Research & reports

Ioanneta Dimouli, Dimitra Koumparou, Spyros K. Golfínopoulos · Geographies · Greece (Acharnes)

This case study in Acharnes, Greece, examined a local initiative that transforms schoolyards into community gardens, involving teachers, pupils, parents, grandparents, and neighbors. The research collected data from 85 participants, including parents, guardians, and school staff, using a questionnaire to explore their perceptions, with a focus on interactions with non-human beings like pollinators. Data analysis employed descriptive statistics and Kendall’s tau correlation, and the survey results revealed that these new urban green areas were "embraced" by both the school and the local community.

Szilvia Nyers · Szociális Szemle · Hungary

The Budapest Bike Maffia, a grassroots initiative in Hungary's capital, uses social gardening as a tool to foster sustainable relationships between vulnerable groups and their environment. This initiative aims to rebuild social relations, promote economic well-being, and encourage adaptation to environmental challenges within an urban context. Through urban agriculture, they cultivate trust and a network of relationships among society members.

Yarrow Koning, Sofía Abreu · Occasional Paper Series · United States (Florida)

This abstract describes a nature journaling session held in a community garden as part of an LGBTQ+ youth summer day camp in Florida in summer 2022. The session took place shortly before new anti-LGBTQ+ laws, including the "Don't Say Gay" law, went into effect, which are intended to erase LGBTQ+ people and histories from schools and highlight the challenges faced by LGBTQ+ educators and youth.

SP24.C, CommuniTee’s · Bucknell Digital Commons (Bucknell University) · United States

CommuniTee’s partnered with the Lewisburg Community Garden (LCG) and the Donald Heiter Community Center (DHCC). At the LCG, they completed three service projects: painting a sign, stabilizing 93 fence posts, and starting a pollinator garden. CommuniTee’s sold 229 t-shirts, generating a net profit of $1,614.64 for the DHCC. Additionally, they raised $1,213.04 through five fundraising events and an advocacy campaign, with a total of $2,827.68 to be donated to the DHCC.

S. Akbarnezhad Nesheli, Alenka Temeljotov Salaj · IFAC-PapersOnLine · Global

This study explores urban farming, examining stakeholders, challenges, typologies, methodologies, and societal impacts. It identifies three strategic orientations for urban farming products: Sustainable Food Production, Education and Social Commitment, and Urban Qualities. The research also scrutinizes innovative methods like hydroponics and diverse spatial configurations, highlighting the complex relationship between high-yield urban agriculture and its environmental and economic aspects.

Forijati Forijati · Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat Nusantara · Indonesia (Kediri)

This community service program in Wilis Indah housing area, Pojok Village, Kediri City, aimed to empower housewives through training and mentoring in optimizing narrow land for urban farming and hydroponics. The program resulted in increased understanding of land optimization, gardening skills, knowledge of agricultural technology, and confidence among housewives, leading to changes in family food consumption. It contributed to improving family economy and food security, and encouraged economic independence.

Anna Grichting Solder · · Qatar

This chapter presents insights on urban agriculture and the food-water-energy-waste nexus in the Middle East and drylands, drawing from seven years of experience in teaching, research, and stakeholder engagement at Qatar University. The arid climate, scarcity of freshwater and fertile land, and the need to reduce non-renewable energy use necessitate designing circular, integrated systems for maximum resource efficiency. The Living Laboratory at Qatar University and urban agriculture plans developed with students, researchers, and communities illustrate these integrative and regenerative approaches for resilient landscapes in Qatar and the Gulf region.

Beata Sirowy, Kelvin Knight · ˜The œGeojournal library · Global

This chapter proposes Aristotelian concepts of eudaimonia (human well-being), virtues, and civic friendship as guiding principles for urban development, particularly in the design of urban public space. It argues that urban public space development should consider citizens' participative practices, rather than solely administratively conceived functions. Urban agriculture is presented as an example of a practice in urban public space that cultivates ethical virtues, sociality, and productive skills, contributing to the common good.

Eurika Putri Andita, Renny Nurhasana, Chotib Chotib, Riska Rahma Arriani, Rizqita Oktorini, Safira Salsabila, Teungku Darwis, Dhaneswara N. Indrajoga, Dyah Nawang Ratnasari · MEDIA BINA ILMIAH · Indonesia (Jakarta)

This community engagement program in Lenteng Agung, South Jakarta, aimed to assess and improve public knowledge of urban agriculture among mothers at TPA Ikhlasul Makhfudz Women's School. Activities included planting assistance, training, and educational seminars on urban farming benefits, plant types, and composting. The program demonstrated benefits for daily life, such as improved nutrition, community cohesion, relaxation, and enhanced use of idle land.

José Libio Álvarez-Arellano, Martha Isela Baños-Dorantes, Erika Guadalupe Ceballos Falcón, Ana Laura Luna Jiménez, Román Jiménez-Vera, Nicolás González Cortés · Journal of Agricultural Sciences Research (2764-0973) · Global

Pregerminative treatments of uspi (Couepia polyandra Kunth) seeds were evaluated at the nursery of the Multidisciplinary Academic Division of Los Ros to produce seedlings for school green areas. No significant difference was found among five treatments (unhydrated seeds and seeds hydrated for 24 hours with biozyme or whey), each with 50 seeds. The highest germination percentage was 63%, with seedlings reaching 7.5 cm in height, 6.2 cm in main root length, 15.94 secondary roots, and three leaves.

Stella Maris Moreira, Diego Tomas Araujo Poume, A Milagros Ferreyra · Episteme Revista de Estudios Socioterritoriales · Argentina

This research, initiated by an NGO managing community gardens in Lomas de Zamora, Argentina, investigated parents' social representations of play and screen use among young children. A situational diagnosis was conducted using a mixed-methods approach, analyzing reports from 59 interviews and over 95 surveys with parents and/or guardians. The study aimed to understand the impact of screens, particularly cell phones, on children's play.

Ewa Duda · PLoS ONE · Global

This qualitative research analyzed 7,980 Google Play Store reviews for fourteen mobile gardening applications to understand their potential for digital education in developing green cities. The study identified user motivations for downloading these apps and the features that either facilitate or hinder their use. The findings are relevant for app developers and urban educators.

Bárbara Rios Lacerda, Rafael Sanginez Zebalos Lourenço, Aleffy Helberty Alves da Silva, Ana Cláudia Barroso · Revista Ibero-Americana de Humanidades, Ciências e Educação · Brazil (Porto Velho)

This experience report details the implementation of a sustainable vertical community garden and a composting system at a municipal school in Porto Velho, Rondônia, Brazil, as part of the "Urban and Community Gardens: Cultivating Connections" project. The project aimed to provide food and food education, promote practical skills, environmental awareness, and healthy eating habits for students. Despite difficulties such as finding new locations and shortened deadlines, which limited contact with students and the local community, the project successfully established a sustainable garden for community consumption and environmental education for those involved.

Nathalie Blanc, Caroline Gallez, Éléonore Genest, Diégo Antolinos-Basso, Jean Chiche, Hugo Rochard · Développement durable et territoires · France

This article studies the evolution of relationships between local authorities and associations/collectives in the context of socio-environmental transition, using qualitative and quantitative methodologies across four urban territories in France (Paris 18th, Ivry-sur-Seine, Aubervilliers, Clamart). These associative collectives jointly address environmental and social issues through actions ranging from neighborhood recycling centers to solidarity grocery stores and shared gardens involved in popular education. A comparative analysis between the four territories examines the specificities of these mobilizations in relation to socio-environmental inequalities in each municipality.

Mutiawati Mandaka, Sharfina Bella Pahleva Wahyono, Tri Susetyo Andadari, Gatoet Wardianto · Manfaat Jurnal Pengabdian Pada Masyarakat Indonesia · Indonesia (Semarang)

An urban farming program was implemented in Pakintelan Village, Gunungpati District, Semarang, Indonesia, to address food security challenges and improve local economic welfare by utilizing limited urban land. This program involved UNPAND KKN students providing training and mentoring in farming techniques, organic pest management, and compost use, aiming to increase community participation in agricultural activities and understanding of sustainable practices. The program successfully increased community participation, maintained environmental sustainability, and contributed to the economy through the potential use of harvests for consumption or sale.

Jill L. Edmondson · Cell Reports Sustainability · Global

Growing fruits and vegetables in cities is recognized as a potential contributor to local food security and can provide additional benefits for urban dwellers. However, it is crucial to ensure equity in access to land for all urban communities and to support the development of necessary skills and knowledge for successful cultivation.

A López · Gaditana-Logía · Global

This article describes the school garden at Tierno Galván as an important part of the school, fostering collaborative work among pupils, parents, teachers, and staff. It highlights the garden as an educational experience that develops values, promotes love for nature, and serves as a neutral space for learning. The garden is presented as a community effort contributing to students' personal growth.

Sigrid Gjøtterud, Rasa Holen, Trine Hvoslef-Eide · International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education · Global

This action research study explored transdisciplinary teaching and learning in an urban agriculture master's program using qualitative methods. Students demonstrated high inter- and intrapersonal competencies and cross-disciplinary idea development. However, a critical finding was that the potential for collaboration with external partners (case owners) was not fully exploited and requires further development.

Alan Bentancor Cabrera, Inés Gazzano, Beatriz Bellenda Carneiro · REVISTA BRASILEIRA DE AGROECOLOGIA · Uruguay (Montevideo)

This study investigated food production, nutritional contributions, necessary labor time, and satisfaction levels in three agroecological urban community gardens (HUAC) in Montevideo, Uruguay. It integrated secondary information, interviews with qualified informants, and analysis of field records. Results indicated that these HUACs produce significant volumes of quality food capable of covering individuals' nutritional requirements, potentially satisfying between 34% and 74% of recommended intake, and gardeners perceive HUACs as contributing around 42% of the food they consume.

Nicola Perullo · · Global

This chapter proposes understanding cooking as participatory education from a relational philosophy perspective, cultivating an integral and ecological sensibility. It explores the socio-political implications of cooking, drawing on John Dewey's pioneering vision of cooking and taste as aesthetic activities, linking it to somaesthetics and Dōgen's Sōtō Buddhist school. Contemporary examples, including edible school gardens, support the notion that education with and through food develops a somaesthetic sensibility to oppose and redress fragmented social systems.

Katinka H. Evensen, Vebjørn Egner Stafseng · ˜The œGeojournal library · Norway (Oslo)

This study explored ways of integrating urban agriculture in public spaces through case studies of eight urban agriculture projects in Oslo from 2018 to 2020. Interviews with project initiators and managers highlighted motivations emphasizing the creation of social meeting places and learning arenas for cultivation and ecological knowledge. Urban agriculture was also used as a tool in local urban space development to improve well-being by activating unused spaces and integrating cultivation into green space management, suggesting that deliberate design could increase the perceived publicness of spaces.

Margaretha Häggström, Mårten Häggström · The Trumpeter · Sweden

This four-year exploratory study in a clearcut in western Sweden investigated the feasibility of cultivating crops in a nutrient-poor, shadowless environment to support biodiversity. The study found that while it was possible to grow potatoes, peas, and some summer flowers without special efforts, it was difficult to grow other vegetables and root vegetables. The project suggests that planting activities in clearcuts may impact people's sense of human-nature identity and respect for the natural environment.

A. Miftakhurrohmat, M Abror, Andriani Eko Prihatiningrum · Journal of Social Comunity Services (JSCS) · Indonesia (Sidoarjo)

In the Candi sub-district of Sidoarjo regency, Indonesia, the Muhammadiyah Student Association led a Young Farmer Movement, implementing a community service aimed at introducing and practicing hydroponic urban farming. This initiative addressed basic problems such as lack of knowledge in narrow land hydroponic cultivation, nutrient manufacturing, and product marketing, through counseling, training, practice, and provision of supporting materials. Twenty-five teenagers from the Young Farmers of Muhammadiyah under IPM Sidoarjo Candi participated, applying cultivation technology for yard utilization, AB MIX nutrient creation, and product marketing.

Deni Ruggeri · ˜The œGeojournal library · Global

This chapter reflects on educational experiences connected to the “Cultivating Public Space” project. Students conceptualized urban agriculture not merely as a collection of physical objects, but as holistic, multifunctional landscapes designed to cultivate biophilia, food justice, public health, and community identity. This approach aimed to celebrate the uniqueness of each locale and co-create new visions of adaptation and transformation.

Gundula Proksch, George Lee · · United States

Based on data from the Chicago Urban Agriculture Mapping Project, this study used GIS mapping to investigate urban agriculture typologies and their distribution in the Chicago metropolitan area. It showed that small-scale non-profit gardens are integrated closely with communities, while commercial controlled environment agriculture (CEA) operations utilize existing infrastructure and buildings in commercial and industrial corridors. Both types of urban agriculture serve different needs, providing various benefits to the urban population, from social services to fresh food production and economic development.