Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
1177 results(33 / 48)
Water: Connecting the Cycle
2016Gundula Proksch · · Global
This chapter discusses the potential of urban agriculture to mitigate water management challenges. While industrial agriculture consumes 70% of accessible water, cities struggle with water security and fail to utilize on-site sources like rainfall. Urban agriculture is presented as a solution to these water challenges by integrating water-efficient strategies with existing urban infrastructure, building systems, and management approaches.
Climate changeOrganic cyclePolicyEconomicsEnergy: Solar-powered Photosynthesis and Greenhouses
2016Gundula Proksch · · Global
This chapter investigates factors for implementing sustainable, energy-efficient urban agricultural operations, focusing on the solar needs of plants, the extension of growing seasons indoors, and passive solar gains for buildings. It provides an overview of greenhouse typologies, cover materials, and lighting systems to optimize energy use and production. Additionally, it examines the potential for photosynthesis and the carbon cycle to utilize building exhaust systems for CO2-rich air and excess heat to support crop cultivation, exploring intersections among nutrient, water, and energy cycles through case studies.
Climate changeOrganic cycleFood miles & supply chainEconomicsCommunity Supported Agriculture Als Neuer Impuls Für Die Regionalvermarktung? Stand Der Forschung Und Abgrenzung Von Anderen Alternativen Lebensmittelnetzwerken
2016Marie Wellner, Ludwig Theuvsen · · Global
This paper provides an overview of the current state of research on Alternative Food Networks (ALN) and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) through a literature analysis. It aims to clearly define the research area by differentiating individual ALNs and presents the core elements of the CSA concept in the context of regional marketing.
CSA & TeikeiUrban–rural linkageEconomicsCommunityCommunity: Education and Social Integration
2016Gundula Proksch · · Global
This chapter investigates various approaches to community involvement in urban agriculture, demonstrating how communities and interest groups can be instrumental in creating and operating urban agricultural projects. Urban agriculture has the potential to reestablish lost connections between food production and consumption and restore social, economic, and cultural ties. Community-initiated urban agricultural programs are essential in reducing the divide between producers and consumers.
CommunityFood educationPolicyEconomicsNutritional profile of the Portuguese cabbage (Brassica oleracea L var. costata) and its relationship with the elemental soil analysis
2016Maria Fernanda Pessoa, Paula Scotti‐Campos, Isabel P. Pais, Ana Feteiro, Daniela Sílvia de Oliveira Canuto, Manuela Simes, João Pelica, Inês Maria Mantinhas Pataco, Vânia Ribeiro, Fernando H. Reboredo, José C. Ramalho, Fernando C. Lidon · Emirates Journal of Food and Agriculture · Portugal
The nutritional profile of "Tronchuda" or Portuguese cabbage produced in urban horticultures from 4 regions of mainland Portugal was studied, along with elemental soil analysis of each sampling site. This study revealed significant interactions between essential elements in soil and plant leaves, the edible part of the plant. In general, these leaves contained poor concentrations of Fe and Si, while Mn was absent, regardless of the sampling sites. Conversely, Ca levels were abundant, ranging between 3.3% and 3.9%. Soils from CAP showed a nutrient exhaustion of Fe, Mn, and Mo, although the highest protein and sucrose contents in the leaves were observed in plants growing in those soils. Protein, lipids, and carbohydrates concentrations differed according to sampling site, reflecting different production practices.
HealthEconomicsUrban–rural linkageBottom-Up and Top Down Approaches for Urban Agriculture
2016Chiara Casazza, Stefano Pianigiani · Civil Engineering and Urban Planning An International Journal (CiVEJ) · Global
Urban agriculture is a complex phenomenon that responds to the common need for sustainable cities in environmental, economic, social, and institutional terms. It encompasses various approaches and intervention typologies, from low-tech to high-tech solutions like community gardens and vertical farms. This field characterizes cities at different scales, including territory, town, neighborhood, building, and house, addressing diverse user exigencies and requirements.
CommunityPolicyEconomicsClimate changeDigital agricultureSolidarity economy practices in urban agriculture initiatives of the Lisbon municipality. The cases of Vale de Chelas, Alta de Lisboa e Horta do Baldio
2016C. Paizinho, M. de F. Ferreiro · Repositório do ISCTE-IUL · Portugal (Lisbon)
This study identified solidarity economy practices in three urban gardens in Lisbon, Portugal: Vale de Chelas, Alta de Lisboa, and Horta do Baldio. Using quantitative and qualitative methods, including surveys of 42 users and interviews with 3 stakeholders, 31 out of 35 evaluated practices were identified, with 7 being "very relevant" and 4 "relevant." Key practices included organic production, contributions to social cohesion and health, knowledge sharing, reciprocity, and democratic decision-making, while 20 practices were considered "less relevant."
CommunityEconomicsPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceUrbanisation, Nutrition and Food Security: A Climatological Perspective
2016Tom Beer, Brenda B. Lin, A.E.J. McGill · Water science and technology library · Global
This chapter considers the effects of climate change on food production, with particular reference to urban agriculture and its associated impacts on food security. The value of urban agriculture to the health and nutrition of developing and developed countries is described. The current status of related research by international agencies is outlined, and their omissions are highlighted. Proposals are made as to how these overlooked areas of research might be addressed.
Climate changeFood sovereignty & justiceHealthEconomicsOn the sustainability of aquaponics
2016Bettina König, Ranka Junge, András Bittsánszky, Morris Villarroel, Tamás Kőmíves · Ecocycles · Global
A literature review was conducted on the social, environmental, and economic impacts of aquaponics. The technology has potential applications in various settings, including commercial or community-based urban food production, industrial-scale production, small-scale farming, and educational systems. However, it is concluded that due to the complexity within markets, value chains, communities, infrastructure, and policy settings, further research and data acquisition are needed to fully assess all sustainability aspects.
Methodological critiqueDigital agricultureEconomicsClimate changeCommunityUnderstanding Markets and Marketing Strategies, and Challenges in Locally Grown Fresh Produce Industry
2016J. Dominique Gumirakiza, Laura J. Hopper, Gumirakiza, J. Dominique, Hopper, Laura · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · Global
An exploratory study of existing literature on locally grown food systems identified common findings, recommendations, and proposed priorities, key variables, and relationships for future research. Findings indicate that local food marketing through farmers' markets and Community Supported Agriculture, along with the benefits of local food systems to local economies (an ongoing debate), heavily dominate the literature. Prior studies commonly reported enthusiasm for locally grown fresh produce but presented diverging results regarding significant consumer characteristics.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceFood miles & supply chainPlanning tools for strategic management of peri-urban food production
2016LE Wynne, Dana Cordell, Joanne Chong, Becky L. Jacobs · UTS ePRESS (University of Technology Sydney) · Australia (Sydney)
This report, using Sydney as a case study, examines land-use planning on the urban fringe for peri-urban food production. It finds that for many cities, including Sydney, a large proportion of peri-urban food production has already been lost due to conversion to residential and infrastructure uses. The report reviews various planning responses to address threats to peri-urban agriculture.
Governance failurePeri-urban agriculturePolicyEconomicsClimate changeUrban Gardening: From Cost Avoidance to Profit Making — Example from Ljubljana, Slovenia
2016Matjaž Glavan, Majda Černič Istenič, Rozalija Cvejić, Marina Pintar · InTech eBooks · Slovenia (Ljubljana)
Two economic models of urban gardening, an avoided costs model (ACM) and a business model (BM), were compared among 127 urban gardeners in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Average ACM gardeners achieved savings of 3.38 EUR/m2 (approximately 462.7 EUR per average 136.69 m2 garden). Average BM gardeners sold approximately 107.0 kg of vegetables annually from 32.48 m2 of production area, generating a gross margin of approximately 135.17 EUR/year (4.29 EUR/m2). The study provides evidence that the ACM can be upgraded with the BM for additional income.
EconomicsDIYRe-design an open space through the urban farming
2016Rossella Franchino, Nicola Pisacane · Journal of Sustainable Architecture and Civil Engineering · Global
This study proposes urban farming as an effective tool for renewing urban open spaces, considering its environmental, economic, and social possibilities. Through a structured case study on the requalification of a degraded urban area in Southern Italy, a preparatory analysis of local resources was conducted using diachronic and synchronic comparative map studies. This analysis, alongside the study of urban farming models, enabled the development of the project idea.
CommunityEconomicsClimate changeUrban–rural linkageCommunity Supported Agriculture and Preferences for Risk and Fairness
2016Kévin Bernard, Aurélie Bonein, Douadia Bougherara · 2016 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Boston, Massachusetts · Global
This study investigated consumers' preferences for attributes of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) contracts, focusing on risk and fairness preferences. Two incentivized field experiments were combined with a stated choice survey, interviewing 162 CSA members face-to-face. Consumers were found to be averse to advantageous inequality (AI) towards CSA and non-CSA farmers, and to disadvantageous inequality (DI) towards non-CSA farmers, but also showed evidence of DI seeking towards CSA farmers. Consumers preferred longer contracts, driven by risk rather than fairness, and exhibited a dislike for losses and share price increases.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsCommunityIntroduction: Urban Agriculture and the Built Environment
2016Gundula Proksch · · Global
"Creating Urban Agricultural Systems: An Integrated Approach to Design" is a resource that documents environmental, systemic, technical, and operational considerations in urban agriculture. It compiles emerging strategies, current practices, and working case studies. This research synthesizes information on inputs and outputs, resource efficiencies, environmental benefits, and operational achievements, based on numerous site visits, examinations of outstanding case studies, and interviews with stakeholders behind innovative farm operations.
CommunityPolicyEconomicsClimate changeResiliencia y organización comunitaria: el caso de la red de huertas en los Altos de la Estancia, en la localidad de Ciudad Bolívar en Bogotá / Resilience and community organization: the case of the network of orchards in the “Altos de la Estancia”, in “C
2016Diana Paola Vargas Huertas, Juan–Carlos Ruiz · Ciudad Paz-ando · Colombia (Bogotá)
This case study analyzed the creation process of an agricultural-based socio-economic network (orchards) in the Altos de la Estancia sector of Ciudad Bolívar in Bogotá, from the perspective of social resilience. Using participatory design accompaniment methodologies, the study examined resilience variables, vulnerability, and alternative economies within urban agriculture, and analyzed the social actors involved in the network's formation. The research revealed diverse capacities to face environmental adversity within risk management and community building processes, supported by district institutions, academia, and popular collectives.
CommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceUrban Cultivation and Its Contributions to Sustainability: Nibbles of Food but Oodles of Social Capital
2016George Martin, Roland Clift, Ian Christie · Sustainability · Global
This exploratory study examined three urban cultivation sites in New York, London, and San Francisco to assess their nutritional, ecological, and social sustainability contributions. Field analysis revealed very low food outputs relative to the populations of their catchment areas, indicating that most urban food will continue to come from outside urban peripheries. The study concluded that urban food growing's sustainability benefits are more social than agronomic or ecological.
Limited or null effectCommunityEconomicsHealthClimate changeEl desafío de la alimentación en un mundo cada vez más urbano
2016A. Sempere · Americanae (AECID Library) · Global
This paper argues that the concentration of people in urban areas poses significant ecological and social challenges, such as how to supply food to large population centers that grow at the expense of surrounding agricultural land. According to the United Nations, over half of the world's population currently lives in cities, projected to reach 66% by 2050. Current cities rely on food imported from increasingly distant places rather than food produced in their geographical environment, resulting in cities and citizens disconnected from their ecological and sociocultural context.
Urban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsExamining a New “Pay-as-You-Go” Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) Model: A Case Study
2016Marjorie Freedman, Juliana K. King · Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition · Global
This research surveyed 536 current and former J&P Organics farm CSA subscribers, categorizing them into four groups based on ordering frequency. Findings strongly indicate that a flexible pay-as-you-go CSA subscription model could increase subscriber membership and possibly ordering frequency, especially for those likely to order less frequently than weekly but who are otherwise similar to traditional pay-up-front subscribers in demographics, motivations, satisfaction, and subscription length.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsCommunityUrban agriculture up-scaled: economically and socially productive public green space
2016Joshua Zeunert · UNSWorks (University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia) · Australia
Urban public green spaces typically require external budgets for maintenance, with most projects costing municipal authorities more money than they generate, making them economically unproductive. For instance, the Adelaide Parklands annually costs AU$9 million for maintenance while generating less than AU$1 million in income. Maintenance spending on public green spaces in the USA, UK, and Australia has been declining, a trend accelerated since the 2008 global financial crisis.
Economic viabilityEconomicsCommunityPolicyAtelier 1 Agriculture urbaine et nouveaux marchés la vente de bacs prévégétalisés aux particuliers
2016Marie-Dominique Pivetaud et Jean-Claude Legendre, Entrepreneurs chez Nature et potager en ville · · Global
This workshop focuses on the sale of pre-vegetated planters to individuals and businesses as a new market within the urban agriculture sector.
DIYEconomicsEfficient City Farming
2016Stefan Hebold, Andrea Frömel · edoc Publication server (Humboldt University of Berlin) · Global
This study aimed to address the lack of scientific documentation on the forms and effects of urban agriculture by investigating the health of urban-produced plant-based foods. Raised beds were established at urban, peri-urban, and rural locations, planted with identical species, and compared with the yields from an ECF container farm hydroponic system. Yields were compared between the hydroponic system and raised beds, while raised beds were compared among themselves based on heavy metal accumulation.
EconomicsClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityIntroduction Context and commonality: Women in agriculture worldwide
2016Manase Kudzai Chiweshe, Kudzai MacMillan Muzanago · · Zimbabwe (Harare)
This exploratory study analyzed the emergence of sack potato farming as an alternative empowerment platform for urban women in Zimbabwe, using qualitative methodologies and secondary literature. It found that sack potato production, which gained prominence in Zimbabwe in 2013, can increase food security and income for urban households and promotes micro-economic enterprises among urban women.
Food sovereignty & justiceWelfareCommunityEconomicsFarmers' place identity and decision-making in a changing peri-urban environment: a case study of Wollondilly Shire Council
2016Laure‐Elise Ruoso, R. Plant, Brent Jacobs, Pierre Maurel · · Australia (Western Sydney)
This study, based on in-depth interviews with farmers in peri-urban Sydney, Australia, examines how changes in these areas impact farmers' place identity and decision-making. It analyzes how increasing urban development, land subdivision, rising land values, and environmental regulations threaten farming activities. The findings indicate that these factors influence farmers' practices, business management, and decisions to continue or relocate peri-urban farming.
Economic viabilityPeri-urban agricultureFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicyFarming in and on urban buildings: Present practice and specific novelties of Zero-Acreage Farming (ZFarming)
2015Thomaier S., Specht K., Henckel D., Dierich A., Siebert R., Freisinger U. B., Sawicka M. · Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 30(1):43-54 · Global
Survey of 73 zero-acreage (building-based) farms across four continents, analyzing innovative technologies, supply patterns, and business networks of commercial hydroponic and aquaponic urban farming.
EconomicsOrganic cycle