Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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855 results(2 / 35)
Does gardening make us feel better? Assessing the motivations and perceptions of urban gardeners in Bogota, Colombia
2026Laura Rojas-Pardo, Tereza Pilařová, Kindah Ibrahim, Patrick Van Damme, Vladimír Verner · Local Environment · Colombia (Bogotá)
This study assessed the self-reported motivations for urban homegardening in Bogota, Colombia, through thematic content analysis of 119 semi-structured interviews. Three main motivations were identified: enjoyment, food self-provision, and social connection, which were associated with gardeners' socioeconomic strata and garden location. Enjoyment was a significant factor for over 70% of respondents in central and northern areas, while aesthetic appeal and economic constraints were prominent in the southern periphery, with only lower socioeconomic strata reporting economic reasons for gardening.
HealthFood educationCommunityEconomicsCommunity nature spaces
2026JD Brown · · Global
Based on experiences from the pandemic, this study highlights the importance of shared nature spaces in urban areas, particularly community gardens. For those without mobility or private nature spaces, these areas provided primary social and health support. Community-led design, land security, infrastructure support, proximity to homes, and time flexibility are identified as essential ingredients for successful community nature spaces.
CommunityHealthPolicyA fenntartható városi infrastruktúra szerepe az életminőség javításában = The role of sustainable urban infrastructurein improving the quality of life
2026Róbert Nagy · Repository of the Academy's Library (Library of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences) · Global
This systematic literature review analyzed 33 Scopus-indexed studies published between 2020 and 2026 on sustainable urban infrastructure investments. It concluded that Blue-Green Infrastructure (BGI) and urban energy infrastructure significantly contribute to improving mental health, mitigating urban heat island effects, and reducing household energy costs. However, the review also identified structural barriers to BGI adoption, including capital shortages and lack of institutional coordination.
Climate changeHealthBiodiversityCommunityExfoliating microplastics intensifies heavy metal uptake and physiological stress in wastewater-irrigated chili plants
2026Hajra Kanwal, Qudrat Ullah, Waqas Haider, Mujahid Farid, Zaki Ul Zaman Asam, Muhammad Zubair, Abdulrahman Alasmari, Sarah Owdah Alomrani, Muhammad Munir, Shafaqat Ali · Open MIND · Global
This study investigated the interactive effects of contaminated wastewater with cadmium, mercury, lead, and polyethylene microplastics from exfoliating personal care products on chili plants (Capsicum annuum). Plant growth parameters were reduced by 71–82% at high wastewater and microplastic levels, accompanied by significant losses in photosynthetic pigments and soluble proteins. Oxidative stress markers increased by 124–230%, and heavy metal uptake was significantly increased, facilitated by microplastics.
Contamination & food safetyPeri-urban agricultureHealthDesigning for Health and Learning: Lessons Learned from a Case Study of the Evidence-Based Health Design Process for a Rooftop Garden at a Danish Social and Healthcare School
2026Ulrika K. Stigsdotter, Lene Lottrup · Buildings · Denmark
This case study from a Danish Social and Health Care School examines the Evidence-Based Health Design in Landscape Architecture (EBHDL) process for a rooftop garden. The garden was designed to promote student health and integrate nature-based teaching. The study identifies lessons learned regarding governance, stakeholder roles, site selection, and the EBHDL model's alignment with construction phases, demonstrating how evidence-based and participatory approaches can structure complex design processes.
HealthFood educationCommunityUrban agriculture in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: A systematic review of practices, challenges and sustainability
2026hawamkwela@yahoo.com MKWELA · Social Sciences & Humanities Open · Tanzania (Dar es Salaam)
This systematic review analyzed 42 studies from 1990 to 2024, examining urban agriculture practices, scale, socio-economic contributions, health and environmental impacts, and governance constraints in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Urban agriculture involves 36,000–60,000 households cultivating 1,800–6,000 hectares annually, supplying 90% of city vegetables, providing 20–70% of household income, and employing over 100,000 people. However, 85–95% of farmers lack secure land tenure, 78% of vegetable samples exceed WHO E. coli limits, and 90% of produce is sold informally with high post-harvest losses of 20–40%.
Contamination & food safetyFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsHealthPolicyURBAN SUSTAINABILITY, GREEN SPACES, AND ECO-CITY PLANNING
2026Meenakshi Bisht, Amisha Bisht, Sanjay Kumar, Subhash Chandra · · Global
This chapter explores the interrelationship between urban sustainability, green spaces, and eco-city planning, highlighting key concepts, strategies, benefits, challenges, and policy frameworks. Urban sustainability aims to balance economic prosperity, environmental protection, and social well-being, while green spaces enhance environmental quality and mitigate climate change impacts. Eco-city planning integrates ecological principles and sustainable technologies to create environmentally responsible and climate-resilient cities.
CommunityBiodiversityClimate changeHealthPolicyLegacy contamination in Chicago urban park soils: Spatial patterns, socioeconomic disparities, and implications for urban agriculture
2026Jenkins E. M., Heafner H., Montgomery J., Soumano V., Paltseva A. A. · iScience · 米国・シカゴ
Portable X-ray fluorescence measurement of seven trace elements in 233 topsoil samples from five Chicago parks. Lead, arsenic, copper, zinc and chromium exceeded Illinois background levels in 89–100% of samples; arsenic exceeded EPA screening levels in 94% of samples and lead in 7%. Contamination was higher at parks farther from the city centre — Douglass and Humboldt parks, in predominantly minority, lower-income neighbourhoods — than at Cottontail, Grant and Webster. Principal-component analysis identified an anthropogenic signature (PC1, 51.7%) driven by Pb, Zn, Cu and As and a geogenic signature (PC2, 17.0%) associated with Mn and Ni. Areas of Douglass and Humboldt parks were classified as not safe for gardening in native soil; Webster as safe with minor restrictions. The authors conclude that park-soil contamination follows socioeconomic gradients, reflecting environmental injustice and a need for targeted remediation.
Contamination & food safetyHealthPolicyCommunityPerceptions of a community-gardening program: Insights from the TRIOWell pilot with low-active, middle-aged African American women
2026Canton I., Harris S., Jakachira V., Aguinaga S. · Journal of Health Psychology · 米国
A qualitative study of 11 low-active, middle-aged African American women who took part in an eight-week culturally tailored community-gardening intervention, interviewed afterwards. The intervention included a "Black History Knowledge" (BHK) component intended to make it more salient, and its acceptability was examined. Inductive coding produced three themes: preparing for and actively making behaviour changes; a newfound opportunity for community engagement and camaraderie; and opportunities to reconstruct and enrich the intervention's components. The authors argue community gardening may support health-behaviour change among Black women, with relationships central, and discuss scaling up. The sample is small (n = 11) and the findings are qualitative and at pilot stage.
HealthWelfareCommunityThe Community-Environment-Health Nexus: Connecting Community-Led Climate Action to Health Co-Benefits
2026Wendelboe-Nelson C., Lyon K., Alex E., Malden S., Williams A. J., Thompson C. W. · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · 英国・スコットランド・エディンバラ
A retrospective analysis of 32 community-led climate action projects funded through the Edinburgh Communities Climate Action Network (ECCAN) and its GreenLight programme (2024–2025), spanning energy, transport, food, circular economy and green space, none with a formal health evaluation framework. Data extracted from final reports covered 3,195 direct participants. Although health was not an objective, 21 of the 32 projects (66%) reported secondary health and wellbeing outcomes. Projects with direct nature contact showed the strongest co-benefits: nine of ten high-nature-contact projects reported health benefits, against two of eight low-contact projects. Following community-garden workshops, 94% of participants reported increased willingness to engage in future community activities and 76% reported improved mental wellbeing. The authors propose a "Community-Environment-Health Nexus" (CEHN) framework for how community-led environmental action generates synergistic health co-benefits.
HealthCommunityClimate changePolicyThe Role of Urban Planning Decisions in the Formation of Food Deserts: From Structural Causes to Justice-Oriented Holistic Strategies
2026Büşra Gül KARACA, Duygu GÖKCE · Kent Akademisi · Global
This study comprehensively examined 26 scientific studies published between 2008 and 2025 from a spatial perspective, demonstrating that food desert formation is a multi-layered structural problem directly related to spatial planning processes and urban planning decisions, rather than individual socioeconomic deficiencies. The literature review revealed that food deserts are systematically produced by planning-based practices such as single-function zoning decisions, single-centered urban development models, and the absence of urban agriculture in legislation, not solely by a lack of physical access. Access disadvantages persist, particularly in peripheral neighborhoods and areas with high concentrations of low-income groups, and a significant gap exists in developing applicable policies for medium-sized cities due to the literature's focus on metropolitan areas.
Equity & displacementPolicyHealthEconomicsWelfareCoaching in urban spaces
2026James Farrell, Jackee Holder · · Global
This chapter explores how urban environments influence coaching practices, identifying both challenges like noise and safety, and opportunities for enhancing wellbeing and creativity. It proposes a typology of urban coaching spaces based on greenery levels, each offering distinct affordances. The chapter also addresses ethical and practical considerations, arguing that urban coaching can strengthen place attachment, support mental health, and encourage pro-environmental behaviors.
CommunityHealthConceptualizing indigenous food sovereignty in Aotearoa New Zealand
2026Nikki Renall, L. Te Morenga · Global Perspectives on Nutrition · New Zealand
This study, guided by Kaupapa Māori research principles, explored how the revitalization of mahinga kai practices (traditional foodways) in Aotearoa New Zealand can advance wellbeing, socioeconomic equity, and food sovereignty for Māori. Conducted in two phases, the research identified three themes explaining how mahinga kai enhances Māori wellbeing: reclaiming mātauranga, reconnecting to ancestral whenua, and restoring Papatūānuku. Food sovereignty was understood as an adaptive system where cultural meaning lies in how food is produced, shared, and sustained within Māori values and knowledge systems, leading to the development of "The Mahinga Kai Framework: Enacting Food Sovereignty."
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityHealthWelfareImpact of homestead gardening on dietary diversity in Tongan adults
2026E. Mitchell, S. Patolo, T. Tukia, L. Pomana, B. Dixson, S. Underhill, S. Burkhart · Proceedings of The Nutrition Society · Tonga
A survey in October 2024 of 363 Tongan adults involved in homestead gardening across four islands investigated dietary diversity. While 79% of participants achieved a dietary diversity score of 5 or higher, a negative significant association was found between dietary diversity and both garden participation length and knowledge of nutrient composition for iron and vitamin C. No statistical significance was found between dietary diversity and garden location by island, but an effect by district location was observed.
HealthCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceO contato com a natureza como elemento do desenvolvimento infantil: reflexões sobre o papel da escola na contemporaneidade
2026Cássia Rocha Santos, Eliene Gomes Pires da Silva, João Ricardo Costa Rocha, Fabiano Euclides Mendes · Revista fisio&terapia. · Global
This article analyzes the importance of children's contact with nature for their holistic development, emphasizing the school's role as a mediator. Based on bibliographic and documentary research, it discusses how urbanization and other social changes have reduced children's natural experiences, limiting physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development. The study concludes that school-facilitated contact with nature, through practices like school gardens, significantly contributes to holistic child development.
Food educationCommunityHealthAporte de la implementación de huertos urbanos en el cantón Babahoyo, provincia de los Ríos
2026Daniela Elizabeth Vera Ochoa, María Paulina Brito Ochoa · INNOVA Research Journal · Ecuador
This study in Babahoyo canton, Los Ríos province, Ecuador, evaluated the contribution of urban garden implementation to food security, environmental sustainability, and social inclusion using a mixed-methods approach. Results showed that 72% of households increased food variety and 65% reduced food expenses. Additionally, 38% of producers sold surpluses for complementary income, 61% practiced composting, and 58% used effective irrigation methods.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsHealthGrowing gardens of belonging in the city: insights from Copenhagen
2026Anne Madsbjerg, Gertrud Jørgensen, Trine Agervig Carstensen · Local Environment · Denmark (Copenhagen)
Two years of anthropological fieldwork in an urban community garden in central Copenhagen, Denmark, investigated permaculture-inspired practices. The study explored how gardeners enact the ethical principles of permaculture (People Care, Earth Care, and Fair Share) and how these practices relate to experiences of belonging. Findings indicated that small, situated acts of care, emerging through mutual attention, co-creation, and improvisation, fostered connections among gardeners, the garden's ecology, and wider systems of resource governance. Experiences of belonging were contingent, fluctuating, and sometimes fragile, and the study emphasized the limits and vulnerabilities of such connections.
CommunityBiodiversityHealthUrban mushroom farming for future foods: safety considerations and nutritional benefits
2026Malsha Samarasiri, Wei Ning Chen · Sustainable Microbiology · Global
This review discusses advances in urban mushroom farming, its integration with computer-based technologies, safety considerations, and the potential of mushrooms and mycelium-based foods as future foods. Key safety considerations for urban mushroom farming systems include biological hazards, mycotoxins, heavy metal accumulation, and potential allergenicity. Macrofungal mycelium-based foods may be regarded as novel foods and require evaluation under novel food safety regulations.
Contamination & food safetyFood sovereignty & justiceHealthCommunityDigital agricultureFueling Bright Futures: a mixed-methods case study on integrating gardens, canteens, and nutrition training in philippine public schools
2026Mai A. Hoang, Patricia Isabel A. Matienzo, Diana Jean Umali, Ma. Shiela Anunciado, Lisa Littrell, Susan Rio, Aman Sen Gupta, Tom van Mourik, Lauren DeVol, Rolf Klemm, Emilita Monville‐Oro, Dolly Reario · BMC Public Health · Philippines
The "Fueling Bright Futures" program, an integrated approach enhancing school gardens, improving canteen menus, and providing nutrition education, was evaluated in three public elementary schools in Cavite, Philippines. Baseline and endline assessments in April 2024 and February 2025 showed substantial gains in garden output, dietary diversity, and the nutritional quality of canteen offerings across all schools. However, barriers such as limited resources, irregular garden supplies, time constraints, and outside processed food vendors were identified, and infrastructure and sustainability challenges persisted.
Food educationHealthUrban Food Forests: From Theory to Empirical Research
2026Francesco Ferrini, Antonella Gori, Ermes Lo Piccolo · Urban Science · Global
Urban Food Forests (UFFs) are perennial, polyculture systems integrating urban agriculture, forestry, and agroforestry. However, inconsistent definitions, limited design guidelines, and the scarcity of applied research hinder their implementation. Only by addressing these challenges can UFFs be better integrated into urban planning, enhancing their ecological and socio-economic contributions to sustainable and resilient cities.
BiodiversityCommunityHealthPolicyRewilding the animal who lives with the city: belonging through growing
2026Andy Harrod · Urban Eidos · Global
This creative-relational inquiry explores how community gardens can address the declining sense of belonging and increasing loneliness in Western cities, attributed to hyper-individualism. It argues that community gardens, as growing third places, offer affective environments that support participants' wellbeing, belonging, and interconnectivity. The inquiry emphasizes the need to co-create free, accessible, and available affective environments to counter loneliness.
CommunityHealthWelfareUrban Horticulture: Cultivating Greener Cities for a Sustainable Future
2026Sujatha A. Nair2 Chandana S1* · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Global
Urbanization has brought economic growth and improved living standards, but also environmental challenges such as shrinking green spaces, rising temperatures, air pollution, biodiversity loss, and food insecurity. With the global urban population projected to reach nearly 68% by 2050, urban horticulture is emerging as a solution for building greener, healthier, and more sustainable cities.
Climate changeHealthFood sovereignty & justiceCultivating Dietary Literacy: A Perspective on School Gardens and Nutritional Knowledge in Malawian Primary Education
2026Chikondi Banda, Grace Chisale, Tawonga Mwale, Kondwani Phiri · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Malawi
This perspective piece proposes a conceptual framework for integrating school gardens into the Malawian primary education curriculum to enhance dietary literacy. It argues that a curriculum embedding practical gardening with lessons on local, nutrient-dense crops can foster a more profound understanding of nutrition than classroom instruction alone.
Food educationHealthCommunityImportance of Vegetables in Home Food Gardening in Modern Cities: Advances and Future Perspectives
2026Yugamaya Pegu, Rimli Gogoi, Jumi Saikia, Nayanmoni Buragohain · International Journal of Plant & Soil Science · Global
This review assessed the importance of vegetables in Home Food Gardening (HFG) in modern cities. Vegetables constitute a major part of HFG due to their rapid production, ease of maintenance, high yield in small spaces, and high nutritional benefits. Common HFG practices include yard, rooftop, balcony, community, and street/plot gardens, with innovations like better crop varieties and hydroponics increasing productivity. However, issues such as space constraints, expensive setup costs, lack of knowledge, poor soil, and insufficient light persist.
DIYCommunityHealthFood sovereignty & justiceDigital agricultureSchool Vegetable Gardens and Their Effects on Children's Diet, Health, and Well-being: A Systematic Review
2026J. R. Shalini, G. S. Sreedaya, V. S. Chinchu · Journal of Scientific Research and Reports · Global
A systematic review analyzed 29 full-text articles from 14,967 identified records to synthesize evidence on school garden interventions for children aged 3–18 years. Most studies found statistically significant improvements in children's nutrition knowledge, vegetable preferences, and willingness to taste vegetables, with small-to-moderate increases in vegetable intake, especially when combined with nutrition education or cooking. BMI effects were mixed and generally small, and long-term success depends on sustainable implementation, longer program duration, and active parental engagement.
Food educationHealthCommunity