Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
1074 results(30 / 43)
SCHOOL GARDENS IN THE CITY
2016Rashawn Ray, Dana R. Fisher, Carley Fisher-Maltese · Du Bois Review Social Science Research on Race · United States (Washington, DC)
This study analyzed quantitative data on fifth graders' math, reading, and science standardized test scores in Washington, D.C., to investigate how school gardens help close the achievement gap. It compared academic performance between students in traditional schools and garden-based learning schools, and examined whether the presence of a school garden reduces race and social class disparities in academic achievement. Findings showed that the presence of a school garden is associated with higher test scores in reading and science, and this association persisted even when controlling for students' race and class composition.
Food educationCommunityWelfareSocial-Ecological Refuges: Reconnecting In Community Gardens In Lincoln, Nebraska
2016Joana Chan, Lisa Pennisi, Charles Francis · Journal of Ethnobiology · United States
This article explores the social-ecological functions of community gardening based on a case study conducted in Lincoln, Nebraska, USA. Through semi-structured interviews with 20 community garden participants and staff, it was found that community gardening provides opportunities for participants to foster resilience to personal, cultural, and economic challenges resulting from urban migration. Participants were able to develop a sense of belonging and connection with cultural identity, social community, and the local environment.
CommunityHealthWelfareFood sovereignty & justiceCultivating community through gardening in Kenora, Ontario
2016Rob Moquin, Alan P. Diduck, A. John Sinclair, Iain J. Davidson‐Hunt · Canadian Food Studies / La Revue canadienne des études sur l alimentation · Canada
This research documented participants' experiences of community-building through community gardening in Kenora, Ontario, Canada, using Photovoice with twelve participants, follow-up interviews, and participant observation. Findings revealed a relational perspective of community gardening and the importance of sharing and learning, but also identified barriers to social capital and ecological citizenship. Future initiatives must address colonial and racial barriers to collaboration and ensure accessible garden locations.
Equity & displacementCommunityFood educationWelfareEstablishing Principles for Community Garden Design to Improve Self-Support Capability of Vulnerable Group - Focused on Supportive Housing for Homeless People -
2016Sook Mee Lee, In Ho Kim · Journal of people, plants, and environment · Global
This study aimed to establish principles for community garden space planning to improve the self-support capability of vulnerable groups. Considering the circumstances of homeless individuals, 13 universal design principles were applied, integrating concepts of healing gardens and urban agriculture. The principles include maximally efficient space division for various programs, privacy-protected spaces, rest areas for strengthening resilience and health, pleasant spaces with plants, easily accessible and safe spaces, and easy maintenance and sustainability. For the ultimate goal of financial self-support, spaces for developing acquired skills and engaging in productive activities were also included in the principles.
CommunityWelfareHealthFood sovereignty & justiceAssessment of the Influence of Urban Agriculture on Household Income. Evidence from Kogi State, Nigeria
2016S. J. Ibitoye, U Shaibu, Firdaus Sale, Oroka Frank · International Journal of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences · Nigeria (Kogi State)
This study assessed the influence of urban agriculture on household income in Kogi State, Nigeria, using data from 120 urban farmers. Urban agriculture was found to increase household income at a 90% confidence level. However, urban farmers faced significant constraints including inadequate capital (M=2.9), poor extension services (M=2.4), and high labor costs (M=2.2).
Economic viabilityEconomicsWelfareCommunityInvestigation of the Effects of Horticultural Activity Program for Mothers to Improve Relationship with Child
2016Yeon Seon Kim, Sin Ae Park · Journal of people, plants, and environment · Global
This study investigated the effectiveness of a horticultural activity program for mothers to improve mother-child relationships, involving 60 mothers with children aged 4-7 years. The experimental group (n=30) attended six weekly 90-minute sessions, while the control group (n=30) did not. After the program, the experimental group showed statistically significant improvements in parenting stress, self-esteem, and parenting efficacy, but no significant difference was found in emotional empathy.
HealthFood educationWelfareChallenge brings communities together to improve health: Fifty cities, counties receive funding
2016Natalie McGill · The Nation's health · United States
In 2016, in DeKalb County, Illinois, United States, where some residents lived in areas with limited access to grocery stores offering fresh produce, staff at DeKalb County Community Gardens initiated an effort to bring food directly to the people. This initiative aimed to improve residents' health.
CommunityWelfareFood sovereignty & justiceGrowing hungry: The politics of food distribution and the shifting boundaries between urban and rural in Dar es Salaam
2016Emily Brownell · Global Environment · Tanzania (Dar es Salaam)
This case study in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, examines the politics of food distribution and shifting urban-rural boundaries during the socialist era. The Tanzanian government pursued an anti-urban policy, viewing urbanites as slothful and discouraging migration to cities. However, by the early 1980s, as state food distribution channels failed, the government shifted to transforming as much of Dar es Salaam into agricultural space as possible, with urban agriculture and family networks becoming key bulwarks against hunger in the city.
Urban–rural linkagePolicyWelfareFood sovereignty & justiceGraduate Internship in Agricultural Education: Joseph Kerr Middle School
2016Christie Elise Liebig · DigitalCommons - CalPoly (California State Polytechnic University) · United States (California)
This graduate internship involved developing a school and community garden at Joseph Kerr Middle School in California, United States. The garden provides hands-on learning for students, who harvest fresh produce and distribute it to families lacking access to fresh produce. Some produce was also donated to a local food bank, emphasizing the program's focus on teaching sustainable practices.
Food educationCommunityWelfareOrganic cycleLinking Food Insecure Patients With Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)
2016Daniel Orlins Trigg · ScholarWorks -A service of University of Vermont Libraries (University of Vermont) · United States
This study investigated food insecurity screening among clinicians in Vermont, where 76% of residents experience some level of food insecurity. It found that physicians and physician assistants prefer using an established two-item screen for food insecurity. However, these clinicians tend to underestimate the actual prevalence of food insecurity in their practice communities.
Limited or null effectCSA & TeikeiHealthWelfareA Story of Urban Farming and the Cultivation of Community and the Human Spirit
2016Matthew M. Mars · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · Canada (Vancouver)
Michael Ableman's book "Street Farm" tells the story of how an urban farm transformed vacant lots in Vancouver, Canada's Low Tracks neighborhood into sites for food production, partial community restoration, and nurturing the human spirit. The narrative reveals a tenuous balance between the promises of urban farming and the harsh realities of addiction, hunger, homelessness, and violence often characterizing inner-city conditions. Urban agriculture is presented as a means to sustainably produce food for a city while also feeding the souls of disenfranchised individuals and communities.
Equity & displacementCommunityWelfareFood sovereignty & justiceDon’t Panic, It’s Organic*: Supporting Sustainable Agriculture and Hunger Relief Efforts at McQuade Library
2016Catherine Wong, Kathryn Geoffrion Scannell · University of New Hampshire Scholars Repository (University of New Hampshire at Manchester) · United States
McQuade Library partnered with a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) operation to become a distributor of local foods, providing fresh produce to Merrimack College and the surrounding community. The library collaborated with Farmer Dave’s CSA, recruiting over fifty members to facilitate weekly food drop-offs for twenty weeks. Unclaimed food shares were distributed to a nearby food pantry, senior center, and an emergency shelter, supporting sustainable agriculture and hunger relief efforts.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityWelfareFood sovereignty & justiceFood Justice and Sustainability: A New Revolution
2016Patrizia Longo · Agriculture and Agricultural Science Procedia · United States (Lafayette, California)
This paper documents the history of Urban Farmers, a grassroots organization in Lafayette, California, that addresses poverty and sustainability through a community-development approach to food security. The organization's project focuses on localizing the food system and fostering community development.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityWelfareEconomicsImplementação de horta urbana em alojamento universitário: sustentabilidade e formação para a cidadania
2016Gabriel Rezende Marques, Maria Regina de Miranda Souza, Leo Rinaldo de Arantes Lazzerini, Cláudia Lúcia de Oliveira Pinto · Cadernos de Agroecologia · Brazil (Viçosa)
This study described and evaluated the implementation and adoption of an urban garden by socioeconomically vulnerable students residing in the Federal University of Viçosa dormitory in Viçosa, Brazil, and how the experience influenced their quality of life, civic education, perception, and interest in agroecology. It was found that the use of urban agriculture from an agroecological perspective is an alternative for improving the quality of life in residences and for expanding agroecological knowledge.
CommunityFood educationOrganic cycleWelfareGender, resilience and resistance: South Africa’s Hleketani Community Garden
2016Elizabeth Vibert · Journal of Contemporary African Studies · South Africa
This article examines the Hleketani Community Garden in Limpopo Province, South Africa, highlighting the successes of women farmers in reducing poverty and improving health outcomes. Despite these benefits, the research identifies significant structural barriers, including lack of access to resources, unfavorable policy frameworks for small-scale agriculture, and worsening climate change, that hinder small-scale farmers, particularly women.
Equity & displacementCommunityWelfareHealthPolicyClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceComplementary school garden, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene interventions to improve children’s nutrition and health status in Burkina Faso and Nepal: a study protocol
2016Séverine Erismann, Akina Shrestha, Serge Diagbouga, Astrid M. Knoblauch, Jana Gerold, Ramona Herz, Subodh Sharma, Christian Schindler, Peter Odermatt, Axel Drescher, Ray-Yu Yang, Jürg Utzinger, Guéladio Cissé · BMC Public Health · Burkina Faso; Nepal
This study protocol aims to describe the health status of schoolchildren in Burkina Faso and Nepal and provide an evidence-base for program decisions on the relevance of complementary school garden, nutrition, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) interventions. The studies will be conducted in 24 schools among 1144 children aged 8-14 years in the Centre Ouest and Plateau Central regions of Burkina Faso and the Dolakha and Ramechhap districts of Nepal. Data will be collected at baseline and a 1-year follow-up, including parasitological examinations, anthropometric and hemoglobin measurements, and questionnaire surveys to assess nutritional status, intestinal parasitic infections, and WASH conditions.
Food educationHealthWelfareThe Food Justice Portrait Project
2016Ruth Cary · Reflections A Journal of Community-Engaged Writing and Rhetoric · United States (Chester)
The Food Justice Portrait Project at Widener University involves first-year writing students creating portraits of community leaders engaged in food access and urban farming in Chester, PA. This collaborative community writing project aims for reciprocity, archiving biographies and institutional histories, and challenging the charity model of addressing community needs by supporting community agency.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceWelfareAgricultura urbana como alternativa de seguridad alimentaria y nutricional : familias de la UPZ Marruecos, localidad Rafael Uribe Uribe, Bogotá
2016Monroy Quevedo, Katherin Mayerli · · Colombia (Bogotá)
A mixed-methods study in UPZ Marruecos, Rafael Uribe Uribe Locality, Bogotá, Colombia, investigated the impact of urban agriculture on the food and nutritional security of participating families. Based on interviews and surveys with 10 participants, urban agriculture was found to contribute to families' food and nutritional security by increasing the availability of safe food and improving physical access. Participants perceived higher consumption of vegetables, fruits, tubers, cereals, and legumes, leading to greater dietary diversity.
Food sovereignty & justiceHealthCommunityWelfareElderlyCaracterización de diferentes métodos de establecimiento y producción de agricultura urbana, bajo la sostenibilidad y seguridad alimentaria para la población vulnerable de Altos de Cazucá, municipio de Soacha: Informe de avance de investigación
2016Paredes Guzmán, Germán Ricardo · · Colombia (Bogotá)
This project aims to describe different methods of establishing and producing urban agriculture, focusing on sustainability and food security for the vulnerable population of Altos de Cazucá, Soacha municipality, Colombia. This population is affected by forced displacement due to armed conflict, resulting in increased poverty and malnutrition, with a chronic malnutrition rate of 30% in children compared to the national average of 8%. The project proposes to apply participatory action research methodologies and techniques to develop an urban production model that addresses these issues.
Food sovereignty & justiceWelfareCommunityHealthIntroduction Context and commonality: Women in agriculture worldwide
2016Manase Kudzai Chiweshe, Kudzai MacMillan Muzanago · · Zimbabwe (Harare)
This exploratory study analyzed the emergence of sack potato farming as an alternative empowerment platform for urban women in Zimbabwe, using qualitative methodologies and secondary literature. It found that sack potato production, which gained prominence in Zimbabwe in 2013, can increase food security and income for urban households and promotes micro-economic enterprises among urban women.
Food sovereignty & justiceWelfareCommunityEconomicsUsing Text Messages to Promote Engagement in a Subsidized Community Supported Agriculture Program for Head Start Families
2016Colin Cox, Jessica A. Hoffman, Mariya Shiyko, Catherine Wirth · Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition · United States
A study in the United States evaluated the effect of text message reminders on farm share pickup rates among Head Start parents participating in a subsidized community supported agriculture program. While pickup rates were high for both text messaging and no text messaging groups, with 96% vs 92% within two days and 69% vs 62% on the day of delivery, no statistically significant differences were found between the groups. The study's ability to isolate the effects of text messages was limited because program coordinators used multiple methods to promote parent participation.
Limited or null effectCSA & TeikeiWelfareFood educationFood for Thought: The Intersection of Gardens, Education, and Community at Edible Schoolyard New Orleans
2015Fakharzadeh S. · Children, Youth and Environments, 25(3) (Project MUSE) · United States
A qualitative study of Edible Schoolyard New Orleans drawing on interviews and observations to examine how the school-garden program affects children. It illustrates gains in students' food security, environmental knowledge and emotional and social well-being, mapping the intersection of gardens, education and community.
Food educationCommunityWelfareA systematic review of urban agriculture and food security impacts in low-income countries
2015Poulsen M. N., McNab P. R., Clayton M. L., Neff R. A. · Food Policy 55:131-146 · Global
Synthesizing 35 peer-reviewed studies from 1980-2013, this review finds urban agriculture in low-income countries can improve food availability and dietary diversity, especially benefiting women, though income gains are not always sufficient to ensure household food security.
WelfareHealthEconomics'Quiet Food Sovereignty' as Food Sovereignty without a Movement? Insights from Post-socialist Russia
2015Visser O., Mamonova N., Spoor M., Nikulin A. · Globalizations · Russia
Introduces the concept of 'quiet food sovereignty' to describe how Russian smallholders practise dispersed, muted, bottom-up food autonomy in the absence of organised rural social movements.
PolicyCommunityEconomicsWelfareFamily Urban Agriculture in Russia: Lessons and Prospects
2015Boukharaeva L.M., Marloie M. · Springer (Urban Agriculture Series) · Russia
A Springer monograph documenting research since 1999 on urban gardening collectives in Russia, analysing the social, cultural, and food-security roles of family urban agriculture and its prospects.
CommunityEconomicsFood educationWelfare