Research & reports

Juliette Colinas, Paula Louise Bush, Kevin Manaugh · Urban forestry & urban greening · Canada (Montreal)

A study in Montreal, Quebec, investigated the socio-environmental impacts of public urban fruit trees, using a public urban orchard as a case study. Semi-structured interviews with users revealed positive impacts on social capital, place attachment, and food knowledge, but no evidence of impact on environmental knowledge. The findings suggest that public, unrestricted-access urban agriculture can have diverse socio-environmental impacts.

Patricia Noto · Digital Commons - RISD (Rhode Island School of Design) · United States (Providence)

This thesis investigated the role of designers in creating or enhancing productive systems in cities, focusing on Providence, Rhode Island. It proposed rethinking the function of public and quasi-public spaces and expanding the definition of urban productivity beyond community gardens to include a network of agroforestry sites and remediated lands. The study examined a series of diverse sites along the Woonasquatucket River, noting their suitability due to the river's industrial history, varied conditions, and existing community organization connections.

Emrah Yalçınalp, Özgür Demirci · Türk Tarım ve Doğa Bilimleri Dergisi · Turkey (Trabzon)

The main purpose of this study is to evaluate the edible plant potentials of three different urban parks in Trabzon, Turkey, by questioning users' approaches. Introducing edible landscapes in urban parks is believed to help urban residents feel closer to nature and contribute to their awareness of ecology and environmental conservation.

Trevor A Lambkin · Metamorphosis Australia magazine of the Butterfly & Other Invertebrates Club · Australia

This article discusses native bees, noting their weak jaws result in a tickle-like bite and that indigenous peoples globally have extracted their honey for various uses. Research into native bees for crop pollination began in 1984, leading to the development of hive propagation techniques by 1987. The keeping of native bees, particularly the subtropical Carbonaria species, has since gained popularity among various groups including schools and community gardens.

Marek Kopacki, Krystyna Rysiak, Mariusz Szmaraga · Annales Horticulturae · Poland (Lublin)

This 2014 study near Lublin, Poland, evaluated the decorative qualities and health of Tithonia rotundifolia in urban plantings, including a botanical garden and allotment gardens. Observations at the end of the vegetation period revealed disease symptoms, and mycological analysis of dead plant parts identified isolates of fungi from eleven genera. Dominant and dangerous pathogenic genera, Alternaria alternata and Botrytis cinerea, were found to affect T. rotundifolia.

Cindy Melissa Torres Peña · Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) · Spain

"SOS Polinizadores" is an educational project aimed at fostering knowledge and study of pollinating insects in ecosystems among students, teachers, and the broader educational community, including their impact on our lives and current threats. It also seeks to raise awareness about environmental problems and the sustainability of nearby ecosystems like parks, gardens, and urban and peri-urban vegetable gardens. The project was carried out in eight educational centers in Madrid in Spring 2017, with a guide provided for future implementation in other centers.

J Dostalík, Radoslava Krylová, Vojtěch Pelikán, Lucie Sovová, Zbyněk Ulčák · · Global

This paper presents a methodological tool designed to standardize the assessment of gardening sites and offer a user-friendly approach for evaluating diverse urban gardening areas. This multidisciplinary methodology assesses territory from three perspectives: urban gardening in urban planning, the social benefits of gardening communities and economic aspects including food security contributions, and the environmental aspects of gardening sites, such as their support for biodiversity.

José Darío Barragán Romero, Johana Andrea Gutiérrez Rivera · · Colombia (Bogotá)

This document illustrates how urban agriculture is being applied in Bogotá, with the assistance of the Bogotá Botanical Garden (JBB), particularly in educational institutions. The objective is for young people to understand the benefits of urban agriculture through educational processes and replicate this information in their homes. The work consists of three parts: a photographic record of the gardens in educational institutions assisted by the JBB, the creation of a list of plant species suitable for cultivation in Bogotá, and a compilation of research related to the JBB on urban agriculture.

Katrina Hoch · · Global

Involving children in decisions and preparations for activities, particularly in natural settings, increases their enthusiasm and understanding of the food system. A 2015 systematic review of 13 studies found that participation in school garden programs led to an increased preference for vegetables. School gardens provide individual, interpersonal, and social benefits, engaging children in broader themes such as protecting biodiversity.

Joyce-Ann Syhre, Meike Brückner · · Kenya (Nairobi)

This chapter illustrates agricultural alternatives in Nairobi, Kenya, emerging through practiced urban agriculture. These alternatives enable socio-ecological spaces of food sovereignty, biodiversity, and agency. The chapter discusses the socio-cultural values of farming and food, the role of gender in Nairobi's urban agricultural landscape, and the diverse perceptions of human-nature relations among female farmers.

Paweł Szumigała, Karolina Szumigała · Economic and Regional Studies / Studia Ekonomiczne i Regionalne · Europe

This study analyzed the influence of urban farming and urban gardens in selected cities in North America and Europe on urban landscapes through a case study. Urban farming is gaining popularity, with dozens of diverse urban gardens existing in Poland. It was shown that these gardens satisfy the aesthetic, scenic, ecological, social, and economic needs of small communities, enriching the urban landscape with new, seasonally changeable enclaves of utility and aesthetic greenery.

Laurence Baudelet-Stelmacher · In Situ · France

This article traces the emergence and development of the French community garden movement, which began in 1997 with the establishment of the "Jardin dans tous ses états" network. Over 20 years, the movement has expanded significantly in major metropolitan areas and rural settings across France, influenced by North American community garden models. It has addressed environmental respect, participatory democracy, and the need for social connection.

Miguel A. Altieri, Clara I. Nicholls · Agro Sur · Global

Although urban agriculture (UA) is estimated to provide 15-20% of global food, its significant contribution to city food self-sufficiency is questionable due to low yields in most existing urban farms. Agroecology can enhance UA's productive potential by offering key principles for designing diversified, productive, and resilient urban farms. This paper describes principles and practices for increasing soil quality and enhancing plant health.

Abdel Fattah N. Abd Rabou · IUG Journal of Natural Studies · Palestine (Gaza City)

This six-month study (October 2016 – March 2017) identified and recorded woody components in three selected urban green spaces in Gaza City, Palestine: Gaza Municipality, Barcelona, and Al-Azhar parks. A total of 50 tree and shrub species, belonging to 26 families and 14 orders, were identified. Angiosperms accounted for 92.0% of species, with Fabales being the largest order. The study recommends selecting woody species adapted to local environmental conditions.

Dalmiro Cazorla-Perfetti, Pedro Morales-Moreno · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Venezuela (Coro)

This paper records the presence of deutonymphs of two mite taxa, Uroobovella Sensu lato Berlesse, 1903 and Cosmoglyphus Oudemans, 1932, in the urban area of Coro, Falcón State, Venezuela. These mites were found attached to the legs and/or abdomen of adult Desmometopa Loew, 1866 and Spalangia Latreille, 1805 specimens. The specimens were collected inside a dwelling, specifically in a plastic container with compost for growing vegetables and on the windows.

R. Witt, Erika S. Svendsen, Marianne E. Krasny · Cornell University Press eBooks · United States (Detroit)

This chapter explores how civic stewardship has driven social-ecological transformation in Detroit through the work of the nonprofit Greening of Detroit. The organization expanded its mission from restoring the city's tree canopy to include urban agriculture, environmental education, and workforce development, acting as a bridging organization connecting various stakeholders. Sustained community-based stewardship builds resilience, strengthens social networks, and shapes both local change and broader social movements through inclusive green infrastructure and civic participation.

Claire Freeman, Yolanda van Heezik · · Global

This chapter describes urban environments as spaces where other species live and the characteristics of species able to thrive in human-dominated environments. It explores the potential of different modified urban habitats to support biodiversity and how animals respond to urban challenges. The urban landscape consists of numerous small patches of diverse habitats that vary in their capacity to support wildlife populations. Urban agriculture takes many forms, including private gardens, community or allotment gardens, rooftop farms, and urban orchards.

Cynthia Frazier · ScholarsArchive (Brigham Young University) · Global

This story describes the transformation of a garbage-filled empty lot into a beautiful green space through community effort. It illustrates how community gardens and green spaces can spread throughout a neighborhood, from parks to rooftops. The narrative inspires people to create community gardens and highlights the importance of bees and butterflies.

Bruno Martins Dala Paula, Luana do Carmo Araujo de Oliveira, Emmanuel Duarte Almada, Filipe Freitas Chaves, Maura Neves Coutinho · Expressa Extensão · Brazil (Belo Horizonte)

This essay reflects on the relationship between urban agriculture practices and life care, based on a university extension project mobilized between resident groups of the Aglomerado da Serra communities in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and members of Grupo Aroeira, over six years (2008-2013). The project was structured through main activities including surveying urban agriculture initiatives in the community, holding a cycle of 'Cultivating Health' meetings, forming a Medicinal Plants Group, creating a literacy class, and organizing open-air markets with urban agrobiodiversity products. This project aimed to cultivate and promote the care for the lives of the residents, valuing their popular knowledge, while bringing these experiences into the university through the practice of 'reverse extension'.

Kaitlin Hathaway · Digital Showcase Research, Scholarship, & Creative Works (University of Lynchburg) · United States (Lynchburg)

The Lynchburg College Community Garden at Beaver Point, United States, was established in 2016 by students and faculty to teach sustainable agriculture and enrich soil. In spring and summer 2017, projects included donating produce, promoting pollinators, raising chickens, and composting. The abstract also describes a designed rainwater collection and irrigation system.

Natália Peres Almeida · · Global

This research aimed to identify the contribution of community gardens to healthy food for farmers and their families, with objectives of Food and Nutrition Security, Human Right to Adequate Food, and Food Sovereignty. Interviews were conducted with the president and farmers in the community garden, randomly addressed during their activities. It was concluded that the community garden significantly contributed to the healthy eating of farmers and their families through the production of in natura food of vegetal origin, of sufficient quality and quantity.

Danielle Sinnett, Gemma Jerome, Nick Smith, Sarah Burgess, Roger Mortlock · International Journal of Sustainable Development and Planning · Global

This paper presents an emerging benchmark for green infrastructure (GI) developed through literature review and stakeholder engagement, addressing uncertainty in GI design, delivery, and maintenance. The benchmark offers flexible standards for assessing GI policy, planning, design, delivery, and long-term management across various spatial scales. Preliminary testing on two mixed-use developments found the benchmark performed well, rewarding high-quality GI without demanding exemplary levels.

Céline Veríssimo, Leo Name · · Africa

This essay by Veríssimo and Name examines community practices of edible landscaping in outdoor domestic spaces in the city of Dondo, Mozambique, framing them as a form of quiet resistance to marginalization and as a means of household-community empowerment; the authors argue these diversified spaces support food sovereignty and call on landscape architects to draw on this knowledge, which they say is typically disregarded by professional practice.

Kh. N. Shaaban, M. Abul-Soud, OSAMA A. EL-BEHAIRY · Journal of Environmental Science · Africa

On the rooftop of the Central Laboratory for Agriculture Climate, Agriculture Research Centre, Egypt, tomato was grown over two summer seasons and strawberry over two winter seasons during 2014-2015 to test vermicompost-perlite substrate mixes (10%, 20%, 30% vermicompost, and a perlite-only control) combined with chemical, vermi-liquid, or combined nutrient solutions. Vegetative growth, yield and leaf N/P/K content were highest with chemical or combined chemical/vermi-liquid solution paired with the 30% then 20% vermicompost mixes, and applying or increasing vermicompost reduced heavy metal content in the tomato and strawberry fruit.

Céline Tanguay, Jean Louis Yengué, José Serrano · VertigO · France

Focusing on the Tours urban agglomeration in France, this article analyzes how an urban agriculture project takes shape, both politically and technically. It argues that feeding city dwellers is only a pretext for addressing economic issues (structuring a sector), social issues (social cohesion), and environmental issues (biodiversity, protection of soil and groundwater), and that the success of an urban agriculture project therefore depends on mobilizing all actors involved in urban planning. This multifunctional territorial vision, the article argues, can overcome the persistent divide between environmental and food objectives given their converging underlying goals, and it proposes linking biodiversity conservation with food production through a "green, blue and food network" (trame verte, bleue et alimentaire, TVBA).