Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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Applying Sen's Capability Approach to Poverty Alleviation Programs: Two Case Studies
2008John Schischka, Paul Dalziel, Caroline M. Saunders · Journal of Human Development · New Zealand
This research investigated the application of Sen's Capability Approach to two human development programs: a community garden-based poverty alleviation program in a New Zealand city and a self-help project for women in Samoa. Sixteen focus groups of participants described significant changes in their capabilities, including learning new skills and discovering existing valuable capabilities. This finding aligns with Sen's emphasis on participant agency.
CommunityWelfareEconomicsDeveloping IPM Resources for Youth Gardening Programs
2008Monika Roth, Leigh MacDonald Rizzo · eCommons (Cornell University) · United States
This paper proposes developing an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) fruit and vegetable demonstration garden and six hands-on IPM lessons for youth gardening programs. The initiative aims to address the disconnect between children and the outdoors, promoting physical activity and improved diets. The lessons, to be piloted at Ithaca Children’s Garden, will teach youth and adults about pest identification, beneficial insects, and pest management, with training offered to school garden coordinators.
Food educationCommunityThe Feminist Pedagogy of SAVE NATURE-SAVE CULTURE: A Double-Coded Art Installation
2008M. Pilar Viviente · Visual Culture & Gender · United States (New York City)
This visual essay discusses the feminist pedagogy of double-coding embedded in the "SAVE NATURE-SAVE CULTURE" (2006) art installation. The installation, located in Le Petit Versailles (LPV), a community garden in New York City's East Village, addressed the sustainability of community gardens. LPV is a public garden maintained by neighbor volunteers, focusing on environmental sustainability and themes such as housing, graffiti, gender, and sexuality.
CommunityPolicyFood educationTo Subsidise My Income: Urban farming in an East-African town, by Dick Foeken
2008M. B. David · African Affairs · Kenya
This study on urban agriculture in the Kenyan town of Nakuru illustrates health and environmental problems associated with keeping livestock in urban areas, the small size of plots cultivated, and the dependence of urban households on rural sources of food. These findings were observed in the context of economic hardships occasioned by structural adjustment programmes since the 1980s.
Environmental trade-offsCommunityEconomicsHealthUrban–rural linkageEcological scales and social network structure in urban landscapes: management and governance of urban ecosystem services in Stockholm, Sweden
2008Henrik Ernstson, Stephan Barthel, Erik Andersson, Sara Borgström · · Sweden (Stockholm)
This thesis investigates social-ecological features shaping the generation of ecosystem services (ES) in the urban landscape of Stockholm, Sweden. Through interdisciplinary case studies, it showed that informally managed allotment gardens have a higher abundance of pollinators, and voluntary actor groups motivated by a sense-of-place support ES generation. Social-ecological memory among allotment gardeners retains and transmits practices linked to ES, suggesting that sustaining urban ES requires considering historical property rights, diverse actor groups, and local communities of ecosystem practice.
BiodiversityPollinatorsCommunityPolicyField trials identify more native plants suited to urban landscaping
2008S. Karrie Reid, Lorence R. Oki · California Agriculture · United States (California)
In California, there is a growing need for landscape plants requiring fewer water and chemical inputs. A program at UC Davis screened ten unused or underused California native plants for low water tolerance in open-field conditions during summer 2006. No significant differences were found in summer growth or physical appearance across four irrigation levels. Six species maintained a favorable appearance throughout the season and are now undergoing further assessment in demonstration gardens across seven climate zones.
CommunityClimate changeBiodiversityCommunity resilience and contemporary agri‐ecological systems: reconnecting people and food, and people with people
2008Christine King · Systems Research and Behavioral Science · Global
This paper explores how agri-ecological systems such as Organic Agriculture, Biodynamics, CSA, Permaculture, Farmers Markets, and Community Gardens contribute to agri-ecological and community resilience. These systems contribute to more sustainable and resilient communities through community development processes like relationship building, genuine participation, inclusiveness, resource mobilization, and creating space for knowledge sharing. The paper compares ecological systems models to agri-ecological systems and suggests how ecological systems theories might contribute to the future of community-based agri-ecological resilience.
CommunityCSA & TeikeiBiodiversityFood sovereignty & justiceIntroduction: Localising the Global
2008Ronald Labonté, Glenn Laverack · Palgrave Macmillan UK eBooks · Canada
In a Canadian city, a group of single mothers living in poverty started a community garden. This garden was primarily about creating capacity and empowering experiences, such as successfully negotiating with authorities, rather than just food production. For some, it served as a tool for political activism, while for others, it provided a sense of control and coherence through gardening.
CommunityWelfareFood sovereignty & justiceHealthThe Child in the Garden: An Evaluative Review of the Benefits of School Gardening
2008Dorothy Blair · The Journal of Environmental Education · United States
An evaluative review of U.S. literature on children's gardening found that quantitative studies showed positive outcomes in science achievement and food behavior. However, these studies did not consistently demonstrate improvements in children's environmental attitude or social behavior, and validity and reliability issues reduced general confidence in the results. Qualitative studies documented a wider range of desirable outcomes, but teacher enthusiasm varied based on support and horticultural confidence.
Methodological critiqueFood educationHealthCommunityThe Effects of Horticultural Activity in a Community Garden on Mood Changes
2008Norio Hayashi, Teruo Wada, Hiroaki Hirai, Takaaki Miyake, Yoshimasa Matsuura, Norinaga Shimizu, Hiroshi Kurooka, Shousaku Horiuchi · Environment Control in Biology · Japan
A Japanese study examining the psychological effects of horticultural activity on mood state (POMS) among 61 subjects (22 men, 39 women, mean age 46). Active participation involved planting non-flowering pansies, while passive participation involved observing a community garden; one group engaged in 2 hours of active participation, while two other groups completed 6 hours of horticultural activity (with the 6-hour group in experiment 3 also completing a mid-point POMS assessment 2 hours in, alongside before/after measures). The overall POMS score for 2 hours of horticultural activity was significantly higher than for 2 hours of simply observing, and the greatest psychological effects were found among the group that engaged in 2 hours of active horticultural activity, suggesting that 2 hours of horticultural activity induces the best psychological effects among the conditions tested.
CommunityHealth潜心育种 播洒希望——记杭州市种子总站站长兼党支部书记孙利祥
2008何晓萍 · 浙江人事 · China
This profile article introduces Sun Lixiang, director and Communist Party branch secretary of the Hangzhou Seed General Station in China, described as a senior extension researcher. He is credited with long-term work in the seed industry, introducing, screening, and promoting numerous new crop varieties, and contributing to agricultural industrial restructuring, increased agricultural output and income, and the development of urban and efficiency-oriented agriculture in Hangzhou. He is reported to have received 16 provincial and municipal science and technology progress awards, published 16 scientific papers in provincial-level or higher publications, contributed to four professional books, and received a special allowance from the Hangzhou municipal government.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityExtreme Local Food: Two Case Studies in Assisted Urban Small Plot Intensive Agriculture
2008Lenore Newman · · Global
This 2008 paper examines barriers to urban agriculture expansion in North America—poor urban soils, lack of knowledge, zoning restrictions, and personal time constraints—through two case studies of assisted urban small-plot intensive farming in Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, British Columbia. In both cases, entrepreneurs installed and tended small plots on participants' land, selling the harvest at local farmers' markets or sharing it directly with the landowners. The paper notes that both projects had strong educational components and engaged a diverse demographic, and that having one farmer tend multiple plots could help address concerns about the carbon footprint of small-plot farming raised elsewhere in the literature.
CommunityFood educationEconomicsMANEJO AGROECOLÓGICO DE PLAGAS Y ENFERMEDADES EN LA AGRICULTURA URBANA. ESTUDIO DE CASO CIUDAD DE LA HABANA, CUBA
2008Luis L. Vázquez Moreno, Emilio Fernández Gonzálvez · · Cuba
A participatory research study conducted in 2003–2005 across municipalities and representative production systems of Havana's urban and peri-urban agriculture — where synthetic pesticides are prohibited in "organopónico" and other orchard systems — characterized farmers' pest management practices. Farmers were found to have adopted agroecological innovations including managing floristic diversity, crop rotations and associations, corn and other plant barriers, repellent plants, peripheral live fences, natural-enemy reservoirs, biopesticide applications, and botanical preparations.
Organic cycleCommunityPolicyAnálisis económico del empleo de la fuerza de trabajo en la Agricultura Urbana del Municipio de Sancti Spíritus (Referencia bibliográfica)
2008Irenio Curbelo Tribicio · OBSERVATÓRIO DE LA ECONOMÍA LATINOAMERICANA · Cuba
Set against Cuba's demographic backdrop of accelerating urbanization, declining birth rates, gradual population aging and an uneven distribution of the workforce, this reference paper argues for the need to understand imbalances between labor supply and demand in urban agriculture and to establish measures to improve its use. It states that wage and incentive systems must align with the rational use of human resources in order to secure workers' fair compensation under the principle of socialist distribution. No specific survey findings or figures are presented.
EconomicsCommunityPrecaster plays central role in design of rooftop garden
2008Sue McCraven · PCI Journal · United States
A short article on the 909 Walnut Street Parking Structure in Kansas City, Missouri, which received PCI's Best Sustainable Design award in 2007. John Tanner, P.E., senior engineer at project specialty engineering firm FDG Inc. of Arvada, Colorado, discusses the challenges of building a parking structure engineered to support a rooftop garden.
Community宁夏首家“农民生态公园”建成开放
2008丁婕 · 中国花卉园艺 · China
A news brief reports that Ningxia's first "farmer ecological park" was completed and opened to the public at the Taqiao flower garden zone in Xingqing district, Yinchuan city, China. Xingqing district is described as shifting its agricultural development model toward modern urban agriculture and urban-rural integration, positioning facility agriculture and the flower industry as the centerpiece of agricultural restructuring and a new source of farmer income.
CommunityPeri-urban agricultureEconomicsUrban Farming: Lead Problems and Remediation Solutions
2008Evan Green · · United States (California)
A literature meta-analysis on lead contamination in urban farms was applied to Alemany Farm in San Francisco, California, where soil lead concentrations range from 60 to 720 ppm. It found that every food crop except tree fruits may pose a health risk if grown in Alemany Farm's soil. A phytoremediation plan using Indian mustard (Brassica juncea) to remove lead was found to exceed the farm's available budget, and its timescale made it impractical. The study concludes that phytoremediation is generally not feasible for small-scale urban farms and that other measures are needed to reduce lead exposure for urban farmers.
Contamination & food safetyHealthCommunityCalifornia communities deal with conflict and adjustment at the urban-agricultural edge
2008Alvin D. Sokolow, Sonja Varea Hammond, Maxwell Norton, Evan E. Schmidt · California Agriculture · United States (California)
An exploratory study compared high- and low-conflict urban-agricultural edges in four crop-growing communities across two California counties, where about 2.5 million agricultural acres lie adjacent to or near nonfarm residences; a separate sidebar analyzed two edge situations involving animal and nursery operations in San Diego County. High conflict levels were found to stem largely from residents' unfamiliarity with agricultural activities, though conflict also related to specific farming practices; the study presents these as tentative generalizations and poses questions for further systematic research rather than firm solutions.
PolicyCommunityUrban–rural linkageGröna upplevelser för alla
2008Ann Hallén · · Sweden
A landscape-design thesis proposing a school garden for Jallaskolans upper secondary school outside Uppsala, Sweden, which had requested a garden for students including those with special needs. Based on a site inventory, literature review and visits to other educational and therapeutic green spaces, the author produced a plan scheme intended to stimulate the senses and serve a habilitating function for all visitors. The work stops at the design proposal stage and does not report construction or measured outcomes.
Food educationCommunityUrban agriculture in Accra metropolis: dimensions and implications for urban development
2008Olufunke Cofie, Larbi, Theophilus Otchere, George Danso, Ernest Mensah Abraham, S.K. Kufogbe, N. Obiri-Opareh · CGSPace A Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research) · Ghana
A book chapter addressing urban agriculture in the Accra metropolitan area, Ghana, included in Parrot et al. (eds.), "Agriculture and Urban Development in Sub-Saharan Africa: Environment and Health Issues" (Paris: L'Harmattan). The available abstract consists only of this bibliographic citation; no study methods or findings are given.
CommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceL'agriculture urbaine et périurbaine à Youndé: analyse fonctionnelle d'une activité montante en économie de survie
2008Prosper Nguegang Asaa, Véronique Joiris, Jean Lejoly, Isaac Roger Tchouamo · · Africa
This study characterizes urban and peri-urban agriculture in Yaoundé, Cameroon, that has emerged amid rapid urbanization unaccompanied by economic growth, analyzing the interaction of actor types, space types, crops, products, and average incomes. The analysis found this agriculture employs close to 2,000 people, mostly young people and especially women with an average age of 35, concentrated on land under heavy pressure — marshy lowlands, foot of slopes, and roadsides. Crops were mainly vegetables, food staples, and flowers, varying across the urban ring, peri-urban zone, and rural hinterland. Marketing occurred through long, short, and direct circuits, with prices set by demand rather than fixed in advance. Profitability analysis of celery, ndolé, and black nightshade accounts found an average daily gain of about three euros per producer, and some market gardeners reported preferring to stay in their gardens rather than take a roughly 75-euro/month wage job; the study also found no legal or regulatory framework governing the activity, and no law authorizing it.
EconomicsCommunityWelfareLarge-scale urban waste composting for urban and peri-urban agriculture in West Africa: an integrated approach to provide decision support to municipal authorities
2008George Danso, Pay Drechsel, Olufunke Cofie · CGSPace A Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research) · Sub-Saharan Africa
A book chapter (in Parrot, Njoya, Temple, Assogba-Komlan, Kahane, Ba Diao and Havard, eds., "Agriculture and urban development in Sub-Saharan Africa: environment and health issues," L'Harmattan, 2008) addresses large-scale urban waste composting for urban and peri-urban agriculture in West Africa as an integrated approach to support municipal authority decision-making. The abstract provided is only the editorial citation, with no method or findings stated.
CommunityOrganic cycleCompostPeri-urban agricultureConstruction of urban modern fishery in Shanghai
2008Yang Zheng · Zhongguo shengtai nongye xuebao · China (Shanghai)
A text on Shanghai, China (2008) discusses the concept, characteristics, and scope of "urban modern fishery" as a component of urban agriculture and a foundation of Shanghai's ecologically sustainable development, analyzing the status and function of fishery within Shanghai's urban agriculture. It proposes that the structure of urban modern fishery in Shanghai incorporate three sectors: an economic sector covering ordinary aquaculture, specialty-species aquaculture, distant-water fishery, aquatic product manufacturing, and modern aquatic logistics; an ecological sector covering aquatic ecological industry and recreational fishery; and a knowledge-based sector covering hatchery fishery, fishery information industry, and fishery technology services.
EconomicsCommunityPeri-urban agriculture주말농원 참여자의 현황 및 재배작목 다양화에 대한 요구도 분석
2008김영, 김은자, 이상영, 이승주 · · South Korea
A South Korean study (2008) surveyed allotment (weekend farm) garden participants on their cultivation status and demand for herb crops, alongside interviews with garden plot proprietors, and reviewed program trends run by organizations serving allotment gardens. Participants cultivated roughly ten crop species on average, with seed and seedling purchases mainly dependent on the landowner and crop selection made jointly by spouses; 5.7% of participants were currently or had previously cultivated herbs, while 62% had not because they did not know how. Reported herb uses were medicine/beauty (22.0%), spices (22.0%), and enjoyment (29.0%), with future interest at 34.0%, 39.0%, and 31.7% respectively; 78.3% of participants said they had considered or would consider growing herbs if the landowner supplied plants, and expressed interest in guidance on planting, management, and post-harvest use. The study found that introducing new crops was more feasible among participants with more than four years of farming experience and relatively advanced cultivation skills, and concluded that crop and soil-management choices, seedling provisioning, education tailored to participants' skill levels, and rental arrangements were essential to sustaining and expanding allotment garden participation.
CommunityFood educationDesign of a Rainwater Collection System for Irrigation Purposes
2008Philip E. Gates, Libby Gravatt, Tyler Mellos, Alex Miller, Dario Turjanski · Digital Commons - Trinity University (Trinity University) · United States
A rainwater collection system built for a small community garden in San Antonio, Texas, designed to operate as efficiently as possible for irrigation. The paper covers the original design problem and proposed solution, the construction process, and evaluation of the final design, including experiments run to determine specific building parameters. Once built, the system successfully distributed water through the garden plot using its component parts; drip hoses flowed at an average of 0.64 gallons per hour per foot, above the 0.45 GPH/ft minimum target, at a water height of 36 inches from the ground. The paper outlines the complete stepwise construction process and offers recommendations for future or similar systems.
CommunityClimate change