Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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Critical findings
9074 results(192 / 363)
Strategies for Sustaining and Developing Agriculture and Regional Conditions in Japan
2019Akira Tabayashi, Toshio Kikuchi, Toshiaki Nishino · Journal of Geography (Chigaku Zasshi) · Japan
This study discusses strategies for sustaining and developing agriculture in Japan, based on 10 sample studies across various regions, including urban agriculture in Tokyo. Key strategies include ensuring capable farm operators, promoting rational farm management with advanced technology, maintaining stable income sources, establishing multiple sales channels, and forming producer-consumer networks. The research highlights the importance of locational, physical, economic, social, cultural, and political conditions, particularly accessibility to large cities and favorable physical conditions for production.
PolicyUrban–rural linkageEconomics저관리 도시농업을 위한 벽면녹화 부직포 처리가 식용꽃인 한련화(Tropaeolum majus L.)의 생육과 개화에 미치는 영향
2019박재현, 윤용한, 이재만, 송희연, 주진희 · · Global
This study investigated the effects of non-woven fabric layers on the growth and adaptability of Tropaeolum majus in a container-type wall vertical greening system under non-water conditions. Researchers found that four layers of non-woven fabric maintained the highest soil water content and generally promoted better morphological properties and chlorophyll content compared to fewer layers. However, shoot fresh weight was highest with three layers, and flowering characteristics showed no significant difference among treatments, with overall growth being best in the three-layer treatment.
DIYBiodiversityProyecto Jardín Community Garden: Traditional Medicine & Health Among Latinx in Boyle Heights
2019Hernández Romero, Jude Claudia · · United States (California)
This ethnographic dissertation, conducted at Proyecto Jardín community garden in Boyle Heights, California, documents the development of a medicinal garden, its design, and herbal remedy workshops. Based on observations and gardener conversations, it argues that Latinxs at Proyecto Jardín choose herbal modalities for self-reliance and to revive traditional medicine, not solely as alternatives to an inaccessible medical system. The study, though limited to a few participants, highlights the complex interplay of culture, socioeconomic factors, and identity politics in traditional medicine choices, and the garden's function as an informal health education space.
CommunityHealthFood educationLocal Foods Sustain Your Community
2019Catherine Wong, Kathryn Geoffrion Scannell · University of New Hampshire Scholars Repository (University of New Hampshire at Manchester) · United States
This article suggests that establishing a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) or farm share pickup at libraries supports the local foods movement, reduces food travel distance, promotes healthy eating, and fosters community engagement. Additional benefits include donating fresh produce to food pantries. A CSA involves a relationship where members provide labor or monetary support in exchange for a share of farm produce.
CSA & TeikeiFood miles & supply chainCommunityWelfareLes campagnes urbaines: quels scénarios pour demain?
2019Pierre Donadieu · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Global
This article analyzes the political and socio-economic processes that contributed to the decline of urban agriculture over the last 50 years. It then illustrates how the concept of a common urban landscape in the 21st century facilitates new public policies for maintaining agricultural spaces and activities in urban areas. Finally, the article describes three potential scenarios for agriculture and gardening development within urban territories.
PolicyUrban–rural linkageCommunityHow Will We Eat and Produce in the Cities of the Future? From Edible Insects to Vertical Farming—A Study on the Perception and Acceptability of New Approaches
2019Kathrin Specht, Felix Zoll, Henrike Schümann, Julia Bela, Julia Kachel, Marcel Robischon · Sustainability · Global
Nineteen qualitative expert interviews were conducted to identify perceptions of sustainability, social acceptability, and ethical aspects of new urban food production approaches. While major perceived benefits included educational effects and efficient resource use, significant conflicts involved negative side-effects, legal constraints, and high investment costs. Acceptance barriers were largely tied to the "unknown," encompassing a lack of understanding of new approaches, uncertainty about benefits, health risk concerns, unfamiliarity with products, and ethical doubts about animal welfare. The study concluded that adapting the unsuitable regulatory framework, which discourages investors, is a crucial first step to foster dissemination of urban food production approaches.
Governance failureDigital agricultureEconomicsPolicyFood educationMapping and Characterizing the Green Belt of Córdoba: Land Dynamics and the Urban-Rural Transformation Process
2019Nicolás A. Mari, Nicolás A. Mari, Beatriz Giobellina, Beatriz Giobellina, Alejandro Benítez, Alejandro Benítez, Victoria Marinelli, Victoria Marinelli, Victoria Marinelli · Journal of Agronomy Research · Argentina (Córdoba)
A study mapped and quantified urban growth and land use in Córdoba, Argentina's Green Belt. Using remote sensing and GIS, it evaluated urban growth between 1974 and 2014 and land use in peri-urban and rural areas in 2015. The study revealed a 46.5% urban area growth over nearly 40 years, alongside an increase in farm plot size, indicating land ownership concentration and a reduced number of producers. This transformation highlights a conflict between peri-urban horticulture, industrial agriculture, and urban development.
Governance failurePeri-urban agricultureUrban–rural linkagePolicyBiodiversityEffect of household economic indices on sustainability of community gardens
2019Jooseok Oh, Seiyong Kim · Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering · South Korea (Seoul)
This study surveyed 117 participants in apartment complexes in Seoul, South Korea, to analyze the effect of household economic indices on the sustainability of community gardens. Findings indicated that a higher Engel's coefficient and an increase in cultivating land size boosted prolonged participation. Additionally, older participants and those with fewer family members were found to be more proactive in community gardening.
CommunityEconomicsHealthExpanding the Contribution of Community Gardens to City Sustainability through Family Education Programs
2019Stavrianakis, Farmer · Children Youth and Environments · Global
This study investigated the impacts that gardening education workshops in community gardens can have on family members and their environmental behaviors. Participants reported a variety of positive impacts from the gardening workshops, including socializing, health benefits, and acquired knowledge. However, there was limited evidence of pro-environmental behavior change beyond gardening.
Limited or null effectCommunityFood educationHealthClimate changeAshley Vale, Bristol
2019Clare Nash · RIBA Publishing eBooks · United Kingdom (Bristol)
Ashley Vale in Bristol is a unique place featuring a city farm, allotments, a permaculture project, and a farm cafe selling locally sourced foods. The entire development is built on a concrete slab, formerly an industrial warehouse site. A "Homezone" scheme on the street improved its appearance by installing planters and organizing parking.
CommunityPeri-urban agricultureBiodiversityPEMBERDAYAAN MASYARAKAT MELALUI PROGRAM CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR) MANDIRI BERSAMA BANK MANDIRI DI MRICAN UMBULHARJO
2019Novia Marwah · Jurnal Pemberdayaan Masyarakat Media Pemikiran dan Dakwah Pembangunan · Indonesia (Yogyakarta)
This study described the concept, implementation, and results of Bank Mandiri's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program, Mandiri Bersama Mandiri (MBM), conducted in Mrican, Umbulharjo, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The MBM program's concept broadly aims to build community independence by utilizing local potential. Implementation involved urban agriculture development programs, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), and public facility development, resulting in physical empowerment like a clean environment and economic improvement, and non-physical empowerment such as increased awareness and knowledge.
CommunityWelfareEconomicsThe ‘fluid governance’ of urban public spaces. Insights from informal planning practices in Rome
2019Chiara Certomà, Lorenzo Chelleri, Bruno Notteboom · Urban Studies · Italy (Rome)
This paper investigates informal planning practices and "fluid governance" in urban public spaces, using the case of Parco delle Energie in Rome, Italy, and a comparative analysis of international cases. It found that politically progressive urban gardening challenges traditional governance networks and redefines public space functioning by transforming green spaces into food production and collaboratively managed areas through informal planning. This demonstrates that urban gardening worldwide challenges traditional planning perspectives and governance, turning citizens' dissensus into a productive force.
Governance failurePolicyCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceAny Sign of Virtual School Garden Exchanges? Education for Sustainable Development in School Gardens since 1992: A Systematic Literature Review
2019Johanna Lochner, Marco Rieckmann, Marcel Robischon · Journal of Education for Sustainable Development · Global
This systematic literature review analyzed 158 peer-reviewed articles on school gardening, with a focus on Virtual School Garden Exchanges (VSGEs) and their connection to Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). The study examined the global perspective of ESD, the use of digital media, and international exchanges in school gardens. Only 14 articles directly incorporated these three perspectives, leading to the identification of possible directions for future research on VSGE.
Food educationCommunityDigital agricultureA narrative inquiry into becoming attentive to relational ethics in recreation practice
2019Michael Dubnewick, Sean Lessard, D. Jean Clandinin, Tara-Leigh McHugh · Qualitative Research in Sport Exercise and Health · Global
This narrative inquiry explores the experiences of the first author and two non-Indigenous recreation practitioners in a community garden project involving Indigenous peoples. It highlights how they negotiated professional competence focused on program outcomes, which often overlooked relational aspects of their practice. The inquiry demonstrates how they developed an understanding of ethical living as a relational practice, thereby shifting their interactions within the community garden.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceHealthUrban Agriculture in shared spaces: The difficulties with collaboration in an age of austerity
2019Rebecca St. Clair, Michael Hardman, Richard Armitage, Graeme Sherriff · Urban Studies · United Kingdom (Manchester)
This study, conducted in Wythenshawe, Manchester, UK, highlights the difficulties of collaboration among organizations in a lottery-funded urban agriculture project. Due to local authority cutbacks and a lack of funding, community groups and charitable organizations compete for space and resources, leading to a "siege mentality" where organizational self-preservation takes precedence over cooperation. This paradoxically results in groups with similar goals working against each other instead of collaborating.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyEconomicsANÁLISE DA AGRICULTURA URBANA EM SÃO JOSÉ DO RIO PRETO - SP
2019Maria Vitória Cecchetti Gottardi Costa, Klisly Dark Pereira de Jesus, Kamila Gomes Uzeloto, Miriam Pinheiro Bueno, Adriano Luís Simonato, Teresa Cristina Castilho Gorayeb · · Brazil (São José do Rio Preto)
This interpretive study analyzed the importance of urban agriculture in São José do Rio Preto, Brazil, using data from questionnaires. Results showed urban agriculture is present across all social classes, utilizing residential spaces for cultivating food and non-food products, with spices and fruits being the most common food items. The study concluded that urban agriculture contributes to healthy eating and quality of life.
CommunityEconomicsHealthFood sovereignty & justiceTECHNICAL-PRODUCTIVE AND SOCIOECONOMIC LIMITATIONS TO THE ADOPTION OF URBAN AGRICULTURE. THE CASE OF THE URBAN AND PERI-URBAN AGRICULTURE NETWORK OF XALAPA, VERACRUZ
2019Guadalupe Del Ángel-Lozano, Martha Elena Nava-Tablada · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Mexico
This study analyzed technical-productive and socioeconomic limitations to urban agriculture adoption within the Urban and Periurban Agriculture Network (RAUP) in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico. Based on 25 questionnaires from active members and 10 from sporadic participants, both groups agreed that the main constraints are socioeconomic, such as lack of space and limited free time, which are linked to urban lifestyles. Technical-productive limitations were not considered relevant.
Economic viabilityEconomicsCommunityUrban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceAgricultural intensification and urbanization negatively impact soil nematode richness and abundance: a meta-analysis
2019Satyendra Kumar Pothula, Parwinder S. Grewal, Robert M. Augé, Arnold M. Saxton, Ernest C. Bernard · Journal of Nematology · Global
A meta-analysis of 111 published articles assessed the impact of human interventions on soil nematode richness and abundance in urban, agriculture, and disturbed grassland ecosystems compared to natural grassland and forest ecosystems. The study found that overall nematode richness was higher in forest ecosystems than in natural grassland, disturbed grassland, urban, and agriculture ecosystems. The meta-analyses concluded that human interventions, specifically agricultural intensification and urbanization, adversely impact both the richness and abundance of nematodes, which serve as soil health bioindicators.
Environmental trade-offsBiodiversityUrban–rural linkageThe potential for heavy metal pollution in crops from urban and peri urban horticultural farms in the Gaborone environs: a review
2019L.C. Obuseng · Botswana Journal of Agriculture and Applied Sciences · Botswana (Gaborone)
This review highlights the potential for heavy metal accumulation in soil and crops from urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) around Gaborone, Botswana, due to the intensive use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, wastewater, sludges, and industrial effluents. A literature review showed that fertilizers contain heavy metals, and the use of treated or untreated sewage water by UPA farmers can lead to heavy metal accumulation in soil and crops, posing a danger to human health. Information on heavy metal accumulation in soils is limited in Botswana, despite high agrochemical use in UPA vegetable production.
Contamination & food safetyHealthPeri-urban agricultureOrganic cycleDevelopment of Structural Model and Analysis of Design Factors for Small Greenhouse of Urban Agriculture
2019Hyung-Kweon Kim, Young-Sun Ryou, Younghwa Kim, Tae-Seok Lee, Sung-Sik Oh, Won Suk Lee, Yong-Hyeon Kim · Protected horticulture and Plant Factory · South Korea
This study analyzed design factors for small greenhouses suitable for urban agriculture in South Korea and developed structural models. Preferred dimensions for urban farmers were 3-4m width, 1.8-2m side height, 2.5-3m ridge height, and 4-7m length. The study proposed four structural models, including an arched vinyl greenhouse and gable-roofed glass or PC panel greenhouses, categorized into standard (approx. 2 million KRW) and premium (approx. 5 million KRW) types.
DIYEconomicsCommunityPELATIHAN TEKNIK PENANAMAN TABULAMPOT KEPADA MASYARAKAT BTN KUPULA INDAH KOTA JUANG KABUPATEN BIREUEN
2019Halus Satriawan, Irfannur Irfannur, Zikri Maulina Gaznur, Eka Rahmı, Ajmir Akmal · VARIASI Majalah Ilmiah Universitas Almuslim · Indonesia
A community service activity was conducted on September 1, 2019, in BTN Kupula Indah, Kota Juang, Bireuen Regency, Aceh Province, Indonesia. The activity involved demonstrations, practical training, and counseling on tabulampot (potted fruit plants) cultivation techniques for urban perennial plants. The findings indicated that this training successfully enhanced the community's skills in tabulampot planting and increased their knowledge for utilizing yard space and developing tabulampot entrepreneurship.
DIYFood educationCommunityFood production and gender relations in multifunctional landscapes: a literature review
2019Lisa Westholm, Madelene Ostwald · Agroforestry Systems · Africa, Asia, Latin America
This literature review of 104 scientific articles across Africa, Asia, and Latin America examined food production and gender relations in multifunctional land use systems. The review found that the specific role of landscape multifunctionality for women's food security opportunities is rarely explicitly studied. It also showed that products controlled by women are often secondary and far from markets, risking neglect by policymakers, and efforts to increase their value may adversely affect women's empowerment if powerful actors appropriate benefits.
Equity & displacementWelfareFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicyAsesoría para la conformación de una fundación de agricultura urbana
2019Wendy Johanna Murcia Gulumá, Óscar Andrés Pérez Soler, Sindy Rodríguez Rodríguez · · Colombia (Bogotá)
This study provided advisory support to an urban garden in Bogotá, Colombia, named "Guerreros y Guerreras Unidos en Accion," which had been operating empirically since 2005 without formal legal status or strategic planning. The garden, primarily involving individuals over 50 without formal employment, sought to formalize its activities by establishing a foundation. The intervention aimed to guide the garden's members through the legal and administrative steps for formalization.
Governance failureCommunityWelfareOrganic cyclePolicyThe multifunctionality of urban horticulture and its integration with the city ecosystem: a brief review of concepts and the case of São Luís
2019João Flávio Bomfim Gomes, Renata SB Gomes, Alex Oliveira de Souza · Horticultura Brasileira · Brazil (São Luís)
This review examines the multifunctionality of urban agriculture globally and details the case of São Luís, Brazil. In São Luís, agricultural production has low expression in municipal GDP, with producers facing challenges such as small production areas, a need for technical assistance, and poor transport conditions. The study found a lack of public support for urban farmers in São Luís, contrasting with successful urban agriculture experiences that benefit from converging public policies.
BiodiversityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPeri-urban agricultureLIMITANTES TÉCNICO-PRODUCTIVAS Y SOCIOECONÓMICAS PARA LA ADOPCIÓN DE LA AGRICULTURA URBANA. EL CASO DE LA RED DE AGRICULTURA URBANA Y PERIURBANA DE XALAPA, VERACRUZ
2019Guadalupe Del Ángel-Lozano, Martha Elena Nava-Tablada · Tropical and Subtropical Agroecosystems · Mexico (Xalapa)
This study analyzed technical-productive and socioeconomic limitations to urban agriculture adoption among members of the Network of Urban and Periurban Agriculture (RAUP) in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico. Researchers applied 25 questionnaires to active members and 10 to non-practicing participants. Both groups of RAUP participants identified socioeconomic factors, such as lack of space and limited free time due to urban lifestyles, as the main constraints, while technical-productive limitations were not considered relevant.
Economic viabilityCommunityEconomicsPeri-urban agriculture