Research & reports

Eugene McCann, Nathan McClintock, Christiana Miewald · Environment and Planning E Nature and Space · United States (Portland, Oregon)

This paper introduces "impermaculture," a model of urban agriculture where farmers in cities like Portland, Oregon, embrace the impermanence of their operations, viewing the potential for displacement by higher-value developments as an intended modus operandi. This approach, utilizing portable growing systems, is presented as a means of stabilizing the "sustainability fix" in neoliberal cities. The study suggests that this 'impermaculture by design' shores up and temporally rescales the sustainability fix, providing stability to urban agriculture initiatives despite their temporary nature.

Aaron Anderson, Lucas Costner, Lincoln R. Best, Gail Langellotto · Conservation Science and Practice · United States

This study compared the attractiveness of 23 native Pacific Northwest plant species to bees over three field seasons, using timed bee counts and vacuum sampling. It found that Douglas' aster, California poppy, varileaf phacelia, Canada goldenrod, farewell-to-spring, globe gilia, and Oregon sunshine consistently supported high bee abundance and species richness. These findings can inform urban pollinator conservation efforts in gardens and public spaces.

S.B. Jilcott Pitts, R.A. Seguin, J. Kolodinsky, E.H. Morgan, M.J. White, M. Sitaker, J.T. McGuirt, W. Wang, K.L. Hanson, A.S. Ammerman · UNC Libraries · United States

This study examined perspectives on food access among 53 low-income families with children participating in a cost-offset community-supported agriculture (CO-CSA) program across nine communities in the US states of New York, North Carolina, Washington, and Vermont. Focus groups revealed that while produce quantity was abundant and affordability was generally good, payment timing was a barrier for some, and unfamiliar foods and quick spoilage hindered acceptability. The study concluded that CO-CSA may facilitate increased access to fruits and vegetables, but perceptions of positive diet change may be limited by challenges in incorporating share pick-up into regular travel patterns and meal planning, with food waste concerns being particularly acute for families with constrained resources.

Juliana Silva Barbosa, Luiz Fernando de Sousa Antunes, Marta dos Santos Freire Ricci, Mariella Camardelli Uzêda · Fronteiras Journal of Social Technological and Environmental Science · Brazil (Rio de Janeiro)

This research aimed to understand the importance of fairs for the commercialization and strengthening of urban agriculture (AU) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Using interviews and participant observation, the study found that selling produce at fairs is the primary source of income for most urban farmers. It also noted that 60% of interviewed farmers have another source of income, and those without other income sources sell produce at multiple locations to sustain their families through AU.

Janet Music, Charlotte Large, Sylvain Charlebois, Kydra Mayhew · Local Environment · Canada

This systematic scoping review revealed the extent of existing knowledge regarding the governance and management of urban grassroots agri-food organizations in Canada. Among Canadian studies, 15 were qualitative case studies, 11 were exploration/analysis papers, one was a literature review, and one was a quantitative analysis. It was found that for greater success in urban agriculture, municipal policymakers need to intentionally and radically shift policy to plan for and integrate urban agriculture networks into the urban environment without taking over the networks themselves. The review also indicated a lack of broad research into the influence of gender dynamics on the organization and management of urban agriculture or community gardens.

Michele Hartmann Feyh · Revista Verde de Agroecologia e Desenvolvimento Sustentável · Brazil

A community garden was implemented in Vila Buritis II, Planaltina, Brasília, Federal District, Brazil, a socially vulnerable urban area with low purchasing power. The garden transformed an idle area into a productive space, planting 27 edible species, and 30 to 40 residents regularly visit to collect food. However, the maintenance and increase of garden productivity still require technical assistance and resources.

Margaret Marcy Emerson · Digital Commons - LIU Promoting Scholarship and Creative Work of LIU Students, Faculty, and Staff (Long Island University) · United States

In 2019, an estimated 35% of all food was lost or wasted in the U.S., and organic waste in landfills generates methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Composting significantly cuts the amount of food going into landfills, reducing climate and environmental impacts. Compost enhances soil, reduces the need for chemical fertilizers, improves soil water retention, provides carbon sequestration, and local composting conserves energy and reduces transport emissions.

Abdolzaher Ghezeljeh, Jutta Gutberlet, Denise Cloutier · Canadian Geographies / Géographies canadiennes · Canada (Victoria)

This study used qualitative research methods to explore the main barriers to urban agriculture as perceived by community-based groups in Victoria, British Columbia. Data from 18 semi-structured interviews and two community mapping workshops with residents, government officials, and non-governmental groups revealed "urban agriculture zones" and "garden-style" apartment housing as important avenues. However, progress towards far-reaching changes requires an efficient urban agriculture development process, including creating site inventories, increasing stakeholder participation, reducing waitlists, and tackling high land prices.

Contingent Horizons · Contingent Horizons The York University Student Journal of Anthropology · Canada (Winnipeg)

This paper uses the Rainbow Community Garden in Winnipeg as a case study to discuss the benefits and challenges of community gardening for new immigrant and refugee families. Through a literature review and interviews with gardeners, the study emphasizes the role of food and community gardens in facilitating cross-cultural interactions, providing culturally appropriate food, and expressing cultural identity. The main conclusion is that for new immigrant and refugee participation, a garden is not only physical soil but also an important place for practicing culture and engaging in meaningful cross-cultural interaction beneficial for adjusting to a new life in Canada.

Rose Seguin, Mark Lefsrud, Treena Delormier, Jan Adamowski, Helen Fyles · ARCTIC · Canada

This review explores interregional differences in agricultural development across circumpolar Canada, including Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Nunavik, and Nunatsiavut. Yukon and the Northwest Territories are the most agriculturally developed, with government support for commercial agriculture. In contrast, Nunavut, Nunavik, and Nunatsiavut have fewer agricultural initiatives, though local efforts exist for community gardens and greenhouses.

Marília Alves dos Santos, W. D. B. S. Bonaci, L. S. FOGANHOLO · Fractal Revista de Psicologia · Brazil (São Paulo)

This report describes a supervised internship experience in Social and Community Psychology conducted in 2017 with an intergenerational community garden group at a social assistance institution in rural São Paulo state. Key observed results of this intervention among group members included the learning of various cultivation techniques, the strengthening of interpersonal relationships, the development of group autonomy and self-organization, and the group's formation as an important support network.

Audrey Ferreira Rosa · Formação (Online) · Brazil (Presidente Prudente)

A survey was conducted among 13 urban and peri-urban farmers in Presidente Prudente/SP, Brazil, to analyze their profiles. This survey was part of a master's research conducted between 2018 and 2019. The findings indicated that there is no single or homogeneous profile characterizing urban and peri-urban farmers, and the information obtained differed from farmers in other Brazilian municipalities and states, highlighting the heterogeneity of individuals involved in urban and peri-urban agriculture.

Meike Rombach, David Dean, Tim Baird, Jacob Kambuta · Foods · United States

This study investigated factors determining US consumer preferences for growing and processing horticultural products (fruit, vegetables, wine, beer) versus buying them, both before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Using PLS-SEM, findings showed that engagement with horticulture pre- and post-pandemic influenced preferences for growing/processing, and this engagement was significantly impacted by attitudes towards US growers. Attitudes towards COVID-19 and human values like self-enhancement, conservation, and self-transcendence were also significant, but openness to change was not.

Ainsley C. McStay, S.L. Walser, Eric C. Sirkovich, Nicolas Perdrial, Justin B. Richardson · Journal of Environmental Quality · United States

This study evaluated portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) measurements of macronutrients, micronutrients, and toxic elements (As, Pb) in soils and plants from 10 urban community gardens across the eastern United States. It found that pXRF and traditional methods provided agreeable estimates for some elements (Mn, Cu, Zn, Pb) but not for macronutrients (Ca, K, P). While pXRF is an accurate tool for screening Mn, Cu, Zn, and Pb, macronutrients were poorly estimated in fruits, leaves, and roots, and genus-specific and garden-specific factors may be important for plant uptake models.

Aria Razfar, Beverly Troiano · · United States (New York City)

This chapter presents action research conducted by an elementary teacher in a second-grade classroom in New York City, United States, where a gardening unit was implemented. The gardening unit was part of a thematic unit on "community," a theme that emerged from surveys of student interests, experiences, and problems. The origins of critical urban gardening trace back to 1970s New York, when communities reappropriated green space.

Manuela Alves da Cunha, Ryzia de Cássia Vieira Cardoso · Ambiente & sociedade · Brazil (Salvador)

A descriptive study was conducted to highlight the contribution of urban gardens to promoting Food and Nutrition Security and sustainable development in Salvador, Brazil. Data collected from urban garden farmers in the city showed that the gardens have been promoting work and generating income for families, contributing to food supply and security. In addition to producing fresh vegetables for the local population, the activity contributes to ecosystem balance and sustainability.

Carine Borchert Rosa, Daniela Mueller de Lara, Erli Schneider Costa · Revista Eletrônica Científica da UERGS · Brazil (Rio Grande do Sul)

This study at Escola Estadual de Educação Básica Santa Rita in Nova Santa Rita, Brazil, applied a research-oriented teaching proposal to students, focusing on inorganic functions through organic fertilizer production using school waste. Students built a garden, collected waste, produced organic fertilizer, and validated results. The study observed mutual aid among students, developed their intervention capacity, and noted a positive change in their approach to discarded waste like potato peels, banana peels, eggshells, and mate.

Ana Clara Aparecida Alves de Souza, Fernando Dias Lopes · Cadernos EBAPE BR · Brazil (Porto Alegre)

This two-year participatory investigation of Horta da Formiga, a collective urban garden in Porto Alegre, Brazil, analyzed how key agents reconcile inherent contradictions. The study found that while individuals exhibit agency, structured conditions within the social field prevent the organic and diverse reconciliation of contradictions. This occurs despite agents aligning with state-legitimized capital.

Joshua Arnold · Processes · United States (California)

A survey of 29 urban farms in the San Francisco Bay Area from 2014 to 2017 examined on-farm spatial composition, management practices, and estimated productivity. Findings showed a large proportion of farm area dedicated to infrastructure and underutilized potential production space. All surveyed farms adopted diverse agroecological practices, and measured farms were productive with estimated seasonal yields of 7.14 kg/square meter, comparable to actual yields at two farms.

Elizandra Flávia Araujo, Marcos Paulo Fuck · Cadernos de Ciência & Tecnologia · Brazil (Curitiba)

This study aimed to identify and characterize different categories of urban agriculture practitioners in Curitiba. A descriptive study using bibliographic and documentary analysis found that urban agriculture activities are concentrated in peripheral areas of the city, with most participants having a monthly family income of up to two minimum wages. Despite a wide range of actors engaging in these practices, their visibility and inclusion in the political agenda occur asymmetrically.

Universidad de Guadalajara, Ofelia Barrios Vargas, María Lourdes Rebolledo García, Adán Rubio Cuevas · GESPYE Gestión Pública y Empresarial · Mexico

This study diagnosed urban gardens in Lázaro Cárdenas de Ocampo, Michoacán, Mexico, identifying private and community gardens and a 20% increase in gardens in 2020 compared to the previous year. A cross-sectional study with on-site interviews, recordings, and photographs was conducted. The findings suggest that urban gardens served as occupational therapy and family integration during COVID-19 confinement, demonstrating promising resilience in the population.

Doralice Sátyro Maia, Miriam Hermi Zaar · Revista Espaço e Geografia · Brazil

A study of João Pessoa (Paraíba) and Natal (Rio Grande do Norte), two cities on Brazil's northeastern coast, analysing the persistence of rural practices - small-scale cattle farms (vacarias) in João Pessoa and agricultural practices in Natal - as "islands of rurality" that resist real-estate speculation and urbanization mechanisms within areas classified as urban. Arguing that the spread of new technologies and communication networks, along with the homogenization of social and labour relations, has produced a multiscalar and complex territorial structure that calls for rethinking methods of distinguishing rural from urban, the study combines fieldwork (observation, photographic records, questionnaires, and informal conversations with those involved), findings from prior research, and data gathered from government institutions to examine what is now called "urban agriculture" alongside the persistence of small-scale cattle raising in both cities.

Yadira Méndez–Lemus, António Vieyra, Lorena Poncela, Beatriz de la Tejera, Cinthia Ruiz-López · Frontiers in Sustainable Cities · Mexico

A paper examining the interactions between peripheralization, vulnerabilities of agricultural livelihoods, and local collective agency in creating new capabilities in intermediate Mexican cities, based on a study in Tarímbaro municipality, part of the intermediate city of Morelia. The unit of analysis was the ejido, a form of social land tenure granted to landless peasants in 1917 after the Mexican Revolution and one of the most important forms of social organization in rural Mexico; about half of Mexican territory comprises more than 30,000 community-based land tenures, mainly ejidos, and a high proportion of land now occupied by urban centres was formerly ejido land. The study used the example of 15 ejidos notably affected by the expansion of Morelia, conducting semi-structured interviews with each ejido's president in 2015, followed by a survey of 61 individuals from 11 of the 15 ejidos. The peripheralization of Morelia was found to have produced inequalities in the adjacent municipality of Tarímbaro, with differential vulnerabilities in peri-urban agricultural livelihoods found among the participating ejidos; not all ejidos succeeded in addressing vulnerabilities linked to the urbanization of agricultural land, but those that achieved some success shared characteristics that reinforced common values and motivations toward shared goals for sustaining local livelihoods. The paper highlights the importance of functional rural organizations in regulating access to, and distribution of, resources in the peripheries of intermediate cities.

James D. Blount, Leah E. K. Lenoch, Faith A. Fitzpatrick · Journal of Great Lakes Research · United States

A study of Apple Creek, Wisconsin (119 km²), a Great Lakes tributary like many others subject to Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) targets requiring reductions of 51.2% in suspended sediment and 64.2% in total phosphorus. From August 2017 to October 2018, an integrated stream sediment budget and fingerprinting study quantified upland and stream-corridor sources of suspended sediment and sediment-bound phosphorus. Phosphorus concentrations varied among source groups and fluvial sediment types, with higher concentrations in suspended sediment and cropland soils. Eroding streambanks accounted for 100% of the TMDL model's (SWAT) suspended sediment load but only 20% of the total phosphorus load; fine-grained streambed sediment equated to roughly three years of modelled suspended sediment load but only one-third of the total phosphorus load. The two primary sources of fine-grained streambed sediment were streambanks and cropland, with the relative streambank contribution increasing downstream and with watershed area. The relative proportion of suspended sediment varied by season and streamflow, but weighted for representative streamflow, cropland and streambank erosion accounted for 54% and 23% of suspended sediment respectively. Urban land was a source in the upper watershed, but its signature was sequestered by a mid-watershed detention basin, and contributions from construction sites were higher in fall 2018, likely corresponding to increased activity following a wet spring.

André Ferreira, Wanderley José Deina · Revista NEP - Núcleo de Estudos Paranaenses da UFPR · Brazil

This study examines the activities of MOB-PR (Movimento de Organização de Base do Paraná, founded in 2014), a grassroots organizing movement in Comunidade Portelinha, an urban occupation in Curitiba, Brazil formed 13 years earlier. It focuses on two of the movement's working groups: "Ciranda," popular education activities for children and adolescents, and the "Horta Comunitária Eduardo Felipe" community garden. Fieldwork combined audio-recorded interviews, field diaries, children's drawings and photographs. The article concludes that grassroots work is itself applied popular education, which should not be reduced to simple didactics but should remain in constant relation with other political work. Since its founding, the occupation has demanded basic public services such as water and electricity and land tenure regularization.