Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
582 results(21 / 24)
Greening in the Red Zone: Green Space and Disaster Resistance, Recovery and Resilience
2010Keith G. Tidball · Anthropology News · Global
This record is a commentary on green space and disaster resistance, recovery, and resilience. It lists keywords including community gardening, community gardens, development, ecology and environment, botany and plants, and urban anthropology.
CommunityClimate changeUrban–rural linkageViolence and humanitarian action in urban areas: new challenges, new approaches
2010Marion Harroff-Tavel · International Review of the Red Cross · Global
This article describes the vulnerability of the poorest and migrants in rapidly expanding urban areas, and the challenges faced by humanitarian organizations. Cities confront violence, such as hunger riots and gang clashes, making public service provision difficult. Innovative responses discussed include income-generating micro-projects, cash or voucher aid, urban agriculture, and violence-prevention or health-promotion programs.
WelfareCommunityHealthUrban–rural linkageContinuous Productive Urban Landscape (CPUL): designing essential infrastructure
2010André Viljoen, Katrin Bohn · · Global
This paper reviews the role of productive landscapes within the Continuous Productive Urban Landscape (CPUL) City design concept, focusing on urban agriculture. The CPUL concept proposes integrating interlinked productive landscapes into cities to create sustainable urban infrastructure and redefine open urban space usage. While urban agriculture is gaining attention, the paper concludes that developing the theory and policy for productive landscapes requires sophisticated cross-disciplinary work to realize CPUL's full potential in future sustainable cities.
Urban–rural linkagePolicyEconomicsLand use policies and extension approaches for developing urban horticulture in Novi Sad
2010Hamid El Bilali, Biljana Panın, Siniša Berjan · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Serbia (Novi Sad)
This review paper presents the state-of-the-art on urban agriculture, specifically its benefits, constraints and risks, production sites, systems, techniques and strategies, and some socio-economic and gender aspects. Conducive land use and allocation policies that can be designed and implemented to promote urban agriculture in Novi Sad were discussed. Extension services should develop new advisory and communication approaches to meet urban producers' specific needs.
PolicyEconomicsCommunityUrban–rural linkageSmartcities + Eco-warriors
2010CJ Lim, Ed Liu · · Global
This publication, "Smartcities + Eco-warriors," presents a collection of essays and case studies related to urban utopias, smart cities, urban agriculture, eco-sustainability, and cultivating communities. It includes examples of urban agriculture projects in various locations such as Guangming Smartcity China, Daejeon Urban Renaissance Masterplan Korea, and Nordhavnen Smartcity Denmark. The work also features contributions on the urban future and the role of cities in climate change.
CommunityUrban–rural linkagePolicyImpact of Armed Conflicts on Urban Livestock Production in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
2010É. Thys, André Mfoukou-Ntsakala, G. Nkouika-Dinghani-Nkita, Guido Van Huylenbroeck, Niko Speybroeck · Outlook on Agriculture · Republic of Congo (Brazzaville)
This paper analyzed the impact of armed conflicts on urban livestock keeping, particularly small ruminant keeping, in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo. Two surveys, one before 1993 and one after 2002, indicated that the 1997 conflict had a negative impact on livestock keeping, as most livestock keepers lost their animals. Financial resources were an important factor in rebuilding the flock after 1997.
Economic viabilityEconomicsWelfareUrban–rural linkageUrban agriculture/Agricultural urbanity
2010Marina Moraes Diniz de Oliveira Queiroz · · Sweden
This work studies urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) and alternative food production strategies, aiming to connect current food systems, urban structures, and climate change. It discusses urban planning, transport, waste management, and localized food production, proposing solutions for a Swedish context. The work argues for utilizing arable land in and near cities and integrating local food production with sustainable transport to prepare for reduced fossil energy and global warming.
Urban–rural linkagePolicyClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceNew Ways of Working and Organization: Alternative Agrifood Movements and Agrifood Researchers
2010William H. Friedland · Rural Sociology · Global
This article explores strengthening alternative agrifood movements by mobilizing academic researchers. It proposes a new organization, "Alternative Agrifood Researchers without Borders," to utilize researchers' skills and structural position. The goal is to enhance movements, reduce inequalities, and improve academic research quality by paralleling existing state and market structures while focusing on progressive objectives.
CSA & TeikeiFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityUrban–rural linkageThe Role of Urban Agriculture From Aspect of Cities' Sustainable Development
2010Radojica Sarić, Vladana Hamović, Svetlana Roljević Nikolić, Radojica Sarić, Vladana Hamović, Svetlana Roljevic · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · Serbia
This paper analyzes urban agriculture in Serbia, focusing on its role in configuring urban open spaces and its effects on sustainable development and environmental protection. The study aims to understand the economic, social, and ecological impacts of urban agricultural production on improving city life quality, especially given Serbia's dynamic urbanization and agricultural land transformation post-World War II.
