Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
585 results(21 / 24)
FOOD, LAW & THE ENVIRONMENT: INFORMATIONAL AND STRUCTURAL CHANGES FOR A SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEM
2011Jason J. Czarnezki · Pace Digital Repository (Pace University) · United States
This article considers legal, theoretical, and practical steps towards a more sustainable food model. It argues that two changes are necessary to alter modern American food consumption: increased awareness and increased availability. The article reiterates the need to increase information available to consumers and the consequences of food choices, further arguing that structural changes in the food system are necessary to increase access to sustainable foods.
PolicyEconomicsCSA & TeikeiFood sovereignty & justiceUrban Green Uses: The New Renewal
2011Catherine J. LaCroix · Planning & Environmental Law · United States
This article discusses how cities in the United States, particularly those in the Rust Belt experiencing population decline, are adopting innovative green uses for vacant and surplus land. Facing a new reality of limited growth, cities like Cleveland, Detroit, and Youngstown are utilizing urban agriculture, community green spaces, alternative energy, and green infrastructure to revitalize and serve residents. This approach is presented as a "New Renewal" for urban planning challenges.
PolicyEconomicsUrban–rural linkageSegurança alimentar através da agricultura urbana: um estudo de caso em duas comunidades de baixa renda em Porto Ferreira/SP.
2011Juliana Duz Ricarte, José Maria Gusman Ferraz, Janice Rodrigues Placeres Borges · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Brazil (Porto Ferreira/SP)
This study identified and characterized 91 urban agriculture (UA) units in two low-income communities in Porto Ferreira/SP, Brazil, applying a structured questionnaire to 20% of the sample. It found that UA primarily involves low-income residents, with 83.0% of producers having rural origins and practicing agriculture mainly for subsistence. UA ensured access to fruits and vegetables for 77.8% of participants and reduced food expenses for most.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityWelfareEconomicsA Woman of the Soil in Kansas City
2011Dale Maharidge · · United States (Kansas City)
This chapter introduces the success story of Sherri Harvel, who was active in a community garden in Kansas City. Having joined the garden in the early 1990s, she quit her banking job in 2003 to become an urban farmer. She named her new business Root Deep Urban Farm.
CommunityEconomicsDIYSouth Sudan community garden project : Manchester, New Hampshire, USA
2011· · United States (New Hampshire)
The South Sudan Community garden project in Manchester, New Hampshire, is a seven-month program for South Sudanese refugees aged 24-44. Implemented in partnership with the International Institute of New Hampshire and the South Sudanese Community Center, its purpose is to provide gardening skills and resources to empower refugees towards self-employment, better economic opportunities, and increased household income, fostering their participation in American life.
CommunityWelfareFood educationEconomicsAgricultura urbana na cidade de Teresina: hortas comunitárias - políticas públicas ou segurança alimentar?
2011Marcos Antonio de Castro Marques Teixeira · Aleph UCLA Undergraduate Research Journal for the Humanities and Social Sciences · Brazil
This study surveyed urban gardens in Santa Maria da Codipi and Dirceu Arcoverde, Teresina, Brazil, to assess their economic viability for gardeners. The study found that urban gardens in both areas do not provide income security for those who work them. Problems identified include petty theft, low education levels, lack of technical assistance hindering investment in new crops, and pesticide use creating a competitive disadvantage.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsSupporting Local Agriculture
2011Kathleen L. Cappellano · Nutrition Today · United States
This article outlines farmers markets, community-supported agriculture, school- and community-based gardening, and collaborative programs that provide access to fresh produce, in response to American consumers' growing interest in learning about how and where their food is produced. It highlights online resources that describe these programs and organizations, which inform people about the many benefits of local agriculture.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityFood educationEconomicsHow City Hall Can Foster the Urban Farming Revolution in Buffalo
2011Michael Raleigh · eCommons (Cornell University) · United States (Buffalo)
The City of Buffalo has made progress in accepting urban farming on vacant land, but remains unwilling to take risks in this area. Policies restrict farmers' access to land, long-term security, food diversity (including animals), and sales. To foster urban farming, the City should amend these policies to grant farmers more freedom and could promote farming through a city-wide composting program and a demolition policy requiring vacant lots to be seeded with clover.
Governance failurePolicyCommunityEconomicsCompostAre the Old Ways New Again?: Local Farmers Practicing Civic Agriculture in Southwest Missouri
2011Lester Scott Lakey · BearWorks (Missouri State University) · United States (Missouri)
An ethnographic study of two farms in the Springfield Plateau region of the Missouri Ozarks was conducted to assess the effects of "local food" movements on farmers. The study found that local farms share qualities with traditional family farms. It also revealed significant variability in farmers' motivations and attitudes, ranging from farming as a means to earn family income to farming as a way to build networks connecting farmers and consumers within the community.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceMicmac Farms: From Community Garden to Four-Season Farm and Retail Outlet
2011J. Caulfield · Maine policy review · United States
This case study describes how Maine's Micmac tribe is developing "Micmac Farms" from a community garden into a four-season agricultural business.
