Research & reports

Francis Mwanza, Erick Komba, Dominic Kambarage · International Journal of Microbiology · Tanzania (Dar es Salaam)

This study in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, investigated the occurrence, antimicrobial resistance, and genetic relatedness of E. coli isolates from 156 samples of manure, vegetables, and fish. Of these, 36 samples (23.1%) were positive for E. coli, yielding 48 isolates. A significant finding was that 25 (52.1%) of these isolates were resistant to at least one antimicrobial agent, and 12 (48.0%) showed multidrug resistance, indicating a potential microbial health risk to humans through contamination.

Innocent Awasom · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · Global

Urban and peri-urban agriculture is considered a creative method of food production to address increasing urbanization and food insecurity. Urban food gardens are noted to have the potential to mitigate hunger and food insecurity, offering health, socio-cultural, environmental, and economic benefits.

GM Saifur Rahman, Tahmina Akter · Bangladesh Journal of Zoology · Bangladesh

An entomological study in September 2019 examined 100 houses across five areas of Gazipur City Corporation, Bangladesh, to identify dengue vector breeding grounds. Both Aedes vectors were found in all areas, with Aedes aegypti being dominant. Rooftop gardens and under-construction sites were identified as the most important breeding sites, and the study found a comparatively higher number of Ae. aegypti breeding, indicating a potential for a major outbreak.

Gina K. Alexander, Donald R. Grannum · NASN School Nurse · Global

This article reviews existing literature on the benefits of school gardening. It also describes firsthand experiences to achieve success in school gardens.

Doaa K. Hassan, Mohammed Hewidy, Mohamed A. El Fayoumi · Ain Shams Engineering Journal · Egypt (Greater Cairo Region)

This study explored the correlation between quality of life (QOL), urban agriculture, and landscape architecture practices in gated communities in the Greater Cairo Region, Egypt. It utilized theoretical correlation, two questionnaire models targeting residents and practitioners, field visits, and observation. The study concluded with recommendations to enhance QOL domains through productive urban landscapes.

Varvara V. Ponomareva · Moscow University Anthropology Bulletin (Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta Seria XXIII Antropologia) · Russia

This study, using a historical typological method, examined the gardens of girls' boarding schools within the Mariinsky Establishment in 18th-century Russia as a vehicle for children's healthy physical upbringing. Influenced by scholars like John Locke, innovative physical education principles, supported by the Russian state, were integrated into the daily life of boarding schools. By the end of the 19th century, doctors oversaw school outdoor spaces, noting the positive effects of fresh air exercise and swimming on children.

Fadly Umar · Journal of Health Literacy and Qualitative Research · Global

A systematic review of studies from PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar explored family-based interventions for stunting prevention globally. The review found that maternal education, paternal involvement, and household food security, including urban farming, significantly influence child nutrition and growth outcomes. Challenges to implementation include caregiver time constraints, inconsistent nutritional knowledge, and cultural barriers.

Larissa Maas, Leila Amaral Gontijo · Saúde e Sociedade · Global

This case study investigated the cognitive demands and work complexity for urban organic farmers whose main economic activity is selling their products. The findings indicate that the cognitive load for these farmers is high, contributing to complex work. The study notes a lack of existing research on the cognitive load of organic urban agriculture workers, as it is still a nascent movement.

Agnieszka Zawadzińska, Piotr Salachna, J. Nowak, Waldemar Kowalczyk, Rafał Piechocki, Łukasz Łopusiewicz, Anna Pietrak · Agronomy · Global

This study investigated the use of compost made from pulp and paper mill sludge, fruit-vegetable waste, mushroom spent substrate, and rye straw as a growing medium for container-cultivated tomatoes. Tomato plants grown in compost-enriched media showed higher leaf greening, more ripe fruit, and increased levels of polyphenols, flavonoids, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and copper compared to controls. Specifically, a medium with 25% compost, 30% high peat, 15% low peat, 20% pine bark, and 10% wood fiber yielded the highest fresh fruit weight, total polyphenol content, and L-ascorbic acid levels.

Yumin Park, Yong-Wook Shin · Journal of people, plants, and environment · Global

A study analyzed the trends and network structure of 'grow-your-own (GYO)' activities by collecting 6,388 Instagram posts containing '#gyo' and '#growyourown' hashtags from June 13, 2020, to April 13, 2021, using social network analysis. The results showed that users expressed preference and interest in GYO through various word combinations, positive emotions and pride through gardening-related hashtags, and participated in urban gardening, indicating trends towards self-sufficiency and sustainable living.

Chong Ling Chan, Pui Yee Tan, Yun Yun Gong · Proceedings of The Nutrition Society · Global

This record is a systematic review evaluating the effectiveness of school garden-based programs on nutrition-related knowledge, attitudes and practices among school children aged 3 to 18; no abstract text is available for this content beyond that description, so no further findings can be reported here.

Louise Mitchell, Lawrence Houston, Michael Hardman, Michelle Howarth, Penny A. Cook · Cogent Social Sciences · Global

Against the backdrop of health services becoming stretched, particularly in ageing populations in the Global North, this paper discusses Green Infrastructure (GI) interventions including the development of social farms in urban areas and deprived communities. Social farms use farming practices as spaces for therapeutic outcomes such as care, rehabilitation, and education, framed within the concept of social prescribing alongside community gardens and urban farms as non-medical approaches. Noting that social farming and social prescribing research is currently concentrated in Scandinavian countries and the USA, the paper focuses on increased UK attention to the concept, including in DEFRA's 25-year Environment Plan. Findings show an agglomeration of social farming sites in rural rather than urban contexts, and the paper discusses tools and barriers for urban development of the practice.

Anna Barra Caracciolo, Valentina Terenzi · Microorganisms · Global

A review of the rhizosphere as a microhabitat of intense chemical dialogue between plants and microorganisms covers synergistic interactions that can enhance plant function and productivity, including responses to stress conditions such as heavy metal (HM) contamination, alongside the risks such contamination poses. Where heavy metals are present in agricultural soils, there is a risk of metal uptake by edible plants leading to bioaccumulation in humans and animals with detrimental health consequences, and plant productivity itself can be negatively affected; many bacteria have defensive mechanisms for resisting heavy metals and can improve plant responses to HM stress, but achieving such beneficial rhizosphere interactions is described as hard to attain in agroecosystems managed with traditional practices that focus on maximizing crop yield.

Anne Cleary, Julie Dean, Danielle Pollock, Lisa McDaid, Frances M. Boyle · JBI Evidence Synthesis · Global

A protocol for a scoping review aiming to understand the types of nature-based interventions currently used in bereavement care and to map the theories of change explaining how such interventions may support bereavement care. It notes bereavement can be associated with adverse psychosocial health outcomes, describes this as an emerging research field, and states there is a need to explore the literature on different types of nature-based interventions used in bereavement care, including animal-assisted therapy, care farming, therapeutic horticulture, and community gardens, and to identify the underpinning theories of change. Inclusion criteria cover studies or reviews of participants who experienced bereavement following the death of a loved one and took part in a nature-based intervention, across all nature contexts and geographic locations. The planned method searches eight databases—Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Social Science Database (ProQuest), PTSDpubs (ProQuest), and Research Library: Health and Medicine (ProQuest)—plus manual reference-list and keyword searches, extracting data on intervention type, target sample, health outcomes, measures and methods, and theory of change, to be presented in tabular format with a narrative summary.

Norbert Goldfield · · Israel

A chapter on an HATD-funded joint farming initiative between Israeli Jews and Bedouin in southern Israel, covering the geographic setting, the organizations involved, the initiative's activities, preliminary results and possible future directions. It cites prior US research on community-supported agriculture, including a randomized clinical trial reporting that CSA participation produced clinically meaningful improvements in diet quality, and describes White Hill Farm (WHF) as one of only a handful of efforts concretely promoting engagement between Israeli Bedouin and Israeli Jews amid ongoing tension between the two groups.

Sanyam Arora, Luv Sethi, Shruti Agarwal, Vimal Kumar · · Global

This book chapter describes how Internet of Things (IoT) sensors can monitor temperature, water, humidity and other parameters to increase food production quality and quantity while reducing manual labor and saving time and resources for urban gardeners. It presents no original data, measurements, or study population.

Olga Romanova, Sarah Taylor Lovell · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems · Global

This review assesses the capacity of woody species (trees and shrubs) used in urban food forests to accumulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), heavy metals (HMs), and metalloids, given limited existing literature on food-safety risk in urban fruit- and nut-producing trees compared with annual crops. General trends identified were (a) lower risk of HM and PAH accumulation in woody species than in vegetables, and (b) less accumulation in the fruit of woody species than in other parts of the same species. However, these trends are not always consistent, and accumulation depends on factors such as the concentration of a given contaminant in the environment, contaminant type, and species or variety. The review states there is a critical need for more research on the safety of growing edible fruits and nuts on trees and shrubs in contaminated urban environments.

Rebecca K. Kelly, Rosie Nash · Journal of School Health · Global

This systematic scoping review searched PubMed, Web of Science, and EBSCO databases to characterize food literacy (FL) interventions in elementary schools for students aged 4-12. After exclusions, 116 studies were eligible, comprising 105 original interventions ranging in duration from 45 minutes to 4 years. Social cognitive theory was the most referenced theory, and common interventions included classroom lessons, games, school gardens, food preparation, and cooking classes. Most studies (96%, N=111) measured FL outcomes quantitatively; all studies addressed functional FL (N=116), while 77% (N=89) addressed interactive FL and only 28% (N=32) addressed critical FL. As the first international review of FL programs in elementary schools, it found great heterogeneity in intervention design and FL measurement, and concluded that few interventions addressed critical FL, which should be a focus for future interventions.

Alessio Russo, Giuseppe T. Cirella · Agriculture, 10(8), 358 · Global

An empirical study analyzing ten edible green infrastructure (EGI) urban-regeneration case studies in Italy's Campania region through the lens of community development, involvement and education. It documents how citizen-engaged urban gardens contribute to public health (stress reduction, physical activity) and the regeneration of derelict land, with sustainability strengthened by far-sighted urban planning across all five provinces.

Dissanayake L., Dilini S. · Open Journal of Social Sciences · Sri Lanka (Kandy)

A questionnaire-based study in the Kandy municipal area found that urban home gardens significantly contributed to household food security and quality of life during COVID-19 lockdowns, with social well-being and mental health benefits highlighted across all satisfaction levels.

Scott T.L., Masser B.M., Pachana N.A. · SAGE Open Medicine, 8:2050312120901732 · Australia

A study of older Australians examining links between home and community gardening and psychosocial and physical well-being. Older gardeners reported greater self-esteem, sense of productive endeavour, social engagement and exercise, associated with more positive attitudes to ageing. It shows allotments and gardening groups can protect older adults from isolation and support positive ageing.

Alison Carver, Alanna Lorenzon, Jenny Veitch, Ashley Macleod, Takemi Sugiyama · Aging & Mental Health · Global

A narrative review that searched six databases through 2017 and identified nine studies on exposure to greenery — gardens and green space — and mental health among residents of aged care facilities. Seven of the nine reported favourable associations between garden use and outcomes such as quality of life, but most relied on observations by staff and family rather than validated mental health instruments. One study found a reduction in depression linked to garden participation, while another found no change in physiological stress. The authors conclude that more robust evidence based on valid and reliable mental health measures is needed.

Yutaka Sho, James Setzler · · Rwanda

This chapter describes the work of General Architecture Collaborative (GAC), a nonprofit firm operating in Rwanda since 2008, which aims to make architecture accessible to traditionally excluded communities. GAC collaborates with local partners to invest in communities, exemplified by a health center that uses open spaces for community gardens and a demonstration kitchen for healthy eating workshops. This work highlights GAC's role as an interface within the international development industry's building culture.

Jeffrey Gilbert, Christina Chauvenet, Brett C. Sheppard, Molly De Marco · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · Global

This study investigated leadership styles and volunteer engagement in community gardens through interviews with 13 garden managers and six focus groups with 48 volunteers. Findings revealed that managers struggled to recruit and retain volunteers capable of maintaining gardens. Garden managers exhibited either collaborative or directive leadership styles, both of which were acknowledged and appreciated by participants.

Carrero Gaitán, Karen Nathaly · · Colombia

This study collected data from six active community urban gardens in Fontibón, Colombia, analyzing their agronomic practices, sociodemographic aspects, and purposes. It assessed the influence of these gardens on participants' well-being, focusing on ecosystem supply and cultural services. The three most important services identified by participants were stress reduction, decreased loneliness, and improved governance and social dynamics.