Research & reports

Tharrey M., Sachs A., Perignon M., Simon C., Mejean C., Litt J., Darmon N. · BMC Public Health · France (Montpellier)

A quasi-experimental study in Greater Montpellier comparing 66 new community garden participants with 66 matched controls found no significant shifts toward more sustainable lifestyles (diet, physical activity, well-being) after one year of garden participation.

Feola G., Suzunaga J., Soler J., Wilson A. · Journal of Rural Studies · Colombia (Sogamoso)

Drawing on a survey of 160 peri-urban farming households in Sogamoso, this study applies the concept of 'quiet sustainability' to challenge dominant urban development discourses that frame peri-urban agriculture as backward, demonstrating its role in strengthening social cohesion and environmental sustainability.

Dissanayake L., Dilini S. · Open Journal of Social Sciences · Sri Lanka (Kandy)

A questionnaire-based study in the Kandy municipal area found that urban home gardens significantly contributed to household food security and quality of life during COVID-19 lockdowns, with social well-being and mental health benefits highlighted across all satisfaction levels.

Scott T.L., Masser B.M., Pachana N.A. · SAGE Open Medicine, 8:2050312120901732 · Australia

A study of older Australians examining links between home and community gardening and psychosocial and physical well-being. Older gardeners reported greater self-esteem, sense of productive endeavour, social engagement and exercise, associated with more positive attitudes to ageing. It shows allotments and gardening groups can protect older adults from isolation and support positive ageing.

Mary Rogers, Illana Livstrom, Brandon Roiger, Amy Smith · HortTechnology · United States (Minneapolis)

Growing North Minneapolis (GNM) is an urban agriculture and youth development summer program in North Minneapolis, MN, run as a partnership between the University of Minnesota and community partners that recruits, trains, and employs youth aged 14–15 facing barriers to employment. Post-program qualitative surveys showed that youth learned across multiple domains of knowledge and valued the social interaction offered by the intergenerational mentorship structure.

· Cogent Economics & Finance · Ethiopia

Analyses how small-scale irrigation technology affects women's empowerment, including control over household resources, income and decision-making.

· Landscape and Urban Planning · USA (New York City)

Empirical study of NYC's public High Line project showing housing values near the park rose 35% and rents ~68%, with parkgoers overwhelmingly white/tourist—evidence that a flagship public greening investment captured value for the affluent and failed its low-income host neighborhood.

Alison Carver, Alanna Lorenzon, Jenny Veitch, Ashley Macleod, Takemi Sugiyama · Aging & Mental Health · Global

A narrative review that searched six databases through 2017 and identified nine studies on exposure to greenery — gardens and green space — and mental health among residents of aged care facilities. Seven of the nine reported favourable associations between garden use and outcomes such as quality of life, but most relied on observations by staff and family rather than validated mental health instruments. One study found a reduction in depression linked to garden participation, while another found no change in physiological stress. The authors conclude that more robust evidence based on valid and reliable mental health measures is needed.

Doris González-Fernández, Ana Sofía Mazzini Salom, Fermina Herrera Bendezu, Sonia Huamán, Bertha Rojas Hernández, Illène Pevec, Eliana Mariana Galarza Izquierdo, Nicoletta Armstrong, Virginia Thomas, Sonia Vela Gonzáles, Carlos Gonzáles Saravia, Marilyn E. Scott, Kristine G. Koski · Frontiers in Public Health · Peru (Lima)

In peripheral settlements of the Pachacámac district of metropolitan Lima, Peru, community health promoters delivered a sequence of (1) home and community gardens, (2) 'conscious nutrition' and (3) parenting workshops (ICDP), comparing 113 children aged 0–3 in intervention communities with 127 in control communities at baseline, 8 and 12 months. The interventions significantly reduced the risk of food insecurity (adjusted risk ratio 0.20, 95% CI 0.08–0.51) and of language delay (0.39, 0.19–0.82), but did not significantly improve motor or social/cognitive delay. Multiple micronutrient supplement use lowered motor delay risk (0.12), while households with more pets had higher risk of motor delay (3.24), social/cognitive delay (2.72) and food insecurity (1.73). Because gardens were bundled with nutrition and parenting components, the contribution of the gardens alone cannot be isolated.

Vatsi Meneghel Danilevicz · Psicologia & Sociedade · Brazil (Bahia)

This experience report details the journey of a community garden at a Family Health Unit (USF) in southern Bahia, Brazil, aiming to revive local knowledge and create visibility. Using a cartographic methodology, the study analyzed the garden's effects on participants' health and the bond between health workers and service users. The garden, primarily involving around ten poor, elderly Black women residents, proved to be a powerful tool for therapeutic support, relationship building, cultivation of medicinal plants, reduction in allopathic medication use, and production of vegetables and fruits for participants' consumption.

Paule Olivia Akotto, Dorothée Boccanfuso, Marie-Ève Yergeau · Cahiers de recherche · Global

This exploratory review synthesizes 35 reports and articles published between 1980 and 2019 to assess the potential of urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) to build resilience against poverty, food insecurity, and environmental challenges in developing countries. The review found that UPA creates one job for every 50 to 100 individuals, but these jobs are generally seasonal, and market access remains a significant constraint for farmers.

Colleen Hammelman, Alexis Saenz-Montoya · Journal of Latin American geography · Colombia (Medellín)

In Medellín, Colombia, large infrastructure projects by the local government, intended to transform the city, have contributed to a neoliberal sustainability agenda. Data from community meetings (2015-2017) with displaced people engaged in subsistence urban agriculture revealed that these projects exclude marginalized residents from newly valued "natural" commons. This territorialization strategy controls peripheral spaces by including approved actors while dispossessing less powerful residents of their right to the city.

Neil Cox, Zoe Beynon-MacKinnon · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · Canada

This article presents observations and suggestions from the operations of Lettuce Harvest Foundation (LHF), a grassroots urban agriculture nonprofit in Vancouver, Canada, founded in 2019. LHF's programming was designed to address challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings suggest that short-term emergency food relief is insufficient, and propose harnessing pre-existing industry elements as a method for grassroots organizations to mitigate food system strains during crises.

Carolina Ferreira dos Santos, Bruno Hosrt, Daniele Ukan · Brazilian Journal of Development · Brazil

In the Nhapindazal neighborhood of Irati-PR, Brazil, a community garden project was implemented by the PET – Engenharias Group in partnership with "pastoral da criança." The project aimed to supplement food conditions and improve dietary habits for socially vulnerable families. Through a community meeting with representatives, plans for the garden's construction, maintenance, materials, and plant species were discussed. Academic students actively participated in the installation, and the community organized to maintain the garden, resulting in improved and diversified diets for those consuming its produce.

Ada P. Smith · Collaborative anthropologies · Canada

In Canada's Gitxaała Nation, the potential of the Gitxaała community garden and the summer reading program at Lach Klan School as a "food literacy" learning platform for achieving food security and food sovereignty was explored. This research suggests that hands-on learning activities integrating local Indigenous language and knowledge have the potential to contribute to food sovereignty goals by better equipping students to shape their food system.

Ivan Siqueira Barreto, Danilo França Bomfim, Jessica Rayane de Oliveira Melo, Mariane Marques · Cadernos de Agroecologia · Brazil

In Aracaju, Brazil, the "Cultivating Citizenship Urban Agriculture Project" pioneers the establishment of vegetable gardens in community spaces. This initiative aims to generate income and promote financial autonomy for 100 low-income beneficiaries of the Bolsa Familia Program, including persons with disabilities. The project seeks to foster social and productive inclusion for vulnerable populations.

Milah Zainal, Siti Raba’ah Hamzah, M. Z. Rosmiza · Journal of Asian Scientific Research · Malaysia

This article reviewed the role of social assets in community well-being within urban farming projects, noting a gap in previous Malaysian studies on this topic. Social assets were identified as motivational forces that foster cooperation and benefit agricultural development. Analysis of past research indicated that social assets contribute to knowledge sharing, access to resources, community garden development, motivation, technology transfer, and good agricultural practices. The study recommends incorporating social assets into policies aimed at improving urban farmer well-being.

Lydia Maleknia, Vanessa Boshuizen, Deepika Parmar, Mengyou Wu, Catherine Pourdavoud · PEDIATRICS · United States

The REACH program of the Kaiser Permanente Northern California pediatrics residency aimed to develop a school-based gardening program for middle-school students to promote nutritional education. A needs assessment of 278 students revealed 33% experienced food insecurity and 51% consumed more than one sugary drink daily. After only three classes, 12 participating students reported improvements in eating at least five vegetables daily (from 58% to 66%) and in nutrition knowledge (from 20% to 50% accuracy in completing a "healthy plate").

Tony Ngwenya, Pfano Mashau · Problems and Perspectives in Management · South Africa (Durban)

This study investigated institutional support for youth-owned Small, Medium, and Micro-Enterprises (SMMEs) in Durban's urban agribusiness sector using a quantitative methodology. Findings indicated that CSR interventions had not yielded a fundamental impact, and there was a lack of tangible, result-driven institutional support from policymakers and authorities. Furthermore, targeted technological transfer was a constraining factor, and a lack of monetary and non-monetary access hampered the SMMEs' competitiveness and profitability.

Fahmi Rafika Perdana · Jurnal Pemberdayaan Masyarakat Media Pemikiran dan Dakwah Pembangunan · Indonesia (Yogyakarta City)

This qualitative study examined empowerment efforts within the Gemah Ripah Adult Farmer Group in Bausasran Village, Yogyakarta City, Indonesia, focusing on family involvement and social capital. Findings indicated that empowerment brought benefits for family socio-economic resilience, supported by maintained social capital and external backing. However, obstacles included a lack of awareness among some residents, difficulty engaging young people, and the busyness common in urban society.

Linda Lapiņa · · Denmark (Copenhagen)

This article explores how migrants create space within integration gardens in Copenhagen, an urban gardening association aiming to dismantle social and cultural boundaries. The gardens function as both an "integration grid" centered on a foreigner–Dane binary and a "web of gardening" focused on plants and practices. The analysis juxtaposes these spatiotemporal logics to understand the possibilities for action and relating they offer.

Idaene Socorro da Silva, Alexciane Priscila da Silva, Thayna Karoline Sousa Silva, Delton Manoel dos Santos Silva, Hannah Shiva Ludgero Farias, Cáio Dantas Ribeiro, Jéssica de Oliveira Campos, Camilla Peixoto Santos Rodrigues, Osvaldo Nascimento Pascoal, JacksonGeorge Gomes dos Santos Araújo, Adriana Maria da Silva · Brazilian Journal of Development · Brazil

From August to December 2018, a supported self-care group for chronic disease patients was implemented in the Maués neighborhood of Vitória de Santo Antão/PE, Brazil. The group consisted of 14 in-person meetings with an average participation of 20 community members, utilizing strategies such as community garden construction and maintenance, nutritional education, and physical activity promotion. This experience yielded positive impacts, including the empowerment of participants in their health-disease process and an understanding of the importance of self-care.

Jennifer Garner, Stephanie Jilcott Pitts, Karla L. Hanson, Alice S. Ammerman, Jane Kolodinsky, Marilyn Sitaker, Rebecca A. Seguin‐Fowler · Translational Behavioral Medicine · United States

A process evaluation of the Farm Fresh Foods for Healthy Kids (F3HK) randomized trial, conducted across 4 states and 12 farms, assessed whether cost-offset community-supported agriculture could improve diet quality among children in low-income families. Intervention households (n=305) purchased a 50% subsidized share of local produce and were invited to nutrition classes. Results showed the mean CSA season was 21 weeks, with a median CSA pickup rate of 88% of the weeks. Most adults (77%) and children (54%) attended at least one class, and 82% of caregivers reported consuming most or all produce.

Charoni Eugenia · · Haiti

A case study was conducted on the two-year efforts of the nonprofit Foundation Pierre Smith Mondelus to address illiteracy in the Milot commune, northern Haiti. The foundation offers eight programs, including literacy, education, and a community garden. Based on observations, testimonies, and test scores, the literacy and education programs were shown to have practical and sociopsychological impacts.

Jennifer Jettner, Mary Secret · International Journal of Social Welfare · United States

This study examined the relationship between race and racial diversity on social capital in community gardens located in food deserts in the southeastern USA. Cross-level regression models were performed on a sample of 52 gardeners from 10 community gardens, analyzing their “sense of community” and the “number of resources” obtainable from fellow gardeners. Results indicated that community gardens are excellent vehicles for promoting one’s sense of community regardless of race or garden’s racial composition, but they were less likely to increase the number of resources. Accessing a greater number of resources took longer and more effort, and increased perceptions of racial diversity had a negative relationship with the number of resources.