Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
458 results(4 / 19)
Small Scale–Big Impact: Temporary Small-Scale Architecture as a Catalyst for Community-Driven Development of Green Urban Spaces
2025Diana Giurea, Vasile Gherheș, Claudiu Coman · Sustainability · Global
This paper explores temporary small-scale architecture as a catalyst for community-driven development of green urban spaces, using the Greenfeel Architecture wooden pavilion as a case study. The pavilion, built with reused materials, was designed to provide shelter and facilitate social interactions while protecting existing vegetation and enhancing biodiversity. Since its completion, it has hosted various outdoor activities and educational workshops, demonstrating the potential of temporary architecture for physical and socio-cultural sustainability in urban environments.
CommunityBiodiversityPollinatorsDIYBUILDING FOR PLANT CONSERVATION – A CASE STUDY FROM BUCHAREST, ROMANIA
2025Anca Monica PARASCHIV, Eugenia NIȚĂ, Anca SÂRBU · Acta Horti Botanici Bucurestiensis · Romania (Bucharest)
This case study from Bucharest, Romania, describes a small, intensive rooftop garden built in 2011 on a 40 sqm private house terrace. The garden, created using ZinCo Technology, aims to conserve plants and reconnect people with nature. As of 2023, it hosts 55 taxa of vascular plants, including 51 non-native and 4 native species.
CommunityBiodiversityInvestigación sobre especias culinarias aptas para producción sostenible y diversificada en huertos urbanos domésticos
2025Evelyn Lizeth Ilbay-Guaña · Impact Research Journal · Global
This qualitative documentary study analyzed suitable culinary spice species for sustainable and diversified cultivation in home urban gardens, assessing their impact on food autonomy and self-care for informal primary caregivers in urban contexts. The review of scientific literature found that spice production in urban gardens contributes to food security and biodiversity, with successful experiences in high-value species like saffron. However, gaps persist in systematically integrating spices under sustainability criteria and in applied research on less conventional species. The study concludes that promoting sustainable urban spice gardens is a strategic tool for improving urban quality of life and recommends strengthening technical training and interdisciplinary research.
DIYFood sovereignty & justiceBiodiversityFood educationSoil extraction facilitates climate change adaptation and alters urban ecosystem services
2025B. Constance, Adrienne Grêt‐Regamey, Andoniaina Valérie Andriamanga, Dominic A. Martin, Nicolas Salliou · Ecosystems and People · Madagascar (Antananarivo)
This study investigated the motivations and consequences of soil extraction for brick-making in Antananarivo, Madagascar, through 263 interviews with farmers and brick-makers. Findings indicate soil extraction serves as a climate change adaptation strategy, leading to a decline in flood regulation capacity but also a shift to more resilient cultivation practices like raised gardens. Climate change, with shorter rainy seasons, intensifies soil extraction.
Climate changePeri-urban agricultureUrban–rural linkageBiodiversityUrban Agricultural Land Revitalization and the Creation of Edible Parks Toward Sustainable Urban Development
2025Zahra Nobar, Akbar Rahimi · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Global
This study explores the revitalization of urban agricultural lands and the creation of edible parks as nature-based solutions for sustainable urban development. It highlights urban agriculture's role in addressing food demands and its social and environmental implications. Edible parks, utilizing public and private spaces, are presented as a strategy to build sustainable urban infrastructure, promote social interaction, and strengthen community bonds.
Climate changeCommunityBiodiversityFood sovereignty & justiceBenefits from circular economy
2025Rolf Morgenstern, Bernd Pölling · · Global
This chapter explores the economic benefits and challenges of integrating nature-based solutions (NBS), including urban farming, into circular economy frameworks in urban environments. Using the proGIreg framework and an Economic and Labour Market Questionnaire, it reveals financial impacts of NBS implementations. Case studies from Zagreb, Turin, and Dortmund illustrate diverse economic outcomes, demonstrating both direct financial returns and broader economic value created by NBS.
EconomicsBiodiversityPollinatorsClimate changeBecoming ‘Good Neighbors’: Co-Creating Spaces for Interspecies Hospitality in Urban Encounters
2025Emily Schneider · Amsterdam Museum Journal · Global
This essay explores the conjuncture of interspecies reciprocity, hospitality, gift-giving practices, and the co-creation of urban spaces, focusing on the potential for and complexity of neighborly relationships between humans and plants. Borrowing the concept of the ‘good neighbor’ from Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass, it considers the conditions under which relationships based on care and responsibility can thrive through ‘circular reciprocity’. Sites for close interspecies encounters, like urban foraging practices and community gardens, show the potential of a caring and attentive striving toward neighborliness but also reveal the multiplicity and ambiguity of what can be considered different, sometimes irreconcilable, interests and needs of various urban dwellers. Nevertheless, this essay argues that the practice of becoming ‘good neighbors’ ultimately benefits both humans and plants.
CommunityBiodiversityUrban–rural linkageSolar-powered urban farming
2025Arun Kumar, Sandhya Prajapati · · Global
Urban farming has emerged as a viable approach that encourages intensive farming techniques and urban wastewater to sustainably generate food. This approach optimizes available urban spaces like rooftops, vacant lots, and vertical structures to cultivate food within city boundaries. It lessens reliance on lengthy supply chains and promotes a clean, sustainable environment by minimizing resource consumption, including fresh water and pesticides.
Climate changeBiodiversityFood miles & supply chainUrban–rural linkageConclusion: Cultivating Middle Ground
2025· The MIT Press eBooks · Global
This book examines community farms in Latin America, Australia, and China, highlighting tensions between local identities and global transformation. It finds that while industrial expansion in export agribusiness generates macroeconomic benefits, it incurs micro-level costs such as the replacement of peri-urban farms by plantations, loss of biodiversity, and groundwater contamination from pesticides and fertilizers. The study suggests that food system intermediaries are crucial in connecting rural migrants with urban farms and resources.
Environmental trade-offsCommunityPeri-urban agricultureFood sovereignty & justiceBiodiversityClimate changePOSITIVE EFFECTS OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE IN BUILDINGS ON URBAN SUSTAINABILITY
2025R Mohammadzadeh · Proceedings of International Structural Engineering and Construction · Global
This qualitative secondary study, based on a structured literature review, examined the role of green infrastructure (GI) integrated into buildings for urban sustainability. Findings indicate that GI supports climate change adaptation, improves air quality, promotes urban biodiversity, and enables energy-efficient design. However, the paper also recognizes limitations related to cost, maintenance, and structural requirements for implementing building-based GI.
Economic viabilityClimate changeBiodiversityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsSementes de Sabedoria
2025Ana Claudia Ribeiro Pinheiro, Miriã Aparecida Fidelis da Silva, Érica Coelho Pagel · Revista Latino-americana de Ambiente Construído & Sustentabilidade · Global
This qualitative study aimed to understand school communities' perceptions of green areas, particularly gardens, to develop didactic school garden designs. Through questionnaires and extension activities, the project created landscape design proposals. It found that while schools recognize the importance of greenery, they face challenges, and creative, collaborative solutions can make didactic gardens feasible.
Food educationCommunityHealthBiodiversityThe Role of Minor Mediterranean Fruit Trees in Sustainable Residential Landscaping: A Longitudinal Perspective
2025Mümüne Selen Abbasoğlu, İbrahim Kahramanoğlu · HortScience · Global
This study explored the role of minor Mediterranean fruit trees in sustainable residential landscapes by examining their presence, selection criteria, and long-term trends in home gardens. Data from structured surveys of 400 homeowners revealed olive (60.3%) and pomegranate (50.0%) as the most prevalent species. Older gardens (40+ years) exhibited greater biodiversity, while newer gardens prioritized easier-to-maintain and aesthetically appealing species. Overall, the study indicated a gradual shift from traditional Mediterranean fruit trees to monotonous, low-maintenance gardens.
DIYBiodiversityClimate changeSocial-ecological filters influence plant and invertebrate diversity in educational gardens in a South American metropolis
2025María Sofía Herrera-Oesterheld, Sonia Reyes‐Paecke, Alejandra E. Muñoz, Paul Amouroux, Catalina Trujillo, José Tomás Ibarra · Scientific Reports · Chile (Santiago)
A study analyzed plant and invertebrate species richness and influencing social-ecological filters in 33 vegetable gardens in municipal schools within the Metropolitan Area of Santiago (MAS), Chile. A total of 362 plant species and 127 invertebrate morphospecies were recorded. The most influential social-ecological filters for plant richness were garden area, percentage of cultivated ground cover, and summer irrigation. For invertebrate richness, the most influential factors were plant species richness, bare ground cover (with a negative effect), and to a lesser extent, tree cover in the garden's buffer zone and summer irrigation.
CommunityBiodiversityFood educationTrading urban green spaces for brown space development in African cities: evidence from the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area, Ghana
2025Alex Barimah Owusu, Collins Adjei Mensah, Clement Kwang, Gerald Albert Baeribameng Yiran, Ronald Reagan Gyimah, Dominic Edem Hotor, Princella Ofori Darko · International Planning Studies · Ghana
This paper analyzed the replacement of green spaces with brown spaces in Accra, Ghana, from 1991 to 2021 using Landsat satellite images. Brown areas increased from 24.5% in 1991 to 81% in 2021, while green areas decreased from 75.5% to 19% during the same period. The study found a significant reduction in green spaces due to urbanization.
Environmental trade-offsPolicyUrban–rural linkageBiodiversityPotential of Rooftop and Vertical Gardens in Promoting Urban Plant Diversity and Ecosystem Services
2025Drakhshanda Saeed, Areena Sohail, Mahnoor Munir, Khush Bakht · Physical Education Health and Social Sciences · Global
This study qualitatively reviewed 15 peer-reviewed studies published from 2015 to 2025 to evaluate the potential of rooftop and vertical gardens in providing ecosystem services and promoting urban plant diversity. Rooftop gardens primarily support pollinators, stormwater retention, thermal regulation, and spontaneous colonizers, fostering horizontal habitat connectivity. Vertical gardens, despite fewer species, provide essential vertical stratification, shade micro-niches, and air filtration, enhancing multi-dimensional habitat diversity. Design and management factors were found to strongly influence ecological outcomes.
BiodiversityPollinatorsClimate changeOrganic cycleUrban-agricultural interface: assessing the effect of urban habitat characteristics on the occurrence of the Mediterranean fruit fly in peri-urban citrus orchards
2025Carmel Katz, Michael Ben‐Yosef, Eitan Goldshtein, Gilad Gefen, Yafit Cohen · Journal of Pest Science · Global
This study integrated nationwide pest monitoring data (2900 traps, 2017–2023) with high-resolution spatial layers of urban land cover to examine how settlement characteristics influence medfly abundance in adjacent citrus orchards. Using an ecoinformatics approach, it found that vegetation cover in settlements was positively linked to medfly abundance at close distances, and low building cover and high impervious cover were also associated with elevated medfly levels.
Peri-urban agricultureBiodiversityOrganic cycleInside and over urban buildings: will urban agriculture spark the next urban design revolution?
2025RENÉ DAVIDS · Cogent Arts and Humanities · Global
This paper argues for creating a connected network of farms within and on top of existing urban buildings to address increasing food demand and limited land resources. It highlights urban farming's benefits, including enhanced food security, public health, reduced transportation pollution, urban heat island mitigation, improved water retention, and biodiversity fostering. The paper notes that current research on urban agriculture's impact on city design is insufficient, and proposes this approach based on an examination of historical and contemporary urban projects.
Food sovereignty & justiceHealthClimate changeBiodiversityPolicyEnhancing food resilience in the age of geoeconomics by applying biomimetic principles in urban agriculture
2025Alex Toth · Social Sciences & Humanities Open · Global
This paper argues that adopting urban agroecological strategies rooted in biomimicry can significantly enhance resilience to geoeconomic pressures, supply chain disruptions, and environmental shocks. Urban agroecology is presented as a scalable and context-sensitive pillar for building more resilient and self-sustaining food systems. The paper explores how a biomimetic approach to urban agriculture can serve as a strategic mechanism for food security, particularly in urbanized and geopolitically sensitive regions.
Food sovereignty & justiceClimate changeBiodiversityOrganic cycleBiodiversity and Urban agriculture: Insights and future directions
2025Charlotte Liborio-Cornet, Hugo de Vergès · HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe) · Global
This paper conducted a literature review on the impact of urban agriculture on biodiversity in urban landscapes. Focusing on three key taxa—birds, flora, and arthropods—it indicated that larger plots, greater plant diversity, and habitat heterogeneity generally promote biodiversity across taxa. The review identified significant biases in the literature, with a predominance of studies in North America and Europe focusing on non-professional urban agricultural forms, particularly community gardens, while professional urban farms remain under-researched.
BiodiversityCommunityOrganic cycleBiochar-based organic substrates enhance tomato growth by promoting specific microbial communities in rooftop farming
2025Miguel de Celis, Laura L. de Sosa, Giuseppe Picca, Noelia González‐Polo, Cristina Gómez Ruano, Luciano Beneduce, Claudio Zaccone, Marco Panettieri · Environmental Microbiome · Global
The influence of different organic substrates on tomato growth and its associated microbial community was studied in an open-air rooftop farming setup. Combinations of peat with compost derived from seaweed biomass or coffee byproducts (50% of volume), and how biochar-blending altered these compositions, were evaluated. Substrate properties were mainly defined by the compost feedstocks, and biochar blending had a minor influence on substrate composition, though it enhanced tomato yield. Compost feedstock had a greater impact on microbial communities, and the abundance of bacteria and fungi associated with composted seaweed biomass was positively associated with tomato yield.
CompostOrganic cycleBiodiversityCodes of conduct for just coexistence in urban spaces
2025Karolina M. Lukasik, Maija Linturi, Tuomas Aivelo · npj Urban Sustainability · Finland
A study in two Helsinki urban allotment gardens, using interviews and ethnographic observation, examined human-rat conflict as multispecies negotiations. Gardeners and rats co-created an implicit code of conduct for peaceful coexistence, based on humans becoming attuned to rats' needs. The research proposes this framework as a tool for achieving multispecies justice.
CommunityBiodiversityExploring the design and contributions of urban agroecosystem living labs for sustainable city development
2025Diego Alejandro Riaño-Herrera, Felipe A. Perdomo, Juanita Quintero-Castro, Alejandra García-Sánchez, Leonardo Rodríguez-Urrego · Sustainable Futures · Global
A content analysis and qualitative assessment of 34 urban agroecosystem living labs (UALLs) from academic and grey literature explored their design and contributions to sustainable city development. UALLs were found to boost agricultural productivity, food security, and community cohesion, while also supporting climate mitigation and waste reduction. However, the study noted that UALLs need to better align their strategies with SDGs and improve the measurement of their contributions.
CommunityBiodiversityClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceConservation Strategies for Enhancing Urban Biodiversity: A Comprehensive Review
2025R. B. Meshram, RP Dalavi · International Journal of Biology Sciences · Global
This review synthesizes contemporary approaches to urban biodiversity conservation, focusing on green corridors, urban rewilding, and green infrastructure like rooftop and vertical gardens. It assesses the effectiveness, scalability, and limitations of these strategies through a comprehensive analysis of peer-reviewed literature. The review indicates that strategically connected green spaces serve as critical habitats and that urban rewilding and rooftop gardens enhance ecological functions and habitat diversity.
BiodiversityClimate changeEffects of Classroom Bio-Wall–Based Educational and Experiential Programs on Elementary Students’ Plant Familiarity, Ecological Literacy, and Sociality
2025Woo Young Kim, Seung-Won Ha, Sung-Min Jung, Jae-Soon Kim, Hyeong-Seok Lee, Y. Barry Chung, Han-Na Chu · · Global
A study implemented a bio-wall program over five sessions with second- and fourth-grade students, analyzing pre- and post-tests with paired t-tests. It found significant increases in plant familiarity (1% level) and ecological literacy (5% level) for both grades, but no significant difference in social skills for fourth-grade students. The bio-wall also improved classroom air quality by reducing particulate matter and increasing humidity.
Food educationBiodiversityOptimizing Artificial Soil Mixes for Urban Green Spaces: Plant Growth and Carbon Sequestration Balance
2025Minseo Kim, J. Cho, Hyo Min Kim · Journal of people, plants, and environment · Global
This study developed and assessed four artificial soil mixes (ASMs) using eight common materials to optimize plant growth and carbon reduction in urban green spaces. ASM_A showed comparable or superior plant growth to control soil, attributed to high organic matter and cation exchange capacity. ASM_D had the highest carbon content (27.60 wt%) for long-term sequestration but was limited in early plant growth due to lower nitrogen and phosphate.
Climate changeBiodiversityOrganic cycle