Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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9077 results(212 / 364)
Cultivating People-Plant Relationships in Community and Cultural Heritage Gardens San Jose, California (1977–1992)
2018John Dotter · · United States (California)
This paper documents people-plant relationships in San Jose, California's ethnically diverse Community and Cultural Heritage Gardens from 1977 to 1992. Unpublished university research, magazine articles, and newspaper stories show how partnerships with grassroots community groups contributed to the gardens' sustainability. Preliminary findings suggest greater utilization of non-English speaking skilled horticulturalists, and case studies illustrate how cooperative development of San Jose gardens produced benefits like neighborhood beautification, stimulated social interaction, and nutritious food production.
CommunityFood educationHealthPor uma Geografia significativa: leituras sobre a Agricultura Urbana e a importância do trabalho de campo para a pesquisa e o Ensino de Geografia
2018Leandro Matias dos Santos, Michelle Emanuelle Silva, Cirlene Jeane Santos e Santos · Diversitas Journal · Brazil
This article is based on fieldwork conducted by NUAGRARIO researchers and Agrarian Geography students from the Federal University of Alagoas in Maceió-AL, Brazil, focusing on urban agriculture. The fieldwork aimed to verify if virtually selected areas contained urban agriculture practices. The article's main objective is to demonstrate the importance of fieldwork in social formation through understanding, observation, and recognition of reality, highlighting geographic contents that can be approached through this methodology.
Food educationCommunityIndigenous and Scientific Knowledge in the Farming System: A Case of Urban Agriculture in Kageshwori-Manohara Municipality
2018Kanhaiya Sapkota · Tribhuvan University Journal · Asia
This study, based on a survey of 105 households in the Kangeshwori-Manohara low-lying Area, aimed to analyze contradictions and the interface between scientific and local knowledge on urban agriculture. Farmers transitioned from traditional to intensive, market-oriented agriculture, adopting a wider range of improved farming techniques for economically viable and sustainable production, indicating some link between scientific and indigenous knowledge.
CommunityEconomicsOrganic cycleListening local: Community perceptions of fresh food resources in Greater Little Rock
2018Stacy C. Moak, Caitlin P. S. McAteer, Heather A. Rossi, Merrill J. Schmidt · Journal of Community Psychology · United States (Little Rock)
This study investigated community perceptions of fresh food access in two target neighborhoods in Greater Little Rock, Arkansas. Through interviews at food pantries, online surveys with local experts, and asset mapping of healthy food resources, findings revealed that cost and transportation are barriers to fresh food access. Residents supported mobile markets and community gardens as viable options for increasing fresh food access.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceHealthCaracterización de huertos urbanos y periurbanos de Xalapa de Enríquez, Veracruz
2018Saúl Ortiz Riveros, Nancy Domínguez González, Noel Reyes Pérez, Marycruz Abato Zárate, Carlos Roberto Cerdán Cabrera, Miguel Ángel Escalona Aguilar, Josè Armando Lozada-García · Revista Biológico Agropecuaria Tuxpan · Mexico (Xalapa)
This study characterized urban and peri-urban gardens within the Xalapa Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture Network (RAUPX) in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico, based on garden size, diversity, arthropod presence, and phytosanitary management practices. Findings indicated that producers' phytosanitary practices are corrective rather than preventive and are moderately related to the presence of pests.
CommunityBiodiversityPeri-urban agricultureFood access, food security and community gardens in Rockford, IL
2018Walter W. Furness, Courtney M. Gallaher · Local Environment · United States (Rockford)
A study in Rockford, Illinois, examined community gardens to assess their contribution to residents' access to fresh produce and other social benefits. Data was collected through interviews with gardeners, focus groups, and surveys of food pantry users. The findings indicate that while non-gardening community members benefit from increased produce provided by the gardens, they do not receive all the social and communal benefits associated with active garden participation.
