Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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Critical findings
563 results(19 / 23)
Intergenerational Community Garden Experiences Involving Preschool-Aged Children
2013Teri Burgess‐Champoux · SOPHIA (St. Catherine University) · United States
Teri Burgess-Champoux received a $1,000 grant to explore perceptions, barriers, and strategies for intergenerational community garden experiences involving preschool-aged children and their families. The goal is to enhance vegetable liking, increase intake, and improve home availability, guiding future research in this area.
CommunityFood educationHealthOpportunities and Challenges in Horticultural Science and Their Impact on the American Society for Horticultural Science
2013Charles E. Hess · HortScience · United States
Reflecting on horticultural science over the past 60 years, it is evident that it is in a period of great opportunity. Recognition of the role of fruits and vegetables in a healthful diet has led to food for health initiatives that encourage diets rich in horticultural crops. The 'locavore movement' fosters the popularity of purchasing locally, spurring increased interest in farmers' markets and urban gardening. Internationally, the idea of peri-urban gardening recognizes the value of horticultural crops in improving nutrition and income on relatively small areas of land in developing nations.
HealthFood educationUrban–rural linkagePeri-urban agricultureEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceGrowing in place: the interplay of urban agriculture and place sentiment
2013Rudy Dunlap, Justin Harmon, Gerard T. Kyle · Leisure/Loisir · United States (Austin)
This study explored the interplay of meanings and sentiments ascribed to place by participants of an urban garden project in Austin, Texas. It investigated how participants' feelings toward a given garden plot, neighborhood, city, and the Central Texas region were shaped or affected by their participation. Findings showed that participation shaped place meanings and sentiment through two principal processes: a sense of connection to garden plots via produce and physical transformation, and a sense of connection and identification with the community via links to other participants in Urban Patchwork activities.
CommunityHealthCan home gardens scale up into movements for social change? The role of home gardens in providing food security and community change in San Jose, California
2013Leslie Gray, Patricia Guzmán, K. Michelle Glowa, Ann Drevno · Local Environment · United States (California)
This article examines La Mesa Verde, a home-gardening program in San Jose, California, to assess if home gardens offer similar financial, health, and community benefits as community gardens. The research explores the potential of home gardens to foster broader social change, cultural preservation, and self-determination, especially for recent immigrants.
DIYCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceHealthEconomicsHarvesting More Than Vegetables: The Potential Weight Control Benefits of Community Gardening
2013Cathleen D. Zick, Ken R. Smith, Lori Kowaleski‐Jones, Claire Uno, Brittany J. Merrill · American Journal of Public Health · United States
This study in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, examined the association between community gardening and healthy body weight, comparing BMI data from 198 gardeners to control groups of neighbors, siblings, and spouses. Both women and men community gardeners had significantly lower BMIs than their neighbors, with estimated reductions of -1.84 for women and -2.36 for men. Gardeners also showed lower odds of being overweight or obese compared to their neighbors.
CommunityHealthPrairie to Prairie: Ungrowth in American Cities
2013Catalina Freixas, Pablo Moyano Fernandez · Suburban Sustainability · United States (St. Louis)
This paper examines the role of eco-urbanism in St. Louis, a shrinking city experiencing population loss and economic decline since the 1950s. It reviews the implementation and benefits of three eco-urbanism strategies: community gardens, greenways, and urban forests. The study identifies social, ecological, and economic benefits, and suggests further adoption of eco-urbanism ideology and improved implementation strategies by the municipal government.
CommunityHealthFood sovereignty & justiceBiodiversityGardening for Grades Workshops in Duval County
2013Terry B DelValle, Lisa B Gaskalla, Joan B Kyle · · United States (Duval County)
Duval County Extension, in collaboration with partners, offered "Gardening for Grades" workshops to 71 teachers and school volunteers in Duval County, USA, to support school garden initiatives. Participants engaged in activities linking science, math, and literature to gardening, and received materials to start school gardens. Follow-up surveys indicated 12,214 sq ft of garden area was added, benefiting 2,292 students, with 92.9% of students exposed to new foods and 64.3% showing improved eating habits and increased physical activity.
Food educationCommunityHealthA Qualitative Study of an Urban Community Garden: Creating Healthier Neighborhood Environments
2013Lauren Workman · Scholar Commons (University of South Carolina) · United States
This qualitative ethnographic study, conducted over eighteen months, explored the social processes of community engagement in an urban community garden. Data from field notes and in-depth interviews identified neighborhood leadership, a community-academic partnership, and the physical garden space as facilitators of engagement. The garden fostered social interactions, provided a safe gathering space, and served as a tool for neighborhood leaders to advocate for social and economic development.
CommunityHealthThe Influence of Lead Hyperaccumulators on the Uptake of Lead by Vegetables
2013Laura Knapp, Jodi L. Sangster, Shannon L. Bartelt‐Hunt · International Journal for Service Learning in Engineering Humanitarian Engineering and Social Entrepreneurship · United States (Omaha NE)
This study investigated the influence of lead hyperaccumulating plants on lead uptake by vegetables in an urban community garden in Omaha, NE, a region with significant lead contamination. Tomatoes, carrots, and amaranth were grown alongside sunflowers and mustard greens (hyperaccumulators) in lead-contaminated soil. Data showed higher lead concentrations in the hyperaccumulators and suggested that their presence might have impacted the amount of lead available to surrounding vegetation. Previous work at the garden detected lead in produce, indicating a potential exposure pathway for humans.
Contamination & food safetyHealthCommunityFeasibility of Using a Community-Supported Agriculture Program to Improve Fruit and Vegetable Inventories and Consumption in an Underresourced Urban Community
2013Sara A. Quandt, Janae Dupuis, Caitlin A. Fish, Ralph B. D’Agostino · Preventing Chronic Disease · United States
This randomized, controlled feasibility study evaluated the feasibility of a Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) intervention in an underresourced urban community in the United States. Fifty low-income women with children participated, with the intervention group (25 participants) receiving fresh produce and educational sessions for 16 weeks. A significant increase in household fruit and vegetable inventory was observed in the intervention group, but increases in consumption were not significant. Challenges included transportation and work schedules, yet most participants expressed interest in continued participation.
CSA & TeikeiHealthCommunityWelfareThe Fruit of Folks Project: An Urban Farming Response to Local Hunger Background: Obesity, Food Insecurity, and the Rise of Urban Farming
2012Aleenah Mehta · Undergraduate Journal of Service Learning & Community-Based Research · United States
Framed around the argument that obesity and food insecurity in the United States are increasingly understood as conjoined rather than mutually exclusive problems, this paper introduces the Fruit of Folks Project as an urban farming response to local hunger. The abstract notes that the industrial food model's emphasis on producing ever greater quantities of food can itself threaten food security, defined as a person's or community's access at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life.
HealthCommunityCommunity Supported Agriculture: A Commitment to a Healthier Diet
2012Joseph N. Cohen, S. Gearhart, Elizabeth Garland · Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition · United States (New York City)
A prospective cohort study in New York City investigated whether Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) participation increased fruit and vegetable consumption and home-cooked meals. Among 583 individuals who completed both surveys, CSA members showed a statistically significant increase of 2.2 servings of fruit and vegetables per week and 4.9 home-cooked meals per month compared to non-members. CSA participation was also associated with subjective reports of increased fruit and vegetable consumption.
CSA & TeikeiHealthFood educationA Work in Progress - The British Columbia Farmland Preservation Program
2012Barry E. Smith · · Canada
The British Columbia Farmland Preservation Program, established by the Land Commission Act on April 18, 1973, aims to preserve the province's valuable farmland. This program has sustained economic and social benefits from agriculture, preserved community character, and maintained natural capital. The Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) has also acted as an urban growth boundary, contributing to compact urban development and addressing land use conflicts.
PolicyUrban–rural linkageEconomicsHealthUrban farming nel food desert
2012Redazione · TERRITORIO · United States
This paper presents the basic features of two urban farming projects in Milwaukee and Philadelphia aimed at solving the problem of food deserts in declining inner cities of the US rustbelt. It discusses the forms and relevance of convergences between food culture and food justice, relating them to the debate on the future of urban forms in these inner cities.
Food sovereignty & justiceHealthCommunityWelfareStrucutural, Chemical and Bacteriological Characterization of the Rhizosphere of Zea Mays Grown in Metal-Contaminated Soil
2012Nahed N. Mahrous · The Journal of Pediatrics · Canada (Hamilton)
This project investigated metal, bacteria, and corn root interactions in metal-contaminated soils from Blackfrairs Community Garden and a Hamilton home. It found that bacterial numbers were lower than in uncontaminated soils, and bioavailable metal concentrations increased over time. High concentrations of metals were detected in grains, with copper, iron, and manganese accumulating in rhizospheres, and zinc distributed throughout root tissue in Blackfrairs plants.
Contamination & food safetyHealthCommunityDeveloping Justice-Oriented Teachers: Reciprocal Mentoring in Marginalized Communities
2012Joan Armon, Elizabeth Grassi · ePublications at Regis University (Regis University) · United States
This study describes two initiatives aimed at developing justice-oriented pre-service teachers. "Study Abroad in the Neighborhood" involves pre-service teachers visiting local families to learn Spanish language and culture. "Environmental Regeneration through Permaculture Food Gardens" focuses on pre-service teachers and children constructing school gardens linked to curriculum, food cultures, and health. These community contexts aim to enhance pre-service teachers' cultural and environmental awareness of local injustices.
Food educationCommunityHealthCommunity gardens, creative community organizing, and environmental activism
2012· · United States (New York City)
In New York City, social workers and community organizers engage in environmental protection practices through community organizing aimed at creating and preserving green spaces. Much of this activism takes place within community gardens, which are recognized as spaces for social engagement, community building, and social justice-based activism.
CommunityHealthPolicyBiodiversitySuccessful strategies and barriers to community gardening in metro Atlanta, Georgia
2012Julie L. Self, Amanda Wyatt, Aimee Webb Girard · The FASEB Journal · United States (Atlanta)
This research characterized community gardens (CGs) in two urban counties in Atlanta, Georgia, through semi-structured interviews with diverse garden leaders. The study identified primary barriers to creating and sustaining CGs as leadership constraints, reliable access to natural resources, and unclear regulations. It also found that CGs foster access to fresh food, knowledge, and community connections, with benefits varying by community.
Governance failureCommunityHealthPolicySupporting the Micmac Farms Through Ethnographic Communication Research
2012Anthony Sutton · DigitalCommons (California Polytechnic State University) · United States (Maine)
This ethnographic communication research supported the Micmac Farms in Presque Isle, Maine, which were established to address food security and community health issues like obesity and diabetes. The study, conducted over three months in summer 2011, identified that administrative power structures, economic constraints, and operational planning issues threatened the farm's efforts to achieve greater economic and food security. The analysis revealed that economic behaviors dominated the data, with grants for the farm centering on economics due to historical farming discourse and business focus.
CommunityHealthFood sovereignty & justiceWelfareAgricultura urbana agroecológica - estratégia de promoção da saúde e segurança alimentar e nutricional - doi: 10.5020/18061230.2012.p381
2012Silvana Maria Ribeiro, Elaine de Azevedo, Maria Cecília Focesi Pelicioni, Cláudia Maria Bógus, Isabel Maria Teixeira Bicudo Pereira · Revista Brasileira em Promoção da saúde · Brazil
This documentary research reflected on agroecological urban agriculture in relation to health promotion and food and nutritional security, involving local communities. Data synthesis, based on reports, field activity records, participant testimonies, and project coordination interviews, revealed that agroecological urban agriculture contributed to community leadership, popular participation, and the development of food and environmental awareness among social actors. Conclusions identified relevant aspects aligned with health promotion principles, including strengthening intersectorality, local empowerment, individual and collective agency, creating healthy environments, and community mobilization.
Food sovereignty & justiceHealthCommunityFood educationCafeteria Man
2012Barb Bergman · Educational Media Reviews Online · United States (Baltimore)
The film "Cafeteria Man" follows Tony Geraci, Food and Nutrition Director for Baltimore schools, as he works to improve school lunch quality. It highlights how local fresh foods benefit students and farmers, and how school gardens provide learning opportunities for students in urban neighborhoods. The film also touches on obstacles to improved school lunch, including schools not receiving purchased fresh produce.
Food educationHealthCommunityEconomicsThe Effects of Nutrition Education and Gardening on Attitudes, Preferences, and Knowledge of Minority Second to Fifth Graders in the Rio Grande Valley Toward Fruit and Vegetables
2012Geralyn A. Nolan, Amy McFarland, Jayne M. Zajicek, Tina M. Waliczek · HortTechnology · United States
Research was conducted with 141 minority elementary school children in a primarily Hispanic region of Texas to investigate whether gardening combined with a curriculum on nutrition could benefit them. After comparing pre- and posttest scores, it was concluded that gardening and nutritional instruction had a positive effect on students' nutritional knowledge, fruit and vegetable preference, and snack choices.
Food educationHealthCommunityEffective Leadership to Alter School Food Environments and Improve Public Health
2012Philip R. McNab · Florida public health review · United States
This article discusses the need to alter school food environments in the United States, where children consume too much fast food and insufficient fruits and vegetables, contributing to rising overweight rates. It suggests school gardens as a multifaceted approach to address this issue. The article emphasizes that strong, effective leadership, following John Kotter's eight steps, is crucial for schools to overcome obstacles and implement changes that improve public health.
Food educationHealthCommunity-Engaged Learning in Food Systems and Public Health
2012Julie L. Self, Becky Handforth, Janelle Hartman, Corey McAuliffe, Elizabeth Noznesky, Rebecca J. Schwei, Laura Whitaker, Amanda Wyatt, Amy Girard · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United States
A student-driven, community-engaged learning course was developed to enhance student understanding of complex food system determinants and food choices. The course, guided by the socio-ecological model, involved students collaborating with faculty and community partners to define its objectives and curriculum. It featured student-led modules on food preferences, agriculture systems, food access, and agricultural policy, alongside community-engaged research projects that examined food distribution models in metro Atlanta and identified strategies to improve access to healthy food in low-income areas.
Food educationCommunityHealthPolicyCSA & TeikeiAn Assessment of Soil Health and Productivity in Urban Gardens
2012Jennifer E. Reeves · OhioLink ETD Center (Ohio Library and Information Network) · United States (Cleveland, Ohio)
This two-year study in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, investigated urban soil health via nematode food web analysis and crop productivity via tomato fruit yield in urban gardens. Market gardens showed significantly more soil organic matter, nitrogen pools, and nematode presence than community gardens in both 2011 and 2012. However, despite these differences, there was no significant difference in the total yield of tomatoes per square meter between market and community garden types in either year. Gardens with raised beds had significantly more soil moisture content and soil organic matter than those with flat beds.
Limited or null effectCommunityEconomicsOrganic cycleHealth