Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
1177 results(29 / 48)
Huertas domésticas y políticas de agricultura urbana: ¿desde el autoconsumo hasta el mercado?
2018Daniel Velandia Díaz · Jangwa Pana · Colombia (Bogotá)
In Bogotá, Colombia, institutional policies were introduced in the early 21st century to strengthen social aspects such as urban agriculture, healthy eating, and community integration. These policies, driven by city administrations, were associated with social inclusion concerns. Government plans from 2004 to 2015 implemented interventions to form urban agriculture networks in several city localities, promoting recognition of prior community experiences and supporting new initiatives.
PolicyCommunityHealthEconomicsAgricultura urbana e construção da paisagem: a agricultura urbana como elemento (ou parte constituinte) da construção da paisagem
2018Fernanda Teixeira Gorski · · Global
This paper addresses the use of underutilized urban land for agriculture, noting that such land incurs significant financial and social costs for public infrastructure, maintenance, and cleanliness. It aims to explore how urban agriculture can contribute to building and qualifying the urban landscape.
CommunityEconomicsUrban–rural linkageUrban agriculture and its role in the sustainable city - mini review.
2018Antoinette WinklerPrins · CABI Reviews · Global
This mini-review argues that urban agriculture is an essential component of sustainable cities. It states that urban cultivation addresses the core elements of sustainability: economics, environmental issues, and social justice. Therefore, urban agriculture should be considered fundamental infrastructure in the design of future sustainable cities.
EconomicsClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceThe Role of Urban Agriculture on Livelihood in Bariadi Township Simuyu Region Tanzania
2018Magreth Bushesha · Huria Journal of the Open University of Tanzania · Tanzania
This descriptive study examined the role of urban agriculture as a livelihood option in Bariadi township, Simiyu region, Tanzania. Findings showed that horticultural produce was most common, followed by livestock products. Urban agriculture contributed up to 25% of households' income in the township. Major challenges included poor markets, water shortage, land shortage, seed unavailability, lack of capital, and lack of government support.
EconomicsCommunityProhibitive property practices: The impact of restrictive covenants on the built food environment
2018Sugandhi del Canto, Rachel Engler‐Stringer · Policy Press eBooks · Global
Restrictive covenants, a corporate real estate practice, are identified as a significant barrier to establishing new food stores in older neighborhoods globally. These covenants place conditions on land use, such as prohibiting food sales or grocery store development, making it harder to address existing nutrition deserts. Government support is needed to limit these covenants and develop alternative food channels, including urban agriculture.
Governance failurePolicyEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceHealthAgricultura urbana: seu atual uso
2018Ana Cristina Manjabosco · · Global
This work explores urban agriculture, its concepts, and importance in achieving urban sustainability and responding to environmental imbalances. It provides examples of current urban agriculture uses, including the Dragonfly project in New York, Paris's incentives, and a vertical farm design contest in Sao Paulo. The study also offers guidelines for successful urban agriculture project implementation, covering location choice, cultivation systems, consumption incentives, and secondary benefits, framed as political and social guidelines.
PolicyCommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceOpportunities and Challenges of Urban Agriculture for Sustainable City Development
2018Erwin van Tuijl, Gert-Jan Hospers, Leo van den Berg · European Spatial Research and Policy · Global
This paper explores the concept of Urban Agriculture (UA) and discusses its locational and strategic dimensions. Using case examples from cities worldwide, it shows that UA can contribute to the social, environmental, and economic pillars of sustainable city development; however, there are limitations that cities investing in urban agriculture should consider.
Limited or null effectPolicyEconomicsClimate changeCommunityAppraising the viability of quail (Chikuta) farming. Prospects and challenges. A case of Bindura urban farmers in Zimbabwe
2018Cuthbert Majoni, Deliwe Tembachako, Anyway Katanha · RePEc: Research Papers in Economics · Zimbabwe
This study was conducted in Bindura urban area, Zimbabwe, to evaluate the viability of urban quail farming, interviewing 40 urban quail farmers selected via snowball sampling and 10 key informants using semi-structured guides. Key challenges highlighted included inadequate housing facilities, insufficient space, theft, predation, inadequate knowledge, market price fluctuations, inability to access credit, and misconceptions in urban agriculture policies. Despite these challenges, urban quail farming showed potential to boost family income and reduce poverty to some extent.
Economic viabilityEconomicsWelfarePolicyGemeinschaftsorientierte Ernährungsinitiativen – Neue Chancen für eine nachhaltige Ernährungswirtschaft?
2018Irene Antoni-Komar · HiBiFo – Haushalt in Bildung & Forschung · Global
Civil society food initiatives and transformative enterprises like urban gardening projects, CSA, and food co-ops are considered pioneers for a sustainable food supply. These initiatives test community-oriented economics in the form of empowerment, solidarity, and prosumerism for a socio-ecological food transition.
CommunityCSA & TeikeiFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsSocial Change for Sustainable Localised Food Sovereignty: Convergence between Prosumers and Ethical Entrepreneurs
2018Rachel Reckinger · SOCIOLOGIA DEL LAVORO · Luxembourg
This study examines four community-driven alternative food network initiatives in Luxembourg, where low organic agricultural rates contrast with high consumer demands. Using qualitative interviews and participant observation, the research describes these initiatives, which combine agroecology and circular economy practices. These initiatives, ranging from an established one with 200 employees to more recent, smaller cooperatives, focus on regenerative land use and foster consumer integration, representing a cultural shift towards a more resilient food system.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityEconomicsOrganic cycleReview of the Literature
2018Kwaku Obosu-Mensah · · Global
This chapter reviews literature to identify the types of people likely to engage in urban agriculture. It explains that the labor-surplus, dependency, and cultural lag models are complementary in explaining urban residents' involvement in agriculture. Low salaries compel workers to supplement income through urban agriculture, and the sector is expected to grow with population increases, notably with the increasing entry of highly educated and skilled personnel.
EconomicsWelfareUrban–rural linkageSustainable Cities And Urban Agriculture
2018Katinka Mihova · · Global
This paper discusses urban agriculture as a sustainable future, particularly for the urban poor in developing countries. Defined as an industry within or on the fringe of urban areas that produces and distributes diverse food and non-food products, urban agriculture functions as an informal food supply system. The paper notes increasing global attention to urban agriculture and the emergence of analyses attempting to systematize its benefits and drawbacks.
Urban–rural linkageEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changeUrban Agriculture: The Role of Knowledge among Farmer in Malaysia
2018Milah Zainal, Siti Rabaâah Hamzah · International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences · Malaysia
This study aimed to identify important knowledge regarding urban agriculture activities among farmers in Malaysia. Urban agriculture is introduced as a strategy to increase food productivity in response to rising living costs in cities, but farmers' acceptance is influenced by their cognitive, affective, and behavioral levels.
CommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justicePolitics of urban gardening
2018Marit Rosol · · Global
This chapter discusses the politics of urban community gardening, positioning it ambiguously between neoliberal/austerity urbanism and progressive urban politics. It argues that urban community gardening can reinforce neoliberal urbanism through land use struggles and gentrification, the role of volunteering in neoliberal urban governance, and governing through community and technologies of the self. The continuous emphasis on self-help in urban green spaces is problematic when civic engagement focuses exclusively on certain groups and values.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyEconomicsClimate changeTingkat Partisipasi Masyarakat Dan Faktor-Faktor Yang Mempengaruhi Keberhasilan Program Urban Farming
2018Nizzatul Amaliyah · Studi Pustaka · Global
This study investigated the level of community participation and factors influencing the success of urban farming programs. Urban farming is presented as a community empowerment program to address urban food issues, stating that its success requires the community to be able to provide food independently and to be involved in the planning, implementation, supervision, and evaluation processes. Factors influencing success include community perception and socio-economic factors.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsNew Technological Knowledge, Rural and Urban Agriculture, and Steady State Economic Growth
2018Amitrajeet A. Batabyal, Karima Kourtit, Peter Nijkamp · Munich Personal RePEc Archive (Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich) · Global
This study uses a dynamic model to analyze the growth effects of new agricultural technology adoption in rural-urban settings. It determines the steady-state growth rate of agricultural output per worker in rural regions and defines an urban-to-rural agricultural technology knowledge ratio to compute the urban region's growth rate. The analysis also examines the ratio of agricultural output per worker between urban and rural regions at balanced growth and discusses policy implications.
EconomicsUrban–rural linkageDigital agricultureCharacteristics of Urban Farmers
2018Kwaku Obosu-Mensah · · Ghana (Accra)
This study examined the general characteristics of urban farmers in Accra, Ghana. It showed that people of all socio-economic statuses are involved in urban agriculture. Farmers were found to be reluctant to approach government officials, and the most important reason for urban farmers to quit farming was sickness or death.
CommunityEconomicsPolicyGovernance in urban agriculture: challenges and opportunities
2018Isabel de Felipe · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Global
This paper describes urban agriculture as an activity gaining new support but facing difficulties due to inadequate governance. The research identified eight instruments for sustainable urban agriculture, including food security and economic development. It concludes that each city requires specific governance to achieve synergies.
Governance failurePolicyEconomicsHealthCommunityPromising sustainable foods
2018Tanja Schneider · · Switzerland (Zurich)
This chapter presents the conceptual framework for studying entrepreneurial visions of sustainable food. It highlights trends in the growth of agtech and foodtech startups and reviews debates on food security and sustainable food systems. UrbanFarmers (UF), an urban agriculture company founded in Zurich in 2011, is presented as an example that builds rooftop farms for commercial growers in the city.
EconomicsClimate changeSocio-economic and ecological transition in community supported agriculture: from the 'transitional' to the 'ideal' CSA
2018Erin Whittingham, Nhu Tuyên Lê, Claudio Vitari, Roxana Bobulescu · International Journal of Agricultural Resources Governance and Ecology · Global
This paper focuses on the transitional features of community supported agriculture (CSA) and its transformational potential for agricultural system change. The research developed a framework that highlights the 'transitional' CSA model and compares it with conventional and 'ideal' CSA models. This framework helps understand how CSAs adapt to their context and demonstrates their transformational potential for agricultural system change, drawing on numerous narratives from the broad literature on CSAs.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsOrganic cycleFood sovereignty & justiceEdible green infrastructure: An approach and review of provisioning ecosystem services and disservices in urban environments
2017Alessio Russo, Francisco J. Escobedo, Giuseppe T. Cirella, Stefan Zerbe · Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 242, 53-66 · Global
A foundational paper proposing and reviewing the concept of Edible Green Infrastructure (EGI), addressing the neglect of provisioning (food) ecosystem services in green infrastructure planning that has emphasized regulating and cultural services. It frames allotment gardens, rooftop gardens, edible landscapes and urban forests as a multifunctional green network that, with best management practices to minimize disservices, can enhance food security and urban resilience.
BiodiversityEconomicsCommunityOrganic cycleUrban Agriculture as a Productive Green Infrastructure for Environmental and Social Well-Being
2017Brenda B. Lin, Stacy M. Philpott, Shalene Jha, Heidi Liere · Greening Cities (Advances in 21st Century Human Settlements), Springer, 155-179 · Global
A book chapter framing urban agriculture—community farms, rooftop gardens, edible landscaping and urban orchards—as 'productive green infrastructure' supplying high biodiversity and diverse ecosystem services. It synthesizes both ecosystem services (pollination, biological pest control) and social benefits (food and nutrition, cultural and recreational value) that this green infrastructure delivers to cities.
BiodiversityCommunityHealthEconomicsUrban Allotment Gardens During Precarious Times: From Motives to Lived Experiences
2017Partalidou M., Anthopoulou T. · Sociologia Ruralis, 57(2), 211–228 · Greece (Thermi, Northern Greece)
Using Maslow's hierarchy of needs and fieldwork in a municipal allotment garden in northern Greece, the study constructs a typology of gardeners and finds that participation evolves from satisfying basic subsistence needs during economic crisis toward self-actualization and placemaking.
CommunityWelfareEconomicsPolicyThe Emergence of Municipal Allotment Gardens in Greece in Times of Crisis: Governance Challenges for New Urban Gardening Practices
2017Anthopoulou T., Nikolaidou S., Partalidou M., Petrou M. · In: Soulard CT., Perrin C., Valette E. (eds) Toward Sustainable Relations Between Agriculture and the City. Springer, Cham, pp. 181–199 · Greece
Drawing on fieldwork at three municipal allotment gardens in Greece, the chapter examines the institutional and political context of their rapid proliferation during the economic crisis and identifies governance challenges facing local authorities and urban gardening communities.
CommunityWelfarePolicyEconomicsUrban Agriculture in the Philippines: Initiatives, Practices, Significance, and Threats
2017Guzman C. · Sustainable Landscape Planning in Selected Urban Regions (Springer, Tokyo) · Philippines (Metro Manila)
This book chapter reviews urban agriculture initiatives, practices, and impacts in the Philippines, using Metro Manila vegetable production and peri-urban jasmine cultivation as case studies. It highlights employment and income benefits while identifying land-use competition and lack of clear policy as major threats to continued urban farming.
PolicyEconomicsCommunityBiodiversity