Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
8656 results(178 / 347)
City adjustments as the main factor of success of urban and peri-urban farms—empirical evidence from the Ruhr metropolis
2019· NJAS: Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences · Germany (Ruhr)
Empirical study of urban and peri-urban farms in Germany's Ruhr metropolis, finding that farms' adjustments to urban conditions—diversification and multifunctional business models—are the main factor in their economic success.
EconomicsPolicyInstitutions for Collective Gardening: A Comparative Analysis of 51 Urban Community Gardens in Anglophone and German-Speaking Countries
2019· International Journal of the Commons · Germany (German-speaking countries)
A comparative institutional analysis of 51 urban community gardens across Anglophone and German-speaking countries, examining the rules and arrangements that sustain collective gardening.
CommunityPolicyUrban Gardening in Germany: Cultivating a Sustainable Lifestyle for the Societal Transition to a Bioeconomy
2019· Sustainability · Germany
Surveyed urban gardening projects across Germany, finding that community spirit, neighbourhood and solidarity are central values in the majority of projects contributing to a sustainable lifestyle.
CommunityPolicyUrban Commons for the Edible City—First Insights for Future Sustainable Urban Food Systems from Berlin, Germany
2019· Sustainability · Germany (Berlin)
Examines urban commons for the edible city, offering first insights for future sustainable urban food systems based on Berlin.
CommunityPolicyBiodiversityUrban food policies in German city regions: An overview of key players and policy instruments
2019Doernberg A., Horn P., Zasada I., Piorr A. · Food Policy · Germany
Analyzes key actors and policy instruments in urban food policy across German city regions, finding integrated food strategies still rare and informational/procurement instruments most common.
PolicyCommunityEconomicsFood Policy Councils as Loci for Practising Food Democracy? Insights from the Case of Oldenburg, Germany
2019Sieveking A. · Politics and Governance · Germany (Oldenburg)
Studies the Oldenburg food policy council (2016–2018) to assess whether food policy councils can serve as loci for practising food democracy.
PolicyCommunityDesign and Validation of a Low Cost Programmable Controlled Environment for Study and Production of Plants, Mushroom, and Insect Larvae
2019Padmanabha M., Streif S. · Applied Sciences · Global
Designs and validates a low-cost modular programmable controlled-environment device for quantitative study of growth in plants, fungi, and insect larvae. It consists of modular units including a sensor cluster measuring gas concentrations, air properties, and growing-medium properties.
DIYOyster Mushroom Cultivation as an Economic and Nutritive Alternative for Rural Low-Income Women in Villapinzón (Colombia)
2019· Springer (book chapter) · Villapinzón, Colombia
Examines low-cost oyster mushroom cultivation as an income- and nutrition-generating alternative for rural low-income women in Villapinzon, Colombia. Highlights mushroom growing as an accessible, low-capital livelihood option.
DIYWelfareEconomicsAffordable remote monitoring of plant growth in facilities using Raspberry Pi computers
2019· Applications in Plant Sciences · Global
GMpi, a low-cost growth-environment monitoring system built from a Raspberry Pi, open-source software, inexpensive environmental sensors and a camera that automates readings, imaging and out-of-range alerts, and is customizable and scalable.
DIYEconomicsDesign, construction, verification and testing of a low cost germinator
2019Hernández López A., Avila Alejandre A.X., Mendoza Francisco N., Hernández López H. · Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Agrícolas · Mexico
Design, construction and testing of a low-cost seed germinator built from locally available materials that automatically controls temperature and photoperiod, with an Arduino Uno temperature verifier; total cost about US$58, competitive with commercial germinators.
DIYEconomicsEffect of stocking density of fish on water quality and growth performance of European Carp and leafy vegetables in a low-tech aquaponic system
2019Maucieri C., Nicoletto C., Zanin G., Birolo M., Trocino A., Sambo P., Borin M., Xiccato G. · PLOS ONE · Italy
In a low-tech aquaponic system, two fish stocking densities were compared for their effects on water quality, European carp growth and leafy vegetable yield; the lower density (2.5 kg/m3) improved water quality and production.
DIYExperimental investigation of wicking bed irrigation using shallow-rooted crops grown under glasshouse conditions
2019· Irrigation Science · Australia
Glasshouse experiment investigating wicking bed irrigation for shallow-rooted crops, examining lettuce and two radish varieties.
DIYEffect and process evaluation of a real-world school garden program on vegetable consumption and its determinants in primary schoolchildren
2019· PLOS ONE · Netherlands
An effect and process evaluation of a nine-week school garden program (culminating in a harvest-and-cooking event) on primary schoolchildren's vegetable consumption; well received by teachers and pupils.
Food educationHealthSocial Farming: An Inclusive Environment Conducive to Participant Personal Growth
2019Moruzzo R., Di Iacovo F., Funghi A., Scarpellini P., Espinosa Diaz S., Riccioli F. · Social Sciences · Italy
A study exploring how care and social farms provide inclusive environments supporting the personal growth of participants, by researchers affiliated with universities in Italy.
WelfareCommunityWild pollinator activity negatively related to honey bee colony densities in urban context
2019Ropars L., Dajoz I., Fontaine C., Muratet A., Geslin B. · PLOS ONE · Paris, France
In Paris, wild pollinator visitation rates were negatively correlated with honey bee colony densities, suggesting high-density urban beekeeping may compete with wild pollinators for floral resources.
PollinatorsBiodiversityEffect of the composting process on physicochemical properties and concentration of heavy metals in market waste with additive materials in the Ga West Municipality, Ghana
2019Tibu C., Annang T. Y., Solomon N., Yirenya-Tawiah D. · International Journal of Recycling of Organic Waste in Agriculture · Ga West, Ghana
In Ga West Municipality, Ghana, stack-pile composting of market waste with sawdust, rice straw and swine manure was monitored for temperature, pH, N, P, K and heavy metal concentrations through the composting process.
CompostOrganic cycleGleaning in the 21st Century: Urban food recovery and community food security in Ontario, Canada
2019Marshman J., Scott S. · Canadian Food Studies · Ontario, Canada
A study of five Ontario gleaning groups showing that modern gleaning contributes to community food security by reducing food waste, improving access to fresh food, and fostering social connections.
Food lossCommunityWelfareSurplus Labor and Subjectivity in Urban Agriculture: Embodied Work, Contested Work
2019· Economic Geography · USA
Focuses on the unpaid 'surplus labor' that sustains urban agriculture sites, analyzing how it is appropriated and distributed. It shows these sites depend heavily on unpaid, contested embodied work central to workers' subject formation.
EconomicsCommunityNew scholarly pathways on green gentrification: What does the urban 'green turn' mean and where is it going?
2019Anguelovski I., Connolly J. J. T., Garcia-Lamarca M., Cole H., Pearsall H. · Progress in Human Geography · Global
A critical review synthesizing research on green gentrification, arguing that urban greening interventions can create elite enclaves of environmental privilege that exclude and displace lower-income and minority residents.
PolicyCommunityEconomicsFormal sector workers' participation in urban agriculture in Ghana: perspectives from the Wa Municipality
2019Peter Dery Bolang, Issaka Kanton Osumanu · Heliyon · Ghana (Wa)
A 2019 cross-sectional survey of 364 randomly selected formal-sector employees across four public institutions in Wa Municipality, north-west Ghana, analysed with logistic regression. Only 37.9% took part in urban farming; 62.1% did not. Participation was strongly gendered (44.1% of men versus 23.1% of women), and 78% of non-participants were under 35. Participants grew food crops (55.1%), kept animals (19.9%) or did both (25.0%), 68.1% at small scale. Annual earnings from the activity were GH¢101–200 (US$22–44) and monthly food-bill savings US$13–44, and 73.9% said they could feed their families from their own production — but against an average monthly salary of about US$289 the monetary contribution is modest. Significant predictors of participation were access to credit (+67.42%), being male (+20.9%), age and household size, while each additional year of education lowered the probability by 19.72%; household income, land access and access to agricultural information were not significant. The most cited barriers were production risk (90.3%) and weekend work duties (53.5%). The authors note the study covers one municipality and only non-essential-service formal workers, is cross-sectional, and that farmers could not reliably quantify yields.
EconomicsCommunityCreating urban green infrastructure where it is needed – A spatial ecosystem service-based decision analysis of green roofs in Barcelona
2019Johannes Langemeyer, Diego Wedgwood, Timon McPhearson, Francesc Baró, Anders L. Madsen, David N. Barton · The Science of The Total Environment · Spain (Barcelona)
This study developed a spatial multi-criteria screening tool in Barcelona, Spain, to prioritize green roof locations and designs for optimal ecosystem service provision. Fifteen spatial indicators and five green roof designs were analyzed and weighted by local experts. The assessment found high demand for green roof ecosystem services across Barcelona, especially in dense residential and industrial areas, with habitat, pollination, and thermal regulation being most needed, while runoff control and food production were least demanded. Naturalized roofs offered the highest potential for 87.5% of rooftop area.
CommunityBiodiversityClimate changePolicyUrban agriculture as a keystone contribution towards securing sustainable and healthy development for cities in the future
2019Siv Lene Gangenes Skar, Rocío Pineda‐Martos, Axel Timpe, Bernd Pölling, Katrin Bohn, Mart Külvik, Cecília Delgado, Celestina Pedras, Teresa A. Paço, Mirjana Ćujić, Nikolaos Tzortzakis, Antonios Chrysargyris, A. Peticilă, Gitana Alenčikienė, Hendrik Monsees, Ranka Junge · Blue-Green Systems · Global
This article discusses urban agriculture's role in creating sustainable and climate-friendly cities, drawing on 20 years of research and practice. It highlights that urban agriculture can minimize climate change effects and improve urban quality of life. Effective land use and spatial planning are crucial for establishing food production sites within cities, integrating resource streams like water, waste, and energy.
Climate changeHealthPolicyCommunityOccurrence and human health implications of chemical contaminants in vegetables grown in peri-urban agriculture
2019Anna Margenat, Víctor Matamoros, Sergi Dı́ez, Núria Cañameras, Jordi Comas, Josep M. Bayona · Environment International · Spain (Barcelona)
A study assessed 16 trace elements and 33 organic microcontaminants in lettuce, tomato, cauliflower, and broad beans from peri-urban farms near Barcelona, Spain, and a rural site. Concentrations ranged from non-detectable to 17.4 mg/kg for trace elements and non-detectable to 256 μg/kg for organic microcontaminants, with tomatoes showing the highest levels. Risk assessment indicated a low human health risk from consuming these vegetables in the peri-urban area, comparable to the rural site.
Contamination & food safetyHealthPeri-urban agricultureThe contribution of constructed green infrastructure to urban biodiversity: A synthesis and meta‐analysis
2019Alessandro Filazzola, Namrata Shrestha, J. Scott MacIvor · Journal of Applied Ecology · Global
A meta-analysis of 33 relevant studies, selected from 1,883 published manuscripts, investigated the effects of green infrastructure (GI) on urban biodiversity. The analysis found that GI significantly improves biodiversity compared to conventional infrastructure and, in some cases, shows comparable biodiversity measures to natural counterparts. However, many studies were excluded due to neglecting conventional experimental design frameworks, such as controls, replication, or adequate sampling effort.
BiodiversityCommunityHealthControlled Environment Food Production for Urban Agriculture
2019Celina Gómez, Christopher J. Currey, Ryan W. Dickson, Hye‐Ji Kim, Ricardo Hernández, Nadia Sabeh, Rosa E. Raudales, Robin G. Brumfield, Angela Shaw, Adam K. Wilke, Roberto G. López, Stephanie E. Burnett · HortScience · Global
This review discusses the application of controlled environment agriculture (CEA) techniques to urban agriculture (UA), driven by increased market demand for local produce. While CEA offers opportunities for year-round production and resource-use efficiency, significant challenges remain due to the high costs of production in urban settings. The review emphasizes that for urban growers to benefit, studies evaluating CEA for commercial food production must consider economic viability.
Economic viabilityDigital agricultureEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceClimate change