Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
1089 results(31 / 44)
Urban and peri-urban crop farming in Central Uganda: Characteristics, constraints and opportunities for household food security and income
2017Immaculate Mugisa, Bernard Fungo, S. O. Adur, O. Ssemalulu, A. Molly, Jackie Atim, W. Nakyagaba, T. Kizza, Ruth Kabanyoro, Godfrey Sseruwu, B. Akello · African Journal of Plant Science · Uganda
A household survey of 297 farming households in Kampala, Wakiso, and Masaka districts, Central Uganda, investigated urban and peri-urban crop farming characteristics and trends. Cropping activities contributed an average of 40% to household income, with major crops including vegetables, maize, and bananas. Sixty percent of households practiced irrigation and fertilizer application, and 64% recycled waste, with 75% of those converting kitchen waste into manure.
Food sovereignty & justiceEconomicsCommunityCan urban agriculture become a planning strategy to address social-ecological justice?
2017Javier Fernández Andrés · · Global
The abstract is too short to provide a meaningful summary. It only states that cities grew unprecedentedly in the last century, leading to an urbanized world population, and that agriculture adopted industrial methods.
PolicyCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageOrdering urban agriculture: farmers, experts, the state and the collective management of resources in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
2017Gabin Korbéogo · Environment and Urbanization · Burkina Faso (Ouagadougou)
This article explores how land tenure, water flows, and water quality are legally, politically, and socially framed in urban agriculture in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Urban agriculture serves as a revenue source and a socio-political arena involving state representatives, experts, and farmers. Public authorities monitor legal standards for water use and hygiene, while farmers strive for efficient resource use, sometimes challenging official norms. These competing interests lead to conflicts over resource use or rule legitimacy, which are negotiated through institutional or informal bargaining.
Governance failurePolicyEconomicsCommunityHealthFood sovereignty & justiceThe case for citizen science in urban agriculture research
2017Georgia Pollard, Philip Roetman, James Ward · Kobra (Universitätsbibliothek Kassel) · Australia (South Australia)
While urban agriculture is seen as a sustainable approach to improving food security, there is a significant knowledge gap regarding the financial accessibility of urban food production for all households. If urban agriculture remains primarily a middle-class discretionary activity, its role in city-wide food security improvement will be limited. This paper demonstrates that citizen science offers an effective approach to investigate the inputs (labor, costs, water use) and outputs (produce yields, value) of urban food gardens, using the Edible Gardens project in South Australia as an example.
Equity & displacementFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsCommunityHealthDIYUrban parks, gardens and greenspace
2017Jason Byrne · · Global
Research on urban greenspace, including parks, gardens, and green infrastructure, consistently demonstrates that marginalized and vulnerable communities have less access to these areas. This chapter overviews environmental injustice research on urban greenspace, examining debates and challenges for researchers and policymakers, and highlighting issues like climate injustice and food insecurity related to environmental inequality.
Equity & displacementCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changeHealthUrban households' engagement in agriculture: implications for household food security in Ghana's medium sized cities
2017Hayford Mensah Ayerakwa · Geographical Research · Ghana
This paper descriptively analyzed the contribution of household engagement in agriculture to urban food security in Techiman and Tamale, Ghana, using household data. The study found that nearly half (43%) of urban residents participate in food production, primarily for consumption and surplus sale. For households engaged in both urban and rural agriculture, agricultural income was the highest, contributing 43% of total cash income in Techiman and 33% in Tamale.
Food sovereignty & justiceWelfareEconomicsPeri-urban agricultureAgriculture urbaine et souveraineté alimentaire à Genève (Suisse), machines à consentement ou moteurs d’hybridation du référentiel agricole dominant ?
2017Rémi Schweizer, Cyril Mumenthaler · VertigO · Switzerland (Genève)
This case study in Geneva, Switzerland, examined the integration of urban agriculture and food sovereignty into public policy, focusing on the regional brand Genève Région - Terre Avenir (GRTA). The analysis, based on a cognitive approach, highlighted compromises and imbalances among actor communities with divergent value systems. Ultimately, the study demonstrated the difficulty in challenging the dominant agricultural framework.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justicePolicyCommunityPropuesta de agricultura urbana aplicada a un jardín infantil ubicado en el barrio Santa Bárbara (La Candelaria-Bogotá D.C.)
2017Daniela Artunduaga Arboleda, Laura Michelle Bayona Ruiz, Juan Camilo Gómez, Laura Marcela González Vargas, Lady Jhoana Leiton Peña, María Fernanda Pardo Pachón, Daniela Alejandra Quintero Bautista, Möritz Velásquez Riaño · Revista de Tecnología · Colombia (Bogotá)
This descriptive study in a kindergarten in Santa Bárbara, Bogotá, addressed food security for 14 children, who received 16,693.6 g of vegetables/month, significantly less than the FAO-recommended 42,000 g. To mitigate this deficit, urban agriculture workshops were held for parents. The implemented proposal covered 65% of the vegetable supply deficit, equivalent to cultivating 140 plants, and 100% of participants showed interest in continuing the project.
Food educationCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceROLES OF COMMUNITY TOWARDS URBAN FARMING ACTIVITIES
2017Norul Hafizah Yusoff, Mohd. Ramzi Mohd. Hussain, Izawati Tukiman · PLANNING MALAYSIA · Malaysia
This paper reviews and analyzes the importance of a framework for urban farming activities within cities, describing the community's role in achieving environmental, economic, and social sustainability. It evaluates the benefits and potential of urban farming in limited urban spaces, noting its contribution to improving quality of life and addressing food shortage crises. The paper concludes that the community's role is crucial for implementing urban farming activities in urbanized areas.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsClimate changeDefining and theorizing global urban agriculture.
2017Antoinette WinklerPrins · CABI eBooks · Global
This chapter provides definitions and theoretical framing for urban agriculture (UA). Research on UA has evolved beyond describing food production systems to its role in creating spaces of community, resistance, and empowerment. UA serves as a means for those not central to the city's function to claim a right to the city, and it is a rich field for interdisciplinary inquiry into urban sustainability.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyClimate changeThe underestimated power effects of the discourses and practices of the food justice movement
2017Éric Darier · · Global
This chapter reviews Michel Foucault's contribution in the context of environmental effects of biopolitical disasters and presents three Foucaultian approaches. It then illustrates three specific components of the food justice movement: Via Campesina, urban agriculture, and Slow Food. The food justice movement exemplifies the theoretical lenses of power/knowledge, resistance, and ethics from the three Foucaultian perspectives.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityCommunity supported agriculture (CSA) as a transformational act—distinct values and multiple motivations among farmers and consumers
2016Christine Hvitsand · Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems · Norway
This article explores why Norwegian producers and consumers engage in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), identifying distinct values and motivations related to environmental protection, justice, health, participation, and communication. While CSA demonstrates transformational power in the agri-food system through sustainable practices and power reallocation, the challenge remains to upscale these actions and prevent the dilution of core values and agroecological practices.
Limited or null effectCSA & TeikeiFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityClimate changeKözösség által támogatott mezőgazdaság a világban és Magyarországon = Community Supported Agriculture in the World and in Hungary
2016Piroska Nagy · Repository of the Academy's Library (Library of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences) · Global
This study provides an overview of the development, geographical emergence, and key values of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) globally and in Hungary, using secondary research methods. The roots of CSA trace back to Rudolf Steiner's ideas in the 1920s, forming the basis for CSA movements in Germany, Switzerland, and the Americas. In contrast, the French AMAP and Hungarian CSA are based on the teikei communities that emerged in the 1970s. Both models were found to be motivated by consumers' desire for access to healthy food, with consumers initiating their establishment.
CSA & TeikeiFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityOrganic cycleAction Research: An Essential Approach for Constructing the Development of Sustainable Urban Agricultural Systems
2016Antonia Bousbaine, Christopher Bryant · Challenges in Sustainability · Global
This article proposes Action Research as a key approach for research to contribute to sustainable solutions in urban agriculture. It describes the researcher's roles, such as providing information, counseling, and organizing meetings, which are adopted based on requests from actors like citizens and farmers. The article synthesizes relevant research on sustainable agricultural systems in periurban areas and the co-authors' own research over eight years, identifying patience, process emphasis, and multi-actor participation as necessary characteristics of Action Research.
CommunityPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceGoverning Social Innovation: Exploring the Role of ‘Discretionary Practice’ in the Negotiation of Shared Spaces of Community Food Growing
2016Alex Franklin, Imre Kovách, Bernadett Csurgó · Sociologia Ruralis · Global
This article qualitatively examined a public sector-led initiative to instigate co-production of community food growing, focusing on the discretionary practice of front-line public sector workers. The study found that public sector-led initiatives lack sufficient intention or scope to transform existing social orders. However, they do contribute to propagating individual and smaller-scale occurrences of social innovation in community food security.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceUrban Gardening, Food Coops, Community Supported Agriculture: Transformative Wirtschaftsformen – Konsumpraktiken – Marktbeziehungen
2016Irene Antoni-Komar · HiBiFo – Haushalt in Bildung & Forschung · Global
This study evaluated how new food-related economic forms, such as urban gardening, food coops, and community-supported agriculture, contribute to reshaping consumption practices and market relationships to foster a sustainable food economy. Based on empirical data, the research elucidated the specific characteristics and transformative potentials of these initiatives. The question is whether these initiatives can transform the prevailing food system from the bottom up.
CommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceCSA & TeikeiLos medios de comunicación y el surgimiento de la cultura agrícola urbana en Venezuela || The Media and the Rise of Urban Farming Culture in Venezuela
2016Irama Flores · Razón y Palabra · Venezuela
This work reflects on the relationship between media communication and the promotion of urban agriculture, and the creation of a new agricultural culture in Venezuelan cities. The essay focuses on the rescue of values rooted in planting, against a backdrop where reduced production of staple items and black market premium sales, coupled with high inflation, violate food access. It also considers how urban dwellers with an oil culture are now motivated to use their yards or residential areas as nurseries to grow their own food to ensure food security during scarcity.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityFood educationDIYThe Potential of Urban Vacant Land For Producing Fresh Vegetables in the City of Maribyrnong, Victoria, Australia.
2016Sri Tuntung Pandangwati, Ole Fryd · · Australia (Melbourne)
A study in Maribyrnong, Australia, used secondary data and GIS to assess the potential of urban vacant land for vegetable production in three suburbs: Maribyrnong, Footscray, and Seddon. Maribyrnong and Footscray could meet annual local vegetable demand using less than half their vacant spaces. Seddon could potentially produce 93% of local demand by utilizing all existing vacant spaces.
Food sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicyWelfare‘Balik Kampong’: Is Malaysia Facing the Trends of De-Urbanization?
2016NUR HUZEIMA MOHD HUSSAIN, HUGH BYRD · Jurnal Antarabangsa Alam dan Tamadun Melayu · Malaysia
This paper questions whether Malaysia is experiencing de-urbanization, or a return to a new form of rural life, following rapid urbanization and a shift from an agricultural to a manufacturing-dependent society. It notes that urban growth has increased demand for resources, while recent debates on oil depletion and economic decline have prompted discussions about urban and peri-urban food production. The study explores the emerging decentralization of cities and population in Malaysia.
Urban–rural linkagePeri-urban agricultureEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceSTUDENT LEARNING, CHILDHOOD & VOICES | RESEARCH ARTICLE Community garden: A bridging program between formal and informal learning
2016Ranjan Datta, Rebecca English · · Global
This auto-ethnographic study explores the role of community garden activities in bridging formal and informal learning for urban children's science and environmental education. Based on five years of community garden activities, the author found that these practices promote relational learning methods and adhere to forms of agency such as embracing diversity, sharing power, and trust building. The study offers insights for environmental educators aiming to incorporate ethnic diversity and engage children in research leading to community action.
CommunityFood educationFood sovereignty & justiceHealthUrbanization, Food Insecurity and Agriculture – Challenges for Social Sustainable Development
2016P. Kanmani, Karthikeyan Parthasarathy · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Global
This paper reviews contemporary thinking on urbanization, food insecurity, and agriculture, identifying urbanization and population increase as key drivers of growing food insecurity. It presents ideas and practices for agricultural sustainability, addressing agro-environmental sources, input systems, socio-economic systems, and farming systems. The paper also explores urban sustainability, including urban social sustainability and urban ecology, highlighting urban farming's role in enhancing urban food security.
Food sovereignty & justiceClimate changeUrban–rural linkageGrowing green values
2016Kajsa Ignell, Åsa Bugge Marin · · Argentina (Buenos Aires)
A field study was conducted in November and December 2015 at six urban agricultural sites in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The study aimed to map ecosystem services at these sites and assess urban agriculture's potential to strengthen adaptive capacity and resilience in Buenos Aires. The mapping and research showed that urban agriculture provides many ecosystem services, creating a sense of community and other social values, and contributing to urban temperature regulation, added biodiversity, and water infiltration.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceBiodiversityClimate changeCommunity gardening: cultivating subjectivities, space, and justice
2016Jennifer L. Barron · Local Environment · Global
This paper explored how neoliberal processes of privatization, state entrepreneurialism, and devolution intersect with community gardens. It argued that certain characteristics and orientations of gardens are more conducive to resisting neoliberalism. These include cultivating producer, citizen, and activist subjectivities, elevating the use value of shared lived space, advancing spatial justice through community access to non-privatized space, and promoting food justice through non-commodified means of obtaining food.
Equity & displacementCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicyMan ska odla för sina grannar
2016Emma Björkqvist · · Sweden
This study investigated the prevalence of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA, "andelsjordbruk" in Swedish) in Sweden and the motivations, drivers, and goals behind decisions to start them. Based on interviews with four CSA farmers in Sweden, it showed that they share several common motives, goals, and values in their respective operations. The study concluded that CSA appears to be part of a new social movement contributing to self-sufficiency and locally produced food.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceThe Tragedy of the Uncommon
2016Piers H.G. Stephens · Oxford University Press eBooks · Global
This chapter applies the author's work on property rights justification to community gardens, criticizing the Lockean private property justification. It argues that legitimate property ownership derives from "belonging," a felt bond of lived experience, which can conflict with Lockean "possession." The chapter concludes that the Lockean orientation combined with technocratic politics reduces contemporary life, making connection to nature uncommon, and that community garden practices offer practical alternatives.
CommunityPolicyFood sovereignty & justice