Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
5823 results(181 / 233)
Wastewater Treatment Project for Palma Soriano, Cuba: Assessment of Cultural and Ecological Conditions
2014Daniela Peña Corvillon · Kobra (Universitätsbibliothek Kassel) · Cuba
The Palma Project in Palma Soriano, Cuba, is an experiment using cultural identity to address ecological degradation. It employs environmental, social, and urban analyses to develop a master plan for wastewater treatment, reforestation, urban agriculture, and public space utilization along the Cauto River. The project aims to improve quality of life, provide potable water, restore the riparian zone, and create new food production opportunities.
CommunityOrganic cycleFood sovereignty & justiceLocal food in every pot: Growing farmers in northeastern Iowa through public and private partnerships
2014Kamyar Enshayan · Iowa State University Digital Repository (Iowa State University) · United States (Iowa)
A group of urban women in northern Iowa, facing various life challenges, learned self-sufficiency by collaboratively planning, planting, growing, and harvesting produce from a community garden. This initiative focused on developing farming skills through practical engagement.
CommunityWelfareFood educationSuburban dirt
2014de Vries, Arianna · · United States (New Jersey)
This study investigated three large-format suburban community gardens, each with over one hundred plots, in Central New Jersey, United States. Using geospatial mapping, on-site observation, and interviews with coordinators and gardeners, the research explored participation reasons and the suburban conditions fostering these gardens. It found that suburban gardeners participate for reasons similar to their urban counterparts, but the suburban context significantly shapes how these motivations are defined and described.
CommunityPeri-urban agricultureUrban–rural linkageFood Science Education Publications and Websites
2014Jim Bird · Journal of Food Science Education · Global
This column aims to highlight innovative publications and websites in food science education and allied topics. An article featured discusses garden-based service-learning projects (Fairmount Community Garden, North Side Garden Survey, Como Community Garden) that aim for food justice, better undergraduate education, and strengthened campus-community ties. It also briefly mentions a qualitative case study conducted at four schools, evaluating the effects of free school meal interventions on pupils' learning over 20 weeks.
Food educationCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceIrrigated vegetable farming in urban Ghana: a farming system between challenges and resilience
2014Pay Drechsel, Andrew Adam‐Bradford, Liqa Raschid-Sally, Drechsel, Pay, Adam-Bradford, A., Raschid-Sally, Liqa · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · Ghana
This chapter introduces urbanization in West Africa, particularly Ghana, the general role of urban agriculture, and the common use of polluted irrigation water. It focuses on irrigated smallholder vegetable production, reflecting on the key challenges, dynamics, and resilience of this farming system.
Contamination & food safetyCommunityHealthEconomicsPeri-urban agricultureTransnational at Home: Intercultural Gardens and the Social Sustainability of Cities in Innsbruck, Austria
2014Markus Schermer · Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) · Austria (Innsbruck)
This paper examines an intercultural community garden in Innsbruck, Austria, as a case study. It uses interviews, observations, and newspaper clippings to describe how intercultural gardens function as transnational spaces. These gardens foster new social networks and learning processes, impacting urban social cohesion and community stability by enabling interaction beyond assimilation.
CommunityPolicyWelfare공동주택단지 내 도시농업 도입 및 계획방안 연구
2014오주석, 김세용 · 한국도시설계학회지 도시설계 · South Korea (Seoul)
This study aims to efficiently introduce and improve the quality of urban agriculture in apartment complexes in South Korea. Focusing on one apartment complex in Seoul, the research analyzed sunlight conditions and resident preferences to identify suitable idle land for urban agriculture. The study derived appropriate crops based on soil depth, sunlight, and support conditions of the idle land, proposing cultivation area calculations, a development plan, and an operational and support system.
CommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkageConvergence on Sustainable Lifestyles? Mechanisms of Change and Resistance in a French Allotment
2014Géraldine Farges · Sociologia Ruralis · France
This one-year ethnographic study analyzed the integration of pro-environmental practices among amateur gardeners in a French urban allotment. Through observations and repeat interviews, it found that while gardeners adopted new techniques, the meanings of their practices and their environmental relationships differed. The diffusion of pro-environmental practices was not systematically linked to shared concerns, and practices were interpreted differently by policymakers and individuals.
CommunityOrganic cyclePolicyEffect of an After-School Garden Club Program on Elementary Students.
2014Maggie Caroline McGriff · Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science · United States
This study investigated whether three elementary school garden club programs influenced students' attitudes and behaviors regarding fruit and vegetable consumption. Quantitative analysis using pretest and posttest questionnaires found non-significant results, indicating no significant effect on participants' perceptions of fruit and vegetable consumption. Qualitative analysis of participant interviews also showed mostly non-significant changes in healthy eating, although participants reported positive experiences in other aspects like respect for nature and enjoyment of activities.
Limited or null effectFood educationHealthCommunityThe role of intercultural gardens in the construction of a sustainable city. The example of Innsbruck in Austria
2014Markus Schermer · Hábitat y Sociedad · Austria (Innsbruck)
This paper examines the importance of social stability and cohesion for urban sustainability amidst changing relations between diverse cultural groups due to global migration. It analyzes the role of intercultural gardens, which are gaining attention for migrant integration, using the intercultural community garden in Innsbruck, Austria, as a case study. The empirical material is based on interviews, observations, and newspaper clippings.
CommunityPolicyCity Farmer: Adventures in Urban Food Growing
2014Michael Classens · UnderCurrents Journal of Critical Environmental Studies · Global
This is a review of Lorraine Johnson's book "City Farmer: Adventures in Urban Food Growing" by Michael Classens. Johnson argues that small-scale 'city farmers' are the vanguard of an emerging transformation of the contemporary food system, despite urban farming being more prefigurative than productive in aggregate. The book reveals the potential in interstitial urban spaces for food production and urges a reimagining of our relationship to cities as farms.
DIYCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changeEffects of climate change on a peri-urban farming community in Lagos, Nigeria
2014Taibat Lawanson, Olabode Orelaja, Michael Simire · African Journal of Science Technology Innovation and Development · Nigeria (Lagos)
This case study investigated the effects of climate change on agricultural activities in the Igbe Farming Community, Lagos, Nigeria, by surveying 161 farmers. The study found that most migrant farmers leased plots annually or biennially and made marginal profits of $200 to $350 per farming cycle. Erratic weather patterns and aggressive urban growth were major challenges, leading 48% of respondents to engage in informal enterprises.
Economic viabilityPeri-urban agricultureClimate changeEconomicsCommunityS'intégrer pour se pérenniser : pratiques d'agriculteurs urbains dans trois villes du Sud
2014Ophélie Robineau, Julia Tichit, Thomas Maillard · Espaces et sociétés · Global
This study examines the socio-spatial integration of urban agriculture in three Southern cities, despite its limited consideration in urban planning policies. In Bobo-Dioulasso (Burkina Faso), farmers secure access to productive resources through social relations. In Metro Manila (Philippines), local actor networks ensure the sustainability of practices. In Saint-Louis (Senegal), farmers' self-initiated organizations enable them to assert their interests with urban authorities, highlighting the challenge of urban agriculture not being adequately integrated into planning policies.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsInitiating and sustaining community gardens and community kitchens: A preliminary study in Nova Scotia
2014Tim Cashion, I. Forbes, Irena Knežević · · Canada
This preliminary study in Nova Scotia, Canada, explored the initiation and sustainability of community food initiatives through in-depth interviews with coordinators. The research identified that these initiatives are in a precarious state due to reliance on volunteers, land ownership issues, and a lack of consistent funding. Despite these challenges, they persist through community support and coordinator dedication.
Governance failureCommunityEconomicsWelfarePolicy济南呈现“天桥特色”都市农业
2014王长亮, 王玉 · 农产品市场周刊 · China (Jinan)
This article discusses the concept of "urban agriculture," which originated in the United States in the 1950s and 60s. It defines urban agriculture as modern agriculture in urbanized areas that utilizes rural landscapes, natural ecology, and environmental resources for leisure, tourism, education, and innovation. The text suggests that the development of urban and sightseeing agriculture has promising prospects due to increasing demand for green food and ecological environments.
Urban–rural linkageFood educationCommunityEconomics北京：走“都市型”现代特色农业之路
2014赵子军 · 中国标准化 · China (Beijing)
This article discusses the path for agricultural modernization in Beijing, China, emphasizing a "city-type" modern agriculture. "City-type" modern agriculture is defined as highly intensive and multifunctional agriculture developed near cities in blurred urban-rural boundaries. It aims to provide urban residents with quality agricultural products and beautiful ecological environments, as well as spaces for leisure, agricultural experiences, and rural understanding.
Urban–rural linkageCommunityBiodiversityEconomicsCommunity Voices: The Postville Oral History Project Recording with Judy Egeland
2014Judy Egeland · UNI ScholarWorks (University of Northern Iowa) · United States (Postville)
This oral history project recording features Judy Egeland, a master gardener and Vice President of the Diversity Council in Postville, United States. Egeland, who moved to Postville in 1970, was instrumental in establishing a community garden and a school garden in the rural town. The community garden is noted for bringing together people from diverse backgrounds.
CommunityFood educationUrban–rural linkageGovernmentality in urban food production? Following “community” from intentions to outcomes
2014Luke Drake · Urban Geography · Global
This study analyzed six case studies of community gardens, categorized by grassroots, externally-organized, and active nonprofit management, to examine how "community" definitions influence participation or resistance in urban food production. The analysis highlights specific organizational and management moments that affect engagement, scrutinizing community gardens as sites of governmentality that produce neoliberal subjects.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyEconomicsNarrative transparency
2014Melea Press, Eric J. Arnould · Journal of Marketing Management · United States
This paper examines how alternative marketing organizations communicate transparency amidst generalized risk and skepticism, using Community Supported Agriculture programs across the United States as context. It contrasts the traditional numeric approach to transparency, involving auditing and third-party certifications, with an alternative narrative transparency approach that emphasizes stakeholder dialogue and invites stakeholders to act as auditors. The article illustrates how alternative marketing organizations employ rhetorical tactics such as persona, allegory, consumer sovereignty, and enlightenment to communicate transparency to their stakeholders.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsCommunityFrom Vacant Lots to Full Pantries: Urban Agriculture Programs and the American City
2014Jessica Owley, Tonya Lewis · · United States
This article explores land tenure concerns that can hinder urban agriculture development in American cities. It examines various property law tools, such as long-term leases, permits for city-owned land, and theoretical self-help nuisance concepts, used across the United States. The study highlights urban agricultural land trusts and partial property rights like conservation easements as particularly intriguing and widely applicable tools for meeting urban agricultural needs.
PolicyEconomicsCommunityFood Co‐ops and the Paradox of Exclusivity
2014Andrew Zitcer · Antipode · United States (Philadelphia)
This article explored the paradox of exclusivity in consumer food cooperatives in the United States, focusing on two food co-ops in Philadelphia, PA. The study found that exclusivity manifests in the co-ops' sales, business practices, and marketing, inadvertently excluding certain practices and people. This paradox hinders co-ops from fully realizing their transformative social and economic potential.
Equity & displacementCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsTowards urban food sovereignty: the trials and tribulations of community-based aquaponics enterprises in Milwaukee and Melbourne
2014Julia Laidlaw, Liam Magee · Local Environment · Global
This paper explores stakeholder experiences of community-based urban aquaponics enterprises in Milwaukee and Melbourne using a comparative case study methodology and in-depth interviews. It aims to understand the internal and external factors impacting their success or failure. The study highlights challenges in establishing these enterprises.
Economic viabilityFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityEconomicsOn showing and being shown plants ‐ a guide to methods for more‐than‐human geography
2014Hannah Pitt · Area · Global
This paper proposes a methodology for more-than-human geography, focusing on understanding plants as agents through a "showing and being shown" approach. Drawing on ethnographic research in community gardens, the author demonstrates techniques like walking, talking, doing, and picturing to engage with human and nonhuman guides. The study identifies limits to understanding plants without specialist botanical training.
CommunityBiodiversityLos latidos de la tierra: Arte ecologico para acompasar nuestros ritmos
2014Ma Isabel Soler Ruiz, Pilar Soto Sánchez · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Global
This paper reviews the evolution of ecological movements from the late 19th century to the mid-1960s, focusing on the defense of natural spaces and urban sustainability actions. It examines collective initiatives like the reforestation of abandoned industrial areas and the creation of urban gardens, as well as individual artistic actions that aim to reconnect viewers with the earth.
CommunityDIYUrban–rural linkage공동주택단지 내 도시농업 도입 및 계획방안 연구- 계획지표 도출 및 적용방안을 중심으로
2014오주석 · · South Korea
This research aims to improve urban circumstances and boost the quality of domestic urban agriculture by exploring ways to introduce and implement urban agriculture in multi-family housing complexes. The paper first analyzes the current status of urban agriculture via a literature review.
CommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkage