Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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Critical findings
222 results(4 / 9)
AGROECOLOGIA E AGRICULTURA URBANA NA CIDADE DE SÃO PAULO: MOVIMENTOS SOCIOESPACIAIS E SOCIOTERRITORIAIS/ Agroecology and urban agriculture in Sao Paulo city: sociospacial and socioterritorial movements/ Agroecología y agricultura urbana en la ciudad de Sao Paulo: movimientos socioespaciales y socioterritoriales
2020Marcelo Gomes Justo · REVISTA NERA · Brazil (São Paulo)
This article presents data and analyses on organic and agroecological production in São Paulo city, Brazil, using secondary data surveys and interviews. It maps the combined action of socio-spatial and socio-territorial movements for agroecology in São Paulo and its Metropolitan Region. The study discusses concepts of agroecology, urban and peri-urban agriculture, and socio-spatial/socio-territorial movements as analytical tools, concluding that combined action is necessary for agroecology's expansion.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityUrban–rural linkageCaracterização socioeconômica dos sistemas de Agricultura Urbana e Periurbana adotados no Município de Irituia, Pará, Brasil
2020Cinthia de Oliveira Rodrigues, Maria Lúcia Bahia Lopes, Fabrício Khoury Rebello, Rosália do Socorro da Silva Corrêa · Research Society and Development · Brazil (Irituia, Pará)
A quantitative and qualitative study using 40 semi-structured questionnaires was conducted with urban and peri-urban farmers in Irituia, Pará, Brazil, to identify the socioeconomic profile and productive dynamics of Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture (AUP) systems. The study identified three distinct categories of farmers: 42.5% for whom AUP is the main source of income, 32.5% who are public servants, and 25.0% who are small traders. Although no effective public policies for AUP promotion were evident in Irituia, spontaneous initiatives and significant growth potential were observed due to the municipality's rural nature.
EconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageCommunityMemory, waterways, and ecocultural identity
2020Jeffrey Alan Hoffmann · · United States
Hoffmann examined oral histories and interviews (1995-1996, 2014, 2017) with elders of multiple ethnicities in a working-class urban agricultural neighborhood in the U.S. Southwest. The study found that while ecocultural memory fosters trust in shared water relationships, historical anxieties stemming from urban development violence can impede communities' ability to organize to protect and restore ancestral waterways.
Equity & displacementCommunityUrban–rural linkageHeirloom & landraceDeveloping a local definition of urban agriculture: context and implications for a rural state
2020Catherine Dobbins, Casandra Cox, Leslie D. Edgar, D. L. Graham, Amanda Philyaw Perez · The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension · United States
This study aimed to define urban agriculture for Arkansas, a rural state, by conducting 16 qualitative interviews using snowball sampling. It found that the Arkansas-specific definition evolved to small-scale, diversified, and sustainable farming within city limits, engaging with the market or community, and fewer than 10 acres. Participants also expressed hesitation to be defined solely as 'urban farmer'.
CommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkageThe multiple logics of school gardening: a ‘return to nature’ or ‘love of labour’?
2020Elsie Rockwell · History of Education · United States
This article explores the history of school gardens in early twentieth-century US educational projects, finding that gardening activities were primarily for urban children lacking farming experience. It compares gardening's role in northern experimental schools with proposals for rural and segregated southern schools. The analysis identifies various logics, including arguments for promoting or dismissing school gardening and rationales for educating or retaining specific labor forces, highlighting a paradox between "return to nature" and "love of labor" in the discourse.
Food educationCommunityUrban–rural linkagePolicyBest of Both Worlds
2020Kristen Adams · Educational Media Reviews Online · United States (California)
The 27-minute film "Best of Both Worlds: Cohousing’s Promise" (2019) presents examples of cohousing communities in California, which are living arrangements with privately owned homes and shared facilities, tools, amenities, and several meals each week. The film features architect Charles Durrett, who began creating cohousing communities in the U.S. in the late 1980s, and includes resident interviews discussing social and environmental benefits. It also covers shared spaces, community gardens, and challenges in establishing cohousing projects.
CommunityDIYUrban–rural linkageUso e ocupação de áreas produtivas na Horta Comunitária EREMCC, Petrolina-PE
2020Lucas Ricardo Souza Almeida, Diego Cesar Alves Lima Verde, Hélder Ribeiro Freitas, Rita de Cássia Rodrigues Gonçalves Gervásio, Elson de Oliveira · Cadernos de Agroecologia · Brazil (Petrolina)
This study analyzed land use and occupation seasonality at the EREMCC Community Garden in Petrolina, Brazil, from August 2018 to March 2019. In August 2018, 73% of the 6,200 m² garden area was uncultivated, indicating a large unexplored area for production. By March 2019, food production increased by 35.71%, with most beds cultivated with cabbage, coriander, and lettuce.
Limited or null effectCommunityUrban–rural linkageEconomicsO PERFIL DOS AGRICULTUORES URBANOS DE CUIABÁ-MT: um estímulo à Economia Ecológica
2020Anderson Nunes de Carvalho Vieira, Alexandro Rodrigues Ribeiro, Silvio Santos Cardoso · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Brazil (Cuiabá)
This study describes the socioeconomic and productive profile of urban farmers in Cuiabá, Brazil, and their potential contribution to ecological economics. Using a mixed-method descriptive approach with primary data collected via questionnaires, the research found that urban agriculture often emerges as a survival alternative for poorer populations from rural areas. The study concludes that this practice, if adequately supported, can foster a better understanding and practice of ecological economics in the region.
EconomicsCommunityUrban–rural linkageWelfareConsuming the city: challenges and possibilities for foraging in Toronto’s parks
2020Anna Shortly, Thembela Kepe · Forests Trees and Livelihoods · Canada (Toronto)
This paper explores the opportunities and challenges of incorporating foraging practices into parks planning and management in Toronto, Canada, where foraging is often not permitted in urban parks. The study, based on a scan of practices and interviews, concludes that urban parkland managers should establish dedicated spaces like community orchards to safely and sustainably accommodate foraging, acknowledging current restrictions.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkageEl papel de las mujeres en el desarrollo de la agricultura urbana: el caso de la «Red de agricultura ecológica huertos en línea»
2019Karla Solari Pérez, Jazmín Goicochea Medina, Mishel Huamán Nakamura, Ronaldiño Tamara Pachas · Investigaciones Sociales · Peru (Lima)
This article analyzes the role of women in promoting and developing urban agriculture in two districts of South Lima, Peru: San Juan de Miraflores and Villa María del Triunfo. These experiences are part of the "Red de agricultores ecológicos huertos en línea" (Network of ecological farmers online gardens) social responsibility project by Red de Energía del Perú, and are analyzed transversally through the sex/gender system.
CommunityUrban–rural linkagePolicyA IMPORTÂNCIA DE JARDINS VERTICAIS PARA A EDUCAÇÃO AMBIENTAL E A UTILIZAÇÃO DE PLANTAS ALIMENTÍCIAS NÃO CONVÊNCIONAIS (PANC) COMO ESTÍMULO À AGRICULTURA URBANA
2019Luiza Oliveira Kossatz, Luciana Adelmann · Anais do EVINCI - UniBrasil · Brazil (Paraná)
This work aims to disseminate the concept of urban agriculture by raising awareness of environmental education's benefits for human development. It proposes adopting gardens made from recycled/reusable materials and utilizing endemic Paraná plant species, known as Non-Conventional Food Plants (PANC), that can be cultivated in vertical gardens and serve as food. The research intends to highlight the need to preserve local biodiversity and reduce urban pollution.
Food educationBiodiversityDIYUrban–rural linkageCatalyzing change in local food system governance in Calgary, Alberta
2019Mary Beckie, Elizabeth M. Bacon · · Canada (Calgary)
This study examines YYC Growers and Distributors, a producer cooperative in Calgary, Alberta, established in 2014 with 20 urban and rural farmers. It analyzes the cooperative's internal democratic self-governance model and its role in evolving local food governance at municipal and provincial levels. The study concludes that YYC catalyzes change in local food governance through its relationships with various stakeholders.
CSA & TeikeiPolicyCommunityUrban–rural linkageTECHNICAL-PRODUCTIVE AND SOCIOECONOMIC LIMITATIONS TO THE ADOPTION OF URBAN AGRICULTURE. THE CASE OF THE URBAN AND PERI-URBAN AGRICULTURE NETWORK OF XALAPA, VERACRUZ
2019Guadalupe Del Ángel-Lozano, Martha Elena Nava-Tablada · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Mexico
This study analyzed technical-productive and socioeconomic limitations to urban agriculture adoption within the Urban and Periurban Agriculture Network (RAUP) in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico. Based on 25 questionnaires from active members and 10 from sporadic participants, both groups agreed that the main constraints are socioeconomic, such as lack of space and limited free time, which are linked to urban lifestyles. Technical-productive limitations were not considered relevant.
Economic viabilityEconomicsCommunityUrban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceAgricultures urbaines à São Paulo: histoire et typologie
2019Eduardo de Lima Caldas, Martin Jayo · Confins · Brazil (São Paulo)
This study traced the history of urban agriculture in São Paulo, Brazil, since the 1980s and analyzed current agricultural practices. It revealed that urban agriculture initiatives and policies have historically alternated between "scale-oriented" and "visibility-oriented" forms. These two forms coexist today, with "scale-oriented" agriculture typically in peripheral areas and "visibility-oriented" agriculture concentrated in more central regions.
PolicyCommunityUrban–rural linkageChinampas: An Urban Farming Model of the Aztecs and a Potential Solution for Modern Megalopolis
2019Roland Ebel · HortTechnology · Mexico
This paper introduced the chinampa system, an urban farming model developed by the Aztecs in the Lake Xochimilco region of Mexico City. Chinampas are raised fields on small artificial islands in freshwater lakes, characterized by capillary irrigation and soil fertility generated from aquatic components. This system provides ecosystem services such as greenhouse gas sequestration and biodiversity diversification, and offers a potential solution for food supply and ecosystem services in modern cities.
BiodiversityClimate changeCommunityUrban–rural linkagePelo direito à cidade: Políticas públicas e hortas urbanas em Florianópolis
2019Giovana Callado Ferreira · História Unicap · Brazil (Florianópolis)
This article analyzes movements surrounding urban agriculture practices and public policies in Florianópolis, Brazil, as ways to construct diversified and democratic urban land uses. Political articulations led to the creation of the Rede Semear urban agriculture network, the election of a councilman advocating agroecology, and the establishment of municipal urban agriculture programs. Community and institutional gardens, such as the Pacuca Community and Pedagogical Garden, were highlighted in this movement.
PolicyCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageMaking “The Garden City of the South”: Beautification, Preservation, and Downtown Planning in Augusta, Georgia
2019J. Mark Souther · Journal of Planning History · United States
This article examines how civic leaders, particularly women, in Augusta, Georgia, collaborated with municipal administrations from the 1900s to the 1950s to beautify the city, known for its wide streets and urban horticulture tradition. These efforts led to a convergence of urban beautification, historic preservation, and downtown revitalization in the 1960s. This activity reshaped Augusta's cityscape, exacerbated racial tensions, and embedded principles of the City Beautiful, Garden City, and parks movements, influencing later planning work.
PolicyCommunityUrban–rural linkageOn the Path to a Resilient Urban Food System in a Rural State: A Mixed-Method Needs Assessment of Urban Producers and County Extension Agents in Arkansas
2019Catherine Dobbins · Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science · United States (Arkansas)
This mixed-method needs assessment in Arkansas investigated urban agriculture, using interviews with 16 urban farmers and a quantitative survey of County Extension Agents (CEAs) with a 57% response rate. Farmers expressed varied needs, and while they viewed the Cooperative Extension Service (CES) positively, CES lacked specific resources for small-scale sustainable farming. The survey revealed that 70.2% of CEAs reported low or nonexistent concentrations of urban farming in their counties, indicating potential barriers for agents to work with urban farmers.
Economic viabilityEconomicsCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageUrban family agriculture
2019Annelise Caetano Fraga Fernandez, Almir Cezar Baptista Filho · Portuguese National Funding Agency for Science, Research and Technology (RCAAP Project by FCT) · Brazil (Rio de Janeiro)
This article describes the obstacles to implementing public policy for family agriculture in urban areas of Brazil. Representations associated with rural-agricultural concepts have shaped the classification criteria of rural technical assistance technicians, limiting the policy's application in urban settings. Social movements in Rio de Janeiro highlighted the lack of access for urban family farmers to agrarian policies, leading to the recognition of urban family agriculture as a public problem.
Governance failurePolicyFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityUrban–rural linkageFrom cotton mill to co-op: the rise of a local food culture in Carrboro, North Carolina
2019Whitney Elizabeth Brown · Carolina Digital Repository (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) · United States (North Carolina)
In Carrboro, North Carolina, a group of citizens with progressive values has created a thriving market community for locally produced food over the last thirty years, leading to the rise of a local food culture. Farmers' markets, cooperative groceries, home and community gardens, urban chickens, and locally-focused restaurants play a vital role in the community's identity and its social, political, and economic activities. This project illuminates the complex ties (urban/rural, liberal/conservative, etc.) that facilitated the local food segment of Carrboro's broader economy and investigates local definitions of place, group, taste, and tradition.
CommunityEconomicsUrban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceLa cara oculta de la seguridad alimentaria - Estudio de caso del sur del Estado de Jalisco, Occidente de México
2019Peter R. W. Gerritsen, Víctor Sanchez Bernal, Georgina Torres Rodríguez · Brazilian Journal of Development · Mexico
This study analyzed food security in two medium-sized cities in Western Mexico using secondary data and field research. It found that while these highly globalized cities had a low degree of food security, extensive domestic backyard agricultural activities significantly raised family-level food security. A critical finding is that this potential for urban food security is not valued by governmental institutions.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkageGardening as More than Urban Agriculture: Perspectives from Smaller Midwestern Cities on Urban Gardening Policies and Practices
2019Christopher Strunk, Ursula Lang · Case Studies in the Environment · United States
This case study examines urban gardening policies and practices in two smaller Midwestern cities, arguing that green space management extends beyond narrow urban agriculture definitions. It highlights the significance of gardening on privately owned land, such as front and back yards, alongside public land. The study demonstrates that urban gardening occurs across public/private property distinctions, involves a broader range of actors, and fosters neighborhood connections for sustainability.
CommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkageAGRICULTURA URBANA E PERIURBANA: POTENCIALIDADES E LIMITAÇÕES PARA O DESENVOLVIMENTO DO MUNICÍPIO DE BENEVIDES (PA)
2019Glenda Maria Braga Abud, Maria Lúcia Bahia Lopes, Rosália do Socorro da Silva Corrêa, Ruth Helena Cristo Almeida · Revista em Agronegócio e Meio Ambiente · Brazil (Benevides)
A descriptive survey was conducted with 25 producers in Benevides municipality, Pará State, Brazil, to analyze the contribution of flower and ornamental plant production to local development. The activity was found to be essentially subsistence-based, with low articulation among producers and technological and productive limitations. These aspects resulted in a restricted capacity to contribute to development in the studied municipality.
Economic viabilityPeri-urban agricultureEconomicsUrban–rural linkageAgriculturas urbanas em São Paulo: histórico e tipologia
2019Eduardo de Lima Caldas, Martin Jayo · Confins · Brazil (São Paulo)
This article aims to contribute to the knowledge of contemporary urban agriculture policies and practices in São Paulo, Brazil. It traces the history of urban agriculture in the city since the 1980s and analyzes current practices resulting from this history. The analysis indicates that initiatives and policies in the sector have historically oscillated between two distinct modalities of urban agriculture: “scale urban agriculture” and “visibility urban agriculture.” These two modalities, resulting from different actor articulations and attributing different meanings to urban agriculture practice, still coexist in the city today, with the former generally located in peripheral areas and the latter concentrated in more central regions.
PolicyUrban–rural linkageCommunityEconomicsMulti‐scalar drivers of biodiversity: local management mediates wild bee community response to regional urbanization
2019Kimberly M. Ballare, John L. Neff, Rebecca Ruppel, Shalene Jha · Ecological Applications · United States
This study assessed bee community composition at 20 grassland and 20 agriculture sites across two US metroplexes over three time periods, identifying 172 species from nearly 13,000 specimens. It found that regional land use differentially impacted bee abundance and diversity depending on local habitat management. Local bare ground and floral richness were significantly related to multiple metrics of bee diversity.
BiodiversityPollinatorsUrban–rural linkage