Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
9077 results(225 / 364)
Urban Gardening as a Multifunctional Tool to Increase Social Sustainability in the City
2018Alisa Koroļova, S. Treija · Architecture and Urban Planning · Europe
This article provides evidence of the multi-functionality of urban gardening in addressing various societal issues. Case studies from Malmo, Birmingham, and Riga demonstrate how urban gardening contributes to social integration, inhabitants' well-being, and urban regeneration.
CommunityHealthFood educationPolicyEconomie solidali creatrici di comunità ecologiche
2018P Cacciari · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Italy
This article argues that diverse economic forms exist beyond the market economy, including natural, gift, domestic, informal, and solidarity economies. Solidarity economy, based on ethical principles like sustainability, mutuality, cooperation, and democracy, is presented as a transformative, post-capitalist alternative applicable to all sectors of production, distribution, and exchange. Case studies include buildings as common goods in Naples and Arvaia, a community-supported agriculture initiative in Bologna.
EconomicsCommunityCSA & TeikeiFood sovereignty & justiceAn Analysis on the Importance of Medicinal Garden as Teaching Resource in A School in Northeast of Brazil
2018Natalia Caroline de Souza Aguiar, Marcelo Alves Ramos, Múcio Luiz Banja Fernandes · Asian Journal of Applied Sciences · Brazil
This study analyzed the views of thirteen teachers in a public school in northeastern Brazil regarding the importance and use of a medicinal garden planted in 2014. Interviews revealed a lack of interest among teachers in using the school garden, despite most recognizing its importance as a didactic resource. The findings suggest that intervention projects in schools require teachers to be prepared for their use, highlighting the need for a teacher training plan.
Limited or null effectFood educationCommunityChinatown and Beyond: Ava Chin, Urban Foraging, and a New American Cityscape
2018Shiuhhuah Serena Chou · ISLE Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment · United States
Urban foraging reemerged at the turn of the twenty-first century as a mode of urban food production, leading to a diverse body of literature including field guides and personal accounts. This literature suggests that the resurgence of urban foraging, as seen in works like Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma (2006) and Tama Matsuoka Wong's Foraged Flavor (2012), may be more than a fad. The practice of finding, harvesting, and consuming edible wild plants challenges the idea of American cities as food deserts, presenting urban spaces as sites of cultural and environmental sustainability.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityDIYSocio-economic and ecological transition in community supported agriculture: from the 'transitional' to the 'ideal' CSA
2018Erin Whittingham, Nhu Tuyên Lê, Claudio Vitari, Roxana Bobulescu · International Journal of Agricultural Resources Governance and Ecology · Global
This paper focuses on the transitional features of community supported agriculture (CSA) and its transformational potential for agricultural system change. The research developed a framework that highlights the 'transitional' CSA model and compares it with conventional and 'ideal' CSA models. This framework helps understand how CSAs adapt to their context and demonstrates their transformational potential for agricultural system change, drawing on numerous narratives from the broad literature on CSAs.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsOrganic cycleFood sovereignty & justiceO USO DE GEOTECNOLOGIAS ABERTAS NA DISCIPLINA GEOGRAFIA AGRÁRIA – ESPACIALIZAÇÃO E DIAGNÓSTICO DA OCORRÊNCIA DA AGRICULTURA URBANA NO BAIRRO SANTA LÚCIA - MACEIÓ/AL
2018Cirlene Jeane Santos e Santos · · Brazil (Maceió)
This article describes didactic foundations and field activities in the Agrarian Geography discipline at the Federal University of Alagoas, Brazil, aimed at enhancing student learning. Students engaged with urban agriculture and animal husbandry in Maceió/AL, finding that direct interaction with reality facilitated meaningful learning beyond classroom content. The results indicated that students integrated various course contents to understand the relationships in these spaces.
Food educationCommunityRaising the standard: Developing a benchmark for green infrastructure
2018Danielle Sinnett, Gemma Jerome, Nick Smith, Sarah Burgess, Roger Mortlock · International Journal of Sustainable Development and Planning · Global
This paper presents an emerging benchmark for green infrastructure (GI) developed through literature review and stakeholder engagement, addressing uncertainty in GI design, delivery, and maintenance. The benchmark offers flexible standards for assessing GI policy, planning, design, delivery, and long-term management across various spatial scales. Preliminary testing on two mixed-use developments found the benchmark performed well, rewarding high-quality GI without demanding exemplary levels.
PolicyCommunityBiodiversityClimate changeHealth Benefits of Urban Allotment Gardening: Improved Physical and Psychological Well-Being and Social Integration
2017Soga M., Cox D.T.C., Yamaura Y., Gaston K.J., Kurisu K., Hanaki K. · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(1):71 · Japan
A questionnaire survey of 332 allotment gardeners and non-gardeners in Tokyo compared five self-reported outcomes: perceived general health, physical complaints, BMI, mental health and social cohesion. Allotment gardeners reported better general health, fewer complaints, better mental health and greater social cohesion, indicating that urban allotment gardening can improve residents' physical and mental health and community ties.
HealthCommunityWelfare食都神戸とは（Gastropolis Kobe コンセプト解説）
2017食都神戸推進チーム（神戸市） · 食都神戸・Gastropolis Kobe（公式サイト） · Japan
An official document explaining the basic concept of the Gastropolis Kobe 2020 vision that Kobe City announced in 2015. It frames how Kobe—a city of 1.5 million with farmland in its Kita and Nishi wards and fishing grounds along its coast—rebuilds its urban brand around food, advancing local consumption, urban agriculture and rural exchange.
PolicyCommunityEconomicsドイツにおける異文化庭園の運営とその社会的背景 (Managing intercultural gardens and its social background in Germany)
2017Watanabe Y., Amemiya M., Shimpo N. · 都市計画報告集 (Reports of the City Planning Institute of Japan), No.16 · Germany
Surveys the management and social background of Germany's 'intercultural gardens' (Interkulturelle Gärten), which aim to integrate immigrants and refugees into local society, and considers their applicability in Japan. Finds that the gardens originated as a grassroots activity by locals and spread across Germany through a supporting organisation.
CommunityPolicy生産緑地制度・特定生産緑地制度（2022年問題対応）
2017· 国土交通省都市局 · Japan
National materials on the Special Productive Greenland system created by the 2017 Productive Greenland Law amendment to address the '2022 problem,' extending buy-out timing and tax benefits by ten-year renewable periods; about 89% (8,282 ha) had been designated as of end-2022.
PolicyEconomicsBiodiversity都市農地の保全と有効利用―都市農地の貸借に関する制度と課題―
2017· 参議院常任委員会調査室『立法と調査』No.394 · Japan
Legislative analysis by the House of Councillors research office, organizing the regulatory framework for urban farmland (productive greenland, taxation, leasing) and examining the rationale and issues behind the 2018 lease law in light of the 2022 problem.
PolicyEconomicsCommunityBiodiversityEdible green infrastructure: An approach and review of provisioning ecosystem services and disservices in urban environments
2017Alessio Russo, Francisco J. Escobedo, Giuseppe T. Cirella, Stefan Zerbe · Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 242, 53-66 · Global
A foundational paper proposing and reviewing the concept of Edible Green Infrastructure (EGI), addressing the neglect of provisioning (food) ecosystem services in green infrastructure planning that has emphasized regulating and cultural services. It frames allotment gardens, rooftop gardens, edible landscapes and urban forests as a multifunctional green network that, with best management practices to minimize disservices, can enhance food security and urban resilience.
BiodiversityEconomicsCommunityOrganic cycleUrban Agriculture as a Productive Green Infrastructure for Environmental and Social Well-Being
2017Brenda B. Lin, Stacy M. Philpott, Shalene Jha, Heidi Liere · Greening Cities (Advances in 21st Century Human Settlements), Springer, 155-179 · Global
A book chapter framing urban agriculture—community farms, rooftop gardens, edible landscaping and urban orchards—as 'productive green infrastructure' supplying high biodiversity and diverse ecosystem services. It synthesizes both ecosystem services (pollination, biological pest control) and social benefits (food and nutrition, cultural and recreational value) that this green infrastructure delivers to cities.
BiodiversityCommunityHealthEconomicsTradition and Japanese vegetables: history, locality, geography, and discursive ambiguity
2017Uchiyama Y., Fujihira Y., Matsuoka H., Kohsaka R. · Journal of Ethnic Foods · Japan
Analyzes definitions, history, and regional ties of traditional Japanese vegetables (e.g., Kyo, Kaga), using Kaga and Noto cases to show how ambiguous quality standards shape branding and brand management.
