Research & reports

Jim Leap, Kirstin Yogg Comerchero, Darryl Wong · eScholarship (California Digital Library) · United States (California)

This guide focuses on producing mixed blocks of 30- to 60-day, direct sown and transplanted crops for direct market sales on California's Central Coast. It aims to improve cropping system efficiencies and economic viability for small-scale farms. The guide emphasizes managing the mixed crop production block as a whole, rather than providing specific crop information.

Jim Leap, Darryl Wong, Kirstin Yogg Comerchero · · United States (California)

This grower guide addresses the basic steps for organically growing peppers in California's Central Coast region. It notes that peppers are productive from July to October without season extension, are relatively easy to grow, and offer various marketing and culinary options. The guide also provides an overview of pepper varieties for specialty crop growers.

Kenna McMurray, Kelsey Hall, Roslynn Brain · Digital Commons - USU (Utah State University) · United States

This fact sheet provides tips on effective communication tools for marketing Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) operations. It focuses on delivering information to potential and current shareholders, engaging them, and gathering feedback.

C. E. Deardorff, Julia Friedman, Charlotte Walton · Bucknell Digital Commons (Bucknell University) · United States

This entry comprises a project report and a Community Garden Guide for Mount Carmel, United States. The report outlines community garden benefits, analyzes potential advantages for Mount Carmel, and reviews stakeholders, goals, and a community interest survey. The guide compiles essential information and tools for establishing new community garden projects, covering social and economic benefits alongside technical skills.

Kelsey Hall, Roslynn Brain · Digital Commons - USU (Utah State University) · United States (Utah)

This curriculum consists of seven modules aimed at fostering Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in Utah. It covers the fundamentals of CSA, marketing and outreach, management, pricing, crop planning, legal concerns for CSA operations, and additional resources.

Dacota Griffin, Joe Tulip, Noah Morasch · · United States (Lewiston)

This project created an ArcGIS inventory of street amenities in downtown Lewiston, Maine, supporting the Healthy Neighborhoods (HN) organization. A scoring index was developed to compare streets, and a brief assessment of vacant lots was conducted to evaluate future development potential. Findings showed trees greatly outnumbered other amenities, significant variation in sidewalk smoothness with vacant lots more common in flawed areas, and limited, non-uniform distribution of community gardens and open access green spaces.

Sallie Hambright-Belue, Martin J. Holland · The Plan Journal · United States (South Carolina)

Students from Clemson University's School of Architecture and Department of Landscape Architecture collaborated with the local non-profit "Feed & Seed" in West Greenville, South Carolina, to develop urban agriculture solutions. Addressing issues in a "Food Desert" (an area without access to fresh foods), students focused on food hubs, food cycles, education, and social cohesion to promote economic equity, community building, and social justice. This work explored the role of designers in creating solutions for fractured neighborhoods, cities, and regions.

· Policy Press eBooks · United States (Detroit)

Dan Carmody, President of Detroit's Eastern Market Corporation, discussed the market's history and its importance for food access in Detroit. He addressed the role of urban agriculture and the new wave of gentrification, which has the potential to significantly impact the Market.

Deborah Hines, Sarah Balistreri · Sustainable energy developments · Latin America and the Caribbean

This chapter highlights successful Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture (UPA) practices in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) that have improved food and nutrition security and increased dietary diversity. It introduces sustainable production techniques that reduce dependence on traditional energy sources and promote renewable energy. The chapter provides evidence that UPA activities can reduce poverty and hunger, generate food and nutrition security benefits, and create employment and income for poor urban households in LAC.

Owen Beatty · ScholarsArchive at Johnson & Wales University (Johnson & Wales University) · United States

This study analyzed food insecurity in the United States, focusing on populations below the poverty threshold. It found that large-scale agricultural production has led to "food deserts" isolated from affordable, quality food. Urban agriculture, by localizing production, was identified as a viable resource and potential solution for individuals experiencing hunger and those in food deserts.

Zilma Borges de Souza, Lya Cynthia Porto de Oliveira, E. C. A. S. S. LIMA, Fábio Bruno Queiroga, Joyce Rodrigues · Cadernos de Agroecologia · Brazil (São Paulo)

This research analyzes the development, functions, social practices, and income generation of urban agriculture in Jardim Angela and Jardim Sao Luis, located in the M’Boi Mirim region of São Paulo, Brazil. It maps existing initiatives and prospects opportunities for agroecological food production in private and collective spaces. The study presents partial results from an interdisciplinary project involving three universities.

Denes Dantas Vieira, Reimilde Gomes da Silva Amorim · EXTRAMUROS - Revista de Extensão da Univasf · Brazil (Juazeiro)

This study aimed to investigate the dilemmas of the social trajectory of the Povo Unido community garden in Juazeiro/BA, Brazil, located on the banks of the São Francisco River. This garden is known for its organic vegetable production and as one of the first groups focused on overcoming poverty and combating hunger in Brazil's semi-arid northeast. The research contributes to reflection based on social organization and organic food production.

Pascale Joassart‐Marcelli, Fernando J. Bosco · · United States (San Diego)

The alternative food movement (farmers' markets, community gardens) in San Diego, United States, was investigated in relation to gentrification. Uneven urban food landscapes were shown to be intimately connected to gentrification processes, shaped by race, class, political decisions, and capital flows. Farmers' markets and community gardens are primarily located in affluent and gentrifying areas, providing evidence of a growing appropriation of alternative food spaces by urban developers and cultural elites.

Tammy E. Parece, Joseph Campbell · CABI eBooks · United States

A survey of 177 urban gardeners across the USA found that social and health gains are the most widely identified benefits, highly regarded by gardeners. The survey results are consistent with existing literature on urban agriculture benefits. Interest in community gardening has increased across all garden sites, indicating its sustained appeal.

Mirle Rabinowitz Bussell, James Bliesner, Keith Pezzoli · California Agriculture · United States

This study collaborated with the San Diego Community Garden Network to analyze the production, distribution, and consumption of produce from eight community gardens in San Diego County. UC San Diego researchers and students worked with county residents and community-based organizations to develop a survey. Interviews with gardeners and survey data documented how community gardens contribute to individual and household health, well-being, and community development. The findings suggest that community gardens have the potential to contribute meaningfully to community development, particularly in low-income neighborhoods.

Joice Zagna Valent, Letí­cia de Oliveira, Vinicius Dornelles Valent · DRd - Desenvolvimento Regional em debate · Brazil

This descriptive study aimed to describe a social urban agriculture project in a community located in Canoas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Through a literature review and a semi-structured interview with the project coordinator, it was shown that urban agriculture possesses social, economic, ecological, and symbolic dimensions beyond food production. The study concluded that various projects developed around urban food cultivation, with main impacts including the promotion of food security, generation of employment and income, environmental management, social integration, and development of human capital.

Lindsay K. Campbell · Cornell University Press eBooks · United States (New York City)

This chapter analyzes why urban forestry was prioritized in New York City's PlaNYC mayoral initiative while urban agriculture was overlooked. It examines the networks, public-private partnerships, elite ties, and bureaucratic structures involved in PlaNYC, revealing that certain voices were heard while others were ignored in the sustainability planning process. The analysis highlights issues of governance and equity in urban nature planning.

Catherine Villar · Scholarship@Western (Western University) · Canada

This ethnographic study, conducted from August 2013 to August 2014, examined Orchard Hill Farm, an organic, draft-horse powered Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm in Sparta, Ontario, Canada. It found that the farm's management approach resulted in a financially viable small-scale farm. The study highlighted that CSA members experience a "re-enchantment" through closeness to food and the farm, while farmers and apprentices demonstrate a commitment to sustainable practices.

Rosa Jacob Chilundo, Paulo César Marques de Carvalho, Mário Diniz, Adriano Bezerra · Renewable Energy and Power Quality Journal · Brazil

This paper analyzed the technical and financial feasibility of a stand-alone photovoltaic powered irrigation system applied to a familiar production unit in Brazil. The system was installed at the Center for Teaching and Research in Urban Agriculture (NEPAU) on the PICI campus of the Federal University of Ceará, occupying 134 m² with a 3534-liter water reservoir, a 12 VDC pump motor, and a 135 Wp photovoltaic module. Efficiencies for the photovoltaic module, pump, and global set were 8.4%, 42%, and 3.5% respectively, with an assumed service life of 25 years and capital return after 9.3 years.

Monika Egerer, Stacy M. Philpott, Heidi Liere, Shalene Jha, Peter Bichier, Brenda B. Lin · International Journal of Biodiversity Science Ecosystems Services & Management · United States (California)

This study examined 25 urban community gardens in California to investigate relationships between soil properties and neighborhood socio-demographics, focusing on (1) how groundcover management affects soil properties, and (2) how socio-demographics, particularly social advantage, affect groundcover management and soil properties. Mulch groundcover was found to improve soil fertility and water holding capacity in gardens, and socio-demographic factors appeared to affect residents' access to mulch: neighborhoods with higher mobility (e.g., greater vehicle availability) but poorer public/environmental health indicators (e.g., poorer health care access) had higher soil organic matter, nutrient content, and water holding capacity. However, indicators of high-functioning soils were also found in the absence of mulch, suggesting that other factors such as social networks and organizational support may also be important for ecosystem services in urban agricultural systems.

Jill Wieneke · Lincoln (University of Nebraska) · United States

A case study of urban agriculture's potential for cost savings at Hawley Hamlet Neighborhood Garden in Lincoln, Nebraska. Vegetables were weighed from two 50-square-foot garden plots over a four-month period and compared against prices at three local grocery stores; the two plots together averaged $497 in savings, equivalent to 3.13 pounds per square foot produced and $1.59 saved per square foot. Citing an assessment by the Mayor's Environmental Task Force that Lincoln would need 33 acres to be 1% food self-reliant while the city currently has only about 1.5 acres in community gardens, the study concludes more urban agriculture and self-reliance are needed in the city.

Kenna McMrrray, Kelsey Hall, Roslynn Brain · Digital Commons - USU (Utah State University) · United States

This descriptive piece from Utah, United States, explains Community Supported Agriculture as a farming arrangement providing a direct link between the community and the grower, in which shareholders purchase a share of the CSA and receive produce at regular intervals, typically weekly. It lists potential benefits — access to local, fresh produce free of preservatives and added hormones, and support for diversified agriculture — alongside potential barriers, including the seasonality of production, a smaller variety of products and the upfront cost of a share.

Jéssica Moreira Maia Souto · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Brazil

A Brazilian thesis aims to trace the evolution and worldwide spread of urban agriculture (AU), build a framework for identifying its forms, and present a local case from southern Brazil. The interdisciplinary, exploratory, qualitative study combines a PRISMA-protocol systematic review with a multi-case study in the Porto Alegre metropolitan region. It finds that AU can take multiple formats depending on the domain, people and interests involved, and that in the municipality of Porto Alegre certain categories are more used than others because of local support schemes. Part of the studied initiatives were initially community-centered but transformed over time into businesses seeking new market opportunities. The AU-related terms found in the literature were summarized into a framework linking them to their sub-levels.

Libby Christensen, Ryan E. Galt, Alissa Kendall · Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems · United States (California)

This case study assessed greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from five Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) operations in the Sacramento Valley, California, collecting input, production and distribution data from each farm and reporting emissions in CO2e per 1 kg of CSA produce at the pickup location. Total emissions varied widely, ranging from 1.72 to 6.69 kg CO2e per kg of produce with an average of 3.94 kg CO2e, and electricity was the largest emissions source, contributing over 70% of total CO2e on average. Despite apparent similarities among the operations in production site, acreage, customer base and practices, there was still substantial variability in total GHG emissions. The study argues that the complexity of production and distribution systems means food systems cannot be reduced to a simple binary of local being better than conventional, or vice versa, though localized production systems that use less electricity (or renewable energy) and efficiently produced compost had lower GHG emissions than those that did not.

Sharla Stolhandske, Terri Evans · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · Canada

An ethnographic study examining the emergence and early development of small-scale commercial urban farming in metropolitan Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, capturing growers' lived experience over a five-year period. Commercial urban farming is characterized as a grassroots entrepreneurial activity combining growing and direct marketing of fresh food in urban spaces for urban consumers, transforming underutilized and unproductive land zoned for residential, commercial, or institutional use into intensive food-producing space. Pioneers of this model reported benefits including high job satisfaction, increased health and wellness, and positive environmental contributions, while also facing challenges including lack of land tenure, low financial return, and difficulty earning a living solely from farming activities.