Research & reports

Edgar Hiller, Zuzana Pilková, Lenka Filová, Martin Mihaljevič, Veronika Špirová, Ľubomír Jurkovič · Chemosphere · Slovakia (Bratislava)

A 2022 study of urban community gardens in Bratislava, Slovakia, measuring total metal(loid) concentrations in soils and in two commonly grown vegetables (tomato and lettuce), gastrointestinal bioaccessibility using a modified physiologically based extraction test (PBET), and stable lead isotopes. Although some soils would count as contaminated against Slovak agricultural-soil legislation, bioaccessibility in the intestinal phase did not exceed 20% except for cadmium, and tomatoes and lettuce contained low total and bioaccessible metal(loid) concentrations, making them safe for people eating their own produce. Lead isotope composition differed between bulk soils, vegetables and the bioaccessible fraction, with less radiogenic lead preferentially mobilised, and enrichment factors separated naturally derived elements (As, Co, Cr, Fe, Mn, Ni, V) from those with anthropogenic contributions. The result is a counterweight to blanket alarm about urban soil metals: exceeding a total-concentration threshold is not the same as a dose that reaches the human body.

Sara N Lupolt, Raychel E Santo, Brent F Kim, Thomas A Burke, Keeve E Nachman · GeoHealth · United States (40 cities)

A 2022 review that collected and evaluated 43 soil-safety-related urban agriculture policies across 40 US cities. About half of these cities had at least one policy that recommended soil testing or provided a testing service, but only eight cities had any policy containing an actual requirement (on soil testing or on a specific growing practice). The authors also found notable inconsistencies between cities in what counts as an 'acceptable' level of lead in soil and in the actions recommended at each level. Because US Environmental Protection Agency guidance on soil lead was not written with urban agriculture in mind, the paper sets out the research needed to revise that guidance and offers recommendations for drafting or revising municipal soil safety policies. It documents a governance gap: responses to urban soil contamination are fragmented across jurisdictions and mostly non-binding.

Harada K., Hino K., Iida A., Yamazaki T., Usui H., Asami Y., Yokohari M. · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH), 18(2):542 · Japan

A cross-sectional study comparing 783 urban-farming participants with 1,254 non-participants in Tokyo. Participants in both allotment and experience-farm programs reported significantly better self-rated and mental health, highlighting the health value of regular social interaction in urban farming.

Landry M., van den Berg A., Hoelscher D., Davis J. · Nutrients, 13(9):3081 (MDPI) · United States

A randomized controlled trial across 16 mostly Hispanic, low-income elementary schools in Texas evaluating the TX Sprouts intervention, which embedded gardening, cooking and nutrition lessons. Children in intervention schools significantly increased vegetable intake, showing that garden-centered food education can improve children's dietary quality.

Scarano A., Semeraro T., Chieppa M., Santino A. · Horticulturae · Italy

Review of neglected and underutilized plant species from the Apulia region of southern Italy, highlighting their adaptive, nutritional, and economic potential and the case for re-including them in the daily diet.

Sinesio F., Cammareri M., Cottet V., Fontanet L., Jost M., Moneta E., Palombieri S., Peparaio M., Romero del Castillo R., Saggia Civitelli E., Spigno P., Vitiello A., Navez B., Casals J., Causse M., Granell A., Grandillo S. · Foods 10(11):2521 · Europe

Assessed traditional and modern tomato varieties in France, Spain, and Italy at physicochemical, trained-panel, and consumer levels. Multi-level approach revealed how sensory traits drive perceived quality across regionally familiar cultivars.

Rosa-Martínez E., Adalid A.M., Alvarado L.E., Burguet R., García-Martínez M.D., Pereira-Dias L., Casanova C., Soler E., Figàs M.R., Plazas M., Prohens J., Soler S. · Frontiers in Plant Science 12:633957 · Spain

Evaluated 44 Mediterranean 'de penjar' long shelf-life tomato varieties under two nitrogen levels. Local varieties exceeded commercial ones in sweetness-to-acidity ratio and vitamin C, with lycopene varying over four-fold, supporting low-input breeding.

Greathouse J., Henning S., Soendergaard M. · Plants 10(5):965 · United States

Grafted heirloom tomatoes (Black Krim, Green Zebra) and standard Big Beef onto rootstocks in hydroponics, measuring antioxidant capacity, phenolics, and lycopene. Specific rootstocks raised antioxidant capacity and altered phenolic content of heirlooms.

Martínez-Ispizua E., Martínez-Cuenca M.-R., Marsal J.I., Díez M.J., Soler S., Valcárcel J.V., Calatayud Á. · Molecules 26(4):1031 · Spain

Evaluated bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacity of Valencian pepper landraces relative to commercial types. Landraces displayed rich diversity in nutritional and functional compounds, reinforcing the value of regional Capsicum genetic resources.

Wetherill M.S., Bourque E.E., Taniguchi T., Love C.V., Sisk M., Jernigan V.B.B. · Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior 53(11):991-995 · Global

Describes the development of a tribally-led garden curriculum for Indigenous preschoolers in the Osage Nation, integrating the traditional Three Sisters planting to teach Native foodways and improve children's vegetable intake and food security.

Guzzon F., Arandia Rios L.W., Caviedes Cepeda G.M., Céspedes Polo M., Chavez Cabrera A., Muriel Figueroa J., Medina Hoyos A.E., Jara Calvo T.W., Molnar T.L., Narro León L.A. · Agronomy 11(1):172 · Latin America

Reviews the fundamental role of Latin American maize landraces for food security, livelihoods and culture, the threat of genetic erosion, and the current state of their conservation and use.

Ludwig B. · Sustainability (MDPI) · Germany

Analyzes the significance of green-space design in early modernist housing estates (1919–1927) in then-German Lower Silesia, addressing urban layout, public/private greenery systems including gardens, and protection of valued trees from natural, landscape, and social perspectives.

Lange S. J., Calancie L., Onufrak S. J., Reddy K. T., Palmer A., Warnock A. L. · Nutrients 13(2):683 · United States

National survey showing that the presence of food policy councils is associated with local policies supporting healthy food access, including for food-insecure populations, underscoring their role in food system governance.

Davis J. N., Pérez A., Asigbee F. M., Landry M. J., Vandyousefi S., Ghaddar R., Hoover A., Jeans M., Nikah K., Fischer B., Pont S. J., Richards D., Hoelscher D. M., Van Den Berg A. E. · International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity 18:18 · United States

Cluster RCT in 16 elementary schools. A one-year gardening, cooking and nutrition program significantly increased children's vegetable intake but did not reduce BMI or other obesity outcomes.

Blakstad M. M., Mosha D., Bellows A. L., Canavan C. R., Chen J. T., Mlalama K., Kinabo J., Noor R. A., Madzorera I., Sando M. M., Spiegelman D., Masanja H., Fawzi W. W. · Maternal & Child Nutrition 17(2):e13096 · Tanzania

Cluster RCT among 1,006 reproductive-age women in Tanzania. A home gardening intervention improved women's dietary diversity and household food security after one year compared with controls.

千葉 舞優, 西村 亮彦 · 景観・デザイン研究講演集 No.17 · Japan

Using Odakyu's regenerated Hoshinotani Danchi as a case study, this research examines the planning and operation of community spaces including the Hatamusubi rental farm, Kissaten Laundry café, and childcare support facilities, showing how movement between facilities generates small-scale exchange including the surrounding area.

Hutton G.B., Brugulat-Panés A., Bhagtani D., Maadjhou Mba C., Birch J.M., Shih H., Okop K., Muti M., Wadende P., Tatah L., Mogo E., Guariguata L., Unwin N. · Journal of Global Health Reports · Cameroon

This systematic scoping review synthesized 118 studies (from 4,828 screened) on community food production initiatives across Kenya, Cameroon, and South Africa, finding that economic and environmental impacts dominated the literature while health and social dimensions were understudied; Cameroon-specific studies (10 papers) primarily addressed economic impacts.

Bourdon E., Belmin J. · Alzheimer's Research & Therapy, 13:116 · France

A multi-centre pilot controlled trial across four French nursing homes testing 'enriched gardens'—conventional sensory gardens augmented with activity-prompting features. Among 120 residents with dementia, use of enriched gardens improved cognitive function and mobility compared with conventional gardens or no garden. It offers concrete guidance for using gardens in the environmental design of elderly care.

Bhuwan Thapa, Aniruddha Banerjee, Jeffrey Wilson, Samantha Hamlin · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems · United States (Indianapolis)

The study developed a p-median spatial optimization model to identify new urban agriculture sites in Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana, weighting block groups by food access and obesity prevalence. Optimally selected locations were 52% more efficient than randomly chosen ones in average distance traveled, with no significant difference among the three policy scenarios.

· Scientific Reports · China

A study assessing pollution levels of potentially toxic elements in urban vegetable gardens in southwest China, reporting relatively higher cadmium and lead in leafy vegetables.

· International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · China (Shanghai)

Participatory action research on a community gardening 'seeding plan' in Shanghai during the COVID-19 pandemic. Reports that gardening participants showed better mental health than non-participants.

· Sustainability Science · Germany (Munich)

A Munich case study exploring how urban vegetable gardening fosters an embodied human–food connection and pro-environmental behaviour.

· Earth · Australia

Assesses the reliability of using recycled water in wicking beds, described as a simple system that can provide high yield and water use efficiency, for sustainable urban agriculture.

· Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · USA

A study of how agency and sociality within gardens designed for health and healing cultivate participant wellbeing and community resilience.

Glover T. · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · USA

A qualitative study of a Midwestern U.S. community garden, examining stories of social connectedness produced through shared garden participation and their public-health significance.