Research & reports

Carolina Rothen, Julián Gabriel Riso, Betina I. Stephan, Josefina Bompadre, Laura Fernández Bidondo · Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems · Argentina (Buenos Aires)

This study analyzed arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi in greenhouse soil from lettuce plants under agroecological, organic, and conventional management in Buenos Aires, Argentina. While agroecological management increased AM spore counts and infective propagules, effective mycorrhization of lettuce roots was low across all systems. Intensive greenhouse practices suppressed successful crop colonization, indicating a reduced AM inoculum infective potential.

Carolyn Schuyler, Dorothy Ibes · · Global

This chapter explores ecotherapy as a therapeutic intervention to promote mental wellness, emphasizing emotional regulation and neuroplasticity. It presents evidence-based practices such as grounding exercises, sensory immersion, nature art, visualization techniques, and biophilic design strategies that may activate the parasympathetic nervous system and support brain health. The content integrates research on nature connectedness with practical applications for classroom settings, clinical treatment plans, workplace wellness programs, and neighborhood initiatives. Activities require minimal equipment and adapt to solo or group formats.

Xiaoxuan Ren, Tetiana Bulhakova · Art and Design · Global

This study developed a theoretical and practical framework integrating ecological aesthetics into urban agriculture design. Using a mixed-methods approach combining literature review and analysis of existing urban agricultural spaces, a structured ecodesign framework synthesizing aesthetics, ecological function, and resilience was established. It was found that sensory qualities like color, texture, and rhythm, along with cultural meaning, can enhance biodiversity support, food production, and climate regulation without compromising ecological integrity.

Jan Macháč, Lenka Dubová, Marek Hekrle, Sára Laníková · Cities · Czech Republic

A study investigated differences in perceptions of community garden (CG) benefits among non-users in two Czech cities (Ústí nad Labem and Prague) via on-site surveys and CG users across Czechia via online surveys. Non-users prioritized environmental benefits like air quality improvement and crop production, alongside recreational functions. In contrast, CG users placed the highest importance on cultural and social benefits, specifically recreation, social interaction, and aesthetic enhancement, while giving lower priority to provisioning functions.

Luca Battisti, Adrienne Csizmady, Federico Cuomo, Luca Kristóf, Boldizsár Megyesi · Sustainability Science Practice and Policy · Hungary (Budapest)

This study examined how community gardens in Budapest and Turin function as locally embedded nature-based solutions (NbS) through the everyday practices of urban residents. Based on a qualitative analysis of 47 semi-structured interviews conducted in five gardens in Budapest and two in Turin, findings showed that gardeners practice NbS-aligned approaches. Socially, they foster well-being, inclusion, and community cohesion; technically, they adapt to resource constraints through low-tech experimentation and collaborative problem-solving; and ecologically, they support biodiversity, soil regeneration, and microclimate regulation through organic cultivation and composting.

Juliane Forßmann · OPUS der Technischen Hochschule Augsburg · Global

This guideline extracts successful urban gardening strategies and effective pedagogical interventions from a three-year social community garden project, "Wassermelonengarten," located on the grounds of a family collective accommodation for refugees. The garden served as a laboratory for social work students and residents to explore simple, cost-effective urban gardening techniques and group relationship and project design, aiming to improve the quality of life for all involved. The guideline is intended as a resource for those developing urban gardening projects in social work and educational settings, focusing on strengthening social cohesion and preserving healthy soils and biodiversity.

Kirsten Lambert, Janene Sproul · International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education · Global

This research explored the experiences of university students participating in a university community garden project during and after the Covid-19 pandemic, using qualitative semi-structured interviews. The study found that the garden became a home for transient and often marginalized students by decentering normative conceptions of university space. It also highlights that community gardens offer divergent spaces for neurodivergent and LGBTQIA+ students.

