Research & reports

US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) · United States

An EPA overview page on green infrastructure, explaining that rain or snow can pick up trash and chemicals as it flows into storm drains, and introducing solutions such as rain gardens, planter boxes, green roofs, and permeable pavement. The page does not present specific numeric data.

Philadelphia Water Department · Philadelphia Water Department · United States

Philadelphia Water Department's 25-year plan (2011-2036) is required to reduce combined sewer overflow pollution by at least 85 percent. In its first decade the program installed more than 2,800 green tools across nearly 800 sites, keeping more than 2.7 billion gallons of polluted water out of waterways. The Schuylkill River alone is credited with $589.9 million in annual economic impact, 6,154 jobs, and $37.7 million in annual tax revenue.

Jeong D., Li L., Perez-Quesada G. · Choices Magazine (Agricultural & Applied Economics Association), 2nd Quarter 2026 · United States

An analysis of community garden siting through an environmental cost-benefit framework, organised around two direct costs (land and water) and two externalities (water pollution and gentrification). Cheap vacant parcels can carry remediation and infrastructure costs that exceed those of pricier development-ready sites over a garden's planning horizon, and in arid regions irrigation can be up to 34% of annual maintenance cost. On the externality side, weak nutrient management lets nitrogen and phosphorus accumulate and risk groundwater contamination, and community gardens can raise adjacent property values by 3–4% initially and around 7% within five years, potentially displacing the lower-income residents they are meant to serve. The authors note that the absence of a comprehensive geo-referenced inventory of community gardens — with establishment dates, tenure arrangements and management practices — constrains rigorous cost quantification and causal analysis.

MDRC · MDRC · United States

A project page for ABLE (Adolescent Behavioral Learning Experience) at New York City's Rikers Island, the first US social impact bond. Goldman Sachs invested $9.6 million over four years, backed by a $7.2 million guarantee from Bloomberg Philanthropies. The programme served 16- to 18-year-olds, a group with a recidivism rate near 50 per cent within a year and more than 200 additional days in jail over six years, against a New York City incarceration cost above $85,000 per person per year. Cognitive behavioural therapy was cited as capable of cutting recidivism by up to 25 per cent, and the payment threshold was set at a 10 per cent reduction; a pilot ran February–June 2012 and full implementation from September 2012 to August 2015, with Moral Reconation Therapy delivered by The Osborne Association and Friends of Island Academy.

Zhao H., Wardropper C.B., Cao H., Campbell C.G., Chang N.-B., Qiu J. · npj Urban Sustainability · United States (South Florida)

A University of Florida (UF/IFAS) study of where public support for urban agriculture actually comes from, combining a survey of 1,000 adults across Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties (in English and Spanish) with AI-assisted analysis of thousands of US news stories over the past decade. Support is not monolithic: different behaviours have different drivers. A sense of community connection predicts financial donations; hands-on gardening experience predicts volunteering; a sense of shared responsibility predicts buying local produce and backing policy. News interest has risen especially since COVID-19, and is strongest in Florida and West Coast states. The authors conclude that outreach tailored to the specific behaviour being sought works better than one uniform message.

Chen H., Wang H., Bora F., Hu Y. · Cities 166:106226 · United States

Analyzes 1,874 community gardens across 24 US cities. Neighborhood race and poverty predict garden presence, but most gardens lie outside designated food deserts, limiting their capacity to address food access gaps.

Soumya Keefe, Jean Lee · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · United States (Washington)

Using an urban agriculture farmer-training program in Washington, United States, this case study examines how such programs support sustainability transitions in the food system, applying the multi-level perspective and social practice theory. It finds the program creates a space for social learning and shifts graduates' collective practices and narratives, but their capacity to change the broader food regime is curtailed without intentional state and local policy support.

Kristida Chhour, Maya Carrasquillo · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · United States (San Francisco East Bay)

This mixed-methods case study of the water-scarce San Francisco East Bay maps 91 urban agriculture sites, interviews 34 stakeholders, and analyzes regional plans to examine water management and urban agriculture's resilience potential. It finds growers were the main water managers while municipalities and utilities were minimally involved, that land access shaped water access, and that institutional support to stabilize long-term land and water access is needed for greater water and food-system resilience.

Ashley Gripper, Tori Cowger · Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development · United States

Using exploratory factor analysis on 363 respondents recruited from U.S.-based agricultural networks, this study developed a survey-based scale to capture what Black- and Brown-led food justice organizations value most about community farming and gardening. The analysis supported a five-factor structure—termed "Agricultural Community Power" (AgCPS), covering collective self-determination, community care, land-based spiritual wellbeing, embodied Earth care, and Ubuntu/interdependence—with adequate reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.93).

FAO & Government of Brazil · FAO Official News · Latin America

FAO and Government of Brazil launched a regional project in May 2025 to strengthen urban agrifood systems across Latin America and the Caribbean. Seven countries participate (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Peru). Aims to build integrated food systems connecting urban and rural areas, strengthening small-farmer capacity.

Metson G., Sieczko A., Small G. · npj Urban Sustainability · United States and Sweden

Field measurements in Minneapolis-St. Paul and Linkoping, Sweden showed that fertilized urban agriculture plots leached nitrogen and phosphorus, with legacy soil-management effects amplifying phosphorus losses, indicating urban growing can contribute to water-body eutrophication.

Bloomfield R., Miedema K., Lee D., Ellis R., Nasr J. · Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development · Canada (London, Ontario)

Evaluates London, Ontario's 2017 stand-alone Urban Agriculture Strategy—Canada's first. Finds that nearly eight years on, many of the strategy's goals remain unrealised, attributing the implementation gap to shortfalls in leadership, staff capacity, technical guidance, and communication.

Leanne Idzerda, Calin Lazarescu, Tricia Corrin, Eric Vallières, Alix Couture, Sara Khan, Lynn McIntyre, Valerie Tarasuk, Alejandra Jaramillo Garcia · Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention in Canada · Canada

A systematic review (PROSPERO CRD42021254450) searching four databases to 19 February 2025, with duplicate independent screening, risk-of-bias assessment and certainty grading, on food-based interventions that could reduce household food insecurity (HFI) in Canada. Exposure to food voucher programmes may reduce HFI, but exposure to food box, community gardening, school food, hunting and fishing, and food charity programmes may have little to no effect on HFI. The authors conclude that because HFI is primarily an economic problem, food-based responses are unlikely to have a major impact on overall HFI and a more comprehensive public policy approach is required. This is direct counter-evidence to framing community gardens as a food-insecurity intervention.

Kaitlyn M. Fruin, Elizabeth L. Tung, Jean M. Franczyk, Ketaurah James, Andrew J. Koetz, Angela K. Mason, Wayne M. Detmer · Health Affairs · United States (Chicago)

An evaluation of VeggieRx, a produce prescription programme anchored to the Farm on Ogden — a 20,000-square-foot urban agriculture facility opened in 2016 in a historically disinvested food desert in Chicago, Illinois, by the Chicago Botanic Garden together with Lawndale Christian Health Center. Clinicians refer patients to the farm for free produce boxes, nutrition counselling and cooking classes. Using a retrospective, propensity-score-weighted cohort design covering January 2016 to December 2021, the study compared 680 VeggieRx participants with 978 weighted controls and found a mean body weight difference of −6.71 pounds (−4.7% of body weight) at eighteen months. Because the design is observational rather than randomised, residual confounding such as selection by motivation cannot be excluded.

César Nunes de Castro · Instituto de Pesquisa Econômica Aplicada (Ipea) eBooks · Brazil

This chapter aims to provide an overview of urban and peri-urban agriculture (AUP) in Brazil and evaluate the inherent challenges of the activity, including the potential role of the National AUP Program (PNAUP) in promoting its development.

William D. Schanbacher, Dhalia Bumbaca, Luciana Jones, Ana Vidal, Christiane Barros-Adwell, A. N. Olivieri, Jennifer Kue · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United States (Tampa, Florida)

This study reflects on the collaboration between a university and community partners in Tampa, Florida, to develop a community-based food sovereignty assessment and toolkit for two underserved, food-insecure communities. Using community-based research methods, the project explored how to develop and deploy the concept of food sovereignty in an urban environment, identified gaps in urban agriculture education, and ultimately led to the creation of a food sovereignty toolkit.

Christina Frendo · Urban Geography · Canada (Montréal)

This study analyzed how urban agriculture contributes to green gentrification in Montréal. Based on interviews with planners, developers, and community actors, and discourse analysis of municipal policy documents, it showed that ecological initiatives are prioritized over housing, and sustainability fixes reconcile progressive rhetoric with growth imperatives, leading to policy trade-offs that undermine housing affordability. These findings reveal how progressive governments reproduce structural injustices through their ecological transition agendas within the context of a housing crisis.

Gonzalo Lizarralde, Sara Latorre, Neidy Clavijo, Benjamín Herazo, Manuel Pérez, Kevin Gould, Myriam Paredes, Elsa Monsalve, Nicolás Ordoñez, Roberto Burdiles, Claudio Araneda, Lisa Bornstein, Ricardo Dueñez, Adriana Patricia López Valencia, Oswaldo López, Andrés Olivera, Pedro Tex Martinez, Gloria Artze · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · Latin America and the Caribbean

This study investigated the emergence, legitimization, and survival of alternative food systems in low-income settlements across Latin America and the Caribbean. Researchers conducted 340 interviews and 312 questionnaires, following 18 bottom-up initiatives related to food production, distribution, transformation, and consumption in urban and peri-urban areas of Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, and Chile. Empirical results demonstrated the inadequacy of existing regulations and policies to comprehend the dynamic resistance occurring in the "in between" spaces of both identities and urban structure.

Moschella Miloslavich, Paola · Portal de Revistas PUCP (N/A) · Peru (Cajamarca)

This study in Cajamarca, Peru, analyzed the expansion of the city onto vital agricultural land, examining perceptions, consequences, and solutions through surveys and interviews. It found that weak regulations and external factors accelerate informal subdivision of rural properties, leading to future urban areas lacking public spaces and services. Despite high regard for agricultural land, comfort and the land market override beliefs in decision-making, and initiatives to protect the valley were unsuccessful due to permissive regulations and a lack of political will.

Celso Donizete Locatel, R.F. da Silva, Roberto Marinho Alves da Silva · · Brazil

This paper presents the definition and evolution of urban and peri-urban agriculture (AUP) in Brazil, highlighting advances in public policies. It also discusses the National Project of Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture Supported by Agroecology and Solidarity Economy (Projeto AUP), which aims to expand and consolidate this practice in Brazil.

Ramírez Pérez, Norma Verónica, Padilla Medina, José Alfredo, Cárdenas Manríquez, Marcela, Araujo Rodríguez, Jessica Alejandra, Barranco Gutiérrez, Alejandro Israel, Prado Olivarez, Juan · Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) · Mexico

This article analyzes the technical feasibility, energy efficiency, political, and economic viability of urban agriculture (UA) in Mexico, considering its advantages, disadvantages, and conditions favoring soilless cultivation. The study, based on a systematic review and meta-analysis using the PRISMA protocol, aims to provide scientific evidence on UA's technical, economic, and energy feasibility. It highlights that UA faces technical, political, and economic challenges that limit its development and expansion.

María Fernanda Ríos Acuña, Rocío Elena Matos Chávez, Nicolás Manuel Herrera Robles, Carlos Enrique Quispe Vargas, Juliana Beatriz Torres Luján · Ibero Ciencias - Revista Científica y Académica - ISSN 3072-7197 · Peru (Lima)

This review article analyzed the effects of school urban gardens on environmental education and child nutrition in public institutions of Metropolitan Lima. Examining 25 national and international scientific studies using the PRISMA methodological approach, findings showed that school gardens strengthen ecological awareness and promote fruit and vegetable consumption. However, structural barriers such as lack of resources, teacher training, and sustained institutional support were also identified.

Yingqi Zhu · Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Studies · United States (New York City)

This study analyzes innovative urban planning responses in New York City following the COVID-19 pandemic, examining the intersection of reverse globalization and resilient city theory. It investigates how NYC's adaptive initiatives, such as the Open Streets program and upscaling urban agriculture, improved local autonomy, flexibility, and community resilience. The research assesses how decentralized, neighborhood-scale solutions and participatory governance systems can address urban vulnerabilities and promote long-term sustainability, offering planning lessons for other global cities.

Lena Farley · Scholarship @ Claremont (The Claremont Colleges) · United States (New York City)

This thesis compares Battery Park City and Alphabet City in Manhattan, examining how they embody New Urbanist principles despite different planning approaches. While both neighborhoods show core New Urbanist characteristics, the research raises critical questions regarding community engagement in master-planned developments and the mitigation of gentrification in evolving urban landscapes.

Jennifer Temmer, Alison Blay‐Palmer, Andrew Spring · Canadian Food Studies / La Revue canadienne des études sur l alimentation · Canada (Northwest Territories)

A Participatory Action Research study in Kakisa, Northwest Territories, applied the Community Agroecological Values Framework to food system planning. While the community successfully leveraged extra-regional resources by building relationships with organizations outside the territory, findings indicated that unstable relationships and conflicting perspectives regarding land use and agriculture constrained access to critical regional supports, including gardening knowledge networks, funding, and training opportunities. This study highlights the necessity of both short-term regional support and long-term local capacity building for sustainable food production.