Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
5823 results(172 / 233)
Going, 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 educationHealthCommunityWelfareAgroecological urban agriculture from the perspective of health promotion
2015Silvana Maria Ribeiro, Cláudia Maria Bógus, Helena Akemi Wada Watanabe · · Brazil (São Paulo)
This paper systematizes the experience of the "Colhendo Sustentabilidade" project, implemented in Embu das Artes, São Paulo metropolitan region, from 2008 to 2011, analyzing it from a Health Promotion perspective. Data was obtained through workshops and interviews with participants, public service technicians, and project team members. Conclusions revealed that agroecological urban agriculture serves as a health-promoting tool by contributing to individual and community empowerment, creating favorable health environments, and multiplying knowledge on income generation, health, and environment.
CommunityHealthFood sovereignty & justiceVancouver community gardeners perceptions on soil health and contamination
2015Jason Murillo, Environmental Health BCIT School of Health Sciences, Bobby Sidhu · BCIT Environmental Public Health Journal · Canada (Vancouver)
An online survey of 101 community gardeners from 23 community gardens in Vancouver, Canada, investigated perceptions of soil health and contamination. The study found no association between soil testing and garden location, nor between garden location and gardeners' confidence in soil safety. Despite potential health concerns from contaminated soil, community gardeners refrained from soil testing and remained confident in their soil's safety, indicating a gap in safety standards.
Contamination & food safetyCommunityHealthGrowing 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 educationSpontaneous Urban Agricultural Lands as Potential Green Open Space
2015Kyung-chan Min, Jee-young Kim, yong-hoon Son · Institutional Repositories DataBase (IRDB) · South Korea
A study in Gwanak-gu, Seoul, South Korea, investigated 45 spontaneous agricultural lands, primarily around Mt. Gwanak, which often present risks like disaster, pollution, and landscape degradation. Using GIS, satellite images, field surveys, and interviews, the study classified these lands into six types. Three types were well-managed, while three types were in poor condition, indicating governance challenges. The research discusses the causes of these conditions and explores the potential for these lands to become community open spaces.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyBiodiversityClimate changeReading for Sustainability through Botanical Aesthetics: Embodied Perceptions of Perth’s Flora, 1829 to 1929
2015John Ryan · UWA Profiles and Research Repository (University of Western Australia) · Australia (Perth)
This paper argues that the role of plant life in sustainability theory and practice is problematically limited to utilitarian discourses such as sustainable agriculture, food security, organic farming, urban gardening, and sustainable forestry management. These discourses exemplify a limited anthropocentric perspective on the botanical world, largely disregarding other values like a plant's intrinsic right-to-exist and the metaphysics of the plant world. The study focuses on embodied perceptions of Perth's flora from 1829 to 1929.
Urban–rural linkageClimate changeCommunityCultivating dreams: examining community involvement and satisfaction in Fayetteville farms
2015Donna Freeman · Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science · United States (Fayetteville)
This study in Fayetteville, United States, utilized data triangulation from site analysis, policy analysis, and surveys to explore how urban farms could be improved in areas like visibility and worker comfort. The research aimed to determine what workers and volunteers value in urban farms. It developed general physical and procedural templates for farms to enhance relationships with workers and surrounding communities.
CommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkageWelfareManaging community gardens in the Czech Republic
2015Eliška Novotná · ACC Journal · Czech Republic
This research investigated the management of community gardens in the Czech Republic, focusing on their economic self-sufficiency and long-term sustainability. The study examined the equipment and operation of gardens, funding sources for investments and operations, and the disclosure of information about their management.
CommunityEconomicsPolicyClimate change"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 educationWelfareA Study on Improving the Utilization of Biotope Area Ratio System Considering the Plant Growth Conditions
2015Gunwon Lee, Yunnam Jeong, Seongkyun Ji, Seiyong Kim · Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society · South Korea
This study aimed to improve Biotope Area Ratio (BAR) systems to address the increasing demand for urban agriculture, particularly in residential complexes where architectural and urban planning responses are lacking. It found that existing BAR systems are limited for crop cultivation because they only consider vegetation. The research proposes expanding BAR systems to include plant growth capacity factors, such as daylight, planting interval, area, and soil depth, to better accommodate urban agriculture demands.
Governance failurePolicyDIYCommunityAnálisis de gestión y valoración socio-cultural de los huertos urbanos comunitarios de la ciudad de Córdoba (España)
2015Elena Bertrán Arroyo · · Spain (Córdoba)
This study states that cities are socio-biological systems where social and natural aspects are interconnected through the provision and consumption of ecosystem services.
CommunityPolicyEconomics나탈리 제레미젠코의 환경개선 프로젝트
2015박윤조 · · United States (New York City)
This essay describes Natalie Jeremijenko's environmental improvement projects, which utilize interactive technologies and an ecological worldview emphasizing symbiotic relationships between humans and nonhumans. Her work includes public experiments like 〈Robotic Geese〉 and eco-products for monitoring contamination, as well as the urban farming system 〈Farmacy〉 and local food movement 〈AgBags〉, aiming to reduce environmental costs and promote biodiversity.
CommunityClimate changeHealthOs Impactos da Agricultura Urbana na Qualidade da Água na Nascente do Igarapé do Mindu - Comunidade Nova Esperança (Manaus – AM)
2015Samara Aquino Maia, F. Wachholz, Raquel Gouvêa dos Santos, João Carlos Ferreira Júnior · Boletim Amazônico de Geografia · Brazil (Manaus)
This study identified environmental impacts on a Mindu Igarapé spring in Manaus, Brazil, by collecting water samples at eleven points. Water temperature increased from 29.6 to 30.6°C downstream due to riparian vegetation removal and dredging. pH (6.6-7.7) and electrical conductivity (0.16-0.32 mS/cm) also increased downstream, possibly linked to expanding horticulture using fertilizers. Most analyzed water quality variables were negatively influenced by anthropogenic activities, including horticulture, riparian vegetation removal, dredging, and small dam construction.
Environmental trade-offsClimate changeCommunityKomunitas Urban Farming Dan Kedaulatan Pangan: Studi Kasus Di Jakarta, Bandung Dan Bogor
2015Zulfadhli Nasution · · Indonesia (Jakarta, Bandung, Bogor)
This study investigated the relationship between urban farming communities and food sovereignty in Jakarta, Bandung, and Bogor, Indonesia. The findings suggest that the discourse of food sovereignty has not been exposed to urban farming communities. This is attributed to urban farming having different historical roots and social and political characteristics compared to the food sovereignty movement.
Limited or null effectCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkagePolicySC 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 educationHealthCommunityA agricultura urbana em Natal (RN): da produção convencional à orgânica
2015Rosangela Medeiros Hespanhol · Confins · Brazil (Natal)
This study analyzed the trajectory of farmers from AMIGS (Association of Friends and Producers of Vegetables Residents of Sitio Gramoré and Adjacencies), a significant vegetable supplier in Natal, Brazil, who have been transitioning from conventional to organic production since 2012. The organization of farmers through the association and partnerships with companies and institutions were crucial for enabling this change, reducing dependence on intermediaries through direct sales at ecological fairs. However, problems related to the individual acquisition of inputs and conflicts with farmers still using conventional systems were observed.
Governance failureOrganic cycleCommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceCoalition Building for Health: A Community Garden Pilot Project with Apartment Dwelling Refugees
2015Lynne Eggert, Jane Blood‐Siegfried, Mary T. Champagne, Maha Al-Jumaily, Donna J. Biederman · Journal of Community Health Nursing · Global
This study reports on a pilot project that formed a coalition, guided by the Community Coalition Action Theory, to implement a community garden for apartment-dwelling refugees. Outcomes included successful coalition formation, the establishment of a community garden, reported satisfaction from all gardeners with increased vegetable intake, access to culturally meaningful foods, and evidence of increased community engagement. The project demonstrated the opportunity for community health nurses to convene a coalition to positively impact refugee health.
CommunityHealthWelfareFood educationInformation Needs of Youths involved in Urban Agriculture as Strategy for Checking Unemployment in Epe Lga of Lagos State, Nigeria
2015C.O. Edeoghon, DU Okoedo-Okojie · Journal of applied science and environmental management · Nigeria (Lagos State)
This study assessed the information needs of 140 youths involved in urban agriculture in Epe LGA, Lagos State, Nigeria, using structured questionnaires. Most respondents (71.4% unemployed) needed information on crop production (54.3%) and perceived urban agriculture as a solace for unemployment. Major agricultural tasks included vegetable, maize, cassava, and fish production. Unemployment was attributed to laziness, lack of knowledge, and god-fatherism, and perceived information needs were significantly associated with education level and primary occupation.
