Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
2091 results(39 / 84)
Las huertas educativas como instrumento pedagógico, para la aplicación y fortalecimiento de las políticas de educación ambiental, en la red de huertas educativas de Bogotá
2020Acuña Caro, Camilo Andrés · · Colombia (Bogota)
This applied research aimed to demonstrate the role of the Bogota Botanical Garden's Network of School Vegetable Gardens in applying and strengthening environmental education policy. Using a diagnostic-based methodological framework, the study examined objectives, thematic lines, and practices of participating school gardens. The findings are intended to provide proposals and recommendations for implementing future school gardens as pedagogical instruments for environmental education.
Food educationPolicyCommunitySchool gardens
2020Julian Gonsalves, Danny Hunter, Nina Lauridsen · · Global
School garden programs have been a popular development intervention over past decades, with objectives varying from teaching improved farming skills and supporting community food production to demonstrating agricultural practices in developing countries. This chapter provides a history of school gardens and an overview of their multiple benefits. These benefits include enhanced understanding of agriculture and nutrition, improved farming and livelihood skills, positive behavioral changes towards food, agrobiodiversity conservation, understanding climate change impacts, enhanced academic performance, empowerment of girls and women, cultural reconnection for indigenous children, and addressing schoolchildren's mental health.
Food educationCommunityHealthBiodiversityClimate changeArticuler un « penser global » et un « agir local » : la territorialisation des « Community Supported Agriculture »
2020Michaël Pouzenc · Développement durable et territoires · Global
This study demonstrated that the "local to global relationship" in the territorialization of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) interacts with, rather than replaces, multiscalar territorialization. Through local observations in France and Mexico, combined with a literature review, a cartographic analysis of CSAs in Europe, and an analysis of their websites, the role of geographical scales implied by the convergence between the ecologization of practices and the territorialization of activities was clarified.
CSA & TeikeiFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsCommunityUrban Resident Views About Open Green Spaces: A Study in Güzelyurt (Morphou), Cyprus
2020Sinem Yıldırım, Buket Asilsoy, Özge Özden · European Journal of Sustainable Development · Cyprus (Güzelyurt)
This study was the first to examine user satisfaction and views on open and green spaces in Güzelyurt (Morphou), Cyprus. A questionnaire was conducted with 60 participants to understand their suggestions about existing open and green spaces. According to the findings, respondents were mostly dissatisfied with urban and open spaces in the city. The study indicates that local authorities or municipal organizations should legalize the planning of urban parks, open spaces, and green areas with a long-term perspective.
CommunityHealthProductive green community space
2020Tal Alon‐Mozes · · Israel
This essay discusses the shared zone of urban agriculture and community gardens in contemporary Israel. Based on a decade-long research on past and present urban agriculture in Israel, it proposes a framework of partnership between urban governance, social and environmental NGOs, and local communities. This collaboration is suggested to ease difficulties such as lack of land, affordable water shortages, and the need for professional guidance.
CommunityPolicyEconomicsClimate changeNudging children toward healthier food choices: An experiment combining school and home gardens
2020Pepijn Schreinemachers, Ghassan Baliki, Rachana Manandhar Shrestha, Dhruba Raj Bhattarai, Ishwori Prasad Gautam, Puspa Lal Ghimire, Bhishma P. Subedi, Tilman Brück · Global Food Security · Nepal
A one-year cluster randomized controlled trial in Nepal (2018-2019) with 779 schoolchildren (8-12) and their caregivers across 30 schools tested the impact of combining school and home gardens on food choices. The intervention increased caregivers' food and nutrition knowledge by 26%, agricultural knowledge by 5%, liking for vegetables by 10%, and home garden productivity by 15%. For children, it had no effect on food and nutrition knowledge but increased their liking for vegetables by 6%, healthy food practices, and vegetable consumption by 15-26% across different periods.