Limited or null effectCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceWelfareHealthDiseño de una huerta escolar como estrategia pedagógica para fomentar la investigación
2018Petrona Rodríguez · Módulo Arquitectura CUC · Colombia
This study in Remolino-Magdalena, Colombia, aimed to design a school garden as a pedagogical strategy to encourage research among 35 elementary school students aged 8-10. Using observation and field journals, the project found that the vegetable gardens fostered ecological awareness, stimulated investigative capacities, and improved interpersonal relationships among the students.
Food educationCommunitySoil Properties on Farmers’ Fields Amended with Untreated Solid Urban Wastes in Ouagadougou Peri-urban Area, Burkina Faso
2018P.S. Bouda, Edmond Hien, A. Dioma, Hyacinthe Kambiré, Yacouba Maïga, Der Adolphe Somé, Sylvie Nazaret, A.S. Ouattara · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Burkina Faso
A study in Ouagadougou sub-urban agricultural fields, Burkina Faso, assessed the impact of using untreated Solid Urban Wastes (SUW) as agricultural fertilizers on soil properties and crop production. SUW amendment significantly increased pH, total C, N, P, and available P, and maize height and biomass yield were 124% and 164% higher in amended plots, respectively. However, trace metal elements (Cu, Zn, Pb, Ni, Cr) concentrations were higher in amended fields, indicating that urban waste carries contaminants posing public health risks.
Contamination & food safetyOrganic cycleHealthPeri-urban agricultureColorful Gardens and Empowerment: Black Resistance and Self-Determination through Urban Farming
2018Joakim Ethan Cohen · · United States
This thesis explores Black food justice organizations in Oakland and Detroit addressing food security in low-income communities of color. It argues that food deserts result from discrimination and marginalization perpetuated by racist laws and policies. The thesis explains how urban gardening enables Black people to regain control of the food system and promotes empowerment and self-determination.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceWelfare都府県が策定した都市農業振興基本計画の比較
2018肇 石原, Hajime Ishihara · Institutional Repositories DataBase (IRDB) · Japan
This paper compared urban agriculture promotion basic plans formulated by six prefectures, including Tokyo, Osaka, and Aichi, as of October 2017. The analysis revealed policy challenges concerning the scope of inheritance tax deferment, the lending and borrowing of agricultural land in urbanization promotion areas, and the participation of non-farmers in agriculture. It concluded that the national government urgently needs to address these issues, and local governments should propose systems tailored to local conditions.
Governance failurePolicyEconomicsGrowing Syracuse: The Architect's Role in Improving Syracuse, NY's Food Environment
2018Stephanie Wagner · Syracuse University Libraries (Syracuse University) · United States (Syracuse)
This project explores Syracuse, NY's food environment and socio-economic issues pertaining to lack of food accessibility. It examines the existing network of Syracuse Grows community gardens, how architecture can intervene within it, and the architect's role in improving the local food environment. The goal of architectural interventions is to provide the community with a platform to kick start a larger change in the urban and socioeconomic fabrics of the city.
CommunityPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceUrban agriculture and social innovation. The case of the “Salus W Space” project in the city of Bologna
2018Giulia Allegrini · Archivio istituzionale della ricerca (Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna) · Italy (Bologna)
This paper sheds light on the connection between urban agriculture and social innovation, presenting the “Salus W space” project in Bologna. Financed by the European program “Urban innovation action,” the project aims to regenerate a former private hospital into an innovative space welcoming refugees and people with housing needs.
CommunityWelfareThe Correlation between Student’s Perception about School Garden with the Attitude of School Environmental Management
2018Lenny Prastiwi, Diana Vivanti Sigit, Agung Sedayu · Biosfer · Indonesia (Tangerang)
This quantitative correlational study, conducted in May 2015 at SMAN 4 Tangerang and SMAN 5 Tangerang, Indonesia, investigated the relationship between students' perceptions of school gardens and their attitudes towards school environmental management. Using simple random sampling, 214 eleventh-grade students who used school gardens as learning resources were surveyed. The study found a positive correlation (correlation coefficient 0.715) between students' perceptions of school gardens and their attitudes towards school environmental management, with perceptions contributing 51.1% to the attitude.
Food educationCommunityBiodiversityBeyond Productivity: Considering the Health, Social Value and Happiness of Home and Community Food Gardens
2018Georgia Pollard, Philip Roetman, James Ward, Belinda Chiera, Evangeline Mantzioris · Urban Science · Australia (South Australia)
This research investigated the perceived health, social value, and happiness benefits of urban agriculture in home and community food gardens in South Australia. Through an online survey and in-field data collection, dominant home gardener motivations were produce, enjoyment, and health, while community gardener motivations were enjoyment, connection to others, and produce. An overall social connection was the key difference between the two, suggesting that engagement in gardening may provide a preventative or supportive role for gardener health and wellbeing.
HealthCommunityFood educationEating Our Way to Sustainability? Leisure, Food and Community Economic Development
2018Jennifer Sumner · Sustainability · Global
This article reviews and synthesizes literature on food, leisure, sustainability, and community economic development to answer whether we can eat our way to sustainability. It begins with John Loxley's approach to community economic development and links the concept of sustainability with McMurtry’s civil commons. The article examines examples of food-related leisure activities like community gardens, CSAs, gleaning, and community kitchens, concluding that sustainability can be achieved if we choose activities that also enable others to eat.
CommunityEconomicsCSA & TeikeiClimate changeReducing Rat Lungworm Disease in Hawai'i Through a Collaborative Partnership With K-12 School Garden and Agriculture Projects
2018Kathleen Howe, Jenny Bach, Myles DeCoito, Shari Frias, Rebecca Hatch, Susan I. Jarvi · Frontiers in Public Health · United States (Hawai'i)
A collaborative project with five Hawaiʻi Island schools developed an integrated pest management plan to control slugs and snails, intermediate hosts of rat lungworm disease (Angiostrongylus cantonensis). Curricula for grades 5-8 were created, and students trialed five shelter materials, removing over 4,000 invasive slugs and snails while collecting data. This initiative aimed to reduce human cases of the disease and restore public trust in local agriculture through education and pest control.
Food educationHealthCommunityLOS BENEFICIOS PARA LA SALUD, MEDIO AMBIENTE Y ECONOMÍA FAMILIAR DE LA AGRICULTURA URBANA
2018Doris Laury Beatriz Dzib Moo, Gerardo González García, Analuisa González Dzib · · Global
This paper proposes urban gardens for Colonia Lindavista in Tabasco, Mexico, to demonstrate the benefits of urban agriculture. The project aims to raise awareness and secure institutional support, highlighting the advantages of daily consumption of organic vegetables for health and family economy. This initiative seeks to increase the resilience of the Colonia Lindavista community, which was chosen as a pilot site starting in January 2017.
HealthEconomicsClimate changePeri-urban agricultureAgricoltura urbana come strumento di sviluppo sostenibile. Uno studio di caso: gli orti urbani a São Paulo (Brasile)
2018Giulia Giacchè, Wania Rezende Silva · ARCHIVIO DI STUDI URBANI E REGIONALI · Brazil (São Paulo)
This article investigates the role of urban agriculture (UA) in reconfiguring urban spaces and promoting sustainable cities. A survey conducted in two urban gardens in São Paulo, Brazil, found that UA's individual and collective practices contribute to sustainable urban development by reducing social, economic, and environmental inequalities.
CommunityEconomicsClimate changeImproving Urban Food Security in African cities: Critically Assessing the Role of Informal Retailers
2018Jane Battersby, Vanessa Watson · Figshare · Africa
Recent research in African cities indicates that urban agriculture is not as important a food source for low-income households as often believed. Most African urbanites source their food from retail outlets, suggesting that solutions to urban food insecurity need to consider urban food marketing and distribution structures, rather than solely supporting food production through urban agriculture. This chapter reviews evidence supporting the argument that urban agriculture is not a primary food source for the poor.
Limited or null effectFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsWelfareCapacitações com base agroecológicas potencializando a agricultura urbana e periurbana em Capitão Poço - PA
2018Rayssa da Rocha Batista, Aparecida Hurtado Soares, Carolina Simões dos Santos, Henderson Gonçalves Nobre · Cadernos de Agroecologia · Brazil
In Capitão Poço, PA, urban and peri-urban farmers cultivate vegetables for subsistence and surplus sale. The NEA/UFRA/Capitão Poço/PA has supported these farmers by providing information on agroecology principles and building participatory knowledge on sustainable vegetable production technologies. This initiative included three training workshops on agroecological production systems, covering biofertilizer production, composting, and vermicomposting, fostering learning and knowledge exchange.
Food educationCompostOrganic cyclePeri-urban agricultureECF FARMSYSTEMS: a Circular Economy Business Model Case
2018Alexis Figeac · Repositorio institucional da Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (University of Santiago de Compostela) · Global
ECF is a small-to-medium sized enterprise operating an aquaponic urban farm, demonstrating a co-product recovery business model where circularity is retained within its own operations. The aquaponics system enables resource-efficient food delivery on a B2B basis and achieves significant socio-environmental impact by displacing food miles. However, fish feed sustainability challenges need addressing for greater circularity, and aquaponics faces competitiveness issues due to support for traditional farming and planning hurdles in urban communities.
EconomicsOrganic cycleClimate changeEncourager le développement de agriculture urbaine à Toulouse.Diagnostic des sols par la pédologie et les plantes bio-indicatrices.
2018Calvin Siméon · · France
This report describes the creation of a didactic booklet for beginners and curious individuals interested in urban agriculture around Toulouse, France. The booklet provides tools to diagnose a plot of land using pedology and bio-indicator plants. Based on observed data, agronomic advice is offered to select the most suitable plant production for the soil.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkagePolicyAvanços e desafios das hortas comunitárias urbanas de base agroecológica: uma análise do município de Sete Lagoas
2018Daniel Calbino, I. Borges, Luis Antonio Andrade Rosas, C.T. Abreu, Fernanda Anziliero Gonçalves · COLÓQUIO - Revista do Desenvolvimento Regional · Brazil
This case study in Sete Lagoas, Brazil, discusses the advances and challenges of agroecological urban community gardens, which have a history of approximately 33 years. Research findings indicate that public policy enables income generation for producers, increased supply, and food security in the region. However, the study highlights the need for greater support to address producers' limited technical knowledge and the importance of more supportive interpersonal relationships.
Governance failureCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicyHow to grow multifunctionality in food system planning
2018Ari Jokinen, Eveliina Asikainen, Krista Willman · Tampere University Institutional Repository (Tampere University) · Global
This study explored three urban gardening cases related to brownfield regeneration, a city center strategy, and an established urban neighborhood to understand how spatial planning can foster self-organization in local food production. The findings indicate that urban gardening is multifunctional, relies on self-organization, and is valuable for creating local food systems. The study also discusses challenges and opportunities for integrating these findings into spatial planning.
PolicyCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceCiência experiência: o papel da troca de saberes a partir do protagonismo dos agricultores e organizações na formação acadêmica no sertão do são francisco - PE/BA
2018Hélder Ribeiro Freitas, Suellen Bispo Coelho, Vashtir Ramalho dos Santos Braga, Diego Cesar Alves Lima Verde, Cristiane Moraes Marinho, Rita de Cássia Rodrigues Gonçalves Gervásio · · Brazil
This work analyzed knowledge exchange processes promoted by the Center for Research and Studies Sertao Agroecological, focusing on the experiences of farmers and organizations in the Sertao do Sao Francisco Baiano and Pernambucano Territories. Through extension projects and teaching activities, students and teachers interacted with agroecology, organic production, and urban and peri-urban agriculture experiences. These interactions fostered closer ties between farmers and the university community, enabling dialogical exchanges and strengthening perspectives in teaching, research, and university extension.
Food educationCommunityUrban–rural linkagePeri-urban agriculture