WelfareFood educationEconomicsCommunityOcupação de vazio urbano como promotor do planejamento para cidade saudável
2015Ana Maria Girotti Sperandio, Lauro Luiz Francisco Filho, Édison Fávero, Marialva Motta Ribeiro, Thaís Manfrinato · PARC Pesquisa em Arquitetura e Construção · Brazil (Conchal-SP)
This article presented results from a pilot field research project in Conchal-SP, Brazil, aiming to identify aspects of urban vacant space occupation through a community garden, considering principles of the City Statute, Health Promotion, and Healthy Urban Planning. Using a case study methodology, including bibliographic and documentary research, a Post-Occupancy Walkthrough Survey, and oral histories, the community garden was found to be an efficient tool for occupying urban vacant spaces. It helped re-establish intrinsic territorial relationships, fostering social participation, intersectorality, and local governance, which contributes to a sense of comfort and pleasure in a place.
CommunityHealthPolicyAgricultura urbana agroecológica na perspectiva da promoção da saúde 1 Agroecological urban agriculture from the perspective of health promotion
2015Cláudia Maria Bógus, Helena Akemi, Wada Watanabe · · Brazil (São Paulo)
This study systematized the "Gathering sustainability, community practices on food security and urban agriculture" project conducted in Embu das Artes, São Paulo, Brazil, from 2008 to 2011. Through workshops and interviews with participants and project staff, the research found that ecological urban agriculture serves as a health promotion tool by strengthening individual and community leadership, fostering empowerment, and creating supportive environments. It also facilitates knowledge sharing related to health, environment, and income generation.
HealthCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceUrban Farming ™ (http://wwwurbanfarming.org)
2015Lauren Goode · Journal of Agricultural & Food Information · United States
This article describes the long tradition in the United States of citizens and communities growing their own food. This tradition was particularly evident during World War II, when canned foods were rationed and materials for food production and transport were scarce.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEnseñanza del desarrollo sostenible y la agricultura orgánica por medio de una huerta escolar
2015Óscar Moreno Flogia, Andrea Navarrete, Fernando Rodríguez Cortés · · Colombia
This article presents research results on how to approach the concept of "sustainable development" by teaching organic agriculture principles in a school garden at Liceo Campestre Bosque Andino in Sibate, Cundinamarca, Colombia. Constructivism and meaningful learning served as the pedagogical framework, with concept maps and the Likert scale used as assessment tools.
Food educationOrganic cycleCommunityClimate changeEroding the Community in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA): Competition's Effects in Alternative Food Networks in California
2015Ryan E. Galt, Katharine A. Bradley, Libby Christensen, Julia Van Soelen Kim, Ramiro Lobo · Sociologia Ruralis · United States (California)
A study of 111 CSA farms in California examined the effects of competition within alternative food networks. Analysis showed that perceived competition is negatively correlated with CSA farms' profitability, farmer satisfaction, various indicators of CSA's social embeddedness, and two community food security strategies. Competition was found to undermine some commonly held CSA values, specifically fair farmer compensation and strong member-farmer relationships.
Equity & displacementCSA & TeikeiEconomicsCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceAssessing the Residents’ Preference of Awareness Regarding Urban Agriculture at Rooftop Garden
2015Neda Jafari, Mohd Yazid Mohd Yunos, Md Azree Othuman Mydin, Osman Mohd Tahir · Applied Mechanics and Materials · Malaysia
This quantitative survey research examined residents' awareness and preferences regarding urban agriculture at rooftop gardens in The Heritage condominium in Selangor and Sri Putramas 2 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The survey results indicated that residents who participated agreed with the awareness of urban agriculture at rooftop gardens. The study aims to promote sustainable building and the use of urban agriculture in residential rooftop gardening.
DIYCommunityFood educationUnravelling the politics of urban food transitions. A governance approach on Alternative Food Networks
2015Alessandra Manganelli · Lirias · Global
This early-stage PhD research (Month 12) investigates the governance of Alternative Food Networks (AFNs), focusing on their internal dynamics and relations with external institutions. While civil society actors catalyze AFNs, the institutional environment they face is not always favorable or accountable, with examples including changes in political priorities and constraining regulations. The Brussels-Capital Region serves as the main empirical case study, analyzing movements like GASAP and "Le Debut des Haricots."
Governance failurePolicyCommunityFood sovereignty & justice