Heirloom & landraceEconomicsFood educationPolicyPublic recognition of traditional vegetables at the municipal level: Implications for transgenerational knowledge transmission
2017Uchiyama Y., Matsuoka H., Kohsaka R. · Journal of Ethnic Foods · Japan
Questionnaire survey in Komatsu City, Ishikawa, on public recognition of Kaga and Noto traditional vegetables, showing gender/age differences in awareness and information sources, with implications for transgenerational transmission and branding.
Heirloom & landraceCommunityFood educationEconomicsDiversity, knowledge and use of leafy vegetables in northern Thailand: maintenance and transmission of ethnobotanical knowledge during urbanisation
2017Turreira-García N., Vilkamaa A. M., Byg A. · Natural History Bulletin of the Siam Society · Thailand
Documents 55 leafy vegetable species (32 families) in Chiang Mai fresh markets and assesses, via interviews with sellers, residents, and traditional practitioners, how diversity, use, and knowledge persist amid urbanisation.
Heirloom & landraceBiodiversityCommunityFood educationA chemical genetic roadmap to improved tomato flavor
2017Tieman D., Zhu G., Resende M.F.R., Lin T., Nguyen C., Bies D., Rambla J.L., Beltran K.S.O., Taylor M., Zhang B., Ikeda H., Liu Z., Fisher J., Zemach I., Monforte A., Zamir D., Granell A., Kirst M., Huang S., Klee H. · Science 355(6323):391-394 · Global
Quantified flavor chemicals across 398 modern, heirloom, and wild tomato accessions and linked them to consumer liking. Shows modern cultivars lost allelic diversity governing sugars, acids, and volatiles, explaining reduced flavor versus heirlooms.
Heirloom & landraceBiodiversityHealthEverything but the Taste: Kyoto's Shishigatani Squash as Culinary Heritage
2017de St. Maurice G. · Food, Culture & Society 20(2) · Japan
Examines how Kyoto's Shishigatani heirloom squash, though considered not delicious, persists as culinary heritage through cultural embeddedness, temple rituals, and distinctive form, showing heritage value beyond flavor.
Heirloom & landraceCommunityFood educationBiodiversityWill Consumers Find Vertically Farmed Produce 'Out of Reach'?
2017Coyle B. D., Ellison B. · Choices 32(1):1-8 · United States
Analyzes US consumer demand and willingness to pay for vertically farmed produce, finding consumers are price-sensitive and largely unwilling to pay a premium simply for indoor-grown greens, posing a market challenge for scaling beyond niches.
EconomicsEconomic analysis of aquaponics and hydroponics production in the U.S. Midwest
2017Flores R. M. V., Quagrainie K. K., Kim H.-J., McClain V. · Journal of Applied Aquaculture 30(1):1-14 · United States
Conducts an economic analysis of aquaponic and hydroponic production in the US Midwest, comparing the cost structures and profitability of the two systems to assess the commercial feasibility of controlled-environment horticultural production.
EconomicsGardening is beneficial for health: A meta-analysis
2017Soga M., Gaston K. J., Yamaura Y. · Preventive Medicine Reports · Global
Meta-analysis demonstrating that gardening yields wide-ranging health benefits, reductions in depression and anxiety and gains in life satisfaction and physical activity, underpinning the health rationale for workplace and community garden programs.
HealthWelfareCommunityBusiness models in urban farming: A comparative analysis of case studies from Spain, Italy and Germany
2017Pölling B., Prados M.-J., Torquati B. M., Giacchè G., Recasens X., Paffarini C., Alfranca O., Lorleberg W. · Moravian Geographical Reports 25(3):166-180 · Europe
Comparative analysis of urban farming enterprises in Spain, Italy and Germany, concluding that differentiation, diversification, and low-cost specialization are essential business strategies for long-term profitability in cities.
EconomicsCommunityThe role of urban-based agriculture on food security: Kenyan case studies
2017Omondi S. O., Oluoch-Kosura W., Jirström M. · Geographical Research 55(2):231-241 · Kenya
Through Kenyan case studies, this paper examines how urban-based agriculture strengthens the livelihood strategies and food security of urban households, particularly the poor, highlighting its role within the urban food system.
WelfareEconomicsBeyond food security: women's experiences of urban agriculture in Cape Town
2017Olivier D. W., Heinecken L. · Agriculture and Human Values 34(3):743-755 · South Africa
Examining NGO-run urban agriculture in Cape Town, this study finds projects aid food security while helping low-income women build supportive networks that unlock personal, social, and economic benefits beyond food provision.
CommunityWelfareEconomics