Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
1626 results(34 / 66)
STACKED
2021Luuk Graamans · Architecture and the Built Environment · Global
This research investigated the potential and limitations of plant factories (vertical farming) for urban food production. The STACKED method was developed to assess plant factory performance across multiple scales, from leaf to facility to city, analyzing resource requirements including energy, electricity, water, CO2, and land area use for fresh vegetable production. The study found that while plant factories feature extensive climate control, their necessity, effectiveness, and efficiency remain questionable, and their effects on the urban energy balance were also assessed.
Economic viabilityDigital agricultureClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPerspectiva agroecológica en el Antropoceno
2021Miguel A. Altieri, Clara I. Nicholls · Magna Scientia UCEVA · Global
This reflection explores agroecology as a sustainable development alternative for a post-COVID-19 agricultural system, revitalizing peasant agriculture and enhancing urban agriculture. An agroecology-based system can minimize future food supply disruptions by improving links between small-scale food production and local consumption. Agroecology is presented as a strategy for autonomy and resilience, addressing global challenges like climate change and food insecurity.
Food sovereignty & justiceClimate changeBiodiversityHealthUrban–rural linkageMoving Towards Nexus Solutions to ‘Energy’ Problems: An Inclusive Approach
2021Ralitsa Hiteva · · Bulgaria (Sofia)
This chapter examines fuel poverty in Sofia, Bulgaria, as part of the urban nexus of food, water, energy, and environment. It uses urban gardening, making zimnina (preserved food), and domestic heating/energy use as case studies to illustrate how these practices are interdependent and impact energy provisioning. The study focuses on low-technological ways of managing the urban nexus from the perspective of vulnerable users, aiming to address fuel poverty and air pollution.
Urban–rural linkageWelfareClimate changeEconomicsManaging a Circular Food System in Sustainable Urban Farming. Experimental Research at the Turku University Campus (Finland)
2021Leena Erälinna, Barbara Szymoniuk · Sustainability · Finland
This article presents an experimental project in Turku, Finland, aimed at implementing a circular food system in sustainable urban farming. The project had two objectives: reducing food waste in Turku University Campus restaurants and supporting local nutrient recycling by composting food waste for urban farming. The resulting concept, based on two experimental studies, is globally replicable for managing local circular food systems.
Organic cycleCompostFood lossClimate changeEstimación de producción hortícola afectada por granizo (Córdoba, Enero 2021)
2021Claudia Marani, A. Lighezzolo, C. Bisio, Beatriz Giobellina, Diego Pons · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Argentina
This report, part of the SAT-CV-CBA Project, aims to inform provincial authorities and the community about the estimation of horticultural areas affected by extreme weather events in Córdoba, Argentina, at the end of January 2021. It estimates the number of farms, crop losses based on vulnerability, and storm intensity. The information is expected to be useful for supporting affected producers.
Limited or null effectClimate changePeri-urban agricultureCommunityFACTORS AFFECTING URBAN AGRICULTURE DEVELOPMENT IN THAI NGUYEN PROVINCE, VIET NAM
2021Vu Bach Điep, Dinh Hong Linh, Bui Thi Minh Hang · International Journal of Legal Studies ( IJOLS ) · Viet Nam
Thai Nguyen province in Vietnam is experiencing agricultural land reduction due to rapid urbanization. This article analyzed five groups of factors affecting urban agricultural development in Thai Nguyen province during 2015-2018: Socio-economic; Natural conditions and infrastructure; Policy factors; Planning factors; and Links and integration. Descriptive statistical methods were used to analyze and synthesize secondary and primary data sources.
PolicyEconomicsClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceEvaluation of green roof structures and substrates for Lactuca sativa L. in tropical conditions
2021A. Varela, Alexandra Sandoval-Albán, Marcela Muñoz, Alfonso Goméz Gómez, Manuel Bogoya, Germán Combariza · Urban forestry & urban greening · Global
This study evaluated the optimal combination of three different modular extensive green roof structures and two types of local substrates (compost and soil + biochar) for Lactuca sativa L. var. crispa (lettuce) growth under tropical climate conditions, measuring physicochemical and biological properties of substrates and plant growth variables over seven weeks under rainy and dry conditions. A monolithic multilayer structure, high Mg concentrations, elevated amounts of 600 μm aggregates, and lower substrate bulk density were linked with higher L. sativa yield, but the specific substrate used was not associated with this result. Some physicochemical and microbiological properties of substrates changed by the experiment's end, with these changes dependent on climatic conditions.
DIYCompostClimate changeUrban agriparks of algiers: a sustainable modality of urban agriculture?
2021Sara Bouzekri, Saïd Madani, Christine AUBRY · Bulletin de la Société Géographique de Liège · Algeria (Algiers)
This paper diagnosed the sustainability of urban agriculture in agriparks within the Chéraga commune of Algiers, Algeria. Applying a double sustainability method (internal and external) proposed by Ba and Aubry (2011), the study identified several major challenges to optimize urban agriculture sustainability, reduce deficiencies, and remedy observed imbalances.
Climate changePolicyUrban–rural linkageA risk management framework for Gentle Remediation Options (GRO)
2021Paul Drenning, Shaswati Chowdhury, Yevheniya Volchko, Lars Rosén, Yvonne Andersson‐Sköld, Jenny Norrman · The Science of The Total Environment · Sweden
This paper proposed a framework for risk management and communication of Gentle Remediation Options (GRO) to support phytomanagement strategies at contaminated sites. An extensive literature review mapped risk mitigation mechanisms, and the Swedish national soil guideline value model derived human health exposure pathways and ecological risks. Results indicated that most expected risk mitigation mechanisms are supported by literature, but knowledge gaps still exist. The framework was demonstrated to support the identification of GRO options for a case study site under two envisioned land uses: biofuel park and allotment garden.
Organic cycleBiodiversityClimate changeResources: Resource Conservation and Waste Management
2021David Satterthwaite · · Global
This chapter discusses innovations such as improvements in energy efficiency in housing, the trend of recognizing waste streams as resource streams, and innovations in urban agriculture and urban forestry that reduce cities' ecological footprints. A factor constraining government action on resource conservation and waste reduction is concern over employment costs. In most cities in the Global South, the potential for new employment in resource conservation is rather less due to lower resource use and higher levels of recycling, reclamation, and reuse.
Organic cycleClimate changeEconomicsEcology, landscape and urban agriculture. An innovative envelope for vertical farms
2021Valerio Morabito · TECHNE - Journal of Technology for Architecture and Environment · Global
This text explores the relationship between ecology and landscape architecture, and urban agriculture and vertical farm experiments through the lens of circular economy and recycling. Urban agriculture plays ecological, social, cultural, and aesthetic roles, evolving into new architectural experiments with vertical farms. Finally, it describes a building envelope patent developed by APS spin-off UNIRC for organizing vertical farms in unfinished buildings.
Urban–rural linkageClimate changeDigital agricultureBiophilic Design, Regenerative Design, and Equity: An Intersection
2021Anne Debertin · · United States
This research studied how equity can exist at the intersection of regenerative and biophilic design strategies within an affordable housing model. Three case studies from Minneapolis, Santa Monica, and El Paso were examined using Terrapin’s Fourteen Patterns of Biophilic Design and the Living Building Challenge design guide. The analysis revealed that equity can operate through "place" (a Living Building Challenge imperative) and "connection to natural systems" (a Terrapin pattern). The study concluded that place and connection to natural systems have the potential to act as conduits to human and planetary equity.
CommunityClimate changePolicyHealth„da draußen weiter horrorvideo“
2021Friederike Reents · Publication Server of the Catholic University Eichstätt-Ingolstadt (Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt) · Germany
This paper analyzes Thomas Kling’s poem „geschrebertes idyll, für mike feser“ as an "allotment garden idyll" within 'new nature poetry'. While Kling skillfully engages with the idyll genre and offers ecological, social, medial, and historical critique, the study finds that he presents a decidedly patriarchal self-image, which contemporary readers would likely find less acceptable.
Equity & displacementCommunityPolicyClimate changeFood strategies and restitution of urban agriculture illustrated by the case of selected solutions of metropolitan areas
2021Aleksandra Płonka, Wojciech Sroka · Scientific Papers of Silesian University of Technology Organization and Management Series · Global
This paper aimed to present the importance of food strategies in creating sustainable development of metropolitan areas and the restitution of agriculture. By reviewing Canadian and French solutions, among others, it indicated the importance of urban agriculture in shaping sustainable development. A descriptive case study was adopted as the qualitative research methodology, using urban plans, literature, and legislative acts as empirical basis. Findings show that only planning and new generation strategic plans of a metropolis that account for urban food systems can balance long-term development objectives and protect natural resources.
PolicyClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceSDG Implementation through Technology? Governing Food-Water-Technology Nexus Challenges in Urban Agriculture
2021Sandra Schwindenhammer, Denise Gonglach · Politics and Governance · Germany
This qualitative and participatory case study in Germany examined the governance implications of an emerging technology in urban agriculture that connects wastewater treatment and agricultural production for urban hydroponics. The analysis found that while this technology has the potential to facilitate SDG implementation, it simultaneously creates new sector interlinkages between water and food, leading to policy demands that necessitate more integrated policymaking.
Governance failureDigital agriculturePolicyClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceVisions of Ecotopia
2021Meredith Gaglio · · United States
The "Ecotopia" concept, promoting ecologically and socially responsible American Appropriate Technology (AT), included innovative urban planning like rooftop gardens. However, the expansion and contraction of the intranational Ecotopian network built by former Rainmakers in the mid-to-late 1970s revealed a crisis of purpose within RAIN and signaled a crisis within the AT Movement itself.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceCan urban agriculture be used to improve green infrastructure and social well-being? The urban garden in the Ponticelli neighbourhood of Naples
2021Fabio Amato, Lucia Simonetti · Journal of urban regeneration and renewal · Italy (Naples)
This paper focuses on the social urban garden in the Ponticelli neighborhood on the eastern outskirts of Naples, Italy, an area facing significant social and cultural problems including high unemployment and crime rates. The urban garden demonstrates how social cohesion can be built through urban agriculture and contribute to sustainability. However, the initiative risks remaining isolated and providing limited benefit to regional environmental sustainability efforts if not framed within an overall metropolitan strategy.
Limited or null effectCommunityHealthClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceCOVID‐19 gardening could herald a greener, healthier future
2021Brenda B. Lin, Monika Egerer, Jonathan Kingsley, Pauline Marsh, Lucy Diekmann, Alessandro Ossola · Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment · Global
This letter explores whether there was a renewed global interest in gardening during the initial waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. It notes that gardening, in various forms from private yards to community gardens, has the potential to counteract negative physical and mental health impacts of lockdowns and reduced human-nature interactions. Media reports indicated spikes in gardening interest, with sold-out seeds and plants in stores.
HealthCommunityDIYClimate changeEcological Embeddedness in the Maya Built Environment: Inspiration for Contemporary Cities
2021Naji Meidani Ali Akbar, Ismaila Rimi Abubakar, Ayesha Agha Shah, Wafa Al-Madani · Land · Global
This research explores how the ecologically embedded settlement patterns, building configurations, urban agriculture and home gardening, and water conservation of the Maya-built environment can offer insights for mitigating contemporary urban sustainability challenges. The Mayans' respect for nature guaranteed sustainable habitats, featuring mixed land use and residences constructed with native and recyclable materials. The study suggests that Mayan principles, such as protecting vegetation, conserving water, and listening to environmental feedback, have significant implications for urban land-use planning and policies today.
