Research & reports

Nwanaforo E., Obasi C. N., Akande I. O., Nduka J. K., Offor C. C., Abdulai P. M., Udom G. J., Orisakwe O. E. · Biological Trace Element Research · ナイジェリア（オウェリ・アバ・ポートハーコート）

A study of lead, cadmium and copper in urban agricultural systems in three industrial-area Nigerian cities (Owerri, Aba and Port Harcourt), assessing spatial distribution, bioaccumulation and health risks using both deterministic and stochastic (Monte Carlo) approaches. Atomic absorption spectrophotometry found soil concentrations following Pb > Cu > Cd in Owerri and Port Harcourt but Pb > Cd > Cu in Aba, while fish and vegetables followed Pb > Cd > Cu at all three sites. The deterministic assessment found cadmium's incremental lifetime cancer risk exceeded the US EPA acceptable threshold of 1×10⁻⁶ at every site for every sample examined, identifying cadmium as the metal of greatest concern.

Kerstetter K., Roberts K. J., Trent R., Koch P. A., Casey C., De Jesus-Martin M., Trinidad A., Mampara J., Bacon B. · Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior · 米国

A pilot study testing whether a multicomponent school garden and nutrition education intervention increases actual school lunch consumption. Students in grades 1–5 from matched pairs of public schools (one high-poverty and one low-poverty intervention school, each paired with a comparison school) were observed with the System of Observational Cafeteria Assessment of Foods Eaten over 13 days across 28 lunch periods, with consumption defined as the percentage of each entrée and side salad eaten. Students at intervention schools consumed 47.5% of the entrée and 44.1% of the entrée plus side salad, against 34.5% and 31.2% at comparison schools; adjusted models showed 0.13 (P = 0.006) and 0.11 (P = 0.01) more portion units consumed, with no significant treatment-by-pair interactions. The authors conclude that a cluster-randomised trial is warranted.

Birhanu MW, Negussie ZT · The Scientific World Journal · エチオピア

A PRISMA-based review synthesising peer-reviewed articles published between 2015 and 2025 on the status, challenges and opportunities of home and urban vegetable gardening in Ethiopia. It frames urban and home-based gardening as a practical response to food insecurity, malnutrition and environmental degradation in rapidly urbanising areas where the search for better opportunities has driven rising unemployment and limited access to nutritious, affordable food. The barriers it identifies — limited access to land and clean water, gendered barriers to women, limited technical knowledge, inadequate extension services and weak institutional support — all hinder production and sustainability. It further notes that widespread irrigation with untreated wastewater poses significant health and environmental risks through heavy-metal contamination and soil-transmitted infectious disease. Opportunities such as using vacant urban lots, promoting vertical gardening and supporting local seed production remain untapped; government support for urban gardening has grown recently but its implementation remains inconsistent. The review also identifies a significant geographical gap within the existing literature.

Hoque MN, Rana ML, Gilman MAA, Pramanik PK, Islam MS, Punom SA, Rahman R, Hassan J, Rahman MS, Ramasamy S, Schreinemachers P, Oliva R, Rahman MT · Environmental Monitoring and Assessment · バングラデシュ・ダッカ／ガジプール

A shotgun metagenomic study motivated by how little is known about the microbial communities and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) profiles of rooftop and surface garden soils in Bangladesh, and their potential role as reservoirs and disseminators of AMR, despite the growing expansion of urban agriculture. Twenty-seven soil samples were sequenced — 7 from Dhaka rooftop gardens, 6 from Dhaka surface gardens, 8 from Gazipur rooftop gardens and 6 from Gazipur surface gardens. The work identified 88 antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), of which 19 (21.6%) were shared across all sites, and found significant differences in resistome composition by garden type (p = 0.04). Rooftop soils harboured more ARGs (Dhaka 50, Gazipur 48) than surface soils (Dhaka 40, Gazipur 41) and were dominated by glycopeptide resistance genes, collectively 62.43-74.07% of ARGs; rooftop soils were also enriched in efflux pumps (adeF, 45.21% of rooftop ARGs) and the ribosomal-protection oxazolidinone resistance gene O23S (62.13% in Gazipur rooftops). Surface soils instead featured more genes mediating antibiotic inactivation, such as CATA (11.64% in Dhaka surface gardens) and fosBx1 (5.94% of surface ARGs).

Agure E, Kihagi GW, Muok EMO, Sorgho R, Danquah I · Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition · ケニア・シアヤ郡

A qualitative study of a home gardening intervention in Siaya county, rural Kenya, undertaken because home gardens are promoted as a climate change adaptation strategy in sub-Saharan Africa but the lived experience of them is less documented. Between September and November 2023 the authors ran two focus group discussions with stakeholders (n = 5) and implementers (n = 8), plus 30 in-depth interviews with male (n = 5) and female (n = 25) beneficiaries, using purposive sampling and semi-structured guides; data were transcribed verbatim and analysed by inductive content analysis mapped along the proposed impact pathways. Participants articulated a good understanding of the trainings and valued them as an occasion for knowledge exchange, and the adoption of tailored garden structures, organic gardening and food preservation created feelings of fulfilment, women's empowerment and family peace. Challenges included water scarcity, ineffective pesticides and long distances between beneficiary households. Perceived benefits were increased income, cost savings and increased dietary diversity.

· Wikipedia · Global

A Wikipedia article on care farming, the use of farming practices to provide healing, mental health, social, or educational care. It cites the 19th-century Riddrie farm school in Scotland (1866-1871), where of 158 boys admitted, 64 were later considered to be living respectable and productive lives, though the program ended due to financial constraints. It references practices in the UK, Netherlands, US, Austria, Switzerland, and Belgium (Flanders) without giving specific farm-count or participant statistics, and notes potential benefits for offender rehabilitation and as an adjunct therapy for anxiety and depression, while stressing the need for more rigorous research.

· Wikipedia · Global

A Wikipedia article on attention restoration theory (ART), developed by Stephen and Rachel Kaplan in their 1989 book The Experience of Nature: A Psychological Perspective, which holds that exposure to nature helps recovery from directed attention fatigue. It cites a 2025 meta-analysis finding consistent benefits to executive function and working memory after at least 30 minutes of nature exposure, with effects plateauing around 200-300 minutes, and notes findings that people who spent at least two hours in nature in the past week were more likely to report feeling healthy and well.

· Wikipedia · Global

A Wikipedia article on Mycobacterium vaccae, a non-pathogenic soil bacterium first cultured from cattle dung and also isolated from soil in Lang'o District, Uganda. It cites research in which heat-killed bacteria injected into mice raised serotonin levels and lowered anxiety, and live bacteria led mice to navigate a maze twice as fast with less anxious behavior. It also notes a meta-analysis of 54 clinical trials finding improved sputum conversion and radiological outcomes in tuberculosis treatment, and a 2019 study finding a lipid from the bacterium blocks several pro-inflammatory pathways in immune cells.

· Wikipedia · Global

Food neophobia is a fear of new things, referring specifically to a child's tendency to reject unfamiliar foods. About two-thirds of the variation is attributed to genetics, with psychosocial factors (observing parents' food preferences) and heightened bitterness sensitivity (supertasters) also implicated. Effective strategies include offering non-food rewards for trying new foods, parental modeling, and repeated exposure (acceptance may require around 15 tries), while pressure or punishment worsens the problem.

· Wikipedia · Global

The mere-exposure effect is the phenomenon whereby liking increases simply from familiarity with a stimulus, also called the familiarity principle in social psychology. Robert Zajonc led research on it from the 1960s to 1990s, showing that an initial fear/avoidance response to novel stimuli decreases with repeated exposure and turns into liking. A meta-analysis of 208 experiments by Bornstein (1989) found an effect size of r=0.26, with the effect typically reaching its maximum within 10-20 presentations.

· Wikipedia · Global

A school garden is an area designated for students to learn how to grow plants and produce at school, aimed at improving students' health, social development, and academic achievement. In Europe, the practice began in Schleswig-Holstein in 1819 and spread, reaching about 20,000 schools in Austria, 45,000 in France, 8,000 in Russia, and 2,500 in Sweden by the early 20th century. Research suggests the experiential nature of gardening increases preference for and consumption of fruits and vegetables, though more quantitative research is needed to prove benefits to children's health and wellbeing.

Dissinviel Stéphane Kpoda, Namwin Siourimè Somda, Muller Abdou Kiswendsida Compaore, Yemah Bockarie, Abel Tankoano, Ndoïallah Mickael Andjibaye, Amana Metuor-Dabire · Revista Argentina de Microbiología · Burkina Faso (Bobo-Dioulasso)

A 2026 study of 135 environmental samples — lettuce, irrigation water and organic manure — from market garden sites in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, testing for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) by microbiological isolation, antimicrobial susceptibility testing and molecular characterisation. Of 55 Staphylococcus isolates, 16 (32.7%) were confirmed MRSA, with the PVL toxin gene detected in 18.4% and TSST-1 in 6.1%; resistance to oxacillin reached 96.4% and to fusidic acid 69.1%. The authors call for stronger microbial surveillance, better hygiene protocols and policy measures to reduce foodborne risks associated with urban agriculture. The study is West African evidence that market gardens, while supplying food and income, can also act as environmental reservoirs of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria via irrigation water and organic fertiliser.

Oyewole Michelle T., Pellow David N., Cassels Susie · Environmental Justice · 米国

A study measuring soil lead by X-ray fluorescence at 31 Brooklyn public schools with active garden programmes, sampling both garden beds and adjacent school grounds. Proximity to 306 known environmental hazard sites was mapped geostatistically and combined with demographic data and soil-management surveys. Of the samples, 42% exceeded the US EPA's minimum screening level for child-accessible soils near known lead sources (100 ppm); garden soils showed lower average lead concentrations than adjacent school-ground soils. The authors argue that soil lead in schools, and the disparities in it, have received far less attention than lead in paint and water.

Olabode K., Lewińska K., Komorowicz I. · Environmental Geochemistry and Health · ポーランド南部・ズウォティストク（旧鉱山地域）

Quantifies total arsenic, gastric-phase in vitro bioaccessible arsenic (IVBA) and direct-soil-exposure risks for children and adults in mining-affected allotment gardens in Złoty Stok, southern Poland, applying deterministic calculations and Monte Carlo simulation to incidental soil ingestion, dermal contact and inhalation of resuspended particles. Total As ranged 433–1148 mg/kg and IVBA 4.5–23.5%. Under the total-As multi-pathway scenario median hazard indices were 5.50 for children and 0.62 for adults (P05/P95: 2.26/15.18 and 0.29/1.89). Median total cancer risk was 1.78×10⁻⁴ for children and 1.06×10⁻⁴ for adults, with 80.0% of simulated child profiles and 54.0% of adult profiles at or above 10⁻⁴. Ingestion and dermal contact accounted for nearly all modeled risk while inhalation was negligible; applying IVBA to the ingestion pathway alone cut the median ingestion-related hazard quotient and cancer risk by 89.3%. Total soil As and soil ingestion rate were the principal positive risk drivers, body weight inversely associated.

Johne P., Rao Bangady Killur R. · Soil and Sediment Contamination: An International Journal · Papua New Guinea

An assessment of trace metals in the soils of peri-urban food gardens at Lae, Papua New Guinea's second city and its main industrial centre, and of the ecotoxicological risk they pose. The subject — food growing on the fringe of an industrial city — is barely documented anywhere in the South Pacific. Published online 28 June 2026; the publisher does not make the abstract openly available, so only the study's scope is recorded here.

Huq F.F., Deacon L. · Discover Sustainability (Springer), 6:696 · Global

A systematic review of 37 studies examining how community gardens affect food access, urban resilience, and community well-being, with research interest peaking during the COVID-19 pandemic. It identifies inequitable access and weak policy integration as key barriers and calls for inclusive, interdisciplinary, long-term planning.

Langerman S., Juarez N., Magan I. M. · Journal of Urban Health 102:857-871 · Global

Scoping review of 42 studies (1990-2024) on urban agriculture interventions for refugees and immigrants, identifying five domains (well-being, physical health, ecological, economic, sociological), with social outcomes most common.

Schreinemachers P., Kumar S.S., Uddin M.N. · Food Security · Bangladesh (Dhaka)

Panel data from 679 households across four Dhaka metropolitan city corporations shows that promoted urban home gardens significantly improved vegetable production and consumption, with 85% of participants being women.

Liu Y., Chanse V., Chicca F. · Urban Science (MDPI), Vol. 9, No. 8, Article 305 · New Zealand (Wellington)

This study quantifies Wellington, New Zealand's community gardens' capacity to meet post-disaster vegetable demand in terms of weight and nutrient content, finding current gardens insufficient alone but identifying substantial potential through expanded urban agriculture land use.

· Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · Global

Proposes a low-tech, non-sterile cultivation method growing oyster mushrooms on fresh Giant Juncao grass. Presents it as a scalable, low-cost strategy for sustainable nutrition in resource-poor, underdeveloped regions.

· Sustainable Water Resources Management · Global

Narrative review of greywater reuse for crop irrigation, summarising treatment advances and positive and negative effects on postharvest quality, and the need for proper treatment to reduce heavy metals and microbial loads.

· Leisure Studies · Global

Conceptualizes community gardens as liminal spaces, showing that volunteering suspends everyday roles and opens avenues for psychological and emotional reorientation and well-being transformation.

Acevedo-De-los-Ríos, Dyson, Claeys, Cardenas-Mamani · Environmental Impact Assessment Review · Global South

Comprehensive literature review of urban and peri-urban agriculture impact on nutrition and environmental processes using LCA approach.

Tolazzi et al. · Earth's Future (Wiley), 2025 · Global

Demonstrates that strategic reallocation of urban spaces to agriculture improves nutrition security for residents; evaluates household nutrition gains and community economic development.

Pritom Kumar Pramanik, M. Nazmul Hoque, Md. Liton Rana, Md. Saiful Islam, Md. Ashek Ullah, Fahim Haque Neloy, Srinivasan Ramasamy, Pepijn Schreinemachers, Ricardo Oliva, Md. Tanvir Rahman · PLOS ONE · Bangladesh (Dhaka)

Researchers sampled 145 items — 88 raw vegetables, 27 water and 30 soil samples — from rooftop and surface gardens in urban Dhaka North and Dhaka South City Corporations and peri-urban Gazipur City Corporation, Bangladesh, testing for Escherichia coli by culture, biochemical tests and malB-gene PCR. Overall prevalence was 58.62% (95% CI 50.48–66.31): 80.0% in Dhaka South, 44.70% in Dhaka North and 76.7% in Gazipur. In Dhaka, surface gardens were more contaminated (70.83%) than rooftop gardens (46.57%), while in Gazipur rooftop gardens were worse (93.33% vs 60.0%). Of 54 randomly selected isolates, 100% were resistant to ampicillin, with resistance to ciprofloxacin (25.92%), tetracycline (14.81%) and imipenem (9.25%); 14.81% were multidrug resistant and 81.48% carried blaTEM. Home-grown urban vegetables are not automatically hygienically safe.