Research & reports

Llanos Roa, Juan Sebastián · · Colombia (La Guajira)

The Awarala Project in Albania, La Guajira, Colombia, aims to create a resilient region by reducing dependence on mining and gasoline smuggling. It seeks to benefit indigenous communities, urban populations, farmers, and Venezuelan immigrants by improving living conditions through eco-rancherias with community gardens and providing spaces for tourism and alternative energy production. The project includes 15 hectares of solar panels, 30 wind turbines, and biodigesters for organic waste.

Chiara Certomà, Martin Sondermann, Susan Noori · Manchester University Press eBooks · Europe

This chapter critically analyzes the relationship between urban gardening and socio-spatial justice, exploring whether and how urban gardening practices can tackle social and spatial injustices. Urban gardening points out less visible sides of urban governance and planning, unveiling different forms of power, dominance, and resistance to the unequal distribution of benefits and burdens in space. The analysis questions the contradictions in the constitution of urban spaces and their capability to mitigate material, political, and social exclusions, unfairness, and inequalities.

Juan Sebastián Hernandez, Diego Cardona Arbeláez, Clara Judith Brito Carrillo · Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) · Colombia

This paper presents a qualitative case study of an urban agriculture program implemented by an NGO in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, from July 2017 to June 2018. The program targeted low-income populations, aiming to improve their food, environmental, and economic conditions. The study details the program's success factors, challenges, benefits for beneficiaries, and describes an inclusive business model derived from the NGO's strategy.

Renate M. Winkels, Susan Veldheer, Andrew Smith · Current Developments in Nutrition · United States (Pennsylvania)

Rodale Institute's Agriculture Supported Communities (ASC) program aimed to connect small-scale fruit and vegetable farms with low-income communities in Pennsylvania. Surveys were distributed among ASC shareholders in 2016 and 2017 to collect socio-economic data and program satisfaction, and SNAP usage was also evaluated. With 150 shareholders in 2016 and 151 in 2017, 59% of shareholders lived in low-income areas in 2016 and 50% in 2017; however, the program also reached a population at the other end of the economic spectrum, posing challenges for farmers regarding production and distribution.

Silvia Iveth Moreno Gaytán, Mercedes A. Jiménez-Velázquez, Martín Hernández Juárez · Estudios Sociales Revista de Alimentación Contemporánea y Desarrollo Regional · Mexico (Ciudad de México)

The sustainability of urban agriculture practiced by women in the Valle de Chalco Solidaridad, Mexico City Metropolitan Area, was investigated. A qualitative follow-up on 45 production units and a quantitative questionnaire to 25 female producers from Xico Kaa’a Comunicaciones A. C. were conducted. Urban agriculture's sustainability was found to be strong, contributing to family food self-sufficiency, employing agroecological techniques for environmental improvement, and over 50% of MESMIS diagnostic criteria were evaluated as sustainable.

Rafaella Rodrigues Santos, Ana Clara Monte Teixeira, Andreza Cristina Stuchi, Alexandre Junio Borges Araujo, Daniela Araújo Vilela, Débora Brumatti Coutinho Messias, Felipe Ferreira Naves, Julia Hass, Lara Nascimento Zanato, Lara Parreira de Souza, Letícia Clemente Olmos Hernandes, Lorraine Mendes Barrada, Mayara Yukiko Yamada, Rafael Galisa de Oliveira, Tamires Do Carmo Dias, Yasmin de Araújo Ribeiro, Neusa Elisa Carignato Sposito, Carla Patrícia Bejo Wolkers · Revista Educação Artes e Inclusão · Brazil

This experience report details a project by PET BIO PONTAL and volunteer students from the Federal University of Uberlândia, Pontal Campus, involving 7th-grade students with special educational needs from a public special education school in Ituiutaba-MG, Brazil. The project aimed to teach about biodiversity in vegetable gardens through playful and inclusive methods, including sensory activities, garden implementation, and university visits. The project was well-received by the target audience and school management.

Catherine Wong, Kathryn Geoffrion Scannell · University of New Hampshire Scholars Repository (University of New Hampshire at Manchester) · United States

This article suggests that establishing a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) or farm share pickup at libraries supports the local foods movement, reduces food travel distance, promotes healthy eating, and fosters community engagement. Additional benefits include donating fresh produce to food pantries. A CSA involves a relationship where members provide labor or monetary support in exchange for a share of farm produce.

Novia Marwah · Jurnal Pemberdayaan Masyarakat Media Pemikiran dan Dakwah Pembangunan · Indonesia (Yogyakarta)

This study described the concept, implementation, and results of Bank Mandiri's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program, Mandiri Bersama Mandiri (MBM), conducted in Mrican, Umbulharjo, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The MBM program's concept broadly aims to build community independence by utilizing local potential. Implementation involved urban agriculture development programs, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), and public facility development, resulting in physical empowerment like a clean environment and economic improvement, and non-physical empowerment such as increased awareness and knowledge.

Lisa Westholm, Madelene Ostwald · Agroforestry Systems · Africa, Asia, Latin America

This literature review of 104 scientific articles across Africa, Asia, and Latin America examined food production and gender relations in multifunctional land use systems. The review found that the specific role of landscape multifunctionality for women's food security opportunities is rarely explicitly studied. It also showed that products controlled by women are often secondary and far from markets, risking neglect by policymakers, and efforts to increase their value may adversely affect women's empowerment if powerful actors appropriate benefits.

Wendy Johanna Murcia Gulumá, Óscar Andrés Pérez Soler, Sindy Rodríguez Rodríguez · · Colombia (Bogotá)

This study provided advisory support to an urban garden in Bogotá, Colombia, named "Guerreros y Guerreras Unidos en Accion," which had been operating empirically since 2005 without formal legal status or strategic planning. The garden, primarily involving individuals over 50 without formal employment, sought to formalize its activities by establishing a foundation. The intervention aimed to guide the garden's members through the legal and administrative steps for formalization.

Nicole Paganini, Stefanie Lemke, Inês Raimundo · ECONOMIA AGRO-ALIMENTARE · Sub-Saharan Africa

This research explored the potential of urban agriculture in Cape Town, South Africa, and Maputo, Mozambique, through two baseline surveys among urban farmers and home gardeners, as well as qualitative in-depth interviews. Findings indicated that urban farmers and home gardeners add nutrients and diversity to their diets and can partly contribute to their income. However, in Cape Town, main challenges included access to local and external markets, fair pricing, and sovereignty in production.

Chinwe Okonkwo, A. Bello · Open MIND · Nigeria (Maiduguri)

This study investigated the role of urban community gardening programs in generating social capital among 312 internally displaced persons in Maiduguri, Nigeria. A cross-sectional survey across three displacement-affected wards measured bonding, bridging, and linking social capital. Participation in community gardens was significantly associated with increased bonding and bridging social capital, with 78% of respondents forming new trusted relationships across ethnic or village backgrounds. Frequency of garden participation positively predicted perceived community solidarity.

Sudeh Dehnavi, Verena Süß · Development in Practice · Lebanon

This article outlines lessons from an urban agricultural project in Lebanon aimed at improving food security for Syrian refugees and vulnerable Lebanese host communities. A survey of 41 participants indicated potential to enhance project performance by revising its design. Success could be increased by fine-tuning objectives based on available capacities, beneficiary expectations, and regional social, cultural, technical, and economic characteristics.

Altemailson Silva, Lucielison Cadete, Eduardo Silva, Thiago Vinícius Costa Nascimento · Fórum de Integração Ensino, Pesquisa, Extensão e Inovação Tecnológica do IFRR - e-ISSN 2447-1208 · Brazil

A community garden project was implemented in Vila Vista Alegre, Brazil, aiming to improve food quality and promote social well-being, while also providing residents with new knowledge and techniques in vegetable cultivation. Guided by a student scholar and fostering experience exchange among participants, the project faced setbacks due to heavy winter rains but adapted its methodology. Group activities contributed to good social interaction and improved cultivation techniques. The harvested vegetables were distributed to 30 families, totaling 104 people, meeting their needs.

Alexandra Rodríguez Dueñas · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Ecuador (Quito)

Quito’s Participatory Urban Agriculture Project (AGRUPAR), launched in 2002, supports vulnerable populations by providing technical assistance, capacity building, and microcredit for urban farming, aiming for food security and employment. While integrated into local government and recognized with the Future Policy Silver Award 2018, the program faces significant challenges including administrative changes, budget cuts, and restrictive land-use legislation.

Simone Betti · U-PAD Unimc - Open Digital Publications (University of Macerata) · Global

Urban horticulture, traditionally a marginal activity for the elderly, is gaining popularity in post-modern society for educational, rehabilitation, or hobby purposes. This growing interest in urban gardening, manifesting in various forms globally and locally, addresses needs beyond food production, often promoting social inclusion and the restoration of urban green areas. Gardens serve as spaces for reconnecting with nature, stress relief, social interaction for the elderly, outdoor classrooms for children, and therapeutic support in healthcare facilities.

Ashanté M. Reese · University of North Carolina Press eBooks · United States

This chapter examines self-reliance as a framework for contemporary efforts to increase food access, featuring a community garden at a public housing community in the United States. It focuses on the methods gardeners used to build community, maintain the garden to meet food needs, and develop youth programs. The chapter also explores how this garden operated within a broader context of precarity, specifically addressing how gardening persisted despite displacement.

Lais Abreu Tedde, Geovana Rodrigues de Lima, Giovana Velloso Galante · Revista Em Extensão · Brazil (Uberlândia)

In Uberlândia, Brazil, the "DIST – Shopping Park" project established a community garden workshop aimed at providing income and social reintegration opportunities for at-risk individuals. A key activity was the installation of a mandala garden at the Maria Euvira Sabbag Municipal School. Through the garden's establishment and subsequent production, educational activities were conducted to connect early childhood education students with organic food production, enhancing their knowledge of farming and garden management.

Nicolette Tamara Jonkman, Esmee D. Kooijman, Karsten Kalbitz, Nicky Pouw, Boris Jansen · SOIL · Kenya (Kisumu)

This study in Nyalenda urban gardens, Kisumu, Kenya, investigated how female farmers' knowledge and practices influence soil nutrient status. Soil analysis revealed that intercropped fields had significantly lower total soil nutrients than fields with only manure, despite cowpeas theoretically increasing soil N. Female farmers' knowledge was limited to practical and sensory aspects, and intercropping did not increase soil nutrient content due to socioeconomic factors like poverty.

Carrie Chennault · Iowa State University Digital Repository (Iowa State University) · United States

This three-year feminist ethnographic study examined the Growing Together Iowa community donation gardening and food rescue program, focusing on its institutional and community partners. The research aimed to understand how solutions to food insecurity emerge from social relations and socio-historical contexts. Findings demonstrated that uneven power relations permeate even well-intended efforts to address food insecurity within such initiatives.

Husam Al-Najar, Hadi Khalil, Yuni Sri Rahayu · Indonesian Journal of Science and Technology · Palestine (Gaza Strip)

In the Gaza Strip, approximately 2500 students graduate annually, with an unemployment rate of around 41%. A quantitative and qualitative study of 129 urban farmers found that graduated students perceived urban agriculture as contributing to job creation and improved household income. The educational background of urban farmers included 18% illiterate, 31% with primary education, 25% with secondary education, and 26% with university degrees.

Kiah Smith · Queensland's institutional digital repository (The University of Queensland) · Australia (Brisbane)

This paper presents a sociological analysis of community "fair food" initiatives in Brisbane, Australia. These initiatives pursue more equitable food access through activities that connect values of food justice, sovereignty, and citizenship with solving practical problems in local ecological food production, food waste reduction, providing low-cost food to vulnerable groups, and restructuring finance. Scaling up to influence policy and financing remains a key challenge.

Tracey Overbey · Public Library Quarterly · United States (Cleveland, Ohio)

The Cleveland Public Library addressed food security issues in Cleveland, Ohio, by collaborating with local organizations like The Ohio State University Extension and the Cuyahoga County Land Bank. This paper describes how public libraries are changing their services in disadvantaged communities and provides a step-by-step approach to starting a community garden at a local public library or community property.

Caroline Rains, Kristen Giombi, Anupama Joshi · Translational Behavioral Medicine · United States (Oregon)

Oregon's Farm to School Education Grant Program aimed to increase knowledge of and preference for fruits and vegetables among children in low-income school districts. The study analyzed Oregon Department of Education Farm to School Baseline and Progress Reports from school year 2015-2016 and conducted interviews with education grantees. Education grants reached over 20,000 students in 30 districts, including 25 low-income districts. Reported activities included nutrition and food-based lessons, school gardens, and farm field trips, leading to students eating fruits and vegetables, trying new foods because of gardens, and learning about growing produce.

Mawuna Donald Houessou, B.G.J.S. Sonneveld, Augustin K. N. Aoudji, Fréjus THOTO, Smith A. R. Dossou, D. J. Snelder, Anselme Adégbidi, Tjard de Cock Buning · Sustainability · Benin

A study explored and compared international standards of prevailing organizations and their functioning among 261 urban gardeners in two cities in Benin. It found that a vast majority of urban gardeners are members of a cooperation. However, their membership is largely titular because gardeners mostly behave semi-autonomously, and few decisions are taken collectively. The obvious economic advantages of leveraging bargaining power, reducing transaction costs, and increasing possibilities for loans are seriously underutilized.