Research & reports

Tim Glaza · ISU Red - Research and eData (Illinois State University) · United States

It has been a persistent challenge for community-based, small-to-medium-scale fruit and vegetable farmers to meet high demand for locally sourced food. Such producers have relied mainly on farm stands, farmers' markets, and community-supported agriculture (CSAs) to meet demand, but despite substantial growth in the number of farmers' markets and CSA subscriptions, a gap remains between community-based food producers and institutional, wholesale, and retail buyers. Regional food hubs are presented as a potentially critical piece for filling this gap. The Edible Economy Project, in partnership with Heartland Community College, worked on a regional food hub network project in central Illinois aimed at creating a more efficient and vibrant community-based food system. Per the USDA definition cited, a regional food hub is a business or organization that actively manages the aggregation, distribution, and marketing of source-identified food products, primarily from local and regional producers, to strengthen their ability to satisfy wholesale, retail, and institutional demand; food hubs are described as helping buyers and farmers connect and transact more efficiently. This piece places the community-based food system within the broader green economy and uses a case study approach to explain how a community with diverse stakeholders may develop a food hub.

A. Bryan Endres, Rachel Armstrong · Food Studies An Interdisciplinary Journal · United States

A legal analysis (Food Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 2013) of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in the United States—where CSA participation more than doubled between 2004 and 2009—examines "volunteer-for-food" arrangements and unpaid internships that many CSA farms offer in exchange for labor. It finds that these arrangements do not align cleanly with federal and state employment laws governing minimum wage and workers' compensation, creating a mismatch between the community-participation model embedded in CSAs and the legal regimes that govern them. The paper identifies potential points of flexibility within existing law, explores mechanisms for farmers to avoid regulatory liability, and concludes with policy recommendations to eliminate regulations it characterizes as scale-inappropriate for CSA expansion.

Seanna Berry · SMARTech Repository (Georgia Institute of Technology) · United States

A report on Atlanta, Georgia's local food system reviews the rationale for food systems planning, surveys mechanisms other cities and regions use to enhance the supply and consumption of locally grown food, and describes Atlanta's current efforts in this area. Building on goals that city officials and food advocates have set over the preceding five years toward a more localized and vibrant food system, it recommends strategic directions to help the city improve its efforts and overcome identified barriers.

California State Legislature · California Legislative Information · United States

California's AB-551 (enacted 2013-2014 session) allows local governments to establish Urban Agriculture Incentive Zones, letting landowners enter contracts of at least five years to have land used for agriculture assessed at the lower value based on the state's average irrigated farmland value, rather than market value. Eligible parcels must be between 0.10 and 3 acres, dwellings are prohibited on the property while under contract, and new contracts originally had to begin by January 1, 2019.

Grewal S., Grewal P. · Cities · Cleveland, United States

Using Cleveland as a post-industrial case study, three maximal scenarios achieved food self-reliance of only 4.2-17.7% by weight and 1.8-7.3% by expenditure, showing even ambitious urban production can supply only a small share of a city's food needs.

Community Gardening Works! ACGA 2011 Conference, Carolin Mees, Edie Stone · Cities and the Environment · United States

This abstract discusses the rapid expansion of the community gardening movement in US urban areas. It highlights the potential for urban agriculture planning to turn against its original community-driven roots, as suggested by the title. The movement began over 30 years ago, with residents creating gardens on abandoned land, supported by programs like New York City's GreenThumb.

Alan Hunt, Gary C. Matteson · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United States

Agricultural producers are diversifying their marketing channels, but the U.S. Census of Agriculture primarily tracks only direct-to-consumer sales, organic sales, and community supported agriculture farms. This paper proposes that administrative reporting changes in the 2012 census and the introduction of new questions for the 2017 census can improve observations on marketing channel usage at both farm-level and sector-level with greater precision.

Jennifer Dean · Educational Media Reviews Online · United States (Detroit)

The documentary "We Are Not Ghosts" tells the story of Detroit through interviews, focusing on the city's future and revitalization initiatives like urban farming. However, according to the review, the film glosses over the city's troubles and attempts to cover too many issues in 52 minutes, resulting in a lack of appropriate analysis for any single issue. It is described as serving more as a promotional video for Detroit than an academic one.

Barry E. Smith · · Canada

The British Columbia Farmland Preservation Program, established by the Land Commission Act on April 18, 1973, aims to preserve the province's valuable farmland. This program has sustained economic and social benefits from agriculture, preserved community character, and maintained natural capital. The Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) has also acted as an urban growth boundary, contributing to compact urban development and addressing land use conflicts.

Erica Giorda · · United States (Detroit)

This chapter examines the emergence of urban gardens and farms in Detroit, United States, as a grassroots response to urban decay and food deserts. It notes that while institutional support was initially limited, the number of gardens is growing, with over 300 community gardens and five self-identified farms operating. The study argues that Detroit's urban farmers envision the city's future as one of gardens, driven by concepts of food justice.

Siqing Chen · APCBEE Procedia · United States

This paper uses a housing development project in the United States to exemplify how civic agriculture can be integrated into urban development through forms like Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), kitchen gardens, and farmer's markets. This integration creates a local food web, enhancing civic engagement and welfare among residents, maintaining landscape authenticity, strengthening ecosystem services, reducing carbon footprint, and promoting long-term sustainability. Civic agriculture represents a transition in agricultural practice from large-scale commodity enterprises to small-scale, self-sustaining civic activities.

Wyatt · Civil War Book Review · United States

This finance bill (S12RS SGFB No. 5) aims to allocate $1,256.50 from the Student Senate General Contingency Account to fund the materials for the installation of sustainable edible landscaping on campus.

Cristina Connolly, H. Allen Klaiber, Connolly, Cristina, Klaiber, H. Allen · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · United States

This study evaluated consumers' willingness to pay for organic certification programs using price and attribute data from 188 CSA farms in Ohio and Pennsylvania. A semi-log hedonic analysis revealed a willingness to pay approximately 9% more for organic branding compared to natural, translating to an additional $48 per summer season share. However, no premium was found for competing certification programs.

Barb Bergman · Educational Media Reviews Online · United States (Baltimore)

The film "Cafeteria Man" follows Tony Geraci, Food and Nutrition Director for Baltimore schools, as he works to improve school lunch quality. It highlights how local fresh foods benefit students and farmers, and how school gardens provide learning opportunities for students in urban neighborhoods. The film also touches on obstacles to improved school lunch, including schools not receiving purchased fresh produce.

Ana Carolina Vinholi, Pedro Martins · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Brazil (Itajaí)

This article investigates urban agriculture practices in Itajaí/SC, Brazil, to identify their potentials and obstacles for territorial development. Using participant observation and semi-structured interviews, the study concludes that urban agriculture is an expanding phenomenon closely linked to rural exodus. It also serves as a space for the conservation of traditional knowledge.

Ana Carolina Paiva Rodrigues · VII CONNEPI - Congresso Norte Nordeste de Pesquisa e Inovação · Brazil (Natal)

In the Gramorezinho region of Natal-RN, Brazil, an exploratory study analyzed the socioeconomic and productive characteristics of urban and peri-urban agriculture. The methodology involved examining farmers' socioeconomic profiles, adopted production systems, and commercialization methods for key vegetable species. The study concluded that the legitimization of urban and peri-urban agriculture in Natal-RN is flawed, not only concerning municipal legislation but also regarding the guarantee of support and technical assistance for agricultural activities.

Harry L. Watson · Southern cultures · United States

This text discusses the evolution of food culture in the American South, from World War I-era calls for local food conservation to modern locavore movements. It highlights the current popularity of local food traditions and farmer's markets, while also raising concerns about the health impacts of large-scale industries like North Carolina's hog farming. Historically, the South was known for nutritional diseases alongside its traditional recipes.

Jennifer E. Reeves · OhioLink ETD Center (Ohio Library and Information Network) · United States (Cleveland, Ohio)

This two-year study in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, investigated urban soil health via nematode food web analysis and crop productivity via tomato fruit yield in urban gardens. Market gardens showed significantly more soil organic matter, nitrogen pools, and nematode presence than community gardens in both 2011 and 2012. However, despite these differences, there was no significant difference in the total yield of tomatoes per square meter between market and community garden types in either year. Gardens with raised beds had significantly more soil moisture content and soil organic matter than those with flat beds.

Carolin Mees, Edie Stone · · United States (New York City)

In New York City, community gardens were established by resident groups in the 1970s, contributing to recreation, food security, and sustainable urban development. Their number has fluctuated over the past 30 years, with approximately 600 gardens existing today, over 300 of which are on public land. Recently, in response to climate change and economic crisis, elements like beehives and rainwater harvesting have been legalized and used to maximize food production and conserve water. This chapter will use qualitative data analysis, secondary literature discussion, and participant observation to evaluate the employment and function of these garden components and how the city's community gardens contribute to a sustainable city.

Sarah Leonard · Dissent · United States

This article explores the perilous state of food and food politics in America and a wide range of responses on the Left. It describes how the existing farm bill led to a policy disaster, the relationship between Reagan-era deregulation and the obesity epidemic, and the labor exploitation endemic to the elite dining experience. The study reveals challenges in governance within the American food system and its socioeconomic impacts.

Corey McAuliffe, Laura Whitaker, Aimee Webb Girard · The FASEB Journal · United States (Georgia)

Interviews with farmers' market managers, farmers, CSA managers, and a cooperative market manager in DeKalb County, Georgia, assessed challenges in local food accessibility. Qualitative data revealed significant financial barriers to production, prohibitive policies, and limitations in marketing and distribution systems. Environmental factors also limited the accessibility of local foods through farmers' markets and CSAs.

Rod MacRae, Joe Nar, James Kuhns, Lauren Baker, Russ Christianson, Martin Danyluk, Abra Snider, Eric V. Gallant, Penny Kaill-Vinish, Marc Michalak, Janet Oswald, Sima Patel, Gerda R. Wekerle · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · Canada (Toronto)

This paper, focusing on Toronto, identifies subtle impediments to scaling up urban agriculture beyond self-provisioning, despite land not being an insurmountable barrier. These include taxation systems assuming agriculture is a strictly rural activity, inadequate knowledge sharing among urban producers, limited access to soil, water, and seeds, and a lack of incentives for landowners. Achieving 10% of the city's commercial fresh vegetable demand requires significant policy and program initiatives in five key areas, including governance, coordination, and financing.

Kevin Wonch · Hope College Digital Commons (Hope College) · United States (Detroit)

This study examines urban farming in Detroit, a city experiencing rapid decline with a population under a million, limited access to fresh food stores, and extensive vacant land. While arguing for modern urban farming as a foundation for sustainable practices and positive development, it notes that some political and business analysts question its ability to make a significant impact on the city’s future.

Allison Oulton · · United States

This study tested social capital as a measurable indicator for community garden planning in Akron, Ohio, by identifying vacant parcels in areas with fewer civic engagement hubs. Using an adapted methodology that introduced spatial components to social capital at the neighborhood scale, it identified sites with a greater need for social capital. A limitation was that the principal hubs of civic engagement identified were churches, suggesting further fieldwork is needed to identify site-specific social hubs.

Sjsu ScholarWorks, Gabriel R. Valle · · United States

This paper explores the self-valorization of work in community gardens as a path to environmental justice, arguing that community gardens disrupt capital's system by removing food as a commodity and revaluing time outside market-driven speed. The Chicano community, being susceptible to workplace inequalities, has a particular stake in this self-valorization, as these inequalities are reflected in unhealthy communities, economies, and environments. The study suggests that self-valorization through work creates natural wealth, reconstructing time, oppression, and communities.