Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
6072 results(239 / 243)
The Importance of School Gardens as Perceived by Florida Elementary School Teachers
2000Sonja M. Skelly, Jennifer Bradley · HortTechnology · United States (Florida)
A Fall 1997 questionnaire for elementary school teachers participating in a Florida school garden competition found that teachers used school gardens infrequently, with most using them as an instructional tool no more than 10% of the time. However, 97.1% used them for environmental education, 72.9% for experiential learning, and 84.3% reported enhanced student learning. The surveyed teachers had relatively new gardens and lacked or were unaware of educational resources.
Food educationCommunityHealthLos catálogos en el planeamiento urbanístico: de instrumento auxiliar a documento base
2000Carmen Egea Jiménez, Ana Fernández Zamora · Arqueología y Territorio Medieval · Spain (Granada)
This article re-evaluates the significance of Protection Catalogues in urban planning, highlighting their role not only as protection instruments but also in influencing urban decisions during the planning process. The "Catalogue of Urban Gardens of the Municipality of El Valle (Granada)" in Spain is used as a case study to illustrate this approach.
PolicyCommunityProcess and effect of reorganization of village started by the allotment garden-Matsumoto district in Kobe City.
2000Yasunari Miyake, Yasuo Matsumoto · JOURNAL OF RURAL PLANNING ASSOCIATION · Japan (Kobe City)
This paper clarified the process of village reorganization in Matsumoto district, Kobe City, Japan, which began with an allotment garden in a suburban agricultural area. Five conditions were identified as crucial for the approval and promotion of this reorganization: the presence of proactive leaders, the effective role of land improvement projects, public relations to residents, an administrative promotion system, and the district's specific location and social conditions.
CommunityPeri-urban agriculturePolicyThe Myth of the Urban Peasant
2000Simon Clarke, Elena Varshavskaya, Сергей Алашеев, Marina Karelina · Work Employment and Society · Russia
This paper examines the "myth of the urban peasant" in Russia, which suggests urban households survive economic collapse through subsistence agriculture. Based on official and survey data analysis, it shows that while many urban households grow food, those with low incomes are least likely to do so, and subsistence production complements rather than replaces paid employment. Furthermore, those who grow their own food work long hours for little return, spending no less on purchased food than those who grow nothing.
Limited or null effectEconomicsCommunityWelfareUrban–rural linkageSpectrophotometric Determination of Cadmium (II) in Soil of Allotment Gardens in Łódź
2000B. Jankiewicz, B. Ptaszyński, Michael Wieczorek · Polish Journal of Environmental Studies · Poland (Łódź)
This study determined cadmium in the soil of six allotment gardens in Łódź, located in areas with different traffic patterns (city center and suburbs). Cadmium was detected in the form of cadmium (II) dithizonate using the extraction-spectrophotometric method. This research indicates the presence of cadmium contamination in urban allotment garden soils.
Contamination & food safetyHealthCommunityMarketing Strategies and Challenges of Small‐Scale Organic Producers in Central North Carolina
2000Susan Andreatta · Culture & Agriculture · United States
This paper describes marketing opportunities for small-scale, limited-resource organic producers in Central North Carolina, United States. It examines farmers' markets and community-supported agriculture programs, highlighting how growers advocate and educate consumers about local agriculture. The study discusses the increasing demand for local organic food and strategies for growers to enhance community support, suggesting that alternative production and niche marketing could help sustain small-scale growers amidst farm loss and declining conventional agricultural prices.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceUrban farmers in Nakuru, Kenya
2000Dick Foeken, Samuel Owuor · Leiden Repository (Leiden University) · Kenya (Nakuru)
A general survey was conducted in June-July 1999 on farming practices by inhabitants of Nakuru town, Kenya. The survey collected basic data on the extent of farming, types of farming, food produced, inputs used, constraints faced, characteristics of farming households, reasons for urban farming, and the extent of rural farming by town dwellers.
CommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceAllergy-Free Gardening: The Revolutionary Guide to Healthy Landscaping - eScholarship
2000William Ted Johnson · Electronic Green Journal · North America
This is a review of Thomas Leo Ogren's book "Allergy-Free Gardening: The Revolutionary Guide to Healthy Landscaping" (2000). The reviewer notes that while the book attempts to quantify plant allergy potential, it overstates the case against many common North American garden species. Ogren's OPALS system for allergy classification considers various factors but lacks a clear explanation of how these factors combine into a single score, suggesting a reliance on subjective estimation rather than scientific objectivity. The book's focus on planting only female plants to achieve an "allergy-free" garden is criticized for undermining efforts to consider the holistic value of native plantscapes.
CommunityHealthNGO experiences in Lima targeting urban poor through urban agriculture.
2000Andres Dasso, Teobaldo Pinzas · · Peru
In Lima, Peru, a city with an infertile sandy environment and 0.0 mm average rainfall, urban agriculture has been implemented since the late 1980s to improve the living conditions of the resource-poor urban population. This initiative addresses the rapid urban growth experienced by Lima between the 1950s and 1990s, primarily due to migration.
WelfareCommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceUrban agriculture in the city of Havana: a popular response to a crisis.
2000Marta Novo, Catherine Murphy, N. Bakker, Marielle Dubbeling, S. Gündel, U. Sabel-Koschella, H. de Zeeuw · · Cuba (Havana)
This abstract provides demographic and administrative details of Havana, Cuba, noting its area of 721 km² and a population of 2.2 million, representing 20% of Cuba's total population. It highlights a population density of 3,014 persons/km² and mentions the city's division into 15 municipalities and 104 people's councils. The abstract does not contain information about urban agriculture itself, only contextual data about Havana.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityEconomicsLocal food and land-use in Washington County, Oregon
2000Joshua J. Cousins · · United States (Oregon)
This qualitative study examined local food networks in Washington County, Oregon, focusing on small-scale agricultural landscapes and farmers selling through farmers markets or CSAs. It explored farmers' concerns about urbanization, farmland preservation, and their difficulties participating in local food networks. The research concluded that local food sold through alternative venues can help preserve and develop specific farm sites.
Economic viabilityCSA & TeikeiCommunityEconomicsPeri-urban agricultureUrban–rural linkageA Community Diabetes Education and Gardening Project to Improve Diabetes Care in a Northwest American Indian Tribe
2000Donna Armstrong · The Science of Diabetes Self-Management and Care · United States
This study aimed to design a culturally appropriate diabetes education program for a Northwest American Indian tribe. A community-based intervention, including workshops on health themes and a community garden, was designed to address multiple barriers to diabetes care. However, prior to the implementation of the community workshops and evaluations, the tribal government chose to discontinue receiving federal funding for this project.
Governance failureCommunityHealthFood educationWelfareExploring Sense of Place of Community Gardens in Portland
2000Barbara Shields · · United States (Portland)
This study examined the social and physical connections and images that define the sense of place in three community gardens managed by the City of Portland, United States. Thirty gardeners participated, using a narrative photo storytelling method to express their connections to space and experiences of empowerment through community gardening. The study proposes the concept of the Natural Realm, where community gardeners experience empowerment by perceiving gardens as sacred places for growing healthy food, practicing green domesticity, and learning from nature in a beautiful setting. Gardeners achieve most of their empowerment goals through solitary efforts to maximize pleasurable activities and increase personal efficacy and satisfaction.
CommunityA Case Study on Resident's Awareness of the Meaning and Role of Edible Landscape
2000Isami Kinoshita · Journal of The Japanese Institute of Landscape Architecture · Japan
This study analyzed residents' awareness of edible plant cultivation on their properties and the formation of edible landscapes in public spaces, in relation to childhood experiences and memories. The findings showed that childhood experiences influenced the formation of edible landscapes on private properties, which held multiple meanings, but the attribution of meaning to edible landscapes in public spaces was weak, highlighting resident involvement as a challenge.
Governance failureCommunityFood educationUrban–rural linkageCitizen-led Urban Agriculture and the Politics of Spatial Reappropriation in Montreal, Quebec
2000Claire Bach · · Canada (Montreal)
A case study of informal citizen-led urban agriculture projects in Montreal, Canada, focuses on the dynamics surrounding their establishment and complex structure. While often initiated by citizen groups, other actors, including non-profit organizations, municipal officials, or business owners, are also involved. This research demonstrates that collective urban agriculture projects exist simultaneously as a political practice that might not significantly alter the existing spatial and social orders.
CommunityPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceGérard MONEDIAIRE [dir.], Agricultures urbaines et ville durable européenne. Droits et politiques du jardinage familial urbain en Europe, Limoges, PULIM-Presses universitaires de Limoges, 1999, 334 p.
2000Isabel Boussard · OpenEdition (OpenEdition) · Europe
This book, published in 1999, defines "urban agricultures" as agricultural activities aimed at land development within urban or peri-urban sites. It explores the subject beyond traditional French worker or family gardens, considering the diversity of garden types and the broad geographical scope across Europe.
PolicyCommunityPeri-urban agricultureGrowing STEM Education on the Playground: A Case Study of the Factors That Influence Teachers’ Use of School Gardens
2000Megan Poole · · Global
Factors influencing primary school teachers' decisions to utilize school gardens in their STEM curriculum were investigated using a mixed methods design in a single school district. Quantitative data was collected from garden resource and teacher self-efficacy surveys, while qualitative data was extracted from in-depth teacher interviews. Overall analyses determined that aspects of instruction and logistics were the most important factors for teachers in their decision to utilize school gardens.
Food educationCommunityWaste recycling through urban farming in Hubli-Dharwad.
2000Fiona Nunan · · India (Hubli-Dharwad)
Urban agriculture in Hubli-Dharwad, India, is characterized by tradition and links with rural areas. The majority of urban agricultural activities in India involve keeping livestock, particularly in urban dairies, rather than vegetable growing by low-income communities. Urban and peri-urban agricultural activities in India are strongly associated with urban-based sources of waste, both in terms of consuming waste and producing dung.
Organic cycleWelfareCommunityUsing a Web-based Survey to Research the Benefits of Children Gardening
2000Tina M. Waliczek, R. Daniel Lineberger, Jayne M. Zajicek, Jennifer Bradley · HortTechnology · Global
This study investigated adults' perceptions of the benefits of children participating in gardening through a web-based survey (320 responses) targeting adults working with youth in garden situations. The study covered 128,836 children, primarily under 12, involved in gardening with teachers in school gardens. Adults reported benefits to children's self-esteem and reduction in stress levels. Comparisons showed parents viewed food production as most important, while teachers prioritized socializing and learning about plants.
Food educationHealthCommunity456 Measuring the Intensity of School Gardening Programs and the Impact on Positive Youth Development
2000Sonja M. Skelly, John Bradley · HortScience · United States (Florida)
This research project aimed to develop a typology of school garden program intensity and to determine if variables related to positive youth development varied within this intensity typology. Twenty elementary schools in Florida participated, accounting for approximately 20 teachers and 400 third-grade students. The study examined student developmental assets, environmental attitudes, and attitudes toward science.
Food educationCommunityHealthManaging Hawaii's Forests: A Conjoint Analysis of Lei Plant Material Sources
2000Gary R. Vieth · · United States (Hawaii)
This article examines conditions to encourage Oahu hula dancers, who gather forest plant materials for lei, to switch to alternatives like community gardens or commercial purchase. Some hula teachers expressed willingness to switch if alternatives were attractive, while others did not. The study suggests that policies making alternatives more appealing, such as reducing labor in community gardens or lowering commercial prices, may be more cost-effective than trying to change user preferences.
CommunityUrban–rural linkageResearch Article: Managing Hawaii's Forests: A Conjoint Analysis ofLeiPlant Material Sources
2000Gary R. Vieth, Linda J. Cox, Margaret Josephson, James R. Hollyer · Environmental Practice · United States (Hawaii)
This article examines conditions to encourage hula dancers on Oahu, Hawaii, to switch from forest gathering for lei plant materials to alternatives like community gardens or commercial purchase. Some hula teachers expressed willingness to switch if alternatives were attractive, while others did not. The study suggests that policies making alternatives more appealing, such as reducing labor in community gardens or lowering commercial prices, may be more cost-effective than trying to change user preferences.
CommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkageBuilding a Mien American House: An Inter-Cultural Dialogue.
2000Lorie Hammond · · United States (California)
This study applies an anthropological approach to science teaching at a mainstream California elementary school, focusing on inter-cultural dialogue between Mien refugee families from Laos and mainstream educators. Using a family literacy project and a school-community garden, the research explores how traditional cultural knowledge and Western scientific knowledge can blend to develop curricula for science and literacy. The paper emphasizes dialogue where minority and majority voices co-create curricula, contrasting with standard parent involvement models.
CommunityFood educationWelfareRewriting the Plot: Sustaining allotments in the UK and Japan
2000Richard Wiltshire, Ren Azuma · Local Environment · Global
In the late 1980s, Japanese experts seeking a model allotment garden rejected the UK model, perceiving it as low status and in decline, in favor of the German Kleingarten. This paper suggests reconsidering the UK experience, given efforts to rebrand UK allotment gardening within sustainable development and the challenges faced by the Japanese Kleingarten model in the 1990s' changed economic climate.
CommunityPolicyThe greening of the "barrios": Urban agriculture for food security in Cuba
1999Altieri M.A., Companioni N., Cañizares K., Murphy C., Rosset P., Bourque M., Nicholls C.I. · Agriculture and Human Values · Cuba (Havana)
This study analyzes Cuba's grassroots urban agriculture movement that emerged after the 1989 Soviet collapse, showing how ~8,000 gardens nationwide operated on agroecological principles without synthetic inputs, providing Havana with thousands of tonnes of produce by 1996.
CommunityPolicyBiodiversityOrganic cycle