Research & reports

István Bazsik · Studia Mundi - Economica · Hungary

A study examined the situation and theoretical frameworks of social farms in Hungary. The social farm system in the country is in its infancy, with fewer than 50 farms, many of which are not necessarily farms. Initiatives often focus exclusively on specific target groups and prioritize social functions over agricultural production, which limits successful inclusion and integration.

David Calderón, Fredi Portilla · · South America

This abstract discusses the isolation faced by older adults in modern society and the lack of recognition for their traditional knowledge, particularly concerning urban agriculture. It notes that the contributions of older adults are overlooked in a technology-driven contemporary society.

Mariia Ermilova, Mitsunari Terada, Isami Kinoshita · · Japan (Tokyo)

From March 2016 to 2021, a five-year action research project was conducted in Matsudo, a Tokyo suburb, Japan, by two PhD students from Chiba University in collaboration with a local neighborhood association. Through cultivating culturally significant plants like herbs, vegetables, and flowers, and utilizing them for crafts and cosmetics, local women, the elderly, and children developed new skills, gained financial support, and social confidence. These activities expanded from edible landscape cultivation in planters to the creation of eight gardens, providing alternative forms of community participation.

· University of Westminster Press eBooks · Taiwan

This chapter explores society's interaction with the environment through four pieces. A case study from LanCheng, Taiwan, by Shaw-wu Jung, examines how a community garden re-engaged local elderly populations with traditional farming methods. Other pieces analyze food anxiety in Chinese poetry, the historical context of waste separation in China, and the concept of "smart villages" in Maoist science fiction.

Kimihiro Hino, Takahiro Yamazaki, Akiko Iida, Kentaro Harada, Makoto Yokohari · Landscape and Urban Planning · Japan (Tokyo)

This study evaluated the contribution of five types of activities in productive urban landscapes (PULs) to physical activity among 80 Tokyo residents using accelerometers and activity diaries. Older participants frequently engaged in these activities, spending a high percentage of their total energy expenditure, with satoyama woodlands averaging approximately one-third of national weekly recommendations for older adults. Total daily energy expenditure was significantly higher on workdays (1.18 to 1.36 times non-workdays), and hourly energy expenditure in PULs was comparable to public parks.

Neven Tandarić, Charles Watkins, Christopher D. Ives · Urban forestry & urban greening · Europe

Interviewing users of community and allotment gardens in Zagreb, Croatia, this study explored motivations for gardening and how different forms of garden management shape the generation of cultural ecosystem services (CES), supplementing and contextualizing responses with interviews of urban planners, academics, and gardening activists. Using the Fish et al. (2016) framework to identify CES in interviews, the study grouped gardeners' motivations into six categories: escape, usefulness and tradition, home-grown produce, socializing, wellness, and private oasis. Food production was found to be only of secondary importance as a motivator of urban gardening.

Yue Jin, Hee Sun Choi, Daniel C. Elkin · · China

A mixed-methods study of three representative communities in Nanjing, China, examining the value of edible community gardens against the backdrop of COVID-19, associated government area controls, restricted access to daily food supplies, and elderly residents' unfamiliarity with online shopping. The study used GIS mapping of Nanjing's food system, site observations, questionnaires and interviews, analyzed with univariate and multivariate methods. It found that most elderly residents want and value edible community gardens, especially during the epidemic; that the gardens offer opportunities for new companionship and leisure; and that edible landscaping increases communities' ornamental value and interactivity. The gardens were also described as beneficial for sustainable food production in terms of ecological environment, economic benefit, social regeneration and local development.

Bourdon E., Belmin J. · Alzheimer's Research & Therapy, 13:116 · France

A multi-centre pilot controlled trial across four French nursing homes testing 'enriched gardens'—conventional sensory gardens augmented with activity-prompting features. Among 120 residents with dementia, use of enriched gardens improved cognitive function and mobility compared with conventional gardens or no garden. It offers concrete guidance for using gardens in the environmental design of elderly care.

Wong G.C.L., Ng T.K.S., Lee J.L., Lim P.Y., Larbi A. · The Journals of Gerontology: Series A · Singapore

A feasibility pilot RCT with 59 community-dwelling older adults in Singapore found that a horticultural therapy program was associated with reduced biomarkers of T-cell exhaustion and inflammaging.

