Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
5821 results(191 / 233)
Urban Gardening: espacio de creación, crítica social y activismo ecológico
2013Àngels Viladomiu Canela · · Global
This paper reviews specific artistic interventions that address urban land uses and farming methods. These actions, through the act of planting and cultivating, generate spaces for the expression of artistic, political, and social identities. These places are settling in the interstices of our cities, such as empty brownfield sites, non-urbanized or semi-urbanized areas, riverbanks, highway verges, and railway edges.
CommunityPolicyFood sovereignty & justice“Doing” Gardening and “Being” at the Allotment Site: Exploring the Benefits of Allotment Gardening for Stress Reduction and Healthy Aging
2013Jemma Hawkins, Jenny Mercer, Katie Thirlaway, Deborah A. Clayton · Ecopsychology · United Kingdom (Wales)
This study investigated the perceived health and well-being benefits of allotment gardening for community-dwelling older adults in Wales, UK, with a focus on stress recovery. Using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis, the study found that participants valued both the active "doing" of gardening and the passive "being" at the allotment site. These aspects were reported to provide a wide range of benefits to their health and well-being, including links to stress reduction.
HealthElderlyCommunity社区支持农业（CSA）型都市农业观光园优化设计——以上海市崇明开心农庄为例
2013王冬灵, Genxu Wang, 车生泉 · 上海交通大学学报：农业科学版 · China (Shanghai)
This article discusses the feasibility and optimization design of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) type urban agricultural tourism parks in China, using Chongming Happy Farm in Shanghai as an example. It analyzes issues to consider when developing such parks and explores design optimizations across five aspects: agricultural production systems, tourism systems, overall layout, functional spatial structure, and operation management. The study suggests that CSA-type urban agricultural tourism parks can optimize urban agricultural tourism development and expand suburban agricultural development paths.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityEconomicsPeri-urban agricultureUtilisation de l'eau de pluie dans les jardins collectifs en France : enjeux, problématiques et premières analyses des pratiques Rainwater harvesting and use in community gardens in France: issues, risks and first practices analysis
2013Mucig Charlotte · · France
A survey on rainwater harvesting in community gardens in France indicates that while this practice has been ongoing for years, it is poorly documented and faces challenges in adapting to new French regulations. The findings highlight public health issues for both garden users and consumers of fruits and vegetables, as well as environmental and operational concerns.
Contamination & food safetyCommunityHealthAwareness Campaign Effectiveness in Promoting Water Conservation Behaviors Among Urban Female Gardeners in Lagos, Nigeria 2013
2013Femi Adesina, Ifunanya Oluwadamilola, Chinedu Akwu · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Nigeria (Lagos)
In 2013, the effectiveness of an awareness campaign promoting water conservation behaviors was investigated among 150 urban female gardeners in Lagos, Nigeria. A mixed-methods approach, including pre- and post-intervention surveys, found a significant increase from 25% to 48% in the adoption of water-saving irrigation techniques after the campaign. While the campaign was effective in enhancing knowledge and behavior, further tailored interventions are recommended for sustained impact.
CommunityClimate changeFood educationTeacher Professional Learning Communities for Sustainability: Supporting STEM in Learning Gardens in Low-Income Schools
2013Sybil S. Kelley, Dilafruz R. Williams · PDXScholar (Portland State University) · Global
A summer program engaged teachers in hands-on STEM education within learning gardens at four low-income schools in southeast Portland. The program aimed to transform teaching and learning by providing experiences that connect STEM to real life and sustainability. Teacher feedback highlighted the value of learning STEM in gardens and addressing social and environmental justice.
Food educationCommunityWelfareSocio-economic characterization of integrated cropping systems in urban and peri-urban agriculture of Faisalabad, Pakistan
2013Shoaib Ur Rehman, Martina Předotová, Iqar Ahmad Khan, Eva Schlecht, Buerkert, Andreas · GoeScholar The Publication Server of the Georg-August-Universität Göttingen (Georg-August-Universität Göttingen) · Pakistan
A baseline survey conducted in Faisalabad, Pakistan, from 2009–2010 studied 140 households to characterize urban and peri-urban agricultural (UPA) systems. Findings showed 96% of households relied on agriculture, with 70% of heads having primary education. Farmers cultivated 35 species, predominantly vegetables (65%), and faced major problems including scarcity of high-quality irrigation water and inadequate mineral fertilizers. Half of the respondents earned less than US$1.25 daily.
EconomicsUrban–rural linkageCommunityHUERTA URBANA Y SALUD MENTAL: SUS EFECTOS EN LA SUBJETIVIDAD DE NIÑOS Y ADOLESCENTES
2013Fabiana Naiman, Juan José Calzetta · V Congreso Internacional de Investigación y Práctica Profesional en Psicología XX Jornadas de Investigación Noveno Encuentro de Investigadores en Psicología del MERCOSUR · Argentina
This study is based on a University Extension Program titled "The Urban Orchard: A Tool for Inclusion of Children and Adolescents," conducted under the UBANEX Programme 2012/2013 by the University of Buenos Aires. The program aimed to develop children's and adolescents' ability to generate and produce a self-managed urban garden. Program implementation showed that the urban orchard produced positive effects at both inter- and intra-subjective levels, fostering curiosity, creativity, responsibility, self-confidence, self-esteem, self-criticism, teamwork, and the quality of links between subjects.
Food educationHealthCommunityWelfareThe Lynch Community Garden Project
2013Hilary Neff, Rachel Manning · OPUS - Open Portal to University Scholarship (Governors State University) · United States (Ohio)
This record introduces Hilary Neff, a third-year Environmental Studies student at Oberlin College, focusing on Food Justice and Sustainable Communities. She is passionate about local foods and community empowerment projects.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceDeveloping Urban Community Garden Projects
2013Austen Moore, Amy Harder, Norma Samuel · EDIS · United States
This 7-page fact sheet provides a guide for individuals or groups interested in starting urban community gardens. Community gardens are used to grow vegetables and flowers, produce food for local consumption or sale, and teach gardening and other skills. The guide includes information on how to identify garden sites, build partnerships, engage community members, and develop a project overview.
CommunityFood educationDIYSeedfolks: An Integrated Literature and Visual Art Unit
2013Michi Thacker · VCU Scholars Compass (Virginia Commonwealth University) · United States (Cleveland)
The book "Seedfolks" is set in an inner-city vacant lot in Cleveland, Ohio. The narrative unfolds through 13 vignettes, where culturally isolated characters contribute their unique perspectives as the trash-ridden lot gradually transforms into a community garden.
CommunityFood educationItaly case study
2013OECD · OECD eBooks · Italy
This chapter presents three Italian case studies: "Custody of the Territory" in Tuscany, a community garden in Campania, and mountain pastures in Aosta Valley. These cases discuss agri-environmental public goods provided by collective action, factors affecting outcomes in collective action, and policy measures supporting collective action, through environmental services by local government agencies and farmers' agreements, collaborative green spaces converted from degraded sites, and collective management of mountain pastures with regional support.
CommunityPolicyBiodiversityDefining the skycourt and skygarden
2013Jason Pomeroy · · Egypt
The ancient Egyptian city of Fustat, now part of Old Cairo, incorporated skygardens. Archaeological findings indicate its importance as a trade hub and production center. Historical accounts describe 14-storey residential buildings with rooftop gardens irrigated by ox-drawn water wheels.
CommunityDIYThe Effects of Urban Land Use on Wasps: (Hymenoptera: Apocrita)
2013Klaire Elise Freeman · OhioLink ETD Center (Ohio Library and Information Network) · United States (Cleveland)
A study in Cleveland, Ohio, examined the role of wasps in urban gardens and vacant lots, collecting 13,339 arthropods, including 5,165 wasps across 24 families and 369 morphospecies. The findings showed higher wasp abundance, species richness, and number of families in vacant lots compared to urban gardens. Specifically, vacant lots had 2,703 individuals and 288 morphospecies, while gardens had 2,462 individuals and 231 morphospecies.
BiodiversityPollinatorsCommunityGrowing Language Awareness in the Classroom Garden
2013Patricia Paugh, Mary Jane Moran · Language Arts · Global
For four years, Pat Paugh and Mary Moran conducted action research on literacy development linked to a third-grade community gardening and urban farming curriculum. They used Critical Pedagogy of Place and Systemic Functional Linguistics frameworks to integrate explicit language instruction with student-centered curriculum. This article illustrates how functional grammar aspects, genre and register, supported linguistic growth and connected literacy learning to community involvement.
Food educationCommunityNo Buts About It…The Value of Urban Food Production
2013Evan Weissman · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United States (New York City)
This essay refutes the claims by Hallsworth and Wong (2013) that the benefits of urban food gardening are exaggerated and that it cannot deliver fresher or lower-cost foods. It states that Hallsworth and Wong's assumptions are incorrect and that urban gardening plays a significant role as public space, an economic development strategy, and a community-organizing tool, contributing to household food security. For example, a 0.2-hectare urban farm project in Brooklyn, New York, "East New York Farms!", produces over USD20,000 of fresh produce annually, with over 70% of transactions made through SNAP, reaching high-need community members.
Limited or null effectFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsCommunityPolicyREAL School Gardens Program: Learning Gardens and Teacher Training to Improve Student Engagement and Academic Performance in Low-Performing Elementary Schools
2013Jeanne McCarty · Journal of Applied Research on Children Informing Policy for Children at Risk · Global
The REAL School Gardens Program builds learning gardens and provides teacher training in 92 low-income elementary schools to enhance student engagement and academic performance. Preliminary findings indicate that 84% of students participating in hands-on lessons in these gardens report high engagement, particularly in math and science. Additionally, partner schools showed, on average, 5.5% higher standardized science test pass rates compared to non-partner schools.
Food educationWelfareCommunityST6 - 827 AGRICULTURA URBANA EM SÃO JOSÉ DOS CAMPOS, SP: APROPRIAÇÃO DO ESPAÇO URBANO, MODOS DE VIDA E CONFLITOS
2013Samuel Henrique Damas Marinelo, Sandra María Fonseca da Costa, Leonardo Freire de Mello · Anais ENANPUR · Brazil (São Paulo)
In São José dos Campos, São Paulo, Brazil, residents of the Altos de Santana neighborhood maintain traditional peasant characteristics by cultivating urban gardens within a Permanent Protection Area of the Paraíba do Sul River. However, the current municipal administration plans to implement an urban park in this area, which will remove the gardens cultivated by these resident farmers. This intervention is expected to alter proposals for improving the quality of life for nearby residents concerning urban agriculture, potentially generating conflicts between stakeholders regarding land use.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceGreen Sisters: Bringing Spirituality and Environmental Awareness Together at Homecoming Farm
2013Marisa DeCandido · Syracuse University Libraries (Syracuse University) · United States (New York City)
This project describes the "green sisters" movement and its presence at Homecoming Farm, a Community-Supported Agriculture project in Amityville, New York. The green sisters movement involves Catholic nuns dedicated to environmental education and sustainability, exemplified by Homecoming Farm, an organic farm created in 1992 by the Sisters of Saint Dominic. The story is presented through a five-part news series, based on six visits and interviews with eleven individuals at Homecoming Farm in the summer and fall of 2012.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityOrganic cycleFood and Green Space in Cities: A Resilience Lens on Gardens and Urban Environmental Movements
2013Stephan Barthel, John N. Parker, Henrik Ernstson · Urban Studies · Global
This article examined the role of urban gardens during historical collapses in urban food supply lines and identified social processes needed to protect open green spaces and the collective memory of food production during crises. Over the past 50 years, urban dependence on global food systems has increased, eroding collective memory of food production and losing suitable urban gardening spaces, heightening the potential for food shortages during crises. Urban gardening is effective during crises, and allotment gardens transmit social-ecological memories of food production. Urban environmental movements protect urban green space, and urban gardening and social movements can build local response capacity against food supply collapses.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changePolicyAlternative Food s ystems at g round Level: The Fairbanks Community g arden
2013Alison M. Meadow · Digital Commons - University of South Florida (University of South Florida) · United States (Fairbanks)
This paper presents data on the Fairbanks Community Garden, an alternative food system initiative, focusing on its current and potential contributions to food security and social integration. The most successful aspects of the community garden include providing space and equipment to those lacking resources and creating opportunities for diverse community members to develop personal relationships.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceWelfareIncidences of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) in Urban Farming of Mumbai and Suburbs, India
2013S Kelkar Tushar, A. Satish · · India (Mumbai)
The incidence of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) in urban farming was investigated in Mumbai and its suburbs, India, specifically in wasteland near Central Railway side tracks. Roots of commonly cultivated crops like bhindi, chavali, and fenugreek, along with rhizospheric soil samples, were collected and screened for AMF colonization percentage and spore density. In these disturbed habitats, characterized by poor quality soil and irrigation from gutters and wastewater, incidences of mycorrhizal fungi were found to be higher in terms of percent colonization.
CommunityOrganic cycleAliseda 18. Un huerto comunitario procedente de la recuperación vecinal del espacio urbano
2013María Antonia Fernández Nieto, Jorge Gallego Sánchez-Torija · Hábitat y Sociedad · Spain (Madrid)
An academic research group and a neighborhood association initiated a citizen participation process to recover a degraded urban space in the peripheral neighborhood of Puerta Bonita in Carabanchel, Madrid. This initiative aimed to convert the space into an urban community garden. The project seeks to reincorporate agriculture into the city with environmental sustainability criteria, influence local economies, regenerate neighborhood relations, and develop environmental education.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceFood educationBiodiversityThe value of community gardens : a participatory evaluation of Brockwell Park community greenhouses
2013Angie Dazé · VIUSpace (Vancouver Island University Library) · United Kingdom
This research project, conducted as part of a Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies, aimed to understand what people value about community gardens. It involved a series of interviews with volunteers at Brockwell Park Community Greenhouses in South London, using an Appreciative Inquiry approach to explore their experiences. The study focuses on the garden as an educational and social resource, run primarily by volunteers.
CommunityFood educationHealthDecolonizing Ecology Through Rerooting Epistemologies
2013Lauren M Bitter · Scholarship @ Claremont (The Claremont Colleges) · United States (California)
This autoethnographic thesis centers on the People and Their Plants garden in Upland, California, which represents the ecological changes caused by colonization in Southern California. The study critiques research and ethnography by examining the politics of knowledge, language, history, and ecology, and interrogates colonial/capitalist food systems that render Indigenous ways of knowing invisible. The People and Their Plants garden is presented as an act of resistance, creating space for alternative economic and decolonial food practices.
Equity & displacementCommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicy