚDE E PARTICIPAÇÃO POPULAR
2015Maria José Pereira Tavares, Ana Paula Maia Espíndola Rodrigues, Reginaldo Ferreira de Lima Júnior, Pedro José Santos Carneiro Cruz · Encontro Regional Nordeste I 2015 · Brazil (João Pessoa)
The "Praticas Integrais da Promocao da Saude e Nutricao na Atencao Basica – PINAB" University Extension Program, active since 2007 in João Pessoa, Brazil, uses popular education methodology to promote health and food security. The "Horta Popular Boa Esperanca" community garden, a key initiative, provides weekly educational activities like cultivation and harvesting, fostering collective work and social mobilization. The program's actions create a collective space for learning and integration between the community, health services, and university, contributing to health promotion and environmental care.
CommunityFood educationHealthFood sovereignty & justice