Sneha Kumari Bharati, A. Pattanayak, Sidh Nath Prasad Yadav ‘Deen’ · Asian Journal of Environment & Ecology · Global

This study compared odonate diversity and population dynamics in rural (Manpur) and urban (Gaya city) agricultural landscapes of the Eastern Gangetic Plains from March 2022 to February 2024. The rural landscape supported 24 odonate species, while the urban landscape supported 17, showing only moderate similarity (SSI = 0.571) between the two assemblages. This indicates a lower diversity of odonates in urban agricultural areas compared to rural ones.

F. X. Teddy Badai Samodra, Rizky Nathania, Triono Bagus Saputro, Ike Phiri, Seonghwan Yoon · Frontiers in Built Environment · Global

This study proposed the concept of edible architecture, using plants as architectural elements for spatial flexibility, to address reduced green spaces and increased carbon footprints from urbanization. Through literature reviews, secondary data, location analysis, and design exploration with study models, it suggests that a refitable approach to edible landscapes allows modification based on needs and seasons, creating dynamic spaces. Integrating atmospheric design could lead to potential annual energy savings of 67,500 kWh/year in roof-based structures.

Chaudhari Gunjan, Thakare S. W · International Scientific Journal of Engineering and Management · Global

Bloom Finder is an intelligent decision-support system designed to assist users in selecting suitable flower species based on environmental and personal preferences. This system integrates personalized flower care tips, optimized fertilizer guidance, and an expanded range of flower categories. Leveraging IoT-enabled sensors and machine learning algorithms, it provides precise, data-driven recommendations by continuously monitoring environmental parameters such as soil pH, moisture, rainfall, temperature, humidity, and light intensity.

Farooq Ahmad Khan, Faheemullah Khan, Sumati Narayan, Mohammad Amir, Zaffar Mahdi Dar · International Journal of Research in Agronomy · Global

This review synthesizes the concept, design principles, carbon sequestration mechanisms, storage potential, and environmental benefits of carbon gardens, which are multifunctional landscapes designed to maximize carbon sequestration and deliver a wide range of ecosystem services. The article highlights their application in urban and rural landscapes and their integration with carbon-negative farming through practices such as biochar use and compost recycling. It also discusses key challenges related to carbon measurement, establishment costs, land availability, and long-term management.

Svenja Baumgartinger · International explorations in outdoor and environmental education · Global

Companion planting is a natural gardening practice where crops are grown together to support each other's growth and foster relationships within a larger network of organisms. This practice contributes to biodiversity by supporting natural processes in the garden. Designing school gardens as companion planting gardens can allow students to experience biodiversity and learn about organism interactions.

Ines Sebai, G. Berron Cadenas, C. Furgal, A. Argumedo, T. Delormier · Current Developments in Nutrition · Global

This scoping review explores Indigenous food sovereignty (IFS) as a decolonizing framework grounded in Indigenous cultural, spiritual, and ecological values. By synthesizing existing literature, the review identifies core IFS principles such as community governance, revitalization of traditional practices, and respectful environmental relationships. Examples like community gardens and traditional hunting illustrate how Indigenous communities adapt these principles to foster cultural renewal and sustainability. The findings emphasize the need for policy advocacy and support for Indigenous rights, including land restoration and protection of traditional knowledge.

Katie J. Field, Yolima Carrillo, Stuart A. Campbell, Jurriaan Ton, Adam Frew · Plants People Planet · Global

This special issue presents an innovative framework for sustainable land use, leveraging synergies between plants, soils, and societies to address global environmental crises and food insecurity. It notes that human activities, including land clearing for agriculture, rapid urban sprawl, and heavy use of chemical inputs, have pushed biogeochemical cycles of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus beyond their safe operating limits. The collection of papers collectively emphasizes the need for a fundamental shift in managing plant, soil, microbes, and human systems as interdependent components.

ROAN BAGAOISAN · Divine Word International Journal of Management and Humanities (DWIJMH) (ISSN 2980-4817) · Global

A study investigated school garden programs in elementary schools, exploring the experiences of fifteen teachers, staff, and students using a descriptive phenomenological approach and open-ended questionnaires. It found benefits in academic learning, environmental awareness, health, and social development, but also identified challenges including resource constraints, time limitations, garden maintenance, and stakeholder engagement. These challenges require careful planning, collaboration, and creative solutions.

Gök A., Arıkan M. · Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part B · Türkiye (Istanbul)

Tracks how DDT, a legacy contaminant, restructures the soil microbiome of an urban garden in Istanbul across a 15-day microcosm experiment. Rather than broad diversity loss, Shannon diversity rose steadily as sensitive taxa were suppressed; Rhodococcus, Kribbella and Nitrospira increased while Pedomicrobium and Lysobacter declined. Inferred functions shifted away from aromatic amino-acid and fatty-acid metabolism and towards degradation of chlorinated aromatics, redox homeostasis and stress response — a successional move to a stress-resilient, potentially degradative community.

Karina Corada, Caroline Nash, Prashant Kumar, Stuart Connop, Laura Wendling · Nature-Based Solutions · Global

A synthesis paper on the largely unexplored role of domestic gardens in influencing local air quality. While gardens are widely recognized for cultural and health benefits, particularly mental well-being and everyday contact with nature, the paper states few studies have examined air quality dynamics within residential garden settings. It notes that general urban green infrastructure research suggests vegetation structure, plant traits, and spatial configuration shape pollutant capture, but these findings have not been tested in domestic gardens, where microclimates and spatial constraints differ markedly. Evidence from food-growing gardens and allotments further suggests edible crops cultivated near roads may accumulate airborne pollutants, particularly metals, underscoring the need for research on exposure pathways and allotment locations. The paper identifies a significant gap in current green infrastructure and air-pollution research: the lack of empirical evidence on how domestic gardens function as socio-ecological systems with implications for air-quality regulation.

Elaheh Jalilzadehazhari · Sustainable Development · Global

This study analyses research trends at the intersection of nature-based solutions (NbS), food systems and the SDGs using a multi-method approach combining a systematic literature review, betweenness centrality analysis and fuzzy logic. It identifies growing interest in climate change and urban agriculture and expanding European-led international collaboration, and names five major trends -- land-water-food nexus, urban farming and green infrastructure, governance and policy, community readiness and indigenous knowledge, and soil health and regenerative techniques -- finding the governance/policy trend has the highest betweenness centrality for bridging SDGs and the community-readiness trend shows the strongest convergence of social, urban and ecological goals.

Brenda B. Lin, Shalene Jha, Heidi Liere, Stacy M. Philpott · Frontiers in Sustainable Cities · Global

Drawing on a long-term, multidisciplinary research program conducted since 2013 on urban community gardens in the California Central Coast, this paper uses that program as a lens to explore how community gardens may function as a form of green infrastructure within increasingly compact urban development, while grounded in a specific regional context.

Phạm Trung Kiên, Liliane Jean-Soro, Huong Le Thi Thu, Bernard De-Gouvello, Béatrice Bechet · Earth Environmental Sustainability · Global

Arguing that existing "Water-Energy-Food" nexus thinking fails to capture the complexity of urban nature-based solutions such as urban gardens, this perspective paper proposes a "Food-Water-Soil (FWS) nexus" framework analyzed through the dual lens of ecosystem services (ES) and ecosystem disservices (EDS), which arise together with ES rather than as mere byproducts. It positions ES and EDS as the core mediating functions that define a system's potential and limits, and conceptualizes soil as a "living infrastructure" whose management-driven dynamic properties govern the trade-offs and synergies between food production and water dynamics.

Joan Casanelles-Abella, Monika Egerer · Frontiers in Sustainable Cities · Global

A perspective article discusses biodiversity conservation in cities as often afflicted by "suboptimal" situations where human needs and nature's needs are imbalanced or in conflict. In human-dominated landscapes, land use intensification often replaces large habitat patches critical for metapopulation stability with smaller, isolated patches, a pattern Island Biogeography Theory predicts will reduce biodiversity; this may be most extreme in cities experiencing rapid population growth and infrastructure densification, where small urban green spaces, balconies, home and allotment gardens, small forest patches and green walls, become the primary compensatory interventions for retaining habitat. However, under certain conservation frameworks (land-sparing vs. land-sharing, the SLOSS debate), such small, scattered urban green spaces may be predicted to produce suboptimal or even detrimental biodiversity outcomes if their size and isolation prevent them from sustaining viable population sizes. The article notes this "ecology of suboptimals" framing risks a futile perspective on nature conservation in densifying cities, while also considering how rethinking urban environments in light of this situation might be approached.

Isabelle van der Zanden, Lieke Moereels, Stephanie Schelfhout, Pallieter De Smedt, Koen Lock, Wouter Dekoninck, G.W. Korthals, Wim H. van der Putten, Kris Verheyen, G. F. Veen · npj Biodiversity · Global

Communities of 12 taxonomic groups of soil organisms were compared between 15 food forests and nearby grasslands, croplands and forests in Northwest Europe. Food forest soil communities differed from grassland and cropland communities and more closely resembled forest communities in biomass and number of individuals for most taxonomic groups, with especially higher numbers of macroarthropods. In composition, food forest communities were overall intermediate between grassland/cropland and forest for most groups, but microorganismal and microfaunal groups more closely resembled grassland and cropland communities than forest communities. Alpha-diversity was higher for non-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and certain macroarthropod groups in food forests, though overall differences in alpha- and beta-diversity were limited. Planting food forests was concluded to be able to increase soil biodiversity in agricultural landscapes.

Dorothee Benkowitz · International explorations in outdoor and environmental education · Global

A book chapter on biodiversity education centered on seeds and plant life cycles. It states that industrial agriculture has reduced genetic diversity through monocultures and patented hybrid varieties, making small farmers dependent on large seed companies. F1 hybrids, while high-yielding, are not seed-proof — saved seed from them does not reproduce the parent traits — and this contributes to genetic erosion, limiting plants' ability to adapt to climate change and disease. The chapter notes that many people lack an in-depth understanding of plant cycles, and that studies show deficits among students specifically in classifying and explaining seeds and their role in a plant's life cycle. Hands-on experiences such as those in school gardens are said to foster better understanding and a sustainable connection to nature. Knowledge of biodiversity and plant cycles is described as crucial for topics such as healthy diets, regionality, and climate adaptation, and integrating this content into education is presented as contributing to Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) goals.

Chaturangi Wickramaratne, Avinandan Taron, Mark Mulligan, Sophia Burke, Matthew McCartney · · Global

A valuation study of the Kalu Oya and Mudun Ela basins, peri-urban sub-catchments of the Kelani River Basin in Gampaha District, Sri Lanka (78 km², population 548,232, with 10.50 km² of wetlands providing services including flood mitigation, water purification, biodiversity support, carbon storage, and urban agriculture), used market-price and benefit-transfer methods to value 13 wetland services at a total economic value (TEV) of USD 25.1-27.6 million for 2025 (USD 12.98-14.45 million/year when excluding static carbon stock). A separate Co$tingNature model assessed 11 ecosystem services across the basin at 30 m resolution, estimating a 25-year TEV of USD 1.67 billion (USD 66.8 million/year); wetlands accounted for only 2.7% of basin-wide TEV but showed the highest per-hectare value (USD 6,807/ha/year). Conservation investment returns were estimated at 23-341% depending on which costs were included, and the study notes that different valuation methods produced varying results depending on their conceptual foundations and data sources.

Ligia Tobar, César Augusto Gutiérrez, Leidy Yurani Villa García, Jonathan S. Pelegrin · Applied Environmental Education & Communication · Colombia

This study examined how a school garden in Vijes, Colombia, functions as a habitat for pollinators and a space for experiential education. Primary school students recorded 208 floral visits across four plots (ornamental, medicinal, fruit, and crop) over three weeks of limited observation time. Visiting activity was dominated by the stingless bee Tetragonisca angustula (49%) and the honeybee Apis mellifera (36%). Pollinators mainly visited the ornamental plot, particularly Zinnia peruviana, and Cucurbita maxima in the crop plot. Participation in the monitoring fostered ecological awareness, teamwork, and appreciation of biodiversity among the students.