Research & reports

Mateus Andrade Rocha Vitório, Victor Guilherme Pereira da Silva Marques, Rivanna Sousa Moura, Sarah Lays Campos da Silva, Fernanda Raquel Andrade da Silva Dos Santos, Diego Rodrigues de Sousa, Sabrina Amorim Paulo, Michelle Vicente Torres · Revista Multidisciplinar do Nordeste Mineiro · Brazil (Teresina)

This qualitative experience report describes the "Hortiviva" project, conducted from April to December 2024, by residents of the Family Health Residency Program at the State University of Piauí, Brazil. The project involved 15 to 30 family horticulturists in a community garden in northern Teresina, focusing on health education through monthly meetings and active methodologies. Results showed the community garden became a therapeutic space for socialization, income generation, and well-being, strengthening ties between professionals and the community.

Eduardo Fernandes Martinello, Wanderley de Jesus Souza, José Virtuoso · REMEA - Revista Eletrônica do Mestrado em Educação Ambiental · Brazil

This article presents a successful experience in Araranguá, Santa Catarina, Brazil, where environmental education and popular extension movements facilitated the conversion of an underutilized urban space into a community garden. The garden produces food for people experiencing food vulnerability, and the experience demonstrated community engagement and knowledge construction by learners.

Andrade, Roseleide Dantas · A Revista Agroambiente On-line (Universidade Federal de Roraima, UFRR) · Brazil (Fortaleza)

This experience report reflects on visits to the EMEIEF Paulo Sarasate School in Fortaleza, Brazil, as part of the Youth and Adult Education (EJA) discipline at the State University of Ceará. Observations included a community garden and projects like an antiracist initiative and the Florescer Project for women. Discussions with pedagogical coordination highlighted challenges such as dropout and resource scarcity, but also recognized EJA's role in inclusion, self-esteem, and social transformation.

Valarie Blue Bird Jernigan, Tori Taniguchi, Kaylee R Clyma, Kristina Gabriel, Jessica Reese, Ying Zhang, Susan B. Sisson, Tara L. Maudrie, Jann Hayman · AJE Advances Research in Epidemiology · United States

The Go Healthy Study is a community-based participatory research study designing a 16-week randomized, wait-list controlled trial for approximately 400 Native American adults in the Osage Nation with a BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2. The intervention includes weekly produce boxes, a healthy eating and traditional foods curriculum, cooking demonstration videos, and a kitchen starter kit. Primary outcomes are to improve systolic blood pressure and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and to increase fruit and vegetable intake.

Natália Abdul Khalek Mendonça · Revista Brasileira de Educação Ambiental (RevBEA) · South America

This article explores the potential of a school garden where students engaged with the indigenous concept of Tekoha, focusing on ethnic-racial and environmental education. It analyzes how experiences with alterity, activated by an encounter with Guarani-Kaiowa culture, contribute to initiating "ecological paths" and fostering an understanding of Earth as a participant, not merely a scenario for human actions. Pedagogical practices aimed to challenge stereotypes about indigenous people and cultivate skills in care and diversity.

Paim, Vitória Angela, Theves, Denise Wildner · Lume (Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul) · Brazil

This study presents a proposal where elementary school children in Canoas, Brazil, were invited to create a collective experiential map of a community garden space after visiting it. Through an ethnographic study, the activity mobilized children's experiences and authorship, confirming that children's spatiality transcends the classroom and gives multiple meanings to geographical knowledge. The collective map construction demonstrates that children translate their spatial experiences into the constitution of their geographical plenitude.

Ana Luiza Snoeck Neiva do Amaral, Regina Yoshie Matsue, Luciana Yuki Tomita · Ambiente & sociedade · Brazil (São Paulo)

This 2025 case study analyzed a community garden in Heliópolis, São Paulo, Brazil, established via crowdfunding. The garden improved nutrition, contributed to household budgets, and expanded vegetable variety for participants. It also served as a space for socialization, memory reclamation, activities for older adults, and connecting children with food cultivation.

Rita Regina Marques Costa, Denes Dantas Vieira, Vivianni Marques Leite dos Santos, Deise Cristiane do Nascimento · · Brazil (Juazeiro)

This qualitative and quantitative field study analyzed the interaction between university extension and community-based family agriculture at the Povo Unido Community Garden in Juazeiro, Brazil. Conducted between March and May 2025, the research involved semi-structured questionnaires and dialogues with 47 farming families to understand their perceptions of knowledge exchange and interaction with educational institutions. Results showed consensus on the importance of university extension, but farmers pointed out challenges such as limited time for discussion and effective inclusion of participants with lower educational attainment.

Paolo Martins, Rafael Nogueira Costa, Stephanie Di Chiara Salgado, Daniel Vieira Nunes, Celso Sánchez · Revista Sergipana de Educação Ambiental · Brazil (Rio de Janeiro)

This article presents a photographic narrative from research conducted with a network of farmers in the Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Region, Brazil. It highlights photography as a methodological pillar for understanding and communicating educational processes linked to social and environmental struggles. The study suggests a need to rethink environmental education's foundations and expand dialogue with marginalized communities to address socio-environmental complexity.

Gallagher, Daisy · · United States (Maine)

This project explores how community-based urban environmental programming instills loyalty, care, and reciprocity for the environment in participants. It focuses on place-based opportunities like urban agriculture and community gardening as a means for urban residents to connect with nature. The study aims to address the gap in environmental programming within urban environments, particularly in the continental United States.

İlkay Unay‐Gailhard, Robert J. Chaskin, Mark A. Brennan · Agriculture and Human Values · United States

This study explored how urban agriculture initiatives communicate about farming by analyzing social media messages related to awareness, responsibility, and pride. Based on 28 interviews with professionals and data from four Instagram accounts in Pennsylvania and Illinois, the research found that urban agriculture dialogues encourage discussions on healthy eating and critical assessment of industrial agriculture. Instagram messages frequently emphasize responsibility and pride, but rarely address the economic aspects of farming.

Sirlei Rodrigues do Nascimento, Oduvaldo Vendrametto, Luiz Lima, Luigi Pavarini de Lima · Seven Editora eBooks · Brazil (São Paulo)

This exploratory action-research study adopted a methodology to assess the feasibility of implementing modular school gardens in Ribeirão Pires, SP, Brazil, involving the active participation of students, teachers, and the local community. Feedback from thirteen participating students indicated an increase in knowledge about sustainable practices and cultivation techniques. The results suggest that modular gardens facilitate practical knowledge about food production and demonstrate potential for replication in other educational contexts, emphasizing the importance of integrating them as a pedagogical strategy.

Leialoha Ka’ula (22407355), Nicole lee Kamakahiolani Ellison (22407358), Constance James (22407361), Ashley Oshiro (22407364), Kacyn Ideue (22407367), Kahoku Ka’ula (22407370), Alexandra Malia Jackson (12343792) · Figshare · United States

To explore the potential benefits of "māla kalo" (community gardens growing taro) in a continental US community, a survey and interviews were conducted with 12 participants and 5 program leaders, aged 18 to 75 years, at the end of the 2023 growing season. Findings indicated high levels of satisfaction and an interest in more frequent participation. Qualitative data suggested that volunteering at the māla kalo may support connections to self, community, and land, facilitate learning and sharing of knowledge, and foster cultural connections.

Juan Camilo Fontalvo-Buelvas, María Teresa Pulido Silva, Miguel Ángel Escalona Aguilar · Ediciones Comunicación Científica eBooks · Mexico (Xalapa-Enríquez, Veracruz)

This ethnographic study in Xalapa-Enríquez, Veracruz, Mexico, examined the flow of knowledge and the formation of learning communities around 20 urban gardens using in-depth interviews. Findings indicate that knowledge originates from multiple sources, is hybridized through practice, and then mobilized among social actors who provide feedback and re-signify it within learning and practice communities. This process fosters citizen networks and collective action in a medium-sized city.

Tatiane Sueli Coutinho · Revista Ciência em Extensão · Brazil

The Ervaterapia project conducted 14 workshops (10 at IFC, 4 with CRAS) in Brazil, focusing on producing handmade soaps with medicinal herbs from a community garden. These 3-hour workshops aimed to raise awareness about medicinal herbs as a health promotion alternative to allopathic medicines and to foster an alternative income source through natural soap sales. The project successfully brought the community and the educational institution closer, promoting regional social and economic development.

Marcelo Silveira Badejo, Calebe de Hebrom Livistom da Silva, Joana Josiane Andriotte Oliveira Lima Nyland, Afonso Henrique da Silva Júnior, Juliano da Rosa Justim, Cassiano Ranzan · OBSERVATÓRIO DE LA ECONOMÍA LATINOAMERICANA · Brazil

In Santo Antônio da Patrulha, Brazil, a tree inventory was conducted in the Cidade Alta and Centro neighborhoods to support an urban afforestation project. The survey revealed a lack of trees in 5 out of 41 streets in Cidade Alta and 2 out of 28 streets in Centro, with high rates of unidentified trees (53% and 12% respectively). Furthermore, pedagogical practices tested in schools and universities raised challenges regarding the management of flowerbeds in urban areas.

Hilary Jasmin · Evidence Based Library and Information Practice · United States and Canada

This study surveyed 58 academic and public libraries in the United States and Canada regarding their seed lending programs' goals and marketing, using an online survey. While some libraries stated intentions related to food justice and activism, their marketing and programming primarily focused on neutral gardening and how-to classes. The findings reveal a gap between the initial, less neutral intentions and the more neutral, less activist programming language used for seed libraries.

Dailey Fischer, Roberta Romano, Mariana Monteiro Kugler Batista, Mario Prokopiuk, Valério Alécio Turnes, Carlos Alberto Cioce Sampaio · Ambiente & sociedade · Brazil (Curitiba)

An exploratory survey (N=401, n=144) was conducted to assess food waste patterns among consumers involved in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) initiatives in the Central Urban Core of Curitiba, Brazil. The results showed that participation in CSAs does not significantly influence consumer behavior regarding food waste. This indicates a need for sustainable consumption education and context-specific solutions.

Dayane Barbosa de Oliveira, Adelmo Fernandes de Araújo, Iara Terra de Oliveira · Ambiente & Educação · Brazil

This qualitative, exploratory study in Brazil investigated high school students' perceptions and meanings of a school garden through an aesthetic-environmental education experience. Data was collected from written experience reports by full-time high school students. The analysis revealed fragmented perceptions and meanings, indicating the school garden's potential as a relevant resource for educational development and fostering integration between students and their environment.

Nancy Domínguez González, Fernando Naranjo Chacón, A Solé, Miguel Ángel Escalona Aguilar, A. Medina · Tropical and Subtropical Agroecosystems · Mexico (Xalapa)

A descriptive study was conducted at Federal Secondary School No. 4 David Alfaro Siqueiros in Xalapa, Mexico, to evaluate the impact of a school garden on student learning, bonds, and intrinsic purposes. A qualitative Likert scale survey was applied to 80 actively participating students before and after the garden's implementation and related workshops. The intervention process failed to generate statistically significant changes in students' learning about school garden aspects (plant growth, planting, care, harvesting, processing), in the bonds developed through teamwork, or in the meaning they attributed to working in the school garden.

Jacqueline de Almeida Barbosa Franco, Quintino Augusto Có de Seabra, Bruno Humberto da Silva, Adriano Alves Teixeira, Rosane Aparecida Gomes Battistelle, Bárbara Stolte Bezerra · Anthropology & Aging · Brazil (São Paulo)

This report examines an inclusive community vegetable garden project at Vila Vicentina, a long-term care facility in Bauru, São Paulo, Brazil, initiated through participatory action research. The project created a space for older adults to engage in leisure and horticultural activities. Findings suggest the initiative contributed to improvements in physical engagement, social interaction, and overall well-being among older adults.

Alex Kudryavtsev, Manuela Vega‐Zamora, Megan Nordgrén · The Journal of Environmental Education · United States (New York City)

This participatory, grounded case study examined New York Sun Works (NYSW), a nonprofit providing hydroponics labs and sustainability curricula to hundreds of public schools in New York City. Data from interviews with the executive director and nine teachers, and classroom observations, revealed a framework showing how school-nonprofit partnerships for sustainability education catalyze systemic impacts in educational transformation, sustainability solutions, and civil society. The findings suggest that nonprofit-facilitated, school-based sustainability education can advance significant educational, environmental, and societal transformations.

Bree Bode, Sarah L. Mott, Jacob M. Cutler, Nicole Jess, Sarah Panken, Marci Scott · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · United States (Michigan)

Nutrition education was provided to SNAP-eligible shoppers at Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) sites in Michigan. This multi-phase, mixed-methods study evaluated the delivery of nutrition education, shopper needs, and behavioral outcomes through outcome surveys, staff feedback, educator activity logs, and focus groups with shoppers and educators. Results indicated significantly higher fruit and vegetable consumption among shoppers compared to national SNAP incentive participants, and qualitative themes included relating over transacting and personalized experiential education.

Lara Fernanda Carlos Lima, Cláudio Fernando Gomes Gonçalves, Diego Santos, Ingrid de Oliveira Carvalho, Marília Victória Nunes Garcez, Wállyson Alves e Silva, Vítor Souza da Costa, Júlio César Paiva e Silva, Samira Rêgo Martins de Deus Leal · Revista Multidisciplinar do Nordeste Mineiro · Brazil (Teresina)

This qualitative and descriptive study reports on the "Cultivating Health" project, conducted from April to October 2025 in Teresina, Brazil, with 8 to 14 community garden horticulturists. The project, led by a multidisciplinary team, used active methodologies to address health topics. Findings showed the group fostered knowledge exchange, socialization, and well-being, strengthening ties between professionals and the community.

Ana Caroline Ferreira Rodrigues Acosta, Álvaro Ribeiro Nicotti · Revista Educação e Saber – REdeS · Brazil

This paper presents the "Movimento dos Quintais Brincantes" (Playful Backyards Movement) in Brazil, focusing on an experience in 2023 at Quintal Aroeira in Imbé-RS. The project involved five families and children aged 2-6, offering free play, outdoor activities, organic food from a community garden, and family participation in space maintenance and activity planning. After one year, it was concluded that this space contributed to children's autonomy, creativity, health, cooperation, and the creation of bonds among families, educators, and the surrounding community.