Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
1089 results(37 / 44)
“Vertical Farms, Urban Restructuring and The Rise of Capitalist Urban Agriculture ”
2013Lindsey Sarann Hallock · · Global
This paper examines the rise of vertical farms, arguing that they advance the corporate food regime and promote urban elite consumption. It differentiates vertical farms as local food projects that reproduce the capitalist industrial system rather than challenging it, facilitated by devalued built environments and labor surplus in neoliberal cities. The study concludes that these farms reproduce troubling trends in the corporate food regime, signifying capital's ability to standardize food cultivation and incorporate it into factory-like production systems.
Economic viabilityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justicePolicyUrban–rural linkageCOMMUNITY SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE (CSA)
2013Atănăsoaie George Sebastian · Annals - Economy Series · Global
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms are an alternative to conventional agriculture but face numerous policy issues related to product, price, distribution, and promotion. A literature review indicated that farmers need to offer more flexible basket content in terms of quantity and product type, and consumers require information on product preparation and preservation. To offset the negative impact of high prices, measures such as cost reduction, flexible payment rescheduling, and compensation for financial resource deficits are necessary.
Economic viabilityCSA & TeikeiEconomicsPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceEvaluación de dos variedades de tomate: Chonto Santa Cruz y Río Grande (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) mediante técnicas de agricultura urbana en el municipio de Istmina, Chocó, Colombia
2013Mirla Perea Murillo · Revista Bioetnia · Colombia (Istmina)
In Istmina, Colombia, the agronomic yield of two tomato varieties (Chonto Santa Cruz and Río Grande) was evaluated using urban farming techniques (bed and chorizo systems). Water and nutrient solution were used for plant hydration, and 12 beds and 12 chorizos were used for the study. As a result, the Río Grande variety cultivated in the bed planting system with added nutrient solution showed a higher yield, producing 134 tomatoes (16.76 kg), compared to the Chonto Santa Cruz variety, which produced 78 tomatoes (1.7 kg) using the same system and nutrient solution.
DIYFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityFood and the city: urban agriculture and the new food revolution
2013Md Rajibul Al Mamun · Urban Geography · Global
In the book "Food and the City: Urban Agriculture and the New Food Revolution," renowned food journalist Jennifer Cockrall-King explores urban farming conducted amid different customs.
Food sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageA Utopian perspective on global food security
2013Alec Thornton · · South Pacific
This abstract links urban agriculture and local food production to food security and development in the South Pacific.
Food sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageEconomicsEnhancing Direct Marketing Opportunities for Local Foods
2013Kynda R. Curtis, Voravee Chakreeyarat, J. Dominique Gumirakiza · Digital Commons - USU (Utah State University) · Global
The concept of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs, also known as Subscription Farming, first originated in Japan in the 1960s. This concept was later introduced to the U.S. in the 1980s.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceFeeding the Cities: Is Urban Agriculture the Future of Food Security?
2013Claire Corbould · · Global
This abstract discusses the role of urban agriculture, which produces 15 to 20 percent of the world's food supply, in global food security. Urban populations are vulnerable to food insecurity as they rely on external food sources. Some commentators suggest that urban agriculture may provide a solution to food security issues in cities.
Food sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkagePeri-urban agricultureOrganic and Local Food
2013Robert Paarlberg · · Global
Organic foods, initially championed in the early 20th century, gained commercial significance in the 1990s as consumers sought to avoid chemical residues and improve nutrition. However, scientific support for nutritional benefits and significant reductions in pesticide residue risks is weak. While organic crops reduce chemical runoff, they require more land due to lower yields, leading to the promotion of "local" foods and urban agriculture.
Organic cycleFood miles & supply chainFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageFood security and the commons in ASEAN: the role of Singapore
2013M Cate Christ · · Singapore
This paper presents Singapore as a case study for the increasing importance of taking a commons perspective on food supply and security, as Singapore is a net-food importing country, importing 90% of its food from limited sources. The paper focuses on actions to diversify food sources, increase local food production, and promote food and agro-based industry, research, and development. In the context of a highly urbanized population with limited land and natural resources, it traces the recent history of food security policies and actions in Singapore regarding increased local production and examines several case studies demonstrating the development of research, technology, and community resources for urban agricultural production.
Food sovereignty & justicePolicyEconomicsBorrowed Ground: Evaluating the Potential Role of Usufruct in Neighborhood-Scale Foodsheds
2013Benjamin Carl Kerrick · OhioLink ETD Center (Ohio Library and Information Network) · Global
Urban growth in the 20th and 21st centuries has increased urban food demand while diminishing agricultural production areas around cities. Urban agriculture can expand food access, engage urban dwellers in food production, and utilize unused urban lots. Idle or vacant land, both public and private, represents an important resource for this purpose.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicyUrban–rural linkageSustained and integrated promotion of local, traditional food systems for nutrition security
2013Kelly Donati, Christopher Taylor, Craig J. Pearson · · Australia (Melbourne)
Australian policy initiatives address threats to food production from climate change and petrochemical dependency, as well as socio-economic disadvantage. In Victoria, natural disasters like droughts, bushfires, and floods have increased food costs for low-income households. This case study explores farmers markets and community gardens in Melbourne as potential localized food systems, collecting data between 2009 and 2010 using GIS-based land use descriptions and interviews with local producers.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyHealthUrban Agriculture and Poverty Mitigation in Zimbabwe: Prospects and Obstacles in Bulawayo Townships
2013Philani Moyo · Journal of Human Ecology · Zimbabwe
This study qualitatively examined the role and contribution of urban agriculture to household food security, employment creation, and income generation among low-income working-class and urban poor households in Bulawayo townships, Zimbabwe. It was found that urban food production significantly contributes to household food access and security, improving dietary diversity and nutritional intake. However, the potential of urban agriculture is constrained by factors including land tenure insecurity, erratic water access, small plot sizes, inadequate capital for optimizing plot productivity, and ambivalent application of urban land-use laws.
Economic viabilityWelfareEconomicsFood sovereignty & justicePolicyGuarantee loans for urban agriculture in Gampaha, Sri Lanka
2013Priyanie Amerasinghe, Vajira Hettige, K. V. A. H. P. Wijenayake · Documents & Reports (World Bank) · Sri Lanka
Agricultural development for food, nutrition, and livelihood security is a high political priority in Sri Lanka. National priorities include developing food-secure and resilient cities, with the Western Province initiating its urban agriculture campaign in 2000.
EconomicsPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceUrban Agriculture Production Mode 3: Intensive Production of Vegetables
2013Danfeng Huang · Journal of Changjiang Vegetables · Global
This paper discussed the importance of intensive vegetable production in urban agriculture, highlighting its role in guaranteeing the supply, quality, and safety of fresh vegetables. It summarized key aspects of intensive production, including industrialized seedling production, facility production, efficient cultivation, postharvest processing, and commercial management, but also presented environmental problems and restricting factors in the development of intensive vegetable production.
Environmental trade-offsEconomicsClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceMapping and Theorising the Spatiality, Scale and Functionality of Urban Agriculture in Ghana
2013Heather Mackay Niittylä · · Ghana
This thesis mapped and investigated the form and function of urban agriculture in two intermediate-sized cities in Ghana. It examined the contribution to farming households' food security.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsEl cultivo de setas: del huerto urbano al uso multifuncional del bosque
2013Esteban Sinde Stompel · Navarra forestal: revista de la Asociación Forestal de Navarra · Global
Mushroom cultivation is being introduced into urban garden design and as a real silvicultural alternative to be implemented on forest land. In the latter case, the production of saprophytic fungi on valueless wood waste offers a notable environmental advantage by recycling biomass and providing a highly nutritious ecological food.
DIYOrganic cycleBiodiversityFood sovereignty & justiceUrban agriculture : guerrilla gardening : future trends
2013Carol Posthumus · SABI Magazine - Tydskrif · Global
Discussions about providing nutritious food for a growing population often include agricultural growth, focusing on both the quantity and quality of food produced. An emphasis is also placed on the growth of smallholder farmers, particularly women farmers, as a solution for future food provision.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityEconomicsThe Potential--and Limitations--of Urban Farming
2013Marc van lersel · · Global
Agriculture faces the 21st-century challenge of feeding a growing, urbanizing population while minimizing negative environmental impact. Urban farming has been presented as a potential solution to perceived problems with conventional agricultural production, but its effectiveness as a comprehensive solution is questioned.
Limited or null effectUrban–rural linkageClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceUrban and Peri-urban Agriculture in Phnom Penh, Cambodia: Challenges and Opportunities
2013Simon Underhill, Underhill, Simon · Asian Journal of Agriculture and Development · Cambodia
This paper reported on trends in urban agriculture (rice, vegetables, cattle, swine, and poultry) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, since 1993. Approximately 20% (125 square kilometers) of the municipal area of Phnom Penh is used for agriculture, supporting nearly 300,000 livestock. Between 1993 and 2011, livestock populations declined but increased in 2011, while vegetable production and cultivated area decreased, and rice production increased.
Urban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicyA Deweyan Defense of Guerrilla Gardening
2012Shane J. Ralston · The Pluralist · Global
This research article, published in The Pluralist in 2012, presents a Deweyan defense of guerrilla gardening. The full text of the article is available only as a PDF.
CommunityDIYFood sovereignty & justiceDeveloping a Space for Children: An Internship with the Mullumbimby Community Garden
2012Eden K Olsen · School for International Training Digital Collections (School for International Training) · Australia
This paper details an internship at the Mullumbimby Community Garden (MCG) in Byron Shire, Australia, focusing on the development of its Children's Garden. The intern spent 152.5 hours over four weeks in late 2012 on tasks including planting, project planning, and designing new structures. The study also examines the broader importance of community gardens and children's spaces, drawing conclusions on environmental education and communication practices based on participant observations and three interviews.
CommunityFood educationDIYFood sovereignty & justiceNo. 13: The State of Food Insecurity in Harare, Zimbabwe
2012Godfrey Tawodzera, Lazarus Zanamwe, Jonathan Crush · Scholars Commons (Wilfrid Laurier University) · Zimbabwe (Harare)
This study conducted an AFSUN baseline food security survey in Harare, Zimbabwe, in 2008 to investigate the city's food insecurity situation. The survey revealed results sharply at odds with official surveys from 2003-2009, which had indicated food insecurity was not a serious problem. Findings showed that by 2008, Harare had become the most food-insecure city in the SADC region, with extraordinarily high levels of food insecurity as poor households struggled to find income for food. Participation in the informal food economy and urban agriculture for home consumption were major crisis responses.
Food sovereignty & justiceEconomicsWelfareGender analysis of land use for urban agriculture and sustainability of livelihoods in Freetown, Sierra Leone
2012Oladele Oladimeji Idowu · African Journal of Agricultural Research · Sierra Leone (Freetown)
This study conducted a gender analysis of urban agriculture (UA) land use and livelihood sustainability in Freetown, Sierra Leone, interviewing 91 producers (30 male, 61 female). The majority of producers were female, and female-managed farms showed higher gross margins (23,895 Leones) and returns than male-managed farms (15,130 Leones). Key determinants of UA income contribution included household size, access to credit, farmer association membership, gender, age, and farm size, with UA income decreasing as household size and the number of male producers increased.
EconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityUrban Agriculture in DMDP Area: A Case Study of Gazipur, Kaliganj, Rupganj and Narayanganj Upazilas
2012Tazrina Ananya, Yousuf Mahid, Afia Sultana Shanta, Roxana Hafiz · Journal of Bangladesh Institute of Planners · Bangladesh (Dhaka)
This study aimed to determine the suitability of urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) in the DMDP area of Bangladesh, focusing on Gazipur, Kaliganj, Rupganj, and Narayanganj Upazilas. UPA is considered a key component of survival strategies for poorer populations, contributing significantly to urban fresh food supply, and offering positive impacts such as improved nutrition, enhanced living environments, increased entrepreneurship, and poverty alleviation.
Food sovereignty & justiceHealthEconomicsPeri-urban agricultureGender Analysis of the Contribution of Urban Agriculture to Sustainable Livelihoods in Accra, Ghana
2012Adetola I. Adeoti, Olufunke Cofie, O. I. Oladele · Journal of Sustainable Agriculture · Ghana (Accra)
A study in Accra, Ghana, analyzed the gender dimensions of urban agriculture's contribution to sustainable livelihoods among vegetable producers. The study surveyed 92 male and 8 female producers, finding male producers had a mean age of 39.4 years and 6.4 years of schooling, while female producers averaged 49.8 years and 7.1 years of schooling. Farm size and access to credit were significant determinants of income from urban agriculture.
EconomicsWelfareCommunityFood sovereignty & justice