Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
1627 results(37 / 66)
Low-income adults’ perceptions of farmers’ markets and community-supported agriculture programmes
2017Elizabeth W. Cotter, Carla Teixeira, Annessa Bontrager, Kasharena Horton, Deyanira Soriano · Public Health Nutrition · United States (Washington, DC)
This study conducted focus groups with 28 adults in three affordable housing communities in Washington, D.C., USA, to understand low-income adults' attitudes towards participating in farmers' markets, community-supported agriculture (CSA), and nutrition education programming. The results revealed that adults living in urban, affordable housing communities desire access to healthy foods but are limited by cost. Programs could have a higher likelihood of success if they accept benefits like SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), are heavily marketed, and incorporate culturally relevant nutrition education components.
Equity & displacementCSA & TeikeiWelfareEconomicsCommunityFood educationStudent-Led Farmers Market: Engaging, Real-World Experience And Nutrition Education That Prepares Students For A Successful Professional Life After High School
2017Rebecca A Hennessey · Digital Commons - Hamline (Hamline University) · United States
This capstone project proposes a curriculum that supports a student-led farmers market program for high school students. The curriculum provides garden and nutrition education through a fully-functioning farmers market run entirely by students, offering them real-world experience.
Food educationCommunityUrban arthropods respond variably to changes in landscape context and spatial scale
2017Monika Egerer, Courtney Arel, Michelle D. Otoshi, Robyn D. Quistberg, Peter Bichier, Stacy M. Philpott · Journal of Urban Ecology · United States (California)
This three-year study in 19 urban community gardens on the California central coast examined how urban landscape intensification and diversity influence the abundance and richness of five arthropod groups (ants, bees, ladybeetles, parasitoids, spiders) across six spatial scales (200 m to 5 km). All arthropod groups were influenced by landscape factors, but this influence varied with spatial scale and local habitat features, likely due to arthropod community interactions and life history strategies.
CommunityBiodiversityPollinatorsInvolving Extension in Urban Food Systems: An Example from California
2017Lucy Diekmann, Rob Bennaton, Jessica Schweiger, Cole Smith · Journal of Human Sciences and Extension · United States (California)
This article illustrates how Extension in the San Francisco Bay Area, California, develops urban agriculture programming and engages in food-system-related partnerships. The Extension practice in this metropolitan region aligns with research findings on local food system involvement, focusing on educational opportunities and collaborative work with community and government partners. This case study provides insights for Extension personnel designing urban food system programs.
Food educationCommunityPolicyHealthEconomicsUrban Agriculture, Food Justice, and Neoliberal Urbanization
2017Michelle Glowa · · United States (San Francisco)
In the San Francisco region, highly competitive land markets increasingly force landowners to use properties for purposes other than gardening, despite the popularity of urban agriculture. This situation compels gardeners to develop strategies to gain and maintain land access, linking gardening to broader land politics and urban design. The chapter explores how gardeners influence space production and property institutions.
Economic viabilityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyCommunityEconomicsPersonal Narratives Changing Student Understandings of Community-based Academic Programs
2017Isabel Verhille · Scholarship @ Claremont (The Claremont Colleges) · United States (California)
A Media Studies Senior Thesis from the Claremont Colleges in California, USA, focuses on two community programs: the Spanish Practicum program at Pitzer College and Huerta del Valle, a community garden in Ontario. The project comprised a photographic essay on personal experience in the Spanish Practicum, an article on the program's history, and an interview with the founder of Huerta del Valle and a student participant. These personal narratives were presented as a webpage to explore their communal significance in constructing a shared understanding of community-based academic programs.
CommunityFood educationFor the Love of Land and People: An Evaluation of The Food Project as an Empowering Youth Development Program
2017Emily Walls · DigitalCommons-Macalester (Macalester College) · United States (Boston)
The Food Project, a youth development and urban agriculture organization in the Greater Boston area, demonstrates effective empowerment by successfully creating safe spaces, engaging youth in meaningful work, and providing them with confidence and skills to effect change. This study analyzed program structures through youth experiences to evaluate empowerment and personal growth.
Food educationCommunityWelfareExamining the Business Case and Models for Sustainable Multifunctional Edible Landscaping Enterprises in the Phoenix Metro Area
2017Christopher Robinson, Scott Cloutier, Hallie Eakin · Sustainability · United States (Phoenix)
This study assessed the business case for multifunctional edible landscaping enterprises in the Phoenix metro area. Semi-structured interviews with four landscaping entrepreneurs and a GIS landscape analysis of seven cities revealed that multifunctional edible landscaping offers a greater range of value propositions and revenue streams, with over 180,000 acres of suitable landscapes identified. Scenario analysis estimated potential value creation from $3.9 to $66 billion, with positive return on investment (ROI) achievable in 11 out of 12 scenarios within one to five years.
EconomicsPolicyCommunityThe New Sacred Farm
2017Gretel Van Wieren · Worldviews Global Religions Culture and Ecology · United States
This paper explored religious approaches within the food and faith movement in the U.S. by examining the work of three religious, community-based farming projects. These projects are characterized by ritual practices and narrative tropes as they address social, ecological, political, and ethical challenges posed by current food systems. The study concluded that these religious farms should be considered sacred spaces for how they ritualize and symbolically interpret agricultural and food practices.
CommunityFood educationCSA & TeikeiFood sovereignty & justiceSafe food facts for community gardens
2017Marisa Bunning, M. Newby · Digital Collections of Colorado (Colorado State University) · United States (Colorado)
This document provides practical tips for community gardeners to ensure the safety and quality of food grown in community gardens. It emphasizes proper garden management and handling of fresh produce to maximize the benefits of growing one's own food.
CommunityFood educationGreening the shrinking city—policies and planning approaches in the USA with the example of Flint, Michigan
2017Karina Pallagst, René Fleschurz, Franziska Trapp · Landscape Research · United States (Flint, Michigan)
This paper examines greening and green infrastructure development in shrinking US cities, focusing on rightsizing and urban agriculture. It highlights recent greening efforts in Flint, Michigan, as an example. Shrinking cities in the US, characterized by economic decline and population loss, often have vacant land and blighted buildings, which some cities are now re-evaluating as assets for sustainable and livable urban environments.
PolicyUrban–rural linkageCommunityCommunity Supported Agriculture: Marketing & Outreach Strategies to Encourage Membership
2017Kenna McMurray, Kelsey Hall, Roslynn Brain · Digital Commons - USU (Utah State University) · United States
This fact sheet provides tips on effective communication tools for marketing Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) operations. It focuses on delivering information to potential and current shareholders, engaging them, and gathering feedback.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsCommunityBarriers and facilitators to healthy eating and disease self-management among older adults residing in subsidized housing
2017Katherine Frances Petroka, Rania Campbell-Bussiere, Dan Dychtwald, Brandy‐Joe Milliron · Nutrition and Health · United States (Philadelphia)
This 2017 qualitative study in Philadelphia, USA, investigated barriers and facilitators to healthy eating among 24 low-income seniors (65-75 years old) in subsidized housing, which included a community garden and food pantry. Personal barriers included food cost, physical limitations, and low self-efficacy, while external barriers involved lack of transportation and market distance. Facilitators focused on food preparation, and participants expressed interest in community nutrition programming.
HealthElderlyCommunityWelfareA sustainable place
2017Audrey Desjardins, Xiaolan Wang, Ron Wakkary · · Canada
This chapter investigates how everyday designers function as placemakers, advancing the understanding of sustainability in human-computer interaction. Through an autobiographical study of a camper van interior and an ethnographic study of community gardeners in Vancouver, Canada, the research identifies three common themes in creating sustainable places: longevity, unfinishedness, and multiplicity in placemaking.
CommunityMount Carmel Community Garden: Inspiring Community Growth through Sustainable Food Production
2017C. E. Deardorff, Julia Friedman, Charlotte Walton · Bucknell Digital Commons (Bucknell University) · United States
This entry comprises a project report and a Community Garden Guide for Mount Carmel, United States. The report outlines community garden benefits, analyzes potential advantages for Mount Carmel, and reviews stakeholders, goals, and a community interest survey. The guide compiles essential information and tools for establishing new community garden projects, covering social and economic benefits alongside technical skills.
CommunityFood educationEconomicsPolicyPatrimonio y agricultura urbana en Recife: Análisis y directrices para el barrio de Várzea.
2017Igor Villares de Carvalho, Paola Branduini · Revista Urbano · Brazil (Recife)
Addressing the issue of abandoned and unclear urban agricultural heritage in many South American cities, this study focused on the Várzea neighborhood in Recife, Brazil, applying principles from the European Landscape Convention and findings from COST Action Urban - Agriculture Europe (2011-16). It noted that the tangible and intangible rural heritage of Várzea, a region settled by Europeans in the 16th century for sugarcane cultivation and remaining rural until the 20th century, is disconnected from the current population and conservation practices. To mitigate this problem, the article proposes guidelines for the regeneration of this heritage and the improvement of cases related to the area's rural background.
CommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkageACS celebrates Earth Day
2017Linda Wang · C&EN Global Enterprise · United States
In April 2017, the American Chemical Society (ACS) organized "Chemists Celebrate Earth Day" (CCED) across the U.S., with the theme "Chemistry Helps Feed the World." The program involved hands-on science activities and community garden planting, with a majority of ACS's 185 local sections participating. Over 62,000 copies of "Celebrating Chemistry" were distributed, and events like Chem Demo were held for over 350 students in Arizona.
CommunityFood educationHanford FFA Ornamental Horticulture Unit Master Plan
2017Savanah Diane Rhine, Russell Alan Zimmerman · DigitalCommons - CalPoly (California State Polytechnic University) · United States (California)
This project aims to develop a more functional plan for the Ornamental Horticulture (OH) Unit at the Hanford Agriculture Program, which serves over 1,000 students from three high schools in Hanford, California. A majority of these students are not in the OH Career Pathway due to a lack of a constant, fully functional unit. The plan focuses on four broad areas: vegetable boxes, greenhouses, a shade house, and beautification, to provide a functional school garden and OH Unit at the Hanford High Campus. This initiative seeks to equip students with skills in horticulture, crop, and soil sciences, greenhouse production, and irrigation technology, offering practical experience for future careers in agriculture.
Food educationCommunityDIYAlternative and Virtual Rurality: Agriculture and The Countryside as Embodied in American Imagination
2017Lisa M. Butler Harrington · Geographical Review · United States
This study in the United States identified connections to ideals of rurality in popular culture, despite the shrinking rural population. Based on literature, field observation, computer searches, and U.S. Census of Agriculture data, manifestations include rural tourism, small-scale farming, urban agriculture, farmers’ markets, and housing developments centered on farm activities. These idealized relationships with rurality are linked to health, well-being, nature connection, aesthetics, privacy, and nostalgia.
Urban–rural linkageCSA & TeikeiCommunityHealthEffects of a School-Based Intervention on BMI z-Scores and Fitness Parameters in Mississippi Delta Children
2017Kathy B. Knight, Janie W. Cole, Lacy M. Dodd, Charlotte B. Oakley · International Journal of School Health · United States
The "Eating good and moving like we should (EGMLWS)" school-based intervention aimed to prevent and reduce childhood obesity among primarily African American third-grade students in 7 Mississippi Delta schools. The program included curricula, school gardens, and school menu consultation. Pre- and post-intervention BMI z-scores and Fitnessgram parameters (PACER and back-saver sit-and-reach) were compared. Mean BMI z-scores significantly lowered in 2 schools, did not change in 4 schools, and increased in 2 schools. PACER scores increased in 5 of 7 schools, and sit-and-reach scores increased in 5 and 6 schools respectively.
Limited or null effectFood educationHealthCommunityAn Inventory and Assessment of Street Amenities and Vacant Lots in Downtown Lewiston, Maine: Defining Potential to Create a Healthier Neighborhood
2017Dacota Griffin, Joe Tulip, Noah Morasch · · United States (Lewiston)
This project created an ArcGIS inventory of street amenities in downtown Lewiston, Maine, supporting the Healthy Neighborhoods (HN) organization. A scoring index was developed to compare streets, and a brief assessment of vacant lots was conducted to evaluate future development potential. Findings showed trees greatly outnumbered other amenities, significant variation in sidewalk smoothness with vacant lots more common in flawed areas, and limited, non-uniform distribution of community gardens and open access green spaces.
CommunityHealthEconomicsSocial Impact through Design: Experiments in Urban Agriculture
2017Sallie Hambright-Belue, Martin J. Holland · The Plan Journal · United States (South Carolina)
Students from Clemson University's School of Architecture and Department of Landscape Architecture collaborated with the local non-profit "Feed & Seed" in West Greenville, South Carolina, to develop urban agriculture solutions. Addressing issues in a "Food Desert" (an area without access to fresh foods), students focused on food hubs, food cycles, education, and social cohesion to promote economic equity, community building, and social justice. This work explored the role of designers in creating solutions for fractured neighborhoods, cities, and regions.
CommunityFood educationWelfareEconomicsYéego Gardening! A Community Garden Intervention to Promote Health on the Navajo Nation
2017India J. Ornelas, Desiree Deschenie, Jesse Jim, Sonia Bishop, Kevin Lombard, Shirley A.A. Beresford · Progress in community health partnerships · United States
Yéego Gardening! is a community garden intervention designed to increase gardening behavior, access to low-cost fruits and vegetables, and consumption in Navajo communities. The intervention involved constructing and maintaining gardens in two Navajo communities, holding monthly workshops on gardening and healthy eating, and conducting community outreach. Community input was essential throughout the planning and implementation.
CommunityHealthFood educationDan Carmody
2017· Policy Press eBooks · United States (Detroit)
Dan Carmody, President of Detroit's Eastern Market Corporation, discussed the market's history and its importance for food access in Detroit. He addressed the role of urban agriculture and the new wave of gentrification, which has the potential to significantly impact the Market.
Equity & displacementFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicyCommunityReverberação Política e Educativa para Cidade Saudável
2017Ana Maria Girotti Sperandio, Adriana Aparecida Carneiro Rosa, Betânia Gonçalves de Carvalho, Pereira, Bruna Ridolfi · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Brazil
This field research in Santa Barbara d’Oeste, São Paulo state, Brazil, aimed to identify healthy city values and principles by studying the Community Garden of Maria Augusta Canto Camargo Bilia Municipal School. It explored political strategies for health, education, and social justice through the garden-school community interrelationship, identifying strategies proposed by caregivers, managers, and residents regarding experience exchange and student participation in urban community garden products. The study concluded that actions improving empowerment, autonomy, and governance are essential for constructing healthy city indicators.
CommunityFood educationHealthPolicy