CommunityEconomicsAn evaluation of the California Instructional School Garden Program
2011Eric L. Hazzard, Elizabeth Moreno, Deborah Lane Beall, Sheri Zidenberg‐Cherr · Public Health Nutrition · United States (California)
A mid-term evaluation was conducted on 3103 California public schools (80.6% of applicants) to assess the effectiveness of the California Instructional School Garden Program (CISGP). Many schools reported not achieving their predicted goals related to the CISGP grant, with only 39.4% of schools accomplishing all their garden-related goals. Additionally, 37.8% of schools reported that their school gardens were negatively affected by the California budget deficit, suggesting that the discrepancy between predicted and actual grant utilization may be due to a combination of budget shortfall and insufficient grant award amounts.
Limited or null effectFood educationPolicyEconomicsAgricultura Urbana: ruralidades no espaço intra-urbano de Montes Claros, MG
2011Marina de Fátima Brandão Carneiro, Antônio Maurílio Alencar Feitosa, Dulce Pereira dos Santos, Gabriel Alves Veloso, Igor Martins de Oliveira · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Brazil (Montes Claros)
This study investigated the role and importance of urban agriculture in Montes Claros, MG, Brazil, as a dynamic activity creating a specific rural-urban interaction space. Using bibliographic and documentary analysis, semi-structured interviews with farmers, iconographic production, and geotechnologies for mapping, the research found that urban agriculture is a reality in intra-urban spaces. It occupies vacant lots and backyards with diverse activities, generating work, employment, income, food security, and products for local commerce.
CommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageUrban Agriculture and Other Green Uses: Remaking the Shrinking City
2010Catherine J. LaCroix · Case Western Reserve University School of Law Scholarly Commons (Case Western Reserve University) · United States (Cleveland)
This paper explores legal challenges faced by shrinking cities, using Cleveland, Ohio as an example. It specifically examines issues related to downzoning urban property for urban agriculture and other green uses, focusing on takings law, fairness, and the limitations of current legal structures for Brownfield revitalization when traditional redevelopment is improbable. The study identifies significant legal constraints and challenges in implementing such land use changes.
Governance failurePolicyUrban–rural linkageEconomicsThe Changing Face of Community‐Supported Agriculture
2010K. Brandon Lang · Culture & Agriculture · United States
This paper investigates the evolution of "From the Ground Up," a community-supported agriculture (CSA) program in Maryland, and the reasons behind its changes. Based on survey and interview data, the study explores how this CSA, which connects producers and consumers through seasonal fees and weekly produce shares, has developed over time.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityEconomicsTheGeography of US Peri-Urban Agricultural Adaptation
2010J. David Clark, Douglas B. Jackson‐Smith, Darla K. Munroe, Jeff S. Sharp, Shoshanah Inwood · Indian Journal of Experimental Biology · United States
This study characterized diverse trajectories of agricultural change in US peri-urban areas, where broader agri-food system changes are compounded by land use pressures. Utilizing farmer and landowner surveys from five distinct peri-urban farming regions across the United States, the research examined different theories of agricultural structural change. The results provide an empirical profile of the types and geography of US peri-urban agriculture and the most common adaptive strategies employed by farmers at the urban-rural interface.
Peri-urban agricultureEconomicsUrban–rural linkagePolicyPainting the Town Green: Realities, Challenges, and Possibilities in Mexico City’s Budding Urban Agriculture Movement
2010Molly Alexandra Croog · School for International Training Digital Collections (School for International Training) · Mexico
This paper explores the urban agriculture movement in Mexico City, investigating who practices it, how, and why. It examines the benefits of urban agriculture and its role in a future food system, discussing food security and sovereignty. Three projects—a traditional farm, a government-funded community project, and a household-level organization—are explored, with conclusions on their impact on economics, community, and environment.
Food sovereignty & justiceEconomicsCommunityPolicyFood For Thought: The Social Impact of Community Gardens in the Greater Cleveland Area
2010Andrew Flachs · Electronic Green Journal · United States (Cleveland)
This paper explored the social and cultural effects of urban gardening in the greater Cleveland area. Fieldwork indicated that gardeners combine economic, environmental, political, social, and nutritional motivations, challenging the presumption that utilitarian function and environmentalist ideology are mutually exclusive. The study aimed to convey the complexity of use, function, and intent in communal gardening spaces.
CommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceWelfareSemillas y la Ciudad: La Agricultura Urbana en Oaxaca de Juárez Como un Aporte a la Soberanía Alimentaria
2010Katie Oberwager · Archives of Oral Biology · Mexico (Oaxaca de Juárez)
This project examined the urban agriculture movement in Oaxaca de Juárez, Mexico, as a potential local contribution to food sovereignty. Through interviews, observations, and participation, the research found that urban agriculture can be a form of local political expression against governmental and large agricultural company control over food production and consumption. It concluded that while urban agriculture can make a small contribution to food sovereignty, as a local movement, it cannot resolve global agricultural and food issues.
Food sovereignty & justiceEconomicsCommunityUrban–rural linkageBusiness Proposal for the New SUB Rooftop Garden
2010Benjamin Amundson, Janbaaz Ghani, Patricia Szeto, Joseph Shen, Nanette Ho, XiaoLin Shi, Xiu-Ming Tang, Leslie Brugger, Tracy Burnett, Hilda Wang · cIRcle (University of British Columbia) · Canada
This document is a student project/report from UBC SEEDS, presenting a business proposal for a new rooftop garden. It contains student findings, opinions, conclusions, and recommendations. The report does not reflect the official status of activities at UBC.
DIYEconomicsWhat is Local and for What Foods Does it Matter?
2010Wuyang Hu, Marvin T. Batte, Timothy A. Woods, Stanley C. Ernst, Hu, Wuyang, Batte, Marvin T., Woods, Timothy A., Ernst, Stanley C. · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · United States
This study used survey data from two US states to answer two questions: what is the maximum distance food can travel and still be considered "local" by consumers, and is "local" equally important across food categories. The research found that consumers' accepted food travel distance may be much shorter than generally believed. Additionally, there is significant variation in the importance consumers attach to "being local" for different food categories, and these differences are related to consumer characteristics.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsFood miles & supply chainCommunityModelo de agricultura urbana basado en el capital social: aplicación al área metropolitana de Lima (Perú)
2010Francisco Javier Morales Martín · Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) · Peru (Lima)
This doctoral thesis proposes a new local development planning model based on social capital, applied to urban agriculture projects in the suburbs of developing countries. The model aims to identify critical initial social capital, generate new social capital, and maintain it over time through conversion into quantifiable physical capital. This approach ensures the model's sustainability, viewing urban agriculture as a means for local progress rather than an end in itself.
CommunityEconomicsPolicyEngagement, Ecology, and Design Education: Outreach Work of the Tulane City Center
2010Scott Bernhard · Innovations Technology Governance Globalization · United States (New Orleans)
The Tulane City Center (TCC) in New Orleans supports architecture faculty and students who collaborate with local nonprofits to provide design and "visioning" assistance to underserved neighborhoods. Since its establishment after Hurricane Katrina, TCC has worked on dozens of projects, including six ecologically sound single-family houses, several green markets with urban agriculture facilities, and over 50 other initiatives. These projects incorporate extensive community input and are often constructed by students, providing them with hands-on experience in progressive design and new construction technologies.
CommunityFood educationHealthEconomicsJuan Pablo (J.P.) Perez: J&P Organics
2010Sarah Rabkin · · United States (California)
Juan Pablo Perez founded J&P Organics, a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program in California, in 2006, which now serves approximately 300 subscribers. The enterprise offers flexible subscription options, including home delivery and varied order frequencies, and sells produce to restaurants and farmers' markets. Perez's success is attributed to his entrepreneurial skills and mentorship from the Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association (ALBA).
CSA & TeikeiOrganic cycleEconomicsGrowing What You Eat: Developing Community Gardens and Improving Food Security
2010Michelle P. Corrigan · OhioLink ETD Center (Ohio Library and Information Network) · United States (Baltimore, Athens)
Food insecurity and food-related health concerns are growing in the United States, leading to increased engagement with food systems through community food security approaches like community gardening. In-depth interviews and field observations in Baltimore, Maryland, and Athens, Ohio, examined the challenges of community gardening and the extent of people's involvement in the food system. While community gardens contribute to engagement, additional assistance such as education, policy, and funding is needed to enhance food security.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceHealthPolicyEconomicsSowing the Seeds of Success: Cultivating a Future for Community Gardens
2010Lee‐Anne Milburn, B. A. Vail · Landscape Journal · United States
This research, conducted through a literature review and interviews with community garden leaders across the United States, investigated factors for the long-term sustainability of community gardens. The study found that successful community gardens are often based on four key elements: secured land tenure, sustained interest, community development, and appropriate design. Recommended considerations for their development and administration include design, development, and administration factors.
CommunityPolicyEconomics