Urban–rural linkageClimate changeCommunityA green new deal for agriculture: for, within, or against capitalism?
2021Benjamin Selwyn · The Journal of Peasant Studies · Global
This article argues that a Green New Deal (GND) for agriculture must actively combat environmental degradation, social inequality, and labor exploitation, rather than merely aiming to restart capitalist economies. It identifies key areas for discussion and political action, including the reorientation of state subsidies, workers' rights, agrarian reform, the decommodification of food, agroecology, urban agriculture, new technologies, and rewilding.
Governance failurePolicyClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsRooftop Gardening a Modern Approach of Production in Urban Areas: A Review
2021Mukesh Choudhary, Abha Rawat · Bhartiya Krishi Anusandhan Patrika · Global
This review examines rooftop horticulture as an innovative solution for urban cultivation, addressing limited space in cities. It provides an interdisciplinary assessment of various development approaches and forms of rooftop horticulture, drawing on existing experiences and offering suggestions for planning sustainable cities. The review notes that some urban rooftop gardens utilize mineral fertilizers and pesticides.
DIYPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changeImpact of landscape dynamics and intensities on the ecological land of major cities in Ethiopia
2021Mekonnen Amberber Degefu, Mekuria Argaw, Gudina Legese Feyisa, Sileshi Degefa · ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS RESEARCH · Ethiopia
This study characterized and compared the Spatio-temporal responses of ecological land to urban landscape dynamics in Bahir Dar, Addis Ababa, Adama, and Hawassa cities in Ethiopia for the last three decades (1990–2020). Three sets of Landsat satellite images, field observations, and urban land indexes were used to produce landscape maps and geo-spatial data analysis. Results showed that in all cities, ecological land had changed intensely regarding its quantity and spatial pattern, and the substantial expansion of built-up ecosystems was manifested at the cost of ecological land.
Environmental trade-offsUrban–rural linkageClimate changePolicyUrban autonomous zones and the mitigation of climate disasters
2021Oliver Kellhammer · Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks · Global
This article explores how marginalized urban communities in North American cities create collective 'open-source' spaces like squats and guerrilla gardens to build social and environmental resilience against climate change emergencies. These spaces can mitigate the short and long-term effects of climate disasters, particularly in low-income neighborhoods facing overcrowding and infrastructure issues. The author provides personal accounts of involvement with a guerrilla garden in Vancouver and a community garden allied with squatters in New York's Lower East Side during Superstorm Sandy.
CommunityClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceIdentifying potential applications for residual biomass from urban agriculture through eco-ideation: Tomato stems from rooftop greenhouses
2021Ana Manríquez-Altamirano, Jorge Sierra-Pérez, Pere Muñoz, Xavier Gabarrell · Journal of Cleaner Production · Global
This study proposed an eco-design methodology to upcycle tomato stems, identified as the most promising agro-urban solid waste from rooftop greenhouse tomato crops, for local "do-it-yourself" use. Researchers characterized tomato stems physically, chemically, and mechanically, then conducted a creative session with specialists to identify applications. Resulting concepts included "Fences and trellises," "Packaging," and "Boards, panels and blocks," providing data on stem characterization for broader biomass utilization.
Organic cycleDIYClimate changeAnálise de viabilidade financeira da produção orgânica de morangos para comercialização local
2021Naiane Modri Fuzinatto, Jaciney Aparecida Danielli, Daniela Preschlak, Augusto Fischer · Revista em Agronegócio e Meio Ambiente · Brazil
This study presented a proposal for organic strawberry cultivation in urban spaces for a small producer and evaluated the financial viability of local sales. Through a qualitative and quantitative case study in Santa Catarina State, results indicated social and environmental benefits from adopting urban strawberry cultivation under an organic production system. Furthermore, the entire investment could be recovered in just over two years, representing a medium-term return on investment.
EconomicsOrganic cycleClimate changeFood sovereignty & justice