Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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Critical findings
8656 results(184 / 347)
The potential for heavy metal pollution in crops from urban and peri urban horticultural farms in the Gaborone environs: a review
2019L.C. Obuseng · Botswana Journal of Agriculture and Applied Sciences · Botswana (Gaborone)
This review highlights the potential for heavy metal accumulation in soil and crops from urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) around Gaborone, Botswana, due to the intensive use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, wastewater, sludges, and industrial effluents. A literature review showed that fertilizers contain heavy metals, and the use of treated or untreated sewage water by UPA farmers can lead to heavy metal accumulation in soil and crops, posing a danger to human health. Information on heavy metal accumulation in soils is limited in Botswana, despite high agrochemical use in UPA vegetable production.
Contamination & food safetyHealthPeri-urban agricultureOrganic cycleDevelopment of Structural Model and Analysis of Design Factors for Small Greenhouse of Urban Agriculture
2019Hyung-Kweon Kim, Young-Sun Ryou, Younghwa Kim, Tae-Seok Lee, Sung-Sik Oh, Won Suk Lee, Yong-Hyeon Kim · Protected horticulture and Plant Factory · South Korea
This study analyzed design factors for small greenhouses suitable for urban agriculture in South Korea and developed structural models. Preferred dimensions for urban farmers were 3-4m width, 1.8-2m side height, 2.5-3m ridge height, and 4-7m length. The study proposed four structural models, including an arched vinyl greenhouse and gable-roofed glass or PC panel greenhouses, categorized into standard (approx. 2 million KRW) and premium (approx. 5 million KRW) types.
DIYEconomicsCommunityPELATIHAN TEKNIK PENANAMAN TABULAMPOT KEPADA MASYARAKAT BTN KUPULA INDAH KOTA JUANG KABUPATEN BIREUEN
2019Halus Satriawan, Irfannur Irfannur, Zikri Maulina Gaznur, Eka Rahmı, Ajmir Akmal · VARIASI Majalah Ilmiah Universitas Almuslim · Indonesia
A community service activity was conducted on September 1, 2019, in BTN Kupula Indah, Kota Juang, Bireuen Regency, Aceh Province, Indonesia. The activity involved demonstrations, practical training, and counseling on tabulampot (potted fruit plants) cultivation techniques for urban perennial plants. The findings indicated that this training successfully enhanced the community's skills in tabulampot planting and increased their knowledge for utilizing yard space and developing tabulampot entrepreneurship.
DIYFood educationCommunityFood production and gender relations in multifunctional landscapes: a literature review
2019Lisa Westholm, Madelene Ostwald · Agroforestry Systems · Africa, Asia, Latin America
This literature review of 104 scientific articles across Africa, Asia, and Latin America examined food production and gender relations in multifunctional land use systems. The review found that the specific role of landscape multifunctionality for women's food security opportunities is rarely explicitly studied. It also showed that products controlled by women are often secondary and far from markets, risking neglect by policymakers, and efforts to increase their value may adversely affect women's empowerment if powerful actors appropriate benefits.
Equity & displacementWelfareFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicyAsesoría para la conformación de una fundación de agricultura urbana
2019Wendy Johanna Murcia Gulumá, Óscar Andrés Pérez Soler, Sindy Rodríguez Rodríguez · · Colombia (Bogotá)
This study provided advisory support to an urban garden in Bogotá, Colombia, named "Guerreros y Guerreras Unidos en Accion," which had been operating empirically since 2005 without formal legal status or strategic planning. The garden, primarily involving individuals over 50 without formal employment, sought to formalize its activities by establishing a foundation. The intervention aimed to guide the garden's members through the legal and administrative steps for formalization.
Governance failureCommunityWelfareOrganic cyclePolicyThe multifunctionality of urban horticulture and its integration with the city ecosystem: a brief review of concepts and the case of São Luís
2019João Flávio Bomfim Gomes, Renata SB Gomes, Alex Oliveira de Souza · Horticultura Brasileira · Brazil (São Luís)
This review examines the multifunctionality of urban agriculture globally and details the case of São Luís, Brazil. In São Luís, agricultural production has low expression in municipal GDP, with producers facing challenges such as small production areas, a need for technical assistance, and poor transport conditions. The study found a lack of public support for urban farmers in São Luís, contrasting with successful urban agriculture experiences that benefit from converging public policies.
BiodiversityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPeri-urban agricultureLIMITANTES TÉCNICO-PRODUCTIVAS Y SOCIOECONÓMICAS PARA LA ADOPCIÓN DE LA AGRICULTURA URBANA. EL CASO DE LA RED DE AGRICULTURA URBANA Y PERIURBANA DE XALAPA, VERACRUZ
2019Guadalupe Del Ángel-Lozano, Martha Elena Nava-Tablada · Tropical and Subtropical Agroecosystems · Mexico (Xalapa)
This study analyzed technical-productive and socioeconomic limitations to urban agriculture adoption among members of the Network of Urban and Periurban Agriculture (RAUP) in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico. Researchers applied 25 questionnaires to active members and 10 to non-practicing participants. Both groups of RAUP participants identified socioeconomic factors, such as lack of space and limited free time due to urban lifestyles, as the main constraints, while technical-productive limitations were not considered relevant.
Economic viabilityCommunityEconomicsPeri-urban agricultureNew agricultural purposes in the city
2019Mathilde Martin-Moreau, David Ménascé · OpenEdition (OpenEdition) · Global
This article discusses the revival of urban agriculture, which serves multiple purposes by strengthening city-nature links, creating new urban development models, and reinventing food production systems. It highlights how urban agriculture reintroduces natural and productive spaces into cities, responding to urban dwellers' aspirations to integrate rural practices.
CommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceThe Local Food Environment and Food Security: The Health Behavior Role of Social Capital
2019Christopher Paul, John E. Paul, Rosa S. Anderson · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · United States (North Carolina)
This paper investigates the role of social capital in food security, proposing a theoretical linkage between social capital and health behavior. Based on empirical work in North Carolina involving community gardens, faith communities, and the local food environment, the analysis examined the links between minority status, food security, social capital, and health.
CommunityHealthFood sovereignty & justiceThe potential of urban agriculture towards a more sustainable urban food system in food-insecure neighbourhoods in Cape Town and Maputo
2019Nicole Paganini, Stefanie Lemke, Inês Raimundo · ECONOMIA AGRO-ALIMENTARE · Sub-Saharan Africa
This research explored the potential of urban agriculture in Cape Town, South Africa, and Maputo, Mozambique, through two baseline surveys among urban farmers and home gardeners, as well as qualitative in-depth interviews. Findings indicated that urban farmers and home gardeners add nutrients and diversity to their diets and can partly contribute to their income. However, in Cape Town, main challenges included access to local and external markets, fair pricing, and sovereignty in production.
Economic viabilityFood sovereignty & justiceWelfareEconomicsCommunityCities: incorporating natural capital into urban planning
2019Perrine Hamel, François Mancebo, Clément Feger, Stéphanie Hamel · HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe) · France
This chapter presented three case studies illustrating how nature's benefits have been incorporated into urban planning decisions, specifically urban agriculture policy in Nantes and Bordeaux, France, and an integrated urban water management strategy in Melbourne, Australia. The cases demonstrated that urban green space provides multiple benefits, including efficient water management, food production, recreation opportunities, and biodiversity protection. Key opportunities and barriers for incorporating urban nature into planning were identified.
PolicyCommunityBiodiversityClimate changeThe former urban school gardens
2019Joanna Dudek-Klimiuk · Technical Transactions · Poland
This study examined the "central school gardens" established in interwar Poland for students of all schools in a given city. These gardens were primarily demonstration gardens, modeled after university botanic gardens, and were characterized by their relatively large scale, public access, and park-like nature. Their layout, architectural details, and plant selection reflected not only their didactic function but also contemporary fashion and design standards for gardens and parks.
Food educationCommunityUsing decomposition of household items as an indicator of soil health and educational tool in Kamuli District, Uganda
2019Theresa Brehm · Iowa State University Digital Repository (Iowa State University) · Uganda
This study, conducted at Naluwoli Primary School garden in Kamuli district, Uganda, tested the decomposition of household items as an inexpensive indicator of soil health. Cotton underwear, green and rooibos teas, and birch wood sticks were buried for 4, 7, 14, and 21 days in hand-tilled and untilled soils. Untilled soils decomposed cotton by 0.68% less and birch wood sticks by 0.86% more per day than hand-tilled soils, while tea data was inconclusive due to outside biological factors.
Food educationOrganic cycleCommunityA social network linking rural and peri-urban agricultural production to the city of Rome: A case study
2019Sabrina Giuca, Simonetta De Leo · ECONOMIA AGRO-ALIMENTARE · Italy (Rome)
This study investigated the role of Alternative Food Networks (AFNs) using the "Kalulu" network, a web platform operating in the rural and peri-urban territory of the Metropolitan City of Rome, as a case study. Analysis revealed that this platform creates a local market recognizing fair and sustainable exchange value between producers and consumers. This commercialization model increases consumer awareness and responsibility regarding consumption choices while also ensuring the economic needs of small farmers.
Peri-urban agricultureUrban–rural linkageCommunityEconomicsCultivating Social Cohesion: Urban Gardens and Social Capital among Internally Displaced Populations in Maiduguri
2019Chinwe Okonkwo, A. Bello · Open MIND · Nigeria (Maiduguri)
This study investigated the role of urban community gardening programs in generating social capital among 312 internally displaced persons in Maiduguri, Nigeria. A cross-sectional survey across three displacement-affected wards measured bonding, bridging, and linking social capital. Participation in community gardens was significantly associated with increased bonding and bridging social capital, with 78% of respondents forming new trusted relationships across ethnic or village backgrounds. Frequency of garden participation positively predicted perceived community solidarity.
CommunityWelfareHealthAgricultures urbaines à São Paulo: histoire et typologie
2019Eduardo de Lima Caldas, Martin Jayo · Confins · Brazil (São Paulo)
This study traced the history of urban agriculture in São Paulo, Brazil, since the 1980s and analyzed current agricultural practices. It revealed that urban agriculture initiatives and policies have historically alternated between "scale-oriented" and "visibility-oriented" forms. These two forms coexist today, with "scale-oriented" agriculture typically in peripheral areas and "visibility-oriented" agriculture concentrated in more central regions.
PolicyCommunityUrban–rural linkageMultitemporal Geospatial Evaluation of Urban Agriculture and (Non)-Sustainable Food Self-Provisioning in Milan, Italy
2019Giuseppe Pulighe, Flavio Lupia · Sustainability · Italy (Milan)
A spatiotemporal quantification of urban agriculture in Milan, Italy, assessed its food self-provisioning potential using Google Earth images from 2007 and 2014. The study found that even in the best-case scenario, the current urban agriculture production (98 ha of vegetable gardens, 2539 ha of arable land) is insufficient to meet the vegetable and cereal consumption needs of over 1.3 million city residents. It could only satisfy approximately 63,700 vegetable consumers and 321,000 cereal consumers.
Limited or null effectFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsThe Role of Food System in Promoting Environmental Planning
2019Rayeheh Khatami, Toktam Hanaei, Mohammad Reza Mansouri Daneshvar · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Iran (Mashhad)
This paper analyzed the impact of urban agriculture and urban food systems on environmental planning in a non-western city region context, using Mashhad city, Iran, as a case study. Employing qualitative approaches, a survey of documentary studies and planning tools integrated with face-to-face interviews with experts explained the role of the food system in the environmental planning process. The study examined the role of food in creating agricultural gardens as a means to improve the agricultural system in a non-western country.
Food sovereignty & justiceClimate changeEconomicsPolicyReviving urban spaces through tactical urbanism in Baghdad: Five common tactics
2019Shaimaa Hameed Hussein, Samah A. Abrahem · Periodicals of Engineering and Natural Sciences (PEN) · Iraq (Baghdad)
This research investigated the socio-spatial causes and consequences of tactical urbanism practices in Baghdad, identifying main creators and their motivations. It recognized five common practices: public art, pop-up rest areas, pavement plazas, guerrilla gardening, and open streets. Examining evidence from fieldwork, interviews with involved individuals, and a questionnaire for architecture and urban design professionals, the study argued that tactical urbanism applications in Baghdad could revive urban spaces and positively impact local communities.
CommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkageInvestigating circular economy urban practices in centocelle, rome district
2019Francesca Cappellaro, Laura Cutaia, Carolina Innella, Claudia Meloni, R. Pentassuglia, Vincenzo Porretto · Environmental Engineering and Management Journal · Italy (Rome)
This paper presented several circular economy practices integrating circular strategies at an urban scale, focusing on the Centocelle district in Rome, Italy. Through the employment of smart solutions and a collaborative process involving citizens, circular economy urban practices such as community gardens, co-workings, local and km0 production systems, and recycling centers were identified. These practices achieved urban transformation in terms of regeneration, sharing economy experiences, resource optimization, and closed-loop systems, positively and actively influencing the urban community in supporting the transition towards circular economy models.
CommunityOrganic cycleFood miles & supply chainUrban Agriculture and Social Innovation: Casa da Videira case study in Curitiba
2019Mariana Schmitz Gonçalves, Gabriela Garcez Duarte, Liliane Iten Chaves, Aguinaldo Batista dos Santos Junior · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Brazil (Curitiba)
A case study examined Casa da Videira, a community in Curitiba, Brazil, that utilizes urban agriculture as a social innovation. Comparing data from 2010 and 2018, the study analyzed transformations over 17 years of the community's existence. Key aspects of this social innovation included resident participation in decision-making, cooperation, a multidisciplinary team, process focus, proactive learning, risk-taking, and results maximization.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsInfección por Angiostrongylus cantonensis (Nematoda: Metastrongylidae) en Rattus rattus (Rodentia: Muridae) en una localidad de La Habana, Cuba
2019Ariamys Companioni, Jennys Peraza, Zulema Menéndez Díaz, Aileen González, Ledy X López, Ana Elisa Rodriguez, Jorge Cantillo, Fidel Ángel Núñez · Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) · Cuba
A descriptive study in La Lisa Municipality, Havana, Cuba, examined 63 Rattus rattus rodents for Angiostrongylus cantonensis infection in an urban farm field. The study found that 46.03% of the captured rodents were infected with A. cantonensis, with infection rates increasing in adult individuals (59.46%) and during the rainy season (55.88%). This demonstrated the circulation of A. cantonensis in its definitive host in the area, indicating an increased risk of transmission to humans.
Contamination & food safetyHealthUrban–rural linkageUrban agriculture towards food security of Syrian refugees and vulnerable Lebanese host communities
2019Sudeh Dehnavi, Verena Süß · Development in Practice · Lebanon
This article outlines lessons from an urban agricultural project in Lebanon aimed at improving food security for Syrian refugees and vulnerable Lebanese host communities. A survey of 41 participants indicated potential to enhance project performance by revising its design. Success could be increased by fine-tuning objectives based on available capacities, beneficiary expectations, and regional social, cultural, technical, and economic characteristics.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceWelfarePolicyGrowing democratic citizenship competencies: Fostering social studies understandings through inquiry learning in the preschool garden
2019Erin M. Casey, Cynthia F. DiCarlo, Kerry Sheldon · The Journal of Social Studies Research · United States
This exploratory study investigated whether 11 three- and four-year-old children in the United States could engage in social studies practices through inquiry learning in a school garden over nine months. Data from child interviews, teacher observations, and lesson plans were analyzed to correlate garden inquiries with NCSS preK-12 learning themes. Three prevalent themes emerged: Civic Ideals and Practices, People, Places, and Environments, and Time, Continuity, and Change, suggesting that school garden inquiry learning can foster democratic competencies.
Food educationCommunityWhat’s on the menu? Succulent sustainability goes to school
2019M. A. McKenna, Jessica Wall, Suchitra Roy · · Canada
This chapter summarizes the status of plant-based food initiatives in Canadian schools. While considerable progress has been made in establishing school gardens, youth leadership programs, and food sustainability education, researchers note that more work is needed to reach all students, offer programs addressing all aspects of food literacy, and achieve system change.
Limited or null effectFood educationCommunityHealth