Research & reports

German Ricardo Paredes-Guzmán, Pedro Antonio Forero-Palomino · Ciencia y agricultura · Colombia (Bogotá)

This study identified consumption habits to implement home gardens using urban agriculture methods in Altos de Cazucá, Soacha, Colombia, a region affected by forced displacement and malnutrition. Semi-structured interviews with Loma Linda neighborhood residents identified the most consumed agricultural products suitable for home gardens. Peas and carrots were the most accepted and consumed (90% and 86% respectively), while quinoa was the least consumed (8%).

Johnson, Anna, Black, Richard · RMIT Research Repository (RMIT University Library) · Oceania

"Urban Sanctuary" showcases contemporary houses in urban Australia and New Zealand that demonstrate inventive ways of integrating outdoor spaces into domestic living. These projects feature various forms of gardens, including vertical gardens, micro-green spaces, rooftop gardens, courtyards, and reworked traditional gardens. The work explores how homes can interact with these diverse garden spaces.

Anja Seifert, Stefan Rogge · · Germany (Berlin)

The Bibliothek Tiergarten Sud, a library in central Berlin, has been transforming since 2013 with neighborhood volunteers focusing on a DIY philosophy, including urban gardening, after overcoming financial struggles. With EU funding, the library is establishing itself as a community center, offering diverse activities like a Repair Cafe and gardening information sessions. It also features Germany's first "Leih-Samerei" in a public library, allowing patrons to borrow home-grown seeds from local gardens.

Kelsey Wapenaar, Aideen DeSchutter · Journal of Childhood Studies · Global

This paper consists of a series of moments evolving from an inquiry with a community garden plot, involving children's, educators', and families' experimentations and processes of "coming to know" the garden. Through this inquiry, it was found that a community garden is open to a plurality of possibilities. This entangled process of coming to know engages the imaginary and involves layers of touching, hearing, seeing, drawing, talking, writing, and storying the garden.

Nanik Furoidah, Muhammad Juhan · Prosiding Semnas PPM 2018 · Indonesia

This PKM activity aimed to empower PKK groups in RT 45 and RT 46, Dawuhan Lor Village, Sukodono, Lumajang, through urban farming to achieve economic productivity and family food security. The program provided soft skill training in urban farming, hydroponics, and portable cultivation, resulting in an approximately 80% increase in partners' urban farming knowledge, an approximately 80% increase in portable agriculture and composting skills, and a 40% increase in hydroponic skills. Consequently, about 15% of family fresh food needs could be met through self-cultivation, and family food security cadres capable of initiating sustainable urban farming activities were formed.

Davide Fassi, Alessandro Sachero, Giulia Simeone · IDEA JOURNAL · Italy

This paper reviews Coltivando, a convivial garden at Politecnico di Milano, which serves as a design research project and a social and educational experiment. It brings together neighbors and design students to meet, cultivate, and share skills. The review analyzes the project's context, outputs, innovation, process, obstacles, impact, user needs, transferability, and dissemination.

Joseph González, Itza Morales, Alain Cuenca García, Vladimir Villarreal · Revista de Iniciación Científica · Global

An electronic system was developed to create a controlled environment for urban garden seedbeds within a small greenhouse. This system uses humidity and temperature sensors connected to an Arduino UNO microcontroller, managed by the FreeRTOS real-time operating system. It generates the necessary environmental conditions, including irrigation, heating, and ventilation, to ensure proper seed germination and seedling growth, thereby preventing losses and production delays.

Renan Borro Celestrino, Silvia Cristina Vieira · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Global

This study surveyed the implementation cost and presented the step-by-step operation of small-scale aquaponic systems for family agriculture and peri-urban areas. As a descriptive and experimental research, a practical experiment involved feeding 27 kg of fish, with their waste nourishing 144 Crespa Lettuce seedlings. The findings suggest that aquaponic systems tend to be a sustainable alternative due to low implantation costs, practical management, and healthier production from organic plant nutrition and the non-use of chemicals.

Aneta Popova, Dasha Mihaylova · Bulgarian Portal for Open Science · Europe

This article discusses the role of grains in a balanced diet, noting that non-traditional grains are increasingly available commercially and reflect a broad interest in diverse food genres. These grains are frequently cultivated in home, allotment, and community gardens, often connected to the ethnic ancestry of the growers.

Marie Davidová, Ondrej Michalek, Katerina Horak Goryczka · ORCA Online Research @Cardiff (Cardiff University) · Global

This work expands the edible landscape concept from the COLridor I project to the "Non-Anthropocentric Refreshments" event at Maker Faire Prague. It involved preparing a seed bombing picnicking cuisine and installing a QR code mapping game with fast food-oriented prototype recipes. These concepts embed information-generative and self-iterative agendas into urban landscapes using low-tech technologies that leverage personal devices and internet connections.

Manabika Sheel, Mohammad Bashir Ahmed, Shamim Ahmed Kamal Uddin Khan, Md. Matiul Islam · Fundamental and applied agriculture · Bangladesh (Khulna City)

A study in Khulna City from March to April 2018 interviewed 60 rooftop gardeners to analyze the scenario and problems of rooftop gardening. The study found that gardeners earned very poor economic benefits compared to their expenditures, with most preferring it as a hobby (98.33%) or for aesthetics (90%). Severe problems included excessive heat (91.67%), lack of proper nourishment (87.08%), and roof load (72.92%).

Elisabeth Kosnik · Economic Anthropology · Europe

This article investigates self-provisioning practices and diverse economies, drawing on ethnographic research of lifestyle subsistence farmers in central Europe and New Zealand. It uses Alvin Toffler's "prosumer" concept to explore the meaning of production for consumption in relation to discourses on ethical consumption, social distinction, and the "citizen-consumer" within a postgrowth society.

Susan C. Haedicke · Public Art Dialogue · France

The Aroma-Home project, originating from aromatics, flavors, conversations, and guerrilla gardening, began in Villetaneuse, France, in early spring 2013. Inhabitants discovered a small, brightly painted caravan, marking the start of this community garden initiative.

Juliana Cavalheiro Costa, Mayara Pisssuti Albano Vieira · COLLOQUIUM SOCIALIS · Brazil

This work aimed to gather knowledge on applying the placemaking concept to implement a community garden and orchard in an urban empty space within the Ana Jacinta Housing Complex in Presidente Prudente-SP, Brazil. The methodology involved bibliographic research on housing complexes, documentary research, and field surveys.

이윤지, 이정훈, 박춘근, 정진태, 장재기 · 인간식물환경학회 학술대회 · South Korea

This study addresses the growing social interest in cultivating plants indoors for mental and emotional well-being and environmental improvement, particularly in South Korea. While research on selecting native plants and cultivation environments for urban agriculture is ongoing, studies on indoor cultivation of medicinal plants are scarce. Most medicinal plants are typically harvested from the wild or grown outdoors, unlike other horticultural plants.

김경미 · 교육인류학연구 · South Korea

This study investigated the educational implications of Nurpurum School, a 12-year alternative school pursuing the value of "transition," through a case study. Participant observation, interviews, and local data collection revealed that after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident, the school restructured its curriculum around the theme of "ecological transition in education," implementing a "Transition Village Project" focused on urban agriculture and appropriate technology. This education was concluded to shift meaning from "made" education to "making" education, from teacher-centered to co-teaching and learning relationships, and from competition to education for coexistence and symbiosis.

Eileen V. Wallis · Western Historical Quarterly · United States (California)

This article explores the significance of urban agriculture in Southern California from the late nineteenth century to World War II. It examines how informal, small-scale, part-time urban and suburban agricultural production contributed to the region's economic development and cultural identity.

Dalmiro Cazorla-Perfetti, Pedro Morales-Moreno · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Venezuela (Coro)

This paper records the presence of deutonymphs of two mite taxa, Uroobovella Sensu lato Berlesse, 1903 and Cosmoglyphus Oudemans, 1932, in the urban area of Coro, Falcón State, Venezuela. These mites were found attached to the legs and/or abdomen of adult Desmometopa Loew, 1866 and Spalangia Latreille, 1805 specimens. The specimens were collected inside a dwelling, specifically in a plastic container with compost for growing vegetables and on the windows.

Cynthia Frazier · ScholarsArchive (Brigham Young University) · Global

This story describes the transformation of a garbage-filled empty lot into a beautiful green space through community effort. It illustrates how community gardens and green spaces can spread throughout a neighborhood, from parks to rooftops. The narrative inspires people to create community gardens and highlights the importance of bees and butterflies.

David Vieira Lima, Geovane Rocha de Carvalho, Jaqueline Silva Sousa, José Weselli de Sá Andrade · Global Science and Technology · Brazil

This research in Brazil evaluated the viability of a low-cost, handmade hydroponic system for sustainable urban agriculture, constructed from 25 reused 2L PET bottles. Lettuce was cultivated in this system and a commercial system for 57 days. Statistical analysis showed that while the handmade model was less productive, it yielded plants in excellent condition for consumption at a low cost, validating it as a viable alternative for sustainable urban agriculture.

グエン トラン イェン カン, 涼 村田 · Institutional Repositories DataBase (IRDB) · Japan (Tokyo)

This study clarifies users' roles in urban space creation by examining two renovated open spaces with urban gardening (OSUG) in Tokyo. Through a mixed survey, the spatial settings and user experiences were analyzed, revealing quality parameters such as "usage," "space affordance," and "image of identity." These factors illustrate seven OSUG scenarios, from private resting spots to public playgrounds and community gardens.

Doni Kurniawan, Y Yaddarabullah, Galih Suprayitno · Proceeding of The URECOL · Indonesia

This study implemented an IoT-based drip irrigation system for urban farming. Trial results showed that the system saved 40% of water used for plant irrigation by automatically dispensing the necessary amount. It also allowed real-time monitoring and control of plants via smartphone.

R John Little · OpenSIUC (Southern Illinois University Carbondale) · United States

A research study evaluated fertility requirements for 'Sweet Hungarian' Peppers and 'Savor' Charentais Melons grown in a three-inch extensive green roof medium on the Southern Illinois University campus. Six treatments were applied to peppers and four treatments to melons, each replicated three times. This study contributes to optimizing appropriate fertility treatments for green roof agriculture.

Hana Sakura Putu Arga · PrimaryEdu - Journal of Primary Education · Indonesia (Bandung)

This classroom action research, conducted in 3 cycles with 12 meetings, aimed to improve the ecoliteracy of fourth-grade students at SDN 038 Kiaracondong Bandung, Indonesia, through urban farming activities. The study found an increase in students' ecoliteracy, evidenced by behaviors such as planting on school land, using waste for pots, caring for plants, and distinguishing waste types. These improvements were observed in both school and home environments.

Shelley Burgin · International Journal of Environmental Studies · Global

This paper reports a desktop survey investigating the drivers of sustainability that motivate leisure-time gardening in private (backyard) and public (community) gardens, against a background of limited understanding of sustainability at the individual level. The survey found little mention of the "three pillars" of sustainability, and they were seldom interlinked. The study suggests the necessity to raise awareness of sustainability in an individual’s everyday leisure activities.