Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
8656 results(185 / 347)
Excess phosphorus from compost applications in urban gardens creates potential pollution hotspots
2019Gaston E. Small, Paliza Shrestha, Geneviève S. Metson, Katherine Polsky, Ivan Jimenez, Adam D. Kay · Environmental Research Communications · United States
Survey data from 142 gardeners and urban farmers in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area, USA, characterized phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) inputs and harvest, and measured soil P concentrations at a subset of sites. Median application rates were 300 kg P/ha and 1400 kg N/ha, with low nutrient use efficiencies (2.5% for P, 5.0% for N). Garden soils had a median Bray P value of 80 ppm, far exceeding recommended levels, indicating a buildup and potential loss of P and N. Urban gardens, though only 0.1% of land area, constitute one of the largest inputs of P to the watershed.
Environmental trade-offsCompostOrganic cycleClimate changeDESAIN TAMAN RUMAH TINGGAL DENGAN TEKNIK VERTIKULTUR SEBAGAI ELEMEN ESTETIKA DAN PENUNJANG PERTANIAN PADA KAWASAN PERMUKIMAN CEMOROKANDANG DI KOTA MALANG
2019Ahmad Yani, Rizki Alfian, Irawan Setyabudi · Fakultas Pertanian · Indonesia
This qualitative descriptive study in Cemorokandang residential areas, Malang City, aimed to determine public perception of verticultural techniques for urban agriculture, addressing the lack of agricultural land due to population density. The study designed community home gardens with vegetables and flowers in various forms, including vertical gardens, to provide aesthetic value and economic support for urban agriculture. The findings suggest these designs can increase both aesthetic and economic value for urban communities.
DIYEconomicsCommunityHORTA COMUNITÁRIA NA VILA VISTA ALEGRE
2019Altemailson Silva, Lucielison Cadete, Eduardo Silva, Thiago Vinícius Costa Nascimento · Fórum de Integração Ensino, Pesquisa, Extensão e Inovação Tecnológica do IFRR - e-ISSN 2447-1208 · Brazil
A community garden project was implemented in Vila Vista Alegre, Brazil, aiming to improve food quality and promote social well-being, while also providing residents with new knowledge and techniques in vegetable cultivation. Guided by a student scholar and fostering experience exchange among participants, the project faced setbacks due to heavy winter rains but adapted its methodology. Group activities contributed to good social interaction and improved cultivation techniques. The harvested vegetables were distributed to 30 families, totaling 104 people, meeting their needs.
CommunityFood educationWelfareA Study on the Operation of the Sustainability of Community Garden
2019In Sook Jo, Jung Min Choi · Residential Environment Institute Of Korea · South Korea; Japan
A case study investigated 8 community gardens in South Korea and Japan through field surveys and in-depth interviews with managers to develop a sustainable community garden management program. Findings indicated that active participant involvement is crucial, spatial layout and management should foster community, and different elements are important at each management stage. Early planning should consider maintenance elements, and governance should be participation-based, with measures needed to attract new participants due to aging populations.
CommunityPolicyIs urban gardening a source of wellbeing and just freedom? A Capability Approach based analysis from the UK and Ireland
2019Alma Clavin · Manchester University Press eBooks · United Kingdom
A study using qualitative, visual methods and Amartya Sen’s Capability Approach in five community garden sites in the UK and Ireland examined their potential for human agency and ecological sustainability. While positive agency and wellbeing benefits were observed, the gardens were found to be limited in their ability to truly enhance political freedoms and overcome asymmetric power relations. The research indicates that these initiatives may perpetuate neoliberal forms of unsustainable and uneven development, alongside ongoing issues of tenure insecurity.
Equity & displacementCommunityHealthPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changeCaracterización etnobotánica de plantas alimenticias y medicinales en huertas urbanas de Bogotá
2019Pulido Guerrero, Ana María · · Colombia (Bogotá)
This project characterized ethnobotanical aspects of food and medicinal plants in urban gardens in Bogotá, Colombia, by visiting ten family gardens and ten community gardens across five locations. It found that 80% of the gardens had more food plants than medicinal plants, and 80% of registered plants were introduced species. Community gardens showed greater species richness and social purposes, while family gardens focused on self-consumption and social cohesion. No correlations were found between species richness and socioeconomic variables due to urban heterogeneity.
CommunityFood educationHealthBiodiversityInfluence of agricultural structure transformation on ecosystem services and human well-being: Case study in Xi'an metropolitan area
2019任婷婷 Ren Tingting, 周忠学 ZHOU Zhongxue · Acta Ecologica Sinica · China (Xi'an)
This study investigated the impact of agricultural type transformation on agricultural ecosystem services and human well-being in two villages in the Xi'an metropolitan area, China, using household surveys. From 2000 to 2017, Majia Village, focused on grain cultivation, saw its ecosystem service value decrease by 17.13%, while Huojian Village, focused on vegetable cultivation, experienced a 141.08% increase. Human well-being was 89% higher in Huojian Village, indicating that a shift from traditional grain cultivation to modern urban agriculture can enhance well-being, with agricultural net income being the most significant factor.
Urban–rural linkageEconomicsHealthBuilding Capacity in UBC Campus Community Gardens
2019Amy Z. Zeng, Emily Peer-Groves, Janela Sanqui, Linda Ling · cIRcle (University of British Columbia) · Canada
This report analyzes collaboration among UBC campus community gardens, noting fragmented communication, high volunteer turnover, and gaps in information and equipment sharing. Using Community-Based Action Research, including surveys and interviews, the study found that a designed harvest tool was poorly received and required revisions. Gardeners appreciated opportunities for communication and collaboration.
CommunityFood educationBiodiversityChinampas: An Urban Farming Model of the Aztecs and a Potential Solution for Modern Megalopolis
2019Roland Ebel · HortTechnology · Mexico
This paper introduced the chinampa system, an urban farming model developed by the Aztecs in the Lake Xochimilco region of Mexico City. Chinampas are raised fields on small artificial islands in freshwater lakes, characterized by capillary irrigation and soil fertility generated from aquatic components. This system provides ecosystem services such as greenhouse gas sequestration and biodiversity diversification, and offers a potential solution for food supply and ecosystem services in modern cities.
BiodiversityClimate changeCommunityUrban–rural linkageThe Relationship Between Dietary Intake and Parental Support with Child Cooking Involvement in a Youth Population (FS16-03-19)
2019Fiona M. Asigbee, Annie K. Markowitz, Matthew J. Landry, Sarvenaz Vandyousefi, Reem Ghaddar, Nalini Ranjit, Judith L. Warren, Jaimie N. Davis, Alexandra van den Berg · Current Developments in Nutrition · United States (Texas)
This study analyzed baseline data from 1325 3rd-grade students and their parents in 28 low-income Texas schools to assess the relationship between child cooking involvement (CCI), parental support, vegetable preference (VP), and fruit/vegetable intake. Children who never cooked with their families preferred fewer vegetables (7.0 vs. 8.7/9.4), consumed less vegetables (1.9 vs. 2.6/3.5 servings/day), and ate less fruit (1.2 vs. 1.5/2.09 servings/day) compared to those who sometimes or always cooked. The findings suggest a positive association between cooking involvement and dietary intake.
Food educationHealthHow the municipality of Quito supports vulnerable city dwellers through urban agriculture
2019Alexandra Rodríguez Dueñas · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Ecuador (Quito)
Quito’s Participatory Urban Agriculture Project (AGRUPAR), launched in 2002, supports vulnerable populations by providing technical assistance, capacity building, and microcredit for urban farming, aiming for food security and employment. While integrated into local government and recognized with the Future Policy Silver Award 2018, the program faces significant challenges including administrative changes, budget cuts, and restrictive land-use legislation.
Governance failurePolicyWelfareCommunityEconomicsPlanting Seeds: Fostering Preschool Children’s Interactions with Nature and Enhancing Intergenerational Relationships in a Campus Community Garden
2019Judy Gleeson · Journal of Childhood Studies · Canada
The "Planting Seeds" intergenerational community gardening initiative in western Canada has involved children aged 3–6 years from a university campus childcare centre since 2015. This project has fostered intergenerational relationships, increased children's understanding of food origins, and enhanced their knowledge of planting, nurturing, growing, and consuming plants.
CommunityFood educationPelo direito à cidade: Políticas públicas e hortas urbanas em Florianópolis
2019Giovana Callado Ferreira · História Unicap · Brazil (Florianópolis)
This article analyzes movements surrounding urban agriculture practices and public policies in Florianópolis, Brazil, as ways to construct diversified and democratic urban land uses. Political articulations led to the creation of the Rede Semear urban agriculture network, the election of a councilman advocating agroecology, and the establishment of municipal urban agriculture programs. Community and institutional gardens, such as the Pacuca Community and Pedagogical Garden, were highlighted in this movement.
PolicyCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageCultivating urban landscapes: horticulture
2019Simone Betti · U-PAD Unimc - Open Digital Publications (University of Macerata) · Global
Urban horticulture, traditionally a marginal activity for the elderly, is gaining popularity in post-modern society for educational, rehabilitation, or hobby purposes. This growing interest in urban gardening, manifesting in various forms globally and locally, addresses needs beyond food production, often promoting social inclusion and the restoration of urban green areas. Gardens serve as spaces for reconnecting with nature, stress relief, social interaction for the elderly, outdoor classrooms for children, and therapeutic support in healthcare facilities.
Food educationWelfareElderlyCommunityHealthPossibilities of urban agriculture
2019Anna Janis-Chorosińska · Problemy Drobnych Gospodarstw Rolnych / Problems of Small Agricultural Holdings · Global
This article presents and compares well-functioning urban agriculture models from Havana (Cuba), Todmorden (England), and Bergamo (Italy), noting their differences in climate, area size, origins, objectives, organization, and financing. The analysis identifies various potential and effective functions, including educational, integration, therapeutic, aesthetic, job creation, and food autonomy. The study suggests these models could be implemented in Małopolska, Poland, to address multiple crisis situations.
CommunityFood educationHealthEconomicsSPATIOTEMPORAL CHANGE OF URBAN AGRICULTURE USING GOOGLE EARTH IMAGERY: A CASE OF MUNICIPALITY OF NAKHONRATCHASIMA CITY, THAILAND
2019Yaowaret Jantakat, P. Juntakut, Sasikarn Plaiklang, W. Arree, Chomphak Jantakat · The international archives of the photogrammetry, remote sensing and spatial information sciences/International archives of the photogrammetry, remote sensing and spatial information sciences · Thailand (Nakhonratchasima City)
This paper conducted a spatiotemporal analysis of urban agriculture (UA) areas and types in Nakhonratchasima City, Thailand, using Google Earth images from 2007, 2011, 2015, and 2018. A segmentation-based classification method in QGIS identified eleven UA classes, including truck crops and floricultural crops. Truck crops had the greatest cover in the study area, while floricultural crops covered the minimal space over the study periods. The analysis revealed different spatiotemporal change patterns, composition, and rates, showing how human-induced activities affect UA change patterns and rates.
Urban–rural linkageClimate changeWe Will Not Perish; We Will Flourish
2019Ashanté M. Reese · University of North Carolina Press eBooks · United States
This chapter examines self-reliance as a framework for contemporary efforts to increase food access, featuring a community garden at a public housing community in the United States. It focuses on the methods gardeners used to build community, maintain the garden to meet food needs, and develop youth programs. The chapter also explores how this garden operated within a broader context of precarity, specifically addressing how gardening persisted despite displacement.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceWelfareFood educationCommunity perception and participation of urban farming activities
2019Mohd. Ramzi Mohd. Hussain, Norul Hafizah Yusoff, Izawati Tukiman, Mohd Armi Abu Samah · · Global
This paper investigated community perception and participation in urban farming activities, employing a quantitative method and analyzing data with SPSS Version 24.0. The findings indicate that urban dwellers have a favorable perspective on urban farming. Economic aspects, specifically living expenses, significantly influenced the desire to grow food for self-consumption and save on food expenditure.
CommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceMaking “The Garden City of the South”: Beautification, Preservation, and Downtown Planning in Augusta, Georgia
2019J. Mark Souther · Journal of Planning History · United States
This article examines how civic leaders, particularly women, in Augusta, Georgia, collaborated with municipal administrations from the 1900s to the 1950s to beautify the city, known for its wide streets and urban horticulture tradition. These efforts led to a convergence of urban beautification, historic preservation, and downtown revitalization in the 1960s. This activity reshaped Augusta's cityscape, exacerbated racial tensions, and embedded principles of the City Beautiful, Garden City, and parks movements, influencing later planning work.
PolicyCommunityUrban–rural linkageDiseases and health; case of wetland populations in the Bamenda urban area, North West Region of Cameroon.
2019Yolar Blandine N., Lawrence F. Fombe, Mokwe Bea Patrick J., Nuipokoh Oscar M. · Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal · Cameroon (Bamenda)
A study examining the impact of diseases and health on wetland populations in the Bamenda urban area of Cameroon found that increased human investment in wetlands enhances inhabitants' vulnerability to flood hazards and diseases like malaria, cholera, and typhoid. The wetlands in Bamenda are rapidly degrading due to population pressure, leading to reclamation, pollution, and urban agriculture, which exacerbates the proliferation of disease vectors.
Environmental trade-offsHealthUrban–rural linkageCommunityThe challenges of deploying urban agriculture
2019Mathilde Martin-Moreau, David Ménascé · OpenEdition (OpenEdition) · Global
The deployment of urban agriculture relies on initiatives from companies, startups, and non-profit organizations, alongside support from public authorities, especially local governments. Challenges include the need to raise consumer awareness of new production methods and to train urban farmers for quality supply chains. The abstract indicates that commitment from local stakeholders is crucial for scaling up urban agriculture projects.
Governance failurePolicyEconomicsCommunityFood educationMicroclimates of Urban Reproduction: The Limits of Automating Environmental Control
2019Andy Lockhart, Simon Marvin · Antipode · United Kingdom (Sheffield)
This article explored the phenomenon of automated environmental control, using three sites in Sheffield, UK: a botanical glasshouse, a luxury hotel, and a university plant growth research lab. The study identified technical and ecological tensions and limits of indoor environmental control at each site, which restrict the scope of automation. It also showed that maintaining desired conditions required considerable hidden labor and energy.
Limited or null effectDigital agricultureClimate changeSocio-political dynamics of alternative food networks: a hybrid governance approach
2019Alessandra Manganelli, Pieter Van den Broeck, Frank Moulaert · Territory Politics Governance · Global
This theoretical paper points out that Alternative Food Networks (AFNs) encounter governance challenges stemming from organizational growth pains, the search for cultivable land, and confrontation with urban planning policy and state structures that have a low affinity with urban agriculture. As AFNs develop, various governance tensions arise both within their organization and in their institutionalization processes. The paper redefines hybrid governance to elucidate these dynamics, suggesting that existing agro-food literature insufficiently addresses the complexity of AFNs' governance.
Governance failurePolicyCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceRe-conceptualizing urban agriculture: an exploration of farming along the banks of the Yamuna River in Delhi, India
2019Jessica Cook, Kate Oviatt, Deborah S. Main, Harpreet Kaur, John Brett · · India (Delhi)
This paper explores market-oriented urban agriculture along the Yamuna River in Delhi, India, from the farmers' perspective. Using a multi-method Rapid Assessment Process, the study investigates how urban agriculture is practiced and what factors influence farmers' livelihood decisions. The research argues against assuming the sustainability of urban agriculture, emphasizing the need to understand city-level conditions and their impact on farmers' economic viability.
Economic viabilityCommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageOficina de horta comunitária do projeto DIST Shopping Park como aliada na geração de renda, segurança alimentar e educação ambiental para a comunidade
2019Lais Abreu Tedde, Geovana Rodrigues de Lima, Giovana Velloso Galante · Revista Em Extensão · Brazil (Uberlândia)
In Uberlândia, Brazil, the "DIST – Shopping Park" project established a community garden workshop aimed at providing income and social reintegration opportunities for at-risk individuals. A key activity was the installation of a mandala garden at the Maria Euvira Sabbag Municipal School. Through the garden's establishment and subsequent production, educational activities were conducted to connect early childhood education students with organic food production, enhancing their knowledge of farming and garden management.
CommunityFood educationWelfareEconomicsFood sovereignty & justice