Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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Critical findings
2056 results(28 / 83)
How community capacity building in urban agriculture can improve food access in predominantly Black communities
2022Saria Lofton, Marjorie Kersten, Nanyombi Lubimbi, Angela Odoms‐Young · Journal of Community Practice · United States
This study used Chaskin’s relational framework to describe community capacity-building efforts to enhance urban agriculture in predominantly Black communities. Strategies identified for community capacity building in urban agriculture included building on existing resources, community engagement, expanding organizational capacity, identifying threats, and identifying ideal solutions. These strategies were identified by urban farmers, gardeners, and advocates to strengthen local control of the food environment through sustainable urban agriculture.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceHealthCultivating inclusive public space with urban gardens
2022Melissa Anna Murphy, Peter E. Parker, Margot Hermus · Local Environment · Global
This article aims to unpack how urban settings, organizational forms, and municipal enabling affect urban gardening (UG) practices towards inclusion in public space. It draws on urban commons theory and research on inclusion in public space to understand multi-faceted UG governance and its exclusionary aspects. A comparative analysis of UG initiatives in three Northern European municipalities explores both municipal enabling and the co-production of inclusive public space.
Equity & displacementCommunityPolicyHealthTemporal Temperature Variation in Urban Gardens Is Mediated by Local and Landscape Land Cover and Is Linked to Environmental Justice
2022Alejandro Castillo Nolte, Sascha Buchholz, Nadja Pernat, Monika Egerer · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · Global
This study investigated diurnal and nocturnal temperature ranges, and daily maximum and minimum temperatures in 18 urban gardens during the peak summer agricultural growing season. It analyzed how temperatures correlated to local land cover factors within the garden, surrounding landscape imperviousness at various spatial scales, and environmental justice indicators of garden neighborhoods. Nocturnal temperature range was negatively correlated to landscape imperviousness, with the relationship decreasing in strength with increasing spatial scale.
Climate changeBiodiversityHealthCommunityAssessment of Quality of Wastewater Being Used in Irrigating Soils under Urban Agriculture in Zaria Urban Area
2022Sani Abubakar Mashi, Samuel Yakubu, Sofia Yuniar Sani · Asian Research Journal of Agriculture · Africa
A study in the Kubanni basin of Zaria, Africa, evaluated the quality of wastewater used for irrigating urban agriculture soils. The wastewater contained arsenic, iron, chromium, copper, zinc, manganese, and lead. Although concentrations were generally below Nigeria's permissible limits for irrigation, the study noted the metals' tendency to accumulate in soils, raising concerns about potential heavy metal buildup in irrigated soils and crops.
Contamination & food safetyHealthOrganic cycle幼児は雪が積もった園庭のどこで活発に遊ぶのか？
2022厚 板谷, 大輔 野上, 公文 佐藤 · Institutional Repositories DataBase (IRDB) · Japan (Asahikawa)
This study, involving 20 preschool children from one kindergarten in Asahikawa city, Japan, examined how diversifying snow surfaces in a school garden affected physical activity intensity during winter outdoor play. Five trials were conducted in December and January-February. Activity intensity in snowy mountains was more prominent in the December control trial (less snow) than in the January-February experimental trials, but various play promotions increased activity in rough snow.
Food educationHealthInvestigation of Heavy Metals in the Urban Agricultural Soils Near Railway and Industrial Complex in Jinju, Gyeongsangnam-do
2022Myeong Suck Jeong, Mina Lee, Chaw Su Lwin, Kwon-Rae Kim · 한국토양비료학회지 · South Korea
This study investigated heavy metal contamination in urban agricultural soils near railway tracks and an industrial complex in Jinju, South Korea, to ensure food safety. While the average heavy metal values did not exceed soil contamination guidelines, some individual soil samples showed concentrations higher than the guidelines. Furthermore, the geoaccumulation index (Igeo) indicated that several soils were contaminated compared to background levels, with Cu, Pb, Zn, and Sb showing the highest contamination. Long-term monitoring of urban vegetable garden soils is recommended.
Contamination & food safetyHealthCommunityOrganic cycle‘Spaces’ for restorative development: international case studies on restorative services
2022Jonathan Hobson, Brian K. Payne, Kabba Haroun Bangura, Richard Hester · Contemporary Justice Review · Sierra Leone
This paper examines the concept of "spaces" where restorative services develop, conceptualized as social, political, physical, and economic. In Kenema City, Sierra Leone, an urban agriculture scheme fills a post-conflict and post-Ebola "space" by diverting young people from harmful activities and reintegrating them into society. This is presented as one of three international case studies illustrating how these types of "spaces" influence the development, provision, and expansion capacities of restorative services.
