Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
1180 results(23 / 48)
Agriculture urbaine et péri-urbaine, pauvreté, sécurité alimentaire et environnement dans les pays en développement : une revue exploratoire des méthodologies et des impacts
2020Paule Olivia Akotto, Dorothée Boccanfuso, Marie-Ève Yergeau · Cahiers de recherche · Global
This exploratory review synthesizes 35 reports and articles published between 1980 and 2019 to assess the potential of urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) to build resilience against poverty, food insecurity, and environmental challenges in developing countries. The review found that UPA creates one job for every 50 to 100 individuals, but these jobs are generally seasonal, and market access remains a significant constraint for farmers.
Limited or null effectPeri-urban agricultureWelfareFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsClimate changePolicyLas huertas urbanas comunitarias como espacios generadores de servicios ecosistémicos en la localidad de Fontibón y su contribución al bienestar
2020Carrero Gaitán, Karen Nathaly · · Colombia
This study collected data from six active community urban gardens in Fontibón, Colombia, analyzing their agronomic practices, sociodemographic aspects, and purposes. It assessed the influence of these gardens on participants' well-being, focusing on ecosystem supply and cultural services. The three most important services identified by participants were stress reduction, decreased loneliness, and improved governance and social dynamics.
CommunityHealthBiodiversityPolicyURBANISATION AND THE CONCERNS FOR FOOD SECURITY IN MALAYSIA
2020Azizan Marzuki, Ahmad Sahir Jais · PLANNING MALAYSIA · Malaysia
This qualitative exploratory review, based on a Systematic Literature Review of secondary data, investigated the connection between urban sprawl and its impact on agricultural productivity and food security in Malaysia. The study found that urbanization did affect Malaysia's food security self-sufficiency level, particularly for land-intensive food products like vegetables and livestock, due to the conversion of agricultural lands.
Limited or null effectFood sovereignty & justicePolicyUrban–rural linkageTerritorializing the Urban-Rural Border in Medellín, Colombia: Socio-Ecological Assemblages and Disruptions
2020Colleen Hammelman, Alexis Saenz-Montoya · Journal of Latin American geography · Colombia (Medellín)
In Medellín, Colombia, large infrastructure projects by the local government, intended to transform the city, have contributed to a neoliberal sustainability agenda. Data from community meetings (2015-2017) with displaced people engaged in subsistence urban agriculture revealed that these projects exclude marginalized residents from newly valued "natural" commons. This territorialization strategy controls peripheral spaces by including approved actors while dispossessing less powerful residents of their right to the city.
Equity & displacementUrban–rural linkageCommunityPolicyWelfareA Short Survey of Integrating Urban Agriculture and Environmental Planning
2020Rayeheh Khatami, Toktam Hanaei, Mohammad Reza Mansouri Daneshvar · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Global
This study surveyed 35 articles on urban agriculture to identify its benefits in environmental planning strategies, particularly in non-western countries like Iran. Using a qualitative approach and documentary studies, the analysis revealed a wide range of positive benefits of urban agriculture on food security, nutrition, health, environmental outcomes, and social capital. However, the review found no definitive conclusions regarding the negative effects of urban agriculture.
PolicyClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsAn anthropological reflection on urban gardening through the lens of citizenship
2020Robin Smith · · Global
This chapter analyzes the concept of food citizenship within urban gardening from an anthropological perspective. Urban gardens fulfill local needs in many communities, from widening food access to serving as an avenue for engagement in food politics. It is also shown that urban gardens can be understood as autonomous spaces that governance regimes struggle to bring under their purview.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyUrban Agriculture: Key Research Areas
2020Елена Глотова, И.А. Мохирева, В.В. Глотова · Экономика и предпринимательство · Russia
This article presents an analysis of urban agriculture research publications from 1999 to 2018, identified using keywords "urban agriculture" and "urban farming" in EBSCO, Scopus, and Web of Science databases, focusing on management, economics, and business categories. It also includes an assessment of urban agriculture development possibilities and prospects in the Primorsky Territory of the Far Eastern Federal District, Russia, based on an expert survey. The study identified and ranked factors influencing the formation and development of urban agriculture in the region.
PolicyEconomicsUrban–rural linkageLocal foods systems and community economic development
2020Steven C. Deller, David Lamie, Maureen Stickel · · Global
This review provides a critical analysis of current research on local and regional food networks, including urban farming projects. It reveals that many presumptions of the local food movement remain largely untested, and much of the current research lacks strong theoretical grounding and quantitative rigor. The review emphasizes the importance for practitioners to distinguish between objective, research-based information and speculative, advocacy-oriented analysis.
Methodological critiqueEconomicsPolicyCSA & TeikeiFood sovereignty & justiceLas huertas educativas como instrumento pedagógico, para la aplicación y fortalecimiento de las políticas de educación ambiental, en la red de huertas educativas de Bogotá
2020Acuña Caro, Camilo Andrés · · Colombia (Bogota)
This applied research aimed to demonstrate the role of the Bogota Botanical Garden's Network of School Vegetable Gardens in applying and strengthening environmental education policy. Using a diagnostic-based methodological framework, the study examined objectives, thematic lines, and practices of participating school gardens. The findings are intended to provide proposals and recommendations for implementing future school gardens as pedagogical instruments for environmental education.
Food educationPolicyCommunityProductive green community space
2020Tal Alon‐Mozes · · Israel
This essay discusses the shared zone of urban agriculture and community gardens in contemporary Israel. Based on a decade-long research on past and present urban agriculture in Israel, it proposes a framework of partnership between urban governance, social and environmental NGOs, and local communities. This collaboration is suggested to ease difficulties such as lack of land, affordable water shortages, and the need for professional guidance.
CommunityPolicyEconomicsClimate changePublic-private partnerships for multifunctional sustainable land use in peri-urban areas to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change
2020Anna Ternell, Anders M. Nilsson, Björn Ohlén, Daniel Stenholm, Dag Bergsjö · Ecocycles · Global
This article assesses a scenario where urban farming initiatives become commercial and integrate with traditional agriculture and forestry, and analyzes the potential of public-private partnerships for multifunctional sustainable land use in peri-urban areas of Gothenburg, Sweden. Multifunctional sustainable land use, including diversified agriculture and forestry, is presented as a way to build resilience against climate change risks. Based on experiences from ongoing initiatives, the article identifies a large potential for such partnerships and presents a business model for long-term sustainability, developed within the Climate KIC Accelerator Project.
Peri-urban agriculturePolicyClimate changeEconomicsWithstanding pandemic through education, economic and health policies
2020Jose Benito C Ronolo, Margarita Cuadra, J. Q. Cabada, Amaya Caballero, Omar A. Tantoy · European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine · Philippines
This paper examines the impacts of COVID-19 in the Philippines by reviewing five research articles and formulating twelve policy statements across education, health and safety, and economic dimensions. For the economic dimension, recommended policies include encouraging home or urban gardening, initiating hydroponics, aquaponics, and horticulture gardening, and institutionalizing the "Farm Food Box." These policies aim to mitigate the pandemic's impacts in the Philippines.
PolicyHealthEconomicsDIYVertical Farming: An Assessment of Singapore City
2020Jacob Wood, Caroline Wong, Swathi Paturi · eTropic electronic journal of studies in the tropics · Singapore
This research examines urban farming, specifically vertical farming methods, in Singapore. Despite substantial public and private investment in R&D for high-tech, high-yielding vertical farms, Singapore faces a highly constrained urban environment where land scarcity is exacerbated by a complex regulatory land use framework.
Governance failureDigital agricultureFood sovereignty & justicePolicyEconomicsA SUSTAINABLE URBAN FARMING INDEX ASSESSMENT MODEL FOR EVALUATING FOOD PRODUCTIVITY THAT APPLIES MULTI-CRITERIA DECISION-MAKING METHODS — A CASE STUDY IN MALAYSIA
2020Ali Keyvanfar, Arezou Shafaghat, Tan Sze Inn, Sapura Mohamad · DigitalCommons - Kennesaw State University (Kennesaw State University) · Malaysia
This research developed the Sustainable Urban Farming Index Assessment (SUFIA) Model to quantify and evaluate the performance of urban farms' sustainable food production. Applying a critical literature review and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), the model identified reducing air pollution, soil health and water cleaning, and food sovereignty as critical for food productivity. When implemented at Zenxin Organic Farm in Malaysia for validation, the farm earned a Grade C, indicating it is a usable urban farm but requires substantial improvements in areas such as soil health, water cleaning, site design, and community environment.
Limited or null effectClimate changeOrganic cycleFood sovereignty & justicePolicyTerritorial intelligence: planning, management and systems to support strategic decisions.
2020J. R. da Costa, J. R. de Alencar, Patrizia Costa, V. S. Hammes, D. de C. Victoria, K. R. E. de Jesus, Henrique Nery Cipriani, C. C. de A. Buschinelli, F. F. Calegario, Géraldo Stachetti Rodrigues, L. A. Magalhães, C. R. Marmo, A. C. Lira-Guedes, Manuel Correia Guedes, L. A. Forato · · Global
This paper enumerates a wide range of concepts and systems related to strategic territorial intelligence, participatory community-level planning, farm management planning, territorial management, and urban and peri-urban farming. It includes agricultural and hydrological models, mapping of agricultural areas, spatial data integration, environmental management plans, integrated waste management, and pest control recommendations for urban gardens. Strategic management decision support systems, such as technological innovation impact evaluation systems, agrometeorological monitoring systems, and georeferenced data collection software, are also presented.
PolicyDigital agricultureCommunityMechanisms of Green Development of Urban Agricultural Production in a Large Industrial City
2020Е. В. Малыш · Economics and Management · Global
This study aimed to propose methods for developing urban agricultural production in a large industrial city, based on green economy principles, to strengthen food security and improve food supply. Using general scientific methods, comparison, systems analysis, and monographic methods, the study described a strategic project for green development of urban agricultural systems. The findings suggest that green development mechanisms can foster city self-sufficiency in organic and safe products, short supply chains, and green urban agriculture.
EconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changePolicyTra espansione urbana e sicurezza alimentare: il caso della Green Belt bonearense
2020Thomas Gilardi · Geography Notebooks · Argentina
In the Bonearense region, urban expansion is encroaching on fertile plains, impacting territorial characteristics. While urban and peri-urban agriculture contributes to food sustenance for the AMBA population, it has not been sufficiently recognized for green area recovery, organic waste recycling, and wastewater management. Regional authorities have begun to acknowledge urban agriculture's role in combating urban poverty, but local economic development faces challenges in mediating food security and recreational services amidst pressures from urban real estate and agro-industrial production.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justicePeri-urban agriculturePolicyEconomicsUrban–rural linkageCultivating urban conviviality: urban farming in the shadows of Copenhagen's neoliberalisms
2020Rebecca Leigh Rutt · Journal of Political Ecology · Denmark (Copenhagen)
Ethnographic research on a small rooftop garden in Copenhagen, Denmark, explored how urban farming initiatives interact with neoliberal trends. The study found that communal, eco-social urban farming endeavors are entangled in the city's neoliberal turn, with formalization processes and austerity measures both nurturing and endangering these initiatives. Neoliberal labor, food systems, and housing policies are shown to subvert convivial urban farming efforts.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceApplying the food-energy-water nexus approach to urban agriculture: From FEW to FEWP (Food-Energy-Water-People)
2020Silvio Caputo, Victoria Schoen, Kathrin Specht, Baptiste Grard, Chris Blythe, Nevin Cohen, Runrid Fox-Kämper, Jason K. Hawes, Joshua Newell, Lidia Poniży · Urban forestry & urban greening · Global
This paper proposed a new conceptual basis and assessment methodology for an Urban Agriculture Nexus, explicitly including "People" as a fundamental factor alongside Food, Energy, and Water, customized for urban agriculture's characteristics. The methodology measures resource efficiency, food production, motivations, and health benefits, combining methods like diaries of everyday practices, a database of activities, life cycle assessment, and material flow analysis to connect garden-scale investigations to the city scale.
