Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
1074 results(19 / 43)
The Role of Social Assets on Community Well-Being in Urban Farming Project
2020Milah Zainal, Siti Raba’ah Hamzah, M. Z. Rosmiza · Journal of Asian Scientific Research · Malaysia
This article reviewed the role of social assets in community well-being within urban farming projects, noting a gap in previous Malaysian studies on this topic. Social assets were identified as motivational forces that foster cooperation and benefit agricultural development. Analysis of past research indicated that social assets contribute to knowledge sharing, access to resources, community garden development, motivation, technology transfer, and good agricultural practices. The study recommends incorporating social assets into policies aimed at improving urban farmer well-being.
CommunityWelfareEconomicsDevelopment and Implementation of a Longitudinal School-Based Community Garden Curriculum by Pediatric Residents
2020Lydia Maleknia, Vanessa Boshuizen, Deepika Parmar, Mengyou Wu, Catherine Pourdavoud · PEDIATRICS · United States
The REACH program of the Kaiser Permanente Northern California pediatrics residency aimed to develop a school-based gardening program for middle-school students to promote nutritional education. A needs assessment of 278 students revealed 33% experienced food insecurity and 51% consumed more than one sugary drink daily. After only three classes, 12 participating students reported improvements in eating at least five vegetables daily (from 58% to 66%) and in nutrition knowledge (from 20% to 50% accuracy in completing a "healthy plate").
Food educationCommunityHealthWelfareRepurposing support tendered youth owned Small, Medium, and Micro-Enterprises in urban agri-business sector in Durban
2020Tony Ngwenya, Pfano Mashau · Problems and Perspectives in Management · South Africa (Durban)
This study investigated institutional support for youth-owned Small, Medium, and Micro-Enterprises (SMMEs) in Durban's urban agribusiness sector using a quantitative methodology. Findings indicated that CSR interventions had not yielded a fundamental impact, and there was a lack of tangible, result-driven institutional support from policymakers and authorities. Furthermore, targeted technological transfer was a constraining factor, and a lack of monetary and non-monetary access hampered the SMMEs' competitiveness and profitability.
Governance failureEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceWelfarePolicyCommunity-Based Urban Farming in Yogyakarta: Building Social Capital and Resilience for Sustainable Empowerment Family
2020Fahmi Rafika Perdana · Jurnal Pemberdayaan Masyarakat Media Pemikiran dan Dakwah Pembangunan · Indonesia (Yogyakarta City)
This qualitative study examined empowerment efforts within the Gemah Ripah Adult Farmer Group in Bausasran Village, Yogyakarta City, Indonesia, focusing on family involvement and social capital. Findings indicated that empowerment brought benefits for family socio-economic resilience, supported by maintained social capital and external backing. However, obstacles included a lack of awareness among some residents, difficulty engaging young people, and the busyness common in urban society.
CommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceWelfare‘Cultivating Integration’? Migrant Space-making in Urban Gardens
2020Linda Lapiņa · · Denmark (Copenhagen)
This article explores how migrants create space within integration gardens in Copenhagen, an urban gardening association aiming to dismantle social and cultural boundaries. The gardens function as both an "integration grid" centered on a foreigner–Dane binary and a "web of gardening" focused on plants and practices. The analysis juxtaposes these spatiotemporal logics to understand the possibilities for action and relating they offer.
CommunityWelfareFood sovereignty & justiceGRUPO DE AUTOCUIDADO APOIADO PARA PORTADORES DE DOENÇAS CRÔNICAS NA ATENÇÃO PRIMÁRIA À SAÚDE: UM RELATO DE EXPERIÊNCIA
2020Idaene Socorro da Silva, Alexciane Priscila da Silva, Thayna Karoline Sousa Silva, Delton Manoel dos Santos Silva, Hannah Shiva Ludgero Farias, Cáio Dantas Ribeiro, Jéssica de Oliveira Campos, Camilla Peixoto Santos Rodrigues, Osvaldo Nascimento Pascoal, JacksonGeorge Gomes dos Santos Araújo, Adriana Maria da Silva · Brazilian Journal of Development · Brazil
From August to December 2018, a supported self-care group for chronic disease patients was implemented in the Maués neighborhood of Vitória de Santo Antão/PE, Brazil. The group consisted of 14 in-person meetings with an average participation of 20 community members, utilizing strategies such as community garden construction and maintenance, nutritional education, and physical activity promotion. This experience yielded positive impacts, including the empowerment of participants in their health-disease process and an understanding of the importance of self-care.
