Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
222 results(3 / 9)
Territorial Connections, Social Struggles and Networks of Solidarity
2023Perci Coelho de Souza, Letícia Miguel Teixeira, Cinthia Mariane Nolaço de Oliveira, Clarissa Sapori Avelar, Gabriel Ribeiro Couto, Geraldo Fábio Alves de Souza, Juliana Leal Santana, Kamila Dos Santos Pita, Sarah Lima Cirino · LaSUS FAU eBooks · Brazil
This book presents the fundamentals of a multidisciplinary CTS (Science, Technology, and Society) course developed within a graduate program at the University of Brasília, Brazil. The course socially and territorially integrates four interdisciplinary themes: Habitat, Agroecology, Health, and Associated Work. Offered in 2021, it integrated 15 master's and doctoral students with over 50 individuals from social movements, professionals, government technicians, researchers, and undergraduate students, forming a transdisciplinary epistemological base in Solidarity Technoscience.
Food sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkagePolicyEdible Landscapes and Landscaping
2022Avi Friedman · · Canada (Montreal)
This chapter explores how food production can initiate change at the neighborhood level and how using native flora in landscaping decreases water consumption and benefits local biodiversity. The Benny Farm Project in Montreal, Canada, is presented as an example of a highly productive urban agriculture undertaking.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceBiodiversityUrban–rural linkagePromoting an Urban Utopia: The Role of Community Gardens on Community Vitality
2022Kayla Danielle Staley · Digital Archive @ GSU · United States
This quantitative study explored the relationship between community gardens and community vitality indicators (median household income, educational attainment, business establishment, occupied housing units) using U.S. Census Bureau data at the census tract level. While all community garden census tracts showed an increase in median household income by 2013, no direct association was found between community gardens and educational attainment. The research suggests a loose association between community gardens and increased median household income, but the garden's presence cannot be solidified as the sole reason.
CommunityHealthEconomicsUrban–rural linkageMobility and short food circuits : inclusion and opportunities in the soutrhern regiuon of Curitiba, PR
2022Valéria Borges Yonegura, Jennifer Domeneghini, Júlio Celso Borello Vargas, André Luiz Lopes da Silveira · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Brazil (Curitiba)
This paper focuses on mobility issues in the southern region of Curitiba, Brazil. It points out that the benefits of urban agriculture, particularly the ecological advantages of short food circuits, are hindered by the isolation of its growers. The lack of accessibility in peripheral areas, due to distance or insufficient infrastructure investment, suggests a loss of opportunities in utilizing the transport system.
Equity & displacementEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityUrban–rural linkageSpatial distribution and socioeconomic differences between urban farms' production and distribution points in Chicago, IL
2022Emmanuelle Melis, Emma Louise Armitage, Yuxin Ma, Amelia Weiss, Brian E. Robinson · McGill Science Undergraduate Research Journal · United States (Chicago)
This study investigated the location of urban commercial farms in Chicago, Illinois, and whether there is a significant disparity between the social demographics of production and sale points. All production and distribution points for commercial urban farming companies were geocoded and analyzed against socioeconomic indicator data from the 2016 US census, including median annual household income, mean home value, and percent racialized minority population. Findings revealed statistically significant differences in socioeconomic indicators between census tracts of farm and sale point locations, showing a skewness of farm locations towards lower socioeconomic status areas and sale point locations towards higher socioeconomic status areas. This suggests that while farms are more likely to be located in marginalized neighborhoods in Chicago, most produce grown by these farms is sold in more privileged areas.
Equity & displacementEconomicsCommunityUrban–rural linkagePerspectives critiques et analyse territoriale. Applications urbaines et régionales, Hélène Bélanger et Dominic Lapointe (dir.), Québec, Presses de l’Université du Québec, 2019, 224 p.
2022Yannick Baumann, Emanuel Guay · Nouvelles perspectives en sciences sociales · Canada
This is a book or article titled "Perspectives critiques et analyse territoriale. Applications urbaines et régionales," edited by Hélène Bélanger and Dominic Lapointe, published in 2019 by Presses de l’Université du Québec. It is an article from the journal "Nouvelles perspectives en sciences sociales" on the theme "Urban agriculture: towards a reconfiguration of social and territorial ties."
