Research & reports

Juana Yadira Martín Perico, Lady Alexandra Rodríguez Rincón, Daniel Eduardo Ávila Velandia, Nathalia Rincón Ortega · Ciencia Latina Revista Científica Multidisciplinar · Global

This project focused on designing a robotic arm for precision agriculture, aiming for young trainees to interact with research processes through prototyping applied to urban agriculture. Using a mixed methodology and educational approach, researchers, professors, and students engaged with processes for natural fertilizer production, soil preparation, biocontrols, and the design and development of technologies useful for urban agriculture. This initiative contributed to didactics related to prototyping, fostered an ethics of care for plants, food, and nature, and helped students recognize agriculture's link to technology and precision agriculture principles.

Buse Aksu Altiparmak · reposiTUm (TU Wien) · Austria (Vienna)

This diploma thesis presents the design for an institute for native plants and seeds at the historic Zukunftshof farm in Rothneusiedl, Vienna. The project involves comprehensively renovating and reorganizing the over one-hundred-year-old, partially used, and dilapidated building stock. The aim is to establish Zukunftshof as a sustainable location for research, conservation, knowledge transfer, and communal use, adapting its spatial structure to current and future requirements.

Hazel Acosta Cadungog, Carlos Daniel Cazco Maldonado, Martha Lucía Lara Freire · Revista Multidisciplinaria Investigación Contemporánea · Ecuador

A research project in Ecuador involved 35 English teachers from four cities to promote significant learning in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classes using Project-Based Learning (PBL) with urban agriculture content. Data collected through action research revealed significant improvements in students' vocabulary development and basic sentence structure comprehension. Teachers also noted increased student engagement and interest due to the integration of real-world topics.

Pranali Nitnaware, Rina Mundle, Disha Sahastrabuddhe, Shahastrika Kamble, Himanshu Nandankar · Open MIND · Global

This paper proposes an Android application integrating plant disease detection and waste management for urban agriculture. The system uses a lightweight TensorFlow Lite CNN model to detect plant diseases from leaf images in real time and provides treatment recommendations. It also includes a module for users to submit waste complaints with images, descriptions, and GPS information, allowing administrators to monitor and update statuses via the cloud.

Svenja Baumgartinger · International explorations in outdoor and environmental education · Global

Companion planting is a natural gardening practice where crops are grown together to support each other's growth and foster relationships within a larger network of organisms. This practice contributes to biodiversity by supporting natural processes in the garden. Designing school gardens as companion planting gardens can allow students to experience biodiversity and learn about organism interactions.

Johanna Ruh · Open MIND · Global

This study connects Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) with Integrative Garden Therapy (IGT), demonstrating how combining both approaches can deepen and expand ESD. A concept for IGT/ESD units for children aged 6-10 within a Community-Supported Agriculture framework is presented. The concepts of multiple alienation, ecophilia, ecosophy, and integrative cultural work are particularly highlighted.

Theresia Alviani Sum · ThufuLA Jurnal Inovasi Pendidikan Guru Raudhatul Athfal · Global

This qualitative case study, gathering data from educators at ten institutions over three months (January–March 2024), examined the implementation of the scientific approach in early childhood education under resource constraints. Findings indicate that while teachers have a conceptual grasp of the scientific approach, enactment is inconsistent, and institutions lack dedicated laboratories, leveraging natural settings like school gardens instead. Curricular goals are not consistently realized in practice, and budget and time limitations restrict experimentation and professional development.

Manoel Hélio Sousa Santos, Bruno Matos de Farias · RCMOS - Revista Científica Multidisciplinar O Saber · Global

This systematic qualitative literature review, following the PRISMA 2020 protocol, analyzed 20 documents to understand how recent academic production articulates education, work, and sustainability within Youth and Adult Education (EJA), focusing on school gardens. The literature recognizes gardens as a social technology that integrates ecological knowledge, cooperative practices, autonomy-building, and income generation, especially in socioeconomically vulnerable contexts. Gardens are concluded to be a powerful pedagogical device for EJA, contributing to critical environmental education, popular economy, and emancipatory practices.

Eric Vukicevich · Urban Ecosystems · Global

This paper describes a class-based soil testing project where undergraduate students partner with local community gardeners to investigate urban soil health. The project involves students examining soil properties such as pH, organic matter, nutrients, and toxic elements, and ensuring crop safety. Students develop project plans, interpret data, and make recommendations for soil management.

ROAN BAGAOISAN · Divine Word International Journal of Management and Humanities (DWIJMH) (ISSN 2980-4817) · Global

A study investigated school garden programs in elementary schools, exploring the experiences of fifteen teachers, staff, and students using a descriptive phenomenological approach and open-ended questionnaires. It found benefits in academic learning, environmental awareness, health, and social development, but also identified challenges including resource constraints, time limitations, garden maintenance, and stakeholder engagement. These challenges require careful planning, collaboration, and creative solutions.

