Research & reports

Stavrianakis, Farmer · Children Youth and Environments · Global

This study investigated the impacts that gardening education workshops in community gardens can have on family members and their environmental behaviors. Participants reported a variety of positive impacts from the gardening workshops, including socializing, health benefits, and acquired knowledge. However, there was limited evidence of pro-environmental behavior change beyond gardening.

Michael Dubnewick, Sean Lessard, D. Jean Clandinin, Tara-Leigh McHugh · Qualitative Research in Sport Exercise and Health · Global

This narrative inquiry explores the experiences of the first author and two non-Indigenous recreation practitioners in a community garden project involving Indigenous peoples. It highlights how they negotiated professional competence focused on program outcomes, which often overlooked relational aspects of their practice. The inquiry demonstrates how they developed an understanding of ethical living as a relational practice, thereby shifting their interactions within the community garden.

L.C. Obuseng · Botswana Journal of Agriculture and Applied Sciences · Botswana (Gaborone)

This review highlights the potential for heavy metal accumulation in soil and crops from urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) around Gaborone, Botswana, due to the intensive use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, wastewater, sludges, and industrial effluents. A literature review showed that fertilizers contain heavy metals, and the use of treated or untreated sewage water by UPA farmers can lead to heavy metal accumulation in soil and crops, posing a danger to human health. Information on heavy metal accumulation in soils is limited in Botswana, despite high agrochemical use in UPA vegetable production.

Ariamys Companioni, Jennys Peraza, Zulema Menéndez Díaz, Aileen González, Ledy X López, Ana Elisa Rodriguez, Jorge Cantillo, Fidel Ángel Núñez · Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) · Cuba

A descriptive study in La Lisa Municipality, Havana, Cuba, examined 63 Rattus rattus rodents for Angiostrongylus cantonensis infection in an urban farm field. The study found that 46.03% of the captured rodents were infected with A. cantonensis, with infection rates increasing in adult individuals (59.46%) and during the rainy season (55.88%). This demonstrated the circulation of A. cantonensis in its definitive host in the area, indicating an increased risk of transmission to humans.

Pulido Guerrero, Ana María · · Colombia (Bogotá)

This project characterized ethnobotanical aspects of food and medicinal plants in urban gardens in Bogotá, Colombia, by visiting ten family gardens and ten community gardens across five locations. It found that 80% of the gardens had more food plants than medicinal plants, and 80% of registered plants were introduced species. Community gardens showed greater species richness and social purposes, while family gardens focused on self-consumption and social cohesion. No correlations were found between species richness and socioeconomic variables due to urban heterogeneity.

Simone Betti · U-PAD Unimc - Open Digital Publications (University of Macerata) · Global

Urban horticulture, traditionally a marginal activity for the elderly, is gaining popularity in post-modern society for educational, rehabilitation, or hobby purposes. This growing interest in urban gardening, manifesting in various forms globally and locally, addresses needs beyond food production, often promoting social inclusion and the restoration of urban green areas. Gardens serve as spaces for reconnecting with nature, stress relief, social interaction for the elderly, outdoor classrooms for children, and therapeutic support in healthcare facilities.

Anna Janis-Chorosińska · Problemy Drobnych Gospodarstw Rolnych / Problems of Small Agricultural Holdings · Global

This article presents and compares well-functioning urban agriculture models from Havana (Cuba), Todmorden (England), and Bergamo (Italy), noting their differences in climate, area size, origins, objectives, organization, and financing. The analysis identifies various potential and effective functions, including educational, integration, therapeutic, aesthetic, job creation, and food autonomy. The study suggests these models could be implemented in Małopolska, Poland, to address multiple crisis situations.

Yolar Blandine N., Lawrence F. Fombe, Mokwe Bea Patrick J., Nuipokoh Oscar M. · Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal · Cameroon (Bamenda)

A study examining the impact of diseases and health on wetland populations in the Bamenda urban area of Cameroon found that increased human investment in wetlands enhances inhabitants' vulnerability to flood hazards and diseases like malaria, cholera, and typhoid. The wetlands in Bamenda are rapidly degrading due to population pressure, leading to reclamation, pollution, and urban agriculture, which exacerbates the proliferation of disease vectors.

Surendra K. Pradhan, Olufunke Cofie, Josiane Nikiema, Helvi Heinonen‐Tanski · Sustainability · Global

This research determined the fertilizer value of sawdust and fecal sludge (SDFS) pellets and compared their effect on lettuce cultivation with other fertilizers in a greenhouse and open field. SDFS pellets, with or without enrichments, resulted in higher saleable fresh weight lettuce yields than commercial compost, poultry manure, mineral fertilizer, or no fertilizer. Open field cultivation yielded more than greenhouse cultivation. While no helminth eggs were detected, some fecal coliforms were found in lettuces fertilized with almost all tested fertilizers, including NPK and the non-fertilized control.

Navin Ramankutty, Vincent Ricciardi, Zia Mehrabi, Verena Seufert · Agricultural Economics · Global

A review was conducted on the production, environmental, and socioeconomic performance of three alternative farming systems: organic, smallholder, and urban agriculture. Organic agriculture offers environmental, livelihood, health, and nutritional benefits but is hampered by lower yields and higher prices. Smaller farms exhibit higher yields and biodiversity but result in lower incomes for farmers. Urban agriculture can alleviate pressure on rural landscapes, provide nutritional benefits to the urban poor, and engage urban dwellers in food system challenges, but it cannot scale up to be a substantial solution on its own.

Greg Zandrow, Samir Malkani, Kerri Gosselin · PEDIATRICS · Philippines

A community garden program in a rural Filipino village, involving families of 67 children, aimed to assess the impact of community gardens and education on plant care and proper diet on malnutrition and food security. The study found that while the program helped reduce malnutrition, it also led to an increase in obesity.

Honorine Ntangmo Tsafack, Émile Temgoua, Thomas Njiné · International Journal of Biological and Chemical Sciences · Cameroon

This in situ study in Dschang, West Cameroon, monitored the survival time of E. coli, parasite eggs, and cysts on lettuce, carrot, and eggplant irrigated with polluted urban wastewater for one week. Despite significant E. coli reductions (73-99% over seven days depending on crop and season), E. coli levels on lettuce and carrot remained above health thresholds (10^3 E. coli/g). Positive samples for eggs and cysts ranged from 0-25% on lettuce and carrot, and 0-8% on eggplant, posing a danger to consumers of raw vegetables.

Wasana De Silva · International Journal of Design & Nature and Ecodynamics · Sri Lanka (Anuradhapura)

This research examines urban agriculture in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, arguing it forms a 'performing system' that connects people with the city's topography and promotes wellbeing. It explores how daily life, intertwined with agriculture and irrigation around reservoirs and paddy fields, fosters spiritual experiences and contributes to a healthy and sustainable city, drawing on phenomenology, anthropology, and Buddhist philosophy.

Abdulla Ambusaidi, Rashid Al‐Yahyai, Subhashni Taylor, Neil Taylor · Science education international · Oman

A pilot school gardening project involving Grade 2 students in Oman used a quasi-experimental mixed-method design. While findings were somewhat mixed and tentative, they suggest that school gardens in Oman could provide affective and possible health benefits for students. Given that the study was a pilot, these findings need to be treated tentatively.

Jan Hassink, Lenneke Vaandrager, Yvette Buist, Simone R. de Bruin · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · Global

A global study characterized nature-based adult day services (ADSs) for people with dementia (PwD) in urban areas and identified challenges. Interviews with 17 ADS providers revealed five types of services: social entrepreneurs, nursing homes, social care organizations, community gardens by citizens, and hybrid initiatives. General challenges included the availability of green urban spaces and acquiring funding. Specific challenges varied by type, including a lack of commitment among nursing staff in nursing homes, difficulty finding knowledgeable volunteers for community gardens, and work culture differences in hybrid models.

Yi-Yu Huang, Tien-Jih Ma · Energies · Global

This study conducted a four-stage field experiment on a dormitory's flat rooftop in a subtropical climate during summer to measure the surface temperature and heat amplitude reduction of extensive green roofs using edible plants (Ipomoea batata) and lightweight expanded clay aggregate (LECA). Roofs with Ipomoea batata showed a significantly higher passive-cooling effect than those without, and roofs with 10%–40% LECA exhibited a slightly higher cooling effect than those with conventional garden soil. The combined effects of LECA and Ipomoea batata significantly reduced the bare rooftop's average temperature by an additional 10.19 °C.

August John Hoffman · Journal of Prevention & Intervention in the Community · Global

This quasi-experimental study examined the psychosocial and ecological impact of community service activities utilizing green space environments, such as community gardens, labyrinths, and urban forestry programs, on individual perceptions of community service learning programs and associated democratic processes. Sixteen volunteers subjectively reported their experiences, including appreciating living things, experiencing kinship with plants and animals, and a sense of belonging to nature, through engagement with various green spaces. Participants were interviewed on how these experiences shaped their views on the importance of nature and green spaces in urban settings and influenced their personal perceptions of belongingness and connectedness to both their communities and nature.

Rachel Helling · · Global

This study is a Teaching and Learning Department capstone project that warrants the need for community gardens in low-income communities.

Bessie 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.

Anelise Pillon Ortiz, Lilian Regina Lengler Abentroth, Polliana Radtke dos Santos, Edna Linhares Garcia, Suzane Beatriz Frantz Krug · RBONE - Revista Brasileira de Obesidade, Nutrição e Emagrecimento · Global

This narrative literature review aimed to identify the results of implementing vegetable gardens in school environments and analyze their impact on children, adolescents, and family life. Out of 28 analyzed articles, 13 answered the research question. The study concludes that school gardens have positive repercussions on the lives of children and adolescents, directly influencing food behavior, fostering environmental awareness, improving school performance, and enhancing social interaction and quality of life for those involved.

Odiney Alvarez‐Campos, Gregory K. Evanylo · Journal of Environmental Quality · Global

The impacts of exceptional quality (EQ) biosolids and inorganic fertilizer applied for rehabilitating anthropogenic soils on potential nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) water quality impairment risk were compared. After two years, reclamation rates of biosolids resulted in soil P saturation ratios greater than the recommended 30% but lower than the 65% limit. While nitrate N (NO3–N) posed the greatest nutrient leaching risk, lysimeter-collected mass loading of NO3–N from reclamation rates was not greater than for the inorganic fertilizer.

Ranjan 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.

Simon Woodward · · Global

This chapter contextualizes environmental arts therapy within the urban clientele’s relationship to nature, exploring how it facilitates connections through myth, metaphor, and art-making. It synthesizes theoretical models of Environmental Arts Therapy and Five Ways to Wellbeing, which underpin the Community Outdoor Art Therapy Service (COATS). Three COATS therapeutic workshops, including monthly sessions in a community garden, are explored as illustrations of deepening participants' connection with nature.

Michal Shur‐Ofry, Ofer Malcai · Regulation & Governance · Israel

This study investigated whether Institutions for Collective Action (ICAs), using community gardens as a case study, exhibit dynamics of social contagion and diffuse in accordance with patterns prevalent in self-organized complex systems. Quantitative methods derived from the field of complexity were applied to measure the temporal, spatial, and spatiotemporal diffusion of community gardens in the city of Jerusalem. The results suggest that the spread of community gardens in the urban space displays patterns of self-organization and social contagion.

Obinna Elijah Nworie, Junhao Qin, Chuxia Lin · Toxics · Global

This study investigated trace element uptake by wild herbaceous plants at a multiple trace element-contaminated site. It found significant variability in bioaccumulation and translocation factors among plant species, identifying some as hyperaccumulators for specific elements. The marked accumulation of trace elements in plant tissues suggests that the site may not be suitable for urban agricultural production.