Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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585 results(4 / 24)
Modelación de ecuaciones estructurales aplicada al estudio de Agricultura Apoyada por Comunidades (AAC) ubicadas en la región Sudeste de Brasil
2024Gustavo Alves de Melo, Luiz Gonzaga de Castro Júnior, Eduardo Gomes Carvalho, Maria Gabriela Mendonça Peixoto, Samuel Borges Barbosa, Patrícia Guarnieri dos Santos, André Luiz Marques Serrano, Lucas Oliveira Gomes Ferreira, José Baltazar Salgueirinho Osório de Andrade Guerra · Magazine Portal Bibliotech Digital (Universidad Nacional de Colombia) · Brazil
This descriptive, quantitative study investigated the relationship between various Communities Supported Agriculture (CSA) variables in Southeastern Brazil using Structural Equation Modeling. The study confirmed that socioeconomic characteristics positively influence CSAs’ performance. However, limitations were identified regarding the data collection method and difficulties imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Methodological critiqueCSA & TeikeiEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceMapping the Dynamics of the Vertical Farm: A Biopolitical Epistemology of Valuation
2024Hayley Birss · Social Epistemology · Canada
This study examines Infarm's vertical farming practice, a venture capital-backed solution for climate change mitigation, by mapping its actor-network. The analysis reveals that Infarm's vertical farming and its climate change mitigation logics are shaped by venture capital and its biopolitical epistemology of valuation. This framework conceptualizes life, biology, and climate in terms of political economy, indicating that economic viability is a primary driver.
Economic viabilityDigital agricultureEconomicsPolicyUrban Agriculture Embedded in a Food Systems Approach: The Baltimore Story
2024Sarah Buzogany, Abby Cocke, Holly Freishtat, Yeeli Mui, Mariya Strauss, Sylvia Kelly · Urban agriculture · United States (Baltimore)
Baltimore, United States, has developed urban agriculture policies over the last decade, integrating them into a food systems approach to sustainability. Policy development covered zoning, permitting, land leasing, and soil regulations. However, challenges were encountered regarding staffing, funding, resident engagement, and differing city agency priorities, especially concerning land access. The experience highlights the importance of mainstreaming food policy into urban planning.
Governance failurePolicyCommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceSpatial Barriers to Transforming toward a Healthy Food System in the Noreste of Mexico
2024Rob Roggema, Aleksandra Krstikj, B. J. Erazo Flores · Nutrients · Mexico (Monterrey)
This study in the Noreste of Mexico, focusing on Monterrey, investigated spatial and non-spatial barriers to adopting healthy diets and accessing plant-based foods. Findings revealed significant disparities in food access across the Monterrey metropolitan area, with central urban zones having superior access to fresh foods compared to suburban and peripheral regions. This inequality disproportionately affects marginalized areas with higher poverty rates, worsening food insecurity.
Equity & displacementHealthEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageFactors Associated with Participation in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) among Low-Income Households: A Scoping Review
2024Karla L. Hanson, Claire Concepcion, Leah C. Volpe · Nutrients · United States
This scoping review explored factors associated with Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) participation among low-income households in the United States. Analyzing 18 articles, findings suggested that women may be more likely than men to enroll in CSA. A lack of familiarity with CSA may hinder enrollment, whereas more education and self-efficacy for food preparation may facilitate participation.
Equity & displacementCSA & TeikeiWelfareEconomicsConteúdos atuais do circuito inferior da economia urbana
2024Marcos Xavier · Boletim Campineiro de Geografia · Brazil (São Paulo)
This article aims to present peripheral urban agriculture in the outskirts of São Paulo, Brazil, as an element of the lower circuit of the urban economy. These agricultural activities, carried out by the city's poor, exhibit forms of organization and methods of practice specific to the urban context and participate in the dispute over the appropriation and use of urban space.
Peri-urban agricultureEconomicsCommunityWelfareAssessment of aquaponics as a sustainable food production system for urban agriculture
2024Arnaldo Monteiro, Neusa Barbosa, Rosimeire Pereira, Josimar Cardoso · International Journal of Research in Agronomy · Brazil (São Paulo)
This 12-month study (March 2022-February 2023) at the University of São Paulo, Brazil, evaluated the productivity, water efficiency, and economic viability of a media-bed aquaponics system compared to conventional hydroponics and soil-based cultivation. Lettuce and basil were grown alongside Nile tilapia. Aquaponics used 78.2% less water than soil-based production and 22.1% less than hydroponics per kilogram of produce. Lettuce yields in aquaponics reached 4.83 kg/m², slightly below hydroponics (5.12 kg/m²) but well above soil cultivation (3.27 kg/m²), and the aquaponics unit achieved economic break-even at month 9 and returned a 14.3% annual profit margin.
