Research & reports

Carmen Cantuarias-Villessuzanne, Mathilde Vignau · Nouvelles perspectives en sciences sociales · Global

This paper aims to analyze urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) projects in France through the notion of environmental capital. Interest in UPA has grown in Western countries since the late 19th century, and this study seeks to clarify its economic models and ultimately formalize a new mapping of contemporary UPA projects in France.

Ingrid Jahrl, Olivier Ejderyan, Joëlle Salomon Cavin · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · Switzerland

An analysis of policy documents in the Swiss cities of Lausanne and Zurich confirmed that community gardens better accommodate the tensions created by compact and green city discourses compared to other types of food gardening. Policies are oriented towards favoring community gardening through four frames, citing their modest, flexible, and multifunctional design, their role as a new benchmark, fostering diversity, and their cost-efficient management with active citizen participation.

Yiming Shao, Zhugen Wang, Zhiwei Zhou, Haojing Chen, Yuanlong Cui, Zhenghuan Zhou · Sustainability · Global

Vertical farming faces challenges such as high energy consumption, costs, and a lack of social acceptance. This study investigated public acceptance of micro-vertical farming using a deconstructed theory of planned behavior model. Results showed that the overall mean of public behavioral intentions to use vertical farming was 3.9, which is above neutral (3.00) but less than positive (4.00).

Shannon Davis, Guanyu Chen · Sustainability · New Zealand (Auckland)

A survey of residents near Cornwall Park in Auckland, New Zealand, examined perceptions of integrating grazing animals into urban greenspaces. The study found that 99% of respondents felt positive about the inclusion of grazing animals as part of the public park. These findings support decision-making for policies enabling animal-based agriculture in public greenspaces in cities of the Global North.

Maria Teresa Braga Bizarria, Marcela Palomino‐Schalscha, Polly Stupples · Geography Compass · Global

This paper reviews the multi-scalar transformative potential of community gardens for volunteers, informed by a feminist approach. It examines literature on gendered benefits and empowerment women experience in community gardens, individually and collectively. The paper also discusses how community gardens offer opportunities to raise awareness of oppression and envision social change, suggesting they can be conceptualized as feminist spaces.

Guilherme Mazza Dourado · Cahiers de la recherche architecturale urbaine et paysagère · Global

This abstract introduces a book by Franco Panzini, "Cultivating the City: A Social History of Urban Gardens in the 20th Century." It notes the diverse terminology for urban gardens across different countries, such as "jardin ouvrier" in France, "Schrebergarten" in Germany, "Allotment Garden" in Great Britain, and "Victory Garden" in the United States during world conflicts. The abstract focuses on the linguistic polyphony used to designate urban vegetable gardens.

Jelena Živanović Miljković, Vesna Popović, Aleksandra Gajić · Land · Serbia (Novi Sad)

A study conducted in Futog, Novi Sad, Serbia, investigated land take (LT) processes and challenges for urban agriculture, focusing on the role and implications of land use planning. Quantifying LT for 2000–2018 using CORINE Land Cover and Urban Atlas datasets revealed that a significant portion of agricultural land in Futog, registered as a Geographical Indication (GI) for Futog cabbage, was planned for conversion into construction land. The study concluded that current land use planning in Serbia is inadequate to ensure the protection of either urban agriculture or GIs.

Sandrine Simon · Midas · Portugal (Lisbon)

This exhibition catalogue further synthesizes and analyzes the outcomes of the "Lisbon Vegetable Gardens" exhibition, which took place at the Museu de Lisboa – Palácio Pimenta in Lisbon from October 23, 2020. It includes contributions from a wide range of individuals, including museum professionals, academics, architects, gardeners, consultants in circular sustainable economy, and members of the Working Group for the Development and Promotion of Urban Agriculture in Lisbon.

Diana Galos, Silviu Medeşan · sITA · Romania (Cluj-Napoca)

This study examines the case of urban gardening in the "La Terenuri" area of Mănăștur neighborhood, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Residents began gardening in the land between buildings during the 1970s and 1980s, influenced by communist laws encouraging food production and green space care. This phenomenon utilized the skills of rural residents to complete "socialist utopian projects" when resources were insufficient, leading to the creation of strong, lasting community groups.

Theodoros Kouros · Built Environment · Cyprus (Limassol)

This ethnographic study in Limassol, Cyprus, examines tactical gardening as a form of informal urbanism. It found that, contrary to common perceptions of guerrilla gardening as community-building, these interventions by home and business owners often serve private gain by expanding into public spaces and can exclude other community members from using those public spaces. The research highlights a negative aspect of tactical gardening, where it contributes to the privatization of public areas.

Emanuele Batistela dos Santos, Dayanne da Costa Maynard, Renata Puppin Zandonadi, António Raposo, Raquel Braz Assunção Botelho · Foods · Global

This systematic review, including 50 studies, examined sustainability recommendations in school feeding policies and practices adopted in schools globally. Frequently cited practices included school gardens and sustainability education activities. Recommendations often focused on purchasing sustainable food, nutrition education, and reducing food waste, highlighting the need for managers to prioritize sustainability education in curricula.

Elias Danyi Kuusaana, Isaac Ayurienga, Joyce A. Eledi Kuusaana, Joseph Kwaku Kidido, Ibrahim Abu Abdulai · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · Ghana (Bolgatanga)

A study in Bolgatanga Township, Ghana, used field surveys, key informant interviews, and GIS mapping to examine urban agricultural practices. It found that agricultural lands significantly decreased in size and contiguity since 1996 due to urban sprawl, forcing farmers to use segregated plots and undeveloped residential areas which are easily lost to development. The study concluded that urbanization exacerbates food production challenges without policies to protect agricultural lands.

Norma Wong, Marte C. W. Solheim · Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks · Norway

This case study details Tugushan Alp's entrepreneurial journey in Norway, where he pioneered hydroponic lettuce production in a bomb shelter. Alp faced multiple hurdles, including battling regulatory bodies for a legal premise. Despite these challenges, he achieved success and recognition for his innovative urban farming method.

Runrid Fox-Kämper, Specht Kathrin, Caputo Silvio, Hawes Jason K., Lélièvre Agnès, Cohen Nevin, Poniży Lidia · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Global

This roadmap identifies policy recommendations for a desirable future for urban agriculture in 2050, based on policy reviews, interviews, and workshops. It assesses how policy can be developed to create synergies between urban agriculture and cities' food, energy, and water nexus, drawing from existing policies in five city regions in France, Germany, Poland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The recommendations are based on the most positive outcomes for urban agriculture, cities, and citizens.

Larisa Ivaşcu · Review of Management and Economic Engineering · Romania

This paper presents preliminary results on urban farming in Romania and Malaysia for the period June 2020 - September 2021, highlighting its role in sustainability, particularly during the pandemic. Malaysia exhibits well-defined urban farming behaviors, whereas Romania's concept is incipient. Increased involvement of individuals or employees in urban agriculture is associated with substantial benefits, including increased motivation, improved health, and improved sports.

Komalawati Komalawati, Sarjana, Anggi Sahru Romdon, Fransiscus Roedy Hartono, Sri Murtiati, Forita Dyah Arianti, Wahyudi Hariyanto, Renie Oelviani · Journal of Resilient Economies (ISSN 2653-1917) · Global

This paper studied the benefits of urban farming as a resilient strategy during the COVID-19 pandemic, using primary data from interviews conducted in June-July 2021 and secondary sources. The analysis found that respondents had a strongly positive perception of urban farming. It concluded that urban farming could be a resilient strategy by reducing stress, increasing community income, and potentially enhancing immunity and health systems in urban areas.

Siwei Hu, MI Chang-hong, SHI Rongguang, YANG Yanying · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Global

This study analyzed the frontiers, hot topics, and trends of sustainable agriculture development using CiteSpace, based on 2,217 papers published in Web of Science and China National Knowledge Infrastructure from 2000 to 2019. Frontiers focused on "food system resilience and food security," "ecological intensification and sustainable intensification," "agricultural multi-functionality and urban agriculture," and "trade-offs and synergies of ecosystem services in agroecosystem." Hotspots included climate change impacts on agricultural systems and adaptive management, ecosystem services management in agro-ecosystems, and environmental impact assessment of agricultural activities and integrated sustainability assessment of agricultural systems.

Hui-Shan Sim, Weng Wai Choong, Siaw-Chui Wee, Sheau-Ting Low · International Journal of Built Environment and Sustainability · Global

An online survey of 407 millennials investigated their preferences for neighborhood project developments and willingness to pay for them. The study found that millennials prefer recreational parks, police booths, community gardens, transit stations, and feeder bus routes in their neighborhoods. They are most willing to pay for transit stations, followed by educational institutions, recreational parks, police booths, and integrated public transport terminals.

Ivana Chaloska · South East European Journal of Architecture and Design · Global

This master's thesis conducted qualitative empirical research for the multidisciplinary conceptualization of urban public space, focusing on ecological and social sustainability and socio-spatial relations. Through an inter-contextual analysis and a case study highlighting urban community gardens, the research supports a conceptual design of public space that can function as activism for rethinking existing structures or as a continuous process of socio-spatial relations.

Stella Kabiri, Molly Allen, Judith Tomma Okuonzia, Beatrice Akello, Rebecca Ssabaganzi, Drake N. Mubiru · Open Research Africa · Uganda

This study investigated the extent of wetland loss and encroachment by urban agriculture in Wakiso and Kampala, Uganda, over 30 years from 1986 to 2016. Using field surveys, Landsat, and MODIS NDVI data, the analysis found that 72,828 ha (73%) of Wakiso-Kampala wetlands were lost, while agricultural areas doubled. Of this, 16,488 ha (23%) were converted from wetlands, with all cultivated agriculture in Kampala occurring in wetlands and 73% in Wakiso.

Kamal Prasad Acharya, Chitra Budhathoki, Milan Acharya · The Qualitative Report · Nepal

Nepal's NORHED/Rupantaran project implemented participatory action research through school gardening to explore how basic level students (grades five to eight) and science teachers could foster agency in the school science curriculum. Qualitative research found that school gardening activities were helpful and productive for science teaching and learning. The findings offer new insights for policymakers to transform the school science curriculum and highlight the often-neglected collaborative knowledge production through school gardening in a contextual environment.

Setha Low · · Global

This chapter examines environmental sustainability and the greening of public spaces in Paris and New York City, tracing the history and impact of interventions like community gardens, urban agriculture, and sustainable parks. These initiatives contribute to ecological sustainability by fostering stronger communities, supporting social reproduction, and promoting environmental justice. The study highlights how human ecological planning and ecosystem services assessments provide scientific strategies for enhancing sustainability in public space design.

Susan Anne Mansel Fitzgerald · · Cuba

This chapter reviews various perspectives on urban agriculture in Havana, Cuba, focusing on farm types, food access, and cultural expressions. It highlights that research also addresses the hierarchies and power struggles surrounding urban agriculture sites and their integration into land-management systems. The study advocates for understanding the rhythms of everyday life to deepen insights into these sites.

Anders Blok, Amanda Krog Juvik, Anna Helene Kvist Møller, Jonas Skjold Raaschou-Pedersen, Jakob Laage‐Thomsen · City and Community · Denmark

This study mapped the group styles, spatial intergroup networks, and cultural-political value landscapes of 130 urban green communities across the four largest cities in Denmark using digital methods. The results showed that civic greening groups are neither neighborhood-based endeavors nor hubs of social movement mobilization, but rather geographies of co-engagement that span cities while also forging new senses and practices of place.

Shawn Bodden · City · Hungary (Budapest)

This essay reflected on the everyday political work of community projects to open up space for new possibilities of living with difference within hostile political environments, drawing on Doreen Massey's ideas of space. Through the case of the Auróra community center in Budapest, Hungary, and its members' community garden project, it examined the mundane and local techniques community groups use to construct better possible futures. The analysis suggested the importance of analyzing the situated and ongoing "terms of engagement" through which people open up, or close down, better possible spaces and ways of living with difference.