Research & reports

Karen Rideout · Environmental Health Review · Global

The NCCEH (National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health) has conducted presentations and workshops since 2008 to explain the concept of food security within the context of public and environmental health practice. They have illustrated the relevance of food security to public health, explored ways to identify and mitigate potential health risks of food security projects like urban agriculture, and identified intersections between food security advocacy and public health protection.

Arne Wangel · · Denmark (Copenhagen)

This paper discusses efforts to develop a Social LCA methodology to account for social impacts in the life cycle of existing products. It specifically shifts focus to the design phase of products and services yet to be constructed by start-ups and community groups. A maritime gardening project concerning the growing, harvesting, and eating of native oysters in the harbor of Copenhagen is presented as an example of urban farming initiatives.

George Danso, Lesley Hope, Pay Drechsel, Danso, G., Hope, L., Drechsel, Pay · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · Ghana

This chapter explored the financial and economic aspects of urban and peri-urban agriculture in Ghana. It conducted cost-benefit analysis comparisons of farm finances across common rural, peri-urban, and urban farming systems. Substudies also attempted to quantify societal benefits and cost externalities related to soil nutrient depletion, pesticide use, and urban malaria.

Myungil Jeong, EuSook Jea, Sang Mi Lee, BuYoung Yi · Journal of people, plants, and environment · Global

This study investigated the effect of a 15-week horticultural activity program using a four-season ornamental rooftop garden on the mental development and intelligence quotient (IQ) of 47 preschoolers (26 experimental, 21 control) from May to September 2013. Both groups showed significant improvement in mental development, with the experimental group showing greater improvement. While IQ also improved in both groups, the change was not statistically significant, possibly due to the study's duration.

Ulf Hackauf · Repository hosted by TU Delft Library (TU Delft) · Global

This paper explores urban pig farming as a specific form of urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA). It uses a design-based research strategy, drawing on the 'City Pig' study (2009) from Delft University of Technology, to identify the potential benefits of urban pig farming and assess how un-built design projects can inform future real projects. A significant limitation is that the study concerns virtual, un-built design proposals.

Heather Yeatman, Karen Quinsey, James Dawber, Wendy Nielsen, Deanne Condon‐Paoloni, Simon Eckermann, Darcy Morris, Pam Grootemaat, David L Fildes · Evaluation Journal of Australasia · Australia

An evaluation of a national kitchen garden program in Australian primary schools was conducted across 28 initiative and 14 comparison schools. The program achieved overall improvements in students' food choices (t=2.26, p=0.024) and kitchen lifestyle behaviours (t=2.35, p=0.019). Female students and those from provincial schools showed statistically greater improvements in food choices, with girls scoring higher than boys (t=6.19, p<0.001).

Bernadett Kis · Annals of Leisure Research · Hungary

Community-supported agriculture (CSA) is a relatively new concept in Hungary, with only five or six "share CSAs" established. This paper presents how the French variation of CSA (AMAP) was adopted in Szeged, Hungary, and how this vegetable community functions, along with its leisure and health impacts on the author. The author's CSA membership is interpreted from a health and leisure perspective, connecting it to health promotion and Blackshaw's 'liquid leisure' concept.

Abdirahman Osman Warsame, Fadumo Abdi Mohamud, Ahmed Hassan Ali · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Democratic Republic of the Congo (Kinshasa)

This scoping review synthesized evidence on the association between heavy metal contamination in vegetables sold in Kinshasa's urban markets, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and human biomarkers of consumer exposure. Available evidence consistently showed that vegetables, particularly leafy greens, from Kinshasa markets contained elevated levels of lead and cadmium, often exceeding international safety limits. However, studies directly linking vegetable contamination with human biomarkers are notably scarce, suggesting a potential exposure pathway but not establishing definitive causation.

Okşan Tandoğan · MEGARON / Yıldız Technical University Faculty of Architecture E-Journal · Global

This study compiles a literature review on global efforts to create more livable physical environments for children, focusing on urban open spaces like home surroundings, school gardens, and playgrounds. It emphasizes the importance of these spaces for child development, socialization, and behavior formation. The review includes Child Friendly City initiatives and other practices related to streets, school gardens, playgrounds, and children's transportation.

Maeve Bassett · Fordham Research Commons (Fordham University) · Global

Urban gardens are advertised as a solution to limited food access in impoverished areas, but they are not productive enough to globally affect food production and the environment. However, for surrounding communities, urban gardens are cheap and effective solutions for many problems associated with poverty and food deserts, such as obesity, education, social interactions, income supplementation, health issues, dangerous neighborhoods, and refugee assimilation.

Neil Harris, Fiona Nicole Rowe Minniss, Shawn Somerset · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · Global

A cross-sectional study conducted semi-structured interviews with twelve African humanitarian migrants participating in a campus-based community food garden. The study explored how involvement in the garden supported their connectedness with their new country. Thematic analysis revealed three important benefits: land tenure, reconnecting with agriculture, and community belonging.

Brînduşa Bîrhală, Judith Möllers, Bîrhală, Brînduşa, Möllers, Judith · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · Romania

This study investigated Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in Romania, focusing on costs and benefits for both farmers and consumers in three pioneering CSA groups offering organic vegetables to contracted consumers in the western part of the country. It found that consumers are typically urban dwellers with higher education and income, prioritizing organic-quality fresh products over solidarity, which is a value aspired by the initiating NGO. Farmers' main motivation for CSA involvement is the need for a stable market with fair prices, indicating that both parties use CSA to compensate for market failures.

