Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
9077 results(301 / 364)
Just green enough: contesting environmental gentrification in Greenpoint, Brooklyn
2012Winifred Curran, Trina Hamilton · Local Environment · USA (Brooklyn, NYC)
Coins 'just green enough' by showing how conventional green-amenity planning triggers environmental gentrification and displacement of working-class residents; argues greening policy must be deliberately constrained to avoid the speculative development it otherwise unleashes.
PolicyCommunityWelfareThe Changing Meaning of Community Space: Two Models of NGO Management of Community Gardens in New York City
2012Efrat Eizenberg · International Journal of Urban and Regional Research · USA (New York City)
After the Giuliani-era threat to NYC gardens, land-trust/NGO 'rescue' models became the governance solution; the paper shows how this institutionalization altered community space—trading grassroots autonomy for managerial control and revealing the trade-offs of the policy fix.
PolicyCommunityEvaluating the Benefits of Peri-Urban Agriculture
2012Catherine Brinkley · Journal of Planning Literature · Global
This article reviewed literature from various fields to evaluate services provided by farms to urban areas. It analyzed mission statements of 130 land trusts, finding a preference for parcels offering ecosystem services, wildlife habitat, and agricultural productivity. A literature review revealed that the market value of farmland services varies from -$37,541 to $124,000 per acre, depending on analysis method and farm location.
Peri-urban agricultureEconomicsBiodiversityPolicySustainability through intervention: a case study of guerrilla gardening in Kingston, Ontario
2012Annie Crane, Leela Viswanathan, Graham Whitelaw · Local Environment · Canada (Kingston, Ontario)
This paper examines guerrilla gardening as an example of sustainability in action, using participatory action research methods. Two case studies were developed in Kingston, Ontario: Dig Kingston, a guerrilla gardening project, and the Oak Street Community Garden. The research found that interventions like guerrilla gardening open up unexpected possibilities for conceptualizing sustainability and contribute to producing engaging and sustainable communities.
CommunityDIYFood sovereignty & justiceTheorising community gardens as pedagogical sites in the food movement
2012Pierre Walter · Environmental Education Research · United States
This paper argues that community gardens in the North American food movement serve as rich non-school sites for informal adult learning, despite being under-researched in environmental education. It proposes applying theories of public pedagogy and social movement learning from Adult Education to frame the study of learning within these gardens. The paper reviews empirical research on the benefits of community garden participation to illustrate the potential for further research on the link between learning and these benefits.
CommunityFood educationThe City as an "Agricultural Powerhouse"? Perspectives on Expanding Urban Agriculture from Detroit, Michigan
2012Kathryn Colasanti, Michael W. Hamm, Charlotte M. Litjens · Urban Geography · United States (Detroit)
This research explores perceptions of expanding urban agriculture in Detroit, Michigan, through semi-structured interviews and focus groups. While revealing widespread support for urban agriculture as a strategy for food security and urban sustainability, the study highlights contested aspects regarding the extent to which it should occur, its purpose, and the people it would involve.
Equity & displacementCommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyCommunity Supported Agriculture: A Commitment to a Healthier Diet
2012Joseph N. Cohen, S. Gearhart, Elizabeth Garland · Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition · United States (New York City)
A prospective cohort study in New York City investigated whether Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) participation increased fruit and vegetable consumption and home-cooked meals. Among 583 individuals who completed both surveys, CSA members showed a statistically significant increase of 2.2 servings of fruit and vegetables per week and 4.9 home-cooked meals per month compared to non-members. CSA participation was also associated with subjective reports of increased fruit and vegetable consumption.
CSA & TeikeiHealthFood educationEvaluating Community Gardens as Habitat for an Urban Butterfly
2012Kevin C. Matteson, Gail Langellotto · Cities and the Environment · United States (New York City)
This study used mark-recapture and translocation experiments to assess the residency and movement of the urban butterfly, Pieris rapae, within and among community gardens in New York City. While most marked butterflies used gardens transiently, recruitment and residence time were higher in larger gardens and those with more flowers. The study demonstrated the butterfly's ability to move through developed landscapes and locate floral resources.
CommunityBiodiversityPollinatorsToward a Food Policy “First Step” in Oakland, California: A Food Policy Council’s Efforts To Promote Urban Agriculture Zoning
2012Nathan McClintock, Heather Wooten, Alethea Brown · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United States (California)
This 2012 reflective case study documented the efforts of the Oakland Food Policy Council (OFPC) in Oakland, California, to develop recommendations for urban agriculture zoning. Despite popular interest in urban agriculture, zoning often acts as an obstacle to its expansion. The OFPC faced obstacles in gaining the attention of city officials and advancing its policy agenda for new zoning definitions and operating standards for urban agriculture.
Governance failurePolicyFood sovereignty & justiceZoned Out: The Potential of Urban Agriculture Planning to Turn Against its Roots
2012Community Gardening Works! ACGA 2011 Conference, Carolin Mees, Edie Stone · Cities and the Environment · United States
This abstract discusses the rapid expansion of the community gardening movement in US urban areas. It highlights the potential for urban agriculture planning to turn against its original community-driven roots, as suggested by the title. The movement began over 30 years ago, with residents creating gardens on abandoned land, supported by programs like New York City's GreenThumb.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyEconomicsField assessment of cadmium, lead and zinc contamination of soils and leaf vegetables under urban and peri-urban agriculture in northern Nigeria
2012G. N. Egwu, John O. Agbenin · Archives of Agronomy and Soil Science · Nigeria
A study in northern Nigeria assessed cadmium, lead, and zinc contamination in soils and leaf vegetables (amaranthus, lettuce) irrigated with untreated wastewater. Total cadmium and zinc concentrations in soils exceeded safe limits, and lead and cadmium in edible portions of amaranthus and lettuce exceeded safe limits for human consumption by 7–17 times. The permissible limit for lead established for agricultural lands may not be suitable to ensure produce safety in urban and peri-urban agriculture in Kano.
Contamination & food safetyHealthPeri-urban agricultureA Deweyan Defense of Guerrilla Gardening
2012Shane J. Ralston · The Pluralist · Global
This research article, published in The Pluralist in 2012, presents a Deweyan defense of guerrilla gardening. The full text of the article is available only as a PDF.
CommunityDIYFood sovereignty & justiceSchool gardens: teaching and learning outside the front door
2012Rowena Passy · Education 3-13 · Global
This article reports on two projects investigating school gardens, finding that while they can effectively engage primary children in learning, a divide exists among teachers regarding garden use. The article argues that mixed messages in policy concerning outdoor learning act as a barrier to teachers utilizing school gardens.
Governance failureFood educationPolicyReconceptualising gardening to promote inclusive education for sustainable development
2012Susan B. Johnson · International Journal of Inclusive Education · United Kingdom
This paper argues that a reconceptualized approach to school gardening in the UK could promote inclusive education for sustainable development. It examines the potential for children aged 5-14 to develop ecological knowledge, action competence, and environmental engagement skills through gardening. The paper suggests a curriculum framework and provides a bean crop exemplar, but it does not present empirical findings or results from an implemented program.
Food educationCommunityClimate changeBiodiversityMore Than Counting Beans: Adapting USDA Data Collection Practices To Track Marketing Channel Diversification
2012Alan Hunt, Gary C. Matteson · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United States
Agricultural producers are diversifying their marketing channels, but the U.S. Census of Agriculture primarily tracks only direct-to-consumer sales, organic sales, and community supported agriculture farms. This paper proposes that administrative reporting changes in the 2012 census and the introduction of new questions for the 2017 census can improve observations on marketing channel usage at both farm-level and sector-level with greater precision.
CSA & TeikeiPolicyEconomicsUrban Agriculture:The Major Direction of Future Agricultural Development in Huainan City
2012Du, Xing-ying · 亚洲农业研究：英文版 · China (Huainan)
This paper analyzes the necessity of developing urban agriculture in Huainan City, China, identifying it as crucial for agricultural industry transformation, urban-rural integration, sustainable urban development, and effective resolution of issues concerning agriculture, countryside, and farmers. It also examines the city's endowments for urban agriculture and proposes a basic conception for its industrial form and spatial framework.
Urban–rural linkagePolicyEconomicsFood sovereignty & justicePhytodiversity for Metals in Plants Grown in Urban Agricultural Lands Irrigated with Untreated City Effluent
2012Ghulam Murtaza, Abdul Ghafoor, Muhammad Zia‐ur‐Rehman, Muḥammad Ṣābir, Asif Naeem · Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis · Global
This study investigated metal accumulation in plants grown in urban agricultural lands irrigated with untreated city effluent in developing countries. Sewage samples showed hazardous electrical conductivities, sodium adsorption ratios, and residual sodium carbonate for irrigation, although metal levels were near permissible limits. Critically, plants acquired metal contents that were greater than those found in the raw sewage or soils, indicating significant metal uptake.
Contamination & food safetyHealthWe Are Not Ghosts
2012Jennifer Dean · Educational Media Reviews Online · United States (Detroit)
The documentary "We Are Not Ghosts" tells the story of Detroit through interviews, focusing on the city's future and revitalization initiatives like urban farming. However, according to the review, the film glosses over the city's troubles and attempts to cover too many issues in 52 minutes, resulting in a lack of appropriate analysis for any single issue. It is described as serving more as a promotional video for Detroit than an academic one.
CommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceCapacity building in the field of climate change adaptation - first experiences from a rural research and development project in Germany.
2012Eva Foos, Thomas Aenis, Julia Jahnke · GERICS Climate Service Center Germany (University of Oldenburg) · Germany
This paper discusses initial experiences from a German R&D network (INKA BB) developing capacity building programs for climate change adaptation in agriculture and horticulture. It uses two urban agriculture/gardening examples as case studies to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of development processes. The authors advocate for "learning chains" that enable lifelong learning and an action-oriented, participatory approach to foster mutual learning among partners from research and education.
Climate changeFood educationPolicyDeveloping a Space for Children: An Internship with the Mullumbimby Community Garden
2012Eden K Olsen · School for International Training Digital Collections (School for International Training) · Australia
This paper details an internship at the Mullumbimby Community Garden (MCG) in Byron Shire, Australia, focusing on the development of its Children's Garden. The intern spent 152.5 hours over four weeks in late 2012 on tasks including planting, project planning, and designing new structures. The study also examines the broader importance of community gardens and children's spaces, drawing conclusions on environmental education and communication practices based on participant observations and three interviews.
CommunityFood educationDIYFood sovereignty & justiceThe desire to learn as a kind of love: gardening, cooking, and passion in outdoor education
2012Karen Wistoft · Journal of Adventure Education & Outdoor Learning · Denmark
This article presents an evaluation of 'Gardens for Bellies' (Haver til Maver), an organic school garden project at Krogerup farm in Northern Sealand, Denmark. Based on qualitative and quantitative studies, the evaluation found very positive learning benefits, including the development of a desire to learn among participating pupils. The program, which provides first-hand experiences in nature, farming, and food preparation, is seen as a unique supplement to the Danish national curriculum.
Food educationCommunity农业投资融资平台、信贷与保险“共振”——构建武汉现代都市农业发展的融资支撑体系
2012Xie Miya Qiong, 方爱国, 陈进, 刘海虹 · 武汉金融 · China (Wuhan)
This paper analyzes the financial challenges and their causes for modern urban agricultural development in Wuhan, China. It proposes a comprehensive and systematic financing support system with a "resonance" effect. This system includes an investment and financing platform centered on agricultural investment companies, guarantee companies, and industrial investment funds, an optimized credit finance system with new rural financial institutions and postal savings banks, and a strengthened insurance system combining policy-based and commercial models.
EconomicsPolicyInsecticide susceptibility status of the malaria vector Anopheles arabiensis in Khartoum city, Sudan: differences between urban and periurban areas
2012Osama M. E. Seidahmed, M.A. Abdelmajed, Mashair Sir El Khatim Mustafa, Abraham Mnzava · Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal · Sudan (Khartoum)
A baseline survey in Khartoum city, Sudan, from September to November 2007, assessed the insecticide susceptibility of 9820 Anopheles arabiensis specimens across 6 urban and periurban sites. The mosquito was susceptible to bendiocarb, propoxur, fenitrothion, deltamethrin, and lambda-cyhalothrin. However, susceptibility rates for malathion, DDT, and permethrin differed significantly between urban and periurban sites, and 50% knockdown times were significantly higher in periurban populations for deltamethrin, lambda-cyhalothrin, and malathion.
HealthBiodiversityUrban–rural linkageMechanism of Raising Urban Agricultural Effective Investment by Industrial Value Chain
2012Yun Xiao-lan · Anhui nongye kexue · Global
This paper introduced the concept and application status of value chain management, and the implications of using an industrial value chain to increase effective urban agricultural investment. Based on value chain management principles, the study explored the mechanism for increasing effective urban agricultural investment through the value chain of urban agriculture and other industries.
EconomicsUrban–rural linkagePlace Values of Urban Agriculture through applying the Concept of Creative Industry Convergence
2012Seokhwan Lee · Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society · Global
This research aims to provide a theoretical basis for sustainable urban regeneration by studying the place value improvement through urban agriculture, applying the concept of creative industry convergence. It identifies problems with existing urban development methods and highlights the strengths of urban agriculture with creative industry convergence in enhancing place value. The study proposes a new paradigm for urban regeneration.
CommunityEconomicsPolicy