Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
967 results(35 / 39)
Past 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.
CommunityWelfareBiodiversityEvaluating the Benefits of Peri-Urban Agriculture
2012Catherine Brinkley · Journal of Planning Literature · Global
This article reviewed literature from various fields to evaluate services provided by farms to urban areas. It analyzed mission statements of 130 land trusts, finding a preference for parcels offering ecosystem services, wildlife habitat, and agricultural productivity. A literature review revealed that the market value of farmland services varies from -$37,541 to $124,000 per acre, depending on analysis method and farm location.
Peri-urban agricultureEconomicsBiodiversityPolicyEvaluating Community Gardens as Habitat for an Urban Butterfly
2012Kevin C. Matteson, Gail Langellotto · Cities and the Environment · United States (New York City)
This study used mark-recapture and translocation experiments to assess the residency and movement of the urban butterfly, Pieris rapae, within and among community gardens in New York City. While most marked butterflies used gardens transiently, recruitment and residence time were higher in larger gardens and those with more flowers. The study demonstrated the butterfly's ability to move through developed landscapes and locate floral resources.
CommunityBiodiversityPollinatorsReconceptualising gardening to promote inclusive education for sustainable development
2012Susan B. Johnson · International Journal of Inclusive Education · United Kingdom
This paper argues that a reconceptualized approach to school gardening in the UK could promote inclusive education for sustainable development. It examines the potential for children aged 5-14 to develop ecological knowledge, action competence, and environmental engagement skills through gardening. The paper suggests a curriculum framework and provides a bean crop exemplar, but it does not present empirical findings or results from an implemented program.
Food educationCommunityClimate changeBiodiversityInsecticide susceptibility status of the malaria vector Anopheles arabiensis in Khartoum city, Sudan: differences between urban and periurban areas
2012Osama M. E. Seidahmed, M.A. Abdelmajed, Mashair Sir El Khatim Mustafa, Abraham Mnzava · Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal · Sudan (Khartoum)
A baseline survey in Khartoum city, Sudan, from September to November 2007, assessed the insecticide susceptibility of 9820 Anopheles arabiensis specimens across 6 urban and periurban sites. The mosquito was susceptible to bendiocarb, propoxur, fenitrothion, deltamethrin, and lambda-cyhalothrin. However, susceptibility rates for malathion, DDT, and permethrin differed significantly between urban and periurban sites, and 50% knockdown times were significantly higher in periurban populations for deltamethrin, lambda-cyhalothrin, and malathion.
HealthBiodiversityUrban–rural linkageCommunity gardens, creative community organizing, and environmental activism
2012· · United States (New York City)
In New York City, social workers and community organizers engage in environmental protection practices through community organizing aimed at creating and preserving green spaces. Much of this activism takes place within community gardens, which are recognized as spaces for social engagement, community building, and social justice-based activism.
CommunityHealthPolicyBiodiversityEvaluation of growing media for annual herb production in green roof modular trays
2012Mary Margaret Fischer · OpenSIUC (Southern Illinois University Carbondale) · United States
This study evaluated commercial and vermicompost-blended green roof media for annual herb production in shallow modular trays on a university roof in Southern Illinois, Carbondale, during two experiments in 2011. The commercially available media generally produced more significant results for shoot growth parameters in sweet basil, Thai basil, and parsley. Partial shade also showed significant effects on shoot-to-root ratio in the first experiment, while most basil variables were insignificant in the second.
DIYClimate changeBiodiversityFood sovereignty & justice생태적 소양 함양을 위한 토양 종자 은행 교육 프로그램의 개발
2012주은정, 김재근 · · Global
An educational program using soil seed banks was developed to promote ecological literacy among children. A pilot application with 4th-6th grade students found it most effective for 4th graders in ecological knowledge and attitude, but the initial period (late March to early November) was too long. The final program was shortened to 3 months and 2 weeks (late March to early July) and targeted 4th graders, consisting of seven activities including sampling, setting, observing, and identifying seedlings.
Food educationBiodiversityGuerrilla Gardening - zwischen Street Art und der Rückkehr zur Natur
2012Barbara Uhlig · edoc Publication server (Humboldt University of Berlin) · Germany
This study analyzes guerrilla gardening as a protest movement where activists plant flowers, trees, and vegetables on derelict urban spaces without owner permission. The motivations for guerrilla gardening are pragmatic, ecological, political, and aesthetic, though its artistic status is often denied. The study demonstrates that guerrilla gardening aligns with George Dickie's institutional theory of art and can be classified as art.
CommunityPolicyBiodiversityDIYThe Application Of Food Landscape In Johns De La Howe School
2012Shuowei Qin · TigerPrints (Clemson University) · United States
This research explores the concept of "food landscape," which integrates edible plants into landscapes under a new ecological paradigm to address issues of food transportation energy consumption and land degradation. Through an intensive literature review, the study discusses the origin, rationale, and benefits of food landscape, drawing upon the new ecological paradigm and edible landscape concepts. The findings will be applied to Johns de la Howe School, also incorporating the concept of therapeutic gardens to develop design principles for successful food landscape implementation.
