Research & reports

G. Bastian, Sarah Lane, Haley McMahon, Olivia Husmann, Evangeline Schumacher · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United States

One in eight South Dakota residents faces food insecurity, which has been linked to higher prevalence of chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. Against this backdrop, this study conducted a preliminary process and impact evaluation of Dakota Food Rx, a pilot community-supported agriculture (CSA) produce prescription (PRx) program in the Northern Black Hills of South Dakota. Healthcare providers (Prescribers) referred low-income and/or food-insecure adults with diet-related chronic disease (Patients) to receive weekly produce boxes from a local specialty producer (Grower); evaluation measures included patient pre-post surveys and key informant interviews with Prescribers, Growers and Patients. From June to November 2024, 30 patients participated, receiving 434 produce boxes (mean 14.5 per patient) valued at over $14,000. Ten pre-surveys and eight post-surveys were completed (seven pre-only, five post-only, three both), along with nine interviews. Overall program satisfaction was high, and patients responding at post-test reported higher food security and sense of community than at pre-test. Thematic analysis of the interviews indicated patients improved their diet, food access and overall health, and that relationships were built among program participants; however, Prescribers, Growers and Patients all reported having to adapt to the program, with future considerations including increased communication, improved workflow, and additional resources.

Ana Paula Branco do Nascimento, Rafael Silva de Araújo, Thais Reis Rocha, Ramoel Serafini · Revista Nacional de Gerenciamento de Cidades · Brazil

This applied, exploratory-experimental study designed and implemented a rainwater harvesting and irrigation automation system for food plant beds at a community garden ("Horta das Flores") under an impermeable roof in the eastern region of São Paulo, Brazil, aiming to reduce dependence on manual irrigation by volunteers. Developed through literature and technical review, field measurements, hydraulic efficiency tests, and component adjustments, the system was found to be technically and operationally feasible, ensuring regular water supply while reducing manual effort, and field evaluation enabled further hydraulic improvements and automation adjustments.

Ruyu Liu, Daniel Harwood, Ora Kemp, Alyson Rosenthal, Roger Figueroa, PhD, MPH, MSc · Public Health Nutrition · United States (New York City)

A quasi-experimental pilot study with 3-month follow-up assessed a food pantry-led, subsidized community-supported agriculture (CSA) program called Farm Share in New York City. Farm Share provided biweekly bags of about 25 pounds of fresh produce at $5 per bag; control participants were recruited from a comparable food pantry without CSA (Farm Share n=54, control n=69), predominantly Hispanic/Latino, Black or African American, foreign-born, female and with a high school education or lower. Retention at follow-up was 65.0% (Farm Share n=33, control n=47). Skin carotenoids increased by 12 points in the Farm Share group relative to control, adjusted for smoking status, age, sex and birthplace (P=0.005), but total Healthy Eating Index (HEI) declined by 6.3 points (P=0.031) and the saturated fats HEI component declined by 1.1 point (P=0.027) in the Farm Share group. Improvements in fruit and vegetable intake (P=0.25) and food security (P=0.16) were not statistically significant.

Scott Etkin · West Side Rag · United States

NYC's Department of Sanitation resumed mandatory composting enforcement in January 2026 after a pause. The Upper West Side shows a 13.5% capture rate as of spring 2025, above the citywide rate of about 10%, with monthly collected tonnage rising from 129 tons (Oct. 2024) to over 318 tons (Dec. 2025); 414 summonses had been issued through Feb. 10, 2026.

Neighborhood Gardens Trust · Neighborhood Gardens Trust (NGT) · United States

Neighborhood Gardens Trust (NGT), a Philadelphia nonprofit, is a land trust that makes community garden land tenure permanent. It has preserved 53 community gardens so far and aims to protect a total of 80 by 2027. Preserved gardens range from single house lots up to 3.7 acres, the largest, and vary from food-producing plots to flower and sitting gardens. NGT covers ongoing liability insurance, real estate taxes, and capital improvements (with support from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society), while local gardeners keep managing the day-to-day.

· Wikipedia · United States

Brooklyn Grange operates 5.6 acres of organic vegetable and honey production across three rooftop farms in New York City, the largest rooftop farm operation in the city. Founded in 2010, it produces about 80,000 pounds of vegetables and roughly 1,500 pounds of honey annually. The founders launched the business with loans, personal savings, and investors, and the Brooklyn Navy Yard farm was partly funded by a $592,730 grant from the NYC DEP Green Infrastructure Grant Program.

· Wikipedia · United States

According to the English Wikipedia article 'South Central Farm', the South Central Farm in Los Angeles operated from 1994 to 2006 as a 14-acre (5.7 ha) urban farm, considered one of the largest of its kind, used by roughly 350 families of moderate means from the surrounding community. On June 13, 2006, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department carried out an eviction and more than 40 protesters were arrested; on July 5, 2006, workers began bulldozing the farm amid further protests.

· Wikipedia · United States

This Wikipedia article covers the Beacon Food Forest, an urban food forest on public land in Seattle's Beacon Hill neighborhood, described as the largest food forest on public land in the United States. Jacqueline Cramer and Glenn Herlihy proposed the concept in 2009; the project received a $20,000 grant in 2010 and a $100,000 development grant in December 2011, with initial planting of 1.75 acres in September 2012. It added 27 P-Patch garden plots in 2014, expanded by 1.5 acres in 2019, and its Food Forest Collective gained nonprofit status in August 2017.

City of Atlanta (AgLanta) · AgLanta (City of Atlanta, official) · United States

This official City of Atlanta (AgLanta) page describes the Urban Food Forest at Browns Mill, a 7.1-acre site in a designated food desert acquired by The Conservation Fund in fall 2016 and developed as Atlanta's first community urban food forest, growing fruit, nuts, vegetables, herbs, and mushrooms for public consumption. It is framed as part of the city's goal to bring healthy food within a half mile of 85% of Atlanta residents by 2022, funded in part through the U.S. Forest Service's community forestry program.

Farm Hack · Farm Hack · United States

The official Farm Hack tool library page. Anyone can submit a tool via 'Add a tool', and each tool page carries 'I built (or modified) this tool' / 'I like this tool' voting and a comment section, with tags (e.g. Smart Farm, Post Harvest, Irrigation and Water Management) for browsing and filtering. It functions as a community-accumulated record of member-built and modified farm tools.

· Wikipedia · United States

This Wikipedia article on Robert Putnam's 2000 book Bowling Alone describes its central argument as the reduction in all forms of in-person social intercourse in the United States, evidenced by decreased voter turnout, attendance at public meetings, service on committees, and an aggregate loss in membership and volunteers in many existing civic organizations. It cites the example that while the number of people who bowled increased over the prior 20 years, the number who bowled in leagues decreased. Putnam attributes the decline in civic engagement since 1965 to roughly: television/electronic entertainment 25%, generational change 50%, pressures of time and two-career families 10%, suburbanization/commuting 10%, and unexplained 15-20%.

· Wikipedia · United States

This Wikipedia article on Seattle's P-Patch community garden program states the name derives from the Picardo family farm in the Wedgwood neighborhood. It reports about 90 P-Patch locations around the city, which in 2023 donated a total of 33,438 pounds (15,167 kg) of produce to food banks and meal programs. It also describes a 25,000-square-foot (2,300 m2) P-Patch on the roof of a Mercer Street parking garage at Seattle Center, opened in 2012, whose planned 2020 closure was averted following public protest.

NYC Parks (New York City Department of Parks & Recreation) · NYC Parks · United States

This NYC Parks page introduces GreenThumb, established in 1978 and described as the nation's largest urban gardening program, sustaining over 550 community gardens and supporting thousands of volunteer gardeners across the five boroughs. It explains the program originated from derelict vacant lots left by the city's 1970s fiscal crisis, and operates through three teams—Community Engagement, Operations, and Planning and Programs—providing free materials, technical assistance, and educational workshops.

· Wikipedia · United States

This Wikipedia article covers the Liz Christy Garden, described as the first and oldest community garden in New York City. In 1973 Liz Christy founded the Green Guerillas and petitioned the city for access to a vacant lot for $1 a month; the garden was officially created in 1974. Located at the corner of the Bowery and Houston Street in Manhattan, it is now managed by about 20 volunteer gardeners. It was renamed in Christy's honor after her death in 1985, became a legally protected community garden in 2002, and was included in the Bowery Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.

· Wikipedia · United States

This Wikipedia article covers sociologist Ray Oldenburg's concept of the 'third place,' proposed in his 1989 book The Great Good Place. A third place is a social space separate from home ('first place') and workplace ('second place'), with examples including churches, cafes, bars, libraries, and parks. It outlines Oldenburg and Christensen's seven characteristics—accessibility, comfortable atmosphere, convenient location, unpretentiousness, established regulars, conversation focus, and lighthearted mood—and argues these spaces matter for democracy, civic engagement, and a sense of place.

Edible Schoolyard Project · Edible Schoolyard Project · United States

The official site of the Edible Schoolyard Project, a non-profit founded in 1995 by chef and food activist Alice Waters. Its mission is to use organic school gardens, kitchens, and cafeterias as a teaching tool for nutrition, self-responsibility, and community values alongside academic subjects. It runs its own model programs, Edible Schoolyard Berkeley and Edible Schoolyard Stockton, in addition to providing edible education curricula, teacher training, a public resource library, and a network connecting edible-education programs across the US and abroad.

· Wikipedia · United States

A Wikipedia article surveying the history and present state of community gardening in the United States. It traces early examples such as the Moravians' garden in Bethabara, North Carolina in the early 1700s, Detroit's municipally sponsored 'Pingree's Potato Patches' of the 1890s, World War I/II victory gardens, and the founding of the American Community Gardening Association (ACGA) in 1978. Current figures cited include over 3,000 gardens statewide in New York, over 550 gardens on New York City property (plus 745 school gardens), about 1,400 gardens in Detroit, over 800 documented in Chicago, about 180 in Boston, and Seattle's P-Patch program with 1,900 plots across 68 locations totaling 23 acres.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) · United States

EPA's Brownfields and Land Revitalization program page describes grants and technical assistance for assessing, cleaning up, and reusing contaminated land. As of June 2026 it lists $270 million in brownfield grants and a $1.5 billion investment under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The page does not directly discuss urban agriculture.

City of Seattle, Department of Neighborhoods · Seattle Department of Neighborhoods · United States

The official page for Seattle's P-Patch Community Gardening Program, run by the city's Department of Neighborhoods. It describes 91 P-Patch community gardens distributed throughout the city where residents grow organic vegetables, flowers, and herbs in shared plots that also serve as community gathering and learning spaces.

Keep Growing Detroit · Keep Growing Detroit · United States

The official site of Keep Growing Detroit, an urban agriculture organization aiming for food sovereignty in which most fruits and vegetables consumed by Detroiters are grown within the city. It runs the Garden Resource Program, education series on topics like beekeeping and carpentry, and an online farm store, Grown in Detroit.

Sole Food Street Farms · Sole Food Street Farms · Canada

Founded in 2009, Sole Food Street Farms is a social enterprise that converts vacant lots into productive farmland around Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. It trains and employs residents facing complex barriers, selling and donating fresh produce.

Black Creek Community Farm · Black Creek Community Farm · Canada

An 8-acre urban agriculture centre in Toronto's Jane and Finch neighbourhood. In 2024 it harvested 31,046 pounds across 49 crops and 115 varieties, engaged 7,500 program participants, donated 3,066 pounds of food to food banks, held over 200 workshops, and provided over 60 youth employment opportunities.

Santropol Roulant · Santropol Roulant · Canada

Santropol Roulant's rooftop farm in Montreal's Plateau neighbourhood combines intensive garden beds with container gardening and keeps beehives. Produce grown there feeds the organization's meals-on-wheels kitchen, and kitchen scraps are composted in the basement and returned to the rooftop farm, forming a closed food-waste loop.

The Stop Community Food Centre · The Stop Community Food Centre · Canada

The official site of The Stop Community Food Centre, a Toronto-based food organization operating for over 40 years, running a food bank, community kitchen, and urban agriculture programs. It serves 522 meals per week, draws 126,000 annual farmers market visitors, and is supported by 180 volunteers, emphasizing community empowerment over a charity model.

Common Roots Urban Farm · Common Roots Urban Farm (Ecology Action Centre) · Canada

Official site of Common Roots Urban Farm, which operates two sites in Nova Scotia, Canada: BiHi Park in Halifax (established 2019) and Woodside in Dartmouth, on the grounds of Nova Scotia Hospital (active since 2015). It runs communal gathering gardens, teaching gardens, and 240 community allotment plots rented or donated to individuals and groups. The farm is now part of the Ecology Action Centre, working with partner organizations including Nourish Nova Scotia, YWCA Halifax, and Feed Nova Scotia.