Research & reports

Tina McIntyre, Rachel Gutner, Tiare Saracino, Jacqlyn Rivas, Esen Momol · EDIS · United States (Florida)

This 7-page publication from the UF/IFAS Environmental Horticulture Department serves as a guide for homeowners and professionals on best practices for mulching. Mulching involves spreading material around the base of a plant to protect it, conserve moisture, or suppress weeds. The guide discusses mulch sources, application techniques, and management practices, clarifying the mulch needs of fruit trees, shrubs, herbs, and vegetables to promote plant health.

Sarah 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.

Tomasz 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.

Nehiby Alcántara Nieves, Rosa María Larroa Torres · Espiral estudios sobre Estado y sociedad · Mexico (Mexico City)

This article investigates the functions of urban gardens in Mexico City two years after the implementation of the Food Sustainability System and the Urban Garden Law. A qualitative study found that public officials tend to prioritize the environmental functions of urban gardens, while for users, the sociocultural functions are the most relevant. The research suggests that urban gardens possess environmental, economic, and sociocultural multifunctionality.

Mona 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.

Luíza Costa Caldas, Tania Pereira Christopoulos · Revista de Gestão · Brazil (São Paulo)

This study investigated urban agriculture in São Paulo, Brazil, from the perspective of social capital, using a literature review and semi-structured interviews with participants in urban agriculture initiatives. It identified sources, effects, and challenges of social capital formation in this context. Findings include that social capital generates human capital, citizenship, engagement, resource access, and information access, but faces challenges related to homophily and the perception of benefits.

Emily H. Belarmino, Jane Kolodinsky, Alice S. Ammerman, Leah C. Volpe, Covington Brown, Stephanie Jilcott Pitts, Karla L. Hanson, Marilyn Sitaker, Weiwei Wang, Jared T. McGuirt, Michelle Carfagno, Emily Hunsinger, Rebecca A. Seguin‐Fowler · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · United States

In response to critiques regarding the narrowness of food systems education at US land-grant institutions, this study developed four evidence-informed, interdisciplinary, equity-oriented, open-access teaching modules. These modules were created based on a multi-site, multi-year investigation of subsidized community supported agriculture and a survey of 66 instructors at land-grant institutions about instructional material needs. Instructors reported case studies, lesson plans with active learning, and reference lists of peer-reviewed publications as most helpful.

Ana 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.

Rosangela Hespanhol, Antônio Nivaldo Hespanhol · Revista de Tecnologia & Gestão Sustentável · Brazil

A case study of urban agriculture in Álvares Machado, Brazil, identified challenges including difficulties in accessing land and water for irrigation, the absence of official technical assistance services, and a lack of public policies at national, state, and municipal levels. Despite these difficulties, urban farmers are responsible for a significant portion of leafy greens and legumes production, establishing direct relationships between producers and consumers through markets and street stalls.

K. Michelle Glowa · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United States (California)

This paper reflects on the engagement between Mexican and Salvadorian farmers at the Beach Flats Garden in Santa Cruz, California, and local educational institutions. It discusses the garden's role in critical food system education, highlighting its function as a space of resistance to gentrification in a competitive land market. The garden provides examples of noncapitalist exchanges and decolonial foodways, emphasizing traditional agroecological knowledge.

Jeanne Dennler, Carol S. Quick, Ruth Wilson · · United States

Bittersweet Farms, established in 1983, has expanded its programs and services over the years while maintaining its core values. Housing and activity options have grown to include community volunteer work, involvement with community supported agriculture, and therapeutic exercises. The organization also developed outreach programs for young adults with autism, focusing on social activity, friendship, and transition to adulthood. The Bittersweet model has received international recognition.

M. 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.

Emily A. Holmes, Mary F. Campbell, Ryan Betz · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United States

This study used the concept of food sovereignty to assess the level of local control over food production, distribution, and consumption in the Mississippi Delta. Research involved site visits, participant observation, focus groups, and surveys of communities affiliated with the Delta EATS public school garden program. Findings demonstrated low levels of food sovereignty, though high levels of agency and ingenuity in accessing desired foods were observed.

Fabiana Castellarini · Frontiers in Sustainable Cities · Latin America

Urban agriculture (UA) in Latin American countries was analyzed using an ecosystem services framework. From plant production, 17 ecosystem services, 6 benefits, 6 assets, and 6 indirect drivers were recognized. Strengths of UA were related to ecosystem services, benefits, and beneficiaries; weaknesses were related to the misuse of inputs, and human and environmental health; and threats were related to regulation, governance, and land tenure issues.

Luciane Maria Vieira, Leonardo Antunes Pessoa, Vinícius Estevan Carvalho Pereira, Karen Silvério Góis, Edivando Vítor do Couto · International Journal of River Basin Management · Brazil

Water and sediment samples from four sites in a countryside urban-farming watershed landscape in Southern Brazil were analyzed for pollution assessment. All water samples were contaminated with faecal and total coliforms, indicating issues with treatment effectiveness. While pesticide concentrations in water were not significant, sediment copper concentrations were eight times higher than the Threshold Effect Level (TEL), with chromium and copper exceeding TEL at all sites. Sources for zinc, copper, nickel, cadmium, and chromium included plantations, forests, and domestic sewage discharges.

