Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
7626 results(281 / 306)
FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE - ORGANIC WASTE REDUCTION AT THE LOCAL COMUNITY LEVEL
2009Delia Nicoleta Vieru · · Global
This text discusses organic waste reduction, noting that over 50% of household waste is organic and often leads to pollution. It explains the importance of managing compost processes for quality compost, emphasizing a 30:1 carbon to nitrogen ratio for efficient decomposition. The text proposes school-based compost production as a method to engage the school community in environmental efforts, promoting resource recirculation, education on compost benefits, waste attitude change, reduction of school canteen waste, student involvement, and the creation of fertile soil for school gardens.
CompostOrganic cycleCommunityFood educationCommunity Gardens, Convivial Spaces, and the Seeds of a Radical Democratic Counterpublic
2009Benjamin Shepard · · United States
This study argues that access to space for dialogue is fundamental for democracy to thrive. It states that citizens acting together, sharing opinions, and organizing and supporting spaces for social, cultural, and political engagement should be considered within a framework of democratic participation.
CommunityPolicyGrowing Gardens and Nurturing Community in the Urban Environment
2009Katie Shaw · Providence College Digital Commons (Providence College) · Global
This study analyzes how urban agriculture, specifically community gardens, addresses rising global pressures on urban areas by rebuilding local networks. It presents community gardening as a solution to the global food crisis and compares community garden projects in five cities: Accra, Shanghai, St. Petersburg, Havana, and Philadelphia. The research also examines the demographics of community gardeners, particularly their impacts on marginalized members of society, and highlights community gardens' role in city planning and green design.
CommunityFood educationWelfareElderlyPolicyPromoting Healthy Diets through Community Gardens: An Investigation into Their Effectiveness in Reducing Obesity Among Senegalese Adolescents in Uganda
2009Kasaka Kizito, Okumu Mukulu, Sserunkuma Ndegeyi · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Uganda
This mixed-methods study investigated the effectiveness of community gardens in reducing obesity among 200 Senegalese adolescents aged 15-18 in Uganda. Initial analysis suggests that community gardens significantly reduced the proportion of adolescents with obesity by 30%, indicating a positive impact on dietary habits and physical activity levels. While these preliminary findings are promising, further longitudinal studies are needed.
HealthCommunityFood educationWelfareInformalization, the Informal Economy and Urban Women’s Livelihoods in Sub-Saharan Africa since the 1990s
2009Dzodzi Tsikata · · Sub-Saharan Africa
This chapter examines urban women's livelihoods in sub-Saharan Africa since the 1990s, focusing on economic liberalization and the expansion of the informal economy. Urban agriculture, including home gardens, is identified as an increasingly important activity within this informal sector. Many women in the urban informal economy are employed by others or have been in the past, while industrial subcontracting, a source of informal employment, has been significant only in a few industrialized Sub-Saharan African countries.
WelfareEconomicsCommunityCarrot city: designing for urban agriculture.
2009Diana Lee-Smith, M. C. Campbell · Urban Agriculture Magazine · Canada (Toronto)
This article describes the "Carrot City" initiative, which began in Toronto in 2006 when Ryerson University architecture students focused on buildings incorporating urban food production. The concept expanded to include other architecture, planning, design, and landscape architecture schools across Canada and internationally, promoting the integration of urban agriculture into design and planning.
CommunityPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceLinking Relief, Rehabilitation and Development: A role for urban agriculture?
2009Femke Hoekstra, R. van Veenhuizen · · Global
This article focuses on the role of urban agriculture in linking relief, rehabilitation, and development following disasters or emergency situations. It notes that many people in refugee situations establish small-scale gardening or micro-technologies like container gardening to improve food security. The article highlights urban agriculture's multiple functions, including community building and sustainable environments.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityWelfareDIY发展都市农业 改善城市生态——以青海省为例
2009许光中 · 北京科技大学学报：社会科学版 · China (Qinghai Province)
This study examines urban agriculture in Qinghai Province, China, as a solution to urban ecological crises exacerbated by rapid urbanization. Urban agriculture, defined as modern agriculture integrating production, services, and consumption based on modern technology and diversified operations, can expand urban green spaces, improve urban ecology, and strengthen urban functions.
Climate changeEconomicsCommunityBiodiversityAgricultura urbana y sustentabilidad en Valdivia, Chile. Una nueva alternativa microempresarial
2009O Beatriz Vera · Revista Urbano · Chile (Valdivia)
This study characterized 22 urban agricultural micro-enterprises in Valdivia, Chile, focusing on their economic, productive, and commercial aspects, and the employment they generate. Using the Snowball method to identify urban farmers, the research found that urban agriculture is a significant source of permanent employment in Valdivia, also providing temporary work during the summer season.
EconomicsCommunityUrban farming and food security in Nigeria
2009Sunday Ichima · Pranjana The Journal of Management Awareness · Nigeria
This paper examines urban farming as an important component of food security measures in Nigeria. It highlights the genesis of urban farming in Nigeria and the various types of urban farms, explaining how their products have contributed to food security.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityLike what you get? Is it good for you? Organic food, health and sustainable development in schools
2009Minna Mikkola, Bent Egberg Mikkelsen, Gun Roos · · Global
These Proceedings compile preliminary empirical research, Master's theses, projects on implementing organic school meals and school gardens, and educational visions for future food education for sustainability. Published halfway through the iPOPY project, this report presents some of the outcomes achieved and outlines ongoing work towards more sustainable food systems.
Food educationHealthCommunityCommunity Gardens in Urban Ghana: Impacts on Food Security, Public Health, and Community Cohesion
2009Abena Boampongwa, Esi Amagatso, Efua Asarekwai · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Ghana
This study in urban Ghana used a mixed-methods approach, including surveys, focus groups, and observational studies over one year, to assess the impact of community gardens. It found that community gardens significantly increased (p<0.05) the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables among community members, improving dietary diversity and reducing reliance on processed foods. The findings suggest community gardens can enhance food security and public health outcomes in urban settings, especially with integrated educational programs.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceHealthFood educationPolicyContext Aware Education for Agriculture.
2009Richard Beckwith, Sharon Greenfield · · Global
This ethnographic study investigated how teachers use school gardens for agricultural education and how farmers learn on farms, aiming to define needs for a mobile educational application. The research sought to inform the development of a mobile device with video, connectivity, and sensors, capable of generating inferences for computer vision and other applications. Future work will explore how such devices can influence learning and teaching.
Food educationCommunityExperiencia cubana en organopónicos, una opción para la seguridad alimentaria en Nicaragua
2009Mayra Puente Isidrón · Revista Ciencia y Tecnología El Higo · Cuba
This paper describes the development and impacts of urban agriculture, specifically "organopónicos," in Cuba. It highlights how this approach utilizes local productive potential and available labor to significantly increase agricultural products for the population. The impacts include contributions to human nutrition, providing vitamins, minerals, and plant/animal protein, and fostering new dietary habits based on societal possibilities.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityHealth도시농업 육성의 정책적 함의
2009장동헌 · 산업경제연구 · South Korea
To identify policy implications for fostering urban agriculture in South Korea, a perception survey was conducted among experts. The findings indicated the need to establish a basic direction for urban agriculture, prepare legal and institutional frameworks for planned management and use of urban agricultural land, continuously promote related programs, establish an exchange system through network formation, and adopt a comprehensive approach to urban agriculture maintenance.
PolicyCommunityBack to the Garden: Promoting Sustainable Communities by Incorporating Community Gardens into City Planning Processes
2009Heather Elizabeth Dalrymple · · United States
This report examines community gardens as a means to address urban food provision and promote sustainable communities. It highlights that community gardens offer benefits beyond food security, such as fostering community development and effectively utilizing open spaces. Through case studies in Cleveland, Ohio, and San Francisco, California, the report demonstrates the adaptability of community gardens in meeting diverse community needs across various urban environments.
CommunityPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceTherapeutic Horticulture in Australia
2009Lei Yan-hua · · Australia
This paper discusses the state of therapeutic horticulture in Australia, describing the field as largely project-driven with little government or philanthropic funding to sustain long-term growth. It notes that recent initiatives in community gardens, school and children's gardens, and horticultural therapy services have expanded the scope of activity and, while still small compared with many other countries, are high-profile, community-led, and have secured significant government funding. However, the paper states that this needs to be balanced against numerous barriers facing the sector: insufficient research, limited organization and representation, few education and training opportunities, and a lack of outreach and community services.
Governance failureHealthWelfareCommunityIntersections between public and private: community gardens, community service and geographies of care in the US City of Buffalo, NY
2009LaDona Knigge · Geographica Helvetica · United States (New York City)
A mixed-methods case study drawn from a larger study of community gardens in Buffalo, New York, United States. It examines issues of public space, citizenship, gender and race in the context of state restructuring and welfare reform that shifted responsibility for social services toward private communities through elimination, privatization or devolvement. The study found connections between community organizations' commitment to community gardening and their involvement in providing social, youth and emergency services, including after-school programs, tutoring, refugee services and winter coat drives. It concludes that the everyday lives of Buffalo residents cannot be separated from the effects of larger structural processes such as deindustrialization, privatization and state restructuring.
CommunityWelfarePolicy强化支农谋发展 优化结构增效益——中国农业发展银行湖北省分行营业部支持武汉市都市农业发展的调查
2009赵三志, 杨正强 · 中国农业银行武汉培训学院学报 · China
A report on how the Hubei branch of the Agricultural Development Bank of China supported urban agriculture development in Wuhan, China, by using credit as a leverage tool to cultivate pillar industries of agricultural industrialization, taking advantage of Wuhan's designation as a comprehensive pilot zone for a "resource-conserving, environmentally friendly society." It states the bank optimized its credit assets and customer structure, achieving a coordinated balance of speed, structure, quality, management and efficiency, but the abstract provides no specific quantitative data.
PolicyEconomicsUrban–rural linkageCommunityCommunity Gardens and Food Security Among Older Women in Libyan Cities: A Six-Month Comparative Study
2009Abdullah Al-Khater · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Africa
In Libyan cities, a six-month comparative study assigned older women to either a community gardening intervention group or a control group, collecting data through surveys, interviews and observations by trained researchers to assess food security. The intervention group showed a 20% increase in homegrown vegetable consumption compared to baseline levels.
CommunityHealthWelfareElderlyDevelopment Thought and Countermeasures of Coastal Urban Modern Agriculture in Tianjin
2009Zhao Shu-jie · Journal of Hebei Agricultural Sciences · China
A 2009 paper on coastal urban modern agriculture in Tianjin analyzes the essential conditions for its development and discusses basic approaches based on Tianjin's natural and economic characteristics. It proposes countermeasures spanning government support, coordination across sectors, improving farmers' overall competencies, and combining multiple development models, intended as a reference for coastal urban agriculture development.
PolicyCommunityPeri-urban agricultureUrban agriculture in Ezibeleni (Queenstown): contributing to the empirical base in the Eastern Cape
2009Nigel L. Webb, Harrison Kasumba · Africanus Journal of Development Studies · South Africa
In Ezibeleni near Queenstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa, a sustainable-development framework was used to gather empirical findings on vegetable crop cultivation, covering duration of crop consumption, the value of produce to households, environmental benefits, and social/psychological benefits. Both the scale of cultivation and the benefits obtained were found to be modest, reinforcing prior studies that focused on the actual practice of urban agriculture rather than its hypothetical potential.
Limited or null effectCommunityHealthEconomicsBiodiversityReinventing public spaces in community garden projects in Berlin and Rotterdam
2009C. Liesegang · · Europe
An empirical, cross-context study of community engagement in public urban space examined community garden projects in Berlin, Germany, and Rotterdam, the Netherlands, as case studies. These projects — which typically upgrade empty, abandoned land into public or semi-public urban space and community access to nature — were studied to understand why people get involved in collective projects in public space, focusing on social and place-bound processes, with a central research question of which social processes and project features lead organizers, participants, and neighbors to understand community gardens as fostering place-making and social connectedness. The two case studies were selected as legally or formally recognized grassroots, self-organized initiatives combining individual and mainly collective gardening activities with semi-public or public access, and were analyzed for place characteristics, social and organizational features, partnerships with public institutions, degree of public accessibility, and collective versus individual gardening.
CommunityURBAN AGRICULTURE: FACTORS AFFECTING THE DECISION TO GROW VEGETABLES IN TAMALE METROPOLIS
2009S. Al-hassan · The IUP Journal of Agricultural Economics · Ghana
Using cross-sectional data from 196 urban agriculturalists (136 vegetable farmers and 56 non-vegetable farmers) in the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly, Northern Region, Ghana, a 2009 study examined the factors determining the decision to cultivate vegetables. Results showed vegetable production in the study area was influenced by extension services, use of inorganic fertilizer (manure), and availability of farmland. The study recommends training existing extension agents in modern vegetable production techniques so they can in turn train farmers, with emphasis on quality seed production, variety selection, diversification and quality control; directing extension services toward efficient manure application; encouraging vegetable farmers to form cooperatives to network with livestock producer associations; and having policymakers provide large, suitable irrigable land for vegetable production.
CommunityEconomicsPolicyCombination of Agricultural Universities and Urban Agriculture
2009Hui Li · Journal of Hebei Agricultural Sciences · Global
This paper discusses the characteristics of urban agriculture, the significance of linking agricultural universities with urban agriculture, and concrete measures by which agricultural universities can serve agriculture.
Food educationCommunity