Paul Shing-fong Chan, Joseph Kawuki, Mythily Subramaniam, Elizabeth Broadbent, Esther Yuet Ying Lau, Kelvin Fai Hong Lui · Education Sciences · Global

This systematic review, pre-registered with PROSPERO (CRD420251250712) and conducted following PRISMA guidelines, synthesized global evidence on the effects of horticulture-based interventions (HBIs) on student well-being. It searched PubMed, Web of Science, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and APA PsycInfo from inception to June 30, 2025, and included 15 studies (more than 2,000 students aged 5-18) from South Korea (8), Taiwan (3), Mainland China (1), Hong Kong (1), Italy (1), and the United States (1). Results showed HBIs have the potential to enhance emotional/psychological well-being (e.g., stress reduction, mood improvement), social well-being (e.g., peer relations, social skills), cognitive and educational benefits (e.g., attention, academic attitudes), and physical and overall health benefits (e.g., physical activity, quality of life). The review states that future randomized controlled trials with diverse populations are needed to address limitations such as small sample sizes and geographic bias.

María José Mayorga Ases, Iveth Carolina Abril Ruiz, Byron Stalin Zamora Flores, Evelyn Gissela Bedón Durán · Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) · Global

A mixed-methods study of Ecuadorian secondary education students found moderate entrepreneurial competencies overall, with strengths in collaborative work and responsibility but limitations in initiative and autonomy, and identified regional variation: Quito concentrates 25% of ventures in technology and social enterprise, Guayaquil 22% in commerce and logistics, and Ambato 18% in family and artisanal business. It identified five effective educational innovations — community projects, school gardens, innovation fairs, educational technologies and interdisciplinary projects — while noting a persistent gap between idea generation and execution, and 8% of rural localities developing enterprises with less infrastructure.

Nahide AYDIN MARAL, Pınar AYDIN ÇAYCIOĞLU, Hasan MARAL · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Global

This conceptual paper proposes a framework for using medicinal and aromatic plants in preschool education, arguing that their volatile compounds add olfactory stimulation to visual and tactile input and may support attention, emotional memory and environmental awareness given the link between the olfactory and limbic systems. It recommends selecting non-toxic, low-allergenic species for school gardens or mini plant areas, growing annual aromatic species from seed so children can observe life cycles, using observation, description and drawing activities, and controlling the duration and intensity of exposure. No empirical data are reported.

Dorothee Benkowitz · International explorations in outdoor and environmental education · Global

A book chapter on biodiversity education centered on seeds and plant life cycles. It states that industrial agriculture has reduced genetic diversity through monocultures and patented hybrid varieties, making small farmers dependent on large seed companies. F1 hybrids, while high-yielding, are not seed-proof — saved seed from them does not reproduce the parent traits — and this contributes to genetic erosion, limiting plants' ability to adapt to climate change and disease. The chapter notes that many people lack an in-depth understanding of plant cycles, and that studies show deficits among students specifically in classifying and explaining seeds and their role in a plant's life cycle. Hands-on experiences such as those in school gardens are said to foster better understanding and a sustainable connection to nature. Knowledge of biodiversity and plant cycles is described as crucial for topics such as healthy diets, regionality, and climate adaptation, and integrating this content into education is presented as contributing to Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) goals.

Kelly Johanna Molano Betin, Leo Danny Valencia Pinto · Ibero Ciencias - Revista Científica y Académica - ISSN 3072-7197 · Colombia

A mixed-methods, non-experimental descriptive study tested a school-based agroecology pedagogical strategy to strengthen food security at Institución Educativa Técnico General José Joaquín García, Sede 10 Peñolcitos, in Casabianca, Tolima, Colombia. Following a quantitative diagnostic questionnaire, a teaching sequence combining conceptual training, an agroecological school garden, and a healthy cooking workshop was implemented; students showed favorable preconceptions about agroecology, food security, and the garden but specific gaps in understanding its full scope beyond production, and the training activities narrowed those gaps.

Melissa Caballes, Jose Mari S. Uy · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Philippines

At Quezon City University in the Philippines, researchers surveyed 250 entrepreneurship students selected through stratified random sampling, using a structured Google Form questionnaire, to investigate urban farming as a tool for cultivating innovation among students. The study concluded that embedding urban farming into entrepreneurship education provides a holistic framework for skill development while promoting environmental awareness, and recommended that academic institutions integrate urban farming into their curricula and build partnerships with community stakeholders.

Norlina Muhammad, Zanariah Kadir, Ismi Arif Ismail, Mohd Mursyid Arshad, Ahmad Aizuddin Md Rami · Pertanika Journal of professional Development and Continuing Education · Malaysia

This qualitative case study examines how employee competencies and organizational support shaped training transfer in the Sustainable Green Neighbourhood Garden Programme run by the Majlis Bandaraya Pasir Gudang (MBPG) local authority in Malaysia. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six purposively selected employees across departments who participated directly in the three-month program, with data analyzed thematically. Well-structured program design, effective facilitation by agricultural and landscape officers, and organizational coordination supported learning transfer; participants reported gains in technical skills (planting, soil and fertilizer management), self-discipline, teamwork, confidence, motivation, and work attitude, along with strengthened interdepartmental collaboration and reduced work-related stress.

Ligia Tobar, César Augusto Gutiérrez, Leidy Yurani Villa García, Jonathan S. Pelegrin · Applied Environmental Education & Communication · Colombia

This study examined how a school garden in Vijes, Colombia, functions as a habitat for pollinators and a space for experiential education. Primary school students recorded 208 floral visits across four plots (ornamental, medicinal, fruit, and crop) over three weeks of limited observation time. Visiting activity was dominated by the stingless bee Tetragonisca angustula (49%) and the honeybee Apis mellifera (36%). Pollinators mainly visited the ornamental plot, particularly Zinnia peruviana, and Cucurbita maxima in the crop plot. Participation in the monitoring fostered ecological awareness, teamwork, and appreciation of biodiversity among the students.

Lauren Strumos, L. G. Beaman · Journal for the Academic Study of Religion · Global

Drawing on interviews with 134 community garden members across eight countries, this article examines how individuals, both religious and nonreligious, understand and enact moral relationships with other terrestrial beings at their community gardens. It frames the community garden as a place constituted by human and more-than-human relationships, showing how people make sense of the world from where they are situated, with or without reference to religion or spirituality. Gardeners' relationships are organized into three experiential modes — gardens as places of connection, as places of control and human intervention, and as places of world-repairing or mending the Earth — which are not mutually exclusive and span the diverse lifestances of individual gardeners.

Kerstetter K., Roberts K. J., Trent R., Koch P. A., Casey C., De Jesus-Martin M., Trinidad A., Mampara J., Bacon B. · Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior · 米国

A pilot study testing whether a multicomponent school garden and nutrition education intervention increases actual school lunch consumption. Students in grades 1–5 from matched pairs of public schools (one high-poverty and one low-poverty intervention school, each paired with a comparison school) were observed with the System of Observational Cafeteria Assessment of Foods Eaten over 13 days across 28 lunch periods, with consumption defined as the percentage of each entrée and side salad eaten. Students at intervention schools consumed 47.5% of the entrée and 44.1% of the entrée plus side salad, against 34.5% and 31.2% at comparison schools; adjusted models showed 0.13 (P = 0.006) and 0.11 (P = 0.01) more portion units consumed, with no significant treatment-by-pair interactions. The authors conclude that a cluster-randomised trial is warranted.

Burton M, Margerison C, Nanayakkara J, Worsley A, Booth A · BMC Nutrition · オーストラリア（全国調査＋ビクトリア州）

School gardens are an effective strategy for food literacy and for promoting healthy eating and environmental health, yet inadequate funding, time and training stop many schools implementing or properly using one. This mixed-methods study surveyed 111 Australian primary school staff online and interviewed 13 Victorian primary teachers. Ninety per cent of respondents worked at a school with a food garden, but how well it was used varied widely. Responsibility for managing and maintaining the garden fell mainly on students and classroom teachers, with some schools relying heavily on volunteers. Healthy eating and environmental sustainability were the usual focus, and gardens also taught life and social skills — but many teachers reported the garden was poorly integrated into the curriculum. Time and funding were the most commonly reported barriers, though many schools showed resilience by drawing on existing community connections and adopting cost-reducing practices. The authors conclude that targeted teacher training, leadership support, community involvement and cost-reducing strategies would help.

· Wikipedia · Global

The 'Forest gardening' URL now redirects to a section within Wikipedia's merged 'Agroforestry' article. Per that section, forest gardening is a low-maintenance, perennial, woodland-modeled food production system practiced since prehistoric times in the tropics; horticulturist Robert Hart coined the term and adapted it for temperate climates in the 1980s. The article states Kerala, India has 'no fewer than three and a half million' forest gardens, citing one 0.12-hectare plot found to contain 23 young coconut palms, 12 cloves, 56 bananas, 49 pineapples, and 30 pepper vines.

· Wikipedia (English) · Singapore

English Wikipedia entry on community gardening in Singapore. The 'Community in Bloom' scheme, launched in May 2005 at Mayfair Park Estate, had grown to over 2,000 community gardens by 2025. The 'allotment gardens' scheme, introduced in 2016, expanded at roughly 300 plots per year from 2016 to 2021 and had exceeded 2,500 plots by 2025. A 2022 survey found 88% of plants grown were edible.

· Wikipedia · Global

A Wikipedia article on 'victory gardens' — vegetable, fruit, and herb gardens planted at homes and in public parks during World War I and II to supplement food rations and boost civilian morale. In the US during WWI, over 5 million gardens were established, with produce valued at more than $1.2 billion by war's end. In WWII, the US had 18 million victory gardens by May 1943 (12 million urban, 6 million farm-based), accounting for about one-third of US vegetable production; in 1944, 9-10 million short tons were harvested, matching total commercial fresh-vegetable production. In Britain, allotments roughly doubled to about 1.4 million by 1943.

· Wikipedia · Global

Food neophobia is a fear of new things, referring specifically to a child's tendency to reject unfamiliar foods. About two-thirds of the variation is attributed to genetics, with psychosocial factors (observing parents' food preferences) and heightened bitterness sensitivity (supertasters) also implicated. Effective strategies include offering non-food rewards for trying new foods, parental modeling, and repeated exposure (acceptance may require around 15 tries), while pressure or punishment worsens the problem.