Research & reports

Renata Michelli Ferretti, Reis Friede, Maria Geralda de Miranda · Revista da Seção Judiciária do Rio de Janeiro · Global

This study, part of the AMBENAP project, discusses environmental education implemented through school gardens in basic education schools. Using problematization theory, the research concluded that school gardens enable students to learn practical environmental care and influence their actions.

Mun Gi Hong, Bo Eun Nam · Journal of Character Education and Research · South Korea

This study analyzed the suitability of G National University's campus as an educational site for ecological and character education for elementary students. The campus had a green space ratio of approximately 40% and 120 woody plant species. However, vulnerabilities in plant diversity were identified, including a bias towards certain species like oak and azalea, and multiple species concentrated in small numbers. A critical finding was the overlapping flowering and fruiting seasons for most species, which could negatively impact the ecology of wild animals like insects and birds that rely on these resources.

Mariana Castañeda Díez, Rita de Cássia Martins Montezuma · Sociedade & natureza · Brazil (Rio de Janeiro)

This paper addresses two problems in Rio de Janeiro: environmental issues from native restinga fragmentation due to urban development, and food shortages in low-income communities. It proposes edible landscaping for public spaces on Rio's west side to tackle these issues. The research involved theoretical framework analyses, geo-technological tools, and local visits for biophysical, urban, and architectural analyses to select suitable public spaces for the edible landscape proposal.

Soraya Nór · Revista Latino-americana de Ambiente Construído & Sustentabilidade · Global

This article reflects on the urban landscape, focusing on its environmental dimension, to understand how to better integrate natural and social elements in urban spaces. The study proposes the green and blue infrastructure and urban agriculture as planning and territorial management practices, based on a broad notion of landscape, to favor an expansion of nature's presence in city living spaces. These proposals analyze their environmental and socio-cultural aspects.

E. V. Koroleva, A. F. Petrov, Yu. V. Chudinova · Bulletin of NSAU (Novosibirsk State Agrarian University) · Russia (Novosibirsk)

This review focuses on the intraspecific variability of ornamental plants of the genus Clarkia (Onagraceae) and the clarification of the systematic status of Godetia species introduced into Novosibirsk. Experimental data from genetic and cytological analyses over the last 100 years are presented, showing morphological, karyological characteristics, and genetic variability in various species of the Godetia section. The article concludes that a comprehensive study of environmental conditions' influence on genetic features, ornamental qualities, and flowering biology is necessary for selecting suitable forms and introducing them into urban gardening for Western Siberia's climatic conditions.

Nurinda Rahma Ardiasari, Purwanto Setyo Nugroho, Wiwik Setyaningsih · Senthong · Indonesia (Surabaya)

A qualitative-descriptive design study developed an architectural concept for an urban agriculture center in Surabaya, Indonesia, applying ecological architecture principles through field observation and literature analysis. The resulting design covers activity and spatial planning, site processing, building design, vegetation selection and building utilities, framed as a response to shrinking irreversible farmland and weak food security amid rapid urban population growth.

Anna Barra Caracciolo, Valentina Terenzi · Microorganisms · Global

A review of the rhizosphere as a microhabitat of intense chemical dialogue between plants and microorganisms covers synergistic interactions that can enhance plant function and productivity, including responses to stress conditions such as heavy metal (HM) contamination, alongside the risks such contamination poses. Where heavy metals are present in agricultural soils, there is a risk of metal uptake by edible plants leading to bioaccumulation in humans and animals with detrimental health consequences, and plant productivity itself can be negatively affected; many bacteria have defensive mechanisms for resisting heavy metals and can improve plant responses to HM stress, but achieving such beneficial rhizosphere interactions is described as hard to attain in agroecosystems managed with traditional practices that focus on maximizing crop yield.

N. R. Madeira, Valdely Ferreira Kinupp, Lídio Coradin · · Brazil

This book chapter brings together reflections on neglected and underutilized species (NUS) in Brazil — plants popularly known today as "non-conventional edible plants" (PANC in Portuguese) — discussing the historical context of their use in this continental country with enormous biodiversity and cultural diversity. It highlights significant efforts undertaken to spread knowledge of and rescue and promote the use and conservation of NUS, and addresses related issues of agroecology, climate change, urban agriculture, local production, nutrition, gastronomy and food sovereignty.

James A. Allen, Andrew C. Mason · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems · United States

This study visited 14 food forests in the American Southwest — all but two located in urban or peri-urban areas — and interviewed the founder or manager at 12 of them. The sites spanned a wide range of physical environments, community types, and ownership arrangements found in the region. Despite challenges such as a hot, dry climate and difficult soil conditions, the researchers found clear evidence that food forests can be successfully established in urban areas there; beyond food production, the forests provided benefits such as mitigating the urban heat island effect, increasing local biodiversity, and improving neighborhood aesthetics, though the study notes a need for additional research.

Hannah Hemmelgarn, John F. Munsell · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems · Global

This exploratory synthesis examines functions beyond food production that urban agroforestry systems — urban forest gardens (UFGs) — can serve, focusing on their capacity to include diverse, biologically important, and culturally relevant non-timber forest species with medicinal properties, decorative and landscaping uses, and craft raw materials. Reviewing literature on the social and ecological aspects of designing "beyond-food" specialty crops in UFGs, the study identifies a need for collaborative, participatory, and culturally relevant decision-making that addresses access inequities, potential contamination from urban pollutants, and continued gaps in education and awareness of UFG multifunctionality. It argues these spaces can serve as a biological and cultural repository for otherwise overlooked species, but notes that case studies showing contextual implementation details are still needed to establish specific cultural and health-sovereignty benefits.

Zachary R. Schumm, Diane G. Alston, Lori R. Spears · Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington · United States

This study examined behavior of the invasive brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB, Halyomorpha halys) in the agricultural landscape of Utah, United States, using pyramid and sticky panel trap captures and visual plant inspections. First discovered in Utah in 2012, with crop damage first reported in 2017, BMSB was sampled at nine orchard and community garden sites (each under 2.5 ha) growing peach, apple, pear, tart cherry, and diverse vegetables, testing whether Utah's high-elevation (>1,200 m) agricultural regions, arid climate, and small production fields surrounded by suburban development alter attraction patterns and monitoring effectiveness compared with other BMSB-invaded regions. Sampling covered four within-site locations (exterior, border, border-interior, center) across early, mid-, and late season. Results did not support a preference for field-site borders found in other U.S. regions and crop situations. Pyramid traps captured significantly more BMSB than sticky panel traps throughout the season and significantly more than visual inspections in mid- and late season; correlation between pyramid and sticky panel trap catches was weak in both 2018 and 2019. The study concludes pyramid traps, especially combined with visual inspection near pheromone-baited traps, are optimal for Utah's low-population, small-field (<2.5 ha) agricultural landscape, and that border-focused management strategies may be less effective there than in regions with larger fields and higher BMSB infestations.

Olga Romanova, Sarah Taylor Lovell · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems · Global

This review assesses the capacity of woody species (trees and shrubs) used in urban food forests to accumulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), heavy metals (HMs), and metalloids, given limited existing literature on food-safety risk in urban fruit- and nut-producing trees compared with annual crops. General trends identified were (a) lower risk of HM and PAH accumulation in woody species than in vegetables, and (b) less accumulation in the fruit of woody species than in other parts of the same species. However, these trends are not always consistent, and accumulation depends on factors such as the concentration of a given contaminant in the environment, contaminant type, and species or variety. The review states there is a critical need for more research on the safety of growing edible fruits and nuts on trees and shrubs in contaminated urban environments.

Becky Griffin, S. K. Braman · Journal of Entomological Science · United States

In 2017 and 2018, gardeners at 36 locations across 21 Georgia counties, United States, volunteered for the Georgia Pollinator Census pilot project, counting insects in September and October on an aster species and one other participant-chosen plant species (28 plant taxa were selected in total) while also receiving training in insect identification. Bumble bees, honey bees and wasps were sighted more often in rural areas, while carpenter bees, flies and other insects were sighted more often in urban areas; participants also showed increased entomological interest and insect knowledge, and the pilot's results were used to refine criteria for a larger, state-wide census.

Daniels B., Jedamski J., Ottermanns R., Ross-Nickoll M. · PLOS ONE, 15(7):e0235492 · Europe

A study of pollinator diversity and plant-pollinator interactions in urban green spaces in Germany. Urban community gardens hosted significantly higher pollinator abundance than other park types, comparable to rural reference sites, showing that near-natural design and management, floral diversity, and even small green patches can make cities pollinator habitat.

Vernooy R., Sthapit B., Bessette G. · Development in Practice · Global

Drawing on case studies from Bangladesh, Cote d'Ivoire, India, and Zimbabwe, examines how community seed banks operationalize farmers' rights through conservation, access, and seed sovereignty at the local level.

Mulesa T.H. · The Journal of World Intellectual Property · Ethiopia

A historical institutional analysis of the governance of access to plant genetic resources in Ethiopia, examining national policy evolution in relation to the ITPGRFA, benefit-sharing, and farmers' rights.

Tsuge Kazuki, Chen Ruikun, Yoshioka Yosuke, Motoki Satoru · The Horticulture Journal, 89(1): 12-21 · Japan

Using phenotypic traits and 24 SSR markers, this study assessed the genetic and phenotypic diversity of 'norabona', a traditional Brassica napus leaf-and-stem vegetable of the Kanto region, documenting diversity within this Japanese landrace.

Shirasawa Kenta, Hirakawa Hideki, Fukino Nobuko, Kitashiba Hiroyasu, Isobe Sachiko · DNA Research, 27(2): dsaa010 · Japan

The genome of 'Sakurajima Daikon', a giant-rooted traditional Japanese radish from Kagoshima, was sequenced and analyzed using long reads, providing a genomic foundation for trait studies and conservation of this landrace.

Staudenmaier P. · German Studies Review, Vol. 43, No. 2, pp. 271–290 · Germany

Reexamines the ostensibly green facets of Nazism through the 'landscape advocates' led by Alwin Seifert from 1934 to 1945, assessing environmental concerns in regime public works and their ideological limits.

福本 優, 大平 和弘, 藤本 真里, 赤澤 宏樹 · 都市計画論文集 55巻3号 pp.777-782 · Japan

A case study of self-managed development parks under green-space agreements in private developer condominium projects in Kobe, analyzing spatial typologies and owner maintenance attitudes and showing the need for design guidance toward open green management including community gardens.

Orsini F., Pennisi G., Michelon N., Minelli A., Bazzocchi G., Sanyé-Mengual E., Gianquinto G. · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems 4, 562513 · Global

Reviews multifunctional urban agriculture in the Global North, systematizing six functions (food production, ecosystem services, social integration, education, health, economy) and showing the functional continuity between rural and urban farming.

Spataru, A., Faggian, R., Docking, A. · Journal of Rural Studies 74, 34–44 · Australia (Melbourne)

Presents principles of multifunctional agriculture for Greater Melbourne's peri-urban zone, developing a sustainable design framework for urban-rural-linked farming across four axes: food supply, landscape, ecosystems and community.

Theodorou P., Radzevičiūtė R., Lentendu G., Kahnt B., Husemann M., Bleidorn C., Settele J., Schweiger O., Grosse I., Wubet T., Murray T.E., Paxton R.J. · Nature Communications, 11:576 · Germany

A replicated experiment contrasting Central European cities with neighbouring rural sites, finding cities have lower overall insect richness (e.g. flies, butterflies) but higher bee species richness, flower-visitation rates and pollination than the countryside. It shows urban floral resources support bees while cautioning that not all insects benefit, informing the design of pollinator conservation in urban green spaces and gardens.

Carmen M. Ugarte, John R. Taylor · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems · United States (Chicago)

This study evaluated chemical and biological soil-health indicators at 21 urban-to-periurban sites in Chicago (home gardens, community gardens, institutional farms, and private urban farms). It measured soil fertility, nematode trophic composition and food-web indices, and concentrations of lead, arsenic, and zinc; nematode communities differed by management scale and were likely influenced by soil organic matter and pH. Lead, arsenic, and zinc were below levels of concern, and soil fertility was significantly increased by management, particularly in community gardens and urban farms.

Savanah St. Clair, Maryam Saraylou, Daila Melendez, Norman Senn, Serina Reitz, Destini Kananipour, Angelo Alvarez · Applied and Environmental Soil Science · United States (Los Angeles)

This research characterized the arable soils at Los Angeles Pierce College to address health and food-security challenges, using soil physical/chemical measurements, microbial cultivation, and 16S rDNA sequencing on a citizen-science platform. It found plant-growth-promoting, antibiotic-producing and bioremediating bacteria—including abundant Streptomyces, Bacillus and Methylobacteria—across fields with distinct microclimates, and tests indicated that plant-based oils could control antibiotic-resistant bacteria more effectively than common antibiotics. The authors say the results can guide future trials and product development by identifying target soil microorganisms and the most viable fields.