Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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11393 results(249 / 456)
Bringing urban food supply closer to food consumption: opportunities for five European metropolitan regions
2019Guido Sali, Federica Monaco, Stefano Corsi, Chiara Mazzocchi · Archivio Istituzionale della Ricerca (Universita Degli Studi Di Milano) · Europe
This paper adopts a territorial approach to analyze agro-food systems in five European metropolitan regions. The methodology aims to assess the capacities of urban and peri-urban agriculture to meet urban food demand and its economic role. Preliminary results are provided to inform regulations in the agro-food sector.
Peri-urban agriculturePolicyEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceIntroduction by the editors
2019Ian Siddons Heginworth, Gary Nash · · United Kingdom (London)
This introduction provides an overview of a book discussing an eighteen-week environmental arts therapy pilot group for adult mental health clients. The book explores themes related to hostile mothering and connections to nature, and considers trauma-informed environmental arts therapy for chronic fatigue syndrome. It also describes the Community Outdoor Art Therapy Service (COATS) in London, which uses urban parks and community gardens.
HealthCommunityElderlyLa ville en puzzle: Centralité et « subalternité » des espaces urbains à Bruxelles au Moyen Âge
2019Paulo Charruadas, Bram Vannieuwenhuyze · Studies in European urban history · Belgium (Brussels)
While conventional historical literature distinguishes urban territory inside and outside city walls, recent research points to the greater complexity of urban reality. This research reveals the existence of urban agriculture and the emergence of more or less urban or rural "third-party" spaces that do not fit the classic urban-rural dichotomy. In the case of Brussels, the fragmented representation of space transcending the city wall and documented attempts at centrifugal extension are re-evaluated using "Spatial Turn" models and concepts to better understand these essential spaces.
Urban–rural linkageEnvironmental Impact of Exceptional Quality Biosolids Use in Urban Agriculture
2019Odiney 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.
Environmental trade-offsOrganic cycleHealthClimate changeBiodiversitySustainability: through cross-cultural community garden activities
2019Ranjan 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.
CommunityWelfareFood educationHealthMODEL, MOTIVASI DAN KENDALA MASYARAKAT DALAM MELAKUKAN PERTANIAN KOTA (URBAN FARMING) DI KOTA SURABAYA
2019Setyo Parsudi · Berkala Ilmiah AGRIDEVINA · Indonesia (Surabaya)
This study in Surabaya, Indonesia, aimed to identify urban farming models, community motivations, and obstacles faced in implementing urban agriculture. The study found that the most common urban farming models were hydroponics, followed by verticulture, fisheries, and rooftop gardens. Community motivations primarily included increasing income, utilizing empty land, pursuing farming hobbies, and using green open spaces. The main obstacles faced by the community were plant pests, lack of capital for development, extreme weather, and insufficient experience and knowledge in urban agriculture.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsCommunityDIYBiodiversityEstudos sobre agricultura urbana no Brasil no período de 2008 a 2017
2019Paula Fernanda Nóvoa Souza Lara, Maria Mirtes Cortinhas dos Santos, Izaura Cristina Nunes Pereira Costa, Thiago Almeida Vieira · Amazonia Investiga · Brazil
This study analyzed scientific production on urban agriculture in Brazil from 2008 to 2017, using data from the CAPES Periodicals Portal. It observed that articles on urban agriculture remain scarce, despite the topic's social, environmental, and economic potential and relevance. The study suggests that state support for agricultural production in urban spaces could encourage the adoption of urban agriculture practices and related studies.
CommunityPolicyEconomicsDemystifying Science Teachers’ Epistemic Belief on Chemical Concepts: Students’ Engagement in the School Garden
2019Kamal Prasad Acharya · Pedagogical Research · Nepal
This study in Nepal aimed to transform chemistry learning from textbooks to school gardens through activity-based learning, involving students and science teachers. In-depth interviews and participant observations revealed that science teachers' positivist congestions, rooted in a dogmatic approach to chemistry teaching, hindered students' eloquent engagement in school gardening activities. The study concluded that positivist epistemology and related traditions superficially forced activity-based chemistry learning in community schools.
Limited or null effectFood educationWould a sustainable city be self-sufficient in food production?
2019Gaston E. Small, Robert McDougall, Geneviève S. Metson · International Journal of Design & Nature and Ecodynamics · Global
This study analyzes the potential benefits and costs of urban agriculture, comparing tradeoffs in different sustainability metrics. It assesses how optimal urban agriculture varies by context, such as maximizing production in dense areas versus filling vacant land in post-industrial cities. The research also examines urban agriculture's role in making food systems resilient and includes a case study comparing resource use and pollution for lettuce production via outdoor urban agriculture, indoor urban agriculture, conventional methods, and cross-continental transport for one U.S. metropolitan area.
Climate changeEconomicsOrganic cycleFood sovereignty & justiceConsumption of African Indigenous Vegetables Improves Children’s body Fat Free Mass in Machakos County, Kenya
2019John Wakhanu, Hudson Nyambaka, Judith Kimiywe, Mildred Nawiri, Wilson Thagana · Journal of Food Science and Engineering · Kenya (Machakos County)
This study in Kangundo and Kilalani primary schools, Machakos County, Kenya, investigated the impact of African Indigenous Leafy Vegetables (AILVs) on children aged 6-10 years (N=66 in Kangundo, N=46 in Kilalani). Over two phases (13 and 12 weeks), an experimental group consumed AILVs from school gardens, while a control group did not. Endline analysis showed that the experimental group had significantly higher (p < 0.001) % Fat Free Mass, mean serum iron, and zinc levels compared to the control group.
HealthFood educationCommunityCreating connections
2019Simon 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.
CommunityHealthComprehensive Farm-to-School: A Mixed-Methods Case Study of the Classroom, Cafeteria, and Community
2019Suzanna Elkin · ScholarWorks -A service of University of Vermont Libraries (University of Vermont) · United States
This dissertation presents a mixed-methods case study of a comprehensive Farm-to-School (FTS) program in a northern California school district. It comprises three papers, each exploring one of the "3-C" domains: classroom, cafeteria, and community. The first study qualitatively examines teacher involvement in FTS, the second uses mixed methods to research a new school lunch program, and the third examines the community aspect.
Food educationCommunityHealthEconomicsSoil Constraints to Urban Agriculture in Valley Beds of Yaoundé (Cameroon)
2019Ibrahima Saidou · Journal of Environmental Science and Allied Research · Cameroon (Yaoundé)
A 2014 study in Yaoundé, Cameroon, surveyed 40 farmers and analyzed soil in two valley bed suburbs, Nkolodom and Nkolbisson, to identify soil constraints on urban agriculture. While nitrogen and phosphorus levels were adequate, soil salinity at Nkolodom was brackish to moderate (810 mS/m), potentially constraining crop growth. Soil fertility was also found to decrease with distance from farmers' houses.
Environmental trade-offsEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceImplantação de horta comunitária em um campus universitário : inclusão social e qualidade de vida
2019Bianca Jacqueline Silva · · Brazil
This study describes a project for implementing a community garden at the Itabira campus of the Federal University of Itajubá. The project began with dialogue among campus workers and aims to foster greater involvement with the university community and local population. The garden is planned as a space for observation, cultivation, and leisure, potentially contributing to education and activities on ecology, environmental education, and integrated management of solid and organic waste, with positive impacts on the local environment and participants' health.
CommunityElderlyFood educationHealthRANCANGAN KEGIATAN EDUCATION FARMING USAHA TANIHIDROPONIK DI PT ABC SEBAGAI URBAN FARMING
2019M.Si. Indra, Fitriani Fitriani, Handayani Sri · · Indonesia (Bandar Lampung)
This study outlines the plan for PT ABC, a hydroponic urban farm in Bandar Lampung, Indonesia, to develop an "education farming" initiative. The objectives were to describe the business process, identify necessary resources, and design the activities for this educational program, which aims to teach the community about utilizing limited urban land for agriculture. The proposed plan includes defining activity stages, identifying resources such as inventory, promotion, and infrastructure, and structuring activity packages and production processes.
Food educationCommunityDigital agriculture지역단위 푸드플랜 추진과 농촌지도기관의 역할에 대한 고찰
2019김종안, 최문식, 이준우, 위태석 · 식품유통연구 · South Korea
This study examined the role of agricultural extension agencies in promoting regional food plans in South Korea, where 46 plans have rapidly spread and 100 are projected by 2022. Analyzing 8 local governments' food policies using monitoring indicators derived from Milan policy agreements, the study found that agricultural technology centers' functions were less emphasized in rural and urban food plans compared to agricultural administration and foundations. Key tasks for agricultural technology centers include farmer education, community kitchens, urban-rural linked farming, and strengthening planned production systems, with a recommendation to shift focus from specialized farmers to a sustainable food system for the entire nation.
PolicyCommunityFood educationUrban–rural linkageWorking the fields: The organization of labour in community supported agriculture
2019David Watson · Organization · United Kingdom
This article explores the experience and organization of labor within a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) scheme in the United Kingdom, drawing on Marx’s concept of alienation. It presents a case study of how labor in a CSA scheme counteracts experiences of alienation created by capitalism and considers how this might inform the reorganization of labor in the food system more generally.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsCommunityLocal and Landscape Effects to Biological Controls in Urban Agriculture—A Review
2019Joshua Arnold, Monika Egerer, Kent M. Daane · Insects · Global
This review assessed urban conservation biological control (CBC) research and provided a synthesis for urban agriculture practitioners. Findings indicated that local and landscape factors differentially affect insect pests and beneficial arthropods across the reviewed studies. Several on-farm practices that can be implemented to increase biological control in urban agriculture were also identified.
BiodiversityCommunityUMass Carbon Farming Initiative Design Overview
2019Nikhil Villani, Jack Stambaugh · ScholarWorks@UMassAmherst (University of Massachusetts Amherst) · United States
The UMass Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI) at the Agricultural Learning Center (ALC) involves Stockbridge School of Agriculture students and faculty researching and practicing regenerative food production. Initiated in Spring 2018, students designed and installed a chestnut-sheep silvopasture on a two-acre site. The first season involved starting a chestnut nursery, planting chestnuts, and rotationally grazing six sheep between rows.
Food educationCommunityOrganic cycleClimate changeCropping Practices and Their Drivers in Various Cropping Systems in Peri-urban Areas of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
2019Delphine Bernadette Ouédraogo, Delwendé Innocent Kiba, Zacharia Gnankambary, Sheick K. Sangaré, Diakouba Sirima, Hassan Bismarck Nacro, Michel Papaoba Sédogo · Journal of Agricultural Science · Burkina Faso (Ouagadougou)
This study investigated cropping practices and their drivers in 133 peri-urban farms near Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Soil sample analysis revealed that monoculture led to low soil organic carbon, while polyculture led to low soil available potassium. The socio-economic conditions of the farms explained up to 60% of the variability in cropping practices.
Environmental trade-offsPeri-urban agricultureEconomicsOrganic cycleFood sovereignty & justiceScaling out agroecology from the school garden: the importance of culture, food, and place
2019Bruce G. Ferguson, Helda Morales, Kimberly Chung, Ronald Nigh · Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems · Mexico
A case study of the LabVida school gardens program in Chiapas, Mexico, explored the potential and limitations of scaling agroecology through formal education. Educators gained an appreciation for agroecology and learned practices, though their understanding of agroecological principles and scientific processes remained limited. The program's greatest impact was on educators' eating habits and their perception of the value of local knowledge. The study demonstrates that garden and food-system work can leverage institutional resources to improve educational outcomes, including agroecological literacy.
Food educationCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceDiscursos de agricultura urbana em São Paulo: formação, profusão e captura
2019Martin Jayo, Eduardo de Lima Caldas · kult-ur revista interdisciplinària sobre la cultura de la ciutat · Brazil (São Paulo)
A study in São Paulo, Brazil, examined recent forms of appropriation of the urban agriculture agenda, using a historical analysis of urban agriculture practices by Caldas and Jayo (2019). It was observed that traditional urban agriculture discourses have been captured by new actors, including parts of the public sector opportunistically appropriating the theme and the real estate market promoting an imitation of urban agriculture as a marketing tool.
Governance failurePolicyEconomicsCommunityHUBUNGAN ANTARA KUALITAS AIR DENGAN PREVALENSI ENDOPARASIT PADA SALURAN PENCERNAAN IKAN NILA (Oreochromis niloticus) DI KERAMBA JARING APUNG PROGRAM URBAN FARMING DI KOTA SURABAYA
2019Alfan Prianggara, Gunanti Mahasri, Abdul Manan · Journal of Aquaculture and Fish Health · Indonesia (Surabaya)
A survey in Surabaya, Indonesia, investigated water quality and endoparasite prevalence in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) from urban farming floating cage programs. Water quality parameters were measured, and average endoparasite prevalence was 5.71% for Eimeria spp. and 8% for Acanthogyrus spp. The study found positive correlations between water clarity, ammonia, and DO with Eimeria spp. prevalence, and between temperature, pH, nitrate, and nitrite with Acanthogyrus spp. prevalence, indicating a link between water quality and parasite infection.
Contamination & food safetyHealthUrban–rural linkageEffect of infaq and takmil wal istikmal in sustaining community vegetable farming in Malaysia
2019Suhaimi Mhd. Sarif · The International Islamic University Malaysia Repository (The International Islamic University Malaysia) · Malaysia
This study investigated the effect of infaq (charitable contribution) and takmil wal istikmal (complementarity) on sustaining community vegetable farming in Malaysia. Personal interviews with selected farmers, CSA administrators, and agricultural regulators revealed that the effect of infaq and takmil wal istikmal is limited to small-scale community farming.
CommunityOrganic cycleEconomicsThe Role of Urban Agriculture in Economic, Social and Environmental Sustainability in Africa
2019Lemi Gonfa · · Africa
This paper reviewed the role of urban agriculture in socio-economic and environmental sustainability in Africa, drawing on theoretical and empirical literature. While urban agriculture is recognized for job creation, improved diet, and environmental benefits like urban greenery and biodiversity, challenges such as difficult land access, lack of experience, financial support, training, and credit facilities, as well as low land productivity, animal grazing, and theft, were identified. These factors present potential negative externalities and hinder the development of urban agriculture.
Economic viabilityEconomicsHealthCommunityPolicy