Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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628 results(18 / 26)
Learning Resources Division: Urban Agriculture: Urban Agriculture in D.C. and around the Nation
2015Faith Rusk · · United States
This resource provides information for UDC students on urban agriculture as a social movement that combines traditional farming with the lifestyle of an urban dweller.
CommunityFood educationUrban–rural linkageEngaging First Year Students through Service Learning Projects: Designing for Community Gardens
2015Karinna Vernaza · · United States
This paper describes a semester-long, community-based service learning project at Gannon University's First-Year Seminar in Engineering, utilizing the university's community garden. Projects included designing a rainwater collection system and vertical planters to engage first-year students in the engineering design process. Students' self-reported data indicated increased appreciation for engineering design and understanding of societal engineering solutions.
Food educationCommunityDIYUMA SEQUÊNCIA DIDÁTICA ENVOLVENDO A CONSTRUÇÃO DE UM TERRÁRIO NO ENSINO DE CONCEITOS DE ECOLOGIA
2015Gabriel Gonçalves Ribeiro Silva, André Maciel da Silva, Antônio Fernandes Nascimento · Periódico Eletrônico Fórum Ambiental da Alta Paulista. · Brazil
This study describes the development of a didactic strategy to approach environmental themes in fundamental teaching II, presenting a teaching sequence involving the construction of a terrarium in a 7th-grade classroom in Brazil for teaching environmental education and ecology concepts. Students built a terrarium, visited the school garden, and deepened discussions through a video. Based on student evaluations, the practice was effective not only for teaching formal concepts but also for the civic formation of students, who perceived themselves as agents of environmental transformation.
Food educationCommunityPsicologia, agricultura urbana, universidade: o que podem pés descalços?
2015Ana Paula Louzada, Ernesto Grillo Rabello, Yan Menezes Oliveira · Revista Interinstitucional Artes de Educar · Brazil
This study documents the collective construction experience of an agroecological garden by psychology students at the Federal University of Espírito Santo. The paper emphasizes the relevance of this practice in producing integral health and critiques the current context of Integrated World Capitalism, which separates humans from nature.
Economic viabilityFood educationCommunityHealthFood sovereignty & justiceMeasuring the impacts of a school garden-based nutrition intervention
2015Jenna Banning · ScholarWorks -A service of University of Vermont Libraries (University of Vermont) · United States
This study analyzed three years of student surveys collected before and after one year of participation in the American Heart Association's Teaching Gardens program. While improvements were indicated in preferences, food systems learning, social norms, and gardening skills for the experimental group, none of these changes over time were statistically significant. At post-test, significant differences were found across all five indices by gender (girls more positive) and by school minority concentration and socioeconomic status (SES), with mixed effects for environmental factors.
Food educationHealthFood Consumption, Attitude, and Behavioral Change Among CSA Members: A Northern Utah Case Study
2015Kynda R. Curtis, K. Eileen Allen, Ruby A. Ward, Curtis, Kynda R., Allen, Karin, Ward, Ruby A. · Journal of food distribution research · United States (Utah)
This study examined the impacts of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program participation on consumer attitudes and behaviors related to food consumption and preparation among CSA members in Utah. Data were collected through pre, post, and monthly surveys, food purchase receipts, and CSA basket contents. Results showed shifts in participant dietary intake and food preparation attitudes and behaviors, including increased fresh produce consumption, decreased grain intake, and fewer meals consumed away from home. Participants also became more interested in cooking and canning/preserving, with increased availability of Vitamin C, Vitamin B, and folic acid.
CSA & TeikeiHealthFood educationThe effect of education plus access on perceived fruit and vegetable consumption in a rural African American community intervention
2015Ellen Barnidge, Elizabeth A. Baker, Mario Schootman, Freda Motton, Marjorie Sawicki, Frank Rose · Health Education Research · United States
This quasi-experimental study in rural Missouri evaluated an intervention providing nutrition education and community garden access to African Americans to increase fruit and vegetable consumption. At mid-intervention, the intervention county showed lower hypertension and BMI. Both nutrition education participation and community garden access were independently associated with perceived fruit and vegetable consumption, with the strongest effect when combined. However, individuals with access but without education had a reduced likelihood of consuming recommended servings of fruits and vegetables.
CommunityFood educationHealthWelfareAn Exploration of Health, Nutrition and Community Experiences of Gardeners at Wangari Gardens
2015Tracy George, Debbie Humphries, Trace Kershaw, Josh Singer · The FASEB Journal · United States (Washington, DC)
This study explored the health and community experiences of gardeners at Wangari Gardens, a community garden in Washington, DC, through 17 semi-structured qualitative interviews. Gardeners chose to garden for improved nutrition, chronic disease management, hobbies, and connection to nature and community. They continued gardening for relationships, physical benefits, harvests, and self-efficacy, indicating community gardens provide multi-faceted individual and community benefits.
HealthCommunityFood educationANÁLISE DE AÇÕES EXTENSIONISTAS NA IMPLANTAÇÃO DE HORTAS ESCOLARES DE BASE ECOLÓGICA, SEUS EFEITOS E DESAFIOS NO CONTEXTO EDUCACIONAL
2015José Tobias Marks Machado, Jeferson Tonin, Evandro Pedro Schneider · SHILAP Revista de lepidopterología · Brazil
This study, conducted in two schools in Cerro Largo - RS, Brazil, during 2013, performed a post-implementation analysis of ecologically based school gardens introduced through a university extension program. Positive results included the proliferation of similar projects. However, significant difficulties were emphasized in integrating the school gardens with disciplinary education, attributed to existing conservatism in the educational context.
Governance failureFood educationCommunityHealthOrganic cycleBotanical Gardens Are Well Positioned to Share Agriculture with the Public
2015Ari Novy, Devin Dotson · CSA News · United States
This article argues that botanical and public gardens are well-positioned to connect the public with agriculture, especially in urban centers where interest in food and agriculture is resurging. With over 70 million visitors annually and existing infrastructure, botanical gardens can serve as urban nodes for science-based education. They can perform plant research, offer education, interpret plant uses, and showcase plant beauty.
Food educationCommunityUrban–rural linkagePerceived Effects of Community Gardening in Lower Mississippi Delta Gardening Participants
2015Alicia S. Landry, Nikki Chittendon, Christine Coker, Caitlin Weiss · Journal of Extension · United States
This article describes the perceived physical and psychological health impacts of community gardening on participants in the Mississippi Delta. Identified themes include gardening as an educational tool, increasing self-efficacy, and fostering responsibility for personal and community health. Additional benefits reported are exposure to new healthy foods, increased physical activity, and legacy building.
CommunityHealthFood educationHortas escolares: possibilidades de anunciar e denunciar invisibilidades nas práticas educativas sobre alimentação e saúde
2015Elizabete Cristina Ribeiro Silva, Alexandre Brasil Carvalho da Fonseca, Fernanda Pereira Dysarz, Ernani Jardim Reis · Alexandria Revista de Educação em Ciência e Tecnologia · Brazil
This research identifies parameters for school gardens in Brazil, analyzing various experiences and an urban public school case. The study correlates the health of students and farmers in agricultural activities, explicitly pointing out negligences in this regard. It argues that a healthy eating concept from school gardens requires an equally healthy production system, and attention to student safety can highlight farmers' working conditions, which is crucial for food and nutritional education.
Equity & displacementFood educationHealthCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceIntegrating Gardening as a Tool to Teach the Concept of Sustainability to Elementary School Students
2015Hannah Cobb, Madisen Hasenauer · Digital Commons - CSUMB (California State University, Monterey Bay) · United States (California)
This paper proposes that school gardens can be a powerful tool for teaching sustainability concepts to elementary school students. It suggests that teachers who receive school support, collaborate with committed volunteers, and have access to appropriate resources are prepared to confidently educate students on ecological conservation through school gardens.
Food educationCommunityClimate changeCBHL Members. CBHL 2015 Annual Meeting: Taste, Tradition and Beauty in the Edible Landscape. Saturday tours.
2015Bill Musser · · United States (Iowa)
The CBHL 2015 annual meeting and conference was hosted by Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah, Iowa, from June 16-20, 2015. The conference theme reflected the growing public interest in creating edible landscapes.
Heirloom & landraceBiodiversityFood educationMaking the Garden a Viable Part of Curriculum
2015Laura Forbes · Digital Commons - CSUMB (California State University, Monterey Bay) · United States (California)
School gardens are common in elementary schools, but teachers find it challenging and unnecessary to incorporate them into their time and everyday curriculum due to time restrictions and the need to focus on required classroom curriculum. This capstone focuses on the beneficial factors students can receive by properly implementing the school garden into everyday curriculum and how teachers can successfully incorporate it. By creating a garden-based program and lesson plans that incorporate required subjects, teachers can spend the necessary time teaching required subjects while utilizing the school garden.
Limited or null effectFood educationDiversity-Grown: Participatory Evaluation of a Community Gardening Initiative through Photovoice
2015P. Qasimah Boston, Ivette A López, Krista Harper · Practicing Anthropology · United States (Tallahassee)
This study used Photovoice to evaluate an urban agricultural food movement event in Tallahassee, Florida. Youth were trained to collect and interpret data, describing the event's value and highlighting cultural influences on the food environment, including diversity and inclusion. The evaluation method, termed Evaluation for Community Action (EFCA), linked improving the food environment with innovative assessment.
CommunityFood educationPolicySocioeconomic Disparities in the Provision of Outdoor Time in Portland, Oregon Public Elementary Schools
2015Sabine Lefkowitz · · United States (Portland)
This thesis examined the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and outdoor time in Portland, Oregon public elementary schools. The study found that higher SES elementary schools spend more time outdoors than low SES schools. This disparity amplifies existing disadvantages for children in high-poverty schools, suggesting an inequity in outdoor time provision.
Equity & displacementFood educationCommunityHealthEconomicsHealthy Kids, Healthy Cuba
2015Patricia Keane, Alejandro Ortega Hortelano, Jeanette Linville · Journal of Public Health Management and Practice · United States
As an evaluation of the "Healthy Kids, Healthy Cuba (HKHCuba)" program in a triethnic rural community in New Mexico, 12 partners participated in a group model building (GMB) session to introduce systems thinking. The session identified 27 influences as feedback loops from behavior over time graphs and 5 subsystems from a causal loop diagram. Results showed that in addition to strategy-related influences like access to healthy food and community garden participation, a sense of cultural pride, community, and social engagement, especially among youth, were highly salient.
CommunityHealthFood educationHeartside’s Glean Ride: Bringing Fresh Food and Ideas to the Heart of Grand Rapids
2015Selina Dorking, Paige Eisen, Joseph J. Godfrey, Regina López, Steven A. Smith · ScholarWorks - GVSU (Grand Valley State University) · United States
In the Heartside neighborhood of Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States, the non-profit Heartside Gleaning Initiative (HGI) has been addressing food insecurity since 2014. During the winter semester of 2015, the "Food Fighters," a team of Grand Valley State University students, collaborated with HGI to tackle the challenges of food waste, food insecurity, and community sustainability. Their efforts resulted in the Heartside Glean Ride mobile food cart plan and a brochure for Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) boxes, designed to increase food distribution.
Food lossWelfareCommunityFood educationHealthStudy protocol: effects of school gardens on children’s physical activity
2014Nancy M. Wells, Beth M. Myers, Charles Henderson · Archives of Public Health · United States (New York State)
This study is a protocol for a randomized controlled trial involving 12 schools in New York State. It aims to examine the effect of school gardens on children's overall physical activity, sedentary behavior, and physical activity during the school day. Data will be collected at baseline and at three post-intervention follow-up waves at 6, 12, and 18 months using surveys and accelerometry.
Food educationHealthCommunityGrowing Everyday Multiculturalism
2014Hongxia Shan, Pierre Walter · Adult Education Quarterly · Canada
Based on a qualitative study of the learning experiences of six Chinese immigrants in community gardens on a university campus in Canada, this article identifies three ways of learning that foster knowing, connecting, and hybrid knowledge production across cultures. These include learning through communities of conviviality, learning mediated through nonhuman things like land, waste, and free-floating seeds, and learning through assemblages that integrate culture, place, and space.
CommunityFood education미국 학교정원운동(School Garden Movement)의 발전과정
2014금혜진 · · United States
This study examined the philosophical background and historical development of the school garden movement in the USA to derive implications for Korean school gardening programs. The movement emerged from late 19th-century educational ideas, showing a process of formation (1891-1914), decline (post-WWI, 1950s), and revival (from 1990s). The revival was driven by efforts to address childhood obesity, nature-deficit, and improve academic achievements.
Food educationHealthCommunityQuel(s) rôle(s) pour l'agriculture urbaine à Montréal-Nord : perceptions et vision des résidents.
2014Marie-Ève Voghel Robert · · Canada (Montréal)
This research internship, conducted in Montreal-Nord, Canada, during winter and spring 2013, aimed to understand the potential of urban agriculture from the perspective of both gardeners and non-gardeners. Through five group interviews, participants emphasized the essential role of human and social relationships in collective gardening projects, beyond just food production. They also proposed integrating collective gardening with other projects to create a comprehensive food system in Montreal-Nord, enhancing project longevity and food accessibility.
CommunityFood educationHealthDemonstrating fence options for community, school and home vegetable and ornamental gardens in areas with high deer and woodchuck pressure
2014Annie Christian · eCommons (Cornell University) · United States
This project tested two fencing methods—heavy woven wire with chicken wire, and heavy black plastic with hex mesh—to exclude deer and woodchucks from gardens. Master Gardener volunteers and CCE staff recorded material costs, participated in installation, and monitored effectiveness weekly. The project also provided IPM education to the public and schools through tours, workshops, and an instructional video.
Food educationCommunityDIYManagement models : AMS SUB Roof-Top Garden for productivity and community
2014Brittany Buchanan, Toby Lam, Bonnie Lee, Aldhyan Randy, Natasha Tymo · cIRcle (University of British Columbia) · Canada
This student project, part of the UBC Food Systems Project, researched human resource management strategies for the new Student Union Building (SUB) Rooftop Garden at the University of British Columbia. Through literature review and interviews, four management models were discussed. The group identified a student club model with incentives, potentially led by a directed studies or paid position, as a fitting starting point for motivating students to contribute to food production for campus outlets.
CommunityFood educationEconomics