Research & reports

Rachel E. Mallinger, Anne Yasalonis, Gary W. Knox, Wayne Hobbs · EDIS · United States (Florida)

This 7-page fact sheet aims to conserve approximately 315 species of native wild bees in Florida. Published by the UF/IFAS Entomology and Nematology Department, it shows how gardeners and land managers can aid bee conservation efforts by planting flowers in home or community gardens.

Kimberly M. Ballare, John L. Neff, Rebecca Ruppel, Shalene Jha · Ecological Applications · United States

This study assessed bee community composition at 20 grassland and 20 agriculture sites across two US metroplexes over three time periods, identifying 172 species from nearly 13,000 specimens. It found that regional land use differentially impacted bee abundance and diversity depending on local habitat management. Local bare ground and floral richness were significantly related to multiple metrics of bee diversity.

Monika Egerer, Jacob M. Cecala, Hamutahl Cohen · Sustainability · United States (California)

This study compared the effects of local and landscape features on wild bee species abundance and richness in 19 gardens and 11 nurseries in California, USA. Local features such as floral richness and ground cover, and landscape features like impervious land cover, were assessed. In gardens, floral richness, local habitat size, and urban land cover impacted wild bee species richness, while in nurseries, floral richness and the proportion of native plant species impacted wild bee abundance and richness.

THAYZA DE OLIVEIRA BATITUCCI, Erika Cortines, Fábio Souto Almeida, Ângela Alves de Almeida · Ambiente & sociedade · Brazil (Rio de Janeiro)

This study analyzed the interactions of agricultural activities and the urban ecosystem through a literature review and a case study of an Urban Agriculture program in the metropolitan area of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It found that urban agriculture provides considerable ecosystem services, generates income, increases biodiversity conservation, and fosters social inclusion. The research concludes that urban agriculture functions as a mechanism for achieving equilibrium among the components of the urban ecosystem.

M. Tsuruta, Kyo Itoyama · Japanese Journal of Applied Entomology and Zoology · Japan (Kawasaki City)

This study investigated the seasonal occurrences and species composition of Orius spp. in an okra field in Kawasaki City, Japan. Orius spp. were found on okra plants from early-summer to early-autumn, with peak occurrences advancing with earlier flowering times. The initial occurrence was not associated with the seasonal prevalence of thrips on okra plants, suggesting that the main factors influencing Orius spp. occurrence are prey-independent.

Lisandra Hernández Guanche, Yoerlandy Santana Baños, Armando Acosta Hernández, Armando del Busto Concepción · Revista Cubana de Ciencias Forestales: CFORES · Cuba

A study was conducted in the Vial Colon organoponics system in Pinar del Rio municipality, Cuba, to determine the diversity of arboreal species. Inventories were performed in each organoponics system to count individuals per species, followed by taxonomic identification and calculations of absolute frequency and abundance. The research identified 37 arboreal species belonging to 26 botanical families, with Fabaceae being the most represented and Persea americana Mill. and Moringa oleifera Lam. being the most abundant.

Yadeneyro de la Cruz Elizondo, Juan Camilo Fontalvo-Buelvas · Suelos Ecuatoriales · Mexico (Xalapa)

In an urban green area in Xalapa, Mexico, soil quality was evaluated prior to the implementation of a university garden. The soil was brown and sandy loam with poor aggregate stability and a bulk density of 2.52 g/cm3. Biologically, earthworm density was poor at 67.2 ind/m2 and the number of edaphic groups was poor at 5, though pH was optimal at 6.58 and organic matter was medium at 6.45%. Overall soil quality was assessed as moderate, indicating a need for an integrated soil management plan for improvement.

К. Г. Ткаченко · HORTUS BOTANICUS · Global

Botanical institutions should create and maintain diverse plant collections, including local flora, ethnobotanical knowledge, and carpological collections, for research and education. These collections can inform urban gardening and floristics, but it is crucial to evaluate the invasive potential of introduced species to prevent their spread in the region's flora.

Andréia Quinto dos Santos, Ricardo Jucá‐Chagas, Regileno da Silva Santana, Evton Farias Quinto Santos, ALISSON SANTOS DA SILVA · Brazilian Journal of Development · Global

This research evaluated the limits and possibilities of learning ecological interactions in elementary school using a school garden, involving a supervising teacher, a classroom teacher, and 30 students. While students demonstrated understanding of ecological interactions through oral communication, the study identified significant limitations including difficulties in reading and writing, a lack of volunteers, and insufficient technical and administrative support from the school.

Nina Gren · Lund University Publications (Lund University) · Sweden

This presentation, based on ethnographic research from 2017-2018 in the Malmö-Lund area, Sweden, examines creativity in urban gardening projects as a response to ecological crisis. Urban gardeners, particularly project coordinators, expressed concerns about ecological emergency and sought to promote sustainable living. They developed creative events and workshops for children, including storytelling, planting, harvesting, and making 'bee hotels', to educate them on ecological issues and inspire aspirations for a different future.

Odiney Alvarez‐Campos, Gregory K. Evanylo · Journal of Environmental Quality · Global

The impacts of exceptional quality (EQ) biosolids and inorganic fertilizer applied for rehabilitating anthropogenic soils on potential nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) water quality impairment risk were compared. After two years, reclamation rates of biosolids resulted in soil P saturation ratios greater than the recommended 30% but lower than the 65% limit. While nitrate N (NO3–N) posed the greatest nutrient leaching risk, lysimeter-collected mass loading of NO3–N from reclamation rates was not greater than for the inorganic fertilizer.

Setyo Parsudi · Berkala Ilmiah AGRIDEVINA · Indonesia (Surabaya)

This study in Surabaya, Indonesia, aimed to identify urban farming models, community motivations, and obstacles faced in implementing urban agriculture. The study found that the most common urban farming models were hydroponics, followed by verticulture, fisheries, and rooftop gardens. Community motivations primarily included increasing income, utilizing empty land, pursuing farming hobbies, and using green open spaces. The main obstacles faced by the community were plant pests, lack of capital for development, extreme weather, and insufficient experience and knowledge in urban agriculture.

Joshua Arnold, Monika Egerer, Kent M. Daane · Insects · Global

This review assessed urban conservation biological control (CBC) research and provided a synthesis for urban agriculture practitioners. Findings indicated that local and landscape factors differentially affect insect pests and beneficial arthropods across the reviewed studies. Several on-farm practices that can be implemented to increase biological control in urban agriculture were also identified.

Lisandra Hernández Guanche, Yoerlandy Santana Baños, Armando Acosta Hernández, Armando del Busto Concepción · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Cuba (Pinar del Río)

This research determined the diversity of arboreal species associated with the "Vial Colón" organoponics system in Pinar del Río municipality, Cuba. Inventories identified 37 arboreal species from 26 botanical families. Fabaceae was the most represented family, with Persea americana Mill. and Moringa oleifera Lam. showing the highest abundance.

Sarah Taylor Lovell · · Global

This data describes the landscape attributes of nineteen sites as supplemental information for an article by Bennett, A.B., and Lovell, S.T., accepted for publication in PLOS ONE, which discusses how landscape and local site variables differentially influence pollinators and pollination services in urban agricultural sites.

Sarah Lovell · · United States

This record is a dataset description accompanying a PLOS ONE manuscript by Bennett and Lovell (2019) on landscape and local site variables and pollinators in urban agricultural sites; the data consist of the percentage of each bee pollinator group recorded in bee bowls and through direct observation.

남진보, 김근호 · · United Kingdom

This 2019 study examined community-led gardens for particulate matter (PM) abatement in London, UK, as case studies for addressing PM problems, using place-keeping theory as its analytical framework and analyzing the gardens' management structures. It found that strong governance backed by local policy support is key to addressing PM issues, alongside stakeholder partnerships, community-generated supplementary funding, regular evaluation through community monitoring, and long-term maintenance. The study concludes that community garden management should take a self-sustaining structure built on strong governance, and recommends policies that encourage community involvement in decision-making, expand external funding including from private and business sectors, provide PM-monitoring tools and education (for example via universities), and plant low-maintenance vegetation to sustain gardens against funding and labor shortages.

Meghan L. Avolio, Diane E. Pataki, G. Darrel Jenerette, Stéphanie Pincetl, Lorraine Weller Clarke, Jeannine Cavender‐Bares, Thomas W. Gillespie, Sarah E. Hobbie, Kelli L. Larson, Heather R. McCarthy, Tara L. E. Trammell · Plants People Planet · United States (California)

Several datasets on urban biodiversity in Los Angeles, California, were synthesized covering urban trees, residential yards, community gardens, nursery plant availability and resident attitudes toward plant attributes. Cultivated plant diversity was found to differ drastically from remnant natural areas, with more than double the number of plant species, a higher share of exotic ornamental species, and turnover in functional trait distributions; most sampled tree species were available for sale in local nurseries, and resident plant-trait preferences correlated with the composition of the plant community.

Mariana Berlanga, Christine G. Bowden, Tylar Campbell, Eva Wang, Zou, Joe · cIRcle (University of British Columbia) · Canada

A report on a biodiversity installation created by the University Neighbourhoods Association (UNA) and the Land and Food Systems 450 class at Hawthorn Community Garden along Main Mall Greenway at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Canada, aimed at engaging the community with biodiversity and food. Four data collection methods were used: a focus group, an online survey, interviews, and secondary sources. Community members wanted the installation to prioritize enhancing biodiversity and educating children, and showed equal preference between two concept designs—one emphasizing visual appeal, the other information. Expert interviews and secondary sources indicated a successful mason-bee installation should be east-facing with access to food, water and clay, and requires active community engagement.

Laura Petruskeviciute · · United Kingdom

This case study examines DOT TO DOT©, a social innovation project run in the Maryhill area of Glasgow, Scotland, from 2017 to 2018 and funded by the EU's European Social Fund Aspiring Communities programme. A cross-disciplinary initiative involving intergenerational groups from the local creative community — social entrepreneurs, researchers, educators, and youth — it temporarily reused ecologically vacant sites, aiming to improve the lives of disadvantaged communities through regenerative design and live projects built with reclaimed waste materials. The experimental site was planned across three areas: (a) a Community Garden growing edible plants (phase 1), (b) a Remake Station (phase 2), and (c) a sensory woodland, combining somatic learning tools, research-by-doing, experimentation through reuse, and collaborative design modeling that integrated spatial, visual, quantitative, and qualitative data. The project states its aim as generating knowledge exchange and live demonstrations relevant to local community development, in support of integrated decision-making and bottom-up governance for healthy outdoor environments.

Beatrice Atieno Otieno, Davis Bwire Namiripo · Australian Herbal Insight · Global

Urban gardening, an ancient practice, is described as having gained renewed significance amid rapid urbanization and associated challenges including environmental degradation and declining mental health. This study explored the multifaceted role of urban gardening in environmental, social, and health dimensions of sustainable urban development across five cities: New York, Berlin, Mumbai, São Paulo, and Nairobi. It combined structured surveys of 300 participants (covering air quality, access to fresh food, social interactions, and mental health), semi-structured interviews with 30 stakeholders including city planners and community garden managers, field observations of gardens' ecological and physical characteristics, and a review of secondary data. Results showed 67% of respondents reported improved mental health, with São Paulo and New York showing the most positive outcomes. Urban gardening contributed to reducing the urban heat island effect, with temperature reductions of up to 4°C, enhanced biodiversity by hosting various plant species that created habitats for pollinators, and served as social hubs fostering community engagement and inclusivity; 60% of respondents in São Paulo reported improved access to fresh food. The study concludes that urban gardening significantly enhances environmental sustainability, social cohesion, and mental health, particularly in marginalized communities, but states that challenges such as land access and insufficient policy support hinder its potential.

Sofia Biffi, Cleandho Marcos de Souza, L. G. Firbank · Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment · United Kingdom

Seventeen urban food production sites of varying sizes in and around Leeds, UK, selected from an open-source database, were surveyed using pitfall traps to assess the abundance and diversity of epigeal invertebrates (beetles, springtails, and spiders) in relation to soil characteristics (organic carbon, moisture content, pH) and site area; soil productivity was assessed by growing radish (Raphanus sativus) under uniform conditions. The study found no correlation between epigeal invertebrate abundance or diversity and either site area or soil characteristics. The authors state this indicates there is, as yet, no evidence that urban food production sites are too small to draw on ecosystem services delivered by epigeal invertebrates.

Heidi Liere, Monika Egerer, Stacy M. Philpott · Journal of Urban Ecology · United States (California)

Ladybird beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) were collected from 19 community gardens across three counties of the California Central Coast during June to September of 2014 and 2015. Of the 19 species collected, only three were non-native to California (three specimens could not be identified to species). Similarity in species composition between gardens was not related to geographic distance, indicating no dispersal limitation among these mobile beetles. Instead, three landscape-level and seven garden-scale variables correlated with changes in community composition, and garden management practices such as ground cover altered the taxonomic and functional makeup of the ladybird beetle community.

C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group · C40 Cities · China

This case study describes how Chengdu's Xingrong community converted an unused rooftop space into a vegetable garden in 2014. The project uses three environmentally friendly methods—rainwater irrigation, food-waste composting, and natural pest control—with 23 of more than 50 households participating in shared cultivation and harvest distribution.

Hardman M., Chipungu L., Magidimisha H., Larkham P.J., Scott A.J., Armitage R.P. · Landscape and Urban Planning, 170:6-14 · Global

Reviews informal urban-growing (guerrilla gardening) practices across Europe, North America and Africa, showing how in Salford, UK, local authorities have begun tolerating and even encouraging informal growing. It rethinks how a movement of residents greening and growing food on gap spaces and vacant land without permission can be integrated into urban planning and green-space policy.