Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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Critical findings
5823 results(34 / 233)
Outcomes and impacts of community food hubs: a rapid review
2025Kate Wingrove, Penelope Love, Kristy A. Bolton, Patrícia Batista Melo, Erica Reeve, Colin Bell, Gavin L. Sacks, Steven Allender, Vivien Yii, A. Parsot, Dheepa Jeyapalan, Rebecca Lindberg · Proceedings of The Nutrition Society · Global
This rapid review aimed to identify short- and medium-term outcomes and long-term impacts associated with community food hubs in Australia and other high-income countries. In January 2024, relevant studies and reports published in English between 2013 and 2023 were searched across four databases and grey literature, including 16 studies/reports on 24 community food hubs (USA n=16; Australia n=7; Canada n=1). Of the 83 short- and medium-term outcomes assessed, 86% were positive, but no long-term impacts were evaluated.
CommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceHealthSMART GARDENING THROUGH AI-INTEGRATED IOT: A FRAMEWORK FOR INTELLIGENT MONITORING AND AUTOMATED CONTROL
2025Zakhro Sodikova · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Global
This research proposes an AI-based IoT approach for intelligent monitoring, prediction, and automation in smart gardens. The system includes distributed environment sensors, an edge processing unit for real-time processing and decision support, and a cloud-based machine learning module for prediction and optimization. The AI-driven system attained better prediction accuracy for soil moisture estimation and used considerably less water than traditional rule-based irrigation, without compromising plant health.
DIYCommunityDigital agricultureFrom Lots to Lush: Repurposing San Antonio's Underutilized Spaces to Combat Water Scarcity, Food Deserts, and Urban Heat
2025Douglas Donaghy · University of Chicago · United States (San Antonio)
This thesis explores the potential of transforming vacant lots and green spaces into multifunctional sites to address interconnected challenges of food insecurity, water scarcity, and urban heat in San Antonio, Texas. The study analyzes historical trends in aquifer water levels and infiltration metrics, spatial data on food deserts, and heat vulnerability indices across San Antonio to identify priority intervention areas. By integrating urban agriculture, bioretention basins, and vegetative cooling, these spaces can provide sustainable solutions to enhance food security, bolster the local water supply, and mitigate urban heat island effects.
Food sovereignty & justiceClimate changeCommunityUrban–rural linkageClaiming space
2025Kirsty Lohman, Ruth Pearce · Community Development Journal · United Kingdom (Durham)
This article describes a community garden in Durham, United Kingdom, maintained by volunteers working to retain common access to green space. The garden is located on a disused bowling green, against a backdrop of a struggle over land, ownership, and community use. The council had reportedly failed to maintain the land for many years, and much of the surrounding area is owned by Durham University. The community association aims to obtain control of the land through an adverse possession claim to prevent it from being sold off by the council.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyQuiet right to the city: contributing to urban sustainability by converging allotment and community gardens
2025Michaela Pixová, Christina Plank · Environmental Sociology · Czechia (Prague, Brno)
This paper compared the roles of allotment and community gardens in urban sustainability, using Prague and Brno, Czechia, as case studies. It analyzed perceptions of both by municipal actors, gardeners, and activists across four dimensions: public access to urban greenery, community building, food cultivation, and environment/climate protection. The paper argues that governments' preference for gardens aligned with the status quo undermines citizens' right to the city, urban sustainability, and resilience against future threats.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changePemberdayaan Warga IOM Melalui Urban Farming: Solusi Budidaya Hidroponik dan Jamur di Daerah Pengungsian Sawotratap, Sidoarjo
2025Mochammad Kharis Adreansyah Putra, Seftia Aulia Putri, Diva Raissa Anindya, Rhenald Thio Arifin, Mita Rahmawati, Ricky Alejandro Martin · Bhumiputra Jurnal Penelitian dan Pengabdian Masyarakat Global · Indonesia (Sidoarjo)
In Sawotratap Village, Sidoarjo Regency, Indonesia, a community service program was implemented to empower residents through urban farming, aiming to utilize limited land and increase food independence. Hydroponics and mushroom cultivation were developed as innovative solutions, with socialization and education provided to residents on the benefits, materials, and steps for simple hydroponic installations.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceFood educationUrban Farming Towards Enhancing Food Security in Highly Urbanized Cities in the Philippines, A Community Sustainability Response
2025PhD HSG Eunice Mareth Querol Areola, Dacones Galit Dacones · Journal of Sustainable Community Development (JSCD) · Philippines
This study used comparative data to examine small and medium-scale urban farming, including community gardens, rooftop farms, and backyard gardens, in highly urbanized cities in the Philippines. It focused on the effects on food insecurity, daily spending, and environmental sustainability at the household level, without performing life-cycle analysis of agricultural systems. The study highlighted the short-term and local effects of urban farming on the selected cities' social and economic difficulties and the area's sustainability.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsClimate changeImportance of Small-Scale Food Crop Models in Urban and Peri-Urban Contexts
2025Hernán José Hernández Durán · Asian Journal of Science Technology Engineering and Art · Global
This study points out that small-scale food production within urban and peri-urban environments can decrease dependence on external food sources, support environmental sustainability, bolster local economies, and improve urban residents’ quality of life. However, the implementation of urban agriculture faces considerable challenges, including limited access to cultivable land, inadequate infrastructure, and regulatory constraints. Focusing on San Miguel, El Salvador, this article explores the role and impact of urban agriculture in addressing food insecurity and provides strategic recommendations to enhance urban resilience and sustainability.
Food sovereignty & justiceClimate changeEconomicsHealthCommunityPeri-urban agricultureThe Impact of Lifestyle on Individual’s Perception of Urban Agriculture
2025Simona Gavrilaş, Oana Brînzan, Radu Lucian Blaga, Maria Sinaci, Eugenia Țigan, Nicoleta Mateoc-Sîrb · Agriculture · Europe
This study investigated the correlations between perceived benefits of urban agriculture (socialization, recreation, and food waste avoidance) and education levels and financial situations among 648 inhabitants of western Romanian towns, using data collected via an online questionnaire. Analysis showed that a high level of education leads to increased belief in urban farming's contributions to improving residents' socialization and recreation. Income level also significantly shaped opinions regarding urban agriculture's contribution to increased recycling.
HealthEconomicsFood lossCommunityCultivating connection between community, agriculture, food, and green space: A narrative review of agrihoods and their impact on health and wellbeing
2025Emma Lewis, M. Renée Umstattd Meyer, Kathryn M. Janda, Jay E. Maddock, Marco A. Palma, Andrew McNeely, Yetunde Olawuyi, Rebecca A. Seguin‐Fowler · Public Health in Practice · United States
This narrative review synthesized 29 sources of published and grey literature on agrihoods, published until November 2024, to explore their opportunities and challenges for improving health in the United States and globally. The study identified four key themes: opportunities for improved health and wellbeing, challenges to promoting equal and equitable health, community engagement for health-related needs, and recommendations for future development. The review contributes to the scientific knowledge base on agrihood initiatives.
CommunityHealthUrban–rural linkageOptimalisasi Lahan Terbatas melalui Mini Garden Urban Farming sebagai Upaya Ketahanan Pangan di Kelurahan Kepatihan Wetan Kota Surakarta
2025Aviciena Nailil Muna, Rizkika Amalinda, Yohannes Rahadi Nugroho, Fauzan Octa Baihaqi, Fina Rizqiyah, Deshinta Putri Anggraeny, Anindita Wasistiyana Hartono, Ardy Tri Handika Saputra, Ath Thaariq Rizqy Amrullah, Audry Boy Zhindy, Mikael Dimas Mahardika, Singgih Hendarto · Inovasi Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat · Indonesia (Surakarta)
A community service activity was implemented in Kelurahan Kepatihan Wetan, Surakarta City, Indonesia, to optimize limited land through a mini garden urban farming system. The activity successfully planted various vegetables in 100 polybags, achieving over 90% growth success. It resulted in increased knowledge and skills among residents in utilizing limited land and boosted community participation in urban agriculture, positively impacting household food self-sufficiency and family consumption cost savings.
DIYFood educationCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEcosystem services of urban food forests and their contributions to health and sustainability of North American cities: a narrative review
2025Sara-Charlotte Cayen, Kesnamelie-Ann Outha, Pierre Paul Audate · International Journal of Environmental Health Research · North America
This narrative review synthesized the ecosystem services of urban food forests and their contributions to urban health and food sustainability in North American cities. Based on 13 studies published between 2018 and 2023, it identified that food forests provide services such as sustainable food production and climate regulation. However, their implementation faces challenges including public space governance, maintenance costs, regulatory barriers, and ecological risks like invasive species.
Governance failureBiodiversityClimate changeHealthCommunityPlanting futures: School-based food forests and their contribution to holistic education for sustainable development
2025Julia Gobs · GAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society · Germany
This study investigated the school-based food forest project at Chestnut School in Northern Germany, using interviews and participatory methods framed by the Whole School Approach. School-based food forests contribute to holistic education for sustainable development by offering interdisciplinary, hands-on learning environments. They promote systemic thinking, agency, and self-efficacy, fostering human-nature connections, critical thinking, and sustainable food practices.
Food educationBiodiversityCommunityClimate changeCidade-Campo no Brasil: dinâmicas e contradições
2025Paulo Ricardo Santos Miranda · Revista Mutirõ Folhetim de Geografias Agrárias do Sul · Brazil
A collection of 13 chapters explores the interactions between city and countryside in Brazil, critically examining how capital traverses urban and rural territories, promoting expropriation and spatial reconfigurations. Studies on Uberlândia, Montes Claros, São Paulo, and the North and Northeast regions highlight land conflicts, peripheral industrialization, urban agriculture, and peasant resistance. The work emphasizes the ambiguous role of the State.
Equity & displacementUrban–rural linkageCommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyLow Carbon Adaptation through Community Composting
2025Wang, Junrong · Digital Commons - RISD (Rhode Island School of Design) · Global
This project uses landscape architecture to reduce carbon emissions from restaurants by implementing compost gardens that shorten compost transportation routes. These gardens, placed on roofs and at ground-level, create new local food sources to replace distant shipments and provide materials for organic pesticides, reducing carbon-intensive VOC emissions. The compost gardens are integrated into existing parking lots and vacant lots, forming a community garden network.
CompostCommunityClimate changeFood miles & supply chainGasteizko eskola-baratzeen ezarpenaren eta erabilera didaktikoaren analisia
2025Iratz Pou de Los Mozos, Igone Palacios-Agúndez, Daniel Zuazagoitia, Unai Coronel Gastiain · IKASTORRATZA e-journal on Didactics · Spain
This field research analyzed the presence and didactic use of school gardens in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain, using a two-phase questionnaire approach. The study found a large presence and high didactic use of school gardens, with many interesting experiences, but noted room for improvement. Teacher training and networking among schools were recommended.
Food educationCommunityTHE WILD IN THE CITY: DIFFERENT CONCEPTS AND THEIR ROLE IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF URBAN COMMUNITY GARDENS OF GOUTTE D'OR DISTRICT OF PARIS.
2025Marina Abrão Ballak Dias · Revista Andaluza de Antropología · France (Paris)
This article explored how different conceptions of human-nature relationships shaped practices in two community gardens in Paris's Goutte d’Or neighborhood. Conceptions grounded in a human–nature divide prevailed, leading to a conservationist approach. Practices stemming from this perspective were found to be in constant tension with garden goals like increasing urban biodiversity and human socialization.
Governance failureCommunityBiodiversityPolicyUrban Farming and Food Security Nexus for Food Sovereignty and Food System Planning: The Case of a Highly Urbanized City in Metro Manila, Philippines
2025Sheila Uside Alumasa, Dina Cartagena Magnaye · International Journal of Research and Innovation in Applied Science · Philippines (Metro Manila)
A case study evaluated a nearly decade-old urban farming program in a highly urbanized city in Metro Manila, Philippines. The study revealed that vulnerable families depend on urban farming for daily food and alternative employment opportunities. However, a lack of land ownership or tenure rights for urban farming exacerbates food insecurity, hinders access to affordable food, and impedes innovation within the urban farming system.
Food sovereignty & justiceWelfareCommunityEconomicsPolicyLong-Term Manure Application in Urban Gardens: Impacts on Soil Fertility, Mineral Composition, and Variability
2025Rafael López Núñez, Paula Madejón, José Molina-Vega, Sabina Rossini-Oliva · Horticulturae · Global
This study investigated soil variability in two sections of an urban allotment garden subjected to long-term manure fertilization for 12 or 16 years, with application rates up to 10–12 kg m−2 yr−1. Prolonged manure incorporation enhanced soil fertility, increasing organic carbon, total-N, available-K, and total/available-P, and caused shifts in mineral composition with increases in Ca, inorganic C, Sr, and S. No accumulation of potentially toxic elements was observed, but pronounced spatial heterogeneity emerged among plots, with coefficients of variation up to 58% for S and 47% for Zn.
CompostOrganic cycleCommunityBuilding a more sustainable food system in Colombia: a role for nutrition professionals
2025Christine McCullum-Gómez, Yuri Milena Castillo Quiroga, Monica Diaz-Beltran · Academia Nutrition and Dietetics · Colombia
This article describes multiple efforts to facilitate the transition to a more sustainable food system in Colombia. Public health nutrition professionals can increase food security, build food sovereignty, and facilitate this transition through community food gardening and peri-urban and urban agriculture projects, food waste reduction programs, and sustainable menu projects incorporating indigenous, native, and local foods. Such projects should be participatory and tailored to meet the needs of stakeholders in the different regions of Colombia.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityPeri-urban agricultureHealthURBAN AGRICULTURE AS A PLATFORM OF EVERYDAY GOVERNANCE : Case Studies of Policy and Practice in Three South Korean Community Gardens
2025Ilana Herold, Buhm Soon Park · International Journal of Urban and Regional Research · South Korea (Daejeon)
Ethnographic case studies of three urban community gardens in Daejeon, South Korea, illustrated how urban agriculture (UA) serves as a platform for civil society groups, national government, and local governments to advance their political and sociocultural goals. The study argued that while national UA legislation was passed to advance top-down sustainable development goals, local actors challenge the functions of UA and ideas of expertise through their practice.
Governance failurePolicyCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceUrban African food systems as sites of challenges and opportunities for household food equity and resilience
2025Corrie Hannah, Jordan Blekking, Julia Davies, Jane Battersby, Allan Chilenga, Dorcas Kabuya, Percy Toriro · Ecology and Society · Zambia
This empirical case study examined how the COVID-19 pandemic affected urban food systems (UFS) in 14 Zambian cities, using household survey data from 2019, 2020, and 2021. Descriptive and regression analyses assessed household food sourcing, including urban agriculture. Households from diverse socioeconomic quartiles faced similar food security challenges but coped differently based on capacities and resources, indicating a lack of equitable outcomes. Smaller and remote cities sourced food from open-air markets, vendors, and urban agriculture, while more connected cities used local shops.
Equity & displacementFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageEconomicsClimate changeCommunityEffect of Forced Eviction and Land Grabs on Household Economic Capital Security of Displaced Pre-Urban Farmers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
2025Kejela Gnamura, Michael Akwasi Antwi, A Belete · Land · Ethiopia (Addis Ababa)
This mixed-methods study investigated the effects of urbanization-induced displacement on economic capital security by comparing 223 evicted and 223 non-evicted peri-urban farming households in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Logistic regression and thematic content analysis revealed that evicted households are approximately 72.7% less likely to achieve economic security compared to non-evicted households. The study concluded significant differences in household economic capital security between the two groups.
Equity & displacementPeri-urban agricultureEconomicsPolicyCommunityWelfareEnhancing Public Health and SDG 3 Through Sustainable Agriculture and Tourism
2025Elena Petelos, Danai Antonaki, Erasmia Angelaki, Christos Lemonakis, Alexandros Garefalakis · Sustainability · Global
This study explored how private sector initiatives in tourism can contribute to public health and SDG 3 through sustainable agricultural practices. Using a mixed-methods approach combining a systematic literature review and a case study, it examined how integrated strategies like pesticide-free farming reduce environmental health risks and improve nutritional quality. Findings indicate that business-led sustainability models can support systemic change when based on clear metrics and cross-sector collaboration. However, the absence of pre-2019 baseline data and direct health outcome measurements limits causal inference.
HealthBiodiversityPollinatorsCommunityPolicyPatios Productivos y Seguridad Alimentaria en la Comunidad Afrodescendiente del Barrio Olaya Herrera, en Cartagena, Colombia
2025Carlos Eduardo Torres Acosta, Enrique Manuel Acuña Hernández, Elizabeth Ramírez-Llerena · BUIYYA TIERRA · Colombia (Cartagena)
In Cartagena, Colombia, the Granitos de Paz Foundation implements an urban agriculture program called "productive patios." This initiative allows vulnerable communities, such as those in the Olaya Herrera neighborhood, to access production systems and improve their quality of life by producing organic products. These organic products are in demand by hotels and restaurants in the city, potentially generating additional income for families in extremely poor areas. The program introduces an economic model to combat extreme poverty in vulnerable communities and contributes to environmental conservation.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicy