Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
1180 results(20 / 48)
Governance of urban agriculture in African cities: Gaps and opportunities for innovation in Accra, Ghana
2021Puppim de Oliveira José A., Ahmed Abubakari · Journal of Cleaner Production · Ghana (Accra)
Empirical study of urban-agriculture governance in Accra. Finds UA marginalised by a lack of policy directives, fragmented institutions, and unfair land-use and tenure decisions, so government neglect leaves urban farming informal and unable to realise its potential benefits.
PolicyReviewing financing barriers and strategies for urban nature-based solutions
2021Helen Toxopeus, Friedemann Polzin · Journal of Environmental Management · Global
A systematic review of academic literature identified key barriers and strategies for financing urban nature-based solutions (NBS), including urban agriculture. Two overarching barriers were found: a lack of coordination between private and public financiers, and difficulties in integrating NBS benefits into valuation and accounting methods. The review concluded that an integrated accounting and valuation framework for NBS is currently lacking, and strategies often focus on encouraging co-financing from private beneficiaries.
Economic viabilityEconomicsPolicyCommunityGardens’ contribution to people and urban green space
2021Helena I. Hanson, Emma Eckberg, Malin Widenberg, Johanna Alkan Olsson · Urban forestry & urban greening · Sweden (Lund)
This study explored private gardens' contribution to urban biodiversity and garden owners' wellbeing (in terms of cultural ecosystem services) in Lund, Sweden, through a garden land-use inventory and interviews with 35 garden owners. Results showed that urban development influences gardens' biodiversity potential by limiting available space or garden vegetation, with new properties having small gardens containing few biodiversity features and large trees. Important cultural ecosystem services included social bonds, recreation, nature experiences, and relaxation, which were influenced by age and gender.
BiodiversityHealthUrban–rural linkagePolicyIntegrating Urban Agriculture and Stormwater Management in a Circular Economy to Enhance Ecosystem Services: Connecting the Dots
2021Tolessa Deksissa, Harris B. Trobman, Kamran Zendehdel, Hossain Azam · Sustainability · Global
This study reviews literature on integrating urban agriculture (UA) and stormwater green infrastructures (GIs) within a circular economy framework. It explores how cities can combine these developments to overcome barriers and enhance ecosystem services. The findings indicate that integrating UA with GIs can improve urban food production while simultaneously protecting urban water quality.
Climate changeOrganic cyclePolicyInstitutional challenges and stakeholder perception towards planned water reuse in peri-urban agriculture of the Bengal delta
2021Kamonashish Haldar, Katarzyna Kujawa-Roeleveld, Marco Schoenmakers, Dilip Kumar Datta, H.H.M. Rijnaarts, Jeroen Vos · Journal of Environmental Management · Bangladesh (Khulna)
This study assessed stakeholder awareness, perception, and willingness towards urban water reuse in Khulna City, Bangladesh, using a questionnaire with 385 urban respondents, 32 farmer interviews, one farmer focus group, and ten key informant interviews. It found an overall positive attitude among major stakeholder groups toward planned water reuse for peri-urban agriculture, with 53% of citizens willing to pay for wastewater treatment and 66% of farmers willing to pay for better-quality irrigation water. However, the public sector requires adjustments in rules and regulations, addressing issues like lack of transparency, coordination, and resources, to implement planned water reuse.
Peri-urban agricultureHealthPolicyPromoting Urban Agriculture and Its Opportunities and Challenges—A Global Review
2021Chethika Gunasiri Wadumestrige Dona, Geetha Mohan, Kensuke Fukushi · Sustainability · Global
This systematic literature review analyzed 54 articles on urban agriculture, examining socio-economic context, agriculture models, opportunities, and challenges. The review found that academic literature favors community gardens in developed countries and gives comparatively less attention to identifying challenges, benefit groups, and government support for urban agriculture.
