Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
1089 results(28 / 44)
Redes alimentares alternativas e potencialidade ao desenvolvimento do capital social
2018Ronaldo Tavares de Souza, Eduardo de Lima Caldas · Estudos Sociedade e Agricultura · Global
Based on a systematic review of 45 articles, this study examined how alternative food networks can foster social capital development. The review identified five types of networks: own production, basket schemes, direct sales, community supported agriculture, and solidarity purchase groups. Reflection on observed examples indicated that groups formed by consumers showed the greatest potential for social capital development, followed by producer-started groups, basket schemes, and finally, production for self-consumption.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsSustainability at SIT: a Look at the Past, a Plan for the Future
2018Taliesin Haugh · School for International Training Digital Collections (School for International Training) · Global
This paper outlines a 5-year plan for the School for International Training (SIT) to enhance sustainability praxis, building on its 2018 student-led community garden project. The plan aims for SIT to become an experiential ecology center, collaborating with local NGOs and hosting permaculture programs, to address climate change and contribute to sustainable development.
CommunityFood educationClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceUrban food security and multi-spatial livelihoods in Ghana’s medium sized cities: does food transfer matter?
2018Hayford Mensah Ayerakwa · International Development Planning Review · Ghana
A study using data from two medium-sized cities in Ghana analyzed the importance and determinants of food transfers received from urban or rural households. It examined whether participation in agriculture reduces a household's likelihood of receiving food transfers, showing that households participating in urban agriculture had a lower chance of receiving food transfers from other urban dwellers. Female-headed households and aging household heads had an increased likelihood of receiving food transfers, with grains and tubers being the most commonly received food groups, typically from rural and urban relatives.
Food sovereignty & justiceEconomicsWelfareUrban–rural linkagePerception of Community Residents on Supporting Urban Agriculture in Malaysian City: Case Study at Bukit Mertajam
2018Pushpawani Ramaloo, Choong-Yeun Liong, Chamhuri Siwar, Anizan Isahak · · Malaysia
In the Taman Desa Damai community of Bukit Mertajam City, Penang State, Malaysia, in-depth interviews and observations were conducted with 15 community residents to investigate the influences of urban agriculture on social, economic, and environmental benefits. The study found that while community farming is significant in realizing the potential of the residential community, it faces obstacles to long-term sustainability.
Economic viabilityCommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceGardens, cities and people - How to assess urban gardening
2018J Dostalík, Radoslava Krylová, Vojtěch Pelikán, Lucie Sovová, Zbyněk Ulčák · · Global
This paper presents a methodological tool designed to standardize the assessment of gardening sites and offer a user-friendly approach for evaluating diverse urban gardening areas. This multidisciplinary methodology assesses territory from three perspectives: urban gardening in urban planning, the social benefits of gardening communities and economic aspects including food security contributions, and the environmental aspects of gardening sites, such as their support for biodiversity.
CommunityEconomicsBiodiversityPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceFrom Urban Agriculture to Urban Food
2018Heidrun Moschitz, Jan Landert, Christian Schader, Rebekka Frick · Nature and Culture · Switzerland (Basel)
A study in Basel, Switzerland, comprehensively analyzed the city's food system to understand the full potential of urban agriculture within it. The analysis involved diverse actors from civil society, policy, and the market, encompassing policy and actor analysis, perceptions on urban agriculture, food flow analysis, and a sustainability assessment. The research project contributed to developing new ideas and activities and created a space for future debates within the city's food system.
PolicyEconomicsCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceInfluence of Social Inequality on Urban Agriculture
2018Kwaku Obosu-Mensah · · Ghana (Accra)
This study examines the influence of social inequality on urban agriculture in Accra, Ghana, focusing on land ownership and cultivation practices. It found that urban residents born or raised in other regions of Ghana are more likely to be middle/upper class, own urban land, and engage in enclosed cultivation. A disadvantage of enclosed cultivation is associated with water supply.
Equity & displacementCommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceUrban agriculture and its role in the sustainable city - mini review.
2018Antoinette WinklerPrins · CABI Reviews · Global
This mini-review argues that urban agriculture is an essential component of sustainable cities. It states that urban cultivation addresses the core elements of sustainability: economics, environmental issues, and social justice. Therefore, urban agriculture should be considered fundamental infrastructure in the design of future sustainable cities.
EconomicsClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceProhibitive property practices: The impact of restrictive covenants on the built food environment
2018Sugandhi del Canto, Rachel Engler‐Stringer · Policy Press eBooks · Global
Restrictive covenants, a corporate real estate practice, are identified as a significant barrier to establishing new food stores in older neighborhoods globally. These covenants place conditions on land use, such as prohibiting food sales or grocery store development, making it harder to address existing nutrition deserts. Government support is needed to limit these covenants and develop alternative food channels, including urban agriculture.
Governance failurePolicyEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceHealthEthics of agricultural landscapes and food production
2018Isis Brook · · Global
This chapter examines the interface between landscape and food in agriculture, which is undergoing massive change from both technological innovation and socio-political critique. It discusses how responses such as agroecology, biodynamics, organics, permaculture, and urban agriculture contribute to the creation of meaningful landscapes that respect cultural diversity and biodiversity. The chapter also looks at traditional ethical approaches and four new developments in ethical thinking—animal ethics, permaculture ethics, ecofeminism, and the theory of responsive cohesion—as ethical articulations of the caring and embodied flourishing that land and animal husbandry at its best represents.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityOrganic cycleAgricultura urbana: seu atual uso
2018Ana Cristina Manjabosco · · Global
This work explores urban agriculture, its concepts, and importance in achieving urban sustainability and responding to environmental imbalances. It provides examples of current urban agriculture uses, including the Dragonfly project in New York, Paris's incentives, and a vertical farm design contest in Sao Paulo. The study also offers guidelines for successful urban agriculture project implementation, covering location choice, cultivation systems, consumption incentives, and secondary benefits, framed as political and social guidelines.
PolicyCommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justicePossibilidades de relacoes socioambientalmente mais justas no contexto urbano de uma metropole
2018Luísa Melgaço, Marina R. Ribeiro, Heloísa Soares de Moura Costa · Cadernos de Agroecologia · Global
This essay reflects on the complex reality of urban agriculture, discussing the different paradigms of the Green Revolution and Agroecology within the urbanization process. It aims to evidence the permanent and conflicting dispute between the industrial capitalist model and the non-hegemonic rationality of Agroecology. The essay is intended to advance the construction of bridges between the agroecological field and urbanization processes.
Food sovereignty & justiceOrganic cycleCommunityPolicyAgroecología urbana: diseño de granjas urbanas ricas en biodiversidad, productivas y resilientes
2018Miguel A. Altieri, Clara I. Nicholls · Agro Sur · Global
Although urban agriculture (UA) is estimated to provide 15-20% of global food, its significant contribution to city food self-sufficiency is questionable due to low yields in most existing urban farms. Agroecology can enhance UA's productive potential by offering key principles for designing diversified, productive, and resilient urban farms. This paper describes principles and practices for increasing soil quality and enhancing plant health.
Limited or null effectFood sovereignty & justiceBiodiversityOrganic cycleClimate changeGemeinschaftsorientierte Ernährungsinitiativen – Neue Chancen für eine nachhaltige Ernährungswirtschaft?
2018Irene Antoni-Komar · HiBiFo – Haushalt in Bildung & Forschung · Global
Civil society food initiatives and transformative enterprises like urban gardening projects, CSA, and food co-ops are considered pioneers for a sustainable food supply. These initiatives test community-oriented economics in the form of empowerment, solidarity, and prosumerism for a socio-ecological food transition.
CommunityCSA & TeikeiFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsParadigm of Eco-Urban-Agriculture for the Sustainable City: Integrating the Concept for Urban Dhaka
2018Ayasha Siddiqua · Nakhara Journal of Environmental Design and Planning · Bangladesh (Dhaka)
This paper explores the concept of eco-urban-agriculture for sustainable cities, focusing on its integration into urban Dhaka, Bangladesh. It discusses the theoretical background of urban agriculture and practiced models globally, aiming to demonstrate how a city can generate food, improve health, and utilize waste. The study seeks to develop an understanding of this concept within Dhaka's dense urban fabric.
Food sovereignty & justiceHealthOrganic cycleClimate changeCULTIVATED EDGE: Mediating rural and urban gaps in informal settlements
2018Camila Hellebuyck · DigitalCommons - Kennesaw State University (Kennesaw State University) · Colombia (Bogotá)
This project addresses urban farming in Ciudad Bolivar, an informal settlement in Bogotá, Colombia, where it emerged due to food scarcity and poverty. It proposes design placemaking strategies to improve the built environment and social cohesion by integrating agriculture from the initial design stages. The concept includes farming gardens, food markets, and a community hub to create a "performative edge" that mediates between rural and urban contexts.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageWelfareImpacts of Urban Agriculture on the Determinants of Health: Scoping Review Protocol
2018Pierre Paul Audate, Melissa Anne Fernandez, Geneviève Cloutier, Alexandre Lebel · JMIR Research Protocols · Global
This protocol outlines a research strategy for a scoping review to characterize the beneficial and adverse impacts of urban agriculture (UA) on health and its determinants across various disciplines. The method involves a systematic search of seven electronic databases, followed by a three-step screening by two independent reviewers, and data extraction on bibliography, participants, study type, results, and countries. The findings are expected to identify research and knowledge gaps for future UA research.
HealthFood sovereignty & justiceSocial Change for Sustainable Localised Food Sovereignty: Convergence between Prosumers and Ethical Entrepreneurs
2018Rachel Reckinger · SOCIOLOGIA DEL LAVORO · Luxembourg
This study examines four community-driven alternative food network initiatives in Luxembourg, where low organic agricultural rates contrast with high consumer demands. Using qualitative interviews and participant observation, the research describes these initiatives, which combine agroecology and circular economy practices. These initiatives, ranging from an established one with 200 employees to more recent, smaller cooperatives, focus on regenerative land use and foster consumer integration, representing a cultural shift towards a more resilient food system.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityEconomicsOrganic cycleSustainable Cities And Urban Agriculture
2018Katinka Mihova · · Global
This paper discusses urban agriculture as a sustainable future, particularly for the urban poor in developing countries. Defined as an industry within or on the fringe of urban areas that produces and distributes diverse food and non-food products, urban agriculture functions as an informal food supply system. The paper notes increasing global attention to urban agriculture and the emergence of analyses attempting to systematize its benefits and drawbacks.
Urban–rural linkageEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changeUrban Agriculture: The Role of Knowledge among Farmer in Malaysia
2018Milah Zainal, Siti Rabaâah Hamzah · International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences · Malaysia
This study aimed to identify important knowledge regarding urban agriculture activities among farmers in Malaysia. Urban agriculture is introduced as a strategy to increase food productivity in response to rising living costs in cities, but farmers' acceptance is influenced by their cognitive, affective, and behavioral levels.
CommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceTingkat Partisipasi Masyarakat Dan Faktor-Faktor Yang Mempengaruhi Keberhasilan Program Urban Farming
2018Nizzatul Amaliyah · Studi Pustaka · Global
This study investigated the level of community participation and factors influencing the success of urban farming programs. Urban farming is presented as a community empowerment program to address urban food issues, stating that its success requires the community to be able to provide food independently and to be involved in the planning, implementation, supervision, and evaluation processes. Factors influencing success include community perception and socio-economic factors.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsCarving out space for community gardens in Australia
2018Alec Thornton, Kristen Lyons, Scott Sharpe · · Australia
This chapter examines how urban spaces in Australia are being transformed for community gardens through social movements and community interventions for the expansion of urban agriculture. It focuses on community gardeners as part of active social movements, exploring the urban context driven by the challenges of urbanization. The study applies Lefebvre's framework on the social production of space and discusses findings from qualitative interview data collected from two city case studies.
CommunityPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceContribuição da horta comunitária para alimentação saudável dos agricultores e suas famílias
2018Natália 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.
CommunityHealthFood sovereignty & justiceBiodiversityCommunity gardens as multipurpose, technological systems
2018David 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.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceHealthSocio-economic and ecological transition in community supported agriculture: from the 'transitional' to the 'ideal' CSA
2018Erin Whittingham, Nhu Tuyên Lê, Claudio Vitari, Roxana Bobulescu · International Journal of Agricultural Resources Governance and Ecology · Global
This paper focuses on the transitional features of community supported agriculture (CSA) and its transformational potential for agricultural system change. The research developed a framework that highlights the 'transitional' CSA model and compares it with conventional and 'ideal' CSA models. This framework helps understand how CSAs adapt to their context and demonstrates their transformational potential for agricultural system change, drawing on numerous narratives from the broad literature on CSAs.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsOrganic cycleFood sovereignty & justice