Research & reports

Claudia Jiménez, Patricia Yazmín Figueroa-Chávez · Journal of the Selva Andina Research Society · Colombia (Bogotá)

This study addresses the importance of school gardens as a strategy for the consumption of healthy food in an early childhood home in Bogota, Colombia.

Stephanie Bezerra Muniz Falcão, Laysla Tamyres de Oliveira Borges, ANA PATRICIA BASTOS FERREIRA · International Journal of Health Science · Brazil

This extension project in Jaboatão dos Guararapes-PE, Brazil, aimed to promote mental health and physical well-being for elderly residents in a Long-Term Care Institution (ILPI) through horticulture. A community garden was created for therapeutic horticulture activities, including sensory gardening and aromatherapy. The project found that horticulture was effective in reducing depressive symptoms, improving mood, and enhancing the quality of life for participants.

Cherry Love B. Montales · International Journal of Research Publication and Reviews · Global

This systematic review analyzed 25 peer-reviewed studies published between 2014 and 2020 to explore how agricultural programs are implemented in secondary schools. Using clear inclusion/exclusion criteria and thematic analysis, the review showed that school gardens, often combined with other activities, were the most common initiatives. These programs involved students, teachers, parents, and other stakeholders, with key themes identified as health and nutrition, food security, teaching, environmental sustainability, learning, and the use of information and communication technology.

Rachael Walshe, Lisa Law, Neus Evans · Local Environment · Australia (Cairns)

This paper explores the potential of urban school garden learning experiences in Gimuy/Cairns, Australia, to remediate Environmental Generational Amnesia (EGA). Drawing on interviews with various staff at a Far North Queensland primary school, the study found that school garden experiences foster interaction patterns that combat EGA's symptoms, offering new possibilities for reassembling students into local ecologies and remediating EGA manifestations.

Henny Rusmiyati, Ulil Azmi Nurlaili Afifah, Fitriani Eka Puji Lestari, Doni Sahat Tua Manalu, Harries Marithasari · Agrokreatif Jurnal Ilmiah Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat · Indonesia

In Buduan Village, East Java, where green spaces are diminishing, an IPB Vocational School team provided urban farming training using hydrogel planting media to 33 participants from local community groups. The training aimed to increase environmental awareness and knowledge of cultivation methods for limited land. Participants gained knowledge about urban farming and implemented hydrogel planting in their homes as an initial step towards environmental care.

Miranda S. Fitzgerald, Annemarie Sullivan Palincsar · Phi Delta Kappan · Global

Project-based learning (PBL) is argued to provide a rich context for fostering students' literacy motivation and engagement. Characteristic features of PBL align with research-supported instructional practices, such as peer collaboration and communicating with real audiences. Educators can use the SMILE concept (sharing, me, importance, liking, engagement) to design and implement PBL in K-12 classrooms.

Jamilah Muryati, Naufal Hilmizen, Aris Munandar, Endang Koswara · VISA Journal of Vision and Ideas · Indonesia

This Community Service (PKM) project in Indonesia addressed eye fatigue from prolonged digital device use among teachers and students. The method involved counseling and utilizing school gardens as a data source. Distilled hydrosol water from betel leaves, kecombrang, and jasmine flowers was used for eye drops, while betel leaves, kecombrang, ylang-ylang, and bidara leaves were combined for face mist.

José Angel Vences-Martínez, Alejo Javier Lungo Rodríguez, Grecia Hernández Zamacona, Juan Ernesto Mendoza-Ramos, José Pepe Vargas Soberanis, José Domingo Cipriano Espino · REVISTA DE EDUCACIÓN AMBIENTAL Y SOSTENIBILIDAD · Global

An organic School Garden (HE) was designed through Environmental Education (EA) workshops for 13 sixth-grade primary school children. The project aimed to develop students' attitudes and skills regarding global environmental problems and their environment. Three EA workshops were designed: "Knowing my Garden," "Locating my garden," and "Composting," followed by two workshops for preparing and sowing the garden.

Ive Mariana Guissoni Arantes, Cícero José Da Silva, Natália Gislene Silva Salvador, Anselmo Afonso Golynski, Ênio Eduardo Basílio, Danilo Silva de Oliveira, Valentine Virginia Matheus, Eduardo Cardoso da Silva Assunção · Caderno Pedagógico · Brazil (Morrinhos-Goiás)

The Horta Comunitária extension project in Morrinhos-Goiás, Brazil, produces vegetables to ensure food security for socially vulnerable families. Managed by teachers, staff, and students from Intituto Federal Goiano Campus – Morrinhos, the project has achieved significant results in training and providing healthy food.

Xiaoying Ding, Shuqi Zhao, Xiaopeng Yue, Yangang Xing, Zhiyuan Zhao · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · China

This study explored the correlation between design factors and the benefits of an edible campus, using the South Campus of Hebei University of Technology in China as a case study. Through 261 questionnaire surveys and 30 interviews, it identified seven design factor categories and five benefit categories, including environmental education and economic output. The results showed significant differences in how design factors correlate with benefits, with planting function having the strongest positive correlation with all five benefits.

Tiara Himma Fadhilah, Adilah Dwita Cahyana, Ferdiansyah Dwiky Nugraha, Gideon Setyo Budiwitjaksono · JURNAL PENGABDIAN MASYARAKAT AKADEMISI · Indonesia (Surabaya)

This community service program aimed to empower residents of Gebang Putih Subdistrict, Surabaya, through urban farming. Activities included outreach and training on hydroponics and growing plants in pots. Residents showed positive responses and high enthusiasm, indicating that urban farming can increase food security, family independence, environmental quality, and public health.

Buonanno Rosa · IRIS UNIMORE (University of Modena and Reggio Emilia) · Italy (Reggio Emilia)

This study in Reggio Emilia, Italy, explored primary school children's knowledge of plants and their uses, and aimed to rebuild a plant-focused learning environment with school stakeholders. Qualitative analysis of children's conversations and documentation revealed their innate connection with plants through food or health applications, supporting their "naturalistic intelligence." Teachers reported that the plant project fostered group work, collaboration, and a changing didactic approach, connecting children to the earth's environment.

Isabel Cristina Carvalho, Raquel Luz Sousa · Portuguese National Funding Agency for Science, Research and Technology (RCAAP Project by FCT) · Global

This chapter advocates for teaching contexts that integrate community art practices, using an informal urban agriculture laboratory as a basis. It proposes pedagogical approaches for Architecture and Urbanism education that leverage action and experimental research to structure living spaces, focusing on proximity, solidarity, intergenerationality, multifunctionality, and sustainability. The aim is to foster social, biophysical, and ecological integration, promote diversity and gender equality, and raise awareness of active citizenship through collaborative co-planning and co-management of plural green urban spaces.

Maria Neocleous Maliotou, Γεωργία Λιαράκου · Education 3-13 · Global

This research employed the Whole School Approach framework to address obstacles in setting up and operating a school-integrated, long-sustained school garden. A school case study involving in-depth interviews with school stakeholders was utilized. Findings suggest that a long-sustained school garden requires collective vision and strategic planning, a holistic curriculum connection, continuous staff capacity building, and school community involvement.

Sopian Alviana, Bobi Kurniawan · Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat Tekno. · Indonesia

This community service program aimed to empower residents of Griya Pataruman Asri, Indonesia, through hydroponic urban farming, addressing limited agricultural land in urban areas. The program provided training and understanding of hydroponic technology, and distributed 10 hydroponic kits to residents. This initiative sought to utilize vacant land and enable residents to cultivate crops with limited space.

Vaneeza Iftikhar, Nageena Ghafoor · Axis Journal of Agriculture & Biological Sciences · India

A quasi-experimental study with 194 adolescents aged 11–15 years in government schools of South Punjab, India, assessed if integrating school gardening with nutrition education improves dietary habits. After a 12-week intervention, the intervention group showed an increase in mean dietary diversity from 4.2 to 6.1 and a decrease in weekly junk food servings from 9.8 to 5.2. Compared to the control group, the intervention group demonstrated statistically significant improvements in both dietary diversity and junk food consumption.

Puji Lestari Tarigan, Edi Purnomo Sasongko, Haidar Fari Aditya, Wanti Mindari, Ramadhani Mahendra Kusuma, Fitri Wijayanti · Journal of Community Service · Indonesia (Sidoarjo)

This community service activity in RW IX, Griya Bhayangkara, Sidoarjo, East Java, introduced the cultivation of green grass jelly using urban farming methods like polybags and pots to PKK groups. The aim was to highlight the plant's benefits for digestion, blood sugar, and cancer prevention, and its potential for household-scale processing. The activity, which included lectures and practical sessions, resulted in the distribution of grass jelly plants for care and harvesting, with the PKK group finding them interesting and beneficial for various food preparations.

Muhammad Sholeh, Deby Luriawati Naryatmojo, Saptono Putro, Andri Sumihar Simbolon · Jurnal Abdimas · Indonesia (Semarang)

In Tambakrejo, Semarang City, Indonesia, an urban farming initiative supported by SAKA Energi Muriah Limited and Semarang State University aimed to enhance food security and climate change adaptation. The program involved community empowerment, training, and implementation of urban farming models like vertical pipes and hanging pots. This initiative successfully provided alternative food sources, especially during floods, and increased community awareness of food security and the environment.

Muhammad Nurul Fadel, Intan Adevia Rosnarita, Bintari Tri Sukoharjanti, Riana Rahmawati, Muhamad Khudzaifi, Emma Jayanti Besan, Hasriyani Hasriyani, Galih Kurniawan · Jurnal Abdimas Indonesia · Indonesia

A community service activity in Indonesia aimed to educate residents on the benefits and uses of TOGA (family medicinal plants) urban farming. The method involved education and discussion to enhance community experience and knowledge in applying TOGA urban farming, including cultivation and utilization, and discussing the importance of natural ingredients and TOGA as an alternative treatment for minor illnesses. The findings indicate increased productivity and empowerment among residents regarding TOGA urban farming, alongside heightened empathy and awareness among pharmacists and pharmaceutical personnel in providing education.

Muzayyanah Rahmiyah, Eka Nur Jannah, Fuad Hilmy · Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat Bumi Raflesia · Indonesia (Magelang)

In Magelang City, Indonesia, residents of Sari Makmur Organic Village cultivate vegetables in their home gardens, but pests and diseases pose a problem. This activity aimed to enhance residents' knowledge and skills in making plant-based pesticides from papaya leaves through counseling and demonstrations. Additionally, yellow traps were installed in the fields.

Eko Sudarmanto, Triana Zuhrotun Aulia, Indra Gunawan Siregar, Lena Erdawati, Isrok Isrok, M Wahid Saputra, Yuana Fasya Purnamasari · Solusi Bersama · Indonesia

The "Go Green" program, part of Universitas Muhammadiyah Tangerang's community service, aimed to address environmental issues and strengthen food security in Rawa Buntu, Indonesia. It promoted gardening in home yards and vacant land, encouraging community participation in cultivating vegetables and herbs. The program concluded that community involvement in gardening positively impacts the environment, strengthens the local economy, and fosters more sustainable food security.

Shengyi Du, Katsuya Tanaka · Heliyon · China (Shanghai)

A discrete choice experiment with 756 Shanghai residents investigated preferences for urban agriculture (UA). Respondents generally supported UA, favoring facilities with environmentally friendly production, farming activities, and dining options, and preferring regularly scheduled educational activities. Residents preferred nearby UA facilities but not necessarily directly in front of them, with stronger preferences observed among highly educated populations, those with primary/secondary school students, and those with agricultural work experience.

Dinda Helma Saputry, Rossi Septy Wahyuni · Jurnal KomtekInfo · Indonesia

This study, conducted from May to July 2023 with 100 respondents, used the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) to determine criteria and suitable tomato seed alternatives for urban farming. The AHP identified yield potential per hectare (0.231) as the highest priority criterion, followed by the number of viable fruit per plant (0.205). GBU tomatoes (0.418) were the most supported seed alternative, with Hibrid (0.417) and GM (0.164) as the second and third alternatives.

Putu Hadi Setyarini, Sisca Fajriani, Tri Nurwati, Mochammad Roviq, Dian Inayati · Jurnal Surya Masyarakat · Indonesia (Malang)

A community service activity at SDI As Salam and SMPIT As Salam in Malang, Indonesia, integrated solar panels into hydroponic and aquaponic systems to enhance energy independence. The Participatory Rural Appraisal approach involved training, installation workshops, and farming assistance. The use of solar panels reduced electricity costs, supported student learning about renewable energy, and improved the sustainability of urban farming in schools.

Aulia Adetya · Policy Brief Pertanian Kelautan dan Biosains Tropika · Indonesia

This policy brief discusses urban farming as a strategy to address food insecurity in Indonesian urban areas, which face weakened local food availability and high reliance on external supplies. Urban farming, encompassing integrated farming or agriculture, has been widely adopted across Indonesian cities with diverse objectives. The brief highlights urban farming's potential to strengthen urban food security and emphasizes the need for supportive policies, including limited land use, citizen training, and assessing the impact of such training.