Research & reports

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.

Tim Schümann · · Germany (Bad Oldesloe)

The public library of Bad Oldesloe, Germany, developed a series of events combining makerspaces, community building, urban gardening, and foodsharing. This transformed the library into a modern and creative learning space and offered its physical space as a community platform for networking, cooperation, and creativity. This initiative demonstrates an opportunity for public libraries to show relevance and develop new sustainable services.

St Clair, Rebecca, Hardman, Michael, Adams, David, Armitage, Richard, Barry, Veronica, Larkham, Peter, Sherriff, Graeme · Research Explorer (The University of Manchester) · United Kingdom

This paper reviews the diversity of urban agriculture (UA) activities in England, from small-scale guerrilla gardening to large community projects. It suggests that UA is under-theorized, with previous research focusing on practicalities and activism. The paper highlights UA's problematic contribution to food production and warns of the 'local trap'.

Neriman Yörür · Journal of Planning · Turkey

This article presents analyses and proposals for the Mugla Plain in Turkey, an agricultural area designated as a Special Project and Planning Area. The aim was to develop a project to preserve the plain's agricultural character and prevent urban sprawl by integrating it with urban residents. Proposed strategies include protecting agricultural land, establishing an agricultural development cooperative, reducing urbanization impact, and integrating the city with the area's natural landscape through urban agriculture approaches.

Lena Partzsch · · Germany (Freiburg)

This chapter examines agency and accountability in food localization projects in Freiburg, Germany, using two case studies: Regionalwert AG and Luzernenhof. Regionalwert AG defines agency through the market, while Luzernenhof, a CSA, relies on trust and charity. It was shown that while food localization is often portrayed as "best practice," it also implies decisions about alternatives, raising questions of agency and accountability.

Piotr Krzyk, Bogusława Kwoczyńska · Problemy Drobnych Gospodarstw Rolnych / Problems of Small Agricultural Holdings · Poland (Cracow)

This study quantitatively assessed the conversion of agricultural land to investment purposes in Cracow's Mogiła and Wyciąże neighborhoods from 2010-2013, based on local plans. It also addressed soil quality, heavy metal content, and pH. Analysis of spatial management plans for these areas indicated a systematic decline in the share of biologically active areas.

Irene Håkansson · Journal of Cleaner Production · United Kingdom (London)

A quantitative study using data from nearly two thousand urban agriculture projects across metropolitan London investigated the geographically uneven distribution of urban sustainability experiments. Spatial statistical analyses indicated that gentrifying and income-deprived neighborhoods disproportionately often provide distinct urban milieux for initiatives to emerge, while already gentrified or otherwise advantaged urban neighborhoods have a disproportionately low number of projects.

Davide Fassi, Alessandro Sachero, Giulia Simeone · IDEA JOURNAL · Italy

This paper reviews Coltivando, a convivial garden at Politecnico di Milano, which serves as a design research project and a social and educational experiment. It brings together neighbors and design students to meet, cultivate, and share skills. The review analyzes the project's context, outputs, innovation, process, obstacles, impact, user needs, transferability, and dissemination.

Arlinda Sheqiri, Parna Rastgo · Journal of Environmental Science and Engineering - A · Europe

A study on the use and value of green school grounds in developing countries was conducted across five schools in Podujevo, Kosovo. The findings revealed that the potential of green school grounds in most studied cases has not been utilized. Opportunities provided by the municipality and environmental NGOs are insufficient, suggesting a need to rethink the design and use of green school grounds in developing countries.

Anne Könst, Rianne van Melik, Wouter-Jan Verheul · Town Planning Review · Netherlands

This article investigated the role of citizens as managers of five community gardens in the Netherlands, identifying conditions for civic-led initiatives to thrive in the management phase. In-depth interviews with volunteers revealed three key conditions for maintaining these gardens: fully connected cooperation with a ‘fun factor’, strong neighborhood involvement, and lively places of encounter. Overarching these conditions is the need for a flexible and resilient organizational structure to respond to changing circumstances.

Harriet Gross · · United Kingdom

This chapter reviews evidence for the positive impact of gardening on the health and psychological well-being of individuals and groups, including therapeutic gardening programs. Gardeners report high levels of life satisfaction, good physical activity, and good psychological and physical health. The chapter also considers whether outdoor activity has a similar or better effect on health and well-being than activity done elsewhere.

Nikola M. Trendov · Annals of Agrarian Science · Europe

This paper aims to compare existing practices of urban gardening in the Central and Eastern European region and investigate their opportunities and limitations. Five capital cities (Budapest, Bratislava, Prague, Warsaw, and Zagreb) were chosen for this research with a benchmark method to analyze the aims, main motivations, and end-user beneficiaries of urban gardens.

Aneta Popova, Dasha Mihaylova · Bulgarian Portal for Open Science · Europe

This article discusses the role of grains in a balanced diet, noting that non-traditional grains are increasingly available commercially and reflect a broad interest in diverse food genres. These grains are frequently cultivated in home, allotment, and community gardens, often connected to the ethnic ancestry of the growers.

Mireia Ercilla‐Montserrat, Pere Muñoz, J.I. Montero, Xavier Gabarrell, Joan Rieradevall · Journal of Cleaner Production · Spain (Barcelona)

This study measured heavy metal content in air and hydroponic lettuce leaves at four sites in Barcelona, including high-traffic areas, to assess potential contamination from atmospheric pollution. The results showed that heavy metal concentrations in lettuce leaves were below EU-legislated limits in all cases, and air concentrations were less than 50% of legislative limits. The study concluded that Barcelona's air heavy metal content is low and not a source of contamination for urban crops, even near high-traffic areas.

Franco Bagnoli, Ada Baldi, Ugo Bardi, Marina Clauser, Anna Lenzi, Simone Orlandini, Giovanna Pacini · Journal of Sustainable Development · Italy

This project, initiated by a Science Shop proposal in Florence, Italy, explored urban gardening in Florence and Prato. It involved various stakeholders to uncover the multidisciplinary aspects of urban gardening, which extends beyond traditional economic reasons to include educational, nutraceutical, therapeutic, and social relevance. The study identified urban gardening as a subject touching on agriculture, botany, psychology, chemistry, city planning, and politics.

Elisabeth Kosnik · Economic Anthropology · Europe

This article investigates self-provisioning practices and diverse economies, drawing on ethnographic research of lifestyle subsistence farmers in central Europe and New Zealand. It uses Alvin Toffler's "prosumer" concept to explore the meaning of production for consumption in relation to discourses on ethical consumption, social distinction, and the "citizen-consumer" within a postgrowth society.

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.

Elizabet Geijlvoet · Anabaptist Witness · Netherlands

This abstract is a personal reflection by Elizabet Geijlvoet from the Netherlands, describing her work in the Mennonite church ministry. It does not contain information about a cooperative sustainable school garden, nor any research findings, methods, or specific details related to urban farming.

Cordula Kropp, Sven Stinner · Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Münster · Germany

The urban food movement aims to bring food production back to cities through initiatives like urban gardening and CSA, creating new economic relationships and sustainable food supply locations. This study explored the motives of founders and participants, examining how projects develop and disseminate innovative practices, participatory organization, and sustainability-oriented models. It found that while the movement generates productive internal tensions for socially just development and innovation-promoting external frictions to existing supply understandings, its penetration of the food system remains limited compared to conventional food trade.

Simone R. de Bruin, Yvette Buist, Lenneke Vaandrager, Jan Hassink · Innovation in Aging · Netherlands

This study in the Netherlands aimed to understand the value of nature-based adult day services (ADS) for people with dementia (PwD) in urban areas. Researchers interviewed 40 PwD and their carers, who indicated that these services positively affect PwD's health and wellbeing by stimulating physical activity, social interaction, a sense of dignity, relaxation, and a sense of meaning in life.

Esther Sanyé‐Mengual, Francesco Orsini, Giorgio Gianquinto · Sustainability · Italy (Bologna)

This paper evaluates the concept of Urban Food Production (UFP) sustainability from stakeholders' perspectives in Bologna, Italy, through two workshops using mind-mapping. The bottom-up approach revealed a comprehensive vision of sustainable UFP, identifying relevant elements and key aspects for its development and policy-making. The study also highlighted priorities, synergies, and trade-offs among sustainability dimensions, suggesting UFP can serve as a local tool for democracy and equity.

Susan C. Haedicke · Public Art Dialogue · France

The Aroma-Home project, originating from aromatics, flavors, conversations, and guerrilla gardening, began in Villetaneuse, France, in early spring 2013. Inhabitants discovered a small, brightly painted caravan, marking the start of this community garden initiative.

Monika Salzbrunn · IRIS · France (Paris)

This study analyzed street phenomena in the Belleville district of Paris, demonstrating how artistic engagement and the use and occupation of land through urban gardening create commonality. This movement achieved a political victory by preserving 19th-century workers' homes and transforming private into public space. Similar commonality and resistance against the privatization of public space are observed in Tokyo through arts and urban gardening.

Pascale Scheromm, Christophe‐Toussaint Soulard · Geographical Research · France

This paper provides a spatial analysis of agriculture in three mid-sized French cities, focusing on professional farms. It confirms the existence of significant agricultural spaces within cities and the persistence of field-based, market-oriented agriculture. Key determinants in the observed dynamics include the cities' geographies, the impact of land speculation and urbanization on farmers, and the resistance and adaptation processes implemented by some farmers.