Governance failureCommunityHealthEconomicsPolicyMonitoring the contribution of urban agriculture to urban sustainability: an indicator-based framework
2021Carlos Tapia, Linda Randall, Shinan Wang, Luciane Aguiar Borges · Sustainable Cities and Society · Denmark (Aarhus)
This study presents a novel indicator-based evaluation framework for urban agriculture, tested in Fællesgartneriet Brabrand, a community garden in Aarhus, Denmark. The framework aims to capture the contribution of gardening practices to urban sustainability, acknowledging that urban agriculture may also have social and environmental externalities depending on prevalent farming practices.
Environmental trade-offsCommunityHealthPolicyClimate change“We Have Been Part of the Response”: The Effects of COVID-19 on Community and Allotment Gardens in the Global North
2021Victoria Schoen, Chris Blythe, Silvio Caputo, Runrid Fox-Kämper, Kathrin Specht, Agnès Fargue‐Lelièvre, Nevin Cohen, Lidia Poniży, Konstancja Fedeńczak · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · Global North
This 2021 paper, based on data collected in summer 2020 from five Global North countries (France, Germany, Poland, UK, USA), examined the effects of COVID-19 on urban farms and gardens. The pandemic presented multiple challenges, including loss of support services, lost income, and reduced output due to labor supply issues. It also created opportunities like new local markets and increased community cohesion, demonstrating how gardens adapted to become more resilient.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyHealthFood sovereignty & justiceUrban Oasis
2021Christina Ergas · · Cuba
This chapter examines Cuba's urban agricultural food production, which developed through top-down government initiatives that later decentralized and subsidized local efforts in response to resource scarcity. While Cuban urban farmworkers' cooperatives enable local residents to sell produce at low costs, the program still faces social environmental stumbling blocks despite its successes in achieving high human development with a small ecological footprint.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityPolicyEconomicsThe Sprouting Farms: You Are What You Grow
2021Jamie Wang · Humanities · Singapore
This article explores the rise of urban farming in Singapore, following small- to medium-scale urban farms, including rooftop gardens, community farms, and organic farms, through the politics of localism and the notion of care. It investigates how localism, in some contexts, has been reduced to a narrow sense of geographic location. The study also examines what is being cared for in urban farming and how it might transform bio-cultural and social-technological relations.
Equity & displacementPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityDigital agricultureAssessing motivations and perceptions of stakeholders in urban agriculture: a review and analytical framework
2021Gianluca Di Fiore, Kathrin Specht, Cesare Zanasi · International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development · Global
This study conducted a literature review on different approaches to analyzing stakeholders' and farmers' perceptions of urban agriculture (UA). The review identified main approaches for assessing these aspects and designed an integrated framework to support the development of context-tailored analytical approaches for UA drivers and stakeholder perceptions. The research aims to address potential conflicts between UA practitioners and urban stakeholders and adapt UA implementation to contextual factors.
CommunityPolicyExperiencia educativa: Práctica de huertos familiares y escolares en la zona rural Capachalito, Municipio Tovar, Estado Aragua
2021María Moreno Jaimes · Revista EDUCARE - UPEL-IPB - Segunda Nueva Etapa 2 0 · Venezuela
This qualitative action research study in Capachalito, Tovar Municipality, Aragua State, Venezuela, developed an action plan to improve residents' quality of life by encouraging parents, students, and teachers to resume school garden practices within the School Feeding Program. The study, based on a Socio-Critical Paradigm and Participatory Action Research, aimed to support food sovereignty and security. It highlighted the importance of endogenous development and sustainable community agriculture for reviving traditional knowledge related to family and school gardens.
Food educationPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityPop‐up publics: Temporary publicness at the Auckland Night Markets
2021Mitchell Klein, Bethany Cox, Kelsie Tuck, Tom Baker, Ryan Jones, Salene Schloffel‐Armstrong · New Zealand Geographer · New Zealand (Auckland)
This study examines how temporary urbanism contributes to the production of publicness, focusing on the Auckland Night Markets in New Zealand. It discusses how these events generate publicness through the attendees' experiences, control practices, and spatial configuration. The findings support the view of public space and publicness as pluralistic and dynamic.
CommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkageO papel da moderna agricultura urbana de Singapura na política de segurança alimentar e na contribuição da redução de emissão de CO2 na atmosfera
2021Leandro Pessoa Lucena, Fernanda Mariano Massuia · urbe Revista Brasileira de Gestão Urbana · Singapore
This post-doctoral research investigated the evolution and impacts of urban agriculture models in Singapore as public policy for sustainability, food security, and ecological economy. The study used bibliographic investigations and field research at high-tech soilless urban farms to estimate CO₂ emission reductions from modern urban agriculture. Results showed Singapore intensively uses urban agriculture, including vertical, indoor, and rooftop farms, all demonstrating technological innovations, high productivity, organic certification, and contributions to CO₂ emission reduction.
PolicyFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changeEconomicsModernist Projects of Community-Based Urban Farms in Residential Areas—A Review of Agrarian Cooperatives in the Context of Contemporary Urban Development
2021Aleksandra Nowysz · Buildings · Global
This paper addresses the issue of food systems in urban development, describing residential area ideas that integrate cities with food production, particularly agrarian cooperatives. Historical projects aimed for self-sufficiency and sustainability, while contemporary projects demonstrate that urban agriculture performs key functions in residential architecture. Production in urban agriculture extends beyond private goods for market or own use.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyUrban–rural linkageIn remembrance of our colleague Evan Weissman: Scholar, community leader, mentor, and friend
2021Laura-Anne Minkoff-Zern, Anne C. Bellows, Rick Welsh, Mary Kiernan · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · Global
This article is a remembrance of Evan Weissman, a food studies scholar and urban geographer who passed away in spring 2020. His academic contributions focused on local food policy, community food systems, food system inequality, and urban agriculture. This special issue reflects his work and enduring impact on food justice and sustainable agricultural and regional planning.
PolicyCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceDevelopment potentials and sustainability challenges of peri-urban farming in the metropolis of Rabat (Morocco)
2021Fatiha Hakimi · Journal of Analytical Science & Technology · Morocco (Rabat)
This study assessed the practices, roles, and challenges of peri-urban farming in the metropolis of Rabat, Morocco, surveying 50 respondents. Peri-urban agriculture is a multifunctional activity contributing to job creation, income generation, food supply, and environmental beautification. However, it faces several constraints, including precarious and costly labor, absence of regulating laws, lack of training and technical supervision for peri-urban farmers, and water resource shortages.
Environmental trade-offsPeri-urban agricultureEconomicsClimate changePolicyPeri-urban agriculture and alternative food networks in Athens: Solidarity dynamics, spatial planning challenges and institutional reforms
2021Sofia Nikolaidou · Cahiers de la Méditerranée · Greece (Athens)
This article analyzed the role of peri-urban agriculture and alternative food networks (AFN) in the Athens metropolitan area, Greece, using a mixed method approach including qualitative, quantitative research, and spatial data collection. Bottom-up claims for food security positively impacted sustainable food systems and public policies, while informal retail channels and self-production schemes strengthened agricultural resilience. However, poor land management and zoning control are major constraints to sustainable agricultural production and farmers' resilience in the Athens metropolitan area.
Governance failurePeri-urban agricultureFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityPolicyGreen space in urban and peri-urban areas and mental health: which green space typesand characteristics are most beneficial?
2021Femke Beute, Maria Beatrice Andreucci, Annamária Lammel, Zoe G. Davies, Julie Glanville, Hans Keune, Melissa Marselle, Liz O’Brien, Agnieszka Olszewska-Guizzo, Roy Remmen, Alessio Russo, S. de Vries · Research Repository (University of Gloucestershire) · Global
This paper discusses the role of diverse urban green spaces, such as urban forests, parks, and urban farming locations, in the mental and physical health of urban residents. It notes that green spaces vary in characteristics like scenic beauty and vegetative composition. The paper highlights that urbanization and climate change are pressuring urban green spaces, necessitating in-depth knowledge on how different green space types and characteristics influence mental health for informed design and planning.
HealthCommunityClimate changePolicyUrban agroforestry as a strategy for aligning agroecology with resilience planning initiatives
2021Sarah Taylor Lovell, John Taylor · · Global
This paper discusses urban agroforestry (UAF) as a strategy to integrate fruit and nut production into urban settings, emphasizing the inclusion of agroecological principles for improved design. It suggests that UAF can be intentionally integrated into urban landscapes, considering synergies with adjacent land uses. Guidelines for planting design can draw from multi-strata systems found in permaculture and food forest literature.
BiodiversityPollinatorsFood sovereignty & justicePolicySingapore vs. the ‘Singapore of Africa’—Different Approaches to Managing Urban Agriculture
2021Ada Górna, Krzysztof Górny · Land · Global
A comparative study analyzed urban agriculture approaches in Singapore and Kigali using satellite imagery, legal document analysis, and 2019 fieldwork (mapping, photography, observations, semi-structured interviews). Despite urban agriculture being considered in both cities' planning documents, the scale and approach differ significantly. Singaporean authorities primarily support high-technology, land-efficient solutions, displacing low-profit agricultural activities from urban spaces. In contrast, Kigali, with a much larger scale of agricultural activity, allows residents freedom to cultivate unused land, enhancing food security and resilience to external stresses.
PolicyUrban–rural linkageReviewing chemical and biological risks in urban agriculture: A comprehensive framework for a food safety assessment of city region food systems
2021Enrico Buscaroli, Ilaria Braschi, Chiara Cirillo, Agnès Fargue‐Lelièvre, Giuseppe Carlo Modarelli, Giuseppina Pennisi, Isabella Righini, Kathrin Specht, Francesco Orsini · Food Control · Global
This paper addresses the potential underestimation of food safety risks in urban agriculture (UA), which can lead to regulatory gaps, despite positive perceptions of UA. It reviews literature on UA food safety assessments, identifying indicators and developing a framework for evaluating food safety risks in UA initiatives. The framework uses business surveys and food analyses to calculate a food safety index for UA businesses and city regions.
Contamination & food safetyHealthPolicyDigital agriculturePlanning for sustainable urban food systems: an analysis of the up-scaling potential of vertical farming
2021Daniel Petrovics, Mendel Giezen · Journal of Environmental Planning and Management · Global
This research analyzes contextual conditions for vertical farming (VF) in the Global North to assess its up-scaling potential for sustainability, particularly climate mitigation, using the Multi-Level Perspective. Findings indicate that singular VF interventions require integrated functions for viability, and VF offers the most climate mitigation potential when viewed through urban-level systemic food planning. The study also notes that globalized neoliberal political economy dynamics have implications for VF up-scaling policy.
Climate changeEconomicsPolicyDynamics of the Nature and Value of Urban Agriculture in Arusha City, Tanzania: The Case of Daraja Mbili and Lemala Wards
2021Pastory Salvatory Thomas, Wilbard Kombe, Aldo Lupala · Current Urban Studies · Tanzania (Arusha)
This study examined factors characterizing changes in the nature and value of urban agriculture in Arusha City, Tanzania, a rapidly urbanizing city, through in-depth interviews with 60 respondents in Daraja Mbili and Lemala wards. Findings revealed that limited access to ideal urban agriculture areas leads some farmers to acquire small plots in unlawful areas, restricting livestock numbers and crop types, and reducing their ability to meet food needs. While uncontrolled agricultural practices accelerate environmental degradation and pollution, they also support the livelihoods of needy farmers; however, the study concluded that urban agriculture cannot thrive without adequate access to agricultural land and a strong institutional framework.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicyUrban–rural linkageA systematic review of design solution for urban agriculture in allotment areas
2021Maryam Jahed, Seyed-Abbas Yazdanfar, Saeid Norouzian‐Maleki · فصلنامه علوم محیطی · Global
This study is a systematic review aimed at identifying physical design solutions for urban agriculture in allotment areas to facilitate its implementation. It analyzed 18 relevant sources extracted from six databases: Web of Science, Springer, IEEE, JSTOR, Science Direct, and Magiran. The lack of physical design solutions for urban agriculture is identified as a main obstacle hindering its expansion.
CommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justice