Governance failureCommunityUrban–rural linkagePolicyConflict and oppositions in the development of peri‐urban agriculture: The case of the Greater São Paulo region
2022André Torre, Brenno Fonseca · Sociologia Ruralis · Brazil (São Paulo)
A study on the development of peri-urban agriculture in the São Paulo Metropolitan Region, Brazil, was conducted based on expert interviews, analysis of the regional daily press, and local information sites and blogs. It was found that territorial opposition between different land uses is one of the main factors preventing food production in urban and peri-urban areas. The study investigated local conflicts, their location, their link to agriculture, the consumption of agricultural soils, and the typology of opponents and supporters of this activity.
Governance failurePeri-urban agriculturePolicyUrban–rural linkageEconomicsAS RELAÇÕES DICOTÔMICAS ENTRE CAMPO-CIDADE E AS POLÍTICAS HABITACIONAIS NO BRASIL
2022Felipe Facci Facci Inguaggiato, Tatiane Ferreira Olivatto · PIXO - Revista de Arquitetura Cidade e Contemporaneidade · Brazil
This reflective bibliographic review examines Brazil's historical and urban housing policies, which have contributed to the disconnect between urban and rural populations. It also identifies initiatives, such as agricultural modernization, farmers' markets, and urban agriculture, that aim to reconnect rural and urban spheres and promote socio-spatial transformation.
Urban–rural linkagePolicyFood sovereignty & justiceImpacts of urban sprawl in the Administrative Region of Ribeirão Preto (Brazil) and measures to restore improved landscapes
2022Laís Caroline Marianno de Olivera, Gislaine Costa de Mendonça, Renata Cristina Araújo Costa, Regina Aparecida Leite de Camargo, Luís Filipe Sanches Fernandes, Fernando António Leal Pacheco, Teresa Cristina Tarlé Pissarra · Land Use Policy · Brazil
This study investigated the impacts of 35 years of urban expansion in Brazil's Administrative Region of Ribeirão Preto, linking it to agricultural land loss and environmental consequences. Using Landsat images and GIS, the research found rural area losses exceeding 350 km2, with equivalent production and economic losses of approximately 1.1 Mton/year and 230 MR$/year. Significant environmental impacts included the destruction of over 9100 km of natural watercourses, nearly 630 km2 of Permanent Preservation Areas, and the occupation of Guarani Aquifer recharge areas with impermeable surfaces, affecting approximately 7000 headwaters.
Environmental trade-offsUrban–rural linkageEconomicsClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceServiços e Desserviços Ambientais Associados à Agricultura Urbana e Periurbana no Município de São Paulo
2021Bruno do Nascimento Macedo, Fernanda Nogueira Comas, Amarílis Lucia Casteli Figueiredo Gallardo · Journal of Urban Technology and Sustainability · Brazil (São Paulo)
This study discussed the main environmental services and disservices associated with urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) in São Paulo, Brazil, using a systematic literature review and spatial analysis. It identified 12 environmental services and 5 disservices, mapping 197 UPA initiatives. The research concluded that UPA has the potential to offer environmental benefits, but can also exert negative pressures on the environment, including in areas that should be protected.
Environmental trade-offsUrban–rural linkageClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicyO DESENVOLVIMENTO SÓCIO-ESPACIAL DA AGRICULTURA URBANA E PERIURBANA (AUP) NA CIDADE DE FORTALEZA, CEARÁ
2021Gabriela de Azevedo Marques, Iara Rafaela Gomes · Boletim Goiano de Geografia · Brazil
This empirical study analyzed the socio-spatial development of Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture (AUP) in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil, examining both spontaneous agricultural activities and municipal institutional actions. While AUP holds significant relevance in the city, particularly in peripheral areas, governmental initiatives were found to be sporadic and discontinuous, lacking a broader institutional agenda. The study concluded that despite recent municipal efforts, legal and institutional support for AUP remains weak, leading to the rapid disappearance of productive spaces and indicating that institutional actions have not effectively fostered the socio-spatial development of spontaneous initiatives.
Governance failurePeri-urban agriculturePolicyCommunityUrban–rural linkageAssessment of the Effect of Urban Agriculture on Achieving a Localized Food System Centered on Chicago, IL Using Robust Optimization
2021Christine Costello, Zeynab Oveysi, Bayram Dündar, Ronald G. McGarvey · Environmental Science & Technology · United States (Chicago)
This study used optimization techniques to assess the land area and radius needed around Chicago, Illinois, to meet nutritional needs. It found that no mix of food items could satisfy vitamin D, B12, and calcium needs within a 650 km radius. While urban agriculture reduced the required radius by 10-15 km, significant nutrient fortification or supplementation was still necessary to localize the food system.
Limited or null effectHealthUrban–rural linkageEconomics4. Growing Place
2021Michael H. Carriere, David Schalliol · · United States
This chapter presents a case study of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, exploring a counter-history of placemaking rooted in the city's "Rust Belt" context. It argues that urban agriculture in Milwaukee has become a globally influential hub, demonstrating that for its practitioners, it is about fostering community and new forms of urban redevelopment, beyond just food production. The study highlights how this overlooked history informs a new approach to creative placemaking.
CommunityUrban–rural linkageEconomicsRid-All: green in the ghetto
2021Michele Hunt · · United States (Cleveland)
Rid-All Green Partnership was founded by three childhood friends, Damien Forshe, Keymah Durden, and Randy McShepard, who grew up in Cleveland’s Lee-Miles neighborhood. They provide training in urban farming and environmental stewardship, and Rid-All serves as a regional training center for the Milwaukee-based urban farm “Growing Power.” Alongside its educational programs, Rid-All offers art, entertainment, sports, and community engagement initiatives, and created “The Brink City 'Green in the Ghetto'” comic book to communicate the importance of environmental justice to non-traditional and hard-to-reach audiences, including urban youth.
CommunityFood educationWelfareUrban–rural linkageCultivando relações no Arranjo Local da Penha: A mobilização de mulheres a partir das práticas de agricultura urbana na favela
2021Mariana Portilho, Camila Rodrigues, Annelise Caetano Fraga Fernandez · Cidades, comunidades e território/Cidades comunidades e territórios · Brazil (Rio de Janeiro)
This study describes the formation of Arranjo Local da Penha, a community network created in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro's Penha favela complex, focused on urban agriculture and led by women. Through fieldwork and participant observation, the study analyzed themes of women and agroecology, health, and healthy eating. The network promoted women's empowerment and access to healthy food, but faced limits in the mobilization and development of urban agriculture.
Governance failureCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceHealthWelfareUrban–rural linkageAgricultura na aglomeração urbana de Presidente Prudente - SP
2021Claudinei da Silva Pereira · GEOUSP Espaço e Tempo (Online) · Brazil (Presidente Prudente)
This paper analyzed agricultural production in Presidente Prudente, Brazil, from two essential dimensions: urban morphology and socioeconomic conditions. A typology for urban agriculture analysis was constructed by mapping the incidence of agriculture and applying questionnaires to commercial producers. The study demonstrated the different functions that agricultural practice performs for individuals and cities.
EconomicsUrban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justicePolicyAbiotic and biotic drivers of strawberry productivity across a rural-urban gradient
2021Kyla D. Scherr, Mary A. Jamieson · Basic and Applied Ecology · United States (Michigan)
This three-year study investigated environmental factors influencing strawberry productivity for two cultivars at ten farms across a rural-urban gradient in Michigan, USA. It found no direct effect of urbanization on strawberry production or fruit pathogen and pest damage, but temperature significantly influenced crop productivity, with cooler rural and warmer urban temperatures limiting fruit number. While no relationship was found between urbanization and overall arthropod pest, predator, or pollinator abundances, Vespidae abundance was positively associated with urbanization, and Araneae abundance was negatively associated.
Limited or null effectUrban–rural linkageBiodiversityClimate changeEnergy justice, renewable energy, and the rural-urban divide: Insights from the Southwest U.S.
2021Stephanie Buechler, Karina Guadalupe Martínez-Molina · Energy and Climate Change · United States
This study compared rural and urban populations living near or receiving energy from a large-scale solar-wind energy park in Arizona, Southwest U.S., using an energy justice framework. Small-scale renewable energy projects better served low-income groups, with more governmental and non-profit organization support for these projects in urban areas. Adverse effects of large-scale projects on communities and wildlife were not being addressed via benefits or profit sharing.
PolicyCommunityUrban–rural linkageClimate changeLocal food development in the Moose Cree First Nation: taking steps to build local food sustainability
2021Celeste Ferreira, Janice Cindy Gaudet, Anthony Chum, Michael A. Robidoux · Food Culture & Society · Canada
This paper explores local food initiatives in Moose Cree First Nation, a remote northern community in Ontario, Canada, focusing on a community garden project. It documents steps taken to build local food capacity and understand the challenges and opportunities the community faces in regaining autonomy over its food system. The findings are based on community-based participatory action approaches.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceHealthUrban–rural linkageAgricultura urbana, governança territorial e planejamento urbano em área protegida de Manaus – Brasil
2021Camila Garcia Fernandes de Souza Margem, Néliton Marques da Sílva · Cadernos Metrópole · Brazil (Manaus)
This article analyzed the feasibility of implementing urban agriculture (UA) on idle land within the Tarumã – Ponta Negra Environmental Protection Area in Manaus, Brazil, as a tool for territorial governance and urban planning. Semi-structured interviews and card sorting techniques were applied to the target population. The study found that the use of idle land for UA is not envisioned as a territorial governance instrument, a situation exacerbated by municipal authorities hindering the legitimization of bills for such land use.
Governance failurePolicyFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageAgricultura e produção do espaço urbano: reflexões para uma agenda de pesquisa
2021Ricardo Theóphilo Folhes, Harley Silva, Raul da Silva Ventura Neto, Kevin Gabriel Leite Da Silva, Círia Cristiane Da Rosa, Aelton Dias Costa · Novos Cadernos NAEA · Brazil (Pará)
This article presents initial results from a bibliographic review on Urban Agriculture (UA) to support a research agenda in the metropolitan regions of Pará State, Brazilian Amazon. The review analyzed concepts, approaches, and challenges in national and international literature. It concludes that UA needs to be problematized within the phenomena of urban-regional space production, which cause socioeconomic and spatial inequalities, representing the greatest structural difficulties for urban agriculture.
Equity & displacementUrban–rural linkagePolicyEconomicsProximity of Urban Farms to Hazards With and Without Heavy Metal Contamination in Baltimore, Maryland
2021Jonathan Hall, Isabel Shargo, Niya Khanjar, Jianna Howard, Laura Schmidt, Ashley Deng, Camryn Edwards, Isabelle Berman, Joseph Galarraga, Sacoby Wilson · Environmental Justice · United States
This study in Baltimore, Maryland, used GIS mapping and spatial analysis to assess the proximity of urban farms to environmental hazards, including those with heavy metal contamination. Analyses indicated that contamination of urban farms is a possibility due to proximity: more environmental hazards were found in census tracts with urban farms, and low-income communities of color had hazards near urban farms. Historically industrial areas showed a higher concentration of environmental hazards with heavy metal or unknown contamination.
Contamination & food safetyHealthCommunityUrban–rural linkagePolicySilty Loam
2021Sara Nicholls, Special Collections, Fleet Library · Digital Commons - RISD (Rhode Island School of Design) · United States
"Silty Loam" is an informational pamphlet exploring various methods of food cultivation in urban environments and the motivations behind them. The pamphlet examines how city residents have challenged the separation of agriculture and urban life through initiatives like community gardens, community land trusts, and rooftop gardens. It is part of the "Brain Washing From Phone Towers" series, produced by hand using letterpress and relief printing to combine text and images.
CommunityDIYUrban–rural linkageKnitting Together Communities - Designing the Heart of Six Corners and Old Hill
2020Samantha Bowman, Ankur Choudhary, Alexandria Connell, Megan G. Davey, Katina Decoulos, Richard Duhamel, Brooklyn Feng, Ian Finn, Doreen Guan, Sophia Liquori, Connor Moloney, Claudia Namaroff, Emily J. Noonan, Hunter Proulx, Stephen Rezendes, Maura Robitaille, Vincent Shu, Jaques Skriletz · Scholarworks (University of Massachusetts Amherst) · United States (Springfield)
The Senior Urban Design Studio 2019 developed six proposals for a transformative urban district in Springfield, MA, focusing on enhancing aesthetic quality and resident well-being. The study analyzed district assets and engaged residents through site visits, interviews, and workshops. It aimed to create a framework for a strong identity and coherence in the Six Corners and Old Hill neighborhoods, which feature active urban agriculture.
CommunityUrban–rural linkagePolicyAgenda e políticas públicas: o caso da agricultura urbana e periurbana em Maceió/Al
2020Arione Porto da Silva · · Brazil (Maceió)
This research aims to analyze how the municipality of Maceió, Brazil, implements public policies to promote urban and peri-urban agricultural production, as stipulated in the city's Master Plan. It involves analyzing documents from the Municipal Secretariat for Sustainable Development (SEMDS) to identify programs and policies supporting urban farmers. The study is justified by agriculture's key role in compensating for job losses in Brazil before and after the pandemic.
PolicyEconomicsUrban–rural linkage