Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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3144 results(4 / 126)
Implementation of Neighborhood Fund Policy in Community Empowerment Programs
2026Aziva Aulia Manggaramitha, Dea Rizky Amalia, Muhammad Aviv Adhitya Putra Pratama, Sry Reski Mulka · Golden Ratio of Community Services and Dedication · Indonesia
A study in RT 11, Belimbing Sub-district, BTN PKT Bontang Housing Complex, Indonesia, examined the implementation of the Neighborhood Association (RT) fund policy for community empowerment programs. Despite adequate funding, community participation in programs such as urban farming remained relatively low, typically 60–75% of the 20-person quota. While communication, resources, implementer disposition, and bureaucratic structure functioned relatively well, increasing community participation remains a challenge due to socioeconomic factors like work commitments and time constraints.
Limited or null effectPolicyCommunityNurturing Resilient Urban Animal Agriculture for Food Security in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Triad Approach to Social, Economic, and Environmental Sustainability
2026Never Assan, Justice Sibanda, Betty Mukuwapasi, Reason Rumbidzai Charachimwe, Edmore Masama · Journal of Frontiers in Multidisciplinary Research · Sub-Saharan Africa
Urban animal agriculture (UAA) in Sub-Saharan Africa is presented as a solution for food security but faces challenges including gender inequality, climate change, inadequate legislation, and environmental degradation. While UAA aims to enhance household food security and alleviate poverty, it also encounters environmental issues such as resource competition, water resource strain, improper manure management, greenhouse gas emissions, noise, and nuisance. Sustainable UAA requires semi-intensive silvopastoral and mixed crop and livestock systems to reduce environmental impact and enhance local food production.
Environmental trade-offsFood sovereignty & justiceWelfareClimate changePolicyDynamics of urban greening in public squares: sustainable planning and the provision of ecosystem services in urban centers
2026Jéssica de Oliveira, Micael Silva de Freitas, Frederico Augusto Guimarães Guilherme, Jonathan Souza Oliveira, Laura Beatriz Oliveira, E. V. E. J. Amaral, Eder Marcos da Silva, Wendy Carniello Ferreira, Anderson Ribeiro Diniz, Carlos Rogério Andrade, Deivid Lopes Machado · Urban Ecosystems · Brazil (Jataí)
The temporal dynamics of urban greening in public squares in Jataí, Goiás state, Brazil, were evaluated through two surveys in 2010 and 2024. A complete floristic census of 14 public squares found no difference in total abundance but a significant increase in species richness from 79 to 121. However, urban greening management prioritized exotic and deciduous species, detrimentally affecting ecosystem attributes essential for sustainable planning, such as permanent shading and the valuation of regional flora.
BiodiversityClimate changePolicyPLANNING FOR THE PERIURBAN: THE EXPERIENCE OF THE AGRARIAN PARK OF THE BAIX LLOBREGAT
2026Giorgia Tucci, Willy Müller · Contesti Città territori progetti · Spain (Barcelona)
The Parc Agrari del Baix Llobregat (PABL) is a leading European example of managing peri-urban agricultural systems in complex metropolitan areas of the Barcelona region. The park has established a multilevel governance framework that coordinates regulatory protection, agricultural production, and spatial development. The study emphasizes the importance of governance continuity in stabilizing agro-ecological practices, reinforcing short supply chains, and preventing land speculation.
Peri-urban agriculturePolicyCommunityEconomicsThe impact of urban vegetable production on household poverty reduction during the Tigray War (2020–2022): Evidence from Mekelle City, Ethiopia
2026Azeb Gebreegziabher Zeru, Aregawi Beyene Bsrat, Zenebe Abraha Kahsay, Tsahaynesh Hagos, Yahansu Girmay, Guesh Endrias, Gebremedhin Mamoy Hadush, Abrhaley Redae, Abrhaley Gebrehiwot, Wolie Gebremicheal · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems · Ethiopia (Mekelle)
In Mekelle City, Ethiopia, 264 households adopted urban vegetable production as a survival strategy during the Tigray War (2020–2022). Household survey data analyzed using propensity score matching showed that participation in urban vegetable production was strongly associated with poverty reduction. Vegetable producers exhibited relatively low poverty incidence, depth, and severity, suggesting that urban vegetables served as a critical resilience mechanism for households.
WelfareEconomicsFood sovereignty & justicePolicyWhose alternative? Challenges and potential for diversity, equity, and inclusion in German alternative food networks
2026Anton Parisi, Felix Zoll, Faiza Darkhani · Agriculture and Human Values · Germany
Aspects of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in German alternative food networks (AFNs) were explored through literature, interviews, and one stakeholder workshop. The inquiry found that while women are better represented in AFNs compared to conventional food systems, groups may be disproportionately white and higher-class. Flatter hierarchies and general openness to participation, though supposed prerequisites for food justice, do not guarantee that traditional gender roles, passive exclusion, or social barriers are averted.
Equity & displacementCSA & TeikeiCommunityPolicyUrban Food Forests: From Theory to Empirical Research
2026Francesco Ferrini, Antonella Gori, Ermes Lo Piccolo · Urban Science · Global
Urban Food Forests (UFFs) are perennial, polyculture systems integrating urban agriculture, forestry, and agroforestry. However, inconsistent definitions, limited design guidelines, and the scarcity of applied research hinder their implementation. Only by addressing these challenges can UFFs be better integrated into urban planning, enhancing their ecological and socio-economic contributions to sustainable and resilient cities.
BiodiversityCommunityHealthPolicyDifferent meanings of urban agriculture: Perspectives of housewives and women farmers
2026Rahma Maulia Fadli Basagevan · Gender, Human Development, and Economics. · Global
This qualitative research used a systematic literature review (2020-2025) to compare the differences in functional and experiential meanings of urban agriculture between housewives and women farmers. It found significant differences in functional meanings: housewives perceived a more diverse range including empowerment, economic benefits, environmental aspects, and food security, while women farmers tended to focus on economic benefits and food security. Experiential meanings also differed, with housewives perceiving skill development and personal fulfillment, and women farmers focusing on control in decision-making.
PolicyCommunityEconomicsA Comprehensive Analysis of Urban Agriculture Theories from an Urban Spatial Perspective
2026Xiaochuan Xing, Lufei Zheng · Sustainability · Global
This study conducted a literature review and structured qualitative comparative analysis of representative urban agriculture (UA) theories across different historical periods. An analytical framework with ecological, socio-economic, technological and design, and spatial relations dimensions was used to compare theories. The research found that the ecological dimension underpins most theories, spatial relations demonstrate spatial value, design and technological innovation connect theory to urban development, and the socio-economic dimension reflects growing attention to UA. Chronological analysis revealed the evolution of UA theories from 19th-century integration to 21st-century diverse approaches.
PolicyEconomicsCommunityClimate changeCultivating together: unearthing the transformative potential of community gardening as prefigurative collective action in Ljubljana
2026Blaž Križnik, Laura Mittermaier · Local Environment · Slovenia (Ljubljana)
This study examined the Onkraj gradbišča community garden in Ljubljana to understand how community gardening enables transformative social change and how institutional support affects it. Findings showed the garden fostered inner transformation, collective leadership, community capacity building, and some scaling strategies. However, scaling up strategies were ineffective, and the absence of institutional support limited the impact on governance, suggesting the garden's transformative potential for urban sustainability transitions was limited.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyClimate changeUrban agriculture as an interface for policy–practice integration: a landscape-informed, multi-layer framework across Havana, New York city and Chongming Island
2026Yu Huan, Steffen Nijhuis, Nico Tillie · Landscape and Urban Planning · Global
This study developed a landscape-informed coupling framework and content-analysis pipeline to evaluate urban agriculture policy-practice alignment in Havana, New York City, and Chongming Island. A PRISMA-ScR literature synthesis (n=3145) informed a five-domain, 40-keyword evaluation matrix applied to policy documents. Findings indicate human-centered approaches effectively address social equity and food provisioning but have limited spatial integration, while nature-based approaches advance ecological targets but underperform on participation. The landscape-informed model achieved more balanced alignment across domains, though inter-layer connectivity gaps remain.
PolicyCommunityBiodiversityClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceImproving the efficiency and sustainability of the food system
2026Saksham Nagpal, Gaganpreet Kaur · · Global
This paper reviews factors defining the efficiency and sustainability of the global food system, examining resource, energy, and economic efficiency across the food chain. It emphasizes the necessity of improving greenhouse gas emissions, water use, soil health, food distribution, and farmer profitability for sustainability. The paper discusses methods such as precision agriculture, smart supply chain management, and alternative production like urban agriculture, highlighting the crucial role of policies and governance in promoting sustainable practices.
Climate changeEconomicsPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceBeyond the Plot: Systematic Literature Review of Landscape Approach and Systems Thinking Towards Sustainable Urban Agriculture and Farming
2026Pooja Boddupalli, Steffen Nijhuis, N. M. J. D. Tillie · Sustainability · Global
This systematic literature review investigated how landscape-based approaches (LbAs) and systems thinking (ST) have been concurrently applied to analyze and design urban agriculture and farming (UAF) initiatives. Screening 92 records, the study identified 12 peer-reviewed articles published between 2015 and 2025, reflecting the nascent state of this interdisciplinary approach. The findings revealed limited integration of spatial analysis with systems thinking across scales in current scholarship.
Methodological critiqueFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changeBiodiversityPolicyA framework for strategic transformation of vacant lots for heat resilience
2026Saeideh Sobhaninia, Patricia Solis, Ebenezer N. K. Boateng, Isaac Buo · Journal of Environmental Management · Global
This study developed the Heat-Strategic Vacant Parcel Conversion (HSVPC) framework to guide the transformation of urban vacant lots into green spaces for heat resilience. The framework considers zoning, land use, and ownership to identify suitable sites. Applying it to real-world data, simulations showed that converting vacant parcels into green spaces, such as through tree planting, could reduce urban heat by up to 6.44°C Mean Radiant Temperature overall and 4.87°C at peak heat, especially benefiting vulnerable neighborhoods.
CommunityClimate changePolicyEveryday Urbanism in Lithuanian towns: the case of old community gardens in Grigiškės and Plungė
2026Adomas Gedvilas, Dovilė Krupickaitė · Journal of Architecture and Urbanism · Lithuania
This paper examines old community gardens in Grigiškės and Plungė, Lithuania, as examples of Everyday Urbanism, using literature, data, maps, and interviews. The study found that these gardens, established informally on vacant land during the socialist period, are not officially recognized and their future development may differ due to varying local government attitudes. This highlights the need for a more flexible approach to their preservation and integration into urban planning.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkageSystemic operative framework to support the integration of urban agriculture and socio-ecological resilience in informal settlements: A dynamic urban metabolism approach to food security
2026Alejandra Acevedo-De-los-Ríos, Anna Dyson, Damien Claeys, Úrsula Cárdenas‐Mamani · Ecological Modelling · Peru (Lima)
This study developed a four-stage diagnostic-to-simulation framework to integrate urban agriculture (UA) and socio-ecological resilience in informal settlements, calibrated for Ciudad de Gosen, Lima, Peru (6300 inhabitants). Simulation results indicate that rooftop and unbuilt-land cultivation can meet household vegetable and fruit demand, biodigestion can supply 17–52% of energy needs, and greywater reuse can sustain approximately 77% of irrigation. Governance reforms and land tenure security were identified as primary accelerators for UA adoption and improved food security.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityPolicyClimate changeReframing Agricultural Extension in Urban Sustainability: The Role of Extension Agents in Strengthening Women-Led Urban Farming Institutions
2026Unang, Tedi Hartoyo · Indonesian Journal of Advanced Research · Indonesia (Bekasi City)
This study used a descriptive quantitative approach to examine how agricultural extension contributes to institutional development in KWT Sahabat Sampah, a women-led urban farming group in Bekasi City, Indonesia. Data were collected from all 35 members via structured questionnaires, field observation, and interviews with the extension agent. Results indicated that extension support was consistently rated high across six dimensions, especially facilitation, and institutional development indicators were strong, but economic sustainability remained constrained. A significant association (ρ = 0.678, p < 0.01) was found between extension intensity and institutional development.
Economic viabilityCommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justicePolicyGentrificación y la etnogénesis de la colonialidad: su antagonismo en la interculturalidad en la Cuidad de Cayambe
2026Eduardo José Terán Duque · Revista Multidisciplinar Epistemología de las Ciencias · Ecuador (Cayambe)
This article examines sociocultural issues in indigenous communities in Cayambe, Ecuador, caused by gentrification. The study, using situated ethnography, cultural cartography, life stories, and body biographies, found that urban renewal for higher-income residents marginalizes ancestral practices like community gardens and leads to the loss of community autonomy and traditions. Regressive ethnogenesis renders indigenous existence invisible and produces epistemic violence, reducing collective activities to social entertainment.
Equity & displacementCommunityPolicyEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceFrom Impact Accounting to Accounting for the Loops: Activating Sustainable Communities for Climate Action
2026Dario Cottafava, Francesco Marengo, Giuseppe Emiliano Di Martino, Laura Corazza · Business Strategy and the Environment · Global
This study introduced a social impact accounting framework, "accounting for the loops," for sustainability education for climate action (SECA), applying it to a university-led community garden case study. It found that a sense of belonging and personal recognition activate positive reinforcing loops. However, project size and community autonomy counterintuitively triggered balancing loops, leading to increased bureaucratic obstacles and institutional support needs, which negatively impacted participant motivation.
Governance failureCommunityClimate changeFood educationPolicyNeuropaisajismo escolar: un modelo salutogénico de infraestructura de cuidado para la neurodiversidad en el sistema educativo argentino
2026Claudio Marcelo Doratto · Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) · Argentina
This article proposes school neurolandscaping as a salutogenic care infrastructure model for neurodiversity within the Argentine educational system. Based on fourteen years of teaching experience, it argues that the crisis in contemporary classrooms stems from the design of "concrete classrooms." The study analyzes how transforming schoolyards, integrating cognitive accessibility and biophilic design, can promote educational justice, concluding that school gardens and soil microbiota preservation are vital for inclusive education in Argentina.
Food educationHealthPolicyGentrification and the ethnogenesis of coloniality: their antagonism in interculturality in the City of Cayambe
2026Eduardo Terán Duque · Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) · Ecuador (Cayambe)
This study in Cayambe, Ecuador, examined sociocultural issues in indigenous parishes and communities caused by gentrification, a process of socio-spatial displacement where low-income rural areas are restructured by higher-income residents or foreigners. This phenomenon perpetuates ethnic-racial hierarchies and the exploitation of indigenous peoples, rendering indigenous existence invisible and marginalizing ancestral practices like collective organization, mingas, community meetings, and community gardens. Consequently, communities lose autonomy, traditions, rites, and customs, with collective activities reduced to social entertainment without historical recognition.
Equity & displacementCommunityPolicyEconomicsAdaptive communal space in cities
2026OECD · OECD regional development papers · Global
This paper examines adaptive communal space (ACS), such as community gardens, as (semi-)public spaces collectively managed by local communities to meet evolving needs. Drawing on interviews, surveys, and literature, it argues that ACS shifts urban development towards shared stewardship and local problem-solving, contributing to social connectivity, environmental management, economic opportunities, cultural activity, temporal adaptability, and institutional flexibility. The paper emphasizes that ACS effectiveness relies more on institutional conditions like legal certainty and governance than on spatial form.
CommunityPolicyEconomicsClimate changeWhere have all the farmers gone? Spatial–temporal transformations of peri-urban agriculture in the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona
2026Johannes Langemeyer, Gabriele Gervasi, Sergi Ventura Caballé, Gara Villalba Méndez · Ecology and Society · Spain (Barcelona)
This study examined the spatial-temporal transformations of peri-urban agriculture in the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona from 2003 to 2015, combining spatial analysis of land use changes with qualitative insights from stakeholder interviews and workshops. Results reveal that the significant decline of peri-urban agriculture is driven by a complex interplay of real-estate speculation, land fragmentation, infrastructure development, evolving land use policies, and ecological pressures from land abandonment and environmental protection. Despite efforts to preserve agricultural spaces, the decline of peri-urban farming remains significant.
Governance failurePeri-urban agriculturePolicyEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceDesigning for ecological aesthetics in urban agriculture: Operationalising ecodesign principles across multilayer city landscapes
2026Xiaoxuan Ren, Tetiana Bulhakova · Art and Design · Global
This study developed a theoretical and practical framework integrating ecological aesthetics into urban agriculture design. Using a mixed-methods approach combining literature review and analysis of existing urban agricultural spaces, a structured ecodesign framework synthesizing aesthetics, ecological function, and resilience was established. It was found that sensory qualities like color, texture, and rhythm, along with cultural meaning, can enhance biodiversity support, food production, and climate regulation without compromising ecological integrity.
BiodiversityClimate changeCommunityPolicyDo fences divide perception? A study of community garden benefits among users and non-users in Czech cities
2026Jan Macháč, Lenka Dubová, Marek Hekrle, Sára Laníková · Cities · Czech Republic
A study investigated differences in perceptions of community garden (CG) benefits among non-users in two Czech cities (Ústí nad Labem and Prague) via on-site surveys and CG users across Czechia via online surveys. Non-users prioritized environmental benefits like air quality improvement and crop production, alongside recreational functions. In contrast, CG users placed the highest importance on cultural and social benefits, specifically recreation, social interaction, and aesthetic enhancement, while giving lower priority to provisioning functions.
CommunityBiodiversityHealthPolicy