CommunityHealthClimate changePolicyREAPPROPRIATION OF ELEVATED HIGHWAY RESIDUAL SPACE THROUGH GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING
2020Mohamed Ikhwan Nasir Mohamed Anuar, Saiful Arif Abdullah · PLANNING MALAYSIA · Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur)
This study explored the typologies and reappropriation of residual spaces under elevated highways in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, using site observation, document analysis, and expert interviews. Two main typologies of residual spaces were identified: easily accessible and hard-to-access. Experts suggested that play lots, recreational lots, and community gardens were suitable for easily accessible spaces, while semi-natural areas and functional landscapes were suitable for hard-to-access spaces.
CommunityPolicyBiodiversityThe Relationship Between Consumer Behaviour, Attitudes and Acceptance of Public Policy Tools Advancing Sustainable Food Consumption
2020Anna Wielicka‐Regulska · Folia Oeconomica Stetinensia · Global
This study examined consumer attitudes towards sustainable food consumption aspects, including urban agriculture, and their acceptance of public policy tools. It found that most respondents buy seasonal food and limit meat consumption, but are rarely influenced by food's climate impact. Most respondents were negative about gardening for food production, though they favored local food in public institutions.
PolicyEconomicsUrban Sustainable Growth, Development, and Governance Structures for Revitalization of Open Vacant Spaces in Agriculture and Farming
2020José́ G. Vargas-Hernández · Practice, progress, and proficiency in sustainability · Global
This chapter analyzes the implications of urban sustainable growth, development, and governance structures for revitalizing open vacant spaces in agriculture and farming. Following an extensive literature review, the authors used critical socio-ecological analysis to identify key issues, trends, practices, and implications of urban vacant spaces concerning sustainable urban growth, urban agriculture use, and collaborative governance for revitalization. It concludes that transitional use of vacant land should be employed for developing sustainable green cities, but urban vacant spaces require stimulated utilization for revitalization purposes.
PolicyCommunityBiodiversityUrban–rural linkageThe community economies of Esch-sur-Alzette: rereading the economy of Luxembourg
2020Gerald Taylor Aiken, Christian Schulz, Benedikt Schmid · Voluntary Sector Review · Luxembourg
This article outlines the community economies of Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg's "second city." Esch-sur-Alzette features multiple community-based organizations and movements, including an energy cooperative, urban gardening, an upcycling clothing factory, and a local food shop and restaurant. The article uses Luxembourg's case to reread the relationship between the state and the so-called third sector, defending the political possibilities of community economies.
CommunityEconomicsPolicyCivic modes of greening the city? Urban natures in-between familiar engagement and green critique
2020Jakob Laage‐Thomsen, Anders Blok · Local Environment · Denmark
This article explores variations in civic engagement with urban sustainability politics by examining "urban green communities" in Denmark, including urban gardening and beekeeping. Using a conceptualization of civic and place-based material participation from pragmatic sociology, particularly Laurent Thévenot's work, the study traces translations between familiar attachments and public critiques within these communities. A comprehensive digital mapping exercise identified six civic modes of urban greening and their group engagement styles, with implications for care, justice, and democracy in sustainable city-making.
CommunityBiodiversityPolicyLas organizaciones de usuarios de agua en la construcción de la escasez hídrica. De las acciones geolegales a una territorialización securitaria del agua
2020Chloé Nicolas-Artero · Revista INVI · Chile
This article analyzes the role of water user organizations in the construction of water scarcity within the Chilean ideological and legal water context. The existence of urban gardens in the north of the country is notable in this context, which is oriented towards water use efficiency.
Governance failurePolicyClimate changeEconomics