Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
2091 results(40 / 84)
Significance of Place in the Lives of Recreation Practitioners
2020Michael Dubnewick · Leisure Sciences · Global
This narrative inquiry explored the experiences of two recreation practitioners and the author, who participated in a community garden project as a researcher-practitioner over two years. The study demonstrates that place is significant in recreation practice, shaping relational spaces where practitioners and participants interact. Place influences identity and development, especially when considered alongside temporality and sociality.
CommunityCo-Creating Value in Sustainable and Alternative Food Networks: The Case of Community Supported Agriculture in New Zealand
2020Mariarosaria Savarese, Kerry Chamberlain, Guendalina Graffigna · Sustainability · New Zealand
This qualitative study explored how Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms in New Zealand create value for sustainability practices from both farmer and consumer perspectives. The research, conducted using focused ethnography, found that CSA is a complex concept involving active consumer participation in economic, social, and environmental values. These interconnected values foster an ecosystem where sustainable food practices are promoted through a "learning by doing" process.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityEconomicsClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceRooftop Gardening as A Need for Sustainable Urban Farming: A case of Kathmandu, Nepal
2020Sandesh Thapa, Anjal Nainabasti, Sashila Acharya, Neha Rai, Rakshya Bhandari · International Journal of Applied Sciences and Biotechnology · Nepal (Kathmandu)
A key informant survey of 52 respondents was conducted in Kathmandu, Nepal, to assess the current status of rooftop gardening. All respondents expressed positive views on rooftop gardening, with rooftop farms covering 5-13% of the area. Significant monetary soft benefits were identified for food production, air quality, stormwater retention, and carbon sequestration. However, traditional methods using plastic bags, pots, and styrofoam were employed for garden maintenance. Constraints were recorded regarding rooftop farming establishment and continuation, indicating a need for proper training for efficient management.
Limited or null effectDIYFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changeCommunityRevitalization of (Post-) Soviet Neighbourhood with Nature-Based Solutions
2020A. V. Shchur, Nadzeya Lobikava, Volha Lobikava · Acta horticulturae et regiotecturae · Belarus (Mogilev)
Research on the Jubilejny district in Mogilev, Belarus, a former Soviet microdistrict, revealed that population ageing is the main threat to these areas. Residents expressed dissatisfaction with uncertain housing situations, inappropriate parking options, and a lack of opportunities to spend leisure time outside. The study proposes short-term improvements such as leisure activities within public spaces and regeneration of green spaces, alongside long-term designs for a community garden and other nature-based solutions.
CommunityElderlyPolicyUrban agroforestry and its potential integration into city planning efforts
2020Sarah Taylor Lovell · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems · Global
Despite increasing awareness and proposals for urban agriculture implementation, broad integration into the urban environment has not yet been observed. In most cities, the level of food production has not expanded significantly enough to impact the supply of vegetables, fruits, or other products. Key barriers limiting widespread adoption of urban agriculture include land access, zoning and tax policies, risks of soil and air contaminants, and urban forestry plans neglecting food security.
Governance failurePolicyUrban–rural linkageEconomicsCommunityNew methods of spatial analysis in urban gardens inform future vegetation surveying
2020Monika Egerer, Benjamin Wagner, Brenda B. Lin, Dave Kendal, Kai Zhu · Landscape Ecology · Global
This study applied new and traditional methods to understand how vegetation structure and function indicators in urban community gardens vary with spatial scale. Traditional field sampling and UAV aerial imagery were used to assess vegetation structure (height) and function (species diversity, cover) at garden and plot scales. Results showed that garden vegetation characteristics vary with spatial scale, and plant species richness and vegetation cover related to UAV-derived imagery, but height did not.
BiodiversityCommunityCoCreative Roles, Agencies and Relations in Post-Anthropocene: The Real Life Gigamaps and Full-Scale Prototypes of SAAP
2020Marie Davidová · Strategic Design Research Journal · Global
This article presents gigamaps and full-scale prototypes developed within the Systemic Approach to Architectural Performance (SAAP) research by design field. SAAP employs Time-Based Eco-Systemic Co-Design, involving both living and non-living agents, to develop theories and methods through experimental practice. Gigamapping serves as a tool to map and generate complex relations across environmental, societal, and cultural aspects in collaborative design-research processes, aiming to co- and re-design these complexities in "real life co-design laboratories."
CommunityBiodiversityGrowing Resilient Cities
2020Andreas Wesener · transcript Verlag eBooks · New Zealand (Christchurch)
This study explores the role and value of urban community gardens following a major crisis: the 2010/11 earthquakes in Christchurch, New Zealand. Urban community gardens are broadly defined as shared open green spaces for mainly horticultural uses that are managed by local communities.
CommunityClimate changeHealthLos techos verdes como innovación para la sustentabilidad en vivienda, ciudad y territorio
2020Beatriz Giobellina · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Global
This chapter explores the concept of green roofs as an innovation for sustainability in housing, cities, and territories, particularly in the context of global challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic. It suggests revisiting ideas linking environment, development, urban agriculture, and self-sufficiency gardens to address climate change, food security, and health. This chapter is part of the book "Green Infrastructures: from territory to habitable roof."
Climate changeFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityHealthEco-social enterprises: ethical business in a post-socialist context
2020Nadia Johanisova, Lucie Sovová, Eva Fraňková · Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks · Czech Republic
This chapter examines eco-social enterprises in the Czech Republic, a post-socialist country, using a five-dimensional framework to expand the EU social enterprise definition. The framework includes criteria such as other-than-profit goals, using profits for nature and community, democratic governance, rootedness in place, and non-market production. Research identified a heterogeneous group of entities, including organic farms and community gardens, shaped by varied traditions and ideologies.
CommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceCaracterización de la meliponicultura en dos ecosistemas de la provincia de Cienfuegos
2020Brandon García Rodríguez, José Andrés Martínez Machado, Reinier Lop Herrera, Reina Dayamí Reyna Reyes · Revista Científica Agroecosistemas · Cuba (Cienfuegos)
A study on the use of Meliponinos was conducted in two meliponarios in Cienfuegos province, Cuba, specifically in San Fernando de Camarones and Pueblo Nuevo. Interviews with bee owners and community members identified factors affecting the sustainable development of Meliponicultura within Urban, Suburban, and Family Agriculture systems. Findings indicated a tendency for the Melipona beecheii population to increase in both municipalities, and common factors affecting bees were identified.
BiodiversityPollinatorsPeri-urban agricultureCommunityAnalysis on the Types of Benefits of Gardens in Urban Areas: Comparison of Korea and Overseas Cases
2020Jiwon Park, Mi‐Ae Jeong · Journal of people, plants, and environment · Global
An analysis of 63 Korean and 90 overseas articles on urban gardens compared the types of physical and social benefits provided by gardens in urban areas. Community gardens were the most significant type in both Korea and overseas. Due to narrow urban structures, Korea focused on using rooftop, wall, and alley spaces, while overseas focused on promoting health and reducing food inequality through larger allotment and kitchen gardens. Urban gardens were found to have a positive effect on urban biodiversity, providing comprehensive environmental (37.73%) and social (62.27%) benefits.
CommunityHealthFood sovereignty & justice« Arriver à conjuguer transition écologique et cohésion est un réel défi à l’échelle de la région bruxelloise »
2020Pierre Jassogne · · Belgium
SAULE (Urban Agriculture Housing Ecosystem Symbiosis) was a co-creation project conducted in Brussels, Belgium, from 2017 to 2020, involving citizens, urban agriculture professionals, researchers, social information specialists, and urban planners. Focused on the Ferme du Chant des Cailles urban agriculture site and the Archiducs – Logis-Floreal neighborhood, the project was initiated due to construction threats to the site. The research aimed to reflect on the challenge of combining ecological transition and social cohesion at the Brussels regional level.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyClimate changeThe Attitudes of Local Authorities and Civil Actors to Sofia’s Green Urban Development Through Urban Agriculture
2020Dona Pickard · Sociological Problems Journal · Bulgaria (Sofia)
This article analyzes the attitudes toward urban agriculture as an instrument for sustainable urban policies among local authorities, practitioners, and civil groups in Sofia, Bulgaria. Based on data from the research project "Urban agriculture as a strategy for improving the quality of life of urban communities" (2016–2020), the analysis reveals existing deficits in communication and information exchange between these actors. Factors for these deficits and ways to overcome them are also outlined.
Governance failurePolicyCommunityClimate changeUrban agriculture in the city of Cali, Colombia and communication for social change
2020Solon Alberto Calero Cruz, Carmen Cecilia Rivera Gómez · Repositorio Digital Universidad Autonoma de Occidente · Colombia (Cali)
This chapter discusses practical urban agriculture approaches to food sovereignty in Cali, Colombia, focusing on five food production and distribution spheres. It examines how participatory communication influences social change and urban sustainability by analyzing how approaches emphasize or de-emphasize culturally situated experiences. The study summarized the outcomes of an intercultural collective convened to discuss communication processes linked to food production and distribution, aiming to understand the most prominent subjectivities.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityPolicyThe impact of school gardens on youth social and emotional learning: a scoping review
2020Abby M. Lohr, Keegan C. Krause, D. Jean McClelland, Noah Van Gorden, Lynn B. Gerald, Vincent J. Del Casino, Ada M. Wilkinson‐Lee, Scott C. Carvajal · Journal of Adventure Education & Outdoor Learning · Global
This scoping review synthesized evidence on the impact of school gardens on youth Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), screening 1589 abstracts and 76 full-text articles to include eight studies. While qualitative studies suggested a positive influence on SEL, quantitative studies showed few statistically significant results. Therefore, current evidence from qualitative research indicates school garden programs have the potential to successfully enhance experiences that promote SEL, but more research is needed to further investigate this claim.
