Research & reports

Simon Kojo Appiah, Eric Nimako Aidoo, Derrick Asamoah Owusu, M. W. Nuonabuor · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Ghana (Kumasi)

This paper assesses the spatial distribution of heavy metals and potential ingestion risks in Kumasi, Ghana, using geostatistical techniques on topsoil samples. Results from univariate and multivariate semivariogram models showed strong spatial dependence with autocorrelations ranging from 100 to 300 meters. The produced risk maps indicate strong spatial heterogeneity for most soil heavy metals, with extremely high contamination risk found near commercial areas.

Mustafa Ürey · DergiPark (Istanbul University) · Global

A descriptive content analysis of 162 articles published between 2000 and 2015 in 21 journals examined trends in school gardening practices. The analysis found that school garden practices aim to develop academic performance and healthy living skills, primarily involving pre-school and primary school students. These practices were found to positively affect academic performance, healthy living skills, and individual and social skills development.

Isabel de Felipe · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Global

This paper describes urban agriculture as an activity gaining new support but facing difficulties due to inadequate governance. The research identified eight instruments for sustainable urban agriculture, including food security and economic development. It concludes that each city requires specific governance to achieve synergies.

Hannah Powell · Educating Young Children: Learning and Teaching in the Early Childhood Years · Australia

Kurilpa Community Child Care in West End operates a multi-age forest school program weekly at a local community garden's wild-space native plants area. This initiative enables children from a highly urbanized area to develop meaningful relationships with the environment and benefit from ongoing exposure to local green spaces.

Natália Peres Almeida · · Global

This research aimed to identify the contribution of community gardens to healthy food for farmers and their families, with objectives of Food and Nutrition Security, Human Right to Adequate Food, and Food Sovereignty. Interviews were conducted with the president and farmers in the community garden, randomly addressed during their activities. It was concluded that the community garden significantly contributed to the healthy eating of farmers and their families through the production of in natura food of vegetal origin, of sufficient quality and quantity.

Timothy Beatley, Cecil Konijnendijk van den Bosch · Oxford University Press eBooks · Global

This chapter examines the role of urban landscapes in public health, addressing environmental health concerns arising from urbanization, such as physical inactivity. It promotes a socioecological approach, providing examples of how urban landscapes, including urban agriculture and community gardening, contribute to improved public health. The chapter introduces concepts like green urbanism and biophilic urbanism, offering suggestions for planning health-promoting urban landscapes.

David Hallberg · Journal of Sociology and Social Anthropology · Global

This paper introduces community gardens as multipurpose, technological systems with dynamic boundaries. It also aims to revise the notions of food security and health in relation to these systems.

Corrina Moucheraud, Ram K. Chandyo, Sigrun Henjum, Tor A. Strand, Manjeswori Ulak, Wafaie Fawzi, Lindsey M. Locks, Patrick Webb, Andrew Thorne‐Lyman · Current Developments in Nutrition · Nepal

This cross-sectional study examined whether agricultural activity among a peri-urban population in Bhaktapur district, Nepal, was associated with household food security, household and maternal dietary diversity, and nutritional outcomes for children and women. A survey of 344 mother-child pairs collected data on household agricultural practices, livestock ownership, food security, dietary diversity and expenditures, anthropometric measurements of children aged 5-6, maternal BMI, and maternal anemia, with adjusted and unadjusted odds ratios (AOR) calculated via logistic regression. Cultivation of land was associated with lower odds of child stunting (AOR: 0.55; 95% CI: 0.33-0.93) and household food insecurity (AOR: 0.33; 95% CI: 0.18-0.63), but not with maternal BMI or anemia. Livestock ownership (mostly chickens) was associated with lower food insecurity (AOR: 0.34; 95% CI: 0.16-0.73) but not with nutrition outcomes. Women in farming households ate green leafy vegetables significantly more often than women in nonfarming households, and children in households that grew vegetables had lower odds of stunting than children in households that cultivated land but did not grow vegetables (AOR: 0.49; 95% CI: 0.25-0.98). Given Nepal's rapid urbanization, the study states more attention is needed on the potential role of peri-urban agriculture in shaping diets and nutrition.

林志鈞, 葉怡貞 · · Global

This survey study of citizen-farm (allotment garden) participants analyzed how novelty-seeking, experience value and perceived health relate to continued involvement, and how these vary by demographic attributes. Some demographic variables showed significant differences in novelty-seeking, experience value, perceived health and continued involvement; novelty-seeking was positively correlated with experience value, perceived health and continued involvement; experience value was positively correlated with perceived health and continued involvement; and perceived health was positively correlated with continued involvement. Experience value was also found to partially mediate the effects of both novelty-seeking and perceived health on continued involvement, with novelty-seeking, experience value and perceived health together predicting continued involvement.

Son Truong, Tonia Gray, Danielle Tracey, Kumara Ward · Discovery Research Portal (University of Dundee) · Australia

This study revisits the "Community Greening" partnership established in 1999 between the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney and Housing New South Wales, extending from a 2004 program evaluation report to reconsider community gardening within the changing urban and peri-urban landscape of metropolitan NSW. The program has reached almost 100,000 participants since 2000 and established 627 community and youth-led community gardens across NSW; using a pre- and post-test design, this study tracked six new garden sites established in 2017, aiming to examine whether community gardening is associated with an elevated sense of community, health and wellbeing in low-income communities, and how new gardeners' experiences relate to self-reported wellbeing and engagement.

Francisco Javier Vélez Zabala, Viviana Yulieth Hidalgo Zapata, Mónica Andrea Martínez Martina, Ana María Soto González, Maria Velez, Juan Diego López Vargas · WSEAS TRANSACTIONS ON ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT · Global

This conceptual paper presents urban agriculture as a strategy to improve quality of life in vulnerable urban communities formed by rural-to-urban migration, particularly in developing countries. It covers urban agriculture's concepts, origins and evolution, draws on experiences from countries that have implemented it, and discusses the social, economic and environmental factors that influence its development, without reporting original empirical data.

Harriet Gross · · Global

This chapter reflects on the psychology of gardening, examining the relevance of gender, age and the 'gardening career,' and discusses gardens as sites of resistance and empowerment, as seen in community gardening projects. It describes guerrilla gardening — cultivating someone else's land, more surreptitiously than community gardening, by planting or sprinkling seeds at night without the landowner's permission — and horticultural therapy as a form of occupational therapy that occupies people through work, crafts and gardening, concluding that the range of psychological concepts explored in relation to gardening shows there is no single psychology of gardening.

Bertrand Festus Nero, Nana Afranaa Kwapong, Raymond Jatta, Oluwole Fatunbi · Sustainability · Ghana

Combining interviews with 105 respondents in six neighborhoods and vegetation surveys of over 200 plots (100 sq m each) across five land use types, this study examined the composition, diversity, and socioeconomic contributions of Accra's urban forest and food trees in Ghana. Of 70 woody species found in Accra, 22 have edible parts (leaves, fruits, flowers, etc.), food trees make up about half of all trees counted, and species richness and abundance differed significantly by land use type (p<0.0001) and neighborhood type (p<0.0001), with diversity of food-bearing species much higher in poorer neighborhoods than wealthier ones — while respondents in wealthier neighborhoods rated overall tree and food-tree cover as low and showed greater interest in cultivating food (fruit) trees and expanding forest cover than those in poorer neighborhoods.

Pjilmah Waken Waken, Tania Paul, Waken, Pjilmah Waken, Paul, Tania · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · Global

A study and intervention report addressing the decline in consumption of traditional vegetables in Papua New Guinea (PNG), which is adversely affecting family nutrition and increasing rates of malnutrition and obesity. Traditional vegetables are climatically adapted to PNG, require lower inputs, and are described as superior in food value to globally popular vegetables, historically providing a large share of daily protein, vitamin, and mineral intake in the village diet. The research found that people lacked awareness of the nutritional value of traditional vegetables, considering them "backward" and "poverty" food, even though the vegetables remain strongly connected to culture and "home." The project trained smallholder farmers in pest and disease management and seed saving to reduce input costs, worked with families and communities to raise awareness of traditional vegetables' nutritional value, trained families in gardening and cooking, and created new recipes using local vegetables. Planned next steps include work with maternal-child clinics linked to hospitals and school-based programs combining teacher education, school gardens, and incentive-based lunchboxes. Some growers have applied their seed-saving skills to set up small-scale seed businesses.

Equipo LS · Ladera Sur · Chile

This article lists ten benefits of urban community gardens. It reports that the first urban community garden in Chile's capital was a 2007 municipal project in La Pintana, on a 700 sq m plot divided into 11 gardens. By around 2012, roughly 40 such spaces already existed in Santiago, and new projects such as the Barrio Yungay initiative have continued to spread since.

Brenda B. Lin, Stacy M. Philpott, Shalene Jha, Heidi Liere · Greening Cities (Advances in 21st Century Human Settlements), Springer, 155-179 · Global

A book chapter framing urban agriculture—community farms, rooftop gardens, edible landscaping and urban orchards—as 'productive green infrastructure' supplying high biodiversity and diverse ecosystem services. It synthesizes both ecosystem services (pollination, biological pest control) and social benefits (food and nutrition, cultural and recreational value) that this green infrastructure delivers to cities.

Tieman D., Zhu G., Resende M.F.R., Lin T., Nguyen C., Bies D., Rambla J.L., Beltran K.S.O., Taylor M., Zhang B., Ikeda H., Liu Z., Fisher J., Zemach I., Monforte A., Zamir D., Granell A., Kirst M., Huang S., Klee H. · Science 355(6323):391-394 · Global

Quantified flavor chemicals across 398 modern, heirloom, and wild tomato accessions and linked them to consumer liking. Shows modern cultivars lost allelic diversity governing sugars, acids, and volatiles, explaining reduced flavor versus heirlooms.

Soga M., Gaston K. J., Yamaura Y. · Preventive Medicine Reports · Global

Meta-analysis demonstrating that gardening yields wide-ranging health benefits, reductions in depression and anxiety and gains in life satisfaction and physical activity, underpinning the health rationale for workplace and community garden programs.

Tiantian Xiong, Camille Dumat, V. Dappe, Hervé Vezin, Eva Schreck, Muhammad Shahid, Antoine Pierart, S. Sobanska · Environmental Science & Technology · Global

This study assessed the phytotoxicity of copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO-NPs) in lettuce and cabbage, exposing them via leaves for up to 15 days to various CuO-NP concentrations. High foliar Cu uptake occurred, leading to decreased plant weight, net photosynthesis, water content, and necrotic Cu-rich areas. The findings highlighted a potential health risk associated with consuming vegetables contaminated with CuO-NPs.

Filiz Çelik · Turkish Journal of Agriculture - Food Science and Technology · Global

This study explains the emergence, design, maintenance, and importance of edible landscapes in urban environments. Edible landscaping integrates food plants as design features for both aesthetic value and consumption, aiming to reconnect people with local food systems. It encompasses a variety of garden types and scales but does not include food items produced for sale.

Virginia Webb · New Zealand sociology · New Zealand (Palmerston North)

This research in a Palmerston North, New Zealand community garden examined the struggle over norms and power relations, specifically regarding tobacco cultivation. It found that the garden hierarchy's reluctance to accommodate alternative perspectives on tobacco cultivation revealed a troubling politics of race and class. This reluctance meant the garden's potential to disrupt social hierarchies was unrealized, highlighting how health notions can become a basis for social control.

Emilee Bell · ScholarsArchive (Brigham Young University) · Global

Carol Hand’s book "Growing Green: Urban Gardening" weaves a history of gardening with practical application, inviting readers of all ages to introduce gardens into their lifestyles. The book explains global gardening traditions and future trends, emphasizing the many benefits of gardening, new vocabulary, and do-it-yourself methods. It discusses community, school, home, and personal garden options, as well as strategies for combating challenges urban dwellers might face, such as pollution, space, and vandals.

Jaime M. Booth, Darren Chapman, Mary L. Ohmer, Kai Wei · Journal of Community Practice · Global

This study surveyed 115 regular, occasional, and non-community garden participants in a disadvantaged neighborhood to examine the relationship between participation levels and health behaviors, psychological well-being, and community perceptions. Regular and occasional participants reported better mental health. Occasional participants reported higher vegetable intake, while regular participants reported a stronger sense of community.

Pepijn Schreinemachers, Bal Bdr, Desang Dorji, Hsiao-pu Chen, Thinley Dukpa, Namgay Thinley, Passang Lhamo Sherpa, Ray-Yu Yang · Food Security · Bhutan

A study in Bhutan investigated the combined effect of school gardens, complementary lessons, and promotional activities on the eating behavior and nutritional status of 468 schoolchildren aged 9-15. Data from 9 control and 9 treatment schools using a randomized controlled trial design showed that the intervention significantly increased children's awareness of vegetables, knowledge of sustainable agriculture, and preferences for healthier foods. There was an 11.7-percentage point increase in the probability of children including vegetables in their meals, but no change in the number of different fruits or vegetables consumed.

Muhammad Mohsin, Muhammad Mushahid Anwar, Farrukh Jamal, Fahad Ajmal, Juergen Breuste · International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development · Pakistan

This investigation in Bahawalpur district, Punjab, Pakistan, explored the benefits and perceptions of a government-initiated kitchen gardening project. A mobile phone survey found that most growers used seed kits for home consumption, were satisfied with the quality and price, and certified the project's efficiency in providing fresh vegetables. The project was deemed successful and continues to benefit residents and encourage urban agriculture.