Research & reports

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.

Carine Borchert Rosa, Daniela Mueller de Lara, Erli Schneider Costa · Revista Eletrônica Científica da UERGS · Brazil (Rio Grande do Sul)

This study at Escola Estadual de Educação Básica Santa Rita in Nova Santa Rita, Brazil, applied a research-oriented teaching proposal to students, focusing on inorganic functions through organic fertilizer production using school waste. Students built a garden, collected waste, produced organic fertilizer, and validated results. The study observed mutual aid among students, developed their intervention capacity, and noted a positive change in their approach to discarded waste like potato peels, banana peels, eggshells, and mate.

James D. Blount, Leah E. K. Lenoch, Faith A. Fitzpatrick · Journal of Great Lakes Research · United States

A study of Apple Creek, Wisconsin (119 km²), a Great Lakes tributary like many others subject to Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) targets requiring reductions of 51.2% in suspended sediment and 64.2% in total phosphorus. From August 2017 to October 2018, an integrated stream sediment budget and fingerprinting study quantified upland and stream-corridor sources of suspended sediment and sediment-bound phosphorus. Phosphorus concentrations varied among source groups and fluvial sediment types, with higher concentrations in suspended sediment and cropland soils. Eroding streambanks accounted for 100% of the TMDL model's (SWAT) suspended sediment load but only 20% of the total phosphorus load; fine-grained streambed sediment equated to roughly three years of modelled suspended sediment load but only one-third of the total phosphorus load. The two primary sources of fine-grained streambed sediment were streambanks and cropland, with the relative streambank contribution increasing downstream and with watershed area. The relative proportion of suspended sediment varied by season and streamflow, but weighted for representative streamflow, cropland and streambank erosion accounted for 54% and 23% of suspended sediment respectively. Urban land was a source in the upper watershed, but its signature was sequestered by a mid-watershed detention basin, and contributions from construction sites were higher in fall 2018, likely corresponding to increased activity following a wet spring.

Cleidiane Moraes Novais, Tadeu Miranda de Queiróz · Engenharia Sanitaria e Ambiental · Brazil

In Tangará da Serra, Mato Grosso, Brazil, a city facing a recent water crisis, researchers analyzed samples collected from October 2019 to April 2020 with an initial-rainfall sampler, measuring pH, bicarbonates, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, calcium, magnesium, total hardness, chlorides, sodium, and potassium in the first five millimeters of rainfall to assess its suitability for irrigating urban agriculture. Chemical compound concentrations were highest in the very first millimeter of rain and improved as precipitation continued; under FAO guideline classification there was no restriction on using the municipality's rainwater for urban agriculture irrigation, though both natural and anthropogenic sources may have influenced the measured concentrations, and discarding the initial millimeters before use is presented as a viable option for irrigating backyard crops.

Osmar Manoel Nunes, Shirley Grazieli da Silva Nascimento, Mariana Rockenbach de Ávila, Luciellen de Lourdes Silveira Vieira, Criziane Flores Pamplona · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Brazil

This case study analyzes the socioeconomic conditions of two peri-urban family farms producing organic lettuce in Dom Pedrito, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil — regarded as among the region's leading farmers — with gardens in the Rincão da Figura and São Gregório areas. Using case-study methods, researchers conducted in-depth interviews with the farmers and on-site visits, analyzing the data through Textual Discourse Analysis. Production relied exclusively on family labor with minimal use of chemical inputs, characterized as a transitional stage toward organic production; output was sold at the weekly Friday municipal market and supplied to three additional small stores in the city. The study concludes that, despite strong competition from large distribution networks, lettuce production and sale remained profitable, constituting an alternative source of income and job creation in family farming.

Greathouse J., Henning S., Soendergaard M. · Plants 10(5):965 · United States

Grafted heirloom tomatoes (Black Krim, Green Zebra) and standard Big Beef onto rootstocks in hydroponics, measuring antioxidant capacity, phenolics, and lycopene. Specific rootstocks raised antioxidant capacity and altered phenolic content of heirlooms.

Dsouza A., Price G., Dixon M., Graham T. · Sustainability · Canada

Presents a conceptual framework for incorporating composting into closed-loop urban controlled environment agriculture to recycle nutrients from organic waste streams.

Bárbara de Oliveira Falce, Breno Dalcolmo de Almeida Leão, Arnaldo Henrique de Oliveira Carvalho · Meio Ambiente (Brasil) · Brazil (Ibatiba)

This study characterized urban agriculture in Ibatiba, Brazil, by analyzing 22 production units across 10 neighborhoods through spatial distribution mapping and farmer interviews. Positive aspects included a wide variety of foods, considerable independence from external inputs for seeds, fertilizers, and animal feed, and efforts towards environmental education. However, concerns were noted regarding the continued use of pesticides and issues with water origin and utilization, such as spring water capture and limited irrigation.

Lucas Sales dos Santos, Milena De Moura Régis, Ana Paula Branco do Nascimento · Revista Nacional de Gerenciamento de Cidades · Brazil (São Paulo)

This study investigated an organically grown community garden in the Previdência Municipal Park in the West Zone of São Paulo City, Brazil, through in-situ observations, interviews, and literature review. The findings indicated benefits for food and nutrition safety, interpersonal involvement, and environmental education. Key challenges identified were social leaderships, technical-scientific knowledge for organic productivity, and planning for project continuity.

Naiane Modri Fuzinatto, Jaciney Aparecida Danielli, Daniela Preschlak, Augusto Fischer · Revista em Agronegócio e Meio Ambiente · Brazil

This study presented a proposal for organic strawberry cultivation in urban spaces for a small producer and evaluated the financial viability of local sales. Through a qualitative and quantitative case study in Santa Catarina State, results indicated social and environmental benefits from adopting urban strawberry cultivation under an organic production system. Furthermore, the entire investment could be recovered in just over two years, representing a medium-term return on investment.

Tainá Souza Santos · · Brazil (São Carlos)

This paper investigates knowledge practices within the Community Supporting Agriculture of São Carlos, Brazil, through the words of farmer Dina. The research, conducted from August 2019 to October 2020, relates ethnographic material to contemporary anthropological discussions on ecology and knowledge. It also compares Dina's agroecological production techniques with the production of ethnographic writing.

Pedro Henrique Sousa Silva, Iara SuilaAlmeida do Nascimento, Cauê Barbosa Coelho, Patrícia Barbosa da Silva, Regina Lúcia Félix de Aguiar Lima · Brazilian Journal of Development · Brazil

This study evaluated the occurrence and degree of association between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and leafy vegetables from Asteraceae, Aliaceae, Apiaceae, Amaranthaceae, and Brassicaceae families, grown organically in an urban community garden in Brazil. Mycorrhizal colonization in lettuce varieties (Asteraceae) ranged from 10% to 40%. Chives (Aliaceae) showed an average colonization of 16%, and Apiaceae species had colonization ranging from 7.4% to 23%. In contrast, Amaranthaceae species (beetroot and spinach) showed no AMF structures in their roots, and Brassicaceae species showed colonization ranging from 0% to 19.5%.

Rafael Carvalho Machado, Sieglinde Kindl Da Cunha · Waste Management & Research The Journal for a Sustainable Circular Economy · Brazil (Curitiba)

This study investigated Curitiba, Brazil's Urban Agriculture Program (UAP) and its decentralized composting strategy, which aimed to close the agricultural loop within city bounds. Despite training 24 urban farmer communities in composting techniques, the program was unable to achieve this goal. The research, based on secondary data review, interviews, and participatory observation, identified cultural barriers and conflicts among actor roles within the UAP that hindered the adoption of composting practices.

T. E. Freeman, Tiare Saracino, Lynn Barber, Tom Wichman, Esen Momol, Kristina McIntyre, Jacqlyn Rivas, Jennifer Marvin · EDIS · United States (California)

This is a homeowner-facing extension publication from Florida on environmentally friendly ways to enhance soil fertility for vegetables, herbs, and fruit in home landscapes. It describes recycling nutrients on-site or via composting to build productive edible landscapes with less waste, stating that adopting these methods into landscape maintenance builds organic matter and adds nutrients to soil naturally.

