Research & reports

Phạm Thanh Vũ, Võ Quang Minh · Plant Science Today · Viet Nam

A study in Cai Rang District, Can Tho City, Viet Nam, assessed aspects and designed adaptive models for urban agriculture using data collection, farmer surveys, statistical analysis, and FAO land suitability assessment. It found that growing green vegetables, fruits, decorative plants, orchids, and raising cattle is the most effective model. This model creates jobs, boosts income, supplies clean food, provides greenery, recycles waste, and reduces pollution, supporting sustainable agricultural options for the area.

Tailana Fraga Lima, Sperandio, Ana Maria Girotti, 1962- · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Brazil

This qualitative descriptive study, based on a bibliographic and documentary review with secondary data analysis, systematically investigated dietary challenges in the Brazilian population due to excessive consumption of ultra-processed foods. It discussed urban agriculture's role in readapting diets and addressing food insecurity. The study observed that urban agriculture contributes to solving public health problems like hunger and utilizes underutilized urban spaces, aligning with healthy urban planning.

Erin A. Hudson, Marissa Burgermaster, Sophia M. Isis, Matthew Jeans, Sarvenaz Vandyousefi, Matthew J. Landry, Rebecca A. Seguin‐Fowler, Joya Chandra, Jaimie N. Davis · Frontiers in Nutrition · United States

A secondary analysis evaluated the TX Sprouts school-based gardening, cooking, and nutrition education intervention on the home availability of vegetables, fruit juice, and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs). The cluster-randomized trial involved 16 schools (8 intervention, 8 control) over one academic year, serving predominantly Hispanic families with low incomes, with an analytic sample of 895 participants. The intervention positively changed the home availability of targeted foods and beverages, primarily by improving the availability of vegetables and vegetable juice, suggesting a positive influence on the home food environment.

Geisa Zanini Rorato, Eugenia Aumond Kuhn, Bruno Luan Soares Paula de Mello, Rodrigo Vitória Alves, Giulia Togni Geremia · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Brazil (Porto Alegre)

This study mapped and characterized 82 urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) initiatives in Porto Alegre, Brazil. It found that educational and health-related initiatives with social and ecological objectives predominated. A significant finding was that only half of these initiatives were active at the time of the survey, with the rest being inactive or closed, indicating structural fragilities, especially in peripheral and less dense areas impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hua Zheng, Min Guo, Qian Wang, Qinghai Zhang, Noriko Akita · Land · Global

This study conducted a bibliometric analysis of 487 papers on community gardens from the Web of Science database to understand their knowledge structure and research development. Research papers in this area significantly increased from 2012, with the United States contributing the most and high-income countries accounting for 93.22% of studies. "Health" was the most frequent keyword, and "ecosystem services" gained popularity, with three major research themes identified: "ecosystem services and disservices," "multidimensional association," and "sustainable garden systems."

Diane Smith, Katherine Selting Smith · Advances in biological sciences research/Advances in Biological Sciences Research · United States

This paper describes a SNAP CSA pilot and introduces the Farm to Families (F2F) Toolkit, developed to engage low-income consumers receiving SNAP benefits in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). USDA rules now permit SNAP benefits for CSA shares, provided the CSA is SNAP-authorized and prepayment is within 14 days of produce receipt. This aims to expand access to fresh produce for SNAP recipients and support farmers.

Stefan Geissberger, Mollie Chapman · People and Nature · Switzerland

This paper explored how active labor participation in Swiss solidarity agriculture cooperatives influences members' values and behavior. Qualitative interviews with 21 members of three cooperatives revealed that participation and work practices fostered new relational connections to food, farmers, and nature, transforming intrinsic and instrumental values into relational values. The study concludes that values, particularly relational values, can form and change through lived experiences.

Lucile Vigouroux, Fanny Provent, Giulia Giacchè · HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe) · France

This report details the ‘Potager à la Marmite’ (PAM) experiment, conducted by LAB3S and the Urban Agriculture Chair with local partners in Bondy Nord, France. The two-year experiment (2022-2023) aimed to combine a community garden with a collective kitchen. Its goals were to provide access to healthy, sustainable food, enable inhabitants to reclaim public spaces, and observe knowledge-sharing dynamics. The abstract does not state any specific findings from the experiment.

Fürüzan Aslan, Yaşar Menteş, Oğuz ATEŞ · Kırklareli Üniversitesi Mühendislik ve Fen Bilimleri Dergisi · Turkey (Elazığ)

This study examines the city area of Elazığ province, Türkiye, from the perspective of urban agriculture, which is presented as a tool for sustainable urban development. It offers various suggestions to ensure sustainability in Elazığ, develop insights into regional food supply, and increase the importance of urban aesthetics, land use, urban environmental management, public health, and economic development.

Dante Castillo, Alejandro Vega-Muñoz, Guido Salazar-Sepúlveda, Nicolás Contreras-Barraza, Mario Torres-Alcayaga · Horticulturae · Global

This study analyzed thematic trends in school garden research over the past few decades using a bibliometric methodology on 392 articles and review articles indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection. It investigated research trends and found a critical mass of scientific research on school gardens. The analysis revealed thematic trends in discussion journals, terminology, classic papers, and novel authors, suggesting a refocusing on the effects of school gardens beyond educational aspects.

Angela Oulton, Susan Jagger · · North America

A discourse analysis of historical school garden texts in North America reveals that school gardens have not been welcoming or accessible to all children, despite persuasive research on the positive effects of nature-based learning. Historically, school gardens were used to serve adult agendas, including containing urban children, assimilating marginalized groups, and creating laborers, thereby reinforcing patriarchal, colonial, white supremacist, and eugenic aspirations. This study explores how these discourses culturally constructed childhoods and influenced children.

Muhammad Luqman, Muhammad Uzair Awan, Shaukat Khan, Razzaq Ahmed, Hsi‐Hsien Yang, Muhammad Rizwan Goraya · Agricultural Water Management · Pakistan (Lahore)

A study in Lahore, Pakistan, investigated trace element (TE) contamination in water, soil, fodder, and buffalo milk due to the use of untreated wastewater from the Hudiara drain for agriculture. Samples collected along the drain showed that TE contamination, including Cd, Cu, Ni, and Zn, increased from upstream to downstream sites. Concentrations of these elements in water, soil, fodder, and milk surpassed permissible limits, indicating a significant transferability risk up the food chain and high Hazard Index values for irrigation water, fodder, and milk.

Saria Lofton, Akilah Martin, Marjorie Kersten, Nanyombi Lubimbi, Helene Vilme, Forgive Avorgbedor, Angela Odoms‐Young · Community Health Equity Research & Policy · United States (Chicago)

This study interviewed 17 urban growers and local food advocates in predominantly Black communities in Chicago to understand barriers to accessing healthy food through urban agriculture. Key barriers identified were the lack of accessibility to traditional food retailers, the high availability of processed foods, and issues with the cultural acceptability of urban-produced foods. The research highlights significant challenges faced by these communities in accessing healthy food despite urban agriculture's potential.

Moussa Coulibaly · International Journal for Advanced Studies and Research in Africa · Côte d'Ivoire (Korhogo)

This study in Logokaha, Korhogo, Côte d'Ivoire, aimed to show the impact of urban agriculture on food production and the health of farmers. Despite contributing to the empowerment of farmers, urban agriculture exposes them to health hazards. The methodology involved documentary research and field surveys.

Alvorí Ahlert, Tatiane Fátima Nandi · REVISTA DE EDUCACIÓN AMBIENTAL Y SOSTENIBILIDAD · Brazil (Paraná)

A qualitative and quantitative study in schools bordering Lake Itaipu in western Paraná, Brazil, verified the use of school gardens as an environmental education tool. The research applied questionnaires to public elementary, primary, and special education teachers in the region. Findings showed that most teachers favored using school gardens but found it difficult to teach students about their importance due to a lack of technical knowledge on the subject.

Ghassan Baliki, Dorothee Weiffen, Pepijn Schreinemachers, Akina Shrestha, Rachana Manandhar Shrestha, Monika Schreiner, Tilman Brück · Food and Nutrition Bulletin · Nepal

A cluster randomized controlled trial in rural Nepal (n=680 school children aged 9-13 across 30 schools) investigated whether an integrated school and home garden intervention improved hemoglobin levels and reduced anemia. The intervention did not lead to a direct significant reduction in anemia, as nutritional improvements were not strong enough to impact hemoglobin levels. However, the program indirectly improved hemoglobin levels for children under 12 by increasing good food and hygiene practices at home, particularly for girls, young children, and those with literate caregivers.

Theodorus Hugo Carvallo, Richardus Daton, Yuliana Bhara Mberu · Journal of Architecture and Human Experience · Indonesia (Kupang)

This study explored the planning and design of "Vertical Urban Farming" in Kupang City, Indonesia, to address food demand challenges such as climate change, population growth, and land-use changes. According to Riskesdas 2018, the prevalence of stunting in toddlers in East Nusa Tenggara was 42.6%, the highest in Indonesia, prompting the use of new technologies to enhance agricultural productivity and sustainability. Using SWOT analysis, the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the Vertical Urban Farming Center's planning and design were discussed, indicating the area's potential for development.

G Charan Tej, P. Lakshmi, B. Savitha, A. Meena · International Journal of Agriculture Extension and Social Development · India (Telangana)

A survey was conducted in Telangana state, India (Hyderabad, Warangal, and Karimnagar) to assess urban dwellers' knowledge of terrace gardening. Among 120 respondents, 52.50% showed a high level of knowledge, but gaps were identified regarding terrace gardening layout (54.17% unaware), crop rotation benefits (53.33% unfamiliar), seedling trays (52.50% lacked knowledge), drainage hole uses (50.83% unaware), and protecting plants from harsh weather (47.50% lacked understanding).

Lila B. Karki, Prem Bhandari · Global Journal of Agricultural Research · United States (Maryland)

This 2022 project collected data from 22 small, socially disadvantaged minority urban gardeners in Maryland to enhance their efficiency. Findings showed farmers operated rationally, cultivating an average of 20 diversified specialty, ethnic, and medicinal crops on 1.2 acres. They employed integrated alley and mixed cropping systems, rainwater harvesting, expanded compost-making, maintained high cropping diversity, and introduced a tier system to mitigate production, marketing, and financial risks.

Sri Oetami, Bea Anggraini, Dwi Handayani · Abdi Dosen Jurnal Pengabdian Pada Masyarakat · Indonesia (Surabaya)

This community service activity, conducted in the Rungkut Barata residential area of Surabaya, Indonesia, focused on empowering the elderly. The activity disseminated techniques for pot farming, hydroponics, aquaponics, and vertical gardens, with participation from elderly farmer groups. As a result, a vegetable garden was established, and its products were sold to the local elderly group.

Clara Godoy-Henderson, Ellen Hiestand, Emma Schluter, Erica Olsen, Jennifer Tacheny, Ambria Crusan, Mary O. Hearst · Journal of American College Health ·

This report describes a One Health approach addressing food insecurity among college students and Latine adult patients at a campus-based community health clinic. Organic community gardens on and near campus, pollinated by campus beehives, contribute local produce to a campus food shelf. This system aims to increase food security and nutritional health for both populations through multidisciplinary collaboration.

COULIBALY Moussa · International Journal of Advanced Research · Côte d'Ivoire (Korhogo)

This study in Korhogo, Côte d'Ivoire, surveyed 81 farmers to assess the impact of urban agriculture on food production and farmer health. It found that urban agriculture, predominantly practiced by women (85.19%) with no formal education (71.61%), involves the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides with non-adherence to application intervals. A significant portion of farmers (59.26%) discard chemical packaging in the environment. Despite contributing to empowerment, this practice exposes farmers to health problems including fatigue (53.09%), injuries (25.92%), skin burns (11.11%), dry coughs/colds (32.10%), and diarrheal diseases (19.75%).

Alison Berg, Heather M. Padilla, Catherine E. Sanders, Christina T. Garner, Hannah G. Southall, Grace Holmes, Shanda Ashley, Luke Crosson, Barbara Twilley, Denise D. Everson, Rachel Hubbard, Courtney Brown, Alexa J. Lamm, Laura P. Johnson, Marsha Davis · Health Promotion Practice · United States (Georgia)

This mixed-methods study explored the role of 19 community gardens implemented across five rural Georgia counties as part of an obesity prevention project. While only 8.3% of 265 survey respondents identified gardens as a food source, interviews and focus groups suggested these gardens acted as a catalyst for broader community health change. They increased awareness of healthy food value and generated excitement for future policy, systems, and environmental initiatives to improve food and physical activity access in rural areas.

Bean Casey · Institutional Repositories DataBase (IRDB) · Japan

This paper discusses the current status of the KIT Community Garden project, an honors project at Kanazawa Institute of Technology that began in 2016. The project aims to improve members' English language skills, gardening knowledge, environmental awareness, and establish a deeper connection to the community. The paper covers the garden's state, design principles, recent changes, feedback from current members, and outstanding challenges.

Eva Rosdiana, Nurul Sjamsijah, Sri Rahayu, Dian Hartati · J-ABDI Jurnal Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat · Global

This community engagement activity aimed to promote urban farming as a solution for urban food security and environmental issues. The method involved socializing the benefits and implementation of urban farming to community groups, followed by assisting them in creating a model urban farm. The activity targeted outcomes such as scientific publication and increased community adoption of technology.