Research & reports

Jonathan Stubberfield, Mads Troldborg, E. Louise Ander, N.M.J. Crout, Scott D. Young, Rupert Hough · Agronomy · United Kingdom

This study investigated the influence of gardening routines on health benefits and risks among 120 urban gardeners in the UK. Participants showed a correlation between autumn/winter gardening activity and fruit/vegetable consumption, with higher physical activity levels and lower BMI than average. However, while gardening offers health benefits, the health risks from gardening on soils mildly contaminated with cadmium and lead may outweigh these benefits, requiring formal consideration within a risk management framework.

Yayat Sujatna, Widi Hastomo, Ambardi Ambardi · Community Empowerment · Indonesia (Jakarta)

This Community Service program aimed to educate residents of PCM Cengkareng Barat, Jakarta, Indonesia, about plastic waste, recycle plastic waste for microgreens planting media, and encourage urban farming of microgreens to meet family nutrition during the pandemic. The program utilized the Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) method. The outcome was an increased ability and knowledge among partners regarding plastic waste utilization and new methods for urban farming microgreens.

Universidad de Guadalajara, Ofelia Barrios Vargas, María Lourdes Rebolledo García, Adán Rubio Cuevas · GESPYE Gestión Pública y Empresarial · Mexico

A diagnosis of urban gardens was conducted in Lázaro Cárdenas de Ocampo, Michoacán, Mexico, to understand the motivations and benefits people gain from home gardens. This cross-sectional study identified private and community gardens, noting a 20% increase in gardens in 2020 compared to the previous year. Residents demonstrated resilience during COVID-19 confinement, stating that gardens served as occupational therapy and family integration.

Wanda Martin, Lindsey Wagner, Kerry Marshall · Human Geography · Canada

This qualitative study investigated the controversy surrounding urban hen bylaws in Canadian cities, based on semi-structured interviews with 15 urban residents. The research identified three main areas of struggle: the need for education on urban agriculture, differing values for city life, and tensions between individual rights and the collective good. The findings expose challenges in urban hen legislation.

Lorena Suárez Peña, Aharon Jazielt Andrade Sandy, Luis René Justiniano Lujan, Romina Alejandra Robles Calderón, Leevan Salvatierra Burgos, José María Jiménez Carillo · Revista 3i Ingeniería Innovación Investigación · Bolivia

This study diagnosed the benefits of implementing urban gardens to promote food security, environmental sustainability, and community development, classifying feasible garden types. Research in El Torno municipality, Bolivia, identified community and school gardens as the most feasible urban garden types, highlighting their environmental and health benefits. These gardens are easy to implement and offer benefits such as landscape beautification, connection with nature, improved physical and mental health, and environmental education.

Ashley Gripper, Rachel C. Nethery, Tori L. Cowger, Monica M. White, Ichiro Kawachi, Gary Adamkiewicz · Social Science & Medicine · United States (Philadelphia)

This descriptive epidemiologic study in Philadelphia used spatial regression to analyze associations between Black neighborhoods, poverty, food access, and urban agriculture. Fully adjusted spatial models showed significant associations between Black neighborhoods and urban agriculture (RR: 1.28) and between poverty and urban agriculture (RR: 1.27). Neighborhoods with higher proportions of Black residents and lower incomes tended to have more community gardens and urban farms, with the association between low food access and urban agriculture generally increased in Black neighborhoods.

Felix Buabeng, Erasmus Kabu Aduteye · International Journal of Agriculture Extension and Rural Development Studies · Global

This literature review examines the contributions and positive impacts of community and home gardens in addressing food insecurity and the overall well-being of household members. As many residents struggle with access to fresh produce and face food insecurity, community gardens can serve as a strategy to alleviate these challenges and help families reduce pandemic-related economic losses by supplementing their diets with nutritious foods. This paper also determines the types of gardening people practice and common crops grown.

Muhammad Sarjan, M. Taufik Fauzi, Ruth Stella P. Thei · Unram Journal of Community Service · Indonesia (Mataram City)

This action research in Mataram City during the COVID-19 pandemic introduced Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices to urban farming groups. Group discussions revealed that while participants were interested in developing fresh vegetables and fruits and found benefits in meeting family food needs, most members were unfamiliar with environmentally friendly cultivation techniques, particularly IPM.

Jones Abrefa Danquah · Arboricultural Journal · Ghana

A study surveyed 600 landlords in three major Ghanaian cities regarding their perceptions of trees in urban areas. Landlords highly valued trees for providing edible fruits and nuts, improved health, shade, oxygen production, and wind protection. However, negative perceptions included structural damage from roots, trees acting as hosts for insects and pests, and leaf litter and slippery fruits being a nuisance.

Arnaud Sapin, Philippe Bodénan, Thierry Lebeau, Ghozlane Fleury‐Bahi · Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology · France

A qualitative study in Nantes, France, interviewed 28 allotment garden users to examine psychosocial impacts. While highlighting benefits like psychological well-being, physical health, self-development, and social bonding, the study found these were balanced by various conflicts reported by participants. Lexicometric analysis confirmed that positive and negative social aspects are significantly associated and must be considered jointly.

Sara R. Healy, Eric R. Morgan, Joaquín M. Prada, Martha Betson · Food and Waterborne Parasitology · United Kingdom

This proof-of-concept study investigated the presence of Toxocara spp. eggs on 82 'ready-to-eat' vegetable samples (lettuce, spinach, spring onion, celery) from 16 community gardens in southern England. Two lettuce samples tested positive for Toxocara spp. eggs, showing an overall prevalence of 2.4% for vegetable samples and 6.5% specifically for lettuce. This study is the first to demonstrate Toxocara spp. eggs on vegetables grown in community gardens in the UK and Europe, highlighting biosecurity and zoonotic risks.

Shirley A.A. Beresford, India J. Ornelas, Mark Bauer, Geraldine A Garrity, Sonia Bishop, Brandon Francis, Eileen Rillamas‐Sun, Linda Garcia, Filiberto S A Vecenti, Kevin Lombard · AJPM Focus · United States

The Yéego! Healthy Eating and Gardening Study was a group-randomized controlled trial in 6 elementary schools in the Navajo Nation to evaluate a school-based healthy eating and gardening intervention over one school year. Students in intervention schools showed 0.22 points greater self-efficacy for eating fruits and vegetables compared to comparison schools. While self-efficacy to grow fruits and vegetables increased in intervention schools, it did not increase significantly more than in comparison schools.

Graham Ambrose, Kirti Das, Yingling Fan, Anu Ramaswami · Landscape and Urban Planning · United States (Minneapolis-St. Paul)

An exploratory study in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, USA, directly compared happiness (net affect, average happiness, and meaningfulness) associated with household versus community agricultural gardening, surveying 118 household and 55 community gardeners. For both groups, gardening's net affect ranked among the top five daily activities. Community gardeners reported statistically higher net affect and peak meaningfulness while gardening compared to household gardeners. Community gardeners' net affect correlated negatively with family-companionship and positively with neighbor-companionship. Female and low-income household gardeners reported higher gardening net affect than their counterparts.

Aisling Bailey, Jonathan Kingsley · Land · Australia (Melbourne)

This qualitative study explored perceptions of benefits and challenges in six urban community and allotment gardens in Melbourne, Australia, through semi-structured interviews with 23 participants. Findings identified perceived benefits and demographic patterns, but also highlighted challenges to participation due to insecurity around ongoing land access. The gardens were perceived to contribute to social and environmental wellbeing.

Ling Zeng, Shan Jiang, Linhai Jing, Yuan Xue · Remote Sensing · China

Heavy metal concentrations of Cd, As, Pb, Cu, Cr, and Hg were investigated in 86 soil samples from Jinzhou near China's Bohai Bay coast. The study showed that Cu and As contaminations in parts of this area were over the natural level but not polluted, while Cr contamination was omnipresent over the natural level and reached polluted levels in some parts. As and Cu contamination were linked to agricultural planting and aquacultural activities, and Cr contamination was potentially due to vehicle emissions and steel manufacturing or geochemical factories.

István Bazsik · Studia Mundi - Economica · Hungary

A study examined the situation and theoretical frameworks of social farms in Hungary. The social farm system in the country is in its infancy, with fewer than 50 farms, many of which are not necessarily farms. Initiatives often focus exclusively on specific target groups and prioritize social functions over agricultural production, which limits successful inclusion and integration.

Subhash Aswal, Harshal Purohit, P. K. Gupta, K. K. Yadav, Laxman Jat, Shipra Jaiswal, R. A. Kaushik · International Journal of Plant & Soil Science · India (Kota)

A quarterly survey in Kota district, Rajasthan, India, characterized wastewater-irrigated soils by comparing them with tube well water-irrigated soils from ten urban sites. The study found decreased sand content, pH, and dehydrogenase activity, while porosity, EC, BOD, COD, OC, available-NPK, SO4, Cl, and heavy metals (Mn, Fe, Zn, Cu, Ni, Cd, Pb, Cr) increased. Some parameters exceeded Indian standard permission limits, indicating contamination, with highest values observed in summer.

Daniel Sax, Lorien Nesbitt, Shannon Hagerman · Environment and Planning E Nature and Space · Canada (Vancouver)

A case study of an urban farm in Vancouver, Canada, facing displacement due to redevelopment, revealed that urban residents engaged in urban greening can be both implicated in and impacted by green gentrification processes. The study highlighted the power dynamics farm members navigate to preserve land access and found that the farm's identity was co-opted by development agents as a branding tool. This research contributes to understanding the limitations of development processes in accounting for green gentrification risks.

Anna Paltseva, Zhongqi Cheng, Murray B. McBride, Maha Deeb, Sara Perl Egendorf, Peter M. Groffman · Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution · Global

This synthesis paper summarizes current scientific knowledge on lead (Pb) contamination in urban garden soils and provides clear recommendations for assessing actual health risks and limiting exposure. Urban garden soils often contain elevated levels of Pb, mainly from legacy sources, which is a main barrier for urban gardening. Amendments are noted as unreliable for treating contaminated soils to reduce risk, as they do not always make contaminants less harmful.

Yangzixian Yang · Journal of Architectural Research and Development · United Kingdom (Birmingham)

This paper aims to assess Birmingham's suitability for flat rooftop farming in the United Kingdom. It explores two examples of rooftop farms, Brooklyn Grange in New York and Thammasat University, the largest rooftop farm in Asia, and proposes converting the tops of buildings at Birmingham City University into a flat roof farm.

Kasey Kavanaugh · Digital Archive @ GSU · Global

This systematic review examined eight peer-reviewed articles assessing the impact of school gardens on elementary and middle school students. All eight papers reviewed showed a positive change in children's health and behaviors as a result of having access to a school gardening and additional nutritional education. However, three papers showed no change in the consumption of fruit and vegetables, and one paper showed no major differences in fruit and vegetable knowledge. All studies used surveys, with some also employing food diaries, 24-hour recall, or lunchroom observations as evaluation tools.

Nini Sané, Malick Mbengué, Amandine Laffite, Serge Stoll, John Poté, Philippe Le Coustumer · Water · Global

This study developed a wastewater treatment plant prototype coupled with Moringa oleifera seeds to reduce fecal indicator bacteria and antibiotic-resistant bacteria in domestic wastewater. The prototype alone reduced bacteria by 99.34%. The addition of Moringa oleifera seeds achieved high removal rates for E. coli (36.6–78.8%), fecal coliform (28.3–84.6%), Vibrio cholera (35.3–95.6%), and total flora (32.1–92.4%). For antibiotic-resistant bacteria, removal rates were up to 98% for E. coli and fecal coliform, 100% for Vibrio cholera, and 91.96% for total flora.

Francesco Orsini, Michele D’Ostuni · Frontiers for Young Minds · Global

Urban agriculture, which involves growing food in cities, promotes local and sustainable food systems to address global challenges such as growing urban populations, climate change, and natural resource scarcity. Farming in cities positively impacts the environment, ecosystem, and climate, while also bringing communities together and improving citizens' health.

Md. Abdul Quddus · Horticulture International Journal · Global

This review study investigated the scenario, advantages, and challenges of rooftop farming in urban communities. Rooftop gardening provides fresh, nutrition-rich food for urban dwellers, serves as an alternative land use, improves the urban atmosphere, and offers household recreation. Previous research indicates that insight and consciousness of roof gardening enrich wellbeing, social value, and enjoyable farming for building residents.

Ro'fatul Maulaa, Niken Kusumarini, Dian Triastari Armanda · BIOLOGICA SAMUDRA · Indonesia (Semarang)

The potential and constraints of urban farming development on the railroad border in Bangetayu Wetan Village, Genuk District, Semarang City, Indonesia, were investigated through observation, interviews, and documentation. The approximately 1 to 2-hectare area cultivated crops such as corn, cassava, and sugarcane, with yield predictions sufficient to meet food needs. However, the presence of pests, diseases, and weeds were identified as constraints, indicating challenges for urban farming development.