Athayde Leite de Sá Filho, Mariana Gomes Kottas, José Edilson dos Santos Júnior, Vivianni Marques Leite dos Santos · Journal on Innovation and Sustainability RISUS · Brazil

This literature-based review of urban gardens (hortas urbanas) in Brazil describes the sector's evolution, challenges and outlook, arguing that Brazil has favorable natural conditions and that urban gardens are among the fastest-growing components of the country's agroecological sector, while identifying the need for incentive policies, public awareness, farming-space planning and greater research investment as conditions for further consolidation.

Isabel Cristina Carvalho, Raquel Luz Sousa, David Leite Viana · Americanae (AECID Library) · Brazil

The informality of urban agroecological space is examined through methodologies from transdisciplinary border zones, particularly the arts, framing the practice of gardening as an act of creation. Ecosophical, aesthetic and artistic concepts (community eco-art practices and digital eco-art) are integrated with socio-economic-political concepts (strengthening production, citizenship and digital literacy) in the context of informal urban agriculture, sketching an application scenario for inclusive community-resilience methodologies.

Denise Junqueira Matos, Fernanda Pinto Ferreira, Natália Ingrid Pezzoti, Luana de Melo Scardovelli, Italmar Teodorico Navarro, Letícia Santos Balbino, Gabrieli Dutra Gonçalves, Kátia Denise Saraiva Bresciani · Brazilian Journal of Development · Brazil

A 2021 study examined environmental management conditions and the occurrence of Escherichia coli in irrigation water, helminths in vegetables, and protozoa (Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia spp. and Toxoplasma gondii) in soil, fertilizer, water and vegetables from community gardens in Araçatuba, São Paulo State, Brazil, covering all six gardens registered with the city's Agro-industrial Development Secretariat. An epidemiological questionnaire was administered to garden workers, and each garden was sampled for 40 liters of treated water or 10 liters of untreated water, about 10 g of soil, 10 g of fertilizer, and one bunch each of lettuce and another vegetable. E. coli in irrigation water was detected using the Colilert Kit (IDEXX Laboratories); helminths and their eggs in vegetables were assessed by optical microscopy; and Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia spp. and T. gondii were assessed by PCR in water, soil, fertilizer and vegetable samples. Results showed that an urban location, use of treated water, absence of open pits, area limits set by walls or fences, and absence of domestic animals in the community gardens were together sufficient to prevent detection of E. coli in irrigation water, helminths in vegetables, and Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia spp. and T. gondii in water, soil, fertilizer and vegetable samples.

Matt Hare, Ana Peña del Valle Isla · Local Environment · Mexico

Two surveys mapped the distribution of edible plant species growing in publicly accessible interstitial spaces — such as central reservations and pavements — in subtropical central Mexico City (CDMX), walking roughly 20 km of streets and identifying 36 species of edible plants including fruits, herbs and vegetables. Of five feasibility conditions for using these spaces for foraging, three — suitable growing conditions, provisioning capability, and the existence of multiple plant dispersal pathways — could be satisfactorily assessed, while two — usage and a favourable planning environment — could not be judged from the field data. Rather than improving everyday food supplies, maintaining these spaces for emergency foraging was framed as a way to increase urban resilience against extreme food supply shocks. CDMX promotes planting fruit trees along avenues, but the survey found local socio-ecological systems sustain a greater variety of edible plants across a wider range of interstitial spaces.

Gabriela Eustáquio Lacerda, Julliany Lopes Dias, Guilherme Nobre Lima do Nascimento, Ilsamar Mendes Soares · Revista Brasileira de Plantas Medicinais · Brazil

Dried leaf bark and freeze-dried gel from Aloe vera grown in community gardens in Palmas, Tocantins, Brazil were analyzed for chemical composition, phytochemistry, and heavy metals. Moisture content ranged from 7.06 to 10.62%, ash from 13.62 to 32.63%, crude protein from 5.58 to 7.47%, lipids from 0.58 to 2.04%, and crude fiber from 16.22 to 16.49%. Phytochemical analysis identified gallic acid, catechin, gallocatechin, ellagic acid, naringin, myricetin, quercetin, and kaempferol. No heavy metals were detected in the samples analyzed. The authors note further research is needed on how seasonality affects these compounds.

Alessandra Polastrini, Cláudia Regina de Sousa e Silva, João Aparecido Bazzoli · Informe GEPEC · Brazil

This study examined whether urban community gardens in the central region of Palmas, Tocantins, Brazil, fit a conventional or agroecological production model, surveying four gardens (in blocks 1006, 1106, 1206 and 1306 Sul) through questionnaires with 42 gardeners and interviews with two staff from the Urban Gardens program. Findings showed a mismatch between the number of registered gardeners and those actually working the plots; gardeners were mostly low-income, low-education women; use of products incompatible with agroecological production was documented, though a transition process was underway with gardeners adopting agroecology-based management techniques; and oversight and technical assistance existed but at levels insufficient to ensure adequate guidance for gardeners and product quality for consumers.

Erin Anzalone · Digital Commons - USU (Utah State University) · United States

This paper outlines plans for a subsidized Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program at Sugar Grove Farm, part of the Indian Creek Nature Center (ICNC) in Linn County, Iowa, using agroecology and restorative agriculture to grow food crops and make affordable produce available to low-income households, describing the intended logistics and reasoning for the program, which the paper states was set to launch in 2018. It does not report outcomes.

Isaac Kwadwo Mpanga, Ursula K. Schuch, Jeff Schalau · Current Research in Environmental Sustainability · United States

A study in north-central Arizona, United States, investigated land use and farm practices among small-scale growers and their role in resilient, sustainable local food production. Amid rising pressure from population growth and extreme climate on agricultural land, Arizona's average farm size fell 57% while the number of farms rose 127% between 1997 and 2017, and family farms under 10 acres now make up 50% of the state's farmer population. The study found that 52% of the surveyed small farms were family operations, with regenerative and sustainable practices predominating — cover cropping (27%), compost use (26%), crop rotation (23%), animal or green manure (22%), no-till (21%), and reduced tillage (18%) — while conventional practices such as intensive tillage (5%) and synthetic fertilizers (13%) were less common. For pest, weed, and disease control, 95% of growers used biological, cultural, or mechanical methods versus 5% using conventional synthetic chemicals, and for irrigation, 78% used water-saving methods (drip, subsurface, sprinkler) while 11% used open flood irrigation.

Shrestha P., Small G.E., Kay A. · PLOS ONE, 15(4):e0230996 · United States

A study measuring and quantifying nutrient recovery efficiency and loss from compost application in urban gardens. It shows compost often supplies phosphorus far in excess of crop demand, and surplus P can be lost to waterways. The work argues that closing the food-waste-to-compost loop in urban agriculture must be designed for sustainable nutrient management, not just diversion.

Savanah St. Clair, Maryam Saraylou, Daila Melendez, Norman Senn, Serina Reitz, Destini Kananipour, Angelo Alvarez · Applied and Environmental Soil Science · United States (Los Angeles)

This research characterized the arable soils at Los Angeles Pierce College to address health and food-security challenges, using soil physical/chemical measurements, microbial cultivation, and 16S rDNA sequencing on a citizen-science platform. It found plant-growth-promoting, antibiotic-producing and bioremediating bacteria—including abundant Streptomyces, Bacillus and Methylobacteria—across fields with distinct microclimates, and tests indicated that plant-based oils could control antibiotic-resistant bacteria more effectively than common antibiotics. The authors say the results can guide future trials and product development by identifying target soil microorganisms and the most viable fields.

Marina Portugal Torres, Pedro Henrique Goulart Pinheiro, Daniela Barroso Siste · · Brazil (Belo Horizonte)

This study investigated a homeopathic treatment for a high infestation of Orthezia cochineal on Golden Shrimp plants in the Botanical Garden of Belo Horizonte, Brazil, from November 2018 to February 2019. Orthezia nosode at 12CH potency was applied weekly. Observations showed an improvement in plant health, evidenced by new vigorous shoots, and a significant reduction in cochineal attacks.