Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
1627 results(36 / 66)
Iniciativas de hortas comunitarias municipales en Teresina - PI: Prácticas Promotoras de Renta y Trabajo
2018Maclóvia Corrêa da Silva, Cristianne Teixeira Carneiro, Ana Lúcia Barbosa Monteiro, Natália Pereira Marinelli, Eloy Fassi Casagrande · Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) · Brazil (Teresina)
This study analyzed the characteristics of urban agricultural work in community gardens in the Dirceu and Renacimiento II neighborhoods of Teresina - PI, Brazil. A field survey of 32 farmers found that 71.88% worked 4-8 hours daily, 59.38% were retirees, and 50% worked with family collaboration. Income from vegetable sales showed 50% earned up to one minimum wage and 43% up to two minimum wages, but the activity depends on land owners, public policies, seed producers, and traders.
CommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceWelfareContribuições metodológicas para a extensão a partir da implementação do modelo Community-Supported Agriculture no município de Sete Lagoas-MG
2018Angelina Moreira Melo, Daniel Calbino, Alair Ferreira de Freitas · Revista Ciência em Extensão · Brazil (Sete Lagoas)
This experience report analyzed the methodology used by extension agents in implementing the Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) model in a community garden in Sete Lagoas, Brazil. Responding to producers' demand regarding production flow problems, CSA was introduced as a fair trade marketing alternative connecting consumers and producers through weekly sales of agroecological product baskets. The methodology focused on constructing participatory methods based on producers' reality and interests, with the autonomy given to subjects being a central point, leading to significant economic, social, and cultural contributions for those involved.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityEconomicsOrganic cycleTeens as Teachers in the Garden: Cultivating a Sustainable Model for Teaching Healthy Living
2018Virginia L. J. Bolshakova, John Gieng, C. Sheena Sidhu, Mary Vollinger, Lorena Gimeno, Jessica Guild · Journal of Youth Development · United States (California)
The "Healthy Living Ambassador" school garden program in low-income communities integrated resources from schools, community programs, and the University of California Cooperative Extension. This program utilized culturally competent teenagers as teachers to educate elementary school youth on healthy living. The successes and challenges of the program development were discussed, revealing that public schools often lack the resources and support to establish sustainable garden-based programming.
Governance failureFood educationHealthCommunityWelfareAgronomy Garden Food Literacy and Community Food System Engagement Strategy
2018Lucas Chan, Lily Han, Lia Monteferrante, Ryah Rondolo · cIRcle (University of British Columbia) · Canada
The UBC Agronomy Garden was the subject of a research project exploring strategies to increase community engagement. The research team conducted a literature review, in-person interviews, and an online survey to investigate ways to make the garden more attractive. Findings indicated that installing multilingual, informative, and welcoming signage is key to increasing engagement, with 63% of students preferring handmade, creative, simple, and colorful welcoming signs.
CommunityFood educationHealthHealthy Roots: Building capacity through shared stories rooted in Haudenosaunee knowledge to promote Indigenous foodways and well-being
2018Kelly Gordon, Adrianne Lickers Xavier, Hannah Tait Neufeld · Canadian Food Studies / La Revue canadienne des études sur l alimentation · Canada
The Healthy Roots initiative in the Six Nations community in southern Ontario, Canada, aimed to promote traditional food consumption among First Nation families facing food insecurity. A small number of participants who consumed only locally available foods reported improved blood glucose control, positive weight changes, and increased traditional food knowledge. The program also fostered new relationships and partnerships, including with the community organization Our Sustenance, to further community-based initiatives like developing a Haudenosaunee Food Guide.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceHealthFood educationBuilding User Capacity Through Iterative Processes
2018Edward M. Orlowski, Julia Jovanovic · · Canada
Master of Architecture student Julia Jovanovic facilitated a participatory design process for the redesign of the Ten Friends Diner in Windsor, Ontario, which supports individuals recovering from mental illness. This process empowered the diner's staff to analyze needs and propose design solutions. The completed project supported the community partner's goal of staff empowerment and inspired additional initiatives, including a community garden.
CommunityWelfareCollaborative Creation and Implementation of a Michigan Sustainability Case on Urban Farming in Detroit
2018Lauren Boone, Lizz Ultee, Ed Waisanen, Joshua Newell, Joshua A. Thorne, Rebecca Hardin · Case Studies in the Environment · United States
This article analyzes a Michigan Sustainability Case (MSC) on urban farming in Detroit, developed by the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS). This MSC embodies principles of cocreation, integration into multiple curricula, and digital innovation for enhanced experiential learning, having been collaboratively produced, deployed, and iteratively improved in successive SEAS classrooms. It incorporated field learning in Detroit, providing strong user experiences for students, faculty, and practitioners.
Food educationCommunityClimate changeBases para la construcción de la sostenibilidad en huertos urbanos comunitarios: Enraizando Espacios, Ciudad de México
2018Irma Xánath Bautista-Villalobos, Eduardo Garcı́a-Frapolli, Alba Hernández · Cadernos de Agroecologia · Mexico
This technical experience presents the Participatory Action research process for the Enraizando Espacios urban community garden, established in 2016 in Mexico City's Guerrero neighborhood. The study aimed to recognize the project's impact after one year, resulting in a collective memory and establishing bases for useful sustainability indicators. Key lessons learned include the importance of solidarity and cooperation for the project's success and its transformative power.
CommunityOrganic cycleWelfareBuilding an Urban Food System Through UDC Food Hubs
2018Sabine O’Hara, Dwane Jones, Harris B. Trobman · Advances in higher education and professional development book series · United States
The Landgrant College of the University of the District of Columbia operates urban food hubs as the only exclusively urban land-grant university in the United States. These hubs utilize bio-intensive hydroponic and aquaponic systems and green roofs to maximize productivity in small urban spaces, and kitchens serve as business incubators and training facilities. They also promote waste and water reuse through composting, rainwater capture, and green infrastructure, offering training, wellness, and leadership opportunities to UDC students and DC residents.
Food educationEconomicsCommunityCompostDigital agriculturePolicyTeaching Spatial Thinking and Geospatial Technologies Through Citizen Mapping and Problem-Based Inquiry in Grades 7-12
2018M. Beth Schlemper, Brinda Athreya, Kevin Czajkowski, Victoria C. Stewart, Sujata Shetty · Journal of Geography · United States
A project introduced students in grades 7 through 12 to spatial thinking and geospatial technologies within the context of community challenges. A mix of inquiry levels, from teacher- to student-guided, was used through a citizen mapping group activity. Qualitative methods evaluated students' knowledge, showing that their awareness of their community, spatial thinking, and geospatial technologies increased as a result of participation.
Food educationCommunityGrowing Economic Possibility in Appalachia: Stories of Relocalization and Representation on Stinking Creek
2018Kathryn Engle · UKnowledge (University of Kentucky) · United States (Kentucky)
This project explores the agricultural heritage and social landscape of the Stinking Creek community in Knox County, Kentucky, focusing on the Lend-A-Hand Center Grow Appalachia Gardening Program. Through participatory research, it examines the diverse economy and potential for post-coal futures in central Appalachia. The program developed agricultural initiatives, re-localized food systems via home and community gardens, and established a farmers' market over three years.
CommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceA Rede de Dinamização das Feiras da Agricultura Familiar – REDIfeira: o caso da criação da FEPORg – Feira de Produtos Orgânicos de Maringá e Região
2018Ednaldo Michellon, Jaqueline da Silva Rosa, André Coelho Braga, Victor de Canini Cezar, Tiago Ribeiro da Costa, Wellington Fernandes Pereira · Cadernos de Agroecologia · Brazil (Maringá)
The REDIfeira project, part of the University Extension Program in Parana, Brazil, aims to boost the production and commercialization of family agriculture products through monitoring and technical assistance. This work presents the case of the FEPORg – Maringa Organic Products Fair and Region, which was established through community initiative with support from Maringa City Hall, the REDIfeira project, CerAUP, and PPCPO.
CommunityOrganic cyclePeri-urban agricultureEconomicsAn Analysis on the Importance of Medicinal Garden as Teaching Resource in A School in Northeast of Brazil
2018Natalia Caroline de Souza Aguiar, Marcelo Alves Ramos, Múcio Luiz Banja Fernandes · Asian Journal of Applied Sciences · Brazil
This study analyzed the views of thirteen teachers in a public school in northeastern Brazil regarding the importance and use of a medicinal garden planted in 2014. Interviews revealed a lack of interest among teachers in using the school garden, despite most recognizing its importance as a didactic resource. The findings suggest that intervention projects in schools require teachers to be prepared for their use, highlighting the need for a teacher training plan.
Limited or null effectFood educationCommunityChinatown and Beyond: Ava Chin, Urban Foraging, and a New American Cityscape
2018Shiuhhuah Serena Chou · ISLE Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment · United States
Urban foraging reemerged at the turn of the twenty-first century as a mode of urban food production, leading to a diverse body of literature including field guides and personal accounts. This literature suggests that the resurgence of urban foraging, as seen in works like Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma (2006) and Tama Matsuoka Wong's Foraged Flavor (2012), may be more than a fad. The practice of finding, harvesting, and consuming edible wild plants challenges the idea of American cities as food deserts, presenting urban spaces as sites of cultural and environmental sustainability.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityDIYO USO DE GEOTECNOLOGIAS ABERTAS NA DISCIPLINA GEOGRAFIA AGRÁRIA – ESPACIALIZAÇÃO E DIAGNÓSTICO DA OCORRÊNCIA DA AGRICULTURA URBANA NO BAIRRO SANTA LÚCIA - MACEIÓ/AL
2018Cirlene Jeane Santos e Santos · · Brazil (Maceió)
This article describes didactic foundations and field activities in the Agrarian Geography discipline at the Federal University of Alagoas, Brazil, aimed at enhancing student learning. Students engaged with urban agriculture and animal husbandry in Maceió/AL, finding that direct interaction with reality facilitated meaningful learning beyond classroom content. The results indicated that students integrated various course contents to understand the relationships in these spaces.
Food educationCommunitySustainability via Active Garden Education (SAGE): results from two feasibility pilot studies
2017Lee R.E., Parker N.H., Soltero E.G., Ledoux T., Hernandez I., Sahnoune I. · BMC Public Health, 17:242 · United States
Piloted SAGE—a 12-session garden education program with songs, games, taste tests and garden care—for 89 children aged 3–5 in six early care and education centers across two US cities, evaluating reach, efficacy and implementation using the RE-AIM framework for PA and fruit and vegetable intake.
Food educationHealthCommunityLead (Pb) Bioaccessibility and Mobility Assessment of Urban Soils and Composts: Fingerprinting Sources and Refining Risks to Support Urban Agriculture
2017Rosalie M. Sharp, Daniel J. Brabander · GeoHealth · United States (Boston)
This study assessed lead (Pb) bioaccessibility, transport, and exposure pathways in urban gardens in Roxbury and Dorchester, MA, in partnership with The Food Project, which brings local farmers into the research. Compost had lower total Pb, lower gastric Pb solubility, and less fine-particle resuspension than soils, with a mean bioaccessible Pb of 265 mg/kg—nearly an order of magnitude lower than soils. Across all matrices, grain sizes under 37 μm held a disproportionate share of bioaccessible Pb, whose isotopic composition pointed to leaded gasoline and leaded paint.
CompostHealthCommunityAssessing Urban Community Gardens’ Impact on Net Primary Production using NDVI
2017Tammy E. Parece, James B. Campbell · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems · United States
This study used the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) from U.S. Landsat 5, 7, and 8 satellites to assess the environmental impact of urban community gardens across three eastern U.S. cities—Roanoke, VA; Pittsburgh, PA; and Buffalo, NY—over the 2007–2015 growing seasons. It reports that establishing community gardens altered seasonal NDVI trajectories, sometimes declining initially but then increasing over time, revealing the vigorous vegetative character of urban agriculture.
CommunityBiodiversityFood Production on a Living Wall: Pilot Study
2017Nagle L., Echols S., Tamminga K. · Journal of Green Building · United States (Pennsylvania)
Monitors the productivity of a 7.5 m² outdoor living wall planted with produce crops during the 2015 summer in State College, Pennsylvania, also collecting irradiance, water-use and soil-moisture data.
DIYCommunityRethinking Land Struggle in the Postindustrial City
2017Safransky S. · Antipode · Detroit, USA
Examines Detroit's land reordering (including greening and urban farming) under fiscal austerity, arguing that repurposing 'vacant' land reignites racialized dispossession and undermines the sovereignty and land claims of existing low-income Black communities.
PolicyCommunityFood justice racial projects: fighting racial neoliberalism from the Bay to the Big Apple
2017Sbicca J., Myers J. S. · Environmental Sociology · USA
Using two food justice organizations in the Bay Area and New York, the article situates urban food activism within 'racial neoliberalism,' showing that food/urban-agriculture movements are inseparable from racial and economic inequities and structures such as mass incarceration.
CommunityPolicyLegalising urban agriculture in Detroit: a contested way of planning for decline
2017Paddeu Flaminia · Town Planning Review · USA (Detroit)
Examines Detroit's 2012 zoning ordinance legalising urban agriculture, arguing it functioned as a contested 'planning for decline'. Shows the reform was shaped by political trade-offs and left land-tenure and equity questions unresolved, limiting real benefit to residents.
PolicyCommunity"To allow farming is to give up on the city": Political anxieties related to the disposition of vacant land for urban agriculture in Detroit
2017· Journal of Urban Affairs · USA (Detroit)
Analyzes the political controversy over disposing municipal vacant land for urban agriculture in Detroit (incl. the Hantz large-scale scheme), showing how the land-disposition policy stoked fears of speculative land grabs and 'giving up' on the city rather than delivering community benefit.
PolicyCommunityGreening U.S. legacy cities: urban agriculture as a strategy for reclaiming vacant land
2017Fanny Carlet, Joseph Schilling, Megan Heckert · Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems · United States
This article investigates the current state of research and practice regarding urban agriculture as a strategy for regenerating shrinking U.S. cities. It examines how repurposing vacant land for food production can address urban blight and food insecurity. The study highlights key findings and provides observations for public officials and practitioners on leveraging this research to enhance urban agriculture for vacant land treatment.
CommunityPolicyEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceThe multifunctionality of urban farming: perceived benefits for neighbourhood improvement
2017Melissa N. Poulsen, Roni Neff, Peter J. Winch · Local Environment · United States (Baltimore)
This qualitative case study in Baltimore, Maryland, explored community perceptions of how urban farms benefit neighborhoods. Interviews with residents, neighborhood leaders, and urban farmers in three residential neighborhoods revealed that benefits stemmed from the creation of public projects, physical improvement of degraded spaces, local food production, and new businesses. These changes led to perceived benefits such as increased social connectedness, a transformed physical landscape, improved neighborhood reputation, and enhanced access to fresh produce, demonstrating the importance of a multifunctional paradigm beyond traditional economic indicators.
CommunityHealthFood educationEconomics