Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
1031 results(34 / 42)
Harmony of Interests
2013Max Pearlstein · · Cameroon
Rachel Gilbert, Grace Lange, and Sarah Wright, alumni of Dickinson, founded Cameroonian Roots. This program disseminates microfinance opportunities and education in urban agriculture and women's empowerment.
Urban–rural linkageWelfareFood educationUrban Farming as a Way to Create a More Global and Welcoming Indianapolis
2013Cortnee Martin · · United States (Indianapolis)
This piece about a refugee-tended urban farm on the west side of Indianapolis, primarily sourced from an interview with the farm's creator, highlights how it helps a marginalized community maintain their culture and traditions while integrating into a new home. The project is described as an effort to assist a vulnerable population.
CommunityWelfareFood sovereignty & justiceWest End Community Gardens
2013Stephanie Larson · Open Scholarship Institutional Repository (Washington University in St. Louis) · United States
This project located West End community gardens in relation to select social determinants, including income level, occupier's ownership status, ethnic diversity, and population density.
CommunityWelfareFeasibility of Using a Community-Supported Agriculture Program to Improve Fruit and Vegetable Inventories and Consumption in an Underresourced Urban Community
2013Sara A. Quandt, Janae Dupuis, Caitlin A. Fish, Ralph B. D’Agostino · Preventing Chronic Disease · United States
This randomized, controlled feasibility study evaluated the feasibility of a Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) intervention in an underresourced urban community in the United States. Fifty low-income women with children participated, with the intervention group (25 participants) receiving fresh produce and educational sessions for 16 weeks. A significant increase in household fruit and vegetable inventory was observed in the intervention group, but increases in consumption were not significant. Challenges included transportation and work schedules, yet most participants expressed interest in continued participation.
CSA & TeikeiHealthCommunityWelfare비혼 여성 활동가들의 공동체 농사를 통해 본 도시농업의 여성주의적 실천 가능성
2013김효정 · 한국여성학 · South Korea
Through in-depth interviews and participant observation research targeting women's activist organizations established since 2010, the characteristics of urban agriculture cases led or participated in by unmarried women in their 20s and 30s were analyzed. Unmarried women activists met the growing demand for safe and healthy food among single-person households through community farming in urban areas, practicing agriculture not only for food production but also as a lifestyle pursuit and recreational culture. However, their practices face limitations such as urban space constraints, difficulties for unmarried women to relocate to rural areas, excessive ecological value attribution, and a lack of solidarity with rural communities.
Equity & displacementCommunityWelfareFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsUrban–rural linkagePast results and future directions in urban community gardens research
2012Guitart D., Pickering C., Byrne J. · Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 11(4):364-373 · Global
Review of English-language community gardens research, summarizing who studies them, locations, methods, plants grown, participants, and the motivations, benefits and limitations, while outlining future research directions.
CommunityWelfareBiodiversityCommunity Volunteering as Neoliberal Strategy? Green Space Production in Berlin
2012Marit Rosol · Antipode · Germany (Berlin)
Documents how Berlin's municipal policy of promoting community gardening was an attempt to outsource public green-space maintenance to unpaid volunteers under 'roll-back'/'roll-out' neoliberalism. Based on empirical research, it shows the outsourcing strategy largely FAILED (volunteers could not sustain provision) while opening space for other private interests.
PolicyCommunityWelfareJust green enough: contesting environmental gentrification in Greenpoint, Brooklyn
2012Winifred Curran, Trina Hamilton · Local Environment · USA (Brooklyn, NYC)
Coins 'just green enough' by showing how conventional green-amenity planning triggers environmental gentrification and displacement of working-class residents; argues greening policy must be deliberately constrained to avoid the speculative development it otherwise unleashes.
PolicyCommunityWelfareNo. 13: The State of Food Insecurity in Harare, Zimbabwe
2012Godfrey Tawodzera, Lazarus Zanamwe, Jonathan Crush · Scholars Commons (Wilfrid Laurier University) · Zimbabwe (Harare)
This study conducted an AFSUN baseline food security survey in Harare, Zimbabwe, in 2008 to investigate the city's food insecurity situation. The survey revealed results sharply at odds with official surveys from 2003-2009, which had indicated food insecurity was not a serious problem. Findings showed that by 2008, Harare had become the most food-insecure city in the SADC region, with extraordinarily high levels of food insecurity as poor households struggled to find income for food. Participation in the informal food economy and urban agriculture for home consumption were major crisis responses.
Food sovereignty & justiceEconomicsWelfareUrban farming nel food desert
2012Redazione · TERRITORIO · United States
This paper presents the basic features of two urban farming projects in Milwaukee and Philadelphia aimed at solving the problem of food deserts in declining inner cities of the US rustbelt. It discusses the forms and relevance of convergences between food culture and food justice, relating them to the debate on the future of urban forms in these inner cities.
Food sovereignty & justiceHealthCommunityWelfareCommunity food growing and the role of women in the alternative economy in Tower Hamlets
2012Kate Metcalf, Julia Minnear, Tabitha Kleinert, Victoria Tedder · Local Economy The Journal of the Local Economy Policy Unit · United Kingdom (East London)
This practitioner's perspective discusses how the Women’s Environmental Network organizes support and training for community gardens in East London. It considers how these efforts contribute to local resilience against economic and cultural pressures and create greater access to green spaces.
CommunityEconomicsFood educationWelfareTower Hamlet’s “urban oasis”: the re-imagining of identity through volunteer work at Spitalfields Community Farm
2012J. McLean · · United Kingdom
This research focused on the re-imagining of identity through volunteer work at Spitalfields Community Farm in Tower Hamlets, London. It specifically investigated how Bangladeshi-Londoni diaspora volunteers contributed to creating this urban rural space and how, through their imagining of this space, they consciously sought to remember their homeland while establishing a new sense of identity in London.
CommunityWelfareFood educationEvaluation of Different Soil Media and Soil Ameliorants in Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Miller), Green Onion (Allium sativum) and Pechay (Brassica rapa L.)
2012Jenny Calabio, Ma. Luisa Albacete · WVSU Research Journal · Philippines (Iloilo City)
This study, conducted from July 2007 to July 2008 at the Urban Agriculture Demonstration Site in La Paz, Iloilo City, evaluated soil media and ameliorants for container-grown green onion, pechay, and tomato. Pure compost was found to be the best medium for increasing yields. However, the use of IMO and rice hull as soil ameliorants did not increase yields for the three tested vegetables, and rice hull generally reduced pechay yields.
Limited or null effectCompostDIYWelfareHealthEconomicsGender Analysis of the Contribution of Urban Agriculture to Sustainable Livelihoods in Accra, Ghana
2012Adetola I. Adeoti, Olufunke Cofie, O. I. Oladele · Journal of Sustainable Agriculture · Ghana (Accra)
A study in Accra, Ghana, analyzed the gender dimensions of urban agriculture's contribution to sustainable livelihoods among vegetable producers. The study surveyed 92 male and 8 female producers, finding male producers had a mean age of 39.4 years and 6.4 years of schooling, while female producers averaged 49.8 years and 7.1 years of schooling. Farm size and access to credit were significant determinants of income from urban agriculture.
EconomicsWelfareCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceSupporting the Micmac Farms Through Ethnographic Communication Research
2012Anthony Sutton · DigitalCommons (California Polytechnic State University) · United States (Maine)
This ethnographic communication research supported the Micmac Farms in Presque Isle, Maine, which were established to address food security and community health issues like obesity and diabetes. The study, conducted over three months in summer 2011, identified that administrative power structures, economic constraints, and operational planning issues threatened the farm's efforts to achieve greater economic and food security. The analysis revealed that economic behaviors dominated the data, with grants for the farm centering on economics due to historical farming discourse and business focus.
CommunityHealthFood sovereignty & justiceWelfareEco-Friendly Urban Gardening Practices in Johannesburg Slums: A Systematic Review
2012Kgosi Khumalo, Siyabonga Xaba, Mpho Motshekga, Thabo Tshabalala · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · South Africa (Johannesburg)
This systematic review examined eco-friendly urban gardening practices for youth in Johannesburg slums, analyzing 34 studies from multiple databases. The review found a trend towards community-led initiatives combining horticulture with sustainable living education. These practices positively impacted household food insecurity, reducing it by an average of 20%, and enhanced youth engagement in environmental stewardship.
CommunityWelfareFood educationClimate changeTransformaciones del paisaje: género y hábitat
2012Carmenza Ochoa Ochoa · Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) · Colombia
Applied research based on Participatory Action Research (IAP) was conducted in Soacha municipality, Cundinamarca, Colombia, with vulnerable populations participating in an urban agriculture program. The study aimed to develop local and simple alternatives for environmental management and landscape improvement, focusing on the reuse and proper management of wastewater for crop irrigation. The project was carried out as stipulated and evolved during its implementation due to its IAP methodology, with observations, conclusions, and notes presented.
CommunityPolicyOrganic cycleWelfareA Study on Experimental Construction of Community Garden - A Case Study on Rooftop of SAHA Disabled Welfare House -
2012Seunghwan Kim, Sung-Yung Yoon, Min-Jun Cha, Hae-Jin Yoo, Ji‐Young Cho, Yoon‐Sun Kim · Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture · South Korea
This study investigated the planning, construction, partnership, and cost-sharing processes of an experimental rooftop community garden at a disabled welfare house in South Korea. The project, led by Busan Green Trust and a citizens' council, involved funding from Standard Chartered SC First Bank, volunteers, and administrative support. The established garden provided food production, urban agriculture experience, horticultural therapy, and cultural space for users, demonstrating the potential for low-cost rooftop community gardens to improve urban environments and foster community.
CommunityWelfareHealthDIYUrban Agriculture: Using Community Systems of Agriculture as a Solution to Homelessness and Unhealthy Food Sources
2012Ian Michael Mearns · University of Washington Tacoma Digital Commons (University of Washington Tacoma) · Global
This paper proposes urban agriculture as a community system, similar to Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), to provide homeless citizens with access to food, housing, vocational opportunities, and social resources. It suggests that urban agriculture can address the lack of employment, nutritional food sources, and housing resources that have contributed to increased homelessness over the past decade.
CommunityWelfareHealthFood sovereignty & justiceCommunity of Gardeners
2012Jessica Isler · Educational Media Reviews Online · Global
The 2011 film "A Community of Gardeners" explores the impact of community garden projects in various urban settings. It highlights that community gardens fulfill important needs for individuals and communities by providing access to fresh food, increasing self-sufficiency, improving urban aesthetics, and strengthening communities through connections across diverse socio-economic groups. The film also presents the historical origins and different incarnations of community gardens.
CommunityHealthFood educationWelfareCommunity Gardening and Mental Health Resilience in Zimbabwean Slums, Tanzania
2012Kasanga Makawa, Ndaye Nshuti, Mashiwama Nyamwe, Chilufya Mwakumbwa · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Tanzania
A qualitative study in Zimbabwean slums in Tanzania, involving semi-structured interviews with 20 participants from four communities over six months, explored the impact of community gardening. Participants reported significant improvements in mental health scores, noting an enhanced sense of purpose and social connection. Community garden programs appear to be a promising low-cost intervention for improving mental health resilience among urban slum dwellers.
CommunityHealthWelfareProducing for the Future: A Collaboration between Low-Income Youth, Congregations, and Researchers - Youth Impact Evaluation
2012Lacy Weinblatt, Sarah Najdek · · United States (Oregon)
The Oregon State University research project "Producing for the Future" involved low-income youth, adult partners, and researchers collaborating to design and plant a community garden and develop a microenterprise to market produce. The project aimed to compare participants' knowledge and attitudes regarding local food resources, gardening, organic eating, and healthy lifestyles before and after their involvement. This study used data to analyze changes among participants pre and post-experience, but specific findings are not reported.
CommunityFood educationHealthWelfareGaseous emissions of nitrogen and carbon from urban vegetable gardens in Bobo‐Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
2012Désiré Jean‐Pascal Lompo, Sheick Sangaré, Emmanuel Compaoré, Michel Papoada Sedogo, Martina Předotová, Eva Schlecht, Andreas Buerkert · Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science · Burkina Faso (Bobo-Dioulasso)
This study determined horizontal fluxes of N, P, K, and C, and gaseous N and C emissions in two urban vegetable gardens in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, from March 2008 to March 2009. Emission rates peaked after fertilizer applications during hot midday hours, with annual gaseous N and C losses reaching 419 kg N ha−1 and 35862 kg C ha−1 at Kodéni, and 347 kg N ha−1 and 22364 kg C ha−1 at Kuinima. Ammonia emissions accounted for 73% and 77% of total estimated N losses, suggesting that nutrient management practices could benefit from better synchronizing nutrient-input rates with crop demands.
Organic cycleWelfarePeri-urban agricultureSlum politics
2012Martijn Koster, Pieter A. de Vries · Focaal · Brazil (Recife)
This article examined slum dwellers' politics in Recife, Brazil, as a realm of possibility where care and recognition are central. A community leader's urban agriculture project, which from an outsider's perspective might be considered non-viable, provided slum dwellers with possibilities to strive for community solidarity and personal recognition. The article concludes that slum politics is about claiming the right to be counted and recognized, and about the care for the other.
Economic viabilityCommunityWelfareFood sovereignty & justiceBirch Tree Apartment Complex rehabilitation project
2012· · United States
The Birch Tree Project is a rehabilitation initiative for a 56-unit apartment complex designed to house low-to moderate-income families and offer supportive services. These services include a Head Start facility, Life Skills classes, Case Management, Asset Building and Credit Repair, the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, a Community Garden, and a Summer Feeding site. Given Farmington City's growth in minimum-wage service industry jobs, which leads many families to spend a disproportionate amount of income on housing, this project aims to create safe, affordable housing opportunities for marginalized families.
CommunityWelfare