Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
1074 results(23 / 43)
Growing Food in the City: Urban Agriculture in Quito, Ecuador, through a Feminist Lens
2019Laine Young · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · Ecuador (Quito)
This preliminary research brief explores the potential of using intersectional experiences and feminist political ecology to assess urban agriculture (UA) programming in Quito, Ecuador. It suggests this approach can influence increased access to nutritious food for marginalized people, promote equality and inclusion, and improve urban environments.
CommunityWelfareFood sovereignty & justicePolicyAn Exploration of Crops Listed in Gwanhyuji, an Agricultural Book in the Joseon Dynasty for the Promotion of the Diversity of Urban Gardens
2019In-Kyoung Hong, Young Chae, Sang-Mi Lee, Young-Bin Jung · Journal of people, plants, and environment · South Korea
This study aimed to improve the diversity of urban gardens by identifying suitable crops from "Gwanhyuji," an agricultural book from the Joseon Dynasty. Fifty-three crops were selected based on traditionality, historicity, health functionality, and popularity, and their properties were evenly distributed. The study suggests that applying traditional knowledge to urban agriculture can transform urban gardens into resources offering educational and traditional values, thereby enhancing their diversity and utility.
Heirloom & landraceCommunityHealthWelfareElderlyModelo de agricultura familiar urbano como estrategia de integración social y desarrollo sustentable en la institución agrícola Guacavia
2019Nury Katherine Da Graca Vega, Jessica Johana Roman Torres · · Colombia
This work was carried out within the framework of a research project focused on developing an urban family agriculture model as a strategy for social integration and economic development for less favored strata in Cumaral municipality, Colombia. Urban family agriculture is presented as a social development proposal that links individual needs with the use of urban spaces, fostering sustainable ecological, economic, cultural, and social activities.
CommunityWelfareFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsStrengthening social ties in vulnerable cities
2019Jean-Christophe Levassor · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · France
This study addresses social divisions in Le Pile, east Roubaix, France, where over 40% of residents live below the poverty line. It states that without proactive policies, social divisions will worsen, and initiatives like urban farming and zero waste will only have a limited effect beyond a small circle of insiders. La Condition Publique aims to recreate ties among various actors to support urban renovation and foster resilience in this deprived neighborhood.
Limited or null effectCommunityPolicyWelfareDireito à alimentação e os direitos da personalidade: da previsão à concretização desse direito sob a perspectiva do acesso à justiça
2019Dirceu Pereira Siqueira, Mariana Peixoto Espósito, Bruna Caroline Lima de Souza · Revista de Constitucionalização do Direito Brasileiro · Brazil (Maringá)
This article aimed to analyze the right to food and related public policies in Brazil, with an emphasis on the Urban and Periurban Agriculture Program and the Community Garden Program of the City of Maringá / PR, examining their effectiveness as public policies for realizing the right to food. The methodology involved a bibliographic review and interview-based field research. It was concluded that the Community Gardens Program is effective as a public policy in realizing the right to food.
PolicyFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityWelfareA Mixed-methods Examination of the Geospatial and Sociodemographic Context of a Direct-to-Consumer Food System Innovation
2019Jared T. McGuirt, Marilyn Sitaker, Stephanie Jilcott Pitts, Alice S. Ammerman, Jane Kolodinsky, Rebecca A. Seguin‐Fowler · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United States
This study examined the sociodemographic and geospatial context of cost-offset community supported agriculture (CO-CSA) pickup locations in relation to low-income customer residential locations across 23 pickup sites in four U.S. states (New York, North Carolina, Vermont, and Washington). Using GIS and interviews, it was found that pickup sites were an average of 6.2 miles (10 kilometers) from customers’ homes, further than the supermarket (2.9 miles or 4.7 km). Farmers reported efforts to select convenient locations, but CO-CSA customers expressed mixed levels of accessibility.
CSA & TeikeiWelfareEconomicsCommunityThe School-Plus-Home Gardens Project in the Philippines: A Participatory and Inclusive Model for Sustainable Development
2019Bessie M. Burgos, Henry Custodio, Shun-Nan Chiang, Anna Gale C. Vallez, Elson Ian Nyl Ebreo Galang, Maria Katrina R. Punto, Leila S. Africa, Blesilda M. Calub · · Philippines
The School-Plus-Home Gardens Project (S+HGP) was implemented in six pilot schools in Laguna province, Philippines, through a collaboration of SEARCA, UPLB, and DepEd. This project focused on nutrition, education, and economic well-being by providing school garden harvests for school feeding programs and establishing food gardens in children's homes. The S+HGP demonstrated the multi-functionality of school gardens as learning laboratories for sustainability, food and nutrition, organic agriculture, climate change, and solid waste management.
Food educationCommunityHealthWelfareMOTIVASI WARGA DALAM PELAKSANAAN PROGRAM DEMPLOT URBAN FARMING DI KAWASAN KAMPUNG MARUNDA KECAMATAN CILINCING JAKARTA UTARA
2019Riesma Andiani, Harsoyo Harsoyo, Subejo Subejo · Agritech Jurnal Fakultas Pertanian Universitas Muhammadiyah Purwokerto · Indonesia (Jakarta)
This study aimed to analyze the motivation of Marunda village residents in Cilincing District, North Jakarta, Indonesia, regarding the implementation of a demplot urban farming program and to identify affecting factors. A simple random sampling method was used with 60 residents as respondents. Research results showed that residents' motivation reached 73.33% and was significantly affected by attitude, the role of the supervisor, and the availability of infrastructures.
CommunityEconomicsFood educationWelfareCampesinos de Sonsón-Colombia frente al programa de fortalecimiento de la capacidad productiva
2019Edgar Ortiz-Mena, Jairo Ricardo Mora-Delgado · Revista de Ciencias Sociales · Colombia (Sonsón)
This hermeneutic study analyzed the Urban Agriculture Program in Sonsón, Colombia, which aims to improve the living conditions of violence victims. Through in-depth interviews and participant observation with 40 elderly beneficiaries over two months, it was found that while 40% improved their diet through broiler chicken training, beneficiaries perceived that the taught production techniques were time-consuming and did not lead to short-term cost reduction or income increase. The study concludes by recognizing the perceptions and adaptation strategies of families facing change.
Economic viabilityWelfareFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsFood educationSustainability: through cross-cultural community garden activities
2019Ranjan Datta · Local Environment · Global
This study explored the concept of sustainability among First Nations, visible minorities, and non-visible minorities through cross-cultural activities in a community garden setting, using a relational participatory action research (PAR) process. It argues that cross-cultural activities, such as dance, music, children’s art, anti-racist workshops, traditional story-sharing, land-based learning, and cross-cultural food sharing, can create positive change in an urban environment by empowering communities through cross-cultural bridging.
CommunityWelfareFood educationHealthGrowing Local: The Role of Urban Gardening in Fostering Food Security, Sustainability, and Community
2019Franklin Wagner, Lindsey Payne · Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement · United States (Lafayette)
In summer 2016, Purdue University researchers collaborated with Lafayette's GrowLocal Urban Gardens Network in Lafayette, Indiana, to conduct a baseline analysis of current community gardening initiatives. Using qualitative and quantitative data collection methods, they identified motivations and barriers to participation through stakeholder interviews and focus groups. The study indicated that urban gardens as community spaces may serve a greater purpose than providing fresh food, and its results informed a planning document for GrowLocal with strategic recommendations for governance, communication, event integration, and collaborative grants.
CommunityFood educationFood sovereignty & justiceHealthWelfareKnowledge, Attitudes, Beliefs and Behaviors Regarding Fruits and Vegetables among Cost-Offset Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) Applicants, Purchasers, and a Comparison Sample
2019Karla L. Hanson, Leah C. Volpe, Jane Kolodinsky, Grace Hwang, Weiwei Wang, Stephanie Jilcott Pitts, Marilyn Sitaker, Alice S. Ammerman, Rebecca A. Seguin‐Fowler · Nutrients · United States
A cross-sectional study in August 2017 surveyed cost-offset Community Supported Agriculture (CO-CSA) applicants (purchasers n=46, non-purchasers n=18) and a comparison sample (n=105) of low-income adults with children. CO-CSA applicants reported better knowledge, self-efficacy, home habits, and diet than the comparison sample. Among applicants, purchasers and non-purchasers had equivalent knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs, but children in purchaser households consumed significantly more fruits and vegetables (4.14 vs. 1.83 cups, p = 0.001).
CSA & TeikeiHealthWelfareFood educationChallenges and Opportunities for Sustainable Urban Farming in South African Low-Income Settlements: A Case Study in Durban
2019Iwona Bisaga, Priti Parikh, Claudia Loggia · Sustainability · South Africa (Durban)
This study explores challenges and opportunities for sustainable urban farming as an integrated environmental management strategy for upgrading informal settlements in three case studies in Durban, South Africa. It demonstrates the need for municipalities to support community-driven processes for urban agriculture initiatives and sustained investment for maintenance. Policymakers are urged to create an enabling environment for academics, NGOs, and the private sector to co-develop water-efficient solutions and leverage local community structures.
Food sovereignty & justiceWelfareCommunityEconomicsPolicyUrban Farming Movement
2019Pierluigi Nicolin · IGI Global eBooks · Global
This article describes the urban farming movement as a global phenomenon, emerging in cities worldwide from Mumbai to Tokyo, where cultivated areas produce food distributed locally. Driven largely by the poor and women on small farms, this politico-cultural movement integrates with urban ecosystems through food production, educational aims, and sustainability. It creates new landscapes that warrant aesthetic analysis and could influence urban visual conventions and lifestyles if scaled up.
CommunityFood educationUrban–rural linkageWelfareFood sovereignty & justice'The dissolution of cities': the Horseshoe settlement in Weimar Berlin
2018Barykina N. · Urban History (Cambridge University Press) · Germany
Analyzes Berlin's Horseshoe Estate (Hufeisensiedlung) by Taut and Wagner, examining how Weimar public-housing policy, new technologies, bureaucracy, and garden-city ideals shaped this modernist Siedlung as both aesthetic vision and social environment.
PolicyCommunityWelfareThe Work of Community Gardens: Reclaiming Place for Community in the City
2018Cumbers A., Shaw D., Crossan J., McMaster R. · Work, Employment and Society · United Kingdom
Using Glasgow community gardens as a case study, argues that gardening provides space for important forms of work that address social needs and advance community empowerment in deprived urban areas.
CommunityWelfareEconomicsBuilding sustainable university-based community gardens: Volunteer perceptions of enablers and barriers to engagement and benefits received from volunteering in the Moving Feast
2018Anderson C., Maher J., Wright H. · Cogent Social Sciences · Australia
Qualitative study of volunteers at a university-based community garden in Queensland, Australia, identifying enablers, barriers, and the social, educational, and career benefits relevant to sustaining institution-supported community gardens.
CommunityWelfareFood educationCorporate Volunteering: Relationship to Job Resources and Work Engagement
2018Boštjančič E., Antolović S., Erčulj V. · Frontiers in Psychology · Poland
Investigates how corporate volunteering programs relate to job resources and work engagement, showing employees with volunteering opportunities report higher autonomy, co-worker support, and engagement, linking CSR practices to employee wellbeing.
WelfareCommunityDoes Urban Agriculture Improve Food Security? Examining the Nexus of Food Access and Distribution of Urban Produced Foods in the United States: A Systematic Review
2018Siegner A., Sowerwine J., Acey C. · Sustainability 10(9):2988 · United States
Systematic review of US urban agriculture and food systems literature. Finds strong emphasis on multiple benefits but few studies robustly measuring urban farms' impact on food security in low-income communities.
WelfareHealthCommunityThe level of household food security of urban farming and non-farming households in the informal settlement area of the Cape Town Metropole in South Africa
2018Lategan F. S., Crous M. L. · South African Journal of Agricultural Extension 46(2):89-106 · South Africa
Comparing urban-farming and non-farming households in Cape Town's informal settlements, this study finds 78% severely food insecure; urban farmers were slightly more food secure but differences were not statistically significant.
WelfareEconomicsSocial perception of urban agriculture in Latin-America. A case study in Mexican social housing
2018Nadal A., Cerón-Palma I., García-Gómez C., Pérez-Sánchez M., Rodríguez-Labajos B., Cuerva E., Josa A., Rieradevall J. · Land Use Policy 76:719-734 · Mexico
Through interviews with 65 stakeholders in Mérida's social housing, this study analyzes social perceptions of urban agriculture in low-income Latin American settings, exploring its potential for safe, nutritious food supply and social benefits.
CommunityWelfarePolicyIndia's peri-urban frontier: rural-urban transformations and food security
2018Vij S., Narain V., Karpouzoglou T., Mishra P. · IIED Working Paper, International Institute for Environment and Development · India
This paper examines rural-urban transformations in India's neglected peri-urban areas in relation to food production, access, consumption, and nutritional quality, arguing peri-urban agriculture could be a major contributor to pro-poor food security and poverty alleviation.
WelfarePolicyEconomicsUrban Gardens in Greece: A New Way of Living in the City
2018Haniotou H., Dalipi E. · In: Glatron S., Granchamp L. (eds) The Urban Garden City: Shaping the City with Gardens Through History. Springer, Cham, pp. 245–268 · Greece
The chapter surveys the proliferation of urban community gardens across Greek metropolitan areas, situating their emergence in the context of economic crisis and examining their effects on urban residents' livelihoods and relationship to green space.
CommunityPolicyWelfareEconomicsPhysical and Mental Health Impacts of Household Gardens in an Urban Slum in Lima, Peru
2018Korn A., Bolton S.M., Spencer B., Alarcon J.A., Andrews L., Voss J.G. · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Vol. 15, No. 8 · Peru (Lima)
A longitudinal pilot study examining the feasibility and health outcomes of household garden implementation in a Lima urban slum, collecting anthropometric and mental health data at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months, finding positive associations with nutritional status and wellbeing.
HealthWelfareCommunityIs community management of resources by urban households, feasible? Lessons from community gardens in Gweru, Zimbabwe
2018Mwakiwa E., Maparara T., Tatsvarei S., Muzamhindo N. · Urban Forestry & Urban Greening · Zimbabwe (Gweru)
This study used econometric methods to analyze participation factors in NGO-introduced community gardens in Gweru, Zimbabwe, finding that food-insecure households with strong social capital were most likely to engage in community resource management, while tenure insecurity and water access were key barriers to sustained participation.
CommunityFood educationEconomicsWelfare