Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
2531 results(31 / 102)
RE-VIVIENDA
2023Diego A. Daleccio Meléndez · [in]genio revista de investigación y labor creativa · United States (Puerto Rico)
This publication presents student proposals from a design workshop at UPR's School of Architecture, led by Dr. Anna Georas, focused on promoting urban agriculture and food self-sufficiency in Isla Grande, Puerto Rico. One individual project, RE-VIVIENDA, proposes sustainable housing for urban farmers using abandoned shipping containers from Crowley in Isla Grande. The project emphasizes minimal materials for easy disassembly and reconstruction to extend container lifecycles.
Urban–rural linkageCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceRacism in paradise: Being migrants in urban agriculture in Aotearoa New Zealand
2023Marcela Palomino‐Schalscha, Maria Teresa Braga Bizarria, Isabella Sánchez‐Bolívar · New Zealand Geographer · New Zealand
This collective autoethnography project explored the experiences of Latin American migrant women of color joining urban agriculture (UA) in Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand. The research revealed that while UA spaces offer community-building opportunities, they can also reproduce exclusionary practices, particularly towards minority groups. The study highlights experiences of racial oppression within UA settings.
Equity & displacementCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceANÁLISE DE PROJETOS DE ARQUITETURA E URBANISMO, COM VIÉS NA PRODUÇÃO SUSTENTÁVEL DE ALIMENTOS
2023Luíza Malvessi Lagemann, Luciana Turatti, Rodrigo Spinelli · Revista Destaques Acadêmicos · Global
This paper conducted a literature review of architecture and urban planning projects to find alternatives to mitigate problems of the current food system, such as processed foods, reduced access for small producers, and high environmental pollution. Ten projects focusing on urban agriculture and healthier food production were analyzed. Ultimately, it was observed that it is possible to construct architectural and urban planning projects that contribute to more sustainable food production, especially in urban areas and with the use of urban agriculture.
Urban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justicePolicyClimate changeThe role of urban and peri-urban agriculture in global food security from post-war to the COVID-19 crisis: new perspectives on food justice, global health, and sustainability,
2023Ana María Bertolini, Patrícia Constante Jaime, Gabriela Marques Di Giulio · Saúde e Sociedade · Global
A critical literature review discussed the evolution of food and nutrition security (FNS) and the contributions of urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA). The review found that institutional responses to FNS are concentrated in times of crisis, which favors the maintenance of globalized and unsustainable food systems. UPA practices show peaks of rise and decline, evolving with the FNS agenda.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justiceHealthClimate changeUrban–rural linkageRecipes for Resistance
2023Claudia J. Ford · · United States
This essay provides a critical historiography of Black women's roles in the food justice movement, using storytelling and historical analysis to amplify their voices. It highlights figures such as Leah Chase, the women of Rise and Root Farm, Barbara Norman, and Edith Floyd, who established Growing Joy Community Gardens. The author positions these Black women as advocates for community food justice and creators of community healing spaces, moving beyond individual healthy lifestyle improvements.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityHealthWelfareCommunity agroecology. Basis for food resilience in the face of extreme events
2023Luis L. Vázquez · Journal of Applied Biotechnology & Bioengineering · Cuba
This study analyzed Cuba's transition towards decentralized and diversified agriculture, driven by peasant family farming and urban agriculture movements in response to the economic crisis since the 1990s. It found that agroecology has become popular in human settlements, facilitating population participation in small-area production systems such as intensive and organoponic gardens. These systems enable communities to obtain over 40 fresh products for local consumption.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changePRAGMATIC ARCHITECTURE IN SETIABUDI VERTICAL HOUSING DESIGN IN SOUTH JAKARTA, BASED ON URBAN FARMING
2023A Ryan, Karya Widyawati, Fery Mulya Pratama · Lakar Jurnal Arsitektur · Indonesia (Jakarta)
In DKI Jakarta, Indonesia, a population of 10.64 million in 2021, increasing by 0.38% since 2021, has led to limited residential land. The DKI Jakarta government promotes vertical housing as a solution to this issue. This vertical housing development incorporates urban farming concepts to maintain food security and foster economic and social values within the province.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityPolicySTRATEGI PENGEMBANGAN PERTANIAN PERKOTAAN DI KECAMATAN BANJARSARI KOTA SURAKARTA
2023Nurita Miftakhul Janah, Erlyna Wida Riptanti, Wiwit Rahayu · Sebatik · Indonesia (Surakarta)
In Banjarsari District, Surakarta City, 35 farmer groups practice urban agriculture, but only 9 of them are active. This study was conducted to identify internal and external factors and determine alternative and priority development strategies. Results from IFE, EFE, IE, SWOT, and QSPM matrix analyses showed that the main strength was innovation in various processed products, while the main weakness was a lack of courage to take risks. The prioritized urban agriculture development strategy identified was marketing products online through marketplaces and social media.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsSocio-environmental diagnosis of community urban gardens in the General Pueyrredon district
2023Jaime Del Río, Victoria Noelia Cabral, María Victoria Sordini · Salud Ciencia y Tecnología - Serie de Conferencias · Argentina
This undergraduate thesis conducted a socio-environmental diagnosis of community urban horticulture spaces in the General Pueyrredon district, Buenos Aires province, Argentina. The diagnosis identified their current situation, main limits, and potentialities, and characterized and geographically located different projects. This facilitated understanding how these experiences relate to urban social dynamics.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceOrganic cycleCultivating an Alternative Subjectivity Beyond Neoliberalism: Community Gardens in Urban China
2023Xin Mai, Yueli Xu, Yungang Liu · Annals of the American Association of Geographers · China (Shanghai)
This study investigated the emergence and development of two flagship community garden cases in Shanghai, China, initiated in 2016. Observations revealed that a nonprofit organization, not local citizens or municipal government, proactively advanced community garden production and participation. The community garden phenomenon was found to reify an alternative subjectivity, emphasizing social organizations as a state "flanking mechanism" for extraeconomic urban governance objectives.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyFood sovereignty & justicePROCESOS DE AGRICULTURA URBANA Y AUTOGESTIÓN COMUNITARIA PARA EL DESARROLLO DE HUERTAS CASERAS EN EL MUNICIPIO FRONTERIZO DE CÚCUTA
2023Juan Pablo Robayo, Jemay Mosquera Téllez · limentech Ciencia y Tecnología Alimentaria · Colombia (Cúcuta)
A descriptive and interpretive qualitative study in Cúcuta, Colombia, documented the implementation of home gardens aimed at self-management and community empowerment. The research involved families in the Rudesindo Soto, La Pastora, and Belén neighborhoods, utilizing semi-structured interviews, field work, and documentary analysis in collaboration with the Catholic Church. Findings indicated that participants experienced advantages and benefits in terms of self-management, cooperation, and community empowerment, leading to the formulation of a public policy proposal to support home gardens at the municipal level.
CommunityDIYFood sovereignty & justicePolicyUrban farming for the community in Arga Jaya Housing, Kalinegoro, Magelang Regency
2023Sumarno Adi Subrata, Hamisa Juniar Latesa, Salma Inas Rafida, Muhammad Wildan Alfarisi, Fitri Fitri, Citra Delima Sakinadya · Community Empowerment · Indonesia
An urban farming program was implemented in Kalinegoro Village RW III, Magelang Regency, Indonesia, with the PKK team and housing residents. The program aimed to address potential food shortages during the Covid-19 pandemic. Participants showed enthusiasm, leading to the creation of a park incorporating urban farming practices. The initiative is expected to serve as a solution for food security during the pandemic.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceWelfareLa trama de la agricultura urbana: trayectoria de vida de un militante local (Rosario, Argentina)
2023Licia María Lilli · kult-ur revista interdisciplinària sobre la cultura de la ciutat · Argentina (Rosario)
This study reflects on sustainable food systems through the biographical narrative of Antonio Lattuca, a key figure in urban agriculture development in Rosario, Argentina. Based on a semi-structured interview, the research focuses on his activism in establishing urban gardens and institutionalizing collective strategies within the municipal government since the 1990s, including the Urban Agriculture Program. Rosario has over 34 years of urban agroecological experiences addressing urbanization, poverty, and exclusion.
CommunityPolicyWelfareFood sovereignty & justiceFood Security of Urban Agricultural Households in the Area of North Bandung, West Java, Indonesia
2023Oekan S. Abdoellah, Yusep Suparman, Kinanti Indah Safitri, Rahma Maulia Fadli Basagevan, Nafa Destri Fianti, Indri Wulandari, Teguh Husodo · Sustainability · Indonesia (Bandung)
This study investigated the food security of urban agricultural households (subsistence, semi-commercial, and commercial) in North Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. A study of 321 households found that the average calorie adequacy for all urban agriculture types was 84.53%, and 53.89% of respondents were categorized as food-vulnerable, indicating low household food security.
Limited or null effectFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsHealthGrowing in relation with the land: Experiential learning of Root and Regenerate Urban Farms
2023Chelsea Rozanski, Michael C. Gavin · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · Canada (Calgary)
This reflective essay documented the cultivation process of a production urban farm in Calgary, Canada, through a collaboration between the University of Calgary, Root and Regenerate Urban Farms, and the Young Agrarians. Over one growing season (May-September 2021), approximately 7,000 lbs (3,175 kg) of 48 vegetable varieties were harvested from nine urban spaces totaling 0.26 acres. Produce was distributed to shareholders, market customers, chefs, and cooperatives, with 765 lbs (347 kg) donated to food security initiatives. The paper discusses the benefits and limitations of Small Plot Intensive Farming and urban land-sharing strategies.
CommunityCSA & TeikeiOrganic cycleFood sovereignty & justiceA Systematic Review of Technology Acceptance and Discontinuance Dynamics for Improved Cassava Planting Material among Ibadan's Peri-Urban Smallholders
2023Chinwe Okonkwo, Ifeoma Nwachukwu, Adebayo Adeyemi · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Nigeria (Ibadan)
This systematic review synthesized evidence on the determinants of adoption and disadoption of improved cassava planting material (ICPM) by peri-urban smallholders in Ibadan. The review found that disadoption rates can exceed 40% within three seasons post-initial adoption. Perceived Usefulness was the strongest adoption predictor, while Perceived Ease of Use was often compromised by logistical barriers, and vendor trust influenced continued use.
Peri-urban agricultureEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceOrganizing Tensions in Community-Supported Agriculture
2023Megan K. Schraedley · · Global
This chapter examines Sweet Water Farm, a Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm, through a participant's perspective, analyzing organizing practices by highlighting three tensions. These include the tension between community creation and customer management, issues of inclusion and exclusion from CSAs, and the challenge of transforming capitalist economic structures while operating within them. The study reveals that while CSAs offer potential for addressing equity in the food system, questions persist regarding their long-term adoption by diverse communities as an alternative to conventional agriculture.
Equity & displacementCSA & TeikeiCommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceFood Herstories and Everyday Life in Times of Crisis. Women’s Experiences in Food Production, Distribution and Consumption
2023Magdalena Popławska · Przegląd Kulturoznawczy · Global
This article analyzes women's experiences in household food production, distribution, and consumption as responses to daily life challenges, integrating food studies, historical sociology, and gender studies. Based on a literature review, including oral histories and autobiographical accounts of urban and rural women, the study demonstrates that women's food-related stories explore alternatives to scarcity economies and mass production. These alternatives, found in kitchens, farm fields, or allotment gardens, embody values like mutual assistance, trust, and reciprocity, and can be interpreted as creativity, resourcefulness, power relations, and resistance during everyday crises.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsA one-sided love affair? On the potential for a coalition between degrowth and community-supported agriculture in Germany
2023Julia Spanier, Leonie Guerrero Lara, Giuseppe Feola · Agriculture and Human Values · Germany
This article systematically analyzes the potential for a coalition between Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) and degrowth movements in Germany, drawing on social movement theories. It finds that the ideologies and political strategies of the two movements are not aligned, with CSA focusing practically on smallholder agriculture and degrowth abstractly on the growth-dependent economy. Scarce resources, differing internal organization, and CSA's lack of knowledge about degrowth are obstacles, though existing social ties and initial ideological alignment with sufficiency-oriented degrowth are noted.
CSA & TeikeiFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsCommunityPeningkatan kemandirian dan ketahanan pangan masyarakat perempuan melalui urban gardening Kelompok Wanita Tani (KWT) “Ijo Royo-Royo” Tambakaji Ngaliyan Kota Semarang
2023Siti 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.
DIYCompostFood educationWelfareCommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceThe food-water-energy nexus and green roofs in Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil, and Johannesburg, South Africa
2023Fanxin Meng, Qiuling Yuan, Rodrigo A. Bellezoni, José A. Puppim de Oliveira, Yuanchao Hu, Rui Jing, Gengyuan Liu, Zhifeng Yang, Karen C. Seto · npj Urban Sustainability · Brazil (São Paulo)
A framework was developed to analyze the food-water-energy nexus of green roofs in data-sparse cities, integrating environmental costs and benefits. Testing this framework in São José dos Campos, Brazil, and Johannesburg, South Africa, revealed that green roofs are carbon neutral but net energy consumers from a life cycle perspective. São José dos Campos is a net water beneficiary, while Johannesburg is a net water consumer, and rainwater utilization, though saving irrigated water, requires 1.2 times more energy.
Environmental trade-offsClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageResilience processes and positioning of agroecological farmers in an urban horticultural fair in northwest Patagonia
2023Ana H. Ladio, Melisa Longo, Soledad Molares · Ethnobotany Research and Applications · Argentina (San Carlos de Bariloche)
This qualitative study analyzed the resilience processes of agroecological farmers at the Free Fair of Family Farmers from Nahuel Huapi in San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina. The fair's main resilience principles include high agrobiodiversity, learning and connectivity, cooperation, and adaptive systemic thinking. However, the economic and cultural viability of this fair is uncertain due to the drastic socio-environmental changes experienced in the region.
Economic viabilityCommunityBiodiversityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsMODEL PENGEMBANGAN PERTANIAN PERKOTAAN (URBAN FARMING) BERKELANJUTAN
2023Tien Sugihartini, Dedi Djuliansah, Zulfikar Noormansyah · JURNAL ILMIAH MAHASISWA AGROINFO GALUH · Indonesia
This study was conducted in 10 districts of Tasikmalaya City, Indonesia, involving 100 urban farming actors. It aimed to analyze the performance of urban farming and its influencing factors in Tasikmalaya City, and to formulate a sustainable urban farming development model using SEM WarpPLS 7.0. The findings indicate that urban farming performance in Tasikmalaya City positively influences sustainable agriculture, and that actor characteristics and supporting institutions affect urban farming performance.
CommunityEconomicsClimate changeFood sovereignty & justice‘We’ve Never Done This Before’
2023Jen Rae · Performance Research · Australia (Melbourne)
During the 2020-21 COVID-19 lockdowns, Fawkner Commons in Melbourne, Australia, transformed a community garden into an urban farm and a disused lawn bowling club into a food hub. This initiative, led by local residents, distributed over $116,000 worth of no-cost/low-cost culturally relevant food boxes and over 2,400 prepared meals in 2020 to the food-insecure suburb of Fawkner. This article reflects on the creative methodologies that supported Fawkner Commons' success in providing food relief when other organizations were overwhelmed.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceWelfareClimate changeURBAN AND PERI-URBAN VEGETABLE PRODUCTION EFFECTS ON FARMERS’ LIVELIHOODS IN LAGOS STATE, NIGERIA
2023Peter Sanjo Adewale, Sunday Clement Olubunmi Makinde, V. Kusemiju · Journal of Environment and Sustainable Development · Nigeria (Lagos)
This mixed-method study in Lagos State, Nigeria, examined the effects of Urban and Peri-urban Vegetable Production (UPVP) on farmers' livelihood subscales using a Household Livelihood Survey and Focus Group Discussion. The findings indicate that all livelihood subscales (Physical, Natural, Financial, Social, Human) were positively and significantly impacted by UPVP, with a moderately high overall impact. The study concludes that UPVP can be a resilient sector for the economy and sustainable development.
Peri-urban agricultureEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceWelfare