Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
2012 results(39 / 81)
Pedagogical Vegetable Garden: a participant-research of teacher’s training on education by projects
2020Sérgio Murilo de Souza Filho, Vanessa Aparecida Alves de Lima · · Brazil (Joinvile-SC)
A participant research on teacher education using a project-based learning model was conducted with three teachers from a municipal school in Joinvile-SC, Brazil. The study involved seven meetings with the teachers and three diagnostic tools, including a semi-open questionnaire and a focus group. The experience demonstrated that garden pedagogy can dynamize content within the school curriculum, and a pedagogical garden was constructed with the help of students throughout the process.
Food educationCommunityFoundation 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 educationThe integration of food biodiversity in school curricula through school gardens and gastronomy in Brazil
2020Ana Rosa Domingues dos Santos, Nádia Lúcia Almeida Nunes, Alessandra Santos dos Santos, Camila Neves Soares Oliveira, Lídio Coradin, Daniela Moura de Oliveira, Neio Campos · · Brazil
This paper described the integration of food biodiversity into school curricula through school gardens and gastronomy activities in Brazil. School gardens were utilized as rich pedagogical tools in various classes, including arts, math, and languages, beyond the initially expected biology and geography. The gastronomy area focused on cultural and regional food habits and the technical and sensorial features of food, also serving as a pedagogical tool in classes from history and sociology to math and geography.
Food educationBiodiversityCommunityWhere the wild things are
2020Ayfer Tan, Neşe Adanacıoğlu, Saadet Tuğrul Ay, Malek Batal, Hala Ghattas, Salma N. Talhouk · · Turkey
In Turkey, wild edible plants have been an integral part of human diets since prehistoric times and are common in local cuisine. These plants are known to be high in nutrients and can improve the quality and diversity of diets. The collection of wild edible species offers a cheap solution to boosting school meals with a variety of nutrients.
Food educationHealthBiodiversityCommunity Partnership Program: Dissemination of Urban Farming Technology for Community of Jatinegara West Flats
2020Ahmad Rifqi Fauzi, Warid Warid, Maulidian Maulidian · Khadimul Ummah · Indonesia (Jakarta)
Since 2016, Trilogy University's Community Partnership Program has disseminated urban agriculture technology and empowered residents of the West Jatinegara Flats in Jakarta, Indonesia. This initiative supports the DKI Jakarta provincial government's urban farming program, aiming to enhance food security and reforestation. Activities included training in vertical farming, composting, and utilizing open land, resulting in residents becoming familiar with urban farming technology and the implementation of hydroponics for net houses.
CommunityFood educationFood sovereignty & justiceCompostNina B. Hollis Research Impact Award Project: Garden-Based Learning
2020Sarah E. Cramer, Mercedes Tichenor · · United States
The Garden-Based Learning Project, a collaboration between Stetson University and a local elementary school, was developed to address the gap in teachers' comfort and skills with integrating garden-based learning into their pedagogy. This article describes the first year of the project, which aims to leverage the known benefits of school gardens, such as increased physical activity and improved student attitudes, while highlighting its accomplishments and future sustainability plans.
Food educationHealthCommunityNebraska School Gardens and the Potential for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Learning
2020Erin Ingram, Jenny Keshwani · Journal of Extension · United States (Nebraska)
A survey of Nebraska schools characterized existing school-based growing spaces and identified challenges limiting garden-based STEM learning. The study confirmed the use of these spaces for K-12 STEM instruction, particularly in sciences. However, opportunities for technology and engineering experiences were found to be limited, indicating a need for additional professional development support to expand garden-based STEM learning.
Limited or null effectFood educationCommunityEducators' Guide to Managing Red Imported Fire Ants in School or Community Vegetable Gardens
2020Megan Shearer, Amy Dabbs, Zack Snipes, Vicky Bertagnolli, Joshua Weaver · TigerPrints (Clemson University) · United States (South Carolina)
The South Carolina Statewide School Gardening program has established over 150 school gardens, but teachers report that fire ants are overrunning the gardens and negatively impacting student experience. This FAQ addresses how to safely manage fire ants in school gardens.
Food educationCommunityImpact of school garden on dietary diversity and micronutrient level of pre-school children in Makueni County –Kenya
2020Crippina Lubeka, Judith Kimiywe, Hudson Nyambaka · Research Journal of Food Science and Nutrition · Kenya (Makueni County)
This study assessed the effect of school garden interventions on improving serum zinc, iron, and retinol levels, and diet diversity, among pre-school children in Mulala ward, Makueni County, Kenya. A quasi-experimental design was adopted with 63 children, where intervention early childhood centers provided vegetables and animal proteins from school gardens for six months. Post-intervention, a significant difference was found in the mean dietary diversity score between the intervention and control groups, and a significant positive correlation was observed between serum hemoglobin, retinol, zinc levels, and dietary diversity in the intervention population.
Food educationHealthA Espiral de Ervas como dispositivo estético-educacional, inspirando o cultivo urbano e a consciência ambiental
2020Fernando Marcelo Cardozo, Ramiro Bastos · Cadernos de Agroecologia · Brazil
An experiment conducted in Aracaju, Sergipe, Brazil, between 2016 and 2019, involved over 40 events focused on constructing spiral herb beds in various city neighborhoods. These events, structured as permacultural workshops, aimed to transmit knowledge and stimulate knowledge exchange among participants. Lectures covered topics such as agroecology, urban agriculture, ancestral peoples, and community gardens, using technical, popular, and artistic languages to engage diverse audiences.
Food educationCommunityDIYA CRIAÇÃO DE UMA HORTA ESCOLAR COMO FERRAMENTA AO ENSINO DE EDUCAÇÃO AMBIENTAL/THE CREATION OF A SCHOOL GARDEN AS A TOOL FOR TEACHING ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
2020Ananias Lima dos Santos, Ruandra Kaienne da Silva Laranjeira, Rodrigo Pereira, Maria Raquel de Carvalho Cota, Lionete Viana da Silva, Everton Ramos de Souza · Brazilian Journal of Development · Brazil
This study aimed to demonstrate that non-formal school spaces can serve as an alternative teaching-learning method for environmental education. The project, conducted with 5th-grade students at Escola Estadual Thomé de Medeiros Raposo, showed significant results from proposed activities and comparative questionnaire data. Students gained practical experience in conscious citizenship and adopted new behaviors through creating a school garden using recycled materials.
Food educationCommunityClimate changeNutrition Policies, Practices, and Environments in Low‐Income Georgia Elementary Schools, United States, 2015‐2017
2020Dana Guglielmo, Sicha Chantaprasopsuk, Christi Kay, Eric T. Hyde, Chris Stewart, Julie A. Gazmararian · Journal of School Health · United States (Georgia)
This cross-sectional online survey assessed nutrition policies, practices, and environments in 113 Georgia SNAP-Ed elementary schools from 2015-2017. While most schools had wellness policies and provided nutrition education, fewer had policies limiting sugar-sweetened foods in classrooms or established school gardens. Minimal significant differences were found across school-level demographics.
Food educationHealthPolicyCommunityA Práxis da Agricultura Sustentável Urbana: possível caminho por percorrer na horta comunitária do IFG
2020GONZALO MARÍN OVIEDO, OLIVEIRA, ALESSANDRO SILVA DE · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Brazil (Anápolis)
The Federal Institute of Goiás, Anápolis campus, aims to contribute to overcoming socio-environmental problems affecting vulnerable communities in the region through sustainable agriculture in a community garden. This initiative proposes developing critical environmental education, discussing theoretical and practical aspects of the critical approach and its relationship with praxis. Historical-Dialectical Materialism guides the theoretical-methodological aspects, and Action Research is used for practical aspects.
CommunityFood educationWelfareInterdependence
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 educationCommunityBiodiversityHarvest of the Month for Early Childhood Education: Parent Perspectives
2020Christine Lux, Brianna Routh, Lacy Stephens · Journal of Human Sciences and Extension · United States
This exploratory study surveyed 21 parents from a campus-based preschool in the northwest United States during the 2017-2018 school year to understand the impact of the "Harvest of the Month" program on children's nutrition behavior at home. Findings indicated that a variety of program foods were served and consumed at home, but parents prioritized knowing food origins over serving local foods. Parents' knowledge of farm to ECE, reported farmer's market purchases, and CSA participation were limited, suggesting a need for targeted parent education.
Limited or null effectFood educationHealthCSA & TeikeiFood miles & supply chainAnalysis of 2010s Research Trends in Research on Agro-Healing in South Korea
2020Sun Jin Jeong, Eun Ha Yoo, Jae Soon Kim, Hye Sook Jang, Geun Woo Lee · Journal of people, plants, and environment · South Korea
This study assessed research trends in domestic agro-healing in South Korea from 2010 to 2018 by analyzing 83 selected articles using frequency analysis, t-test, and one-way ANOVA. Agro-healing articles peaked in 2010 and declined thereafter, with most published by the Society for People, Plants, and Environment. The main targets were preschoolers, children, and adolescents (52.4%), often special participants needing special care. Psychological and emotional areas were the most studied dependent variables (42.6%), with programs typically having 9-12 sessions (36.7%) and over 20 participants (39.8%).
HealthCommunityFood educationPERAN SEKOLAH DALAM PENGUATAN KARAKTER PEDULI LINGKUNGAN PADA SISWA (Studi Kasus di SMK Muhammadiyah Kartasura)
2020Endang Purwatiningsih · · Indonesia
This qualitative single case study describes the role of the school in strengthening students' environmental care character at SMK Muhammadiyah Kartasura in Indonesia. Data collected through interviews, observation, and documentation revealed that the school strengthens environmental care character through five steps: providing advice on environmental values, socializing the importance of maintaining the school garden, involving students in creating or repairing garden equipment, engaging students in cleaning groups, and imposing penalties for breaking cleaning rules.
Food educationCommunityGrowing Together: Participatory Approaches in Urban Agriculture Extension
2020Lucy Diekmann, Marcia Ostrom · · United States
This chapter reviews participatory extension approaches and demonstrates their application to urban agriculture through five US Extension case studies. The selection of these case studies was informed by a 2015 nationwide survey of Extension personnel working on local, community, and regional food systems. These examples illustrate how urban agroecological knowledge and networks are being developed and applied, and suggest directions for future Extension work.
CommunityFood educationPolicyWelfareUso de materiais recicláveis na implantação de hortas escolares
2020Marisa Menezes Leal, Bianca Motta Dolianitis, Jaqueline Rambo Anschau, Janessa Aline Zappe, Rosana Santos de Moraes, Marcelito Cavalheiro, Jean Carlos Robattini, Bruno Luan da Rosa Machado, Kelen Dal-Souto Frescura, Viviane Da-Souto Frescura · Ciência e Natura · Brazil (Rio Grande do Sul)
This study aimed to implement school gardens using recyclable materials in several schools in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Pet bottles, tires, pallets, and shingles were used to prepare beds and support plants. The activities were carried out by members of the "Living Garden Extension Project at School" in collaboration with students and teachers, and the garden space was utilized as an environment for teaching various subjects.
Food educationDIYOrganic cycleThe multiple logics of school gardening: a ‘return to nature’ or ‘love of labour’?
2020Elsie Rockwell · History of Education · United States
This article explores the history of school gardens in early twentieth-century US educational projects, finding that gardening activities were primarily for urban children lacking farming experience. It compares gardening's role in northern experimental schools with proposals for rural and segregated southern schools. The analysis identifies various logics, including arguments for promoting or dismissing school gardening and rationales for educating or retaining specific labor forces, highlighting a paradox between "return to nature" and "love of labor" in the discourse.
Food educationCommunityUrban–rural linkagePolicyAgricultura urbana e divulgação científica: quando a extensão tem em seu horizonte a mobilização social, a reflexão política e o enfrentamento de problemas sociais
2020Cristiana Guimarães Alves, Bráulio Silva Chaves, Lucas Araújo Dutra Rodrigues · Cadernos de Agroecologia · Brazil
In August 2017, the CEFET-MG Project "Cabana do Pai Tomas. to the Aglomerado da Serra: links between science, technology and education" in Brazil conducted activities to connect science, technology, and education. As part of this project, a ten-module Agroecology Course was offered, providing training to residents of Casa da Cabana, CEFET-MG students, and the general public on knowledge related to urban agriculture, food security, agroecology, the creation and maintenance of urban gardens, and social technologies.
CommunityFood educationFood sovereignty & justiceHow 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 educationCommunityCharacteristics of successful primary school-based experiential nutrition programmes: a systematic literature review
2020Karen Charlton, Teagan Comerford, Natika Deavin, Karen Walton · Public Health Nutrition · Global
This systematic literature review identified key characteristics of successful experiential nutrition interventions aimed at changing nutrition-related cognitive and behavioral outcomes in primary schoolchildren. From 3800 articles identified across five databases (CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, Medline, Academic Search Complete), 67 were eligible, and 42 were defined as successful. Nutrition education (when combined with taste testing), cooking-related activities, and gardening interventions increased children's willingness to taste unfamiliar foods, improved their cooking and food preparation skills, and increased nutritional knowledge.
Food educationHealthA dimensão socioambiental do ensino de ciências na horta escolar
2020José Silveira Filho, Marcelo Rodrigues Tenório · Cadernos de Agroecologia · Brazil
This qualitative research, based on Paulo Freire's dialogical pedagogy, aimed to develop environmental education awareness in elementary school students through organic agriculture and sustainable cultivation techniques in a school garden. Semi-structured interviews with students revealed that activities in the school garden contributed to modifying their habits and attitudes towards nature. The study found that the school garden fostered a sense of solidarity, group work, and the development of citizens capable of addressing social and environmental problems.
Food educationCommunityOrganic cycleClimate changeThe state of the art of school gardens as a pedagogical tool for the new environmental rationale paradigm in Butanta, Sao Paulo, Brazil
2020Beatriz Sinelli Laham, Francisco Melo Aires, Gabriel Akira Teshima Soto, Gustavo Lopumo Arruda · Brazilian Journal of Development · Brazil (São Paulo)
A mixed-methods approach was used to identify knowledge constructed during the implementation, maintenance, and didactic usage of school gardens in 15 municipal schools in Butantã, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Main difficulties identified were human resources, school staff integration, and financial resources, with a demand for specific training, especially for didactic usage. Access to quality soil posed the primary obstacle for garden maintenance, yet a general perception of positive effects on students' behavioral and pedagogical aspects was observed.
Food educationCommunityFood sovereignty & justice