Limited or null effectFood educationCommunityEmerging Global Trends in Urban Agriculture Research: A Scientometric Analysis of Peer-reviewed Journals
2020Anita Pinheiro, Madhav Govind · Journal of Scientometric Research · Global
This scientometric analysis explored global research trends in urban agriculture from 2004-2018 using articles from the SCOPUS database. Research attention significantly increased from 2013, predominantly in the Global North, focusing on food security, sustainability, and community gardening within Social Sciences. The study found very little research in urban agriculture policy and governance.
Food sovereignty & justiceClimate changeCommunityPolicyHistorical Gardens as an Inspiration for the Future of Urban Horticultural Gardens
2020Ines Babnik · IntechOpen eBooks · Global
This paper discusses how historical gardens, from ancient Mesopotamia to the Renaissance and Baroque eras, have shaped human living environments and incorporated green elements. It proposes that studying the motifs and innovations of these historical gardens can offer inspiration and possibilities for the design and development of present and future urban horticultural gardens.
CommunityBiodiversityDeterrent Factors in Urban Farming Participation
2020Noriah Othman, Siti Zabeda Mohammad, Nurhayati Abdul Malek, Mohd Ali Waliyuddin A. Razak · Environment-Behaviour Proceedings Journal · Malaysia
This study was conducted in Malaysia to identify deterrent factors hindering "community buy-in" in urban farming projects and to understand how to overcome these problems. The research aims to identify these factors to achieve and sustain community buy-in in urban farming projects in the future.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyWelfareHuerto escolar como componente auto sostenible de merienda escolar en la Seguridad Alimentaria Nutricional y su uso como herramienta pedagógica
2020Jefry Joel López Acevedo · REICE Revista Electrónica de Investigación en Ciencias Económicas · Nicaragua
A 2019 case study at the Rubén Darío educational center in Nicaragua investigated the operation of a school garden, its production, connection to food and nutritional security, and its use as a pedagogical tool in primary education. The garden facilitated food availability, access, and consumption, with harvests complementing school snacks. Furthermore, 100% of primary school teachers utilized the school garden as a pedagogical tool, allowing students to apply theory to practice.
Food educationCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceFood Supply and Urban Gardening in the Time of Covid-19
2020Silvana Nicola, A. Ferrante, Giacomo Cocetta, Roberta Bulgari, Carlo Nicoletto, Paolo Sambo, Andrea Ertani · Bulletin of University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca Horticulture · Global
The Covid-19 pandemic revealed the vulnerability of the agrifood system, with lockdowns disrupting long-distance fresh vegetable supply chains and causing dramatic declines in local market sales. While purchases concentrated in supermarkets, increasing crowding risks, gardening can increase opportunities for local and fresh food availability. Scaling up local food production is important to enhance community resilience.
Limited or null effectFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityHealthClimate changeIs Urban Agriculture a Game Changer or Window Dressing? A Critical Analysis of Its Potential to Disrupt Conventional Agri-food Systems
2020Debra J. Davidson · International Journal of Sociology of Agriculture and Food · Global
This study assessed the multiple emergent effects of urban agriculture activities through an extensive, interdisciplinary literature review to discuss its disruptive potential. It suggests that producing food in cities is not inherently transformative in itself, but the potential and observed new forms of social engagement emerging in many contexts can create institutional conditions that may disrupt conventional agri-food systems by building social capital as much as physical capital.
Limited or null effectFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityPolicyEconomicsA systematic, mixed studies review of the outcomes of community garden participation related to food justice
2020Kate Gardner Burt, Gail Mayer, Rachel Paul · Local Environment · Global
A systematic review analyzed 277 community gardening articles to assess outcomes of community garden participation related to food justice, synthesizing 31 studies. Many positive impacts were indicated across seven social and dietary outcomes. Community garden participation was positively correlated with community connectedness, but evidence demonstrating diet improvement was neutral. Methodological rigor in study design and lack of participant racial/ethnic and socioeconomic diversity were common issues, leaving the effectiveness of community gardening as a strategy for a more equitable food system unclear.
Methodological critiqueCommunityHealthFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsConnections in the garden: opportunities for wellbeing
2020Aisling Bailey, Jonathan Kingsley · Local Environment · Australia (Melbourne)
This qualitative study investigated how community and allotment gardening may enhance wellbeing for people and place in urban Melbourne, Australia. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 23 participants representing six community/allotment gardens. The findings suggested that community and allotment gardening enhance people's wellbeing on a personal mental and physical level, through social connectedness and community, and by connecting with the natural environment through the gardens themselves.
CommunityHealthPolicySurvey on people’s attitudes and constraints of rooftop gardening in Dhulikhel
2020Sandesh Thapa, Rakshya Bhandari, Anjal Nainabasti · Ecofeminism and Climate Change · Nepal
A random sampling survey in Dhulikhel, Kavrepalanchok district, Nepal, found that while all respondents perceived rooftop farming as beneficial, many could not practice it due to constraints like fear of roof damage. Practicing farmers also faced difficulties managing rooftop gardens due to a lack of proper knowledge and reliance on non-recyclable planting materials.
Economic viabilityDIYCommunityFood sovereignty & justice