Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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The Effect of Community Gardens on Property Crime Rates in Inner City Houston
2005M.R. Gorham, Tina M. Waliczek · HortScience · United States (Houston)
This study aimed to determine if a relationship existed between reported property crimes and the presence of inner city community gardens in Houston, Texas. Property crime data from 1995 through 2004 were obtained from the Houston Police Department, and crime rates within a 1/8-mile radius surrounding community gardens were compared to the property crime rate for the entire police beat. The abstract does not state the study's results.
CommunityHealthPolicyLeisure Spaces as Potential Sites for Interracial Interaction: Community Gardens in Urban Areas
2004Kimberly J. Shinew, Troy D. Glover, Diana C. Parry · Journal of Leisure Research · United States (St. Louis)
A study focusing on African American and White gardeners in St. Louis, United States, examined whether urban community gardens are perceived as spaces where people of different races can successfully integrate. The study also sought to examine race and its relationship to perceptions, motivations, and benefits of community gardening.
CommunityHealthFood educationViolência Escolar e Horta Comunitária: A Educação Ambiental Enquanto Agente de Socialização
2004Juliana Munaretti de Oliveira, Janaína F. F. Cintrão · Revista Brasileira Multidisciplinar · Brazil (Araraquara)
This research in Araraquara, Brazil, investigated behavioral problems among high school students at a state school in Vila Xavier. A questionnaire was used to understand behaviors conflicting with social norms. The study observed changes in student behavior related to food, specifically increased appreciation for the cafeteria and respect for lunch staff. These observations led to the creation of a community garden, which contributed to students' socialization, offered possibilities for new skills, and generated value for citizenship, in addition to supplementing family nutrition.
CommunityFood educationHealthScience-Based Solutions to Obesity: What is the Role of Agriculture?
2004CAST · · United States
This comprehensive report by a twelve-member task force examines the changing role of agriculture in urban settings within historical and contemporary American society. It outlines geographic, demographic, and economic changes in rural and metropolitan life, considering policy issues such as land preservation, alternative market opportunities, sprawl, taxation, and food security. The report also presents research and educational challenges for higher education institutions.
HealthFood sovereignty & justicePolicyEconomicsUrban–rural linkageGrowing Healthy Children: Can Gardening Improve Fruit and Vegetable Attitudes in Minority Children?
2004Geralyn Nolan, Jayne M. Zajicek · HortScience · United States
This research investigated whether gardening supplemented with nutritional curriculum could improve fruit and vegetable attitudes in minority children in Texas elementary schools. Children completed pre- and post-tests evaluating attitudes, snack preferences, and nutritional knowledge. Statistically significant positive differences were found in all three variables after the gardening and nutritional instruction.
Food educationHealthCommunityWhat's for dinner?Organizing around food access issues in Los Angeles.
2004Prebus, Olivia · Occidental College Scholar (Occidental College) · United States (Los Angeles)
This work addresses the gross inequity of food access in low-income neighborhoods of Los Angeles, such as MacArthur Park, where grocery stores are scarce. The author's internship at the Center for Food and Justice involved projects like a Community Food Assessment and organizing a community garden, all focused on empowering communities to tackle complex food access issues. The abstract highlights the severe problem of limited healthy food options leading to simultaneous obesity and malnutrition.
Equity & displacementCommunityFood educationHealthWelfareAgricultura urbana: uma alternativa contra a fome em Corumbá e Ladário (MS).
2004J. S. [UNESP] Gonçalves, S. A. A. dos [UNESP] Santos, F. F. CURADO · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Brazil (Corumbá)
This work, part of the "Food Security and Citizenship" project coordinated by Embrapa Pantanal in Corumbá and Ladário, Brazil, aims to promote healthy food production. It seeks to improve the food quality of the urban population by creating alternatives for better food and nutritional security and income generation in these areas.
Food sovereignty & justiceWelfareHealthEconomicsCommunityCommunity Gardens: Lessons Learned From California Healthy Cities and Communities
2003Joan M. Twiss, Joy Dickinson, Shirley Duma, Tanya Kleinman, Heather Paulsen, Liz Rilveria · American Journal of Public Health · United States (California)
Community gardens enhance nutrition, physical activity, and social capital, promoting public health and quality of life. The California Healthy Cities and Communities (CHCC) program funded successful community gardens in several cities, which incorporated local leadership, volunteers, and skill-building. These initiatives led to policies for land and water use, improved produce access, and strengthened community building skills.
CommunityHealthFood educationPolicyThe Story of the Queen Anne Memorial Garden: Resisting a Dominant Cultural Narrative
2003Troy D. Glover · Journal of Leisure Research · United States
This narrative inquiry explored how 14 participants in the Queen Anne Memorial Garden, a community garden built to combat urban decline, collectively reconfigured events into a “success story.” The aggregated community narrative illustrates how a collective leisure pursuit can be a grassroots effort to address urban decline and reshape collective identity.
CommunityPolicyHealthPeople, Land and Sustainability: Community Gardens and the Social Dimension of Sustainable Development
2001John Ferris, Carol Norman, Joe Sempik · Social Policy and Administration · USA
This article reports on research and experience from the USA regarding community gardens and their role in the social dimension of sustainable development. It explores how the use of urban green spaces for gardens links to health, education, community development, and food security. The article concludes that using urban open spaces for parks and gardens is closely associated with environmental justice and equity.
CommunityHealthFood educationFood sovereignty & justiceWelfareThe 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 educationCommunityHealthAllergy-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.
CommunityHealthA 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 educationWelfare456 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 educationCommunityHealthIdentifying Policy Opportunities to Increase Physical Activity in the Southeast Asian Community in Long Beach, California
1999Mary Anne Foo, Jason Robinson, Monica Rhodes, Lillian S. Lew, Maichew Chao, Sadira Sokhan Dy, William Eir · Health Education · United States (California)
This article describes how implementing policy changes in organizations and communities supported physical activity in the Southeast Asian community in Long Beach, California. Case studies from the Families in Good Health program illustrate the components of successful policy development for physical activity. Increased policy opportunities occurred when high levels of five factors were present: program champions were cultivated; strong partnerships were formed; the community gave approval of program results; community leaders were involved; and organizations or resources were ready for policy development.
PolicyHealthCommunity1997 construction & design survey.
1997Carlos Alberto Schettini Pinto · PubMed · United States
A 1997 survey on healthcare construction and design in the United States notes that managed care, despite appearances, creates opportunities for architectural and design firms. An example of this trend is the 1995 west campus expansion of East Texas Medical Center in Tyler, which included a nine-story medical office building featuring artwork and rooftop gardens.
CommunityHealthRutgers Urban Gardening: A Case Study in Urban Agriculture
1996Ishwarbhai C. Patel · Journal of Agricultural & Food Information · United States (Newark)
The Rutgers Urban Gardening (RUG) program in Newark, New Jersey, transformed 30 acres of wasteland into 1,900 food gardens in 1994, engaging 6,500 residents. This initiative produced over $915,000 worth of food and recycled nearly 4,000 tons of city leaves, saving participants approximately $4 million over five years. The program also fostered social interaction, improved diets for 44% of participants, and enhanced neighborhoods.
CommunityHealthEconomicsCompostBenefits of Community Gardening on Quality-of-Life Issues
1996Tina M. Waliczek, Richard H. Mattson, Jayne M. Zajicek · Journal of Environmental Horticulture · United States
A nationwide survey of community gardeners in the United States investigated the relationship between community gardens and quality-of-life perceptions, based on Maslow's hierarchy of needs. The study found that race, gender, and city size influenced perceptions, with significant differences observed across racial/ethnic divisions and between gardeners in Los Angeles and New York. Community gardens were particularly important to African-American and Hispanic gardeners, and while men and women rated overall benefits similarly, women valued saving money and garden beauty more highly.
CommunityHealthPolicyThe Effect of School Gardens on Self-Esteem, Interpersonal Relationships, Attitude toward School, and Environmental Attitude in Populations of Children
1996Tina M. Waliczek, J.M. Zajicek · HortScience · United States
This study initiated an environmental education garden program, "The Green Classroom," in eight schools across the Midwest and Texas, involving approximately 1000 third- through eighth-grade students. The program aimed to integrate garden activities into classroom lessons to reinforce curriculum. Researchers administered pre- and post-tests, including a psychological inventory and an environmental attitude survey, to examine the relationship between garden program participation and students' self-esteem, interpersonal relationships, attitude toward school, and environmental attitudes.
Food educationCommunityHealthUrban Agriculture: Research Questions and Zambian Evidence
1988Rakodi C. · The Journal of Modern African Studies · Zambia (Lusaka)
A field-based study of Zambian urban settlements in the 1970s-1980s, finding that urban cultivation serves as a vital survival strategy for low-income households and warrants integration into urban development planning.
CommunityEconomicsPolicyHealthHorticultural activities and demographic factors influence childrens's self-esteem
1987Williams, Patrick Neal. · K-State Research Exchange (Kansas State University) · United States (Manhattan, Kansas)
A five-month study of children gardening in the Manhattan Community Garden, Manhattan, Kansas, investigated differences in self-esteem, horticultural knowledge, and garden quality. Children without other siblings gardening showed higher self-esteem, gained more horticultural knowledge, and had better appearing gardens than children with other siblings gardening.
Food educationCommunityHealthA study of soil contamination and plant lead uptake in Boston urban gardens
1979T. M. Spittler, William A. Feder · Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis · United States
This study demonstrated a serious problem of lead contamination in Boston's urban environment by analyzing about 900 soil samples from backyards, play areas, community gardens, and playgrounds using X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. An average lead level of 800 ppm was found, traceable to the past widespread use of lead paint. Selected plant species grown in soils with lead levels ranging from 100–2000 ppm showed differing affinities for lead uptake, with fruits taking up less than roots and roots less than tops, indicating positive translocation of lead from soil into plant tissue.
Contamination & food safetyHealthThe Community Garden: Horticulture for the People1
1973Steven L. Doud, Greg Pagano · HortScience · United States
Many American urban dwellers are rediscovering that gardens can provide inexpensive, high-quality food, recreation, and relaxation. This "green thumb boom" is particularly evident in the emergence of community garden projects in college communities, where students seek to supplement incomes and work with plants. While these projects vary in management philosophy and workload allocation, they share common goals of abundant food production and enjoyment for gardeners.
CommunityEconomicsHealth