Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
9077 results(299 / 364)
Establecimiento de indicadores de calidad física, química y biológica de suelos urbanos de Ciudad de La Habana, Cuba
2013Juan Miguel Moreno Alvarez · Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) · Cuba (Ciudad de La Habana)
This doctoral thesis aimed to establish a system of urban soil quality indicators for Havana, Cuba, under different land-use scenarios (agricultural, parks/gardens, wooded areas, idle/underutilized spaces). Researchers selected 35 urban soils in Havana, described their morphological profiles, and determined physical, chemical, and biological properties. Eight variables were selected as soil quality indicators using principal component analysis, and a soil quality index, including one for heavy metals, was defined and evaluated for different uses. The studied soils, heavily affected by human activity, were classified as Urbic or Garbic Technosols and showed high heterogeneity in properties.
Organic cyclePolicyClimate changeLa escritura en un proyeto de agroecología escolar : la recuperación del huerto urbano
2013Xavier Fontich Vicens, Mariona Espinet Blanch, Germán Llerena del Castillo · · Global
This record concerns writing in a school agroecology project and the recovery of an urban garden. It is based on the publication's abstract, as part of a monograph titled "Teaching and Learning Scientific Discourse."
Food educationCommunityDIYThinking about the Chinese-style Community Supported Agriculture
2013Chen Hui-fan · Anhui nongye kexue · China (Zhengzhou)
This article analyzes the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model in Zhengzhou and proposes a new Chinese-style CSA model, "daughter-in-law in the city, her husband outside the city," inspired by roof vegetable gardens. This model is presented as beneficial for organic agriculture development and urban roof greening, offering a mutually beneficial practice for combining roof greening and agriculture. It is described as a green economy approach that promotes ecological environment protection and urban-rural economic development.
CSA & TeikeiDIYUrban–rural linkageEconomicsThe role of urban agriculture in the development of middle-sized towns: Cases from East Africa
2013Dick Foeken · Journal of Geography and Regional Planning · East Africa
This paper, discussing the role of urban agriculture in the development of middle-sized towns using three East African cases (Nakuru, Morogoro, Mbeya), argues that urban agriculture can be transformed into a thriving sector contributing to employment, income, and food provision. It describes the current situation, focusing on resource allocation, benefits, and environmental challenges, and concludes that a favorable legal and policy setting, support and education, and improved market conditions, led by both government and the private sector, are necessary to achieve this.
EconomicsPolicyFood educationCommunityUrban Farming as a Way to Create a More Global and Welcoming Indianapolis
2013Cortnee Martin · · United States (Indianapolis)
This piece about a refugee-tended urban farm on the west side of Indianapolis, primarily sourced from an interview with the farm's creator, highlights how it helps a marginalized community maintain their culture and traditions while integrating into a new home. The project is described as an effort to assist a vulnerable population.
CommunityWelfareFood sovereignty & justiceHerd Management: Labor Strategies in Local Food Production
2013Brandi Janssen · Anthropology of Work Review · United States
This paper explores labor strategies for producers in the growing local food sector, where increased demand creates challenges for scaling operations. A major obstacle to growth is access to reliable, affordable labor. The paper discusses typical options for obtaining and retaining labor, including paid employees, volunteers, and interns, noting that each strategy has social and economic advantages and disadvantages for producers and the community.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsCommunityRoots, Tendrils, Sprouts and Shoots: A Case Study of Parkallen’s Community Garden, a permaculture project
2013Marlene Wurfel · Earth Common Journal · Canada (Edmonton)
This article presents a case study of the Parkallen Community Garden in Edmonton, Canada, which began its first growing season in Spring 2012. The garden transformed an unused strip of lawn into a communal "edible food forest" and won the City of Edmonton's top community gardening award in its first year. The study details how the permaculture design was implemented and interpreted within the gardening community.
CommunityDIYFood educationOrganic cycleWest End Community Gardens
2013Stephanie Larson · Open Scholarship Institutional Repository (Washington University in St. Louis) · United States
This project located West End community gardens in relation to select social determinants, including income level, occupier's ownership status, ethnic diversity, and population density.
CommunityWelfarePrairie to Prairie: Ungrowth in American Cities
2013Catalina Freixas, Pablo Moyano Fernandez · Suburban Sustainability · United States (St. Louis)
This paper examines the role of eco-urbanism in St. Louis, a shrinking city experiencing population loss and economic decline since the 1950s. It reviews the implementation and benefits of three eco-urbanism strategies: community gardens, greenways, and urban forests. The study identifies social, ecological, and economic benefits, and suggests further adoption of eco-urbanism ideology and improved implementation strategies by the municipal government.
CommunityHealthFood sovereignty & justiceBiodiversityProces en verantwoording GPP module
2013Coen van Vreden, Paul Versteeg · · Global
This document details the process and achievement of objectives for the Green Prototype Platform (GPP) module, including a concise description of urban farming based on research from the first block. The research from block 1 significantly aided in creating the sketch design, which is the second final product. An article on urban farming characteristics, co-authored for a lecture carousel, is appended as a valuable addition to this document.
CommunityKnowledge assessment on the effects of climate change due to keeping livestock in urban and peri-urban areas of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
2013Shogo Mlozi · International NGO Journal · Tanzania
This paper assesses the knowledge of livestock keepers in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, regarding the climate change effects of their activities. Over two-thirds of respondents did not believe solid waste, liquid waste, and pollution from livestock would affect future climate risks. However, they did perceive chemical pollution and land degradation from urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) livestock keeping as having climate change effects.
Environmental trade-offsClimate changePeri-urban agricultureFood educationOrganic cycleGardening for Grades Workshops in Duval County
2013Terry B DelValle, Lisa B Gaskalla, Joan B Kyle · · United States (Duval County)
Duval County Extension, in collaboration with partners, offered "Gardening for Grades" workshops to 71 teachers and school volunteers in Duval County, USA, to support school garden initiatives. Participants engaged in activities linking science, math, and literature to gardening, and received materials to start school gardens. Follow-up surveys indicated 12,214 sq ft of garden area was added, benefiting 2,292 students, with 92.9% of students exposed to new foods and 64.3% showing improved eating habits and increased physical activity.
Food educationCommunityHealthThe Rise of Urban Agriculture: A Cautionary Tale – No Rules, Big Problems
2013Matthew V. Bradshaw · The William & Mary Law School Scholarship Repository (William & Mary) · United States
This Note identifies that while the urban agriculture movement is growing in popularity across the United States, legislatures have often ignored foundational laws related to the sale and distribution of goods, including inspection, labeling, labor, and compensation laws. This oversight has led to the creation of unconstitutional trade barriers in some instances. The study raises a cautionary voice to government officials regarding the potential future consequences of these regulatory gaps.
Governance failurePolicyReinvigorating Waikiki: Multi-Sensory Architecture for Urban Agriculture
2013Yukihiro Yamaguchi · ScholarSpace (University of Hawaii at Manoa) · United States
This research aimed to enhance Waikīkī's image with sustainable planning and design, focusing on visitors' perceptions. While visitors' images of Waikīkī were primarily positive, the region faces environmental problems including inadequate recycling, transportation, and agriculture/aquaculture issues. The project proposes a new sustainable solution incorporating urban agriculture with an international event, Expo Hawai‘i 2020, to address these environmental challenges.
Urban–rural linkageClimate changeA Qualitative Study of an Urban Community Garden: Creating Healthier Neighborhood Environments
2013Lauren Workman · Scholar Commons (University of South Carolina) · United States
This qualitative ethnographic study, conducted over eighteen months, explored the social processes of community engagement in an urban community garden. Data from field notes and in-depth interviews identified neighborhood leadership, a community-academic partnership, and the physical garden space as facilitators of engagement. The garden fostered social interactions, provided a safe gathering space, and served as a tool for neighborhood leaders to advocate for social and economic development.
CommunityHealthUrban agriculture : guerrilla gardening : future trends
2013Carol Posthumus · SABI Magazine - Tydskrif · Global
Discussions about providing nutritious food for a growing population often include agricultural growth, focusing on both the quantity and quality of food produced. An emphasis is also placed on the growth of smallholder farmers, particularly women farmers, as a solution for future food provision.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityEconomicsThe Potential--and Limitations--of Urban Farming
2013Marc van lersel · · Global
Agriculture faces the 21st-century challenge of feeding a growing, urbanizing population while minimizing negative environmental impact. Urban farming has been presented as a potential solution to perceived problems with conventional agricultural production, but its effectiveness as a comprehensive solution is questioned.
Limited or null effectUrban–rural linkageClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceThe role of community supported agriculture in the development of organic agriculture in Croatia
2013Ivan Sarjanović · Geoadria · Croatia
An online questionnaire was administered to 46 group members and 5 farmers to investigate the functioning of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) groups in Croatia and the socio-economic characteristics of their members and collaborating farmers. The survey confirmed that CSA group members are younger, highly educated individuals living in large cities or urbanized regions (Zagreb, Kvarner, Istria), driven by eco-social motives such as ecological consciousness, healthy food, and cooperation. Farmers collaborating with CSA groups practice ecological agriculture on farms smaller than the Croatian average, and they cooperate due to easier product sales and the positive effect on their income and local community involvement.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityEconomicsOrganic cycleFrom Potato Chips to Kale Chips: Examining Motivations of Clark Community Gardeners in Worcester, MA
2013Marianne Sarkis, Tiffany Lee, Steph Fenner, Erin Barta, Kristina Kalolo · Clark Digital Commons (Clark University) · United States
Research was conducted using free-list, pile-sort, interviews, and surveys to examine the association between community gardening and food justice among Clark community gardeners in Worcester, MA. The findings supported the conclusion that Clark community gardeners do not conform to the food justice interpretation of a community garden. Although both actors share similar methods and ideologies, neither is attempting to fit the other's definitions.
Equity & displacementCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceThe Influence of Lead Hyperaccumulators on the Uptake of Lead by Vegetables
2013Laura Knapp, Jodi L. Sangster, Shannon L. Bartelt‐Hunt · International Journal for Service Learning in Engineering Humanitarian Engineering and Social Entrepreneurship · United States (Omaha NE)
This study investigated the influence of lead hyperaccumulating plants on lead uptake by vegetables in an urban community garden in Omaha, NE, a region with significant lead contamination. Tomatoes, carrots, and amaranth were grown alongside sunflowers and mustard greens (hyperaccumulators) in lead-contaminated soil. Data showed higher lead concentrations in the hyperaccumulators and suggested that their presence might have impacted the amount of lead available to surrounding vegetation. Previous work at the garden detected lead in produce, indicating a potential exposure pathway for humans.
Contamination & food safetyHealthCommunityWhich way for UPA in Africa?
2013Diana Lee-Smith · City · Africa
This paper reviews a synthesis from late 2010 on Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture (UPA) data from East and Central Africa, identifying major issues such as UPA's relationship to food security and poverty, its waste recycling effectiveness, and policy responses. The analysis is updated with data from Southern Africa, suggesting UPA's capacity to recycle nutrients, particularly on efficient crop-livestock backyard farms, signifies its potential role in making cities sustainable.
Food sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicyOrganic cycleCommunitySurvey and Analysis on the Demand of Urban Agriculture Development on Finance in Tianjin
2013Zhao Shu-ji · Tianjin Agricultural Sciences · China (Tianjin)
In Tianjin, the demand characteristics for financial support for urban agriculture development were investigated. The results showed that peasant households and agricultural zones had multiple needs for agricultural techniques, and urban agriculture development required significant support from government fiscal and monetary resources.
EconomicsPolicyUrban–rural linkageSchool Gardens and pupils in Croatia's economy in the second half of the 19th century, with special emphasis on the school in Sibinj
2013Krešimir Škuljević · · Croatia
This study addresses the topic of student economy and school gardens in Croatia between 1848 and 1880. With a special focus on the school in Sibinj, the effects of legal changes and problems in their implementation were examined. It is noted that existing literature rarely elaborates on related concepts such as teachers' obligations and rights, characteristics of school gardens, the role of local political administration, and the purpose of gardens.
Food educationEconomicsPolicyFeasibility of Using a Community-Supported Agriculture Program to Improve Fruit and Vegetable Inventories and Consumption in an Underresourced Urban Community
2013Sara A. Quandt, Janae Dupuis, Caitlin A. Fish, Ralph B. D’Agostino · Preventing Chronic Disease · United States
This randomized, controlled feasibility study evaluated the feasibility of a Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) intervention in an underresourced urban community in the United States. Fifty low-income women with children participated, with the intervention group (25 participants) receiving fresh produce and educational sessions for 16 weeks. A significant increase in household fruit and vegetable inventory was observed in the intervention group, but increases in consumption were not significant. Challenges included transportation and work schedules, yet most participants expressed interest in continued participation.
CSA & TeikeiHealthCommunityWelfareState of Australian Cities Conference (SOAC) 2013 Comparing food efficient design and planning of built environments in Sydney and Miami
2013Sumita Ghosh · · Global
This paper aims to measure and compare the morphologies and spatial dimensions of three typologies of small local food production spaces—urban small farms, community gardens, and home gardens—in two low-density suburban residential neighborhood case studies in Sydney and Miami. Miami's integrated form-based zoning code, "The Transect," provides design and planning guidelines for six zones from urban to natural areas. Results indicate that morphological analysis can significantly assist in the design and planning of built environments and the formulation of planning policy.
CommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkage