Research & reports

Emma Sutphen · Clark Digital Commons (Clark University) · United States

This practitioner report examines the Giving Garden, a community garden at Coogan Farm established in 2013 by the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center in New London County, Connecticut, and its effects on community health and regional food security. Based on participatory research drawing on the author's experience as a 2017 summer intern and subsequent Assistant Garden Manager, the garden contributes to reducing local food insecurity by supplying seasonal fruits and vegetables grown through biointensive, regenerative practices. Findings suggest Giving Garden members experience a heightened sense of community, recipients of garden produce achieve greater overall health, and educational programs teaching sustainable farming practices promote more ecologically friendly household farming and gardening.

Ednaldo Michellon, Janaina Miyashiro Simon, Aldeir Isael Faxina Barros, Victor de Canini Cezar, Jaqueline da Silva Rosa, Wellington Fernandes Pereira · Cadernos de Agroecologia · Brazil

The municipality of Maringá, Brazil, has 37 community gardens that make use of abandoned or underutilized natural resources while improving participating families' environment and quality of life. Since 2008, the Reference Center for Urban and Periurban Agriculture (CerAUP), created amid social movements advocating for public policy support of urban and periurban agriculture, has provided technical assistance and voluntary extension services for such projects. This study used a questionnaire with participants of the Villa Atenas community garden to assess satisfaction with cultivating medicinal plants, the plants cited, their forms of use, plant parts used, and purposes of use. Results showed high satisfaction with the space used for cultivating medicinal plants, but only superficial knowledge among participants of the plants used and their purposes, leading the authors to conclude that popular and scientific knowledge about these plants needs wider dissemination.

Roberta Hoepers Mascarenhas, Adrian José Ramos, Ana Beatriz Boos dos Santos, Eduarda Nunes, Emile de Lima Pollheim, Eric Schwamberger, Gabriela Santos Patriarca, Julia Novak Baumgart, Kassia Kathellyn Barboza, Lucas Augusto Venske, Mara Alice Pereira, Maria Eduarda Batista Tiago, Naira Zesuino, Rossie Katherine dos Santos, Samuel Carvalho de Matos-Filho, Vinícius Verwiebe, Helenadja Santos Mota, Tatiane Sueli Coutinho · Anais da Mostra Nacional de Iniciação Científica e Tecnológica Interdisciplinar (MICTI) - e-ISSN 2316-7165 · Brazil

A community medicinal-herb garden project in Brusque, Brazil, catalogued 32 medicinal herbs through a literature review and selected 28 of them for planting and further study, aiming to raise community awareness of natural treatments through a booklet and talks at schools in the Brusque municipal school network. The first activity was carried out with students from APAE, a special-education institution.

Robin Sakina Mama · · United States

A book chapter examining a community garden developed at Monmouth University, a small private liberal-arts university in suburban New Jersey, United States, as a form of university-community collaboration. It discusses the garden's growth, successes and lessons learned, noting that community gardens are commonly started to address food insecurity but often expand into other functions such as neighborhood revitalization, community pride and a sense of ownership, with the building of social community described as central to the endeavor. The chapter is descriptive and reports no quantitative data.

Virginia L. J. Bolshakova, John Gieng, C. Sheena Sidhu · California Agriculture · United States (California)

In San Mateo County, California, teen ambassadors trained by UC Cooperative Extension educators and volunteers at UC Elkus Ranch taught nutrition science, food cultivation and healthy living skills to elementary schoolchildren in an urban setting through an 8-week, garden-based after-school program (the Healthy Living Ambassador Program) in spring 2015. A mixed-methods pilot study measured children's vegetable selection and consumption preferences and teens' perceived self-efficacy in healthy living behavior. Children trended toward increased preference for gardening, cooking and science, and teens showed an increase in perceived health self-efficacy.

Lee R.E., Parker N.H., Soltero E.G., Ledoux T., Hernandez I., Sahnoune I. · BMC Public Health, 17:242 · United States

Piloted SAGE—a 12-session garden education program with songs, games, taste tests and garden care—for 89 children aged 3–5 in six early care and education centers across two US cities, evaluating reach, efficacy and implementation using the RE-AIM framework for PA and fruit and vegetable intake.

Gatto · Pediatric Obesity · USA (Los Angeles)

A randomized controlled trial of a 12-week after-school nutrition, cooking, and gardening program held at a community garden, assessing reductions in obesity and metabolic risk among Hispanic/Latino youth.

Melissa N. Poulsen, Roni Neff, Peter J. Winch · Local Environment · United States (Baltimore)

This qualitative case study in Baltimore, Maryland, explored community perceptions of how urban farms benefit neighborhoods. Interviews with residents, neighborhood leaders, and urban farmers in three residential neighborhoods revealed that benefits stemmed from the creation of public projects, physical improvement of degraded spaces, local food production, and new businesses. These changes led to perceived benefits such as increased social connectedness, a transformed physical landscape, improved neighborhood reputation, and enhanced access to fresh produce, demonstrating the importance of a multifunctional paradigm beyond traditional economic indicators.

Elizabeth W. Cotter, Carla Teixeira, Annessa Bontrager, Kasharena Horton, Deyanira Soriano · Public Health Nutrition · United States (Washington, DC)

This study conducted focus groups with 28 adults in three affordable housing communities in Washington, D.C., USA, to understand low-income adults' attitudes towards participating in farmers' markets, community-supported agriculture (CSA), and nutrition education programming. The results revealed that adults living in urban, affordable housing communities desire access to healthy foods but are limited by cost. Programs could have a higher likelihood of success if they accept benefits like SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), are heavily marketed, and incorporate culturally relevant nutrition education components.

Rebecca A Hennessey · Digital Commons - Hamline (Hamline University) · United States

This capstone project proposes a curriculum that supports a student-led farmers market program for high school students. The curriculum provides garden and nutrition education through a fully-functioning farmers market run entirely by students, offering them real-world experience.

Lucy Diekmann, Rob Bennaton, Jessica Schweiger, Cole Smith · Journal of Human Sciences and Extension · United States (California)

This article illustrates how Extension in the San Francisco Bay Area, California, develops urban agriculture programming and engages in food-system-related partnerships. The Extension practice in this metropolitan region aligns with research findings on local food system involvement, focusing on educational opportunities and collaborative work with community and government partners. This case study provides insights for Extension personnel designing urban food system programs.

Rebecca A. Seguin‐Fowler, Emily H. Morgan, Karla L. Hanson, Alice S. Ammerman, Stephanie Jilcott Pitts, Jane Kolodinsky, Marilyn Sitaker, Florence Becot, Leah M. Connor, Jennifer Garner, Jared T. McGuirt · BMC Public Health · United States

Farm Fresh Foods for Healthy Kids (F3HK) is a community-based, randomized intervention trial designed to assess the impact of subsidized community supported agriculture (CSA) coupled with nutrition education to prevent childhood obesity in low-income families and strengthen local agricultural economies. Conducted in New York, North Carolina, Vermont, and Washington, the study targets low-income families with children aged 2-12 years. Primary outcomes include children's intake of fruits and vegetables, sugar and fat, and diet quality, with data collected over three years.

Isabel Verhille · Scholarship @ Claremont (The Claremont Colleges) · United States (California)

A Media Studies Senior Thesis from the Claremont Colleges in California, USA, focuses on two community programs: the Spanish Practicum program at Pitzer College and Huerta del Valle, a community garden in Ontario. The project comprised a photographic essay on personal experience in the Spanish Practicum, an article on the program's history, and an interview with the founder of Huerta del Valle and a student participant. These personal narratives were presented as a webpage to explore their communal significance in constructing a shared understanding of community-based academic programs.

Emily Walls · DigitalCommons-Macalester (Macalester College) · United States (Boston)

The Food Project, a youth development and urban agriculture organization in the Greater Boston area, demonstrates effective empowerment by successfully creating safe spaces, engaging youth in meaningful work, and providing them with confidence and skills to effect change. This study analyzed program structures through youth experiences to evaluate empowerment and personal growth.

Gretel Van Wieren · Worldviews Global Religions Culture and Ecology · United States

This paper explored religious approaches within the food and faith movement in the U.S. by examining the work of three religious, community-based farming projects. These projects are characterized by ritual practices and narrative tropes as they address social, ecological, political, and ethical challenges posed by current food systems. The study concluded that these religious farms should be considered sacred spaces for how they ritualize and symbolically interpret agricultural and food practices.

Marisa Bunning, M. Newby · Digital Collections of Colorado (Colorado State University) · United States (Colorado)

This document provides practical tips for community gardeners to ensure the safety and quality of food grown in community gardens. It emphasizes proper garden management and handling of fresh produce to maximize the benefits of growing one's own food.

C. E. Deardorff, Julia Friedman, Charlotte Walton · Bucknell Digital Commons (Bucknell University) · United States

This entry comprises a project report and a Community Garden Guide for Mount Carmel, United States. The report outlines community garden benefits, analyzes potential advantages for Mount Carmel, and reviews stakeholders, goals, and a community interest survey. The guide compiles essential information and tools for establishing new community garden projects, covering social and economic benefits alongside technical skills.

Linda Wang · C&EN Global Enterprise · United States

In April 2017, the American Chemical Society (ACS) organized "Chemists Celebrate Earth Day" (CCED) across the U.S., with the theme "Chemistry Helps Feed the World." The program involved hands-on science activities and community garden planting, with a majority of ACS's 185 local sections participating. Over 62,000 copies of "Celebrating Chemistry" were distributed, and events like Chem Demo were held for over 350 students in Arizona.

Savanah Diane Rhine, Russell Alan Zimmerman · DigitalCommons - CalPoly (California State Polytechnic University) · United States (California)

This project aims to develop a more functional plan for the Ornamental Horticulture (OH) Unit at the Hanford Agriculture Program, which serves over 1,000 students from three high schools in Hanford, California. A majority of these students are not in the OH Career Pathway due to a lack of a constant, fully functional unit. The plan focuses on four broad areas: vegetable boxes, greenhouses, a shade house, and beautification, to provide a functional school garden and OH Unit at the Hanford High Campus. This initiative seeks to equip students with skills in horticulture, crop, and soil sciences, greenhouse production, and irrigation technology, offering practical experience for future careers in agriculture.

Adela Chávez, Juan Ariosto Palacios Vásquez · DELOS Desarrollo Local Sostenible · Mexico

This research argues for the importance of not only studying climate change and its consequences but also consolidating professional training in urban food production to strengthen food security. It emphasizes the urgent need to provide learning units related to sustainable development, climate change, and food at all educational levels.

Kathy B. Knight, Janie W. Cole, Lacy M. Dodd, Charlotte B. Oakley · International Journal of School Health · United States

The "Eating good and moving like we should (EGMLWS)" school-based intervention aimed to prevent and reduce childhood obesity among primarily African American third-grade students in 7 Mississippi Delta schools. The program included curricula, school gardens, and school menu consultation. Pre- and post-intervention BMI z-scores and Fitnessgram parameters (PACER and back-saver sit-and-reach) were compared. Mean BMI z-scores significantly lowered in 2 schools, did not change in 4 schools, and increased in 2 schools. PACER scores increased in 5 of 7 schools, and sit-and-reach scores increased in 5 and 6 schools respectively.

Sallie Hambright-Belue, Martin J. Holland · The Plan Journal · United States (South Carolina)

Students from Clemson University's School of Architecture and Department of Landscape Architecture collaborated with the local non-profit "Feed & Seed" in West Greenville, South Carolina, to develop urban agriculture solutions. Addressing issues in a "Food Desert" (an area without access to fresh foods), students focused on food hubs, food cycles, education, and social cohesion to promote economic equity, community building, and social justice. This work explored the role of designers in creating solutions for fractured neighborhoods, cities, and regions.

India J. Ornelas, Desiree Deschenie, Jesse Jim, Sonia Bishop, Kevin Lombard, Shirley A.A. Beresford · Progress in community health partnerships · United States

Yéego Gardening! is a community garden intervention designed to increase gardening behavior, access to low-cost fruits and vegetables, and consumption in Navajo communities. The intervention involved constructing and maintaining gardens in two Navajo communities, holding monthly workshops on gardening and healthy eating, and conducting community outreach. Community input was essential throughout the planning and implementation.

Ana Maria Girotti Sperandio, Adriana Aparecida Carneiro Rosa, Betânia Gonçalves de Carvalho, Pereira, Bruna Ridolfi · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Brazil

This field research in Santa Barbara d’Oeste, São Paulo state, Brazil, aimed to identify healthy city values and principles by studying the Community Garden of Maria Augusta Canto Camargo Bilia Municipal School. It explored political strategies for health, education, and social justice through the garden-school community interrelationship, identifying strategies proposed by caregivers, managers, and residents regarding experience exchange and student participation in urban community garden products. The study concluded that actions improving empowerment, autonomy, and governance are essential for constructing healthy city indicators.

Ana Maria Girotti Sperandio, Adriana Aparecida Carneiro Rosa, Betânia Gonçalves de Carvalho · Cadernos de Pós Graduação em Arquitetura e Urbanismo · Brazil (São Paulo)

This article identifies healthy city values and principles and discusses the results of field research conducted in the Community Garden of Maria Augusta Canto Camargo Bilia Municipal School in Santa Barbara d’Oeste, São Paulo, Brazil. The study explored political strategies for health, education, and social justice through the interrelationship between the garden and the school community. It utilized “Observational Dialogue” and a WHOQOL-100 readjustment questionnaire, concluding that actions improving empowerment, autonomy, and governance are essential for constructing healthy city indicators.