Lana Slavuj Borčić, Cvitanović Marin, Aleksandar Lukić · · Croatia (Zagreb)

Community gardens have long existed in Zagreb, Croatia, where residents have transformed underused public urban areas into gardens. While these activities largely occurred outside formal government frameworks, the "City Gardens" policy was adopted in 2012 to allocate urban public parcels to interested citizens. This policy increased participation in community gardening, and previous research indicates that community gardens offer multiple benefits and positive impacts on individuals, local communities, and urban spaces.

Karen Hobday, Jacqueline Ramke, Rènée du Toit, Sara Pereira · Health Education Journal · Timor-Leste

An intervention under the Healthy Eyes in Schools Project, delivered across four primary schools in Aileu District, Timor-Leste, was evaluated using a descriptive mixed-methods design combining questionnaires and interviews. Local teachers received training and resources to deliver nine lessons on eye health; in two schools this was paired with the creation of school gardens and improvements to water and sanitation. Students in classes 5 and 6 took part: 384 students aged 10-17 (median 12) completed the baseline survey and 237 completed a follow-up. The intervention was associated with improved eye health knowledge and some attitudes and practices, but attitudes about the capabilities of blind children and adults did not change. Teachers' attitudes and support from principals and an international NGO appeared key to successful implementation, while limited coverage of eye health in the existing curriculum, limited parent participation, and limited access to healthy food may have constrained the intervention's effectiveness.

Liang Da · Shipin yanjiu yu kaifa · Global

A conceptual paper (Shipin yanjiu yu kaifa, 2014) analyzes the function and mechanism of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) from a food-safety perspective, framing CSA as a response to environmental problems associated with intensive traditional agriculture. It discusses CSA's development prospects and proposes alternative approaches for green, ecological, leisure-oriented agriculture, without presenting empirical data or numeric findings.

Matejowsky T. · Locale: The Australasian-Pacific Journal of Regional Food Studies · Philippines (Urdaneta City, Pangasinan)

This ethnographic case study examines Urdaneta City's backyard and community gardening program launched in 2009 to address food insecurity and household self-sufficiency in a provincial Philippine city. It analyzes the interplay between municipal government objectives and citizens' subsistence and economic needs.

Rebecca Kessler · Environmental Health Perspectives · Global

As interest in urban agriculture grows, researchers are working to manage the risks of contaminated urban soils. The focus is on maximizing the benefits of urban gardening while minimizing the potential hazards associated with soil contamination.

Wakuru Magigi · Journal of Environmental Protection · Tanzania (Dar es Salaam)

This paper explores Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, demonstrating that urban agriculture provides urban ecosystem services and contributes to environmental sustainability. The study highlights the interconnections of environmental justice, urban ecosystem services, and climate change, which influence land governance and productivity. It suggests that with increasing population, a clear spatial land use planning and management strategy is required to enhance food systems and urban environmental sustainability in rapidly urbanizing cities.

“Biopolis” Biopolicy for Greener and More Livable Cities · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Global

This article proposes a "biopolis" model, supported by biopolicy principles, for sustainable urban management. It suggests that this model can lead to coordinated actions that limit emissions, expand green spaces, protect waterways, and encourage urban farming. The biopolis model aims to enhance cultural development, create green jobs, and promote educational opportunities, contributing to healthier and more livable cities.

Alyssa M Boyle · Scholarship @ Claremont (The Claremont Colleges) · Global

This thesis discusses the importance of school gardens, highlighting the industrialized food system and "Nature Deficit Disorder" in children as two environmental and societal problems. School gardens are presented as an effective tool to address these issues. A how-to manual for implementing such projects in schools and sample lesson plans for use with the garden across the curriculum are also provided.

Robert Garey Stewart, Marcel Korth, Laurenz Langer, Shannon Rafferty, N Rebelo Da Silva · · Global

This paper is a protocol for a systematic review on the impacts of urban agriculture programs on food security and nutrition in low and middle-income countries. It notes potential disadvantages of urban agriculture, including contamination, spread of diseases, depletion of water supplies, soil erosion, and health risks from pesticides. The review aims to identify, appraise, and synthesize evidence on these impacts comprehensively and transparently, given that the existing evidence-base is not well understood.

Peter Yaw Mensah, Richard Amankwah Kuffour, Philip Kweku Baidoo, E. Awuah · Water Science & Technology · Global

A bench-scale study evaluated the effect of dewatering faecal sludge (FS) mixed with different percentages of sawdust on its microbial quality. The dewatered FS-sawdust mixture showed a significant reduction in bacterial content and helminth eggs, rendering the biosolids safe for agricultural use. Pathogen removal was highest with 150% sawdust and lowest in the 0% sawdust control.

Kynda R. Curtis, Ruby Ward, K. Eileen Allen, Susan L. Slocum, Curtis, Kynda, Ward, Ruby, Allen, Karin, Slocum, Susan · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · Global

This study aims to explore the effects of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program membership on consumer dietary choice and nutritional intake. It also investigates potential modifications in food purchase, preparation, and dining out practices among participants. The research addresses a gap in understanding how CSA participation might lead to attitude and behavioral changes, which could inform public policy for dietary improvements.

Joanne Pascoe, Claire Wyatt‐Smith · · Australia (Brisbane)

An investigation at two Brisbane State primary schools in Australia explored the potential of school gardens as a cross-disciplinary learning environment for curriculum literacies. The study found that students' enthusiasm made the garden an effective literacy learning space, with those having learning difficulties and behavioral issues benefiting most. Stakeholder comments indicated overall improvements in writing skills and learning attitudes through integrated garden lessons.

Douglas Carl Reeser · Development in Practice · Belize

An analysis of an NGO school garden program in two Q'eqchi' Maya communities in southern Belize revealed challenges faced by NGOs. These challenges included issues of legitimacy, cultural appropriateness, self-interest, and constructed conceptions of their target communities, raising questions about the priority between autonomous, healthy communities and the preservation of the NGO program.