Food educationHealthBiodiversityAnnual change and temporal change of fertilizer component in rooftop garden thin substratum light soil
2012Takanori Kuronuma, Saori Hashimoto, Ryuta CHIMURA, Haruaki YOKOKAWA, Kazunori Sakamoto, Hitoshi Watanabe · Journal of the Japanese Society of Revegetation Technology · Japan
This study investigated the annual changes in lightweight soil in a thin substratum rooftop garden planted with Zoysia grass. No annual changes were observed in grass growth or soil physical properties. Soil organic matter tended to increase after construction, and nutrient salt content was comparable to golf course green soil diagnostic standards. However, nutrient salt levels in unused lightweight soil were significantly higher than after construction and decreased annually. No difference in nutrient salt content was confirmed with or without additional fertilization, suggesting the need for fertilization management tailored to the unique rooftop environment.
Organic cycleBiodiversityClimate changeControle alternativo do moleque-da-bananeira e manejo de hortas agroecológicas em comunidades do Semiárido nordestino.
2012Adriana Franklin de Souza da Silva, M. M. da Silva, L. M. de Santana, A. N. Moreira, J. R. B. Pereira, S. A. S. Amorim, C. R. R. S. França, A. P. G. Santos, Rooselvelt Izel Pereira de Melo · infoteca-e (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation) · Brazil
This study describes multiple participatory research and technological learning fields concerning alternative control of banana weevils and the management of agroecological gardens in communities of the Brazilian Northeast Semi-arid region. These include projects on the Maria Tereza Project, Senator Nilo Coelho Irrigation Project, community agroecological gardens in Nova Descoberta, Petrolina, PE, chemical characteristics of biofertilizer, adaptation of lettuce varieties, and cultivation of different species using well water.
CommunityOrganic cycleBiodiversity도시농업 활성화와 곤충
2012서명훈, 이원석, 전명희, 김성기 · · South Korea
In South Korea, urban agriculture is being revitalized with the enactment of urban agriculture-related laws in 2011 and active promotion by local governments. The total urban agriculture area in Seoul and Gyeonggi regions is 251.6 ha, and urban gardens with diverse crops exhibit biodiversity, allowing for relatively flexible insect life cycles. However, challenges include unauthorized biological and chemical pest control due to multiple people managing small areas, and the absence of winter crops due to limited usage periods. Environmentally friendly insect management, utilizing natural enemies, traps, and biodiversity, is necessary for urban gardens.
CommunityPolicyBiodiversityPollinatorsPollination by Native Bee Communities in Berkeley, California
2012Kevin F. Welzel · Berkeley Scientific Journal · United States (California)
This study examined native bee pollination at two urban agricultural sites in Berkeley, California: the Oxford Tract and Berkeley Youth Alternative garden. It observed squash, tomato, strawberry, and sunflower plants, collecting data on distance from natural habitat, native bee pollinator diversity, and visitation rates. The study found mixed results for genus richness and evenness, and a t-test indicated no significant difference in visitation rates for each plant type between the two sites.
BiodiversityPollinatorsCommunityBM균 및 Biochar를 이용한 친환경 옥상녹화시스템 개발
2012고성철, 김수현, 김경묵, 장재수, 이은희 · 한국생태환경건축학회 학술발표대회 논문집 · Global
This study focused on implementing a functional rooftop garden using biochar and the microbial consortium BM-S-1. Biochar amendment reduced heavy metal (Pb and Zn) runoff and maintained more moisture to stimulate plant growth, but it did not maintain NO3- and PO43-. The amendment of biochar and BM-S-1 somewhat inhibited the growth of broadleaf liriope, while biochar amendment increased tolerance to storm carrying salt.
BiodiversityClimate changeOrganic cycleAgricultura urbana e conservação de agrobiodiversidade: um estudo de caso em Mato Grosso, Brasil
2012Mirella Cultrera, Maria Christina de Mello Amorozo, Fábio Cop Ferreira · SITIENTIBUS série Ciências Biológicas · Brazil (Mato Grosso)
An ethnobotanical study in five peripheral neighborhoods of Santo Antônio do Leverger, Mato Grosso, Brazil, surveyed 135 households and detailed 30 to characterize food plant cultivation. Ninety-seven species from 38 families were identified across homegardens, fields, and empty lots. While some species were common, the similarity between species/varieties across households was generally below 50%, and many had low frequency, revealing a vulnerability to species loss despite social network circulation.
Limited or null effectBiodiversityCommunityHeirloom & landraceUrban–rural linkagePost‐Industrial Imaginaries: Nature, Representation and Ruin in Detroit, Michigan
2012Nate Millington · International Journal of Urban and Regional Research · United States
This article analyzes representations of urban nature in Detroit, Michigan, focusing on journalistic and photographic work over the past 5 years. These representations, part of a discourse on Detroit's decline, ultimately reflect dominant conceptual divisions between the city and nature. Journalists and commentators perceive nature in the city as a reflection of the city's absence rather than its materiality, suggesting an ambivalence about emergent urban ecologies.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyBiodiversityUrban–rural linkage農の風景育成地区制度
2011東京都都市整備局 · 東京都都市整備局（民有地の緑の保全・創出 制度） · Japan
A Tokyo system created in 2011 to conserve dwindling farmland as open space and carry the agricultural landscape into the future. Districts where farmland and homestead groves remain clustered are designated so that scattered farmland can be conserved collectively as urban-planning parks/green space. Designations include Setagaya's Kitami (the first) and Nerima's Takamatsu and Minami-Oizumi, providing the policy framework for municipal urban-farmland conservation.
PolicyBiodiversityCommunityAssessing the vulnerability of traditional maize seed systems in Mexico to climate change
2011Bellon M. R., Hodson D., Hellin J. · PNAS 108(33):13432-13437 · Mexico
Assesses farmer-based traditional maize seed systems in Mexico and their vulnerability to climate change, with implications for maintaining and adapting landrace diversity in situ.
Heirloom & landraceBiodiversityCommunityPolicyCOMPOSICIÓN Y RIQUEZA DE INSECTOS Y ARAÑAS ASOCIADOS A PLANTAS FLORECIDAS EN SISTEMAS AGRÍCOLAS URBANOS
2011Yaril Matienzo Brito, Marlene M. Veitía Rubio, Giraldo Alayón García · Fitosanidad · Cuba
This study identified the species that most frequently visit flowers of different plant species in urban agricultural systems, using weekly simple random sampling in different production systems of Havana province during 2007-2009. Functional groups with higher species richness associated with the flowers were Coleoptera, Araneae, and Hymenoptera, in that order. Cycloneda sanguinea limbifer Casey and Apis mellifera L. were arthropods that visited a greater number of flowering plant species.
BiodiversityPollinatorsCarbon, Nitrogen, and Orthophosphate Leaching from Soil under Single- and Mixed-species Landscapes
2011Tim Pannkuk, Jacqueline A. Aitkenhead‐Peterson, Kurt Steinke, James C. Thomas, David R. Chalmers, Richard H. White · HortScience · United States (Texas)
This experiment quantified nutrient concentrations and fluxes in leachate from single- and mixed-species urban landscapes at two Texas sites with different irrigation water chemistry. Plant species significantly affected phosphate flux, and irrigation chemistry significantly affected all nutrient fluxes. An interaction between plant species and irrigation chemistry was found for phosphate flux.
Organic cycleClimate changeBiodiversityUrban Agriculture: Protection of Urban Ecosystem
2011Zhao Shu-ming · · Global
This paper discusses the unique functions and effectiveness of urban agriculture in the construction of urban ecosystems, based on its connotation and development models. Specifically, it includes promoting the integration of urban and rural areas, strengthening the living service functions of urban ecosystems, creating a livable ecological environment, building green spaces in cities, and promoting the coordinated development of agriculture and industry.
Urban–rural linkageBiodiversityClimate changePolicy서울시 도시농업지역 토양의 이화학적 특성 및 중금속 함량훈
2011김혁수, 김영남, 김진원, 김계훈 · 한국토양비료학회지 · South Korea (Seoul)
This study investigated the physicochemical properties and heavy metal (Cd, Pb, Cu, Zn) contents in 21 urban agricultural soils in Seoul. The total heavy metal concentrations in these soils were found to be lower than the warning levels specified by the Soil Environmental Conservation Act of Korea for area 1. Phytoavailable concentrations of Cu, Pb, and Zn were also reported.
Contamination & food safetyHealthBiodiversityRealising ecological sustainability in community gardens: a capability approach
2011Alma Clavin · Local Environment · Europe
This paper reports on the multiple impacts that community garden design may have on the subjective well-being of site users, using the capability approach as a normative framework. Qualitative research conducted in five community garden sites in the UK and Ireland in early 2011 yielded new explanations for both sustainable design and well-being. Two key design aspects, agency and dynamic balance, were found to enhance both the sustainability of the community garden sites and the well-being of site users.
CommunityHealthBiodiversityOrganic cycleRESOURCE RECOVERY AND MATERIALS FLOW IN THE CITY
2011Steffen Lehmann · Journal of Green Building · Europe
This paper discusses resource recovery and materials flow in cities, noting that urban farming has emerged as a valid urban design strategy in Europe, contributing to local food production, organic waste composting, and biodiversity. It reports on best practices for implementing zero waste, including adaptive re-use and design for disassembly, and identifies that the construction and demolition sector is a major waste producer. A key finding is that achieving 'zero-waste' requires strong industry leadership, new policies, effective education, and refocused research agendas.
Urban–rural linkageCompostOrganic cycleBiodiversityCommunityClimate change