Ana Clara Aparecida Alves de Souza, Fernando Dias Lopes · Cadernos EBAPE BR · Brazil (Porto Alegre)

This article analyzes an urban collective garden, Horta da Formiga, in Porto Alegre, Brazil, through a two-year participatory investigation using Pierre Bourdieu’s framework. The study found that the more protagonists of Horta da Formiga align with capitals considered legitimate by the state, the more they can reconcile contradictions in this field. However, despite individual agency, participants face structured conditions that do not allow for more organic and diverse forms of contradiction reconciliation.

Kayla Danielle Staley · Digital Archive @ GSU · United States

This quantitative study explored the relationship between community gardens and community vitality indicators (median household income, educational attainment, business establishment, occupied housing units) using U.S. Census Bureau data at the census tract level. While all community garden census tracts showed an increase in median household income by 2013, no direct association was found between community gardens and educational attainment. The research suggests a loose association between community gardens and increased median household income, but the garden's presence cannot be solidified as the sole reason.

Manuela Alves da Cunha, Ryzia de Cássia Vieira Cardoso · Ambiente & sociedade · Brazil (Salvador)

A descriptive study collected data from urban garden farmers in Salvador, Brazil, to assess the contribution of urban gardens to food and nutritional security and sustainable development. Urban gardens were shown to provide work and income for families, contributing to food supply and security. Beyond producing fresh vegetables for the local population, the activity also contributes to ecosystem balance and sustainability.

Hayden Hinton · Digital Archive @ GSU · United States (Atlanta)

A study in the Proctor Creek watershed in Atlanta, Georgia, measured field saturated hydraulic conductivity (Kfs) in soils under compaction, urban agricultural use, and lawn maintenance. Urban farming significantly increased soil Kfs (mean 2.2E-4 cm/s) compared to compaction (9.1E-7 cm/s) and lawn maintenance (9.0E-6 cm/s), limiting overland flow. Grain-size distributions showed no significant difference, indicating Kfs was controlled by land-management practices, not soil texture.

André Ruoppolo Biazoti, Marcos Sorrentino · Ambiente & sociedade · Brazil (São Paulo)

This ethnographic study investigated political engagement in community gardens in São Paulo, Brazil, through semi-structured interviews and participant observation. The research found that community gardens foster affections that empower individuals to engage in territorial management, leading to the formation of expanded collectives that establish unique management forms challenging institutional powers.

Cristiane Cruz Barros Cristiane Cruz Barros, Óscar Emerson Zúñiga Mosquera, Luciano Pires de Andrade, Horasa Maria Lima da Silva Andrade · International Journal of Advanced Engineering Research and Science · Brazil (Recife)

This case study examined the Integrated Project of Community Gardens around CEASA/PE in Recife, Brazil, using secondary and primary data from semi-structured interviews. The research analyzed socio-spatial dynamics before and after the project's implementation to identify municipal transformations. It aimed to compare the project's reality with policy forecasts and identify environmental impacts, with initial conclusions presented.

Regina Lucia Santana, Roberto Andreani, João Adalberto Campato, Denise Regina da Costa Aguiar · Revista FSA · Brazil (São Paulo)

This descriptive and transversal field study, conducted at Professora Maria Expedita Silva State School in Mauá, São Paulo, aimed to implement sustainable and community actions using a school garden. The project sought to unite the school and local community in consuming and preserving the garden, fostering environmental responsibility and promoting natural diets. Results showed adolescent engagement in the educational project's sustainable actions, leading to more collaborative attitudes towards their natural environment.

Miriam Bertrán-Vilà, Ayari G. Pasquier Merino, Jéssica Geraldine Villatoro-Hernández · Sustainability · Mexico (Mexico City)

This study described the conditions of 60 peri-urban farmers in Mexico City working with agroecological schemes, analyzing the role of social and cultural capital in consolidating their projects and consumer links. Based on field visits and interviews, the research argued that the social and cultural capital of production units are key elements in determining the viability of the agroecological transition.

Pablo Torres Lima, Kristen Conway-Gómez, Karla Almanza-Rodríguez · Frontiers in Sustainable Cities · Mexico (Mexico City)

This study examined local community involvement in governance processes in Milpa Alta, a peri-urban agricultural area of Mexico City, using surveys, interviews, and participatory workshops. It found that Milpa Alta lacks integral adaptive capacity to address urban pressures, environmental deterioration, and agricultural dynamics. Limited participation, low local organizational levels, and distrust of government institutions hinder effective governance, indicating that a "local is not enough" approach is insufficient for adaptive governance in this peri-urban context.

Universidad de Guadalajara, Ofelia Barrios Vargas, María Lourdes Rebolledo García, Adán Rubio Cuevas · GESPYE Gestión Pública y Empresarial · Mexico

A diagnosis of urban gardens was conducted in Lázaro Cárdenas de Ocampo, Michoacán, Mexico, to understand the motivations and benefits people gain from home gardens. This cross-sectional study identified private and community gardens, noting a 20% increase in gardens in 2020 compared to the previous year. Residents demonstrated resilience during COVID-19 confinement, stating that gardens served as occupational therapy and family integration.