Research & reports

Antônio Carlos Ribeiro Araújo Júnior, Roberto Xavier da Costa, Mirian Pereira dos Reis Oliveira · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Brazil

The "Programa Planta Roraima" project, initiated by the civil society organization Movimento ID, proposes establishing a Reference Center for Food and Nutritional Security in the Cidadão Housing Complex. This center will create an urban community garden to promote sustainable integration among immigrants, refugees, and socially/economically vulnerable nationals. The project aims to understand access to knowledge for food production, transformation, distribution, and consumption in small urban spaces, and to analyze access to income-generating technologies for vulnerable populations. Based on an analysis of the "PROJETO PLANTA RORAIMA: Minha Horta Comunitária Cidadã" developed by SETRABES, the project is relevant as it provides basic technical training in food production, fostering autonomy and integrating vulnerable populations as productive citizens, and demonstrates that idle urban spaces can be valuable for collective uses like community gardens.

R.A. Seguin, A.S. Ammerman, W. Wang, I. Lu, J. Kolodinsky, J. Garner, L.C. Volpe, E.H. Belarmino, L. Gonsalves, S.B. Jilcott Pitts, M. Sitaker, K.L. Hanson · UNC Libraries · United States

This qualitative study examined the experiences of 96 low-income participants in 28 focus groups across rural and micropolitan communities in New York, North Carolina, Vermont, and Washington (USA) regarding nutrition education classes complementing a cost-offset community-supported agriculture (CSA) program. Participants reported improved nutrition knowledge, food preservation skills, and cooking behaviors, and a promoted sense of community. However, other obligations and class logistics were barriers to attendance, with recommendations for flexible scheduling and better integration of CSA produce into lessons.

Caputo Silvio, Dorr Erica, Runrid Fox-Kämper, Hawes Jason K., Lelièvre Agnes, Newell Josh, Poniży Lidia, Schoen Victoria, Jean-Soro Liliane, Specht Kathrin, Yaman Rokiah · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Global

The three-year FEW-meter project, funded by the Sustainable Urbanization Global Initiative, was developed by an international consortium from France, Germany, Poland, the UK, and the US. It investigated the Food-Water-Energy (FEW) nexus in urban agriculture through collaboration between researchers, farmers, gardeners, and various associations. This report presents the main outcomes of the project, which involved co-production of knowledge and feedback on methodology and data analysis.

Linda Goldman · · United States (Baltimore)

This chapter presents how young people can reduce stress and worry by practicing mindfulness and meditation. The Holistic Life Foundation (HLF), a non-profit organization in Baltimore, Maryland, is highlighted as a pioneering model for incorporating meditation, mindfulness, yoga, school gardens, and nature into school systems' daily routines and curricula. Students plant in school gardens, clean outdoor environments, and take trips to visit nature, enhancing the mindfulness approach.

Ramon Majé Floriano · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Colombia (Pitalito Huila)

The STEM community gardens project aims to contribute to food security in the San Francisco, Santa Inés, and Holland villages of the Pitalito Huila municipality in Colombia. This report describes the project's development through three phases: immersion, transfer, and communication.

T. E. H. Williams · Digital Archive @ GSU · United States

The Morrow Community Garden, established in 2012, expanded from 14 to 32 beds, enabling residents to grow produce and donate to a local clinic. Facing unstable membership, limited space, and reliance on membership dues, the garden requires an action plan to achieve its goals. An action plan was created to help stabilize membership, expand the garden, educate residents, and create a youth engagement program.

Anna Grichting · · Qatar

This teaching experience, conducted over seven years at Qatar University, addressed the challenge of food production in desert regions within graduate and undergraduate architecture and urbanism courses. Students designed productive architectural and urban landscapes through vertical farming, community gardening, and urban farms, among other methods. Outcomes included an increase in the integration of food production systems into student projects and a vision for Qatar University as an "edible campus."

Vidhya Jagannathan · Georgia Library Quarterly · United States

The Cobb County Public Library Garden is a community garden that expands library services and promotes patron collaboration. This garden was envisioned for teaching, demonstrating, donating, and involving families in growing food and experiencing the satisfaction of harvesting produce. Library gardens serve as a natural setting for promoting nutritional literacy and hands-on environmental learning, reflecting the Cobb County Public Library's mission.

Nam-Gyeong Gim, Nam-gyeong Gim · The Jounal of Cultural Exchange · Cuba

This study explored strategic methods for effective school garden operation in elementary schools, focusing on Cuba's organopónico system. It conducted a PEST analysis of organopónico to extract technological strengths relevant to school garden education and a SWOT analysis of domestic elementary school gardens from an operational perspective. Findings suggest organopónico offers solutions for limited space through cantero farming and highlights organic farming using living organisms as a key method for strategic linkage in school gardens.

Sofyan Musyabiq Wijaya · International Journal of Current Science Research and Review · Indonesia

A systematic review of 12 articles, identified from an initial search of 43 research articles on PubMed, Science Direct, and Google Scholar, examined urban farming in Indonesia. The review found that urban farming can increase family food security, with vegetables and fruits being common crops. Identified problems included communication issues and varying levels of knowledge and skills related to urban farming.

Raquel Yurie Hioki, Moacir Roberto Darolt · Archives of Veterinary Science · Brazil (Curitiba)

This study, conducted in Curitiba, Brazil, and its metropolitan area, aimed to discuss the risks and benefits of legalizing urban poultry farming. Through interviews with key informants, challenges were identified across sanitary, legislative, and commercial areas, urban chicken breeders, and bird management. The main challenges cited were sanitary and environmental risks, mistreatment, irregular slaughter, and neighborhood disturbances, which could be addressed through activity regulation, registration of farms, technical monitoring, and implementation of pilot projects.

Beverly Christian, Jason Morton · TEACH Journal of Christian Education · Australia

A case study in one Australian primary school used focus groups to gather children's perceptions of how a school garden program impacted their actualisation of values. The study found that the garden program's organizational elements positively impacted the actualisation of intrapersonal and interpersonal values among children.

Mariia Ermilova, Mitsunari Terada, Isami Kinoshita · · Japan (Tokyo)

From March 2016 to 2021, a five-year action research project was conducted in Matsudo, a Tokyo suburb, Japan, by two PhD students from Chiba University in collaboration with a local neighborhood association. Through cultivating culturally significant plants like herbs, vegetables, and flowers, and utilizing them for crafts and cosmetics, local women, the elderly, and children developed new skills, gained financial support, and social confidence. These activities expanded from edible landscape cultivation in planters to the creation of eight gardens, providing alternative forms of community participation.

Dini Sofarini, Deddy Dharmaji, Yunandar Yunandar, Fajriyanti Fajriyanti · Bubungan Tinggi Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat · Indonesia

An aquaponics cultivation technique training was conducted from August to December 2021 in the Sungai Ulin Village community in Banjarbaru City. This activity aimed to increase the use of polyculture technology in urban areas and improve the survival rate of aquaponics products. Evaluation results showed an 80% survival rate for vegetables and 75% for fish, indicating improved knowledge and skills among participants.

Laili Qomariyah, Mariza Ningtyas Febriyanti, Erlanda Nouva Wibowo, Agustin Kana Risqiyani, Miftahul Husnul Suluki, Futun Nur Faridah · Community Empowerment · Indonesia

This program aimed to ensure family food security and improve mental health for residents of RW V during the pandemic, using methods such as socialization, workshops, and training. The results showed that RW V residents were enthusiastic about urban farming and capable of growing vegetables. Additionally, mothers, especially housewives, reported feeling mentally healthier due to new activities and a focus on hydroponic urban farming.

W.H Maria Agatha Sri, Trecy Austin, Indah Pusnita · Jurnal Abdimas Indonesia · Indonesia (Palembang)

In Sako Village, Palembang City, urban farming and educational gardens support improved food security as part of the "Kampung Iklim" program, which aims for climate change adaptation and mitigation. The area of RT 98 RW 37 was deemed suitable for urban farming, and an educational garden was implemented as an introduction and example of urban farming.

Eneng Nunuz Rohmatullayaly, Budi Irawan · Kumawula Jurnal Pengabdian Kepada Masyarakat · Indonesia

This community service activity in Indonesia addressed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on urban food security and family nutrition. It aimed to socialize plant diversity, integrated urban farming techniques for limited yards, and balanced nutrition. The initiative included mapping urban yard utilization and a webinar, "Optimize Yards for Family Nutrition Fulfillment," which engaged 169 participants and provided digital information on plant diversity, utilization, and family nutrition.

Naomi Reyes, Montserrat Ganderats‐Fuentes, Francesco Acciai, Jessica Eliason, Punam Ohri‐Vachaspati · Journal of School Health · United States (New Jersey)

This study examined school garden prevalence in 148 K-12 schools across four low-income New Jersey cities between 2010-2011 and 2017-2018, before and after the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA) of 2010. Garden prevalence increased from 19% in 2010-2011 to 32% in 2013-2014, but this increase was not sustained over time. Furthermore, schools with a majority Hispanic student enrollment had approximately half the odds of having a garden compared to schools with a majority Black student enrollment.

Leila Graziele de Almeida Brito, Marilete Calegari Cardoso, Mainara Mizzi Rocha Frota, Leandro Nascimento Bertoldi · Brazilian Journal of Animal and Environmental Research · Brazil

This paper reports on the experience of establishing an organic community garden at the Casinha do Sol Children's Living Center, UESB, Brazil, with the support of the Calanguinho project. Using a collaborative work methodology, the project fostered partnerships between the nursery, families, and the university. This initiative facilitated the development of active practices and reflection, promoting ecological and sustainable awareness among the nursery, families, and the academic community.

Tori Taniguchi, Alyson Haslam, Wenjie Sun, Margaret Sisk, Jann Hayman, Valarie Blue Bird Jernigan · Nutrients · United States

The six-month FRESH study in the United States evaluated the impact of a farm-to-school nutrition and gardening intervention for Native American families. It involved 193 children and 170 adults from Osage Nation Early Childhood and Education programs, finding that intervention children significantly increased vegetable intake for squash and beans, and showed increased willingness to try beans.

Jaimie N. Davis, Katie Nikah, Matthew J. Landry, Sarvenaz Vandyousefi, Reem Ghaddar, Matthew Jeans, Michele Hockett Cooper, Bonnie Martin, Lyndsey Waugh, Shreela V. Sharma, Alexandra E. van den Berg · Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics · United States (Austin)

A cluster randomized controlled trial conducted in Austin, TX, United States, from 2016 to 2019, with primarily low-income, Hispanic children, examined the effects of the school-based gardening, nutrition, and cooking program 'TX Sprouts' on academic performance. Sixteen elementary schools were randomly assigned to either the intervention (8 schools) or control (8 schools) group, with the intervention consisting of 18 one-hour lessons in an outdoor teaching garden throughout the academic year. Results showed that schools receiving the intervention had a 6.5-percentage-point increase in fourth-grade reading State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) scores compared with control schools (P = .047). However, there were no significant differences in reading scores for fifth-grade students or math scores for either fourth- or fifth-grade students between groups.

Riris Lindiawati Puspitasari, Arief Pambudi, Yunus Effendi · Jurnal Pemberdayaan Masyarakat Universitas Al Azhar Indonesia · Indonesia (Depok)

This community service activity implemented simple hydroponics training to enhance the skills of the street children community in Depok. Training involved street children students at Sekolah Master Depok, practicing hydroponics with simple equipment, and group mentoring. Participants gained information on simple hydroponics techniques and successfully grew vegetables like water spinach, spinach, mustard greens, and pakcoy, which grew unimpeded until harvest at 8 weeks after planting.

Neneng Nurlaela Arief, Melia Famiola, Andika Putra Pratama, Prameshwara Anggahegari, Aghnia Nadhira Aliya Putri · Sustainability · Indonesia (Bandung)

This study examined the effectiveness of bio-based experiential learning in raising environmental awareness among 74 students (ages 9-11) in Bandung, Indonesia, using participatory action research and storytelling. The program provided valuable education on urban farming, environmental awareness, and social responsibility. The outcome demonstrated that this communication approach is effective.

Lorena Suárez Peña, Romina Alejandra Robles Calderón, José María Jiménez Carillo, Luis René Justiniano Lujan, Leevan Salvatierra Burgos, Aharon Jazielt Andrade Sandy · Revista 3i Ingeniería Innovación Investigación · Bolivia

This quantitative study diagnosed the viability of implementing urban gardens in El Torno Municipality, Bolivia, by identifying residents' knowledge and perceived barriers. Findings indicate that despite a lack of knowledge, the population is willing to implement urban gardens, considering school gardens an optimal option. The study concludes that implementing urban gardens in El Torno Municipality is viable, with a genuine interest in promoting urban agriculture as a sustainable and beneficial solution for the community.

Edyta Janus, Bożena Szewczyk-Taranek, Agnieszka Smrokowska-Reichmann · Folia Horticulturae · Poland

A questionnaire survey of 203 allotment garden owners in three Silesian cities, Poland, explored perceived functions and importance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Respondents over 61 years observed a generational shift from food cultivation to recreation, while no age group noted technological progress or new crops. Allotment gardens were crucial during the pandemic as a private, restriction-free space and a coping strategy for lockdown stress.