Research & reports

Adedoyin Osasona Foluso · International Journal of Home Economics Hospitality and Allied Research · Nigeria (Ekiti State)

Adolescent students' nutritional knowledge and strategies for improving their nutritional status were investigated in boarding schools in the Ido-Osi Local Government Area of Ekiti State, Nigeria. A questionnaire was used with 80 boarding house students from three government and private colleges. Findings revealed that a good percentage of boarding school students possessed good nutritional knowledge.

Rasidin Karo Karo Sitepu, Veralianta Br Sebayang · JURNAL AGRIBISNIS DAN KOMUNIKASI PERTANIAN (Journal of Agribusiness and Agricultural Communication) · Indonesia (Bogor City)

A study in Margajaya Village, Bogor City, Indonesia, involving 94 households, analyzed factors influencing household decisions in implementing urban agriculture. It found that 87.23% of the community understood urban agriculture concepts, with the tabulampot system being the most applied method (51.22%). Household preferences, influenced by economic, environmental, and social aspects, and knowledge of urban agriculture positively affected decisions to implement urban agriculture.

Marina Carboni, Vitoria Maria Domingues Moço · Revista Fatecnológica da Fatec-Jahu · Brazil

This paper presents a project proposal for an urban agroforestry system combined with a community garden in Brazil. The project aims to revitalize a 2,500m² urban green area currently lacking leisure attractions and adequate tree cover. The plan includes planting 35 trees of 8 fruit species and 9 vegetable species, and fencing the area to prevent theft and vandalism. The project is expected to offer vegetables and fruits to the local population, promote environmental education, and enhance ecosystem services such as temperature reduction and increased rainwater infiltration.

Sunik Sunik, Sari Perwita R.I. · Jurnal BisTek PERTANIAN Agribisnis dan Teknologi Hasil Pertanian · Indonesia

This 2023 qualitative study in Indonesia analyzed the characteristics of organic urban farming actors and their considerations for choosing irrigation systems. The majority of respondents were of productive age, had a high school education, and worked as civil servants, private sector employees, or entrepreneurs. Key considerations for selecting an irrigation type included complexity, time availability, and ease of implementation.

Pauline Marsh, Suzanne Mallick, Dave Kendal, Renae Riviere · · Australia (Hobart)

In Hobart, Australia, a conservation program for culturally and linguistically diverse adult migrants was implemented. This study used mixed methods to examine how a structured program of plant nursery and field-based community conservation activities helped overcome participants' sense of feeling "out of place." Positive impacts were found on indirect health and wellbeing factors such as work skills, language acquisition, and social connection, and participants' self-esteem, happiness, and social connection were also cultivated.

Callan Hand, D. Barry Croom, James C. Anderson, Ashley M. Yopp, Aaron Golson · Career and Technical Education Research · United States

This phenomenological study investigated the motivations of non-traditional urban agriculture students of color to remain in agriculture. Findings suggest that while systematic instruction in agricultural sciences and positive local youth organization experiences contribute to a favorable perception of agriculture, they do not necessarily lead to a career preference for agriculture among these students. Furthermore, urban students of color perceived that the FFA Organization above the school level is not inclusive of them.

Ashli D. Jay · Advances in human resources management and organizational development book series · Global

This chapter investigated the crucial role of transformational leadership in shaping urban agricultural education and program development. Drawing from established research, it highlighted how transformational leadership provides a structured approach to achieving academic excellence and educational equity in urban settings. The emphasis on empowerment, ethical behavior, and relationship building makes transformational leadership ideal for addressing urban agriculture's unique challenges and opportunities, concluding that its principles stand out for their ability to enrich urban agricultural education, creating an environment that is academically rigorous, empathetic, and socially responsible.

Muhammad Hasan, Citra Ayni Kamaruddin, Nurdiana Nurdiana, Nurjannah Nurjannah, Elpisah Elpisah · Lentera Pendidikan Jurnal Ilmu Tarbiyah dan Keguruan · Indonesia (Makassar)

This qualitative study investigated informal economic education in urban farming family households in Makassar City, Indonesia, focusing on children's saving habits. Data was collected through observation and interviews with five parents and five children. Findings indicate that parents instilled early understanding of saving, fostering knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors that children perceived as meaningful learning, and that freedom from coercion in saving also created lasting lessons.

Richard Beach · Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy · Global

This study analyzed the perceptions of three English teachers and three students participating in two high school environmental clubs, using a critical inquiry systems thinking framework. Interviews explored their views on the purposes, outcomes, norms, and beliefs of energy/transportation, agriculture/food production, and economic systems impacting climate change. Teachers and students critiqued these systems for leading to negative climate change outcomes and engaged in sustainability practices like planting school gardens and supporting recycling/composting.

Olasumbo Olagoke-Komolafe, Joshua Oyeboade · International Journal of Multidisciplinary Futuristic Development · United States

This study comprehensively reviewed the viability, benefits, and challenges of urban aquaponics systems in the United States. Through a systematic literature review and content analysis, significant environmental benefits were identified, while economically, long-term benefits potentially outweigh initial setup costs. Challenges such as technical complexities, financial barriers, and the need for specialized knowledge are also notable.

Siti Hasanah, Mustika Widowati, Sri Hardiningsih, Vita Arumsari · KACANEGARA Jurnal Pengabdian pada Masyarakat · Indonesia (Semarang)

This community service project targeted women in the "Ijo Royo-Royo" Women Farmers Group in Tambakaji, Semarang City, Indonesia, addressing their limited experience in utilizing narrow home yards for planting and lack of skills in waste management. The project provided assistance in creating urban gardens for daily food independence, managing plastic waste for vertical planting, and processing vegetable and fruit waste into healthy drinks and organic fertilizer. The aim was to increase the economic value and benefits of urban backyard farming.

Elif ŞATIROĞLU, Selda Al Şensoy, Abdullah Yasin Dündar · Mimarlık Bilimleri ve Uygulamaları Dergisi (MBUD) · Turkey

This study analyzed examples of outdoor classrooms, which are rare in Turkey, using inductive content analysis and semi-structured interviews with architects and landscape architects. It determined that the effects of outdoor classes on students could be grouped into four categories: cognitive, psychomotor, developmental, affective, and social development. Exemplary outdoor classroom models were also developed and interpreted.

Alfyananda Kurnia Putra, Widyana Pramesti, Budi Handoyo · J-PIPS (Jurnal Pendidikan Ilmu Pengetahuan Sosial) · Indonesia (Madiun)

This research aimed to develop a viable urban farming-based food security VLOG learning media using a contextual approach. The ADDIE development model was employed, and expert validation indicated the VLOG media was suitable for feasibility testing with minor revisions. Feasibility tests conducted by teachers and students at SMAN 1 Geger Madiun yielded scores of 91.7% and 86.2% respectively, demonstrating that the VLOG media was highly feasible and could be used in geography learning without revision.

Nurani Djumat, Agung Purwanto, Zarina Akbar · SCAFFOLDING Jurnal Pendidikan Islam dan Multikulturalisme · Indonesia

A qualitative case study at Yapis Kaimana Elementary School aimed to identify the teacher's role in developing naturalist intelligence in science learning. Data collected through observation, interviews, and documentation found that teachers use learning methods focused on observation, experimentation, and hands-on experience. Teachers also provide opportunities for students to develop their interests and talents in natural sciences through activities such as environmental observations and school gardens.

Dilek SELÇUK, Mustafa Can KOÇ, Nurullah Emir Ekinci, Ersan Tolukan · DergiPark (Istanbul University) · Turkey (Istanbul)

This study investigated the environmental interest of students who spend their leisure time in school gardens at Şehit Onbaşı Murat Şengöz Imam Hatip Secondary School in Arnavutköy district, Istanbul, Turkey. Data was collected online from 51 male and 229 female students. Findings showed no significant difference in environmental interest based on age or grade level, but a significant difference was observed in the biodiversity sub-dimension based on gender, with girls demonstrating more interest.

Gustavo Córdova Bojórquez · Estudios Sociales Revista de Alimentación Contemporánea y Desarrollo Regional · Mexico (Ciudad Juárez)

This study evaluated community action in an urban agriculture intervention project in the Campestre-Virreyes neighborhood of Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. A qualitative evaluation using participant observation and semi-structured interviews was employed. While concrete community action was identified, participants' specific capacities in urban agriculture were found to be insufficient to meet their food needs or improve their economy.

JC Niala · Ecozon European Journal of Literature Culture and Environment · United Kingdom (Oxford)

This essay explores a case study where an allotment in the style of 1918 was recreated at a charity allotment site in Oxford, United Kingdom, during the 2020-2021 growing season. The researcher planted open-pollinated non-hybrid heritage seeds from that era, reflecting on the soil as a repository of memory through academic and creative responses. The plot became a living memorial visited by diverse members of the public, engaging with themes such as the current COVID-19 pandemic, the 1918-1919 flu pandemic, and the First World War.

Christian Larsen · Studies in the History of Gardens & Designed Landscapes · Denmark

In Denmark, school gardens were voluntarily established by the School Gardens Association and local teachers to address perceived social problems in cities during the first half of the 20th century. This initiative aimed to develop civic virtue and inner strength in urban children through garden education. The movement peaked around 1960 and has experienced a revival in recent decades.

Elda Míriam Aldasoro Maya, Ulises Rodríguez‐Robles, María Luisa Martínez Gutiérrez, Guelmy Anilú Chan Mutul, Teresita Avilez López, Helda Morales, Bruce G. Ferguson, Jorge Mérida‐Rivas · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · Mexico (Tabasco)

Meliponiculture, or stingless bee breeding, in Mesoamerica serves as an effective tool for agroecological education, scaling, and pollinator conservation. In Tabasco, Mexico, activities included documenting contemporary knowledges, community agroecological workshops, guided visits to an institutional meliponary, and promoting school gardens, utilizing "knowledge dialogues" as a methodological approach. The study identified characteristics of stingless bees and their cultivation, such as their ecological and cultural importance, role as pollinators, association with community values, and productive potential, making them excellent mediators for biocultural conservation and agroecological education.

Fatıma Betül Demir, Meryem Kayış, Dilan Aksoy, Ramazan Rüçhan KAYA, Emirhan Kaya · International Journal of Education and Literacy Studies · Turkey

This action research, conducted with 20 fourth-grade students (10 female, 10 male) in a public primary school in Bartin, Turkey, during the 2021-2022 academic year, aimed to reveal the applicability of workshops prepared in the school garden for improving students' environmental sensitivity. Data were obtained through a scale developed by Peker (2020) and a semi-structured interview form prepared by the researchers. As a result of the research, it was determined that environmental education workshops were effective in increasing students’ environmental awareness. Students stated that environmental education activities were fun, useful, and instructive, indicating a positive effect on them.

Ricardo Toledo Neder, Lívia Cristina Barros da Silva Wiesinieksi, Emilene Eustachio, Iasmin de Sousa Jaime, Simone Parrela Tostes, Rafael Oliveira dos Reis · LaSUS FAU eBooks · Brazil

This book presents the fundamentals and basis of a multi-professional course in Science, Technology, and Society (CTS) residency, offered in Brazil in 2021. The course features a pedagogical practice integrating research, teaching, and extension, addressing themes of Habitat, Agroecology, Health, and Associated Work. It involved 15 master's and doctoral students and over 50 individuals from social movements, professionals, and government technicians, discussing topics such as solidarity technology, sociotechnical adequacy, and solidarity economy.

Lianna Gomori-Ruben, Chantal D. Reid · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United States

This study examined women farming in the United States to analyze if their practices align with agroecology, using the FAO’s 10 Elements of Agroecology and the TAPE tool. A mixed-methods case study design collected web-based survey and interview data from 87 participants. Participating women farmers tended to lead agroecological farming projects that provide direct nutritional, environmental, educational, and social services to their communities, aligning with FAO elements. Farm size and region were significant in the prevalence of agroecological practices; farms of 50–100 acres were most likely to integrate animals, and farms in the Southeast were most likely to identify with conventional agricultural practices.

Charlotte Siiger · European Journal of Public Health · Denmark (Copenhagen)

The "Green Sustainable Communities" project in Copenhagen, Denmark, developed social gastronomy methods to empower lower socio-economic households with sustainable, healthy, and affordable cooking practices. Interventions included community meals, gardening, and food courses, utilizing surplus fruits, vegetables, and affordable legumes. These initiatives promoted affordable, climate-friendly, and healthy diets, increasing social wellbeing and improving nutrition.

Sri Aliah Ekawati · JURNAL TEPAT Applied Technology Journal for Community Engagement and Services · Indonesia

A community service program in Tallo Village, Indonesia, addressed post-COVID-19 economic impacts on low-income coastal residents, who experienced reduced vegetable consumption due to decreased income. The program implemented urban farming as a solution for dense settlements with minimal green space. Participants' knowledge and understanding of urban farming increased, and produce from demonstration gardens was consumed by families, reducing vegetable expenses.

Syamsiar Zamzam, Mayasari Yamin, Sri Nur Qadri, Andi Dita Tawakkal Gau · Jurnal Hilirisasi IPTEKS · Indonesia (Parepare)

This activity, conducted in Parepare City from March to April 2023, addressed the lack of agricultural land and urban farming knowledge among residents. It aimed to enable the community to implement urban farming through oyster mushroom cultivation. The program utilized three methods: socialization, training, and practical sessions, resulting in enthusiastic participation and interest from Parepare City residents in adopting oyster mushroom cultivation as urban farming.