Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
5823 results(182 / 233)
Local Food Futures and Healthy Communities: Role of Sustainable Practices
2014Dilip Ghosh, Debasis Bagchi, Tetsuya Konishi · · Global
This study highlights the importance of local food movements and urban agriculture, citing Havana, Cuba, as an example of self-reliance achieved through food growing in urban spaces. In 1999, allotment gardens in London produced 232,000 tons of fruits and vegetables, supplying 18% of the population's daily intake. Urban food growing spaces encompass diverse typologies, varying in their production potential and health contributions.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityHealthUrban–rural linkageA Framework For Vacant City-Owned Land To Be Utilised For Urban Agriculture: The Case Of Cape Town, South Africa
2014P. S. Van Staden, Maléne Campbell · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · South Africa (Cape Town)
This study proposes a framework for utilizing vacant City of Cape Town-owned land for urban agriculture to improve low-income families' livelihoods. The new City of Cape Town zoning scheme now includes urban agriculture zoning, which town planners view optimistically as it offers income-generating opportunities. Empirical data from questionnaires with a farming community in Philippi demonstrated that urban agriculture is viable in Cape Town, even for household-only production. A usufruct agreement is proposed as the lease method for urban agriculture.
PolicyEconomicsCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEmergence and Effects of Urban Agriculture in Cuba
2014Janice Argaillot · Espaces et sociétés · Cuba
This article analyzes the development of urban agriculture in Cuba. Driven by crises from the USSR collapse and US blockade, Cuba developed an internationally recognized agricultural model. The study explores the causes of urban agriculture's emergence in Cuba, its various forms, and its repercussions on citizens' social and cultural life.
Food sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicyCommunityDevelopment of a STEM‐based school garden and nutrition education program to increase knowledge and consumption of pulse crops by school aged children (626.17)
2014Kelly Atterberry, Carol Miles, Lee Anne Riddle, Janice Rueda, Drew Betz · The FASEB Journal · United States
A pilot study in a Washington school cafeteria investigated the effects of a school garden and nutrition education intervention on pulse crop consumption by school-aged children. Fifty-six students (25 in fourth grade, 31 in ninth grade) participated, with a STEM-based curriculum combining exposure to pulse crops in a school garden with classroom nutrition education. Pre- and post-intervention surveys assessed changes in students' knowledge about pulse foods and their attitudes towards spending class time in the school garden.
Food educationHealthCommunityUrban Farming and Transition Towns Initiatives: Practices and Paths of Urban Regeneration
2014Maurizio Bergamaschi, Marco Castrignanò, Alessandra Landi · Journal of Nutritional Ecology and Food Research · Global
This paper examines community vegetable gardens and Transition Towns initiatives. It finds that these experiences contribute to sustainable urban development, improve environmental health and quality of life, reshape urban image and morphology, and enhance cities as forms of social cohesion.
CommunityClimate changeHealthA MULTIDIMENSIONAL ANALYSIS OF THE GREAT GREEN WALL: THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL EFFECTS OF REAFFORESTATION IN SENEGAL
2014Anna Eugenia Alsobrook · · Senegal
This in-progress assessment investigates the Great Green Wall (GGW) reafforestation project in north-central Senegal, which aims to restore degraded land and improve local lives. Using field experiences, interviews, and observations, the study found that young GGW trees decreased land-surface temperatures and solar radiation, improving environmental conditions. While gardening and economic components showed positive village-level impacts, problems with water and grazing areas led to negative perspectives from stakeholders.
CommunityClimate changeBiodiversityShopping Versus Growing: Food Acquisition Habits of Dutch Urban Gardeners
2014E.J. Veen, P.H.M. Derkzen, A.J. de Visser · Food and Foodways · Netherlands
This article compares food acquisition habits among participants in four Dutch urban food-growing initiatives: two allotments and two Alternative Food Networks (AFNs). Allotment gardeners integrate gardening into daily routines and easily use harvests, while AFN members, who primarily engage in shopping, struggle to regularly consume urban-grown food due to competition with supermarkets. The study concludes that involvement in shopping versus growing significantly impacts urban-grown food consumption, indicating a limited effect of motivations to change the food system when confronted with everyday routines.
Limited or null effectCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsCommunity Food Production as Food Security: Resource and Economic Valuation in Madison, Wisconsin (USA)
2014Vincent M. Smith, John A. Harrington · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United States (Madison)
This research explored the market value of community food production (CFP) in the Madison, Wisconsin, Urban Area, USA. The study measured and mapped the extent of CFP using a survey of 2,454 addresses and existing garden lists, and determined productive output from 36 test plots tended by citizen scientists. It found that the market value of gardening and garden-based programs, and their correlation to food-insecure communities, are not yet well understood.
CommunityFood educationEconomicsHealthFrom Chemical Reactions to Community Interactions – A Case Study on The Development of Community-Based Learning and Research
2014Claire McDonnell · · Ireland (Dublin)
This case study examined community-based learning and research projects at Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), including soil analysis in a community garden, from 2007 onwards. Analyzing student reflective accounts, questionnaires, and assessment grades, the study found improvements in learner engagement, confidence, and appreciation for real-world subject application. However, issues were identified regarding the level of critical thinking and self-awareness in some students' reflective writing, leading to the introduction of a framework to support reflective practice.
CommunityFood educationOrganic cyclePolicies and practices of urban and peri-urban agriculture: a great deal of participation but a little public action/ Politiche e pratiche dell’agricoltura urbana e periurbana: molta partecipazione e poca azione pubblica
2014Giuseppe Cinà · PORTO Publications Open Repository TOrino (Politecnico di Torino) · Italy
This paper examines Italian planning, highlighting an unresolved discrepancy between urban and agricultural policies due to a long-standing separation of urban and rural worlds. It outlines how this historical gap results in two inconsistent and low-effective policies. The paper discusses agricultural parks as an attempt to overcome this planning backwardness by integrating spatial planning and agricultural activity, documenting three Italian examples.
Governance failurePolicyPeri-urban agricultureUrban–rural linkageCommunityPolyrational property: rules for the many uses of land
2014Benjamin Davy · International Journal of the Commons · Global
This theoretical paper argues that effective land policy should accommodate diverse land uses with plural property relations, as no single property rule fits all land use types. It observes that while everyday practice often manages varied demands, many existing theories of property and land policy do not recognize this plurality. The paper proposes a "polyrational theory" that identifies eight distinct types of land uses, each requiring its own appropriate property rules, to ensure desirable land uses are supported by suitable property relations.
PolicyCommunitySoluções tecnológicas e inovação: a Embrapa no ano internacional da agricultura familiar.
2014EMBRAPA. · infoteca-e (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation) · Brazil
This publication focuses on technological solutions and innovation to strengthen family farming in Brazil. Embrapa's research benefits family agriculture and traditional Brazilian populations, introducing technologies for sustainable agricultural systems, improved basic sanitation, adoption of sustainable techniques, successful organic colored cotton harvests, and increased harvest opportunities in dryland farming through underground dams. It also highlights the implementation of irrigation systems in community gardens and the enrichment of rural diets with traditional vegetables.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceAssessment of the Microbiological Quality of Vegetable from Urban Community Gardens in Korea
2014Jin‐Won Kim, In‐Wook Choi, Won-Seok Na, Enkhjargar Baljii, Yong-Man Yu, Young Nam Youn, Young‐Ha Lee · Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety · South Korea (Seoul)
From September to October 2012, 530 samples of nine vegetable types were collected from 11 urban community gardens in Seoul to assess their microbiological quality. Mean total aerobic bacteria and coliforms were detected at 6.3 log CFU/g and 4.3 log CFU/g, respectively, with coliforms found in 67% of samples and E. coli in 2.3%. While foodborne pathogens were not detected, the presence of coliforms and E. coli indicates room for improvement in microbiological safety.
Contamination & food safetyCommunityHealthPENGENALAN MODEL KEBUN SAYUR SEKOLAH UNTUK PENINGKATAN KONSUMSI SAYURAN BAGI PARA SISWA DI KEDIRI - JAWA TIMUR
2014Evy Latifah, Kuntoro Boga, dan Joko Maryono · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Indonesia (Kediri)
In 2012, a school vegetable garden model was introduced at SMK Negeri Plosoklaten in Kediri, Indonesia, to promote increased vegetable consumption among students. Ten types of vegetables were grown on a 36 m² plot, with students participating in their maintenance. The total harvest was 249.6 kg, equivalent to 683.8 grams per day, demonstrating that a four-member family could consume 171g of vegetables per person per day. This amount met 43% of the WHO's recommended fruit and vegetable intake, or 85% for vegetables alone.
Food educationHealthCommunityCommunity Gardens Versus Family Gardens? Urban Reform and Controversies Around the Beautiful Garden and its Legitimate
2014Arnaud Frauenfelder, Christophe Delay, Laure Scalambrin · Espaces et sociétés · Switzerland (Geneva)
This article examines a contemporary urban reform in Geneva concerning family gardens, whose status is now in competition with new forms of community gardens. While the reform is presented as necessary, spokespersons for family allotment associations welcome it with some reservation. Social actors' positions for or against the reform implicitly refer to different socially situated modes of gardening and lifestyles, revealing that "urban agriculture" masks heterogeneous social meanings behind a visible consensus.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkageAnalysis of the Willingness of Citizens in Beijing to Pay for the Community Gardens
2014Tian Ming-hu · Beijing Linye Daxue xuebao · China (Beijing)
This paper surveyed 872 residents in Beijing from August to October 2012, using the contingent valuation method to estimate the potential value of Beijing's community gardens. Results showed that the average amount people were willing to pay for community gardens was 1002.62 RMB per person, the average area people tended to rent was 38.80 m² per person, and the total amount people were willing to pay was 12.301 billion RMB.
CommunityEconomicsPeri-urban agricultureTeacher and Administrator Perceptions of School Gardens in Cape Town, South Africa
2014Hannah Rich, Nicole M. Ardoin · Children Youth and Environments · South Africa (Cape Town)
This study used narrative interviews to explore how teachers and school administrators in low-income schools in Cape Town, South Africa, perceive their school gardens. Interviewees emphasized that despite requiring substantial resource inputs like funding, labor, and training, school gardens offer significant benefits for students, including expanded environmental awareness, food growing skills, and understanding the interconnectedness of environmental, economic, and food systems. The data ultimately converged on the primary theme of the garden's importance for greater self-sufficiency for both students and staff.
Food educationCommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceSchool Gardens: Situating Students within a Global Context
2014Thomas DeVere Wolsey, Diane Lapp · Journal of Education · Global
This article proposes a pedagogical framework for school gardens, highlighting their role in promoting healthier eating habits, sustainable local practices, and community service. It suggests that school gardens can integrate knowledge of cultures, resources, and sustainable food sources, potentially leading to increased care for the community and the planet. The article also notes that school gardens can provide opportunities for students to contribute to the availability of fresh, healthy foods in socioeconomically challenged areas.
Food educationCommunityHealthEconomicsWelfareParticipatory Budgeting in the United States: A Preliminary Analysis of Chicago’s 49th Ward Experiment
2014LaShonda M. Stewart, Steven A. Miller, R. W. Hildreth, Maja V. Wright-Phillips · New Political Science · United States (Chicago)
A preliminary analysis of Chicago's 49th Ward, the first participatory budgeting experiment in the United States, examined whether it resulted in different budgetary priorities and met social justice outcomes. Citizens chose projects classified as low priority by research literature, and while there was no clear pattern of projects only in affluent areas, geographic clustering was evident. Select areas received projects like community gardens, while others were limited to infrastructure repairs, indicating mixed social justice outcomes.
Equity & displacementPolicyCommunityEconomicsHealthDependency syndrome by communities or insufficient ingestion period by benefactor organizations? The Chirumanzu caritas community gardening project experiencein Zimbabwe
2014Mark Matsa, Beauty Dzawanda · · Zimbabwe
This study assessed the performance of Caritas-initiated and sponsored community gardens in Chaka ward, Chirumanzu District, Zimbabwe, during and after the sponsors' regime. Data was collected using questionnaires, interviews, and direct observations, and analyzed with descriptive statistics and content analysis. Results showed that the gardens flourished during Caritas's presence but quickly shrank and folded after the NGO's departure, indicating a lack of sustainability.
Governance failureCommunityEconomicsClimate changePolicy都市农业 农业里的“高大上”
2014古月 · 新农业 · Global
This paper describes urban agriculture using the popular 2013 term "gaodashang" (high-end, atmospheric, and classy). Urban agriculture is an industry in urbanized areas that utilizes pastoral landscapes, natural ecology, and environmental resources, combining agricultural, forestry, animal husbandry, and fishery production, agricultural business activities, rural culture, and rural life. It provides places for people to engage in leisure tourism, experience agriculture, and understand rural areas, integrating the three functions of agricultural production, life, and ecology.
CommunityEconomicsClimate changeFood educationConnotation,Patterns and Paths of Urban Agriculture Park
2014You Minglu · Guizhou nongye kexue · China
This study defines urban agriculture parks as urban parks integrating ecology, green, humanity, and industry, based on an organic combination of urban and agricultural elements. It proposes strategic thinking and overall design for the development of Tongren's urban agriculture park, drawing on experience reference and practical research, considering the city's natural landscape and agricultural industry features. The study also analyzes different development patterns in specific villages within Tongren City to propose a specific development idea for Tongren as an ecological tourist city.
Urban–rural linkageCommunityPolicyEconomicsALTERNATIVE DEVELOPMENT ON THE ORGANIC SECTOR HORIZONCOMMUNITY SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE IN HUNGARY
2014Zoltán Dezsény, Bálint Balázs, Katalin Réthy · · Hungary
This study explored farm enterprises following Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) practices in Hungary. The research confirmed that CSA can be identified as a sustainable rural business strategy for innovative organic farmers. It also has transformative potential for food-system localization, providing decent livelihood, good care of natural resources, and strengthening social cohesion within the rural-urban interface in Hungary.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsCommunityUrban–rural linkageDomestic Residential Garden Food Production in Melbourne, Australia: a fine-grained analysis and pilot study
2014Zainil Zainuddin, David Mercer · Australian Geographer · Australia (Melbourne)
This pilot study conducted a fine-grained analysis of domestic residential garden food production among 15 selected householders in metropolitan Melbourne, Australia. Participants collected detailed daily information about their food production over a three-month period, with two respondents maintaining records for one or more years. The results demonstrated enormous diversity in harvested food and extremely high productivity levels from relatively small domestic spaces.
DIYCommunityEconomicsThe Research of CSA Project Financing Obstacles and Forming Factors
2014Song Pin · Anhui nongye kexue · Global
This paper examines the obstacles and forming factors in project financing for Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), identifying problems such as imperfect investment entities, unclear financing objectives, and single investment methods and channels. Using a four-stakeholder model (project investors, national policy, CSA, and consumers), the study elaborates on the causes of these financing difficulties. It proposes solutions including strengthening CSA's brand and marketing to cultivate loyal customers, and leveraging government, financial institutions, and private capital to address financing challenges.
Economic viabilityCSA & TeikeiEconomicsCommunity