Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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Critical findings
1626 results(27 / 66)
Are Rainwater and Stormwater Part of the Urban CE Efficiency?
2023Carlos Novaes, Rui Cunha Marques · Sustainability · Global
This study points out the potential importance of urban stormwater in the circular economy (CE) when treated as a useful resource. Urban stormwater can replace part of the water supply from distant sources, reducing energy consumption and emissions. Urban agriculture can also benefit from using green infrastructures. The main gap lies in implementing an efficiency mentality and aligning policies, institutions, regulations, urban planning, and water cycle efficiency.
Climate changeOrganic cyclePolicyUrban Agriculture Impacts on the Environment of Awka, Anambra State, Southeastern Nigeria
2023Odera Chukwumaijem Okafor, Pamela Ogochukwu Mgbenwelu · Trends in Agricultural Sciences · Nigeria
This study investigated the impacts of urban agriculture on the environment of Awka, Anambra State, Southeastern Nigeria, using a multi-stage sampling process and analyzing data with descriptive statistics and Spearman's Correlation Coefficient. Findings showed that urban agriculture significantly contributes to the well-being of some city residents by providing revenue, employment, food security, and poverty reduction. The study concluded that urban agriculture should be viewed as a lucrative commercial activity.
Urban–rural linkageClimate changeWelfareEconomicsSeasonal variation and risks of potentially toxic elements in agricultural lowlands of central Cameroon
2023Annie Stéphanie Nana, Timo Falkenberg, Andrea Rechenburg, Joshua Ntajal, Juliet Wanjiku Kamau, Anne Ayo, Christian Borgemeister · Environmental Geochemistry and Health · Cameroon (Yaoundé)
This study assessed the seasonal characteristics and ecological risks of potentially toxic elements (Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, Cr, Ni) in urban agricultural soils across four lowlands in Yaoundé, Cameroon. Concentrations of Cu, Pb, Zn, and Cr exceeded recommended thresholds in some or all areas, with Cr exceeding thresholds in all areas during both seasons. One area recorded strong soil pollution (grade V) during the wet season, indicating that preventive action is needed to limit heavy metal contamination in the lowlands of Yaoundé.
Contamination & food safetyHealthClimate changeUrban Gardening in a Changing Climate: A Review of Effects, Responses and Adaptation Capacities for Cities
2023Francisco Tomatis, Monika Egerer, Adriana Corrêa-Guimarães, Luis Manuel Navas-Gracia · Agriculture · Global
This study systematically reviewed 72 academic documents published from 2000 to 2022 to investigate the relationship between climate change and urban gardening. The analysis showed that climate change can have negative impacts on cities, people, and urban food. Suggestions for building urban gardens' adaptation capacity include rainwater collection, changing plant selection, adjusting planting times, and applying vegetative soil cover. Community and allotment gardens contribute to urban adaptation, mitigation, and resilience by regulating microclimates, reducing urban heat island effects, buffering floods, capturing carbon, and fostering social networks.
Climate changeCommunityDIYPolicyÉvaluation et risque sanitaire de la bioaccumulation de métaux lourds (cadmium, cuivre, plomb et le zinc) chez le chou (Brassica Oleracea L.) produit en agriculture urbaine : Cas du périmètre maraicher de Dogona (Bobo-Dioulasso)
2023Issaka Senou · Journal of Applied Biosciences · Burkina Faso
This study assessed heavy metal bioaccumulation in cabbage grown on the Dogona market garden perimeter in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, using a randomized block design with urban solid waste treatments. The results showed high levels of cadmium, copper, and lead in cabbage leaves, with concentrations significantly exceeding WHO standards across all treatments. A critical finding was that consuming this cabbage poses a high health risk to consumers due to significant ingestion of cadmium and lead.
Contamination & food safetyHealthOrganic cycleClimate changeBangkok’s existing mixed fruit orchards are tree diversity hotspots for city greening
2023Vudipong Davivongs, Sigit D. Arifwidodo · Urban Ecosystems · Thailand
This study surveyed six orchards in Bangkok's Inner Orchard (BIO) to analyze forest structure and tree diversity. It found 98.64% forest canopy cover, an average tree height greater than common orchard trees, and mid-range diversity (Shannon index 2.53). Older orchards showed greater fruit tree species diversity, while newer ones had less.
Peri-urban agricultureBiodiversityClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceNature-Based Solutions as Building Blocks for the Transition towards Sustainable Climate-Resilient Food Systems
2023Saskia Keesstra, J.A. Veraart, A. Verhagen, Saskia Visser, Marit E. Kragt, Vincent Linderhof, Wilfred Appelman, Jolanda van den Berg, Ayodeji O. Deolu‐Ajayi, Annemarie Groot · Sustainability · Global
This paper examines the role of nature-based solutions (NBS) in the transition towards sustainable, climate-resilient food systems. A conceptual framework was developed to assess NBS contributions, evaluating three types: intrinsic NBS utilizing existing ecosystems, hybrid NBS managing and adapting ecosystems, and inspired NBS consisting of newly constructed ecosystems. Inspired NBS, in particular, are shown to increase opportunities for achieving sustainable development in food systems, facilitating the transition and contributing to reaching SDGs by 2030.
Climate changeFood sovereignty & justiceBiodiversityThe Skarù·ręʔ (Tuscarora) Food Forest Project—Reconciliation in Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education through Cross-Cultural Agroforestry Demonstration
2023Samantha Bosco, Bradley G. Thomas · Ethnobiology Letters · United States
The Skarù·ręʔ (Tuscarora) Food Forest Project is a community-based initiative in ancestral Haudenosaunee territories (New York State) demonstrating the contemporary contributions of temperate nut trees to Indigenous food systems. This project aims to address social justice concerns in agricultural science by providing a methodological testing ground for reconciliation-based and decolonial participatory action research. It expands ongoing food sovereignty, community health, and education initiatives, highlighting nuts as important, yet lesser-known, woodland foods.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceBiodiversityClimate changeProgramas de políticas públicas de la Municipalidad de Ate para el impulso de la agricultura urbana
2023Zaydeé Jahel González García · Revista Alfa · Peru (Ate)
This descriptive cross-sectional documentary study identified existing environmental policies within the Ate District Municipality in Peru, focusing on guidelines for the 2022 Work Plan of the EDUCCA Municipal Program. The study found that the municipality promotes a pilot project for sustainable urban agriculture, identifying the urban agriculture initiative as a pioneering plan among discussed programs.
PolicyClimate changeCo-producing urban and peri-urban agriculture in Andean countries
2023Jaime Hernández-Garc'a, Tannya Pico Parra · Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks · South America
This chapter explores Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture (UPA) in Bogotá, Quito, and Lima, three Andean cities, through a transdisciplinary lens. It discusses UPA as a multifunctional nature-based solution for climate change, food scarcity, and inequalities. The chapter examines the potentials and challenges of transdisciplinary projects in these cities, focusing on collaborative culture, conflicting rationalities, socio-ecological transformations, and critical translocalism, and highlights the contribution of diverse knowledge systems, including indigenous local knowledge.
Peri-urban agricultureClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityUnveiling Climate Resilience of Peri-urban Agriculture: A Farming System-Based Assessment of Coastal Plains of Kerala, India
2023Pooja Krishna Jayakrishnan, Jayalekshmi Gopalakrishnan Nair, Archana Raghavan Sathyan, Ashutosh Jena, Manju Prem Shiva Reddy · Asian Journal of Agricultural Extension Economics & Sociology · India
This study, conducted from 2019 to 2023 in six agro-ecological units of Kerala's Coastal plains, India, assessed the climate resilience of peri-urban agriculture. Researchers developed a Climate Resilience Index (CRI) based on 72 indicators across absorptive, adaptive, and transformative capacities. The mean CRI was 0.563, with absorptive and transformative capacities contributing most, and water sufficiency and sustainable practices identified as key determinants of resilience.
Peri-urban agricultureClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceHuerta escolar agroecológica: Una mirada didáctica al desarrollo sostenible
2023Fabio Aislant Moreno · GACETA DE PEDAGOGÍA · Global
This documentary review analyzed 18 articles published between 2018 and 2022 to examine agroecological school gardens as a didactic strategy for sustainability. The analysis found that such gardens, when oriented towards education for sustainable development, should involve cooperative learning processes from a transversal perspective. It concluded that agroecological school gardens are key to developing socio-critical skills in students through theoretical and practical work, enhancing their sensitivity to environmental problems.
Food educationCommunityClimate changeOrganic cycleTranscriptional Regulators of Plant Adaptation to Heat Stress
2023Xuejing Wang, Nicholas Wui Kiat Tan, Fong Yi Chung, Nobutoshi Yamaguchi, Eng‐Seng Gan, Toshiro Ito · International Journal of Molecular Sciences · Global
This paper summarizes plant adaptation mechanisms to heat stress, which is an increasing problem for food security due to global warming. It outlines the mechanisms of transcriptional regulation mediated by transcription factors, epigenetic regulators, and regulatory RNAs in response to heat stress. Additionally, cellular activities for heat stress adaptation are discussed, including protein homeostasis maintenance through quality control machinery, autophagy, and ROS homeostasis regulation via a ROS-scavenging system.
Climate changeOpportunities and Constraints for Creating Edible Cities and Accessing Wholesome Functional Foods in a Sustainable Way
2023Katarzyna Świąder, Dražena Čermak, Danuta Gajewska, Katarzyna Najman, Anna Piotrowska, Eliza Kostyra · Sustainability · Global
This review analyzed opportunities and constraints for creating edible cities and accessing wholesome functional foods sustainably. While urban food production methods like controlled-environment farms and home gardens exist, significant constraints include pollution, a lack of government support, and economic challenges for urban farms. These issues must be resolved for edible cities to become widespread.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changeHealthPolicyDESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A TEACHING SCENARIO FOR PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS ON CREATING A SCHOOL GARDEN USING INQUIRY METHOD
2023Filippos Evangelou · European Journal of Education Studies · Greece (Ioannina)
This paper analyzes the design and implementation of a teaching scenario for creating a school garden using the inquiry method, implemented by students aged 6 to 12 years old at the 9th Primary School of Intercultural Education in Ioannina, Greece, from September 2018 to June 2019. The main purpose of the scenario's implementation is to create the school garden through practical daily teaching and learning activities and an inquiry approach, forming a culture among students about sustainability and sustainable development.
Food educationCommunityClimate changeUrban Farming and Its Socioeconomic and Environmental Benefits for Ensuring Sustainable and Inclusive Growth in Jordan
2023Karolina Zubel · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Jordan
This policy paper explores the potential of urban farming in Jordan to address pressing issues of food security, climate-induced risks, and socioeconomic vulnerability in urban centers. Urban farming is identified as a crucial solution to feed vulnerable groups, enhance cities' resilience and employment opportunities, act as a center for community engagement and youth education, and provide ecological benefits. The paper also examines stakeholders' perceptions, beneficiaries, inclusivity in decision-making processes, and governance challenges related to urban farm development.
Food sovereignty & justiceWelfareClimate changeFood educationCommunityEconomicsSpatio-temporal Analysis of the Changes in Rooftop Gardening in Dhaka Metropolitan Area
2023Asib Ahmed, Nazmun Nahar, Md. Shamim Hossain, Md. Shams Shahriar · Social Science Review · Bangladesh (Dhaka)
This study identified spatio-temporal changes in rooftop gardening (RTG) practices in the Dhaka Metropolitan Area (DMA) between 2016 and 2021, using digitized Google Earth images. The DMA experienced a moderate 15% increase in RTG during this period, with the western part having a larger RTG area than the eastern part. Planned residential areas showed higher RTG areas, while most government/non-government buildings had less RTG across 20 zones and the Dhaka Cantonment area.
Climate changeFood sovereignty & justiceBiodiversityPeri-urban agricultureDeveloping Place-Based Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study of Taipei City’s Jiuzhuang Community Garden
2023Liling Huang · Sustainability · Taiwan (Taipei City)
This study analyzed the practice of community gardens and their relevance to urban health and human well-being, using the development process of Jiuzhuang Community Garden in Taipei City as a case study. Using qualitative methods such as participatory observation, focus group discussions, and semi-structured interviews, the study demonstrated co-beneficial relationships and synergistic effects on physical and mental health. This research presents a pathway for community gardens to support place-based health concepts and respond to urban complexity.
CommunityHealthClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceSustainability indicators for evaluation of the Water-Energy-Food Nexus in urban agriculture
2023Leila Babaei, Mohammad Hossein Niksokhan, Ali Torabian, Masoud Negahban‐Azar · International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ecology · Iran
This study proposed sustainability measurement indicators to evaluate the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus sustainability in urban agriculture. Focusing on Varamin, a semi-arid city in Tehran, the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used to identify crucial indicators across social, environmental, and economic dimensions. Results indicated that water-related components are critical in arid and semi-arid regions, and pollution prevention holds a 52.8% priority as an environmental sustainability indicator.
Climate changePolicyEconomicsOrganic cyclePromoting Sustainable Urban Farming Through Plant Clinic Consultations on Car Free Days
2023Norbertus Citra Irawan, Haryuni Haryuni, Tyas Soemarah Kusuma Dewi, Sapto Priyadi, Suswadi Suswadi · Journal of Community Capacity Empowerment · Indonesia (Surakarta)
This community service activity, conducted on Jalan Slamet Riyadi in Surakarta, Indonesia, involved plant clinic consultations, demonstrations of sustainable maintenance, and seed distribution during car-free days. These activities increased urban communities' understanding and confidence in plant care, stimulated interest in gardening, and promoted greenery. The activity confirmed that direct approaches with communities, through clinics, demonstrations, and active participation, are effective in addressing urban environmental challenges and raising awareness of sustainable agriculture.
Food educationCommunityDIYClimate changeWastewater governance in the upstream catchment of the Awash Basin, Ethiopia: challenges and opportunities for better accountability
2023Yosef Abebe, Mulugeta Gashaw, Asenake Kefale, Tim Brewer · Water Reuse · Ethiopia
A study on wastewater governance in the upstream catchment of the Awash Basin, Ethiopia, found that untreated wastewater discharged from industries is polluting rivers and the surrounding environment. Regulatory bodies have done little to enforce rules and directives for wastewater regulation, and due to poor implementation of laws, urban agriculture is expanding without concern for its negative health and socioeconomic impacts.
Contamination & food safetyHealthPolicyEconomicsClimate changeCyber-gardening the city
2023Claudia Pasquero, Marco Poletto · · Europe
This article introduces the Urban Algae Canopy, an innovative architectural system that redefines farming and horticulture within urbanism. It proposes agriculture as a tool for reprogramming Milan's public realm and challenges the separation between urban and rural conditions. The Urban Algae Folly aims to integrate technical and scientific research with societal needs through architectural design.
Digital agricultureClimate changeUrban–rural linkageSufficiency in social practices: An underestimated potential for the transformation to a circular economy
2023Paul Suski, Alexandra Palzkill, Melanie Speck · Frontiers in Sustainability · Global
This article argues that sufficiency, often underestimated, is a suitable strategy for achieving a sustainable circular economy. It proposes shifting research and policy focus from product-centric approaches to consumption patterns guided by sufficiency. The case of urban gardening illustrates how small interventions can transform consumption by challenging the logic of availability. The authors advocate for using social practice theories to develop effective circular economy strategies.
CommunityClimate changeOrganic cycleRethinking How City Dwellers Get Their Food
2023Claudia Wiese, Bernd Pölling, Wolf Lorleberg · Frontiers for Young Minds · Global
This article discusses how cities, despite covering only 2-3% of land, consume 75% of global energy and produce 80% of CO2 emissions, making them dependent on distant food sources. It describes how urban agriculture can help cities address climate change and environmental problems, while simultaneously improving living environments for urban populations.
Climate changeFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityUrban–rural linkageThree gardens as places of performative resistance and resilience
2023Pekka Ilmari Niskanen · Ruukku Studies in Artistic Research · Global
This paper examines three gardens—a Sahrawi sandoponic garden in Algerian refugee camps, a Helsinki Sandoponic Garden, and the Jardin Truillot in Paris—as sites for community gathering and addressing trauma. The Helsinki garden, a project by PHOSfate, highlights injustices faced by the Sahrawi population and the Baltic Sea, linking refugee status to phosphate mining and eutrophication. The study argues that recognizing injustice is central to the activism in these gardens and related practices.
Equity & displacementCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceClimate change