Research & reports

Alex Nicol · Australasian parks and leisure · Australia (Sydney)

This article describes the initial apprehension of Warringah's Parks Department in Sydney, Australia, regarding the establishment of a community garden due to budget constraints. This perspective shifted when the "Guerrilla Gardener" show initiated a project on council open space at Manly Vale, transforming an eyesore into a green oasis. The specific site, however, was already designated for a district playground.

Louise Chawla · Children Youth and Environments · United States (New York City)

This article reviews the 2010 film "Truck Farm," directed by Ian Cheney, which explores urban gardening in New York City. The film follows Cheney as he cultivates a vegetable garden in his grandfather's pickup truck and visits other urban farmers and food experts across the city. "Truck Farm" combines serious exposition with humor, prompting viewers to consider the future of urban farming and the role of whimsy in sustainability. The reviewer suggests the film is a valuable resource for youth community gardening programs or food systems classes.

Sarah Mead-Willis · The Deakin Review of Children s Literature · United States (Brooklyn)

"The Honeybee Man" by L. Nargi is a 2011 picture book about Fred, a Brooklyn resident who keeps three honeybee colonies on his townhouse roof. The book illustrates Fred's urban beekeeping, showing how his bees collect nectar across the borough and how he harvests and distributes honey to neighbors. It aims to educate young families about local ecology and human community, explaining bee behavior and the processes of beekeeping and honeymaking.

Craig Pearson · Urban agriculture · Sri Lanka

Each community in Sri Lanka developed its own Green Plan and decided what vegetables or plants it would grow. Home garden plots and community gardens were created with seed and plant donations from a university, with planting occurring in April and May 2004. Community residents assumed responsibility for the maintenance of the plants, while Sevanatha and university staff visited the sites regularly to monitor and provide consultation.

陈百如 · 上海蔬菜 · China

The project's implementing entity is Hangzhou Dingyi Agricultural Development Co., Ltd., recognized as a leading agricultural enterprise of Xiaoshan District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, a Zhejiang provincial pollution-free production base, a Hangzhou urban agriculture demonstration park, and one of the district's "top-100 urban demonstration" agriculture parks. The company operates 92 hectares, of which 77.2 hectares are under cultivation and 14.8 hectares are usable water surface for aquaculture. Its Dingyi-brand watermelon, fresh soybean, and cabbage hold national A-grade green food certification, and its Dingyi-brand fresh corn, scallion, and cauliflower hold national pollution-free product certification.

Britta Riley · TED · United States

In this TED talk (posted November 2011), artist-technologist Britta Riley presents Windowfarms, a vertical hydroponic system for growing food in apartment windows, and the crowdsourced "R&D-I-Y" development approach behind it. Windowfarms was named one of Entrepreneur magazine's "100 Brilliant Companies to Watch" in 2010.

Andersen J.K., Boldrin A., Christensen T.H., Scheutz C. · Waste Management · Denmark

Uses six home composting units over one year and a static flux chamber method to measure and quantify greenhouse gas emissions from composting organic household waste.

Rodica Sima, Ioana Micu, Dănuţ Maniutiu, N. Sima, Vasile Lazăr · Bulletin of University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca Horticulture · Global

Edible landscaping integrates food-producing plants into ornamental settings, enhancing gardens with unique decorative components and offering health, aesthetic, and economic benefits. This approach considers both the aesthetic value and food production benefits of edible plants. Integrating vegetables into private property landscapes can provide a source of healthy fresh food and add aesthetic value through the cultivation of unusually colored or shaped varieties.

David Baker Architects · · United States

Armstrong Place is an affordable family townhouse community in the United States, designed as a transit-oriented development. The complex features a large shared open public courtyard with allotment gardens for families to grow food and flowers, as well as a rain garden. It includes a total of 124 rental units and ten for-sale townhomes ranging from $175,000 to $345,000 for families earning 60-100% of the Area Median Income (2011 figures).

Kent D. Kobayashi, Theodore Radovich, Brooke E. Moreno · HortTechnology · United States (Hawaii)

The Department of Tropical Plant and Soil Sciences at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa developed and modified curricula to educate students on environmental sustainability. New programs like Organic Food Crop Production and Sustainable and Organic Farm Training were introduced, and existing courses were updated. These curricula aimed to engage students and promote self-learning through theory, practicum, farm visits, and activities, covering topics such as urban agriculture and organic food production from a tropical perspective.

Emma Schroeder, Robert M. House · · United States

In two interviews with Emma Schroeder, Robert House shares his memories of the Eagle Heights Community Garden during the 1960s, when he and his wife were graduate students at UW. House recalls advocating for new land grants for the gardens, cultivating various crops, irrigation, the relevance of community garden projects, canning vegetables, using fertilizers and pesticides, raising children in the Eagle Heights community, and relationships with other residents.

Emma Schroeder, Almuth Koby · · United States

In a 2010 interview, Almuth Koby shared her memories of the Eagle Heights Community Garden, including her time as president of the Community Gardens Committee. She described challenges such as members failing to fulfill their duties and the issue of abandoned plots, indicating governance difficulties within the community garden. Koby also recounted her personal gardening journey, from being mentored to mentoring others and learning from diverse cultures.

Benjamin Amundson, Janbaaz Ghani, Patricia Szeto, Joseph Shen, Nanette Ho, XiaoLin Shi, Xiu-Ming Tang, Leslie Brugger, Tracy Burnett, Hilda Wang · cIRcle (University of British Columbia) · Canada

This document is a student project/report from UBC SEEDS, presenting a business proposal for a new rooftop garden. It contains student findings, opinions, conclusions, and recommendations. The report does not reflect the official status of activities at UBC.

Daisuke Tachibana, Hitoshi Watanabe, Kei Yakushiji, Kenji Nakamura, Takaharu YOSHIOKA · AIJ Journal of Technology and Design · Global

This study conducted a four-year growth experiment with eighty ornamental plants, including perennials, bulbous plants, and shrubs, in an experimental rooftop garden using a rainwater storage planting base. It was found that various plant types could grow in a thin 10cm substrate depth, their bloom times and flowering periods were confirmed, and the rainwater storage system allowed for reduced irrigation frequency even in thin-layer planting.

Suzanne C. Ho, Ji Hye Hwang, Teresa Liu, Acy Lo, Grace Shyong · cIRcle (University of British Columbia) · Canada

This record is a disclaimer from UBC SEEDS, stating that the associated document is a student project/report. It clarifies that the content reflects student findings, opinions, conclusions, and recommendations, and is not an official UBC document. Readers are advised that the reports may not reflect the current status of activities at UBC.

Elisa Mascherini · · Global

This paper discusses the Guerrilla Gardening movement, a non-violent direct action practiced by environmentalists to reclaim degraded and abandoned urban areas. The increasing demand from citizens for improved living environments in cities is cited as a sign of change, evidenced by the growing number of guerrilla gardening groups, demand for urban gardens, and the emergence of shared gardens. Guerrilla gardeners advocate for new forms of ownership that rescue public lands from abandonment and degradation.

Emma Schroeder, Peter Napoleone, Donna Napoleone · · United States

In a 2010 interview, Donna and Peter Napoleone shared their memories of the Eagle Heights Community Garden in Madison, United States. They recounted their experiences with the community government, growing produce, the garden's configuration, and how their time there influenced their gardening practices after leaving the university. This interview was conducted for a Master's thesis on the Eagle Heights Community Gardens.

Benjamin Amundson, Janbaaz Ghani, Joseph Shen, Nanette Ho, Patricia Szeto, XiaoLin Shi · cIRcle (University of British Columbia) · Canada

This document is a student project/report from UBC SEEDS, presenting findings, opinions, conclusions, and recommendations related to a new SUB Rooftop Garden. It is not an official document of UBC and may not reflect the current status of activities.

허북구, 박윤점, 오대민, 박종수, 윤숙영, 조자용 · · South Korea

This study developed marketing techniques for mugwort seedlings for urban agriculture and horticultural therapy in South Korea. Researchers examined mugwort amounts needed for various uses, harvest times and yields by seedling type and container size, and seedling quality under marketing conditions. Findings showed that one-year-old rhizomes had the shortest harvest time (25 days) and highest yield (13.2g per plant) at first harvest, and seedling quality did not decrease after 3 days of cold marketing.

Lin Ma · Xibu linye kexue · China (Kunming)

A study on the seedling stage adaptability of 8 Magnoliaceae species was conducted in Chenggong county, Yunnan province, from 2004 to 2009. Results from five years of seedling raising indicated that Woonyoungia septentrionalis, Michelia ingrata, and Manglietia grandis were not adapted to Chenggong and died in frost. Michelia velutina showed very significant differences in height and basal diameter growth compared to other species, leading to its evaluation as the top choice for urban gardening and greening in Kunming city, followed by Manglietia maguanica and Michelia lacei.

Emma Schroeder, Patricia A. Palmieri, Tom Palmieri · · United States

In a 2010 interview, Tom and Pat Palmieri shared their memories of the Eagle Heights Community Garden. They discussed organic gardening practices, the seasonal vegetables they cultivated, and challenges such as weeds. The Palmieris also expressed their continued interest in gardening after their time at Eagle Heights.

Geisy Hernández, J. Pérez Pérez, Roberto Martínez, Teresa López · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Cuba

This study investigated irrigation water management for guava cultivation under urban agriculture conditions at UBPC Celia Sánchez in Habana del Este, Cuba. Using a drip irrigation system with fixed doses and intervals, results showed that initial irrigation doses need adjustment based on crop demands. During the development period, the used doses and irrigation frequencies were acceptable, with an average 90% irrigation efficiency. Maintaining high soil moisture significantly impacted guava yield and size, producing more large fruits and yields up to 36.7 t/ha.

이양주 · · South Korea

This paper proposes a promotion plan for urban agriculture in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, in response to increasing interest and existing initiatives in other cities like Seoul, Incheon, Gwangmyeong, and Suwon. While Seoul has an ordinance, its implementation system is underdeveloped, and Incheon's private sector-led efforts face land acquisition limits. The plan suggests establishing a public-private network centered around the Gyeonggi Agricultural Research & Extension Services' urban agriculture team, collaborating with other regional organizations to conduct research, technology development, education, and pilot projects, with specific roles and timelines for 2010.

김진환 · 대한건축학회지회연합회 학술발표대회논문집 · South Korea

A literature review and questionnaire survey were conducted to analyze the implementation of urban agriculture utilizing idle land in cities. It was found that citizens use various types of urban agriculture for healthy hobbies and small-scale food production, and the demand for urban agriculture using idle land is increasing. Both public sectors, centered on local governments, and private sectors are implementing various urban agriculture projects, and it was concluded that the government needs to provide administrative assistance for further utilization of idle land.

Felipe de Jesús Cruz Celis, Héctor Montiel Campos · · Global

This study aimed to propose sustainability in urban agriculture through the use of hydroponic technology for agricultural production. Through documentary research and expert interviews, diagnostic criteria and sustainability indicators were determined, making hydroponics an option for producing food in reduced spaces. The results indicate that urban agriculture, due to its spatial scope, has limited possibilities for scaling up to the formal market, but can respond to family self-consumption needs and improve nutritional and higher quality foods.