Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
5821 results(186 / 233)
Examining the Underlying Values of Food Security Programming: Implications for the Social Work Profession
2014Sarah Himmelheber · Journal of Progressive Human Services · United States
This study discusses incongruities between social work's professional values and dominant public and private responses to food insecurity. Empowerment theory is positioned as an evaluative lens to examine food assistance, and dominant forms of food assistance are scrutinized using its basic tenets. Innovative programs, including community gardens, community kitchens, and D.C. Central Kitchen, are highlighted for their potential to yield empowering outcomes.
CommunityWelfareFood sovereignty & justiceParadise, Future
2014Pierrette Hondagneu‐Sotelo · · United States (California)
This chapter discusses possibilities for rethinking and reinventing new models of garden making in Southern California and metropolitan regions more generally. In Southern California, diverse gardens promoting environmental and cultural sustainability, shared backyard gardening, organic vegetable gardening, wall gardens, and lawn removal efforts are observed. The chapter reviews these projects, looking at new efforts in private residential gardens, urban community gardens, and public spaces, with a focus on immigration and the Southern California region.
CommunityPolicyBiodiversityHealthUrban Agriculture Policy Making in New York’s “New Political Spaces”
2014Nevin Cohen, Kristin Reynolds · Journal of Planning Education and Research · United States (New York City)
This article examines urban agriculture (UA) policy-making processes in New York City, focusing on aspects of UA not fully addressed by existing policies, plans, and research strategies. Interviews with UA stakeholders and an analysis of the city’s UA policy-making processes show that resource needs and race- and class-based disparities within the UA system persist.
Equity & displacementPolicyCommunityEconomicsSociocoltura. La riscoperta del rapporto con la terra come "balsamo" per la società ibrida urbana
2014Marco Picone · Nova Science Publishers (Nova Science Publishers, Inc.) · Global
This article considers the role of agriculture in contemporary societies, specifically the renaissance of urban gardening and innovative forms of agriculture. It studies the spread and impact of urban gardening and other innovative agriculture and horticulture in hyper-technological postmetropolises. These forms of crop tending are stimulating new forms of relationships, encouraging people to regain control over their lives and spend time closer to nature, and are argued to be becoming a form of "society tending" or socioculture, aligning with growing environmental awareness.
CommunityUrban–rural linkageClinic garden survey in the Ngaka Modiri Molema district municipality, North-West Province: Vegetation, management and social issue
2014S. Maré, Sarel S. Cilliers · Suid-Afrikaanse Tydskrif vir Natuurwetenskap en Tegnologie · South Africa (Ngaka Modiri Molema district municipality)
This study surveyed clinic gardens in the Ngaka Modiri Molema district municipality, North-West Province, focusing on the relationship between the environment, socio-economics, and health aspects of rural Tswana communities. The findings offered insights into species diversity, garden purposes, management reasons, and resources for improvement and potential expansion to community gardens.
CommunityHealthEconomicsAssessment of the Contribution of Urban Crop Production to the Socio- Economic Development of Benue State, Nigeria
2014Monica Mwuese Atagher, Abraham VER, Akor Apollos · IOSR Journal of Agriculture and Veterinary Science · Nigeria
This study assessed the contribution of urban crop production to socioeconomic development in Benue State, Nigeria, by surveying 210 urban crop farmers across three towns. Most farmers were educated, married, and used urban agriculture to supplement food and income. Regression analysis showed that farm size, fertilizer amount, and quantity of seeds were significant determinants of output and productivity.
EconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityPerception of campus community towards the application and practicality of campus farming in IIUM, Gombak
2014Norul Hafizah Yusoff, Nurfaezah Ghani, Putri Haryati Ibrahim · The International Islamic University Malaysia Repository (The International Islamic University Malaysia) · Malaysia
This study analyzed the practicality of campus farming at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Gombak campus, from the perspective of its community. Questionnaire surveys, interviews, and observations were conducted among 15 workers and 50 students. Findings indicated that the majority of respondents agreed campus farming is suitable and beneficial for the environment, economy, and social aspects within the campus.
CommunityFood educationEconomicsSeeds for Change? Attaining the benefits of community gardens through council policies in Sydney, Australia
2014Gregory Mintz, Phil McManus · Australian Geographer · Australia (Sydney)
This research in Sydney, Australia, evaluates and compares the quality of community garden policies with the distribution of community gardens across local councils and broader geographic regions. It identifies areas that could benefit from increased access to community gardens and discusses ways for councils and the Sydney Region to improve their policies. The study aims to determine what elements community garden policies should contain to best promote these gardens and their benefits.
CommunityPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkage도시농업 활성화를 위한 도시농업조례 항목별 중요도와 참여 만족도 및 지속가능성의 관계 분석
2014Eun Young Choi, 정윤남, 김세용 · 한국도시설계학회지 도시설계 · South Korea
This study analyzed the relationship between the importance of urban agriculture ordinance items, participant satisfaction, and sustainability, from an institutional perspective. Findings indicated that participants' sustained engagement in urban agriculture involves conscious stages. Participants prioritized educational and direct support for individuals over indirect government support. Furthermore, a difference in perception regarding the importance of urban agriculture ordinance items was observed between experts and participants.
PolicyCommunityLet it grow: urban gardens and food access in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
2014Katherine Luke · D-Scholarship@Pitt (University of Pittsburgh) · United States (Pittsburgh)
This study used a door-to-door survey in six Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania neighborhoods to measure the impact of community gardens on residents' perceptions of food access. It found that many gardeners do not consider gardening to improve their personal food security, and despite geographic proximity and expressed interest, community garden participation rates were low. Social and emotional barriers, including lack of gardening knowledge and racial prejudice, appeared to prevent residents from becoming active participants.
Limited or null effectCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceHealthWelfare도시농업 공간 확보를 위한 도시계획관련 제도 개선 방안
2014최정석 · 환경정책 · South Korea
This research from South Korea identifies legal and institutional problems in securing space for urban agriculture, noting that the 2013 Urban Agriculture Promotion and Support Act has not boosted urban agriculture due to a lack of space. The study focuses on urban planning regulations, parks, green areas, the Urban Agriculture Promotion and Support Act, and other related policies to suggest solutions for these issues.
Governance failurePolicyCommunityRecreational use and health functions of allotments gardens in the Katowice conurbation, Poland
2014Edward Duś · Environmental & Socio-economic Studies · Poland
This analysis examines the recreational use of allotment gardens in the industrial Katowice conurbation, Silesia, southern Poland, considering their historical development. Allotment gardens serve as a primary base for recreation for their owners, offering both physical activities and passive leisure. Recreational use is seasonal and varies daily, influenced by weather and available free time, with socio-economic changes impacting utilization methods and types of recreational use.
CommunityHealthPolicyEizenberg, Efrat. 2013. From the ground up: community gardens in New York City and the politics of spatial transformation. Farnham: Ashgate. Reviewed by Matt W. Murray
2014Matt Murray · Journal of Political Ecology · United States (New York City)
Efrat Eizenberg's book "From the Ground Up" explores New York City's community gardens as spaces that resist the commodification of land. The book details the history of these gardens, including their emergence during the 1970s economic crisis when primarily Black and Hispanic residents transformed vacant land into communal green spaces. As the real estate market recovered in the 1980s, land values increased, and many gardens were threatened by gentrification pressures. Eizenberg analyzes these transformations at individual, collective, and institutional levels, highlighting how gardeners create common spaces, solidify interpersonal ties, and organize to defend their gardens.
Equity & displacementCommunityPolicyEconomicsResearch-informed gardening activism: steering the public food and land agenda
2014Chiara Tornaghi, Barbara Van Dyck · Local Environment · United Kingdom
This paper explores the "spheres of influence" and contradictions that shaped the trajectory of the Edible Public Space project in Leeds, UK, drawing on the authors' personal experience. It analyzes the dynamics and contradictions at play in the formation of an urban gardening group stemming from scholarly and committed action ambitions. The study focuses on the role of spatial interventions in fostering social innovation in the public food and land agenda, aiming to capture learning elements for scholarly activism, political gardening, and radical urbanism.
Governance failureCommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyUrbane Landwirtschaft in Buenos Aires (Argentinien)
2014Christina Jochum · · Argentina (Buenos Aires)
This study examined the social inclusion potential of urban agriculture, focusing on six community gardens in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It analyzed how urban community gardens can promote social inclusion and identified limiting factors. The research found that urban community gardens in Buenos Aires remain an informal strategy, unrecognized by political authorities. The positive impacts of communal gardening on participants and the community are limited by this lack of recognition and often by associated lack of land use rights.
Equity & displacementCommunityWelfareCommunity supported agriculture in Romania: Is it driven by economy or solidarity?
2014Brînduşa Bîrhală, Judith Möllers, Bîrhală, Brînduşa, Möllers, Judith · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · Romania
This study investigated Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in Romania, focusing on costs and benefits for both farmers and consumers in three pioneering CSA groups offering organic vegetables to contracted consumers in the western part of the country. It found that consumers are typically urban dwellers with higher education and income, prioritizing organic-quality fresh products over solidarity, which is a value aspired by the initiating NGO. Farmers' main motivation for CSA involvement is the need for a stable market with fair prices, indicating that both parties use CSA to compensate for market failures.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsCommunityHealthAbordagem Complexa e Desenvolvimento Local por meio do Turismo Solidário: o caso da rede “Brasilidade Solidária”
2014Rafael Ângelo Fortunato, Elza Neffa · Revista Turismo em Análise · Brazil
This article reflects on the potential of solidarity tourism for local development, analyzing the "Horta Comunitária do Morro da Coroa" community garden in Brazil. Based on a literature review, phenomenology, and one year of participant observation, the study identified the potential of the "6Vs" of solidarity tourism as pillars for a new concept. It also found that network formation, as proposed, is an important instrument for political action aimed at strengthening local development initiatives.
