Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
3622 results(27 / 145)
Measuring soil, making territory: Developing eDNA and other soil biodiversity indicators in Finland as a struggle over scales of governance
2025Jelena Salmi, Anna Krzywoszynska · Environmental Science & Policy · Finland
A discourse analysis of 103 governance and grey literature documents in Finland examined the politics of soil biodiversity indicators. The study found that eDNA is the preferred scientific basis for soil biodiversity governance in Finland due to alignment between scientific and policy groups. However, land workers' organizations criticize eDNA methods, arguing they risk obscuring local specificity and creating environmental and social injustice, potentially alienating land management groups.
Governance failurePolicyBiodiversityFood sovereignty & justiceChanges in Macroinvertebrate Community Structure Associated with Land Use in Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia
2025Cristian Granados Martínez, Meyer Guevara-Mora, Eugenia López‐López, José Rincón Ramírez · Water · Colombia
This study evaluated aquatic macroinvertebrate community structure in the Ranchería River, Colombia, across conserved, urban/agricultural, and mining zones during the dry season (January–March 2021). Urban/agricultural zones showed the lowest richness (35 genera) and were characterized by disturbance-tolerant species, particularly Melanoides. Land use types constituted the primary driver of community structure, with a 24.1% pure effect, exceeding physical, chemical, and land cover variables.
Environmental trade-offsBiodiversityUrban–rural linkageThe impact of gardening on well-being, mental health, and quality of life: an umbrella review and meta-analysis
2024Panțiru I., Ronaldson A., Sima N., Dregan A., Sima R. · Systematic Reviews (Springer), 13:45 · Global
An umbrella review and meta-analysis comparing prior reviews of diverse gardening interventions, including home, allotment, community, and therapeutic gardening. Synthesizing 40 studies, it finds a significant positive effect of gardening and horticultural therapy on well-being, quality of life, and health status.
HealthWelfareCommunityLearning with compost: digging down into food waste, urban soils and community
2024Edwards F., Mercer H. · Local Environment (Taylor & Francis), 29(10) · Global
An ethnographic study of ShareWaste, an online community-composting platform in Sydney and Canberra that connects food-waste donors directly with households hosting compost heaps to divert waste from landfill. Drawing on environmental humanities and discard studies, it explores the relationships among people, soil, compost, and food waste and the community-building these practices foster.
CompostOrganic cycleFood lossCommunityUrban rewilding for sustainability and food security
2024Alessio Russo · Land Use Policy, 149, 107410 · Global
A conceptual paper extending the ecological-restoration paradigm of rewilding into urban and food contexts, arguing that multispecies-based 'urban rewilding' can simultaneously enhance climate resilience, biodiversity recovery, food-system robustness, water sensitivity and community participation. It also flags trade-offs such as green gentrification and land availability, opening new debate within productive green infrastructure.
BiodiversityCommunityFood educationOrganic cycleSustainability assessments of commercial urban agriculture – a scoping review
2024Milestad R., de Jong A., Bustamante M. J., Molin E., Martin M., Malone Friedman C. · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · Global
A scoping review of sustainability assessments of commercial urban agriculture, finding that just under half address economic sustainability and frequently note difficult profitability, systematizing the evidence base for evaluating business-run urban farming.
EconomicsUrban agriculture as an evolved sustainable urban livelihood: evidence from Kampala city, Uganda
2024Kwiringira J., Mohling E.W.P., Mathias A., Ariho P., Mugisha J., Zakumumpa H., Rujumba J., Tumwebaze I.K. · Agriculture & Food Security 13:53 · Uganda
This study analyzes urban agriculture in Kampala as a dynamic, evolved livelihood strategy attracting both the urban poor and other groups, contributing to job creation, poverty alleviation, and household food security.
EconomicsWelfareCommunityOutcomes of a homestead food production program on nutritional knowledge, dietary diversity, food security and empowerment of rural women in Tehran province, Iran
2024Ezzeddin N., Kalantari N., Abdollahi M., Amiri P., Amini B., Zayeri F. · BMC Public Health 24:118 · Iran
Cross-sectional study of rural Iranian women in a homestead food production program. Nutritional knowledge and decision-making empowerment positively predicted dietary diversity, while household food insecurity predicted it negatively.
WelfareHealthPrimer on Urban-Rural Linkages and Land
2024UNCCD, UN-Habitat · UNCCD & UN-Habitat · Global
A recent policy guide integrating urban-rural linkages from a land-management perspective, offering a governance framework across the three axes of land use, food and ecosystems.
PolicyFood justice in community supported agriculture – differentiating charitable and emancipatory social support actions
2024Parot J., Wahlen S., Schryro J., Weckenbrock P. · Agriculture and Human Values, 41(2):685-699 · Global
Typologizes food justice in community supported agriculture into 'charitable' and 'emancipatory' support actions, analyzing differences in the motivations and effects of participating in urban-rural food networks and discussing CSA's social-transformation potential.
CommunityUrban greening in Dhaka: Assessing rooftop agriculture suitability using GIS and MCDM techniques
2024Sultana N., Sharifi A., Haque M.N., Aghaloo K. · Journal of Environmental Management · Bangladesh (Dhaka)
GIS and multi-criteria analysis of Dhaka classified 9% of city area as highly suitable and 68% as suitable for rooftop agriculture, using seven criteria including building age, height, rooftop size, and water availability.
PolicyEconomicsCo-creation of urban agriculture through participatory processes in residential building environment: Insights from Finland
2024Johansson J., Roitto M., Steiner B., Alakukku L. · Cleaner and Responsible Consumption (Elsevier) · Finland
This Finnish study evaluates the co-creation of urban agriculture in residential settings with housing companies, finding that flexible modular planning and availability of key site actors are critical success factors for participatory urban farming initiatives.
CommunityPolicyFood educationAchieving social inclusion for vulnerable urban residents through community gardens: a case of Bulawayo city, Zimbabwe
2024Chari F., Ngcamu B.S. · Local Environment · Zimbabwe (Bulawayo)
This survey-based study of community garden farmers in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe assessed the effectiveness of community gardens in promoting social inclusion for vulnerable urban residents, finding that garden participation enhanced social networks, food security, and livelihoods among marginalized groups.
CommunityWelfareHealthPolicyAssessing climate vulnerabilities of urban food systems and institutional responses: the case of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
2024Maphosa M., Moyo P. · Frontiers in Sustainable Cities · Zimbabwe (Bulawayo)
This study evaluated climate vulnerability in Bulawayo's urban food system and found that the city's 2007 urban agriculture policy lacks climate change provisions, institutional coordination is weak, and extension services are severely understaffed, though NGO-led innovations and national conservation agriculture programs offer promising pathways for resilience.
PolicyFood educationCommunityEconomicsA global evaluation of urban agriculture potential for pollinator-dependent crops in major cities
2024Rahimi E., Jung C. · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems · Global (major cities)
Global assessment of urban agriculture's potential to support pollinator-dependent crops in major cities, analyzing contributions to biodiversity and food security.
PollinatorsBiodiversityStrengthening urban and peri-urban food systems to achieve food security and nutrition, in the context of urbanization and rural transformation
2024Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE-FSN) · FAO Committee on World Food Security (CFS) · Global
FAO policy report (June-July 2024) highlighting that ~80% of global population lives in urban/peri-urban areas, and >75% of food-insecure population concentrated in urban regions. Provides guiding principles and policy recommendations for reorienting food systems toward nutrition, environmental sustainability, and citizen agency.
PolicyIn defence of urban community gardens
2024Anja Egerer · People and Nature · Global
Research defending the value of urban community gardens, examining citizen participation in biodiversity conservation and the role of gardeners as central actors in nature conservation projects.
CommunityBiodiversityPollinatorsUnderstanding resilience: Contributions of urban agriculture to the resilience of urban landscapes
2024Ghahremani et al. · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems · Global
2024 research examining how urban agriculture contributes to urban landscape resilience across climate adaptation, food security, and social cohesion dimensions.
Urban vertical farming: innovation for food security and social impact?
2024· Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B · Global
2024 comprehensive review of 151 scientific publications on urban vertical farming, examining its potential for food security and social impact through novel technology and social entrepreneurial innovation.
EconomicsOpen-Source Indoor Horizontal Grow Structure Designs
2024Qian J., Pearce J. M. · Designs · Global
Applies the distributed-manufacturing open-source design paradigm to develop four low-cost open-source grow-structure designs targeting root vegetables and bush fruit. The designs are intended for adoption by remote communities with limited or no outdoor growing environment.
DIYCommunityResidential Rooftop Urban Agriculture: Architectural Design Recommendations
2024· Sustainability · Global
Provides architectural design recommendations for residential rooftop urban agriculture. It addresses integrating low-cost growing infrastructure such as container gardens, raised beds, and vertical gardens onto rooftops.
DIYPolicyEnhancing food security through keyhole gardening in Lesotho
2024· Journal of Development Effectiveness · Lesotho
Examines enhancing food security through keyhole gardening, a circular raised-bed structure with a central compost basket. This self-built growing structure was developed by humanitarian organizations to promote household food production in drought-prone settings.
DIYCommunityWelfareMunicipal Solid Waste Management in a Decentralized Composting Scenario: Assessment of the Process Reproducibility and Quality of the Obtained Composts
2024· Agronomy · Global
Assesses the reproducibility of the composting process and the quality of composts obtained under a decentralized municipal solid waste composting scenario.
DIYCompostCommunitySelection and evaluation of optimal medium for Eisenia fetida in sustainable waste recycling
2024· Discover Animals · Global
Selects and evaluates the optimal medium for the earthworm Eisenia fetida in sustainable waste recycling.
DIYCompostIntegration of IoT in Small-Scale Aquaponics to Enhance Efficiency and Profitability: A Systematic Review
2024· Animals · Global
A systematic review arguing that integrating IoT into small-scale aquaponics enhances efficiency and profitability by optimizing resource use and monitoring water quality.
DIYEconomics