Marco Boffi, Linda Pola, Natalia Fumagalli, Elisabetta Fermani, Giulio Senes, Paolo Inghilleri · Frontiers in Psychology · Global

This study presents an interdisciplinary co-design method for community gardens, applying attention restoration theory (ART) to understand older people's experiences in natural environments. Six focus group meetings with older people in Milan, Italy, informed the co-design of a restorative area in an Ortica district community garden. Results classified participants' main needs into ART factors: "compatibility" (multifunctional garden), "fascination" (contact with nature), and "being away" (escape from nursing homes), with the designed garden incorporating biophilic principles to address these needs.

Rini Fitri, Suryani Suryani · Jurnal Ilmiah Respati · Indonesia (Jakarta)

This paper discusses urban agriculture as a solution for elderly individuals to engage in physical activity and reduce depression in limited yard spaces in DKI Jakarta, Indonesia. It highlights that urban farming activities, such as cultivating vegetables, secondary crops, and horticulture, are undertaken by housewives and the elderly. The practice of urban agriculture encourages seniors to express their capabilities, supporting their identity and autonomy, and aims to outline these activities for the elderly.

Leonardo Negreiros Monteiro, Joelson de Araújo Delfino · · Brazil

The project “Promoting health and social well-being through healthy eating” was implemented at the Lar para Idosos Tia Angelina elderly home in Porto Nacional, Brazil. Its objective was to improve the quality of life for residents through healthy eating, achieved by implementing a vegetable garden. This initiative also provided Agronomy Engineering students from UNITINS with the opportunity to develop competencies in understanding the importance of quality food and contributed to forming healthier eating habits for the elderly residents.

Reni Nurjasmi · Jurnal Ilmiah Respati · Global

This review examines the potential of urban agriculture by the elderly to support food security. While urban agriculture could produce 180 million tons of food globally per year, representing 10% of total global food production, it is currently insufficient to meet urban food needs, with urban food supply still heavily reliant on rural areas and imports. With an increasing urban elderly population, empowering seniors through urban agriculture technologies like vertical farming is proposed as an opportunity for food security.

Okti Purwaningsih, Puguh Bintang Pamungkas, Triwahana Triwahana · Abdimas Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat Universitas Merdeka Malang · Indonesia (Yogyakarta)

A community service program implemented at SD Model in Ngemplak, Sleman, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, aimed to foster elementary school students' interest in agriculture through the introduction of a School Garden via urban farming. Using presentations with video tutorials and farming modules, the program found that 97.7% of students liked the School Garden activity, and 81.4% felt these activities fostered their interest in agriculture.

Kathleen Tims, Mark Haggerty, John Jemison, Melissa Ladenheim, Sarah Mullis, Elizabeth Damon · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United States

A case study of the long-running Orono Community Garden (OCG) program in Orono, Maine, used survey data and personal interviews to examine rural senior food insecurity, analyzing senior participation, impact on food security status, and participants' perceptions of the program. The OCG program increased food access by delivering fresh food directly to senior households in need, alongside other local food assistance programs in Orono. Participants also viewed the OCG program as a destigmatized, socially acceptable source of food access, in contrast with other food assistance programs.

Mariela Jara · IPS Agencia de Noticias (Inter Press Service) · Peru

IPS News reported on 12 October 2021 on the 1,400 square-meter "Biohuerto Ayllu 21" garden in Sector II Group 21, Villa El Salvador, 25km south of Lima. Started in 2018, the garden has 40 plots of 6 meters each and separate production, training, seedling, harvest, post-harvest and sales zones. It is run by 12 families, all elderly women migrants, who work an average of two days a week growing chard, radishes, broccoli, celery, tomatoes, beets, basil, spinach and lettuce, mainly for household consumption.

Scott T.L., Masser B.M., Pachana N.A. · SAGE Open Medicine, 8:2050312120901732 · Australia

A study of older Australians examining links between home and community gardening and psychosocial and physical well-being. Older gardeners reported greater self-esteem, sense of productive endeavour, social engagement and exercise, associated with more positive attitudes to ageing. It shows allotments and gardening groups can protect older adults from isolation and support positive ageing.

· Journal of Clinical Medicine · Japan

An RCT assigned 89 older adults with depressive symptoms and mild memory decline to exercise, horticultural, or control groups; the horticultural program comprised 20 weekly 90-minute sessions of field cultivation, growing, and harvesting.

Tu P.-C., Cheng W.-C., Hou P.-C., Chang Y.-S. · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · Taiwan

A study in Taiwan with 27 elderly participants (aged 60-76) evaluating four horticultural activities, measuring effects on salivary amylase activity, pulse rate, and mood (POMS), with artistic-creation and food-tasting types showing promise for relaxation and stress reduction.

Alison Carver, Alanna Lorenzon, Jenny Veitch, Ashley Macleod, Takemi Sugiyama · Aging & Mental Health · Global

A narrative review that searched six databases through 2017 and identified nine studies on exposure to greenery — gardens and green space — and mental health among residents of aged care facilities. Seven of the nine reported favourable associations between garden use and outcomes such as quality of life, but most relied on observations by staff and family rather than validated mental health instruments. One study found a reduction in depression linked to garden participation, while another found no change in physiological stress. The authors conclude that more robust evidence based on valid and reliable mental health measures is needed.

Vatsi Meneghel Danilevicz · Psicologia & Sociedade · Brazil (Bahia)

This experience report details the journey of a community garden at a Family Health Unit (USF) in southern Bahia, Brazil, aiming to revive local knowledge and create visibility. Using a cartographic methodology, the study analyzed the garden's effects on participants' health and the bond between health workers and service users. The garden, primarily involving around ten poor, elderly Black women residents, proved to be a powerful tool for therapeutic support, relationship building, cultivation of medicinal plants, reduction in allopathic medication use, and production of vegetables and fruits for participants' consumption.

A. V. Shchur, Nadzeya Lobikava, Volha Lobikava · Acta horticulturae et regiotecturae · Belarus (Mogilev)

Research on the Jubilejny district in Mogilev, Belarus, a former Soviet microdistrict, revealed that population ageing is the main threat to these areas. Residents expressed dissatisfaction with uncertain housing situations, inappropriate parking options, and a lack of opportunities to spend leisure time outside. The study proposes short-term improvements such as leisure activities within public spaces and regeneration of green spaces, alongside long-term designs for a community garden and other nature-based solutions.

Francisco Glauber Peixoto Ferreira, Cácia Aline Costa Santos, Carolina Maria de Lima Carvalho, Vanessa Emille Carvalho de Sousa Freire · Revista Enfermagem Atual In Derme · Brazil (Fortaleza)

An experience report describes the implementation of a community garden in a Long-Term Care Institution for the Elderly in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil, in 2018. The activity aimed to promote a welcoming eco-social environment and a recreational activity for the well-being of the elderly. Developed through interdisciplinary integration between Nursing and Agronomy courses, it provided an opportunity to learn about the residents' personalities, stories, and aspirations. The implementation of the community garden significantly contributed to the well-being of the elderly, broke the monotony and feelings of abandonment, and enabled the use of an unused space.

Paulien C. H. van de Vlasakker, E.J. Veen · Sustainability · Netherlands (Velp)

This study investigated high-tech indoor gardening practices in four nursing homes in Velp, Netherlands, using qualitative and quantitative methods including site visits, employee surveys, and interviews with residents and decision-makers. It found that indoor gardens integrated gardening and harvest into cooking, transforming residents' eating practices and increasing their appreciation for fresh vegetables. Successful integration was linked to employees' gardening/cooking competences, enjoyment, and easy garden accessibility.

Renate M. Winkels, Rick Artrip, Maegan Tupinio, Daniel R. George · · United States (Hershey)

At Penn State Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, PA, a program was developed within a hospital-based community garden that paired Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) cancer survivors with older experienced gardeners. The program aimed to improve diet and physical activity among AYA cancer survivors. Qualitative analysis of interviews with participants identified that the transfer of gardening knowledge was jointly valued as a positive experience, and AYA cancer survivors built confidence and positive attitudes towards their ability to garden.