Food educationDIYHealthCommunityROLE OF EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING IN ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
2020Monika Bajaj · · Global
This chapter explores the role of experiential learning in environmental education, noting that traditional methods often lack personal engagement. Experiential learning, through direct, hands-on experiences, aims to foster ecological literacy, emotional connections to nature, critical thinking, and sustainable behaviors. The chapter discusses its principles, alignment with environmental education goals, and ability to enhance understanding of ecological systems, promote interdisciplinary thinking, and encourage civic engagement.
Food educationCommunityBiodiversityPsychological restoration in urban gardens related to garden type, biodiversity and garden-related stress
2020Christopher Young, M Hofmann, David Frey, Marco Moretti, Nicole Bauer · Landscape and Urban Planning · Switzerland (Zurich)
A study of approximately 300 leisure gardeners in Zurich, Switzerland, investigated how self-reported psychological restoration related to garden type, the number of plant species, and garden-related stress. Allotment gardeners reported higher restoration levels compared to domestic gardeners. Restoration was positively related to the number of plant species via the perceived restorativeness of the garden, but garden-related stress or negative affect was negatively related to the restoration outcome.
HealthBiodiversityCommunity‘Cultivating Integration’? Migrant Space-making in Urban Gardens
2020Linda Lapiņa · · Denmark (Copenhagen)
This article explores how migrants create space within integration gardens in Copenhagen, an urban gardening association aiming to dismantle social and cultural boundaries. The gardens function as both an "integration grid" centered on a foreigner–Dane binary and a "web of gardening" focused on plants and practices. The analysis juxtaposes these spatiotemporal logics to understand the possibilities for action and relating they offer.
CommunityWelfareFood sovereignty & justicePsychosocial outcomes as motivations for urban gardening: A cross-cultural comparison of Swiss and Chilean gardeners
2020Robert Home, Lorena Vieli · Urban forestry & urban greening · Switzerland, Chile
This study evaluated gardening motivations using a 14-item scale and questionnaires in three Swiss cities (N=409) and one Chilean city (N=167). While individual scale items showed significant differences between Swiss and Chilean responses, a principal component analysis revealed nearly identical component structures for both samples. Restoration was the strongest motivational component, followed by socialization and food production, suggesting motivations are not context-dependent.
CommunityHealthDIYFoundation Pierre Smith Mondelus, a Case Study
2020Charoni Eugenia · · Haiti
A case study was conducted on the two-year efforts of the nonprofit Foundation Pierre Smith Mondelus to address illiteracy in the Milot commune, northern Haiti. The foundation offers eight programs, including literacy, education, and a community garden. Based on observations, testimonies, and test scores, the literacy and education programs were shown to have practical and sociopsychological impacts.
CommunityWelfareFood educationTerritorial intelligence: planning, management and systems to support strategic decisions.
2020J. R. da Costa, J. R. de Alencar, Patrizia Costa, V. S. Hammes, D. de C. Victoria, K. R. E. de Jesus, Henrique Nery Cipriani, C. C. de A. Buschinelli, F. F. Calegario, Géraldo Stachetti Rodrigues, L. A. Magalhães, C. R. Marmo, A. C. Lira-Guedes, Manuel Correia Guedes, L. A. Forato · · Global
This paper enumerates a wide range of concepts and systems related to strategic territorial intelligence, participatory community-level planning, farm management planning, territorial management, and urban and peri-urban farming. It includes agricultural and hydrological models, mapping of agricultural areas, spatial data integration, environmental management plans, integrated waste management, and pest control recommendations for urban gardens. Strategic management decision support systems, such as technological innovation impact evaluation systems, agrometeorological monitoring systems, and georeferenced data collection software, are also presented.
PolicyDigital agricultureCommunityFogyasztói jóllét a hazai alternatív élelmiszerellátási hálózatokban
2020Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem, Ágnes Neulinger, Fanni Bársony, Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem, Natasha Gjorevska, Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem, Orsolya Lazányi, Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem, György Pataki, Sándor Takács, Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem, Anna Török, Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem · Marketing & Menedzsment · Hungary (Budapest)
This study investigated subjective well-being (SWB) among 23 consumers of alternative food networks (AFNs) in Budapest through in-depth qualitative interviews. Participation in AFNs was found to contribute to consumer well-being, yet some AFN characteristics negatively influenced consumer SWB. Differences were detected between new and experienced users, users with different motivations, and across different types of AFNs.
CommunityCSA & TeikeiHealthCultivating urban conviviality: urban farming in the shadows of Copenhagen's neoliberalisms
2020Rebecca Leigh Rutt · Journal of Political Ecology · Denmark (Copenhagen)
Ethnographic research on a small rooftop garden in Copenhagen, Denmark, explored how urban farming initiatives interact with neoliberal trends. The study found that communal, eco-social urban farming endeavors are entangled in the city's neoliberal turn, with formalization processes and austerity measures both nurturing and endangering these initiatives. Neoliberal labor, food systems, and housing policies are shown to subvert convivial urban farming efforts.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceApplying the food-energy-water nexus approach to urban agriculture: From FEW to FEWP (Food-Energy-Water-People)
2020Silvio Caputo, Victoria Schoen, Kathrin Specht, Baptiste Grard, Chris Blythe, Nevin Cohen, Runrid Fox-Kämper, Jason K. Hawes, Joshua Newell, Lidia Poniży · Urban forestry & urban greening · Global
This paper proposed a new conceptual basis and assessment methodology for an Urban Agriculture Nexus, explicitly including "People" as a fundamental factor alongside Food, Energy, and Water, customized for urban agriculture's characteristics. The methodology measures resource efficiency, food production, motivations, and health benefits, combining methods like diaries of everyday practices, a database of activities, life cycle assessment, and material flow analysis to connect garden-scale investigations to the city scale.
CommunityHealthClimate changePolicyInterdependence
2020Peter Loxley · · Global
This chapter presents three topics to help teachers guide children in understanding the scientific concept of interdependence, observable in school gardens and other outdoor learning areas. It outlines a progression from Key Stage 1, where children explore plant growth conditions and animal feeding, to lower Key Stage 2, focusing on plants as food producers and food chains/webs, and finally to upper Key Stage 2, where students learn about dependence and competition for resources within ecosystems. Subject knowledge for teaching this concept is provided.
Food educationCommunityBiodiversityFuture research directions
2020Ferne Edwards, Anitra Nelson · · Global
This chapter suggests future research directions in food for degrowth studies, drawing from a collection of case studies and critiques. It offers transdisciplinary theoretical and practical approaches and key research questions, covering topics like household self-provisioning, collective endeavors, networks, and degrowth perspectives on the circular economy and food waste. The chapter proposes research questions related to accessibility, visibility, temporality, spatiality, and various measures.
DIYCSA & TeikeiCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceREAPPROPRIATION OF ELEVATED HIGHWAY RESIDUAL SPACE THROUGH GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING
2020Mohamed Ikhwan Nasir Mohamed Anuar, Saiful Arif Abdullah · PLANNING MALAYSIA · Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur)
This study explored the typologies and reappropriation of residual spaces under elevated highways in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, using site observation, document analysis, and expert interviews. Two main typologies of residual spaces were identified: easily accessible and hard-to-access. Experts suggested that play lots, recreational lots, and community gardens were suitable for easily accessible spaces, while semi-natural areas and functional landscapes were suitable for hard-to-access spaces.
CommunityPolicyBiodiversityUrban Sustainable Growth, Development, and Governance Structures for Revitalization of Open Vacant Spaces in Agriculture and Farming
2020José́ G. Vargas-Hernández · Practice, progress, and proficiency in sustainability · Global
This chapter analyzes the implications of urban sustainable growth, development, and governance structures for revitalizing open vacant spaces in agriculture and farming. Following an extensive literature review, the authors used critical socio-ecological analysis to identify key issues, trends, practices, and implications of urban vacant spaces concerning sustainable urban growth, urban agriculture use, and collaborative governance for revitalization. It concludes that transitional use of vacant land should be employed for developing sustainable green cities, but urban vacant spaces require stimulated utilization for revitalization purposes.
PolicyCommunityBiodiversityUrban–rural linkageHow Healthcare Organizations Are Facilitating Access to Fruits and Vegetables in Their Patient Populations: A Systematic Scoping Review
2020Susan Veldheer, Christina Scartozzi, Amy Knehans, Tamara K. Oser, Natasha Sood, Francis Puleo, Joie Cooper, Daniel R. George, Alicia J. Cohen, Renate M. Winkels · Current Developments in Nutrition · Global
This systematic scoping review analyzed 46 manuscripts from 30 studies published between 1990 and 2019 to understand clinical strategies used by healthcare organizations to increase patient access to fruits and vegetables (F&V). Six program models were identified, including garden-based programs and CSA. The overall quality of the included studies was weak due to selection bias and incomplete reporting, with only 6 out of 30 studies including a control group. While some studies showed improvements in dietary intake, objective health markers such as blood pressure and BMI had mixed results.
HealthWelfareFood educationCommunityFirst records of the introduced African carder bee, Pseudoanthidium (Immanthidium) repetitum (Hymenoptera : Megachilidae), in Western Australia
2020Kit Prendergast · Pacific Conservation Biology · Australia
The African carder bee, Pseudoanthidium (Immanthidium) repetitum, first recorded in Queensland in 2000, has now been found in Western Australia, marking a significant distribution expansion. Three confirmed and one unconfirmed localities were identified in the Mandurah region, with abundant female specimens observed in one garden. The presence of this introduced species necessitates vigilance due to known negative impacts on native fauna and flora.
Environmental trade-offsBiodiversityPollinatorsCommunityThe community economies of Esch-sur-Alzette: rereading the economy of Luxembourg
2020Gerald Taylor Aiken, Christian Schulz, Benedikt Schmid · Voluntary Sector Review · Luxembourg
This article outlines the community economies of Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg's "second city." Esch-sur-Alzette features multiple community-based organizations and movements, including an energy cooperative, urban gardening, an upcycling clothing factory, and a local food shop and restaurant. The article uses Luxembourg's case to reread the relationship between the state and the so-called third sector, defending the political possibilities of community economies.
CommunityEconomicsPolicyUnderstanding the effects of the Hobart Apartments student accommodation community garden project
2020Suzanne Mallick, Philip Marsh, Dave Kendal · Figshare · Australia
This research aims to understand how a community garden project at the University of Tasmania's Melville St student accommodation in Hobart CBD can benefit the health and wellbeing of students and the broader community. The first phase involved collecting and analyzing qualitative, quantitative, and observational data before the garden's installation, using interviews, focus groups, observational studies, and an online survey. The second phase will collect and analyze data after the community garden has been established.
CommunityHealthCivic modes of greening the city? Urban natures in-between familiar engagement and green critique
2020Jakob Laage‐Thomsen, Anders Blok · Local Environment · Denmark
This article explores variations in civic engagement with urban sustainability politics by examining "urban green communities" in Denmark, including urban gardening and beekeeping. Using a conceptualization of civic and place-based material participation from pragmatic sociology, particularly Laurent Thévenot's work, the study traces translations between familiar attachments and public critiques within these communities. A comprehensive digital mapping exercise identified six civic modes of urban greening and their group engagement styles, with implications for care, justice, and democracy in sustainable city-making.
CommunityBiodiversityPolicyCommunion Composed: Fostering Unity Through a Nourished Architecture
2020David Acevedo · Syracuse University Libraries (Syracuse University) · Guatemala
This thesis explores how architecture can have greater agency in unifying people, especially distraught communities, by utilizing food and its inherent social properties. Guatemala is chosen as the zone of exploration for implementing such a collaboration at a ceremonial scale. The approach combines techniques from ecologically efficient urban food production, intimate domestic food consumption, and ceremonial food preparation to create a new edible landscape of socially sustaining architecture.
CommunityUrban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justice