CommunityHealthWelfareMaking community-supported agriculture accessible to low-income families: findings from the Farm Fresh Foods for Healthy Kids process evaluation
2020Jennifer Garner, Stephanie Jilcott Pitts, Karla L. Hanson, Alice S. Ammerman, Jane Kolodinsky, Marilyn Sitaker, Rebecca A. Seguin‐Fowler · Translational Behavioral Medicine · United States
A process evaluation of the Farm Fresh Foods for Healthy Kids (F3HK) randomized trial, conducted across 4 states and 12 farms, assessed whether cost-offset community-supported agriculture could improve diet quality among children in low-income families. Intervention households (n=305) purchased a 50% subsidized share of local produce and were invited to nutrition classes. Results showed the mean CSA season was 21 weeks, with a median CSA pickup rate of 88% of the weeks. Most adults (77%) and children (54%) attended at least one class, and 82% of caregivers reported consuming most or all produce.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityHealthWelfareFoundation Pierre Smith Mondelus, a Case Study
2020Charoni Eugenia · · Haiti
A case study was conducted on the two-year efforts of the nonprofit Foundation Pierre Smith Mondelus to address illiteracy in the Milot commune, northern Haiti. The foundation offers eight programs, including literacy, education, and a community garden. Based on observations, testimonies, and test scores, the literacy and education programs were shown to have practical and sociopsychological impacts.
CommunityWelfareFood educationBuilding racial bridges? Social capital among community gardeners in US food deserts
2020Jennifer Jettner, Mary Secret · International Journal of Social Welfare · United States
This study examined the relationship between race and racial diversity on social capital in community gardens located in food deserts in the southeastern USA. Cross-level regression models were performed on a sample of 52 gardeners from 10 community gardens, analyzing their “sense of community” and the “number of resources” obtainable from fellow gardeners. Results indicated that community gardens are excellent vehicles for promoting one’s sense of community regardless of race or garden’s racial composition, but they were less likely to increase the number of resources. Accessing a greater number of resources took longer and more effort, and increased perceptions of racial diversity had a negative relationship with the number of resources.
Equity & displacementCommunityWelfare도농복합지역내 도시농업의 추진방안에 관한 연구 : 포항시 중심으로
2020김은영, 이태희 · 경영컨설팅연구 · South Korea
This study explored strategies for promoting urban agriculture in the rural-urban complex area of Pohang City, South Korea. It analyzed central government and local government urban agriculture plans and current conditions in major municipalities using SWOT analysis. The findings suggest that successful urban agriculture activation requires creating healing spaces, utilizing idle land, and linking with urban regeneration projects. Additionally, it calls for human resource development, incorporating citizen feedback, developing a sixth-industry-linked urban agriculture model, and implementing sustainable practical promotion through Living-Lab projects.
PolicyUrban–rural linkageCommunityWelfareA Práxis da Agricultura Sustentável Urbana: possível caminho por percorrer na horta comunitária do IFG
2020GONZALO MARÍN OVIEDO, OLIVEIRA, ALESSANDRO SILVA DE · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Brazil (Anápolis)
The Federal Institute of Goiás, Anápolis campus, aims to contribute to overcoming socio-environmental problems affecting vulnerable communities in the region through sustainable agriculture in a community garden. This initiative proposes developing critical environmental education, discussing theoretical and practical aspects of the critical approach and its relationship with praxis. Historical-Dialectical Materialism guides the theoretical-methodological aspects, and Action Research is used for practical aspects.
CommunityFood educationWelfareGrowing Together: Participatory Approaches in Urban Agriculture Extension
2020Lucy Diekmann, Marcia Ostrom · · United States
This chapter reviews participatory extension approaches and demonstrates their application to urban agriculture through five US Extension case studies. The selection of these case studies was informed by a 2015 nationwide survey of Extension personnel working on local, community, and regional food systems. These examples illustrate how urban agroecological knowledge and networks are being developed and applied, and suggest directions for future Extension work.
CommunityFood educationPolicyWelfarePopulation health impact and cost-effectiveness of community-supported agriculture among low-income US adults: A microsimulation analysis
2020M. Petrie, S. Basu, E. Sayer, R. Bellin, J. O apos Neill, S.A. Berkowitz · UNC Libraries · United States
This study estimated the population-level effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a subsidized community-supported agriculture (CSA) intervention in the United States. A microsimulation model developed in 2019 utilized national demographic, biomedical, and dietary data (NHANES, 2013-2016) and a randomized trial (Massachusetts, 2017-2018). Two interventions were modeled: an unconditional cash transfer ($300/year) and a subsidized CSA ($300/year subsidy), both of which were shown to reduce discounted disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) for cardiovascular disease and diabetes complications. Both interventions had negative incremental cost-effectiveness ratios, implying cost savings to society.
CSA & TeikeiHealthEconomicsWelfareHow Healthcare Organizations Are Facilitating Access to Fruits and Vegetables in Their Patient Populations: A Systematic Scoping Review
2020Susan Veldheer, Christina Scartozzi, Amy Knehans, Tamara K. Oser, Natasha Sood, Francis Puleo, Joie Cooper, Daniel R. George, Alicia J. Cohen, Renate M. Winkels · Current Developments in Nutrition · Global
This systematic scoping review analyzed 46 manuscripts from 30 studies published between 1990 and 2019 to understand clinical strategies used by healthcare organizations to increase patient access to fruits and vegetables (F&V). Six program models were identified, including garden-based programs and CSA. The overall quality of the included studies was weak due to selection bias and incomplete reporting, with only 6 out of 30 studies including a control group. While some studies showed improvements in dietary intake, objective health markers such as blood pressure and BMI had mixed results.
HealthWelfareFood educationCommunityThe affordable housing, transportation, and food nexus: Community gardens and healthy affordable living in Calgary
2020Miho Lowan‐Trudeau, Noel Keough, Joshua Wong, Sara Haidey · Canadian Geographies / Géographies canadiennes · Canada (Calgary)
This study, examining community gardens in Calgary, aimed to determine the socio-economic demographics of neighborhoods supporting community gardens and their proximity to active transportation and public transit. GIS visualization and quantitative analyses were used to investigate relationships between demographic variables and transportation accessibility. Findings showed that community garden neighborhoods are located in areas with significantly fewer visible minorities, higher levels of educational attainment, and more attached dwellings like apartments and townhomes. This study suggests potential inequities in the proliferation of public community gardens based on socio-economic factors beyond economic capital.
Equity & displacementCommunityHealthWelfareEconomicsAllotment Gardens (AG) in the days of the covid-19 pandemic. The case of “Żeromskiego” AG in Łask-Kolumna and “Wolinka” AG in Zduńska Wola (Poland)
2020Roman Szkup · Journal of Geography Politics and Society · Poland
A questionnaire survey was conducted among users of two allotment gardens ("Żeromskiego" AG and "Wolinka" AG) in the Łódź suburban area, Poland, to verify the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their behavior and recreation. The analysis showed that while the pandemic affected the behavior and rest of allotment garden users, the impact was not as large as could be expected.
CommunityHealthWelfareFraming Food Access: Do Community Gardens Inadvertently Reproduce Inequality?
2020Katie L. Butterfield, A. Susana Ramírez · Health Education & Behavior · United States (Minnesota)
A quantitative content analysis was conducted on descriptions, missions, and goals provided by 411 community garden managers across Minnesota. Six frames were consistently present, including "greater good" and "community orientation," which were the most common. The findings suggest that the prevalent "greater good" frame may inadvertently reproduce inequality by alienating food-insecure populations, similar to other alternative food programs.
Equity & displacementCommunityHealthWelfareFactors Associated with Acquiring Food from a Farmers Market and Community or Home Garden Among Primarily African American Residents from Under-Resourced Neighborhoods
2020Jeanette Gustat, Yu-Zhang Lee, Taylor Johnson, K. O’Malley, Brian Luckett, Leann Myers · Journal of the Louisiana Public Health Association · United States (New Orleans)
This cross-sectional survey in two low-income, predominantly African American neighborhoods in New Orleans, Louisiana, interviewed 901 participants to explore factors associated with acquiring food from farmers markets (FMs) and community/home gardens (C/HGs). Daily fresh fruit and vegetable servings were positively associated with acquiring food from FMs and C/HGs in the past three months. African Americans and those living farther from an FM were less likely to acquire food from an FM, while those who cooked at home were more likely to use C/HGs.
CommunityHealthWelfarePemberdayaan Masyarakat melalui Urban Farming di Rusun Marunda Jakarta Utara
2020Nisa Maidah Rahmawati, Joko Winarno, Agung Wibowo · · Indonesia (Jakarta)
This study investigated community empowerment activities through urban farming in Marunda flats, North Jakarta. The flats' irrigation has deficiencies and group working is not yet fair, leading the society to choose to do agriculture activities by themselves. The research identified external factors (natural resources, environments, group dynamics, networking, human resources, policy, facilities and infrastructure) and internal factors (skill, non-formal education, and income) that obstruct empowerment activities.
Governance failureCommunityFood educationWelfarePolicyHorta comunitária como atividade lúdica para idosos institucionalizados
2020Francisco Glauber Peixoto Ferreira, Cácia Aline Costa Santos, Carolina Maria de Lima Carvalho, Vanessa Emille Carvalho de Sousa Freire · Revista Enfermagem Atual In Derme · Brazil (Fortaleza)
An experience report describes the implementation of a community garden in a Long-Term Care Institution for the Elderly in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil, in 2018. The activity aimed to promote a welcoming eco-social environment and a recreational activity for the well-being of the elderly. Developed through interdisciplinary integration between Nursing and Agronomy courses, it provided an opportunity to learn about the residents' personalities, stories, and aspirations. The implementation of the community garden significantly contributed to the well-being of the elderly, broke the monotony and feelings of abandonment, and enabled the use of an unused space.
CommunityElderlyHealthWelfareDeterrent Factors in Urban Farming Participation
2020Noriah Othman, Siti Zabeda Mohammad, Nurhayati Abdul Malek, Mohd Ali Waliyuddin A. Razak · Environment-Behaviour Proceedings Journal · Malaysia
This study was conducted in Malaysia to identify deterrent factors hindering "community buy-in" in urban farming projects and to understand how to overcome these problems. The research aims to identify these factors to achieve and sustain community buy-in in urban farming projects in the future.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyWelfareO PERFIL DOS AGRICULTUORES URBANOS DE CUIABÁ-MT: um estímulo à Economia Ecológica
2020Anderson Nunes de Carvalho Vieira, Alexandro Rodrigues Ribeiro, Silvio Santos Cardoso · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Brazil (Cuiabá)
This study describes the socioeconomic and productive profile of urban farmers in Cuiabá, Brazil, and their potential contribution to ecological economics. Using a mixed-method descriptive approach with primary data collected via questionnaires, the research found that urban agriculture often emerges as a survival alternative for poorer populations from rural areas. The study concludes that this practice, if adequately supported, can foster a better understanding and practice of ecological economics in the region.
EconomicsCommunityUrban–rural linkageWelfareCSA Partnerships for Health: outcome evaluation results from a subsidized community-supported agriculture program to connect safety-net clinic patients with farms to improve dietary behaviors, food security, and overall health.
2020Betty T Izumi, Allea Martin, Teresa Garvin, Cesar Higgins Tejera, Sylvia Ness, Katy Pranian, Lauren Lubowicki · PubMed · Global
This study evaluated the preliminary effectiveness of "CSA Partnerships for Health," a 23-week grant-subsidized Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, in improving dietary behaviors, self-efficacy to eat vegetables, food security, and overall health among 48 safety-net clinic patients. This single-group pretest-posttest study utilized interviewer-administered surveys. Statistically significant differences between post-intervention and pre-intervention values were observed for several outcomes, including vegetable intake, orange vegetable intake, eating habits, food security, ability to afford healthy meals, and general health status.
CSA & TeikeiHealthWelfareFood sovereignty & justiceFarm diversification options for ensuring livelihood security of peri-urban farmers in eastern plateau and hill region: Learnings from Farmer FIRST Project
2020Priya Ranjan Kumar, Sudarshan Maurya, Asit Chakrabarti, V K Yadav, Soumen Naskar, Sanju Gupta, Sonal Kumari, Arun Kumar Singh, B. P. Bhatt, Bikash Das · The Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences · India (Jharkhand)
This two-year experimental study in four villages near Ranchi, Jharkhand, India, tested technological options to improve the profitability of peri-urban agriculture systems. Farm households were classified into five typologies based on agri-economic conditions. The experiments indicated that options such as rainy season cultivation of solanaceous vegetables, cultivation of wheat and chickpea in rice fallow, parasite management in animals, and oyster mushroom cultivation increased income from agricultural production systems for all farmer typologies. Notably, income from non-farm sources decreased across all five typologies.
Peri-urban agricultureEconomicsWelfareQuality of Life Benefits of Urban Rooftop Gardening for People With Intellectual Disabilities or Mental Health Disorders
2020Margarita Triguero‐Mas, Isabelle Anguelovski, Judith Cirac‐Claveras, James J. Connolly, Ana Vázquez, Ferran Urgell-Plaza, Núria Cardona-Giralt, Esther Sanyé‐Mengual, Jordi Alonso, Helen Cole · Preventing Chronic Disease · Global
This study evaluated the association between urban rooftop gardening and the quality of life for individuals with moderate to very marked disabilities. Questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and field observations were conducted with 54 gardeners and 43 non-gardeners. Results indicated that urban rooftop gardening was associated with better personal development and suggested enhanced physical and emotional well-being, sense of purpose, social inclusion, interpersonal relations, and general quality of life.
HealthCommunityWelfare