Research & reports

Rúbio José Ferreira, Cláudio Jorge Moura de Castilho · Ateliê Geográfico · Brazil (Recife)

This text examines the place of urban agriculture and its practitioners in the urban planning process in Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil. The main results indicate that urban agriculture and urban farmers are not effectively considered by Recife's urban planning technicians. This may be due to urban agriculture being a social practice used by people from the "lowest layers" of society in a marginal area of the local urban economy.

Laura Pacheco Montero · Documentos de trabajo social: Revista de trabajo y acción social · Global

This article assesses the utility of Time Banks and Urban Gardens as social work tools for gerontological intervention. The study analyzes these initiatives, their benefits, and the possibility of promoting quality of life in Social Work practice.

Anita Evans, Nalini Ranjit, Deanna M. Hoelscher, Christine Jovanovic, Michael López, Andrew M. McIntosh, Marcia G. Ory, Lisa Whittlesey, Lisako McKyer, A. Kirk, Caitlin A. Smith, Catherine Walton, Natalia I. Heredia, Judith L. Warren · BMC Public Health · United States (Texas)

The Texas Grow! Eat! Go! (TGEG) study is a five-year factorial group randomized controlled trial involving 28 schools, assessing the impact of gardening, nutrition, and physical activity interventions on low-income elementary students. Baseline data from 1369 students and 1206 parents, primarily Hispanic and African American, showed that students did not meet national guidelines for vegetable consumption or physical activity. At baseline, no statistical differences were observed among the four treatment groups.

Madeleine A. Guerlain, Catherine Campbell · Journal of Social and Political Psychology · United Kingdom (East London)

This qualitative research explored the impact of community gardens on the psycho-social well-being of marginalized groups in East London, UK, and their role in prefigurative social change. Through interviews, Photovoice, and participant observation with 28 gardeners from four groups, findings suggest that participation is driven by the shared practice of gardening, leading to unintended benefits addressing personal adversities. Community gardens create "health-enabling social spaces" and offer an alternative understanding of prefiguration based on participants' lived experiences.

Lorena Meneses Medina · Universitas Científica · Colombia

An urban children's garden was created between July and December 2015 at the Fundación Hogar el Divino Niño (FHDN) in Colombia, which feeds approximately 100 vulnerable children daily. Led by Nelson Enrique Casas Leal, the project aimed to build an organic farm with the support of children and youth interested in urban agriculture production practices. The garden cultivated tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, lettuce, cilantro, squash, oregano, thyme, and medicinal plants, and became a life and survival option for the participating children and their families.

Michael Carolan · · Global

This chapter examines how gender, race, and ethnicity are theorized and studied within agri-food scholarship. It notes that Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) schemes and farmers' markets, even when intended for low-income minority groups, often serve affluent, educated European American consumers. Additionally, women in rural Ethiopia face significant problems in food security due to their social status and higher dependence on agriculture for survival compared to men.

Mary Ellen Mitchell-Rosen · NSUWorks (Nova Southeastern University) · United States

This participatory action research study in Broward County, Florida, investigated the experiences of geriatric populations and individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities participating in a garden project with health professions students. The project aimed to address obesity, autism, mental health, and elderly services by providing healthy nutrition interventions and group garden activities. Data collection via focus group interviews is complete, and analysis is ongoing, but stakeholders have reported positive changes in nutritional choices and improved mental status among clients.

Nancy F. Sonti, Lindsay K. Campbell, Michelle Johnson, Sarita Daftary-Steel · Journal of Experiential Education · United States (New York City)

Long-term impacts of an urban farming youth internship were evaluated in Brooklyn, New York. Alumni surveyed 1 to 9 years after program completion were enrolled in college or graduate school at higher rates than their peers and reported connections to the environment and healthy eating. Participants reported learning job skills through the internship, including farming practices, time and money management, teamwork, and public speaking.

Galuh Syahbana Indraprahasta, Imas Agustina · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Indonesia (Jakarta)

This study aimed to identify the potentials of urban agriculture development in Jakarta by learning from best practices in other countries. It employed qualitative descriptive analysis, considering physical, institutional, and socio-economic factors. It was concluded from many cases that urban agriculture in Jakarta has direct or indirect impacts on people's livelihoods.

Laisa Stefani da Silva Neves, Juliana Pereira Casemiro, Thalita Magdalena dos Santos, Cláudia Valéria Cardim da Silva · 12º Congresso Internacional da Rede Unida · Brazil (Rio de Janeiro)

This qualitative study, conducted with Community Health Agents and a Residents' Association in a Rio de Janeiro metropolitan municipality, presents an experience of implementing a community garden as an urban agriculture strategy for promoting adequate and healthy food (PAAS). The area lacked markets for fruits and vegetables, making healthy eating difficult. Through home visits and discussions, the revitalization of a community garden was identified, enabling poor urban families to produce for self-consumption, strengthen community organization, and generate income.

Claudia Patricia Osorio Doncel · INGENIO · Colombia (Palmira)

At the "Fundacion Hogar Divino Nino" in Palmira, Colombia, educational and practical workshops are provided for underprivileged youth. A boy named 'El Doc de la granja', who attended the foundation, enjoyed planting and cultivating various green species, including beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, chard, cilantro, bell peppers, and some medicinal and aromatic plants. These crops were used to feed all the children at the foundation.

Rashawn Ray, Dana R. Fisher, Carley Fisher-Maltese · Du Bois Review Social Science Research on Race · United States (Washington, DC)

This study analyzed quantitative data on fifth graders' math, reading, and science standardized test scores in Washington, D.C., to investigate how school gardens help close the achievement gap. It compared academic performance between students in traditional schools and garden-based learning schools, and examined whether the presence of a school garden reduces race and social class disparities in academic achievement. Findings showed that the presence of a school garden is associated with higher test scores in reading and science, and this association persisted even when controlling for students' race and class composition.

Joana Chan, Lisa Pennisi, Charles Francis · Journal of Ethnobiology · United States

This article explores the social-ecological functions of community gardening based on a case study conducted in Lincoln, Nebraska, USA. Through semi-structured interviews with 20 community garden participants and staff, it was found that community gardening provides opportunities for participants to foster resilience to personal, cultural, and economic challenges resulting from urban migration. Participants were able to develop a sense of belonging and connection with cultural identity, social community, and the local environment.

Rob Moquin, Alan P. Diduck, A. John Sinclair, Iain J. Davidson‐Hunt · Canadian Food Studies / La Revue canadienne des études sur l alimentation · Canada

This research documented participants' experiences of community-building through community gardening in Kenora, Ontario, Canada, using Photovoice with twelve participants, follow-up interviews, and participant observation. Findings revealed a relational perspective of community gardening and the importance of sharing and learning, but also identified barriers to social capital and ecological citizenship. Future initiatives must address colonial and racial barriers to collaboration and ensure accessible garden locations.

Sook Mee Lee, In Ho Kim · Journal of people, plants, and environment · Global

This study aimed to establish principles for community garden space planning to improve the self-support capability of vulnerable groups. Considering the circumstances of homeless individuals, 13 universal design principles were applied, integrating concepts of healing gardens and urban agriculture. The principles include maximally efficient space division for various programs, privacy-protected spaces, rest areas for strengthening resilience and health, pleasant spaces with plants, easily accessible and safe spaces, and easy maintenance and sustainability. For the ultimate goal of financial self-support, spaces for developing acquired skills and engaging in productive activities were also included in the principles.

S. J. Ibitoye, U Shaibu, Firdaus Sale, Oroka Frank · International Journal of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences · Nigeria (Kogi State)

This study assessed the influence of urban agriculture on household income in Kogi State, Nigeria, using data from 120 urban farmers. Urban agriculture was found to increase household income at a 90% confidence level. However, urban farmers faced significant constraints including inadequate capital (M=2.9), poor extension services (M=2.4), and high labor costs (M=2.2).

Yeon Seon Kim, Sin Ae Park · Journal of people, plants, and environment · Global

This study investigated the effectiveness of a horticultural activity program for mothers to improve mother-child relationships, involving 60 mothers with children aged 4-7 years. The experimental group (n=30) attended six weekly 90-minute sessions, while the control group (n=30) did not. After the program, the experimental group showed statistically significant improvements in parenting stress, self-esteem, and parenting efficacy, but no significant difference was found in emotional empathy.

Natalie McGill · ˜The œNation's health · United States

In 2016, in DeKalb County, Illinois, United States, where some residents lived in areas with limited access to grocery stores offering fresh produce, staff at DeKalb County Community Gardens initiated an effort to bring food directly to the people. This initiative aimed to improve residents' health.

Emily Brownell · Global Environment · Tanzania (Dar es Salaam)

This case study in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, examines the politics of food distribution and shifting urban-rural boundaries during the socialist era. The Tanzanian government pursued an anti-urban policy, viewing urbanites as slothful and discouraging migration to cities. However, by the early 1980s, as state food distribution channels failed, the government shifted to transforming as much of Dar es Salaam into agricultural space as possible, with urban agriculture and family networks becoming key bulwarks against hunger in the city.

Christie Elise Liebig · DigitalCommons - CalPoly (California State Polytechnic University) · United States (California)

This graduate internship involved developing a school and community garden at Joseph Kerr Middle School in California, United States. The garden provides hands-on learning for students, who harvest fresh produce and distribute it to families lacking access to fresh produce. Some produce was also donated to a local food bank, emphasizing the program's focus on teaching sustainable practices.

Daniel Orlins Trigg · ScholarWorks -A service of University of Vermont Libraries (University of Vermont) · United States

This study investigated food insecurity screening among clinicians in Vermont, where 76% of residents experience some level of food insecurity. It found that physicians and physician assistants prefer using an established two-item screen for food insecurity. However, these clinicians tend to underestimate the actual prevalence of food insecurity in their practice communities.

Matthew M. Mars · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · Canada (Vancouver)

Michael Ableman's book "Street Farm" tells the story of how an urban farm transformed vacant lots in Vancouver, Canada's Low Tracks neighborhood into sites for food production, partial community restoration, and nurturing the human spirit. The narrative reveals a tenuous balance between the promises of urban farming and the harsh realities of addiction, hunger, homelessness, and violence often characterizing inner-city conditions. Urban agriculture is presented as a means to sustainably produce food for a city while also feeding the souls of disenfranchised individuals and communities.

Catherine Wong, Kathryn Geoffrion Scannell · University of New Hampshire Scholars Repository (University of New Hampshire at Manchester) · United States

McQuade Library partnered with a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) operation to become a distributor of local foods, providing fresh produce to Merrimack College and the surrounding community. The library collaborated with Farmer Dave’s CSA, recruiting over fifty members to facilitate weekly food drop-offs for twenty weeks. Unclaimed food shares were distributed to a nearby food pantry, senior center, and an emergency shelter, supporting sustainable agriculture and hunger relief efforts.

Patrizia Longo · Agriculture and Agricultural Science Procedia · United States (Lafayette, California)

This paper documents the history of Urban Farmers, a grassroots organization in Lafayette, California, that addresses poverty and sustainability through a community-development approach to food security. The organization's project focuses on localizing the food system and fostering community development.

Gabriel Rezende Marques, Maria Regina de Miranda Souza, Leo Rinaldo de Arantes Lazzerini, Cláudia Lúcia de Oliveira Pinto · Cadernos de Agroecologia · Brazil (Viçosa)

This study described and evaluated the implementation and adoption of an urban garden by socioeconomically vulnerable students residing in the Federal University of Viçosa dormitory in Viçosa, Brazil, and how the experience influenced their quality of life, civic education, perception, and interest in agroecology. It was found that the use of urban agriculture from an agroecological perspective is an alternative for improving the quality of life in residences and for expanding agroecological knowledge.