Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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Critical findings
2012 results(36 / 81)
A Study on the Cooperation of Food Business Operators and Farmers in Urban Areas: Participation in the “Farm Mileage<sup>2</sup> Movement” of Narutoya Co. Ltd.
2021Kana Nakatsuka · Journal of Rural Problems · Japan (Higashi-Osaka City)
Higashi-Osaka City implemented the "Farm Mileage2 Campaign" to promote urban agriculture, collaborating with food business operators to jointly develop agricultural products. As a result, residential areas of consumers preferring ethical foods expanded based on the shipping destinations of food business operators. The movement also fostered events for food and agriculture education, promoting understanding of urban agriculture rather than just leisure. Many urban residents were found to desire agriculture near their homes.
Food educationCommunityPolicyFood miles & supply chainCultivating a Jewish Eco- Education Framework: The Toronto Heschel School’s Teaching and Learning Garden
2021Nadine Ijaz, Paige Mawson · Canadian Jewish Studies / Études juives canadiennes · Canada (Toronto)
This study highlights the Toronto Heschel School's Teaching and Learning Garden, a Canadian Jewish day school program that fosters student learning on ecology and Jewish identity. Qualitative interviews with two educators and five alumni revealed that the Heschel program, like secular school gardens, implements experiential, interdisciplinary learning activities within a scientific ecological knowledge (SEK) framework. However, the Heschel program supplements these SEK activities with traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) rooted in Judaic teachings, resulting in educational outcomes relevant to both universal applicability and Jewish identities.
Food educationCommunityEvaluating the preferences and level of participation of the academic community in urban agriculture: the case of University of Sistan and Baluchestan
2021Mohammad Reza Khalilnezhad, Peiman Golchin · فصلنامه علوم محیطی · Iran
This study is a cross-sectional survey aimed at measuring the participation and support of the academic community for the edible landscape (university green space with edible and medicinal plants) at the University of Sistan and Baluchestan in Iran. A survey of 530 faculty members, staff, and students revealed that "mental health" and "nutrition from food produced in the edible landscape" were the most important motivators for participation. Students, women, and the 20-30 age group showed the highest motivation to participate, and the most popular combination of elements included agricultural space, an orchard with a fountain and stream, a dining area, and a mulberry grove.
CommunityFood educationHealthPublic food forest opportunities and challenges in small municipalities
2021Sarah E. Coffey, John F. Munsell, Rico Hübner, Curtis R. Friedel · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems · United States (Virginia)
A survey of 68 mayors (39% response rate) in Virginia, US, from communities under 25,000 population, investigated public food forest initiatives. Mayors identified long-term maintenance as the greatest barrier and noted that 78% of municipalities lack land use codes for food-producing trees and shrubs. While nearly 70% reported some public land food production, only one-fifth included food-producing trees. Mayors emphasized sociocultural programs and education over food access as the most compelling aspect.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyFood educationClimate changeEl Huerto Escolar como recurso para iniciar la Alfabetización Ambiental en Educación Infantil
2021Fátima Rodríguez Marín, María África Portillo Guerrero, María Puig Gutiérrez · Revista eureka sobre enseñanza y divulgación de las ciencias · Global
This study presents an experience carried out in a classroom with three-year-old children, where the school garden was used as the central axis of a didactic proposal based on the school research model. The results showed that this resource favors environmental literacy, while also serving to articulate didactic proposals that contribute to the population's resilience.
Food educationClimate changeBiodiversityINNOVATIVE URBAN FARMING TECHNIQUES FOR SUSTAINABILITY OF CITIES: FROM FARM TO FORK – CASE OF THE CITY LANUVIO, ROME, ITALY
2021Sangodoyin Olakunle. M, Shehata Mariam, D’Aprile Andrea, Calore Giuseppe, Lorianne Ginot, Correrella Maia, Elian Mariam, Aly Nada, Aboughanema Salma, Ali Sohaila, Aboulnaga Mohsen · International Journal of Engineering Applied Sciences and Technology · Italy (Rome)
The "Green Symphony" project in Lanuvio, a municipality near Rome, Italy, transformed a vacant ARES site into a smart and sustainable urban farm. The project integrated aquaponic systems, permaculture, vertical farming, and energy harvesting technologies. The developed farm is projected to generate 7 tons of vegetables, fruits, herbs, and fish annually, create 3 stable jobs, and recoup investment costs within a maximum of 5 years.
DIYCommunityClimate changeFood educationLa Educación Virtual STEM en la nueva normalidad
2021Paulo Germán García Murillo, Laura Belkis Parada Romero, Julio Ernesto Rojas Mesa, Bernardo Garibello Suan · · Colombia (Bogotá)
A research project on urban agriculture was implemented for fifth-grade primary students and their families at El Carmelo school in Teusaquillo locality, Bogotá D.C., Colombia. The project aimed to raise awareness about STEAM competencies (environmental, technological, pedagogical, and artistic), designing two experimental practices for home development using bean seeds. The project led to important reflections on educational work regarding STEAM competencies for strengthening the relationship between sustainability, technology, learning, and arts, addressing specific issues such as food security, nutritional culture, prototyping culture, and strengthening scientific citizenship.
Food educationFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityGrowth and Carotenoid Contents of Intercropped Vegetables in Building-Integrated Urban Agriculture
2021Jin-Hee Ju, Sun-Young Cho, Hee-Yeon Song, Se-Young Ju, Yong-Han Yoon, Kyung‐Jin Yeum · Journal of Food Quality · Global
This study aimed to increase plant growth and bioactive contents using intercropping technology in urban agriculture. Tomatoes and sunflowers were intercropped in different ratios on an outdoor rooftop, and lettuce and chicory were grown together in indoor LED plant growth chambers. Tomatoes intercropped with sunflowers (3:1) showed significantly larger stem diameter, more leaves, and higher lycopene and β-carotene contents compared to monocultured tomatoes. Lettuce intercropped with chicory (1:3) had significantly higher chlorophyll, β-carotene, and lutein contents than lettuce grown alone, but intercropping had no beneficial effect on chicory's growth and carotenoid content.
DIYFood educationKoi (Cyprinus rubrofuscus) Seek Out Tactile Interaction with Humans: General Patterns and Individual Differences
2021Isabel Fife-Cook, Becca Franks · Animals · Global
This study investigated human-fish interactions with seven adult koi at a community garden/aquaponics learning-center from July to October 2019. Video data showed that koi spent more time than expected within reach of the researcher, both before and after feeding. The research also found substantial individual differences in the koi's propensity for physical interaction.
CommunityFood educationAn Education of the Senses at the University of California, Berkeley
2021Cari Borja · Gastronomica The Journal of Food and Culture · United States (California)
To commemorate 50 years since the founding of Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley, California, in 1971, Alice Waters and University of California President Michael V. Drake planned an event for August 28, 2021, to gather educators, farmers, and others to address climate change. The event was postponed due to a surge in COVID-19 Delta variant cases, but a message was sent supporting the values of public education through the economic stimulus of local organic food procurement. Waters' vision explored possibilities in our relationship to food and community, connection to land, and the broader cultural picture.
Food educationCommunityHealthClimate changeFood forests: Their services and sustainability
2021Stefanie Albrecht, Arnim Wiek · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · Global
This study compiled evidence from over 200 food forests worldwide, with detailed insights from 14 exemplary food forests in Europe, North America, and South America, gained through site visits and interviews. Findings indicate that most food forests perform well on social-cultural and environmental criteria, such as building capacity, providing food, enhancing biodiversity, and regenerating soil. However, for broader impact, food forests need to enhance their economic viability, as they currently show a deficit in this area.
Economic viabilityCommunityBiodiversityEconomicsFood educationCitizen Science in Vegetable Garden Cultivar Evaluation in Tennessee
2021Virginia R. Sykes, Natalie R. Bumgarner, Stefanie Brooke Keadle, A. Naseema and K.I. Wilson, Francisco Javier Perales Palacios · Horticulturae · United States (Tennessee)
The University of Tennessee Extension and research faculty developed the Home Garden Variety Trial (HGVT) program, a citizen science approach for cultivar evaluation. This collaborative effort involved over 450 individual gardeners in more than half of Tennessee's counties, conducting trials in their own gardens from 2017 over five years. The HGVT program serves as an effective tool to introduce gardeners to new crops and cultivars while providing previously unavailable data to researchers, supporting residential and community food production.
CommunityFood educationHealthDIYLet's Hear It For Ladybugs!: Observing Ladybugs Offers Opportunities To Integrate Language Arts Into A Life Cycle Unit
2021Rachel Wilson · Science and Children · United States
As part of a school garden project, second graders in the United States participated in integrated lessons exploring ladybug life cycles, culminating in the release of beneficial insects in our school garden. The unit aimed to connect life cycle concepts to a new organism, using a 5E format and integrating language arts activities. This approach met both science content objectives and English Language Arts standards.
Food educationBiodiversityPollinatorsSchool Garden Benefits: Health Promotion and Environmental Conservation
2021Gina K. Alexander, Donald R. Grannum · NASN School Nurse · Global
This article reviews existing literature on the benefits of school gardening. It also describes firsthand experiences to achieve success in school gardens.
Food educationHealthBiodiversitySocial aspect of urban agriculture with examples from Croatia
2021Ana Poštek, Ivica Kisić, Marija Cerjak, Luka Brezinščak · Journal of Central European Agriculture · Croatia
This paper analyzes various social aspects of urban agriculture and presents examples from Croatia where social benefits are the primary purpose. Urban agriculture can have social effects such as fostering activism, gender equality, social cohesion and inclusion, education, and cultural heritage preservation. However, policymakers struggle to implement urban agriculture within city planning.
Governance failureCommunityFood educationPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceAn Analysis of Policy Implementation Factors of the School Farm Program in Seoul, South Korea
2021Subeen Jang · The Korea Association of Yeolin Education · South Korea (Seoul)
This study analyzed the implementation process of the School Farm Program in Seoul, South Korea, through a literature review. The analysis found that there was a risk of the policy's focus deviating from school and educational issues, as multiple policymakers pursued diverse economic and social goals using school farms. Additionally, policy effects at the target level could differ from policymaker goals depending on each school's context, and interaction among policy implementers and various interest groups like civic organizations, experts, and media was insufficient.
Governance failurePolicyFood educationCommunityThe beginning of work on school gardens in Norway – Andreas M. Feragen's garden in Holt on Agder
2021Ernst Håkon Jahr · Scripta Neophilologica Posnaniensia · Norway
This paper describes the origins of the School Gardening Movement in Norway, initiated by 19th-century teacher Andreas M. Feragen. In the late 1850s and early 1860s, Feragen advocated for gardening as both a subject and practical activity in primary schools, publishing pieces on kitchen, fruit, and flower gardens in a 1863 reader. His efforts began with his own school gardens in Holt, Agder, and he also argued for including basic gardening knowledge in teacher training.
Food educationEstrategia de educación y comunicación ambiental para el manejo integral de residuos orgánicos en la colonia zipor, Xalapa, ver.
2021Ana Karen Ricaño Ochoa, María de los Ángeles Chamorro Zárate Achamorro · South Florida Journal of Development · Mexico (Xalapa)
An environmental education and communication strategy for integrated organic waste management was applied in the Zipor neighborhood of Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico. This project aimed to raise awareness and provide training for residents, promote citizen participation in organic waste classification and biological treatment, and install community urban gardens for compost utilization. A total of 30 residents, divided into three groups (representing 5% of the neighborhood's inhabitants), participated in three stages: waste separation workshops, compost module construction, and urban garden installation.
CommunityCompostFood educationŠolski vrtovi v Pomurski regiji
2021Jana Ambrožič‐Dolinšek, Dane Katalinič, Patricija Utroša · Revija za elementarno izobraževanje · Europe
This study examined school gardens in the Pomurje region of Slovenia, finding that half (19 out of 38) of primary schools have them. The establishment of these gardens relies on the goodwill of school management and the voluntary interest of teachers. The research suggests that including school gardening in science curricula is necessary, as garden-related activities contribute to the region's agricultural development.
Food educationCommunityCreating Learning Environments to Support Students Experiencing Stress: Qualitative Insights from an Extension-Community Partnership
2021Chelsea Hetherington, Sarah Cronin, Sara Langworthy, Cari Michaels · Journal of Human Sciences and Extension · United States
This study describes an Extension-Community partnership that designed learning environments to support elementary students experiencing chronic stress in the United States. The intervention included creating a calming room, building a community garden on school grounds, and providing educational programming for teachers, staff, and families. Interviews with 20 teachers and school staff revealed the program's success in supporting positive outcomes for students, staff, the school, and the surrounding community.
CommunityFood educationHealthSustainability and education through social networks. Presence and visibility of the school garden on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
2021Juan-Francisco Álvarez-Herrero, María Encarnación Urrea Solano, Rosabel Martínez-Roig · IJERI International Journal of Educational Research and Innovation · Spain
This study examined the presence and visibility of school gardens on social media in Spain by analyzing the last 100 posts with #huertoescolar on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Educational centers primarily documented school garden activities on Twitter, followed by Facebook and Instagram. School gardens were mainly used for practical application of academic content and fostering environmental awareness, but greater integration with Sustainable Development Goals is still needed.
Food educationCommunityDigital agricultureFrom the researched to co-researchers: including excluded participants in community-led research on urban agriculture in Cape Town
2021Nicole Paganini, Silke Stöber · The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension · South Africa (Cape Town)
This long-term study in Cape Town, South Africa, developed and employed a co-research approach with urban farmers, using mixed methods including focus groups, farming diaries, and surveys. Participants perceived the research process itself as more important than the results, as they developed agency for change. The mutually developed results were used by co-researchers to establish a representative body advocating for small-scale farmers' needs.
CommunityPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceFood educationEDUCAÇÃO AMBIENTAL NA ESCOLA BÁSICA
2021Renata Michelli Ferretti, Reis Friede, Maria Geralda de Miranda · Revista da Seção Judiciária do Rio de Janeiro · Global
This study, part of the AMBENAP project, discusses environmental education implemented through school gardens in basic education schools. Using problematization theory, the research concluded that school gardens enable students to learn practical environmental care and influence their actions.
Food educationCommunityBiodiversityGirls’ boarding schools’ gardens in the Age of Enlightenment
2021Varvara V. Ponomareva · Moscow University Anthropology Bulletin (Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta Seria XXIII Antropologia) · Russia
This study, using a historical typological method, examined the gardens of girls' boarding schools within the Mariinsky Establishment in 18th-century Russia as a vehicle for children's healthy physical upbringing. Influenced by scholars like John Locke, innovative physical education principles, supported by the Russian state, were integrated into the daily life of boarding schools. By the end of the 19th century, doctors oversaw school outdoor spaces, noting the positive effects of fresh air exercise and swimming on children.
Food educationHealthCommunityERVATERAPIA
2021Eric Schwamberger, Adrian José Ramos, Alicia Weber, Eduarda Nunes, Emile de Lima Pollheim, Gabriela Santos Patriarca, Giovana Schwamberger, Isadora Bombassaro, Jamily Assini, Vitor Gomes, Kassia Kathellyn Barboza, Roberta Hoepers Mascarenhas, Rossie Katherine dos Santos, Samuel Carvalho de Matos-Filho, Vinícius Verwiebe, Tatiane Sueli Coutinho · Anais da Mostra Nacional de Iniciação Científica e Tecnológica Interdisciplinar (MICTI) - e-ISSN 2316-7165 · Brazil
A community garden with medicinal herbs serves as an excellent tool for study and environmental awareness for students involved in the project and the wider academic community, as well as for internal and external communities utilizing the accessible herbs. In this project, beds with various medicinal herbs, including ora-pro-nobis, mint, basil, horsetail, boldo, alfavaca, aloe vera, lemon balm, and lemongrass, were created and maintained. The project aims not only to provide natural treatment to the community but also, importantly, to raise awareness about the harms that excessive use of allopathic medicines can cause to metabolism.
CommunityFood educationHealth