EconomicsClimate changeUrban–rural linkage“Farming Inside Cities” – A Look Back After Two Decades
2024Martin Bailkey, Rosalind Greenstein · Urban agriculture · United States
This paper reviews “Farming Inside Cities: Entrepreneurial Urban Agriculture in the United States” (2000) by Jerry Kaufman and Martin Bailkey. This report was one of three concurrent research studies on for-market urban agriculture as a viable reuse of vacant land in major US cities. While its practical nature and description of urban agriculture's opportunities and challenges remain relevant today, it does not explicitly state the value of farming as a vehicle for social equity and food justice in urban communities of color.
EconomicsCommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkageAssessing Healthy Effects between Local Level Farmer’s Markets and Community-Supported Agriculture and Physical Well-Being at the State Level
2024Patsy Kraeger, Rhonda Phillips, J. H. Lubin, Jonathan Weir, Kristina R. Patterson · Sustainability · United States
This study investigated the connection between local farmers markets (FMs), community-supported agriculture (CSAs), and physical well-being at the state level across the 50 states of the United States. Analyzing 2016 data from the United States Department of Agriculture using an ordinal logistic regression model, the study found an inconclusive relationship at the state level. While local FMs and CSAs may increase physical well-being, this study did not find such an increase.
Limited or null effectCSA & TeikeiHealthEconomicsUrban Agriculture as a Public Good: Valuing Farming and Gardening in Philadelphia and Chicago
2024Domenic Vitiello · Urban agriculture · United States
US cities have developed urban agriculture support systems reflecting competing values, with some prioritizing public good and others economic gains. A chapter reflecting on urban agriculture planning in Chicago and Philadelphia notes that institutional structures significantly impact equity and justice. The study indicates that the existing urban agriculture support systems in these cities may not adequately promote equity and justice.
Equity & displacementPolicyCommunityEconomicsHealthLocal Food System Approaches to Address Food and Nutrition Security among Low-Income Populations: A Systematic Review
2024Katharine Garrity, Kathleen Krzyzanowski Guerra, Hannah Hart, Khawlah Al-Muhanna, Emily C. Kunkler, Ashlea Braun, K. Poppe, Kara Johnson, Emma Lazor, Yang Liu, Jennifer Garner · Advances in Nutrition · United States
A systematic review of 34 studies (37 articles) from 2000-2020 evaluated the impact of local food system (SVC) models on food and nutrition security among low-income populations in the United States. Farmers market interventions were more extensively evaluated than other SVC models, with fruit and vegetable intake being the most measured outcome. Barriers to SVC use included lack of program awareness, limited accessibility, and cultural incongruence, while facilitators included health-promoting environments, community cohesion, financial incentives, and high-quality produce.
Food sovereignty & justiceEconomicsHealthCSA & TeikeiCommunity gardens support high levels of food production, but benefit distribution is uneven across the gardener community
2024Brenda B. Lin, Peter Bichier, Heidi Liere, Monika Egerer, Stacy M. Philpott, Shalene Jha · Sustainability Science · United States (California)
A study of 18 urban community gardens in Central Coast, California, USA, used gardener surveys and field measurements to evaluate food production and its distribution. Gardeners produced an average of four pounds of food per week, saving an estimated $16 USD weekly. However, gardeners with greater food insecurity (larger families or lower incomes) were not the largest producers, indicating uneven benefit distribution despite high overall productivity.
Equity & displacementCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsA review of food asset maps in Canada
2024Belinda Li, Tammara Soma, Raghava Payment, Srishti Kumar, Nicole Anderson, Flora Xu, Phonpoom Piensatienkul · Canadian Food Studies / La Revue canadienne des études sur l alimentation · Canada
This study reviewed and categorized 73 food asset maps in Canada based on their included food assets and design characteristics. Most maps included built environment assets like grocery stores and food banks, as well as agriculture-based natural food assets such as farms, community gardens, and orchards. However, representations of Indigenous-focused food assets and non-agriculture-based natural food assets like forests, water bodies, and foraging areas were generally lacking. This lack of Indigenous perspectives reinforces the values of a settler-colonial food system within food asset maps.
Equity & displacementCommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyEconomicsYield Operations: (Re)Fitting Urban Agriculture in Existing Green Spaces for Economic and Other Benefits
2024Joshua Zeunert · UNSWorks (University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia) · United States
To investigate the economic potential of urban agriculture in existing public green spaces, gross economic returns per hectare from horticultural crops were calculated from eight sources and fourteen growing approaches. Findings showed returns ranging from $22,249 to $360,000 USD per hectare annually, with several small urban agriculture businesses achieving gross returns of $150,000-$300,000 per hectare. The study concludes that urban agriculture in existing public green spaces offers opportunities to increase economic viability, alongside additional benefits like job creation, local food availability, education, training, health, and environmental improvements.
EconomicsCommunityPolicyHortas urbanas: desafios e potencialidades para o desenvolvimento sustentável de Cachoeiro de Itapemirim - ES
2024Adriana Rezende Bighi, Regiane Carla Bolzan Carvalho, Camille Rezende Sartorio, Maurício Novaes Souza · Mérida Publishers eBooks · Brazil
This study examines the role of urban gardens in Cachoeiro de Itapemirim, Espírito Santo, Brazil, exploring their economic, social, and environmental dimensions. Urban gardens mitigate environmental degradation, promote biodiversity, and have the potential to generate employment and income opportunities for local residents, while reducing food costs. Through the efficient use of local resources like idle land and organic waste, these gardens yield significant environmental benefits, including reduced pollution and improved air quality, and foster sustainable agricultural practices.
CommunityEconomicsBiodiversityClimate changeA profile of urban agricultural growers, organizations, their needs, and challenges in the Northeastern United States
2024Matthew L. Richardson, John Taylor, Megan J. Thompson, Anusuya Rangarajan, Mamatha Hanumappa, Neith G. Little · PLoS ONE · United States (Northeastern United States)
This online survey of 394 urban growers, primarily in the Northeastern United States, profiled growers and assessed urban agriculture's state, identifying needs and challenges. Most growers were white (non-Hispanic), under 45, well-educated but without agriculture degrees. Urban agriculture was dominated by small non-profits and home/community gardens. A critical finding is that urban growers face diverse barriers, with the most common being land availability and long-term access in urban areas, and many reported low revenue or operating at a net loss.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyEconomicsUrban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceMapping and Assessing Urban Agriculture in São Paulo: Tackling Socio-Economic and Environmental Issues through Nature-Based Solutions
2024Luiza Vigne Bennedetti, Silvia Ronchi, Maurício Lamano Ferreira, Fabiano Lemes de Oliveira · Sustainability · Brazil (São Paulo)
This study assessed São Paulo's urban agriculture (UA) potential using an Ecosystem Services (ES)-based approach, combining ES spatial mapping and a producer survey at 49 UA sites. Results showed natural habitats and anthropic areas within urbanized land, especially in the south, with high habitat quality scores. Nine ES were identified: food supply, commercialization, income generation, waste mediation, lifecycle maintenance, soil formation, leisure/social, well-being, and education.
PolicyEconomicsBiodiversityFood educationEffects of a School-Based Garden Program on Academic Performance: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial (TX Sprouts)
2023Landry M., Asigbee F., Vandyousefi S., Ghaddar R., Davis J. · Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 123(3):637-643 · United States
A cluster randomized controlled trial in mostly low-income, Hispanic Texas elementary schools testing whether the TX Sprouts garden, nutrition and cooking intervention affected academic performance. It found the program did not harm academic outcomes, showing that garden-based food education can be integrated into instructional time without lowering achievement.
Food educationHealthEconomicsPlanning the foodshed: Rural and peri‐urban factors in local food strategies of major cities in Canada and the United States
2023Kerstin Schreiber, Klara J. Winkler, Killian Abellon, Graham K. MacDonald · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems · United States
This study analyzes 25 local food strategy and action-plan documents from 22 major US and Canadian cities (over 300,000 residents) to assess how cities plan for peri-urban and rural food production. It finds that topics such as farmland access and quality, farm viability, agricultural training, processing infrastructure, and the needs of marginalized groups (including BIPOC) are often overlooked, and that fewer than half of cities defined how progress would be measured.
PolicyEconomicsThe effects of COVID-19 on Central Florida's community gardens: lessons for promoting food security and overall community wellbeing
2023William D. Schanbacher, James C. Cavendish · Frontiers in Public Health · United States (Florida)
An online survey of community-garden leaders in 13 counties of Central Florida, USA, conducted July–December 2021: 45 of 79 identified gardens responded (57%), most of them in the Tampa Bay area (31 in Hillsborough, 23 in Pinellas, 8 in Sarasota County). Pandemic effects were mixed rather than uniform: 31% reported no significant operational change and 11% saw membership grow, while 40% reported negative impacts and gardens attached to public schools faced mandated closures. 13% specifically cited loss of volunteers or reduced participation. 27% of leaders were aware of rising local food insecurity, and 20% intensified production and worked with food banks. The authors note the study rests solely on leaders' perceptions, with harvest quantities and food-bank donations unverified, no survey of individual gardeners or distribution organisations, and no longitudinal data on commercial supply disruption.
CommunityEconomicsWelfareA general overview of organic food trade in the Federal District
2023Jéssica Lorhanne Durães Martins, Domingo Sávio Coelho Negrão, Ana Maria Resende Junqueira, João Paulo Guimarães Soares · Concilium · Brazil
An exploratory and descriptive study characterized the trade of organic products from family farming in Brazil's Federal District, using data from August to December 2021. It found that fairs were the main acquisition points for organic products, but their number decreased by 35% due to Covid-19. Concurrently, new trade forms like CSAs and Delivery grew by about 40% due to the pandemic's impact.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageVAZIOS URBANOS EM MONTES CLAROS: POTENCIAL URBANÍSTICO E POSSIBILIDADES DE APROPRIAÇÃO DAS PRÁTICAS AGRÍCOLAS
2023Tainá Ferreira da ROCHA, Hélder dos Anjos Augusto · Editora Científica Digital eBooks · Brazil (Montes Claros)
This study explored urban agriculture in Montes Claros, Brazil, identifying its contributions, challenges, and potentials through document analysis, geographic information, farmer testimonies, and field visits. Urban agriculture is widely practiced in the municipality, both collectively and individually, with collective practices showing grassroots organization through neighborhood associations, while spontaneous practices lack external influence. Most urban gardens are developed on public land and vacant private lots, serving multiple uses such as green spaces, food production, economic activity, and occupational therapy.
CommunityEconomicsPolicyUrban–rural linkageReclaiming traditional food systems in alternative food networks. Insights from Mexico city peri-urban agriculture
2023Louise Guibrunet, M Alvarez Rubio, Ileana Nuri Flores Abreu · Local Environment · Mexico (Mexico City)
This study advocates for broadening the definition of Alternative Food Networks (AFN) to include traditional agricultural systems. Analyzing the case of chinampas, a traditional agricultural system in Mexico City, it demonstrates that chinampas can be defined as an AFN due to their production modes, diverse distribution channels, and economic practices. The study concludes that traditional food systems offer an alternative to conventional systems and should be included in AFN research.
Food sovereignty & justicePeri-urban agricultureEconomicsCommunityFAZENDA VERTICAL COMO MODELO SUSTENTÁVEL DE AGRICULTURA URBANA
2023Renata Priore Lima, Lady Laura Soares Gundim · Revista Gestão & Sustentabilidade Ambiental · Brazil (São Paulo)
This study investigates the benefits of vertical farms as a sustainable food production model in cities. Through a literature review and a case study of Pink Farms in São Paulo, Brazil, the results indicate benefits such as energy and land use optimization, but also highlight the ecological, social, and landscape limitations of vertical farms.
Environmental trade-offsDigital agricultureClimate changeEconomicsCSA & Snap: Business Opportunity For Farmers, Improved Nutrition For The Community
2023Diane Smith, Katherine Selting Smith · Advances in biological sciences research/Advances in Biological Sciences Research · United States
This paper describes a SNAP CSA pilot and introduces the Farm to Families (F2F) Toolkit, developed to engage low-income consumers receiving SNAP benefits in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). USDA rules now permit SNAP benefits for CSA shares, provided the CSA is SNAP-authorized and prepayment is within 14 days of produce receipt. This aims to expand access to fresh produce for SNAP recipients and support farmers.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsHealthWelfare