Research & reports

A Christian · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · United States (Des Moines)

This abstract provides captions for photos related to urban planning and food systems. It describes a meeting in Des Moines, Washington, on healthy food access, a rapid market survey at a Mississippi Gulf Coast farmers' market, and individuals involved in food system policy drafting in Waterloo Region, Ontario, and urban planning academia.

Annie Lowry · Digital Commons - Olivet Distinctive Heritage, Scholarship, & Creativity (Olivet Nazarene University) · United States (Illinois)

This project aimed to evaluate how gardening is integrated into classroom curriculum in several schools in Illinois and the factors leading to this integration. Qualitative data was collected from interviews with educational professionals from seven different sites, confirming previous research on the benefits of gardening and providing new insights into current and future integration of gardens into the classroom.

Tracey J. Woodruff, Patrice Sutton, David Wallinga, Joanne Perron, Michelle Gottlieb, Lucia Sayre · · United States

This review examines evidence that intensive use of pesticides, chemical fertilizers, hormones, antibiotics, and fossil fuel in the US food production system, along with chemicals in food packaging, are potentially harmful to human reproductive and developmental health, and argues that policies including changes to the Farm Bill and the Toxic Substances Control Act, plus greater health-sector involvement in sourcing food from urban agriculture programs and farmers, are needed to prevent adverse reproductive effects. The abstract does not report a specific negative or null finding about urban agriculture itself — urban agriculture programs are named only as one proposed sourcing channel within the recommended policy response, not as a subject with measured outcomes.

Walker R. E., Keane C. R., Burke J. G. · Health & Place 16(5):876-884 · United States

Systematic review of 31 US food access and food desert studies using nine distinct measures, documenting disparities in access to healthy food across low-income and minority neighborhoods.

Sarah Rabkin · · United States

Amy Courtney, founder of Freewheelin’ Farm, a community supported agriculture (CSA) program, delivers shares by bicycle-drawn trailer. Courtney, a 1997 graduate of UCSC’s Apprenticeship in Ecological Horticulture, started the farm in 2002 with minimal motorized vehicles, utilizing used equipment and recycled materials. She and her partners continue to haul all CSA shares six miles into Santa Cruz by bicycle. Courtney's work is driven by a commitment to social justice, community health, and cultural vitality. The farm collaborates with "Food, What?!"—a youth empowerment program, and hosts cultural and educational initiatives.

A. Morton, Betty Franky, Emily Fisher, Erin Doran, Heather Sites · Digital Commons at University of Maryland Carey Law (University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law) · United States (Baltimore)

The student film “Baltimore Urban Gardening” highlights the benefits of creating spaces for and using locally grown produce.

Thomas W. Blaine, Parwinder S. Grewal, Ashley Dawes, Darrin Snider · Journal of Extension · United States

A profile of participants in an Extension urban community gardening program in the United States showed success in attracting diverse income and age groups. Community gardening contributed to dietary changes for three-quarters of both new and continuing gardeners. The time spent in the garden weekly was influenced by factors such as years in the program, income, diet, and charitable produce donations.

David Baker Architects · · United States (San Francisco)

Armstrong Place Senior Housing is located in San Francisco's Bayview District, providing 116 affordable apartments for seniors. The complex includes a community garden space in the central courtyard, 9,000 square feet of commercial space, community services, and retail shops. Additionally, twenty-three apartments are reserved for formerly homeless seniors participating in San Francisco's Direct Access to Housing Program.

Scott Bernhard · Innovations Technology Governance Globalization · United States (New Orleans)

The Tulane City Center (TCC) in New Orleans supports architecture faculty and students who collaborate with local nonprofits to provide design and "visioning" assistance to underserved neighborhoods. Since its establishment after Hurricane Katrina, TCC has worked on dozens of projects, including six ecologically sound single-family houses, several green markets with urban agriculture facilities, and over 50 other initiatives. These projects incorporate extensive community input and are often constructed by students, providing them with hands-on experience in progressive design and new construction technologies.

Michelle P. Corrigan · OhioLink ETD Center (Ohio Library and Information Network) · United States (Baltimore, Athens)

Food insecurity and food-related health concerns are growing in the United States, leading to increased engagement with food systems through community food security approaches like community gardening. In-depth interviews and field observations in Baltimore, Maryland, and Athens, Ohio, examined the challenges of community gardening and the extent of people's involvement in the food system. While community gardens contribute to engagement, additional assistance such as education, policy, and funding is needed to enhance food security.

Shante Morgan · · United States (California)

This record is an archive of blog articles from August 2010 for @CSUN, Volume XV, No. 1. Topics include a dedication ceremony, the online debut of a newspaper, campus events, faculty and staff features, and an article on Community Supported Agriculture providing a healthy alternative for CSUN.

Andrew Flachs · Electronic Green Journal · United States

This paper explores the social and cultural effects of urban gardening in the greater Cleveland area, noting that the social impact of community gardens is less studied than other benefits. The author's fieldwork found that many gardeners combine utilitarian functions with environmentalist ideology, contrary to some authors who claim that gardeners are preoccupied with economic impact, leading to a biased conclusion about motivations. The paper aims to convey the complexity of use, function, and intent in these communal spaces.

Michelle M Althaus Ottman, Juliana Maantay, Kristen Grady, Nério Cardoso, Nilce Nazareno da Fonte · PubMed · United States (New York City)

This project explores urban agriculture and productive landscaping in the Bronx, New York City, focusing on community gardens as an alternative to address urban problems. The study aims to describe the multiple roles of these gardens, including health-promoting, economic, environmental, and cultural benefits, and to reveal gardeners' perceptions of quality-of-life improvements. The Bronx currently hosts approximately 175 community gardens administered by Operation Green Thumb, alongside others managed by non-profits and on private property.

Laura Whitzling, Michelle M. Wander, Ellen Phillips · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United States (Chicago)

This study profiled soil quality, including lead levels, in 10 Chicago community gardens, comparing raised beds to non-raised beds and adjacent bare soil. The overall mean soil lead level was 135 ppm (n=86) by EPA method, with a range of 10-889 ppm. While most gardens' lead levels were not a concern, higher lead in adjacent bare soil suggested contamination risk. Use of raised beds reduced lead levels, but further study is needed.

Carlie Speedlin · Lincoln (University of Nebraska) · United States

A case study at Saratoga Elementary, a K-5 Title I school in Lincoln, Nebraska, with 266 students, 47% minority, 28% receiving special education, and 80% eligible for free or reduced-price meals, where a garden space had been built and an after-school garden club had been running since the previous spring semester. Educators were surveyed on their attitudes toward outdoor classrooms and the cognitive (emotional) benefits of outdoor education, while students self-assessed their emotional state using emotion stickers before and after garden club. The study found no significant difference in students' cognitive (emotional) response before versus after garden club participation, with only a 0.02 increase on a 1-5 emotional scale. Teacher surveys found that 50% of respondents did not include outdoor activities in their curriculum planning and 50% did not use outdoor activities or recess to alter student behaviour; all teacher respondents were aware of the outdoor space (school garden), but only 60% had used it for an activity, and only 53% were assessed as "aware" of the cognitive or emotional benefits of nature for children.

G. M. Hettiarachchi, Sabine Martin, A. David Rae, Phillip P. Defoe, Dennis Presely, G. M. Pierzysnki · · United States

Using a newly established urban community garden in Kansas City as a case example, this study examines the challenges of converting brownfield sites — abandoned or underutilized properties where environmental concerns impede redevelopment — into community gardens. Soil at the site was found to contain mildly elevated levels of lead (Pb) and detectable levels of DDT/DDE (an organochlorine pesticide). Based on an evaluation of soil properties, safety and corrective measures were proposed and implemented to reduce both direct (soil-to-human) and indirect (soil-to-plant-to-human) exposure for gardeners and their children, and field test plots with three crop types showing different contaminant-uptake patterns were established to evaluate site-specific soil amendments for reducing lead bioavailability.

Larsen K., Gilliland J. · Health & Place 15(4):1158-1162 · Canada

Evaluates a farmers' market established in a London, Ontario food desert, analyzing its effect on the price and availability of fresh, healthy food and its potential to improve local food access.

M.R. Gorham, Tina M. Waliczek, Amy Snelgrove, Jayne M. Zajicek · HortTechnology · United States (Houston)

A pilot study in Houston, Texas, investigated the impact of 11 established community gardens on property crime numbers using 2005 crime data. Statistical comparisons between community garden areas and randomly selected city areas showed no statistically significant differences in the mean number of crime occurrences. The presence of a community garden was not found to be a predictor of a lower crime rate for a neighborhood.

Wendy Heiger‐Bernays, Alexa Fraser, Vaughn R. Burns, Kerry Diskin, David Pierotti, K Merchant-Borna, Michael D. McClean, Daniel J. Brabander, H. Patricia Hynes · PubMed · United States

A study characterized urban community garden soils contaminated by timbers, specifically finding elevated levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from railroad ties and arsenic from chromated copper arsenate (CCA) treated lumber. Researchers determined the extent of contamination, designed a remediation plan, and assessed the safety of adding city compost as a soil amendment in Boston community gardens. Recommendations for healthful gardening practices were also provided.

Éric Duchemin, Fabien Wegmuller, Anne-Marie Legault · Field Actions Science Reports · Canada (Montreal)

This article discusses urban agriculture (UA) initiatives undertaken in Montreal, Canada, for over 30 years, specifically the City-managed Community Gardening Program and six collective gardens managed by community organizations. These UA initiatives have fostered vegetable production and a socialization and education environment, contributing to individual and collective social development in economically disadvantaged districts. The various approaches achieve their established objectives and serve as multi-dimensional tools for the social development of disadvantaged populations.

Erica Rose Menkel Mintzer · · United States

This study evaluated a garden-based curriculum and school lunch program at Common Ground High School in the United States using mixed quantitative and qualitative methods. It found that Common Ground students had more food system knowledge but not more basic nutrition knowledge than comparison schools. While Common Ground students increased fruit and vegetable intake at school over the year, comparison school students ate more familiar vegetables, and Common Ground students ate more unfamiliar vegetables. BMI data showed varied averages between schools and grades, with no statistically significant difference (p = 0.0622).

Colleen O’Holleran · School for International Training Digital Collections (School for International Training) · United States (Boulder, Colorado)

A study in Boulder, Colorado, interviewed thirteen community gardeners to understand their motivations for participation. Gardeners were found to come from diverse backgrounds and participate for various reasons, including the desire to be outdoors, curiosity, resource sharing, a closer connection with food, self-reliance, health commitment, and pride. Despite challenges, gardeners overcome them due to their commitment to cultivating their plots.

Louise Joly · Primary Health Care · United States

This research focus describes three studies exploring the health benefits of gardening as a social activity. The studies investigate how community gardens in Denver, Colorado, contribute to strengthening neighborhoods and health.

Catherine Sands, Lee Reed, Krista Harper, Maggie Shar · Practicing Anthropology · United States

In spring 2008, a grassroots organization called Fertile Ground conducted a participatory Photovoice evaluation of its school garden program with fifth-grade students at Williamsburg Elementary School in rural western Massachusetts, United States. Photovoice places cameras in participants' hands so they document and discuss their own concerns and perspectives. The project aimed to capture what students, after six years of hands-on garden programming, understood about food, nutrition, and community food systems, and their impressions of leadership, fellowship, and care for land and community. The article outlines the evaluation's context and design but does not report specific quantitative findings.

Alaimo K., Packnett E., Miles R. A., Kruger D. J. · Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior 40(2):94-101 · United States

Cross-sectional phone survey of 766 adults in Flint, Michigan. Households participating in community gardens were far more likely (32% vs 18%) to consume fruits and vegetables at least five times daily.