Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
1089 results(23 / 44)
Eco-social enterprises: ethical business in a post-socialist context
2020Nadia Johanisova, Lucie Sovová, Eva Fraňková · Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks · Czech Republic
This chapter examines eco-social enterprises in the Czech Republic, a post-socialist country, using a five-dimensional framework to expand the EU social enterprise definition. The framework includes criteria such as other-than-profit goals, using profits for nature and community, democratic governance, rootedness in place, and non-market production. Research identified a heterogeneous group of entities, including organic farms and community gardens, shaped by varied traditions and ideologies.
CommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceAnalysis on the Types of Benefits of Gardens in Urban Areas: Comparison of Korea and Overseas Cases
2020Jiwon Park, Mi‐Ae Jeong · Journal of people, plants, and environment · Global
An analysis of 63 Korean and 90 overseas articles on urban gardens compared the types of physical and social benefits provided by gardens in urban areas. Community gardens were the most significant type in both Korea and overseas. Due to narrow urban structures, Korea focused on using rooftop, wall, and alley spaces, while overseas focused on promoting health and reducing food inequality through larger allotment and kitchen gardens. Urban gardens were found to have a positive effect on urban biodiversity, providing comprehensive environmental (37.73%) and social (62.27%) benefits.
CommunityHealthFood sovereignty & justiceUrban agriculture in the city of Cali, Colombia and communication for social change
2020Solon Alberto Calero Cruz, Carmen Cecilia Rivera Gómez · Repositorio Digital Universidad Autonoma de Occidente · Colombia (Cali)
This chapter discusses practical urban agriculture approaches to food sovereignty in Cali, Colombia, focusing on five food production and distribution spheres. It examines how participatory communication influences social change and urban sustainability by analyzing how approaches emphasize or de-emphasize culturally situated experiences. The study summarized the outcomes of an intercultural collective convened to discuss communication processes linked to food production and distribution, aiming to understand the most prominent subjectivities.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityPolicyEmerging Global Trends in Urban Agriculture Research: A Scientometric Analysis of Peer-reviewed Journals
2020Anita Pinheiro, Madhav Govind · Journal of Scientometric Research · Global
This scientometric analysis explored global research trends in urban agriculture from 2004-2018 using articles from the SCOPUS database. Research attention significantly increased from 2013, predominantly in the Global North, focusing on food security, sustainability, and community gardening within Social Sciences. The study found very little research in urban agriculture policy and governance.
Food sovereignty & justiceClimate changeCommunityPolicyHuerto escolar como componente auto sostenible de merienda escolar en la Seguridad Alimentaria Nutricional y su uso como herramienta pedagógica
2020Jefry Joel López Acevedo · REICE Revista Electrónica de Investigación en Ciencias Económicas · Nicaragua
A 2019 case study at the Rubén Darío educational center in Nicaragua investigated the operation of a school garden, its production, connection to food and nutritional security, and its use as a pedagogical tool in primary education. The garden facilitated food availability, access, and consumption, with harvests complementing school snacks. Furthermore, 100% of primary school teachers utilized the school garden as a pedagogical tool, allowing students to apply theory to practice.
Food educationCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceFood Supply and Urban Gardening in the Time of Covid-19
2020Silvana Nicola, A. Ferrante, Giacomo Cocetta, Roberta Bulgari, Carlo Nicoletto, Paolo Sambo, Andrea Ertani · Bulletin of University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca Horticulture · Global
The Covid-19 pandemic revealed the vulnerability of the agrifood system, with lockdowns disrupting long-distance fresh vegetable supply chains and causing dramatic declines in local market sales. While purchases concentrated in supermarkets, increasing crowding risks, gardening can increase opportunities for local and fresh food availability. Scaling up local food production is important to enhance community resilience.
Limited or null effectFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityHealthClimate changeCSA Partnerships for Health: outcome evaluation results from a subsidized community-supported agriculture program to connect safety-net clinic patients with farms to improve dietary behaviors, food security, and overall health.
2020Betty T Izumi, Allea Martin, Teresa Garvin, Cesar Higgins Tejera, Sylvia Ness, Katy Pranian, Lauren Lubowicki · PubMed · Global
This study evaluated the preliminary effectiveness of "CSA Partnerships for Health," a 23-week grant-subsidized Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, in improving dietary behaviors, self-efficacy to eat vegetables, food security, and overall health among 48 safety-net clinic patients. This single-group pretest-posttest study utilized interviewer-administered surveys. Statistically significant differences between post-intervention and pre-intervention values were observed for several outcomes, including vegetable intake, orange vegetable intake, eating habits, food security, ability to afford healthy meals, and general health status.
CSA & TeikeiHealthWelfareFood sovereignty & justiceIs Urban Agriculture a Game Changer or Window Dressing? A Critical Analysis of Its Potential to Disrupt Conventional Agri-food Systems
2020Debra J. Davidson · International Journal of Sociology of Agriculture and Food · Global
This study assessed the multiple emergent effects of urban agriculture activities through an extensive, interdisciplinary literature review to discuss its disruptive potential. It suggests that producing food in cities is not inherently transformative in itself, but the potential and observed new forms of social engagement emerging in many contexts can create institutional conditions that may disrupt conventional agri-food systems by building social capital as much as physical capital.
Limited or null effectFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityPolicyEconomicsA systematic, mixed studies review of the outcomes of community garden participation related to food justice
2020Kate Gardner Burt, Gail Mayer, Rachel Paul · Local Environment · Global
A systematic review analyzed 277 community gardening articles to assess outcomes of community garden participation related to food justice, synthesizing 31 studies. Many positive impacts were indicated across seven social and dietary outcomes. Community garden participation was positively correlated with community connectedness, but evidence demonstrating diet improvement was neutral. Methodological rigor in study design and lack of participant racial/ethnic and socioeconomic diversity were common issues, leaving the effectiveness of community gardening as a strategy for a more equitable food system unclear.
Methodological critiqueCommunityHealthFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsElevage Urbain : Pratiques Quotidiennes dans les Villes Moyennes de L’ouest-Cameroun
2020Djeugap Guedia Amélie Mermoze, Aristide Yemmafouo · European Scientific Journal ESJ · Cameroon
From April to August 2019, surveys (100 questionnaires per city) and interviews (25 per city) were conducted in Dschang, Mbouda, and Foumbot, three medium-sized cities in West Cameroon, to examine the daily practices of urban livestock farming. Findings showed that an average of 60% of city dwellers in these cities engage in livestock farming for commercial reasons, primarily encouraged by their urban conditions. While livestock farming is mostly a secondary activity (87%), professionals make significant investments, and space availability remains a major limiting factor for market growth.
Urban–rural linkageEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceSurvey on people’s attitudes and constraints of rooftop gardening in Dhulikhel
2020Sandesh Thapa, Rakshya Bhandari, Anjal Nainabasti · Ecofeminism and Climate Change · Nepal
A random sampling survey in Dhulikhel, Kavrepalanchok district, Nepal, found that while all respondents perceived rooftop farming as beneficial, many could not practice it due to constraints like fear of roof damage. Practicing farmers also faced difficulties managing rooftop gardens due to a lack of proper knowledge and reliance on non-recyclable planting materials.
Economic viabilityDIYCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceHow to bring innovation in City/Region Food Systems?
2020Giuseppina Pennisi · AMS Acta (University of Bologna) · Global
This paper describes an international workshop held in Turku, Finland, and online from September 2-4, 2020, as part of the EU-H2020 project FoodE. The workshop gathered 15 contributions, including two plenary lectures and 13 short presentations from PhD candidates from nine countries, to discuss innovation and sustainability in City/Region Food Systems (CRFS). Topics covered innovative plant production systems, sustainability assessment, short food chains, food waste management, urban agriculture, business models, and the water-food-energy nexus within cities.
Food sovereignty & justiceClimate changeUrban–rural linkageEconomicsGREEN DEAL Greenhouse devices in the urban voids of historical fabrics. The case of Cuenca-Ecuador
2020Pozo Palacios, María Gabriela · · Ecuador (Cuenca)
This paper describes the context of urban agriculture in the historic center of Cuenca, Ecuador, highlighting challenges posed by urbanization and gentrification. It mentions the increase in urbanization rates in Latin America since 1950 and its impact on the food production sector. The paper also touches upon the tradition of private patios devoted to family farming in Cuenca's republican architectural typologies and the diminution of farming areas due to rising land prices, but it does not present specific research methods, findings, or conclusions.
Food sovereignty & justicePolicyCommunityUrban–rural linkageFeeding peoples in future: Urban farming and vertical farming
2020HD Vashi, PK Dubey · International Journal of Chemical Studies · Global
This paper discusses urban farming and vertical farming as solutions for future urban food security and sustainability, addressing environmental changes and resource shortages. It highlights how urban farming, including green rooftops, can contribute to environmental, social, and economic sustainability by improving urban greenery and food systems. Vertical farming is presented as a method to produce large quantities of fresh food in densely populated areas with limited land.
CommunityClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageDigging up the past: urban agriculture narratives in Melbourne and São Paulo
2020Adrián H. Hearn, Thaís Mauad, Chris Williams, Luís Fernando Amato‐Lourenço, Guilherme Reis Ranieri · Journal of Urbanism International Research on Placemaking and Urban Sustainability · Australia (Melbourne)
This article analyzed the phenomenon of urban agriculture promotion by real estate developers and community associations in Melbourne and São Paulo. Developers of upmarket condominiums advertise urban agriculture as a purchasable commodity, but the gentrifying effects of these developments deepen rather than alleviate social and environmental ills. In contrast, community projects in four case studies emphasized urban agriculture's ability to confront the long-term neglect of land, employment, and environment.
Equity & displacementCommunityPolicyEconomicsFood sovereignty & justice[PDF] [DOWNLOAD] Growing a Sustainable City?: The Question of Urban Agriculture (UTP Insights) [Full]
2020[PDF] [DOWNLOAD] Growing a Sustainable City?: The Question of Urban Agriculture (UTP Insights) [Full] · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Global
This abstract provides information regarding the download and reading of the book "Growing a Sustainable City?: The Question of Urban Agriculture (UTP Insights)" by Christina D. Rosan.
Food sovereignty & justiceClimate changeUrban–rural linkageEffectiveness of Urban Farming Program in Providing Multiple Benefits to the Urban Community in Malaysia
2020Nazanin Nafisi, Osman Mohd Tahir, Sara Nafisi, Nazri Ishak · Journal of Architectural Environment & Structural Engineering Research · Malaysia
To investigate the effectiveness of urban farming programs in Malaysia, this study focused on small-scale agriculture projects like community gardens and community-level programs such as community supported agriculture and farmers markets. The study found that urban agriculture enhances community resilience and wellbeing. It highlighted the necessity for Malaysian urban authorities to provide appropriate identification and support to city dwellers and promote urban farming practices.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsHealthUrban Agriculture: The Saviour of Rapid Urbanization
2020Amit Umesh Paschapur, Chaitra G. Bhat · · Global
This article focuses on the history, types, major cultivated crops, advantages, success stories, and future scope of urban agriculture. Urban agriculture is the practice of cultivating, processing, and marketing food in and around urban localities, also encompassing animal husbandry, aquaculture, beekeeping, and horticulture. It contributes to providing fresh food, generating employment, recycling urban wastes, creating greenbelts, and strengthening cities' resilience to climate change.
Food sovereignty & justicePeri-urban agricultureEconomicsCommunityAnalyzing values-based modes of production and consumption: Community-supported agriculture in the Austrian Third Food Regime
2020Christina Plank, Robert Häfner, Rike Stotten · Österreichische Zeitschrift für Soziologie · Austria
This paper analyzes Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in Austria, examining its values-based production and consumption within the "third food regime" using an interdisciplinary framework. The study found that CSA is currently a niche in Austria, where solidarity, community attachment, and respect for nature are central ideals for members. However, CSA initiatives face institutional, social, and material challenges in daily practices that require attention for their long-term viability.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEffect of changing urban farming landscape on financing livelihoods and food security of urban farmers’ households in Ghana
2020Mr. Isaiah ACQUAH, Dr.Sc. Joseph Ato FORSON, Dr.Sc. Theresa Yaaba BAAH-ENNUMH · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Ghana
This qualitative exploratory study in Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Ghana, investigated the effect of urban growth and concretization on urban farming households' livelihoods and food security. The study, using interviews and spatial imagery, found that urban farms face challenges due to inadequate land use planning and support, leading to a loss of farmlands. Significant challenges identified include limited farming space, limited resources, continuous increase in buildings, and inadequate education for urban farmers.
Governance failureUrban–rural linkageEconomicsFood sovereignty & justicePolicyGreen Infrastructure Planning in Metropolitan Regions to Improve the Connectivity of Agricultural Landscapes and Food Security
2020Carolina Yacamán Ochoa, Daniel Ferrer Jiménez, Rafael Mata Olmo · Land · Global
This paper critically reviewed recent literature on Green Infrastructure (GI), highlighting a lack of references to peri-urban agriculture's role in GI planning. It emphasized peri-urban agriculture's positive contribution to local food supply and other services. Furthermore, the paper proposed a methodology to integrate practical GI planning in metropolitan regions to maximize the activation of traditional agricultural landscapes and improve landscape connectivity.
Peri-urban agriculturePolicyFood sovereignty & justiceGrowing Resistance to Systems of Oppression: An Exploration of the Transformative Power of Urban Agriculture
2020Samantha Noll · Open Philosophy · Global
This study explores how justice-oriented urban agriculture projects, guided by "food justice" and "food sovereignty" goals, transform city contexts by reducing regulatory barriers that could perpetuate systems of oppression. The study argues that by removing regulatory barriers, urban agriculture projects are transforming cityscapes in ways that cultivate justice at the system level.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityPolicyWelfareHuertas Comunitarias como herramienta para alcanzar la Autonomía Alimentaria de los ex combatientes de las FARC de la comunidad Noble y de Paz Marco Aurelio Buendía, Charras, Guaviare
2020C. Jorge Félix Massani Enríquez, Luisa Fernanda · · Colombia
This qualitative ethnographic study in the Noble y de Paz Marco Aurelio Buendia community, Charras, Guaviare, Colombia, analyzed the contributions of collectively constructed community gardens to the food autonomy of FARC ex-combatants. Using semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and participatory observation, the research found that participants perceive community gardens as a tool for their food process, contributing to food autonomy, strengthening nutritional status, and fostering community and family ties through collective work.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceHealthAgroecología urbana como una oportunidad para reducir las emisiones de dióxido de carbono equivalente en el ciclo de vida de la alimentación de habitantes de la localidad de Chapinero en Bogotá
2020Nicolás Caicedo Sarralde · · Colombia (Bogotá)
This investigation used life cycle assessment to determine how urban agroecology in Chapinero, Bogotá, could reduce CO2 equivalent emissions from food production and consumption without affecting nutritional needs. Based on secondary data and a comparison of current and increased agroecology scenarios, the study found that potatoes have high potential in urban agroecology for emission reduction. It also concluded that farm and transport stages have the highest emissions in urban agriculture food cycles, and efficient urban agroecology in Chapinero could reduce CO2 equivalent emissions by 38.99% in nutritionally balanced diets.
Climate changeFood sovereignty & justiceOrganic cycleFood, agriculture, and environmental justice
2020Kristin Reynolds · Environmental Justice · Global
This chapter explores the intersection of food systems, agriculture, and environmental justice within social movements, activism, and scholarship. It reviews historical instances of these intersections, including indigenous peoples' movements, farmworker organizing, urban agriculture, and consumer solidarity campaigns. The chapter also discusses recent developments and future concerns connecting environmental justice, food, and agriculture with issues like climate change, gentrification, and Black Agrarianism.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityPolicyClimate change