Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
9074 results(321 / 363)
Campus landscape design and function:Take Agricultural University of Hebei as an example
2011MA Cui-hua · Hebei Nongye Daxue xuebao · China
This paper introduces and explains typical landscape design using Hebei Agricultural University as an example, focusing on school buildings, school gardens, and campus comedy. It explores the role of campus landscape in beautifying the campus environment, establishing the college image, inheriting university spirit, and fulfilling an educational function.
Food educationCommunityEffect of industrial effluents on water quality of River Atuwara in Ota, Nigeria. In Adeyemo
2011I. K. Adewumi, Adebanji Samuel Ogbiye, E. O. Longe, David O. Omole · Covenant University Repository (Covenant University) · Nigeria (Ota)
This study assessed the impact of industrial wastewaters discharged into River Atuwara in Ota, Nigeria, on water quality using standard physical and chemical analyses and QUAL2K software. The majority of water quality parameters exceeded maximum permissible concentrations, with BOD at ≥ 31 mg/L, COD at ≥ 181 mg/L, and alkalinity at ≥ 138.4 mg/L. High concentrations of heavy metals, including Cadmium, Pb, Zn, Fe, and Mn, were detected, indicating an environmental hazard for riparian users.
Contamination & food safetyHealthPolicy‘INSTEAD OF BEGGING, I FARM TO FEED MY CHILDREN’: URBAN AGRICULTURE – AN ALTERNATIVE TO COPPER AND COBALT IN LUBUMBASHI
2011Nyumbaiza Tambwe, Michael Rudolph, Ran Greenstein · Africa · Democratic Republic of Congo (Lubumbashi)
A study was conducted in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo, from November 2004 to March 2005, on 100 farming households that adopted urban agriculture as an alternative livelihood after the collapse of a mining company. Data collected through semi-structured interviews, in-depth questions, and observation revealed that despite practicing urban agriculture, the living conditions of 75% of households declined, and 20% stabilized their living conditions but could not completely alleviate poverty. Only 5% of farmers achieved food security.
Economic viabilityWelfareEconomicsUrban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceGrowing Greener Cities
2010FAO · Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) · Global
FAO's programme on urban and peri-urban agriculture, presenting a framework to support city food production for food security, jobs, environment and nutrition.
PolicyCommunityHealthEconomics利用実態から捉えた団地屋外空間の活用による団地再生に関する研究
2010· ランドスケープ研究（日本造園学会誌）73巻5号 pp.469- · Japan
A field study of how danchi outdoor (open) spaces are actually used, examining directions for regeneration through stock utilization; it found demand was highest for children's play, followed by walking and resting, pointing to the need for regeneration plans that promote diverse outdoor uses, including gardens.
CommunityPolicyHealthThe Second Report on the State of the World's Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
2010Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) · FAO, Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture · Global
FAO's comprehensive global assessment of trends in conserving and using plant genetic resources, documenting genetic erosion, genebank accessions, and policy needs for safeguarding crop diversity for food security.
Heirloom & landracePolicyBiodiversityHome gardens: neglected hotspots of agro-biodiversity and cultural diversity
2010Galluzzi G., Eyzaguirre P., Negri V. · Biodiversity and Conservation 19:3635-3654 · Global
Reviews home gardens worldwide as hotspots conserving high inter- and intra-specific genetic diversity, especially traditional crop varieties and landraces, linking agrobiodiversity conservation with cultural diversity and local knowledge.
Heirloom & landraceBiodiversityCommunityGenetic erosion in crops: concept, research results and challenges
2010van de Wouw M., Kik C., van Hintum T., van Treuren R., Visser B. · Plant Genetic Resources 8(1):1-15 · Global
Reviews the concept of genetic erosion in crops at the crop, variety and allele levels, analyzing the loss of diversity through replacement of landraces by modern cultivars and the research challenges involved.
Heirloom & landraceBiodiversityPolicyWhen Modern Was Green: Life and Work of Landscape Architect Leberecht Migge
2010Haney D. H. · Routledge · Germany
The first book to fully document Migge's life and work, presenting him as a central figure across garden reform, urban planning, the Siedlungen housing movement, and organic architecture and planning, with extensive archival illustrations.
Organic cycleCommunityWelfareBuilding Integrated Agriculture: Utilising Rooftops for Sustainable Food Crop Cultivation in Singapore
2010Astee L. Y., Kishnani N. T. · Journal of Green Building · Singapore
Examines the commercial viability of building-integrated rooftop farming on Singapore's public housing estates, modeling that nationwide adoption could sharply raise domestic vegetable output while cutting imports and carbon emissions.
EconomicsPolicyAllotment gardening and health: a comparative survey among allotment gardeners and their neighbors without an allotment
2010Van den Berg A. E., Van Winsum-Westra M., De Vries S., Van Dillen S. M. E. · Environmental Health · Netherlands
Comparative survey of Dutch allotment gardeners and non-gardening neighbors finding gardeners, especially older adults, scored better on health, wellbeing, physical activity, and social contacts, evidencing welfare benefits of shared urban gardening.
HealthWelfareCommunityWhy farm the city? Theorizing urban agriculture through a lens of metabolic rift
2010McClintock N. · Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society 3(2):191-207 · United States
Theorizes urban agriculture through the metabolic rift framework, arguing it addresses ecological, social and individual rifts by rescaling production, reclaiming vacant land, and de-alienating urban dwellers from their food.
CommunityPolicyOrganic cycleDisparities and access to healthy food in the United States: A review of food deserts literature
2010Walker R. E., Keane C. R., Burke J. G. · Health & Place 16(5):876-884 · United States
Systematic review of 31 US food access and food desert studies using nine distinct measures, documenting disparities in access to healthy food across low-income and minority neighborhoods.
WelfareHealthPolicyReview and Analysis of the Benefits, Purposes, and Motivations Associated with Community Gardening in the United States
2010Draper C., Freedman D. · Journal of Community Practice 18(4):458-492 · United States
Reviews 1999-2010 literature, organizing community gardening purposes, benefits and motivations into eleven themes. Finds rigorous quantitative studies sparse but a substantial body of qualitative evidence.
CommunityWelfareFood educationUrban agriculture, poverty, and food security: Empirical evidence from a sample of developing countries
2010Zezza A., Tasciotti L. · Food Policy 35(4):265-273 · Global
Using household survey data from 15 developing countries, this seminal study analyzes urban agriculture's contribution to poverty reduction and food security among the urban poor, finding it is mostly own-consumption oriented and offers modest but real welfare benefits.
WelfareEconomicsPolicyCommunity gardening, neighborhood meetings, and social capital
2010Alaimo K., Reischl T. M., Allen J. O. · Journal of Community Psychology 38(4):497-514 · United States
Cross-sectional random telephone survey (N=1916) in Flint, Michigan finds household involvement in community gardening/beautification and neighborhood meetings associated with perceptions of bonding and linking social capital and neighborhood norms.
CommunityWelfareFood Sovereignty: Reconnecting Food, Nature and Community
2010Wittman, H., Desmarais, A.A., Wiebe, N. (eds.) · Fernwood / Food First Books (ISBN 9780935028379) · Global
A landmark work establishing the theoretical foundations of food sovereignty, systematizing cases of peasant movements (e.g. La Via Campesina) calling for democratization of the food system across the urban-rural divide, centered on reconnecting food, land and rights.
CommunityMultistakeholder Policy Formulation and Action Planning for Urban Agriculture in Lima, Peru
2010Dubbeling M.C.E., Merzthal G., Soto N. · Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development · Peru (Lima)
Analyzes the multistakeholder policy formulation process for urban agriculture in Lima's Villa María del Triunfo district, demonstrating that inclusive stakeholder engagement produces more effective municipal policies addressing food security, land use, and economic development simultaneously.
PolicyCommunityWelfareThe Dynamics of Urban Agriculture in Hanoi, Vietnam
2010Lee B., Binns T., Dixon A.B. · Field Actions Science Reports (Special Issue 1: Urban Agriculture) · Vietnam (Hanoi)
Field-based research in Hanoi identifies a shift from staple crops to higher-value vegetables, flowers, and ornamentals among urban farmers, and warns that without explicit urban agriculture provisions in city master plans, the practice risks disappearing within two to three decades.
EconomicsPolicyBiodiversityGreenhouse gas emissions from home composting of organic household waste
2010Andersen J.K., Boldrin A., Christensen T.H., Scheutz C. · Waste Management · Denmark
Uses six home composting units over one year and a static flux chamber method to measure and quantify greenhouse gas emissions from composting organic household waste.
DIYCompostThe impact of nutrition education with and without a school garden on knowledge, vegetable intake and preferences and quality of school life among primary-school students
2010Morgan · Public Health Nutrition · Australia
Among primary-school students, the study compared nutrition education with and without a school garden, examining effects on knowledge, vegetable intake and preferences, and quality of school life.
Food educationHealthPublic Participation in Post-Fordist Urban Green Space Governance: The Case of Community Gardens in Berlin
2010Marit Rosol · International Journal of Urban and Regional Research · Germany (Berlin)
Argues that the state's new acceptance of citizen-run gardens as green-space governance is an expression of neoliberalization: participation is mobilized to shift fiscal responsibility onto residents. Shows contradictory, self-undermining outcomes of this participatory policy instrument.
PolicyCommunityMultifunctional Urban Agriculture for Sustainable Land Use Planning in the United States
2010Sarah Taylor Lovell · Sustainability · United States
This paper reviews literature on urban agriculture for land use planning in the United States, where interest in urban food production is growing due to economic and food security concerns. It discusses urban agriculture's potential for integrating multiple functions in densely populated areas, from community farms to rooftop gardens. The paper also addresses barriers and constraints, and identifies research opportunities for urban planners and landscape designers to integrate food-systems thinking into city plans.
CommunityPolicyClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceSustainable urban agriculture: stocktake and opportunities
2010Leonie Pearson, Linda Pearson, Craig J. Pearson · International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability · Global
This paper reviews research on urban agriculture, focusing on its social, economic, and environmental sustainability dimensions. It proposes three elements and three scales for urban agriculture, highlighting legal, social, and economic constraints and opportunities. The analysis suggests future research priorities include identifying principles for resilient cities and trialling innovative institutional mechanisms.
PolicyEconomicsCommunityClimate changeCities feeding people: an update on urban agriculture in equatorial Africa
2010Diana Lee-Smith · Environment and Urbanization · Africa (Equatorial Africa)
This article reviews empirical data on urban agriculture in equatorial Africa, primarily East Africa and Cameroon, updating previous work. It quantifies the extent of urban agriculture, assesses its relationship to food security and poverty, and discusses its role in eco-cycles and policy-making efforts in three East African cities. The article concludes that urban agriculture is increasing, beneficial for health and poverty alleviation, but better-off households currently benefit more than poor households.
Food sovereignty & justiceWelfareOrganic cyclePolicyEconomics