Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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Critical findings
886 results(24 / 36)
Screening analysis of toxic metals on specific allotment garden areas in the city of Brno and its surroundings
2017Milan Geršl · · Czech Republic (Brno)
A study in Brno, Czech Republic, assessed toxic metal levels and soil attributes (pH, ORP, conductivity) in specific allotment garden areas using XRF analysis. Four out of eight metals (Cd, Cu, V, and Zn) exceeded legal norms, with cadmium (Cd) being the most hazardous at 12.69 mg/kg against a legal norm of 0.5 mg/kg. Despite high levels, the mobility of these metals was expected to be low given the detected soil attributes.
Contamination & food safetyHealthCommunityMonitoring of heavy metal residues in cauliflower and their respective health hazards
2017Muhammad Asif Khan Rai Muhammad Amir · International Journal of Biosciences (IJB) · Pakistan (Faisalabad)
To investigate heavy metal residue levels in cauliflower grown in the peri-urban area of Faisalabad district, Pakistan, 30 cauliflower samples were collected from 10 selected farmers. Analysis revealed variable heavy metal residue levels (nickel, lead, zinc, copper, arsenic, and mercury) in the samples, indicating that the cauliflower was contaminated with multiple heavy metals. This contamination is attributed to the use of untreated sewage water for cultivation, which is the single largest contributor to heavy metal accumulation in cauliflower.
Contamination & food safetyHealthPeri-urban agricultureFood sovereignty & justiceAdditional file 3: of Farm Fresh Foods for Healthy Kids (F3HK): An innovative community supported agriculture intervention to prevent childhood obesity in low-income families and strengthen local agricultural economies
2017Rebecca Seguin, Emily Morgan, Karla Hanson, Alice Ammerman, Stephanie Jilcott Pitts, Jane Kolodinsky, Marilyn Sitaker, Florence Becot, Leah Connor, Jennifer Garner, Jared McGuirt · Figshare · Global
This document compiles publication, presentation, and dissemination guidelines for an innovative Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) cost-offset intervention aimed at preventing childhood obesity in low-income families and strengthening local agricultural economies.
CSA & TeikeiHealthEconomicsWelfareManaging Urban Soils for Food Production
2017Klaus Lorenz · · Global
This chapter provides an outlook on how soil-based agriculture for growing food crops in urban areas can be strengthened. Credible assessments of the importance and extent of urban agriculture (UA) are challenging due to numerous and disparate definitions of UA. UA offers many benefits, particularly contributing to urban food security in high-income countries by providing fruits and vegetables. Urban soil properties differentiate the type and value of food produced, but urban soil quality can be improved for crop production.
CommunityHealthEconomicsClimate change"L’agriculture urbaine", entre concept scientifique et modèle d’action
2017Maud Chalmandrier, Marine Canavèse, Yves Petit‐Berghem, Élisabeth Rémy · HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe) · Global
This study, using case studies of public action and gardeners' relationships with urban soil, argues that the concept of "urban agriculture" smooths over inherent tensions to promote its development as an action category. This approach tends to minimize differences in meaning among actors regarding their cultivation practices and, critically, relegates the crucial question of urban soil quality and its suitability for food crops to a secondary concern.
Contamination & food safetyPolicyCommunityHealthFarm to School Intensity Levels: A Systematic Review and Proposed Measurement Tool
2017Erin Vernoni, Jessica Price, Shoko Kumagai · · Global
A systematic review of quantitative peer-reviewed Farm to School (FTS) research found ambiguity and variability in FTS inputs. This makes it difficult to generalize outcomes for policymakers. The study proposes a pre-tested intensity measurement tool to standardize research in this area.
Methodological critiqueFood educationCommunityPolicyHealthProposition 12: Increase access to a variety of locally relevant recreational facilities and green spaces
2017Ann Forsyth, Emily Salomon, Laura Smead · · Global
Green spaces and recreational facilities offer various health benefits, including urban cooling, opportunities for physical fitness and ecological education, improved water and air quality, refuge from traffic and noise, and enhanced mental health. An analysis of 10 British studies on green exercise found that as little as five minutes of outdoor activity was sufficient for mental health improvements. While increased recreational activity is less consistently linked to the built environment, with other factors like cost and personal preferences being more significant, access to recreational facilities can still provide opportunities for recreation.
HealthFood educationCommunityPrevalence of pathogenic and antibiotics resistant Escherichia coli from effluents of a slaughterhouse and a municipal wastewater treatment plant in Dakar
2017Amadou Diallo Alpha, Bibbal Delphine, Tall Lô Fatou, Mbengue Mbaye, Moustapha Sarr Mohamed, Diouf Moussa, Sambe Yacine, Kérourédan Monique, Alambédji Rianatou, Yaya Thiongane, Éric Oswald, Brugère Hubert · African Journal of Microbiology Research · Senegal (Dakar)
This study in Dakar, Senegal, detected and characterized pathogenic and antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli from slaughterhouse wastewater and municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents. Researchers screened 268 E. coli isolates from the slaughterhouse and 272 from the WWTP for genetic markers, and 40 isolates from each site for antimicrobial resistance. While pathogenic and resistant E. coli were found in raw slaughterhouse wastewater, the final treated water from the WWTP, used for urban gardening, did not contain E. coli, indicating low sanitation risks after treatment.
HealthOrganic cycleMapeo de la agriricultura urbana y periurbana en el área metropolitana Santa Rosa-Toay: aproximaciones metodológicas para la lectura territorial
2017P. V. ERMINI, M. R. DELPRINO, B. GIOBELLINA · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Argentina (Santa Rosa-Toay)
In the Santa Rosa-Toay metropolitan area of Argentina, urban and peri-urban agriculture is noted for its scarce recognition in urban development policies and food security policies. Despite the region's urbanization, the absence of political recognition as a metropolitan area has hindered planning and management of land use and occupation according to its potential and limitations. This study developed and applied a methodological proposal to generate information on urban and peri-urban agricultural activities, integrating a spatial perspective with participatory procedures.
Governance failurePeri-urban agriculturePolicyHealthFood sovereignty & justicePrinciple-Centred Therapy (PCT): The Future for Therapeutic Interventions?
2017Muzammil H. Syed, Umair Majid, Reda Siddiqui · · Global
This paper proposes that community garden ventures could offer a solution for vulnerable populations struggling with mental well-being in isolation. Through gardening and acquiring agricultural techniques, participants would engage in Principle-Centred Therapy, aiming to guide individuals from dependence to independence and interdependence. Agricultural output would be sold in markets, contributing to community resilience by integrating isolated members and enhancing overall economic vitality.
CommunityHealthWelfareEconomicsChallenges and Opportunities in Urban Farming
2017V. Kumar, K. Sentamilselvan · Advances in business strategy and competitive advantage book series · Global
This study is an initiative to explore the feasibility of urban farming and focuses on its challenges and opportunities in the context of rapid global urbanization. It aims to bring out societal views on urban farming and suggest ways to overcome hindrances. The research seeks to facilitate the utilization of urban farming's benefits.
Climate changeHealthFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsDiseño de un huerto escolar para la formación agroecológica de los educandos de la Unidad Educativa “Ciudad Machala”. Cantón Machala, Ecuador
2017MSc. Odalys Bárbara Burgos, Dra. C. María Elena Estrada Martínez, MSc. Carmen Benítez Ruíz · · Ecuador
This study aimed to design a school garden for the Ciudad Machala Educational Unit in Machala Canton, Ecuador, to contribute to students' agroecological training and promote sustainability and food hygiene. Using documentary analysis, the research developed a school garden design. The design is intended to foster a more comprehensive culture among students and encourage healthier, more sustainable dietary habits.
Food educationCommunityHealthCommunity Gardens as Health Promoters: Effects on Mental and Physical Stress Levels in Adults with and without Mental Disabilities
2017Nugrahaning Sani Dewi, Masakazu Komatsuzaki, Yuriko Yamakawa, Hiromi Takahashi, Shibanuma Saori, Takeshi Yasue, Tsuyoshi Okayama, Atsushi Toyoda, Hikari Shimonishi, Sei‐Ichi Sasaki · Sustainability · Global
This study investigated the psychological and physical effects of stress from various intensity community garden activities on adults with and without mental disabilities (n=42 for psychological analysis, n=13 for physical assessment). After activities, the group with mental disabilities showed decreased salivary α-amylase levels while the control group showed increased levels, but both groups exhibited lower stress response scale (SRS-18) results. The group with mental disabilities had a significantly lower increase in heart rate ratio during low-intensity work but a significantly higher increase during high-intensity work, and experienced significantly higher fatigue during high-intensity work.
CommunityHealthWelfareUrban agriculture, dietary diversity and child health in a sample of Tanzanian town folk
2017Natascha Wagner, Luca Tasciotti · Canadian Journal of Development Studies/Revue canadienne d études du développement · Tanzania
This study explores the link between urban agriculture, dietary diversity, and child health in urban Tanzania, using weight-for-age and height-for-age Z-scores. Utilizing two rounds of observational data for urban Tanzania and an instrumental variables estimation approach, the research shows that practicing urban agriculture leads to the consumption of a greater variety of food items, and the health status of urban children living in households practicing urban agriculture significantly improves in both the short and long term.
HealthWelfareEconomicsFood sovereignty & justice‘La doble condición’: landmine victims, forced displacement, and disability in Colombia’s Magdalena Medio
2017Max Counter · Social & Cultural Geography · Colombia (Magdalena Medio)
Based on fieldwork with internally displaced landmine victims in Colombia's Magdalena Medio region, this research highlights how the intersection between physical impairment and forced displacement produces disabling spatial imaginaries of fear and painfully embodied rhythms of daily life. The paper draws attention to urban agricultural projects' enabling potential to produce grounding rhythms of labor for landmine victims.
WelfareCommunityHealthSchool Children’s Intestinal Parasite and Nutritional Status One Year after Complementary School Garden, Nutrition, Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Interventions in Burkina Faso
2017Séverine Erismann, Serge Diagbouga, Christian Schindler, Peter Odermatt, Astrid M. Knoblauch, Jana Gerold, Andrea Leuenberger, Akina Shrestha, Grissoum Tarnagda, Jürg Utzinger, Guéladio Cissé · American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene · Burkina Faso
A cluster-randomized controlled trial in Burkina Faso, involving 360 children aged 8-15, assessed the impact of school garden, nutrition, and WASH interventions on intestinal parasites and nutritional status. The prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections significantly decreased in intervention schools compared to control schools (OR = 0.2), and safe handwashing and latrine use improved. However, indices of undernutrition and water quality parameters did not decrease or change in intervention schools.
Food educationHealthWelfareVEG-HIVE. An easy to grow veg-kit for urban farmers
2017Erminia D’Itria, Loredana Di Lucchio · The Design Journal · Global
This article discusses the growing interest in urban agriculture, driven by factors such as healthy food access, green space, and community engagement. It suggests that architects and designers can play a strong role in expanding urban agriculture by developing innovative practices to enable more people to farm in their own spaces. The text emphasizes the need to amplify the benefits of urban agriculture to a larger population.
DIYCommunityHealthEconomicsEffects of School Gardening Lessons on Elementary School Children’s Physical Activity and Sedentary Time
2017Erika Rees‐Punia, Alicia Lynn Haire Holloway, D. A. Knauft, Michael D. Schmidt · Journal of Physical Activity and Health · Global
This study investigated the effects of school gardening lessons on elementary school children's physical activity and sedentary time. Teachers from four elementary schools taught one math or science lesson per week in the school garden. Physical activity was measured using accelerometers on 74 children, and 75 were observed, comparing garden days and no-garden days. Children spent a significantly larger proportion of time active on garden days at three of the four schools, and the proportion of time spent sedentary and active differed significantly across schools.
Food educationHealthThe impact of urban gardens on adequate and healthy food: a systematic review
2017Mariana Tarricone Garcia, Silvana M Ribeiro, Ana Cláudia Camargo Gonçalves Germani, Cláudia Maria Bógus · Public Health Nutrition · Global
This systematic review examined the impacts of urban garden participation on food and nutrition outcomes, including healthy food practices, access, beliefs, knowledge, and attitudes. It analyzed 12 studies published between 2005 and 2015, finding significant heterogeneity in settings, populations, and methods, and a need for greater methodological rigor. The review reported positive impacts such as increased fruit and vegetable consumption, better access to healthy foods, and enhanced valuing of cooking and organic production.
HealthFood educationCommunity도시농업용 바이오차 시용이 상추 생육에 미치는 효과
2017이윤숙 · · Global
Urban agriculture has gained emphasis due to its importance for leisure and recreation in modern society. However, public health may not be guaranteed due to continuous odors from animal compost. Biochar is an amendment that can reduce odors and enhance crop productivity, but this abstract is truncated and does not present specific research findings.
Contamination & food safetyCompostHealthOrganic cycleAssessing the Economic Contributions and Benefits of Consumer Horticulture
2017Lucy Bradley, Bridget K. Behe, Natalie R. Bumgarner, Charlotte Glen, Joseph Donaldson, Ellen M. Bauske, Sheri Dorn, Gail Langellotto · HortTechnology · Global
This study discusses the difficulty in documenting the economic contributions and benefits of consumer horticulture (CH) and CH extension programs. CH can result in individual outcomes such as money saved and improved quality of life, and community-level impacts like water quality protection. Quantifying these values is challenging but can be evaluated using several strategies, including measuring consumer dollars spent on gardening supplies, the value of environmental ecosystem services, and cultural, social, and health system services.
EconomicsCommunityHealthBiodiversityClimate changeTHE EXPERIENCE OF AN AGROECOLOGICAL SCHOOL GARDEN AS AN INTERACTIVE AND CREATIVE HEALTH PROMOTION STRATEGY
2017Natália Gebrim Dória, Denise Eugênia Pereira Coelho, Mariana Tarricone Garcia, Helena Akemi Wada Watanabe, Cláudia Maria Bógus · DEMETRA Alimentação Nutrição & Saúde · Global
This study aimed to analyze a school garden as a health promotion strategy from the students' perspective. Forty-nine students aged 10-11 years participated, using a draw-and-tell method to illustrate and report on their experiences in the school garden. Analysis of these reports identified categories related to Health Promotion principles such as equity, social participation, empowerment, sustainability, and personal skills development, as well as Nutrition Education and Food and Nutrition Security.
Food educationHealthCommunityImpact of school gardens in Nepal: a cluster randomised controlled trial
2017Pepijn Schreinemachers, Dhruba Raj Bhattarai, Giri Dhari Subedi, Tej P. Acharya, Hsiao-pu Chen, Ray-Yu Yang, Narayan Kaji Kashichhawa, Upendra Dhungana, Gregory C. Luther, Maureen Mecozzi · Journal of Development Effectiveness · Nepal
This study evaluated the combined impact of school gardens and nutrition education on 10- to 15-year-old schoolchildren in Nepal, using a cluster randomized controlled trial with 1275 students (2014) and 785 students (2015). After one year, significant improvements were observed in children's awareness of fruits and vegetables, knowledge of sustainable agriculture, food, nutrition, and health, and stated preferences for eating fruits and vegetables. However, these improvements in intermediary outcomes did not translate into significant improvements in fruit and vegetable consumption or nutritional status.
Limited or null effectFood educationHealthCommunityAnalisis Produksi Microgreens Brassica oleracea Berinovasi Urban Gardening Untuk Peningkatan Mutu Pangan Nasional
2017Vina Febriani, Evy Nasrika, Tri Munasari, Yoan Permatasari, Talitha Widiatningrum · Journal of Creativity Students · Global
This paper introduces "Mba-Gening," an urban gardening innovation for cultivating Brassica oleracea microgreens, as a solution for limited land and the demand for organic food. Microgreens are harvested in 10-14 days and possess up to six times the nutritional value of mature green vegetables. This production is said to meet the demand for organic broccoli and offers a good business opportunity due to a wide market and lack of competitors.
DIYHealthFood sovereignty & justiceUrbanization, Food Security and Nutrition
2017Marie T. Ruel, James Leo Garrett, Sivan Yosef, Meghan Olivier · · Global
This chapter reviews poverty, food security, and malnutrition in urban versus rural areas, noting a rapid shift of poverty to urban areas and high prevalence of food insecurity and malnutrition among urban dwellers. It highlights alarming rises in urban overweight and obesity, alongside persistent undernutrition. The review identifies critical knowledge gaps regarding factors shaping urban food security and calls for new research and data to inform policies supporting urban agriculture, healthy food access, and income generation to address these challenges.
Food sovereignty & justiceHealthEconomicsUrban–rural linkage