Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
855 results(30 / 35)
Insects as a sustainable alternative to feed animals in the city
2014Jan Jansen · · Global
This research explored how insects can add value to urban farming by up-cycling waste streams into high-grade nutrients and compost, focusing on their use as animal feed. Through expert interviews with urban farming practitioners and pet owners (165 respondents, 59 in urban environments), a concept was developed for growing black soldier fly larvae on organic waste to replace meat in carnivorous animal diets, specifically for dogs. Over half of urban respondents indicated no municipal green waste pickup, and over 50% practiced urban farming.
Organic cycleClimate changeFood lossNatuculture: Urban farming for the future
2014R. Panwala, Alyssa Joyce, Manuel R. Reyes · VTechWorks (Virginia Tech) · Global
Natuculture is defined as any human-made system that mimics nature in human-disturbed landscapes. It is an agroecologically balanced and biologically diverse system designed for food production, stormwater treatment, and recreation.
BiodiversityClimate changeOrganic cycleFood sovereignty & justiceSmall-scale water reuse for urban agriculture in Namibia: Modeling water flows and productivity
2014Laura Woltersdorf, Stefan Liehr, Ruth Scheidegger, Petra Döll · Urban Water Journal · Namibia
This abstract is an erratum notice for a previously published article titled "Small-scale water reuse for urban agriculture in Namibia: Modeling water flows and productivity." It states that Table 3 in the original online publication was incorrectly amended during revision and provides the correct version of the table, specifically mentioning "Pathogen reduction (log units)".
Climate changeEconomicsA Probe on Urban Agriculture-Oriented Ecological City
2014Tong Zhou, Tao Zhao · Applied Mechanics and Materials · Global
This article introduced the connotation and function of urban agriculture, analyzing the relationship between its development and ecological city construction. It concluded that the development of urban agriculture is conducive to eco-city construction and an inevitable choice for it.
Urban–rural linkagePolicyClimate changeClimate-Resilient Design Strategies for Urban Drainage Systems in Coastal Ghana
2014Yaw Kofi, Abena Adwoa, Kwasi Anane · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Ghana
Urban drainage systems in coastal Ghana are vulnerable to climate-induced flooding due to rising sea levels and increased rainfall intensity. Hydrological models indicated a need for increased stormwater infiltration capacity in ATMA, especially along the coastal belt where sea levels could rise by up to 50 cm. Designing drainage systems with enhanced permeability and elevated flood walls is recommended to ensure resilience against projected climate change risks over the next three decades.
Climate changePolicyBiodiversityDecentralised Sanitation and Energy Reuse in the Built Environment
2014Guang Zhao · Applied Mechanics and Materials · Global
This paper presents a concept for building-integrated decentralized technologies for wastewater and organic waste treatment with energy and nutrient recovery, termed a "sustainable implant," for deep green housing districts. It explores the potentials of integrating solutions for energy and sanitation flows near their origin, linking sanitation to energy and food production. The system layout and dimensioning are explained, noting scale limitations and its application in a unique intentional community, with no other similar urban district-scale projects found worldwide.
Organic cycleCompostClimate changeEffects of Evapotranspiration on Mitigation of Urban Temperature by Vegetation and Urban Agriculture
2013Guoyu Qiu, Hong-yong LI, Qingtao Zhang, Wan Chen, Xiao-jian LIANG, Xiang-ze LI · Journal of Integrative Agriculture · Global
A literature review examined the effects of evapotranspiration (ET) from vegetation and urban agriculture on urban temperatures. The review indicated that vegetation and urban agricultural ET can reduce urban temperatures by 0.5 to 4.0°C. Green roofs and water bodies also effectively reduce urban temperatures, with cooling effects on ambient temperature ranging from 0.24-4.0°C and on roof surface temperature from 0.8-60.0°C. Water bodies can be 2-6°C cooler than surrounding built environments, and a 16 m² water body can cool 2,826 m³ of nearby space by 1°C.
Climate changeEvaluation of Vegetable Production on Extensive Green Roofs
2013Leigh Whittinghill, D. Bradley Rowe, Bert M. Cregg · Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems · Global
This study evaluated vegetable and herb production across three growing systems—a green roof, raised green roof platforms, and in-ground—over three seasons (2009–2011). Tomatoes, green beans, cucumbers, peppers, basil, and chives were cultivated. All plants except pepper survived and produced biomass in all systems, yielding crops for analysis in 2009 and 2010. Yields and basil biomass were higher in-ground in 2009, while roof and platform systems showed similar results. The study suggests that vegetable and herb production is possible and productive in extensive green roof systems with proper management.
DIYClimate changeOrganic cycleUrbanization and Its Impacts to Food Systems and Environmental Sustainability in Urban Space: Evidence from Urban Agriculture Livelihoods in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
2013Wakuru Magigi · Journal of Environmental Protection · Tanzania (Dar es Salaam)
This paper explores Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, demonstrating that urban agriculture provides urban ecosystem services and contributes to environmental sustainability. The study highlights the interconnections of environmental justice, urban ecosystem services, and climate change, which influence land governance and productivity. It suggests that with increasing population, a clear spatial land use planning and management strategy is required to enhance food systems and urban environmental sustainability in rapidly urbanizing cities.
Urban–rural linkageClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceHealthEconomicsCommunity“BIOPOLIS”: Biopolicy for Greener and More Livable Cities
2013“Biopolis” Biopolicy for Greener and More Livable Cities · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Global
This article proposes a "biopolis" model, supported by biopolicy principles, for sustainable urban management. It suggests that this model can lead to coordinated actions that limit emissions, expand green spaces, protect waterways, and encourage urban farming. The biopolis model aims to enhance cultural development, create green jobs, and promote educational opportunities, contributing to healthier and more livable cities.
PolicyClimate changeHealthEconomicsUrban Biodiversity Gains New Converts
2013Richard Blaustein · BioScience · Global
This article discusses how cities globally are revitalizing urban biodiversity through various efforts, including watershed restoration, green infrastructure, and reintroducing native species. It highlights the concept of "biophilic cities" by Timothy Beatley, which integrates nature into urban design for social and health benefits. The Cities for Life Summit in October 2012, attended by over 500 people including mayors, further boosted urban biodiversity initiatives by showcasing the Cities and Biodiversity Outlook report.
BiodiversityClimate changeCommunityWhat are the impacts of urban agriculture programs on food security and nutrition in low and middle income countries
2013Robert Garey Stewart, Marcel Korth, Laurenz Langer, Shannon Rafferty, N Rebelo Da Silva · · Global
This paper is a protocol for a systematic review on the impacts of urban agriculture programs on food security and nutrition in low and middle-income countries. It notes potential disadvantages of urban agriculture, including contamination, spread of diseases, depletion of water supplies, soil erosion, and health risks from pesticides. The review aims to identify, appraise, and synthesize evidence on these impacts comprehensively and transparently, given that the existing evidence-base is not well understood.
Contamination & food safetyFood sovereignty & justiceHealthClimate changeEconomicsPoblación-Ambiente. Desarrollo y Agricultura Urbana en unMunicipio de Ciudad Habana, Cuba
2013Cabrera Trimiño, Gilberto Javier · · Cuba (Ciudad Habana)
In Cuba, urban agriculture is a movement producing food in urban spaces using local resources under ecological principles. While large cities like Havana cannot achieve food self-sufficiency, agricultural programs can enhance understanding of the population-environment-development relationship in Cuba, the Caribbean, and Latin America. This understanding is crucial for public policies addressing contemporary challenges like environmental vulnerability and climate change impacts.
Food sovereignty & justicePolicyClimate changeCommunitySustainability through Urban Gardening
2013Sherece Burma Tami Ambury · Earth Common Journal · Global
This article explores three visions of sustainability through urban gardening at individual, community, and city levels, as visually presented by MacEwan University Design Studies students in their final documentary photography project. It details the students' project development process, including subject location and interviews, and highlights their increased awareness and interest in how urban and suburban residents can find or grow their own food.
CommunityDIYFood educationClimate changeEcological Integrity of a Peri-Urban River System, Chiraura River in Zimbabwe
2013Beaven Utete · Journal of Water Resources and Ocean Science · Zimbabwe
The ecological integrity of the peri-urban Chiraura River system in Zimbabwe was assessed through multivariate analysis of physicochemical parameters and the resident macroinvertebrate community. Monthly collections were conducted over five months from November 2011 to March 2012 at six sites, recording 1209 macroinvertebrates. Unsustainable anthropogenic activities, including industrial, domestic, and urban agricultural activities, were found to affect the water quality of the Chiraura River through run-off and increased effluent.
Environmental trade-offsClimate changeBiodiversityText Twitter and tweet: Sustainability
2013Sharon McDonough · Practically primary · Australia (Melbourne)
This reflective piece explores the concept of sustainability and its connection to gardening in Melbourne, Australia. The author observes that a focus on sustainability encourages individuals to engage in personal and community gardening, including planting on nature strips. An example in Melbourne highlights neighbors collaboratively planting and caring for herbs, fostering community engagement and shared resource management.
CommunityDIYClimate changeHorticultura comunitária e construção de sistemas socioecológicos sustentáveis Community horticulture and construction of sustainable socio-ecological
2013Alessandra Pavesi, Denise de Freitas, Bárbara Pacheco Lopes · · Global
This paper reaffirms the importance of community horticulture as a tool for learning scientific and political skills essential for building sustainable and resilient Socioecological Systems (SES). It explores concepts from (Agro)Ecology and Education, reframing community and school gardens from a contextualized perspective to strengthen adaptive capacity and enable systems to respond to disruptions.
CommunityFood educationClimate changePotenciál záhrad a produkčných plôch v súčasnom meste
2013Jana Adamková · Brno University of Technology Digital Library (Brno University of Technology) · Global
This article discusses how productive gardens, historically integral to cities, have been disappearing from urban structures in recent years. As urban agglomerations and their resource uses become dominant, cities increasingly depend on external food supplies. The article highlights the importance of gardens for humans and the role of productive urban space in creating a viable urban environment. It states that as the world urbanizes, urban agriculture plays an important role in contributing to the sustainability of cities in spatial, socio-economic, and environmental ways.
CommunityUrban–rural linkageEconomicsClimate changeReadjusting to reality
2013Adrian Atkinson · City · Global
This paper analyzes the background to the rapid growth of urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) globally over the past three decades. It notes that while food security is a primary consideration in many cities, UPA initiatives are driven by many other concerns, motivations, starting points, and organizational means.
Food sovereignty & justiceClimate changeEconomicsFood and Green Space in Cities: A Resilience Lens on Gardens and Urban Environmental Movements
2013Stephan Barthel, John N. Parker, Henrik Ernstson · Urban Studies · Global
This article examined the role of urban gardens during historical collapses in urban food supply lines and identified social processes needed to protect open green spaces and the collective memory of food production during crises. Over the past 50 years, urban dependence on global food systems has increased, eroding collective memory of food production and losing suitable urban gardening spaces, heightening the potential for food shortages during crises. Urban gardening is effective during crises, and allotment gardens transmit social-ecological memories of food production. Urban environmental movements protect urban green space, and urban gardening and social movements can build local response capacity against food supply collapses.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changePolicyDesign Thinking on Urban Agricultural Construction of Intelligent Ecological Residential Building
2013Xiao Di Li, Wei Hu, Xiao Yang · Applied Mechanics and Materials · Global
This research aims to create intelligent ecological residential buildings with small, limited agricultural rooms for city residents, fulfilling their psychological desire for nature, eco-protection, work-life balance, and a residential agronomic garden. Through logical reasoning, it was found that rapid social, political, technological, and economic development sufficiently supports the realization of intelligent eco-building ideas for urban agriculture. This is expected to initiate social concerns and further research on urban intelligent ecological agricultural buildings.
DIYClimate changeDigital agricultureFrom Garden City to City in a Garden (Case Study: Shiraz City as a ""Permaculture"" Model in Iran)
2013Sara Fattahi · · Iran (Shiraz)
Focusing on Shiraz City, Iran, rooftop gardens were examined as an example of incorporating passive, eco-friendly technology for sustainable development. Rooftop gardens are stated to help mitigate negative environmental impacts by conserving energy and water, improving air and water quality, assisting in storm water management, absorbing solar radiation, becoming a source of local food production, providing habitat restoration, and creating natural retreats.
DIYClimate changeBiodiversityOrganic cycleEvaluating the changes in climate and its implications on peri -urban agriculture
2013Anushiya Shrestha, Rajesh Sada · · Nepal (Kathmandu)
Climate change and its impacts on peri-urban agriculture were investigated in four peri-urban villages in the Kathmandu valley, Nepal. Temperature showed an increasing trend, while rainfall was erratic with no distinct pattern. These changes primarily had negative impacts on agriculture, leading to increased crop pests and diseases and a decline in crop production.
Limited or null effectClimate changePeri-urban agricultureEconomicsAGRICULTURA URBANA E PERIURBANA agriculture urban and periurban
2013Juliano Avelar Moura, William Rodrigues Ferreira, Luciene de Barros, Lorandi Silveira Lara · Mercator · Global
This study discusses the viability of introducing urban and peri-urban agriculture models in municipal planning, driven by the need to improve the current chaotic management model of urban space. It focuses on the dynamics of relations between the environment, transport, and socioeconomics, presenting urban agriculture as a strategic program for harmonizing urban spaces.
PolicyUrban–rural linkagePeri-urban agricultureClimate changeAPPLICATION OF MULTI CRITERIA DECISION MAKING METHOD AND THE INTEGRATED ANP- DEMATEL MODEL FOR AGRICULTURAL LAND SUITABILITY ANALYSIS (CASE STUDY: QAZVIN PLAIN)
2013Hamidreza Pourkhabbaz, Javanmardi Saeedeh, Yavari Ahmad Reza, H A Faraji Sabokbar · · Iran
This paper presented an integrated DEMATEL and ANP technique to evaluate land for peri-urban agriculture in the Qazvin Plain, Iran. Ecological word model, slope, climatic soil properties, water resources, and vegetation density were chosen as major factors and evaluated using a Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) model. Results confirmed six classes of agricultural land use, indicating that northern parts are not suitable for agriculture development. However, 98,598.20 hectares of polygons were determined to be extremely to medium suitable for agriculture.
Peri-urban agriculturePolicyEconomicsClimate change