CommunityEconomicsTowards the Revitalization of Farmer's Markets in Marseille. Wen Citizens Advocate for a Greener City
2014Jean Lagane · HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe) · France
This paper examines the challenges of food provisioning in Marseille due to global food networks and environmental issues like global warming and metropolization. A three-year ethnographic study of the "Marche du Cours Julien" in Marseille explored how citizens revived local farmers' markets and promoted bottom-up ecologization. The study also analyzed the links between the Cours Julien farmers' market, which hosts a French Community-supported agriculture (CSA), and the development of Alternative Food Networks and Short Food Supply Chains.
CommunityCSA & TeikeiFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsSchool food gardens: fertile ground for education
2014Moira Beery, Rachel Adatia, Orsola Segantin, Chantal-Fleur Skaer · Health Education · South Africa (Johannesburg)
This paper examines the role of organic permaculture food gardens established at two schools in Johannesburg, South Africa, over one year, in addressing food insecurity and environmental sustainability. A nutrition study with 68 children found that these gardens can contribute to children's physical, mental, and emotional health, serving as a resource for teachers and learners. The study notes that practical and cultural challenges must be addressed for sustainability, and its findings, based on a one-year assessment at only two sites, may not be universally applicable.
Food educationFood sovereignty & justiceHealthCommunityUrban Agriculture & The Co-Development of Environment, Culture, and Community
2014Heidi Thomas · Maryland Shared Open Access Repository (USMAI Consortium) · Global
This paper discusses how urban agriculture can repair environmental and sociocultural divisions within urban communities, which often manifest as racial and class barriers. It posits that the convergence of environment and foodways through urban agriculture fosters a culturally democratic co-development process. This process, involving the growing and sharing of food, can sustain existing cultural communities and inspire new forms of community aligned with sustainability.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceClimate change학교폭력 대처를 위한 도시농업 적용방안
2014장진, 오충현 · · South Korea
This study examined the application of urban agriculture's therapeutic properties as a measure against school violence in South Korea. A 2014 survey of 77 middle school students in Gangdong-gu, Seoul, found that 68.8% had plant cultivation experience. Reasons for participating in urban agriculture activities included learning about the value of life and plant cultivation, finding peace and achievement, and socializing with friends. The most needed experiential activities were cognitive (41.6%), emotional (40.3%), and behavioral (36.4%).
Food educationHealthCommunityCommunity Gardens in Zagreb, Croatia: Old/new practices for the local sustainability
2014Lana Slavuj Borčić, Cvitanović Marin, Aleksandar Lukić · · Croatia (Zagreb)
Community gardens have long existed in Zagreb, Croatia, where residents have transformed underused public urban areas into gardens. While these activities largely occurred outside formal government frameworks, the "City Gardens" policy was adopted in 2012 to allocate urban public parcels to interested citizens. This policy increased participation in community gardening, and previous research indicates that community gardens offer multiple benefits and positive impacts on individuals, local communities, and urban spaces.
CommunityPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceHealthBuilding a Better Office of Sustainability: Promoting Sustainable Change and Educational Outreach at WKU
2014Andrew Salman · TopSCHOLAR (Western Kentucky University) · United States (Bowling Green)
This research documented the transformation of a house in Bowling Green, KY, into a model sustainability home by the WKU Office of Sustainability as a case study. Using LEED Core Concepts, the study assessed the benefits of weatherization, solar energy array installation, and the conversion of the backyard into an edible landscape and community garden to mitigate stormwater flooding. Procedural and institutional barriers to sustainability initiatives were analyzed, and exceptional results, such as the collaborative community gardening organization Project Grow, were described as a model for other institutions.
CommunityClimate changeFood educationThe meanwhile lease: enabling temporary community use of vacant property
2013Meanwhile Foundation · Meanwhile Foundation (UK) · Global
The 'meanwhile lease' lets landlords grant short-term use to voluntary groups while keeping ownership and the right to recover the site; an intermediary provides standard contracts and insurance to make interim use legal and smooth.
PolicyCommunitySeed exchange networks for agrobiodiversity conservation. A review
2013Pautasso M., Aistara G., Barnaud A., Caillon S., Clouvel P., Coomes O.T. · Agronomy for Sustainable Development · Global
Reviews concepts, methods, and challenges for understanding farmer seed exchange networks, central to conserving landraces and sustaining agrobiodiversity through informal social and ecological seed systems worldwide.
Heirloom & landraceCommunityBiodiversity