Urban–rural linkagePolicyEconomicsCommunityClimate changePreparing the Urban Agricultural Science Teacher: Curriculum Implications
2010A. C. Egun · Journal of Agricultural Sciences · Global
This paper examined the competencies needed by Agricultural Science teachers in urban areas for effective institutional preparation. Teachers identified 24 competencies for urban agriculture teaching but expressed deficiency in 19 competencies (79.17%). The curricular implication is to include basic Humanities subjects like Geography, Economics, and Commerce in Agricultural Science teacher programs and to effectively implement field trips to strengthen the relationship between theory and practice.
Limited or null effectFood educationEconomicsUrban–rural linkageUrbana odlingsrörelser återbrukarträdgårdsstadens visioner
2010Lisen Hendeberg · · Sweden
This study compared Ebenezer Howard's garden city ideals with contemporary urban farming movements in Sweden through a literature review and analysis of three active movements. It found that when garden city ideas were implemented in Sweden between 1905 and 1930, much of the original ideological basis for self-sufficient small towns and collectively owned land was lost. While similarities exist in ideological starting points, their approaches to change differ.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkageDelivering on Sustainability's Global and Local Orientation.
2010Eva Collins, Kate Kearins · Academy of Management Learning and Education · New Zealand (Auckland)
A sustainability instructor took a graduate class to an eco-village near Auckland, New Zealand, where students observed off-grid homes and community gardens. While New Zealand students were inspired by the alternative lifestyle, two international students from China and Tajikistan expressed that this lifestyle was how they lived at home and they did not wish to live that way, preferring the New Zealand lifestyle. This indicates a limited appeal of the eco-village model to some international students.
Limited or null effectCommunityFood educationUrban–rural linkageClimate changeTransitie duurzame tuinbouw: lokale initiatieven in internationaal perspectief: Analyse van een aantal cases in ontwikkeling
2010C.J.M. van der Lans · Socio-Environmental Systems Modeling · Global
This study analyzes the sustainability of international horticulture initiatives, including those by Dutch businesses and Wageningen UR, particularly questioning their continuity if foreign support withdraws and their viability given limited foreign currency in developing countries. Using the Multi-Level Perspective framework, two cases were examined: an Integrated Pest Management project in Ethiopia's floriculture sector and the transition to large-scale urban agriculture in Detroit, USA. The report raises concerns about the long-term economic viability and self-sufficiency of these initiatives.
Economic viabilityEconomicsPolicyUrban–rural linkageReducing risk from wastewater use in urban farming – A case study of Accra, Ghana
2009Pay Drechsel, Liqa Raschid-Sally, Robert Clement Abaidoo · · Ghana (Accra)
Urbanization in West Africa has led to most domestic wastewater contaminating surface water sources. In Accra, Ghana, vegetables on urban markets are highly contaminated, with about 200,000 urban dwellers consuming street food containing raw vegetables from these sources daily. This research explores on-farm risk mitigation options, finding potential to significantly reduce helminth egg counts and bacterial contamination through improved washing practices.
Contamination & food safetyHealthUrban–rural linkageThermal Impact of Strategic Landscaping in Cities: A Review
2009Yu Chen, Wong Nyuk Hien · Advances in Building Energy Research · Global
This chapter reviews three major types of urban greenery: public green areas, rooftop gardens, and vertical landscaping, from systematic and thermal benefit perspectives. It synthesizes worldwide research on these types of urban greenery and provides general guidelines for strategic landscaping in cities.
Climate changeBiodiversityUrban–rural linkage"I brought a hazelnut from Macedonia": Cultural and biological diversity in a globalizing world
2009Pernilla Ouis, Ebba Lisberg Jensen · Malmö University Publications (Malmö University) · Sweden (Malmö)
This article examines the cultural parallelism between biological and cultural diversity as manifested in allotment garden areas in Malmö, Sweden, from a historical perspective. Using empirical data from interviews with allotment gardeners of different ethnic origins across Malmö, it shows how people bring their old plants and exchange varieties and species. This practice is argued to sometimes enhance contact and integration, and other times symbolize difference, contact with the country of origin, or ethnic identity.
BiodiversityCommunityHeirloom & landraceUrban–rural linkageDeterminants of re-cycling and use of domestic waste in urban swamp areas of Yaounde in Cameroon
2009Joël Sotamenou · · Cameroon (Yaounde)
This paper identifies determinants of domestic waste recycling and use in three swamp areas of Yaounde, Cameroon, based on data collected from 126 farmers between August and September 2005. Findings indicate that vegetable production, short farm-to-home distance, use of recycled livestock waste, education level, and farm surface positively influence the decision to use domestic waste. Conversely, farmer age has a negative effect.
Organic cycleCommunityUrban–rural linkageInterdisciplinary Aspects of Climate Change
2009· International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management · Global
This publication presents a table of contents for multiple papers addressing interdisciplinary aspects of climate change. Topics include the impacts of climate change on electricity generation and consumption, the role of cross-disciplinary models in the Irish housing sector, urban agriculture as a way to adapt modern cities, experiences in climate change policy-making, a climate stabilization fund, social learning on climate change among regional agents, costs and effectiveness of mitigation policies, campaign strategies by environmental NGOs, the role of sustainable buildings, quantifying vulnerability and adaptability of natural ecosystems, farming community concerns, local government risk assessment, approaches to resolving climate change, impacts on flood events, municipal solid waste management's impact on greenhouse gas emissions in Estonia, conducting interdisciplinary workshops, public opinion on climate change, and innovative multi-stakeholder approaches.
Climate changeUrban–rural linkagePolicyAGRICULTURA PERIURBANA: NUEVOS ROLES DE LA AGRICULTURA DE PROXIMIDAD EN LA PLANIFICACIÓN DE LAS PERIFERIAS URBANAS
2009Carlos Humberto Gómez Arciniegas · Revista M · Global
This article from 2009 investigates the primary features and opportunities of peri-urban agriculture, a practice at the transition between rural and urban areas. The study aims to identify 'agricultural strategies' from significant experiences to encourage future territorial planning practices in other peri-urban contexts. The research seeks to recognize recent experiences where peri-urban agriculture has coordinated economic and social activities and integrated with other activities aimed at valorizing local resources.
Peri-urban agriculturePolicyUrban–rural linkageOn Guerrilla Gardening: A Handbook for Gardening without Boundaries
2008Richard W. Reynolds · · Global
This 2008 global handbook, "On Guerrilla Gardening," explores the motivations and methods of guerrilla gardening, a movement involving illicit cultivation of public land. The book compiles advice from guerrilla gardeners in thirty countries on topics such as plant selection, coping with environmental conditions, seed bombing, and propaganda. It also traces the historical development of the movement from the 17th century to the 1970s.
DIYCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageImpact of urban agriculture on malaria vectors in Accra, Ghana
2008Eveline Klinkenberg, Philip J. McCall, Michael D. Wilson, Felix P. Amerasinghe, Martin J. Donnelly · Malaria Journal · Ghana
This study investigated the impact of urban agriculture on malaria transmission risk in Accra, Ghana, through larval and adult mosquito surveys. It found that Anopheles spp. and Culex quinquefasciatus outdoor biting rates were three and four times higher, respectively, in areas around agricultural sites compared to areas far from agriculture. The annual Entomological Inoculation Rate (EIR) was also higher in agricultural areas (19.2) than non-agricultural areas (6.6), suggesting that urban agricultural areas may increase malaria transmission risk by providing resting sites for adult mosquitoes.
Environmental trade-offsHealthUrban–rural linkageSmart growth ; can there be an African version?
2008Sue Wells · Western CEDAR (Western Washington University) · Tanzania
This paper examines the transferability of six Smart Growth concepts to Tanzanian cities (Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Mwanza, Dodoma, Zanzibar) given their extreme poverty and agrarian base. Primary research conducted in May-June 2007 and related publications were used. The study suggests that Smart Growth strategies from the Global North may be unsuitable for the Global South, indicating that urban agriculture in this context presents both a promise and a problem.
Economic viabilityPolicyEconomicsUrban–rural linkageUrban and peri-urban agriculture as a livelihood strategy of internally displaced persons in Khartoum
2008Friedhelm Streiffeler, Elsamawal Khalil Makki, Ali Ayoub · Econstor (Econstor) · Sudan (Khartoum)
This research in Greater Khartoum, Sudan, investigated urban and peri-urban agriculture as a livelihood strategy for internally displaced persons. While urban agriculture significantly reduces absolute poverty, its implementation faces many problems due to natural, economic, and social differences in the new environment, resulting in a low degree of agricultural development. Migrants with smaller fields and lower agricultural development showed a greater desire to return to their homeland, and social integration also influenced the decision to stay or return.
Economic viabilityWelfareCommunityUrban–rural linkageEconomicsInteraction Mechanism Between Sustainable Development of Urban Agriculture and Increase of Peasants' Income
2008Wei Xu · Chinese Journal of Population Resources and Environment · Global
This study examines the interaction between the sustainable development of urban agriculture and the increase in peasants' income, treating them as a combined system. It identifies a synergistic relationship between increased peasant income and urban agriculture development, but also a competitive relationship between maximizing short-term income and ecological sustainable development. The research suggests that a sustainable urban agricultural resource allocation mechanism can foster coordination and positive interaction, with urban circular agriculture economy being a basic strategy for this coordination.
Economic viabilityEconomicsOrganic cyclePolicyUrban–rural linkageThe Application of ANP in Evaluation Index System of Urban Agriculture
2008Rui Chen · Chinese Agricultural Mechanization · Global
Urban agriculture is based on a combination of manufacture, life, and ecology, emphasizing urban and rural development in step, and the co-prosperity of economy, ecology, and society. This study adopted the analytic network process (ANP) to construct an evaluation index system of urban agriculture, based on domestic and international research. Theoretical foundations of ANP were discussed, and dependence and feedback among indexes were analyzed. The result of the ANP model for the index system was obtained with SD software.
EconomicsOrganic cycleUrban–rural linkagePolicy