WelfareCommunityHealthEnablers and Barriers of Community Garden Use in New Orleans, Louisiana: An Environmental Assessment and Qualitative Analysis
2022Julie Cornfield, Harmonii Odinga, Jaleh Kermani, Katherine P. Theall, M. Pia Chaparro · American Journal of Health Promotion · United States (New Orleans)
An environmental assessment of 10 community gardens and interviews with 20 community members and administrators in New Orleans, Louisiana, explored factors affecting garden use. Gardens scored high in design and cleanliness but low in accessibility and information availability. While community members perceived gardens could increase fresh food access, administrators believed gardens could not produce enough food for community-wide impact, emphasizing social benefits instead.
Limited or null effectCommunityHealthFood educationWelfareAvances de la Secretaría Distrital de Salud en la implementación de huertas agroecológicas en zonas urbanas y periurbanas de Bogotá, una estrategia que integra la salud ambiental y la seguridad alimentaria y nutricional. Bogotá 2021
2022Claudia Ortega Realpe, Edna Katalina Medina, Óscar Fernández · Boletín Epidemiológico Distrital - Bed · Colombia
Bogotá's District Health Secretariat implemented agroecological urban gardens from January to September 2021 to address COVID-19's social impacts. The community environment showed the highest healthy and sustainable food production, with Sumapaz, Usme, and Ciudad Bolívar having the largest planted areas. Vegetables and greens were the most relevant crops, while medicinal and aromatic plants were common in home gardens. The community showed good reception and acceptance, contributing to food security and environmental health.
Food sovereignty & justiceHealthCommunityPeri-urban agricultureIs a vegetable garden essential? Toronto gardens as culinary infrastructure
2022Sarah Elton, Donald C. Cole · Food Culture & Society · Canada (Toronto)
This paper analyzes mixed methods data from Toronto, Canada, generated pre-pandemic, to understand the role of urban agriculture in gardeners' lives. It found that gardening supported health and wellbeing and provided an important, often culturally significant, food source for participants. The study argues that gardens are essential and should be viewed as part of culinary infrastructure, prompting policy decisions that support nonmarket food sources during crises.
CommunityHealthPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceHow do attitudes shape protective practices against the Asian tiger mosquito in community gardens in a nonendemic country?
2022Pénélope Duval, Claire Valiente Moro, Christina Aschan-Leygonie · Parasites & Vectors · France
A KAP survey conducted in community gardens in France showed that attitudes, more than knowledge, influence community gardeners' protective practices against the Asian tiger mosquito. All participating gardeners were concerned about the Asian tiger mosquito and motivated to incorporate control methods, but perceived mosquitoes as nuisances rather than disease vector species. This survey reveals a lack of knowledge and awareness of good practices for efficient control of the Asian tiger mosquito in green urban areas.
HealthCommunitySystematization of the Environmental Educational Experience: The Home/School Garden as a Strategy to Address Food Security in the Post-COVID-19 Confinement School
2022Claudia Marcela Puerto Layton · Interdisciplinary Journal of Environmental and Science Education · Colombia
This article reports the systematization of an experience with home/school gardens in an educational institution in Bogotá, involving high school students (seventh and eighth grades) in face-to-face and remote modalities. Results include the reconstruction of the strategy and didactic process, highlighting aspects that affect or support the educational process in each modality. Reflections with students indicated that while home gardens can contribute to food security, pesticides can pose a risk to food security in Colombia.
Contamination & food safetyFood educationFood sovereignty & justiceHealthCommunity“Connecting With Good People and Good Plants”: Community Gardener Experiences in New York State During the COVID-19 Pandemic
2022Tomasz B. Falkowski, Bethany Jorgensen, Donald A. Rakow, Ashmita Das, Stewart A.W. Diemont, Theresa Selfa, Austin B. Arrington · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · United States
A study in four New York cities analyzed the benefits and challenges of community gardens during the COVID-19 pandemic through surveys and semi-structured interviews with community gardeners. Gardeners experienced benefits such as connection, mental and physical well-being, and a safe refuge, but the biggest challenge was limited socializing due to personal behavioral changes and garden rules. This research suggests that while community gardens can be resilient sites of reprieve during crises, the pandemic also exposed their vulnerabilities.
Governance failureCommunityHealthWelfareFood sovereignty & justiceScaling-up urban agriculture for a healthy, sustainable and resilient food system: the postharvest benefits, challenges and key research gaps
2022Sofia Kourmpetli, Natalia Falagán, Charlotte A. Hardman, Lingxuan Liu, Bethan R. Mead, Lael Walsh, Jessica Davies · International Journal of Postharvest Technology and Innovation · Global
This perspective paper presents 'rurbanisation' as a strategy for a resilient food system, focusing on postharvest benefits of urban agriculture for sustainable supply chains, enhanced nutrition, and access to fresh food. It identifies challenges for upscaling urban agricultural systems, including the need for improved technologies, local infrastructure, and knowledge transfer to new farmers. The paper also highlights research gaps in postharvest quality and safety.
Food sovereignty & justiceHealthClimate changeFood lossAn Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of a Year’s Allotment Gardening for People Living in Low-Income Areas of Nottingham, UK
2022Rhys Furlong, Caroline Harvey, Fiona Holland, Jenny Hallam · NECTAR - Northampton Electronic Collection of Thesis and Research (University of Northampton) · United Kingdom (Nottingham)
Seven semi-structured interviews were conducted with allotment gardeners from low-income areas of Nottingham, UK, 12 months after they began their tenancy at St Ann's allotments. This interview data was used for an interpretative phenomenological analysis published in "Cities and Health." Due to ethical and commercial issues, the data underpinning this publication is not openly available.
CommunityWelfareHealthChildren’s Attentional Processes in Outdoor and Indoor Environments: The Role of Physiological Self-Regulation
2022Lucia Masón, Benedetta Zagni, Francesca Bacchin, Carlotta Frison, Sara Scrimin · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · Global
This study investigated the effects of indoor (classroom) and outdoor (green school garden) environments on attentional processes in 42 third and fourth-grade children, considering emotion and physiological self-regulation (heart rate variability). Children were less distracted by negative emotional materials when presented with an outdoor background and showed greater selective and sustained attention in the green environment compared to the classroom. Sustained attention also varied in relation to physiological self-regulation, but only when performing the task indoors.
HealthFood educationThe Impact of an After-School Garden Enhanced Education (GENE) on Skin Carotenoids as a Measure of Vegetable Consumption on Diverse, Low-Income Children
2022Mona Khalil, Carolyn Bolton‐Moore · Current Developments in Nutrition · United States
This study investigated whether a ten-week Garden Enhanced Nutrition Education (GENE) program increased skin carotenoid scores, a measure of vegetable consumption, in 30 diverse, low-income children aged 6–13 at two Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Houston in fall 2021. While individual skin carotenoid scores increased in 43% of participants and group averages showed an upward trend, these changes were not statistically significant. Height and weight increased significantly, and 49.7 pounds of produce were harvested.
Food educationHealthWelfareCommunity gardens as feminist spaces: A more‐than‐gendered approach to their transformative potential
2022Maria Teresa Braga Bizarria, Marcela Palomino‐Schalscha, Polly Stupples · Geography Compass · Global
This paper reviews the multi-scalar transformative potential of community gardens for volunteers, informed by a feminist approach. It examines literature on gendered benefits and empowerment women experience in community gardens, individually and collectively. The paper also discusses how community gardens offer opportunities to raise awareness of oppression and envision social change, suggesting they can be conceptualized as feminist spaces.
CommunityWelfarePolicyHealthCIDADES PEQUENAS E AGRICULTURA URBANA NO CONTEXTO DA PANDEMIA COVID-19
2022Ana Maria Girotti Sperandio, Bárbara Bonetto, Tailana Fraga Lima, Jussara Conceição Guarnieri · PIXO - Revista de Arquitetura Cidade e Contemporaneidade · Brazil
This descriptive, qualitative, and exploratory study examines urban farming initiatives in small cities during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on Conchal/SP, Brazil, as an example of healthy city practices. The research aims to identify convergences between urban farming and healthy city premises to address the pandemic's consequences and contribute to urban planning in small cities. It suggests that urban farming and the recovery of urban vacant spaces in community projects can be considered for addressing food insecurity exacerbated by the pandemic within urban planning.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityHealthPolicyA Lesson from the Urban Garden
2022Jamie Y Hamblin · Digital Archive @ GSU · Global
This research examined the role of urban agriculture in addressing urban food insecurity by reviewing urban interventions for food production. Using a developed food security score, statistical analysis showed strong correlations with physical, future, and social capital (0.72, 0.73, 0.80 respectively), and with the number of project components (0.83). A moderate correlation was found with project duration (0.60). The developed food security score system is fairly subjective with some limitations.
Food sovereignty & justiceHealthCommunityMathematical and Experimental Science Education from the School Garden: A Review of the Literature and Recommendations for Practice
2022Lidón Monferrer, Gil Lorenzo Valentín, María Santágueda Villanueva · Education Sciences · Global
This literature review analyzed 21 studies to explore the combination of curricular mathematics with experimental science content in school gardens. The review categorized studies by research tools, curricular content, impact, participant ages, project duration, and garden cultivation. The main finding was a lack of a clear research line linking school gardens, experimental sciences, and mathematics, with a scant presence of studies in this interdisciplinary context.
Food educationHealthSnacking, sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and child obesity in low-income households
2022M. Sitaker, S. Ennett, C.E. Walsh, R. Seguin-Fowler, J. Kolodinsky, A. Ammerman, K. Hanson, S.B. Pitts Jilcott · UNC Libraries · United States
This exploratory study investigated associations between snack foods, sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) consumption, and overweight and obesity in children from low-income households. Data from 305 households participating in a multi-state cost-offset (CO-CSA) intervention in 2016 and 2017 were analyzed. No associations were found between snack or SSB consumption and child overweight.
Limited or null effectHealthCSA & TeikeiTrace Elements in Soil and Urban Groundwater in an Area Impacted by Metallurgical Activity: Health Risk Assessment in the Historical Barga Municipality (Tuscany, Italy)
2022Riccardο Petrini, Lisa Ghezzi, Simone Arrighi, Lisa Genovesi, Chiara Frassi, Luca Pandolfi · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · Italy (Tuscany)
Trace elements were measured in soil and groundwater in the Fornaci di Barga urban area, Tuscany, Italy. Results indicate that Cu, Zn, and Cd are the main contaminants in surface soil, likely originating from airborne particulate matter deposition from metallurgical activity. Risk assessment considering soil ingestion and dermal contact exposure routes revealed that the cadmium Hazard Quotient approaches unity for children, and the cadmium risk-based concentration is only slightly lower than the maximum concentration measured in soil.
Contamination & food safetyHealthVertical Transfer of Bacteriological and Parasitological Pollutants from Irrigation Water to Soil and Crops
2022Jihan Faouzi, Imane Bedoui, Sanae Rezouki, Tarik Moubchir, Aimad Allali, Noureddine Eloutassi, Amal Lahkimi · Ecological Engineering & Environmental Technology · Morocco (Fez)
This study in Fez, Morocco, compared bacteriological and parasitological contamination in urban, peri-urban, and rural irrigation waters, and their transfer to soil and crops (cardoon and eggplant). Investigated microorganisms included total and thermotolerant coliforms, helminth eggs, Salmonella, and cholera vibrio. Results revealed contamination exceeding national and international standards for both types of coliforms in treated wastewater (TWW), wastewater (WW), Oued Fez water, and upstream well water in both winter and summer. This fecal contamination was found in soils and crops irrigated by urban and peri-urban water. Helminth eggs and cholera vibrio were also present in these waters, soils, and crops, with Salmonella detected in TWW in summer. Only the plot irrigated with Oued Bitit water in the rural zone met standards across all three levels of irrigated water, soil, and plants, and in both periods.
Contamination & food safetyHealthOrganic cyclePeri-urban agricultureEffects of Mixed Cropping of Garden Plants with Brassica parachinensis on Remediation of Cr-Polluted Soil in Community Garden
2022Shiyu Cui, Wenbin Liu, Hexian Jin, Yi Qiao, Ying Wang, Dan Liu · Atmosphere · Global
This study investigated the effects of mixed cropping garden plants (Festuca arundinacea, Ageratum conyzoides, Trifolium repens) with Brassica parachinensis on Cr-contaminated soil remediation. While mixed cropping with Trifolium repens resulted in the highest B. parachinensis yield and Cr content below standard in edible parts, mixed cropping with Ageratum conyzoides aggravated Cr pollution in edible parts of B. parachinensis, making it unsuitable for planting.
Contamination & food safetyCommunityHealthOrganic cycle