Research & reports

Mary Lydecker, Pay Drechsel · International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability · Ghana (Accra)

This study examines the contributions of urban agriculture to municipal sanitation and health services in Accra, Ghana. It estimates that Accra generates 80,000,000L of wastewater daily, with urban vegetable farms using up to 11,250,000L. By mitigating health risks from wastewater irrigation, urban farms can significantly contribute to the city's sanitation needs and support buffer zone management, reducing solid waste dumping and improving flood control.

Thomas W. Blaine, Parwinder S. Grewal, Ashley Dawes, Darrin Snider · Journal of Extension · United States

A profile of participants in an Extension urban community gardening program in the United States showed success in attracting diverse income and age groups. Community gardening contributed to dietary changes for three-quarters of both new and continuing gardeners. The time spent in the garden weekly was influenced by factors such as years in the program, income, diet, and charitable produce donations.

Sarah Presogna · ScholarlyCommons (University of Pennsylvania) · United States (Philadelphia)

The Morris Arboretum is incorporating two new Green Roofs to demonstrate sustainable and functional stormwater management. The author designed an aesthetically pleasing rooftop garden, informed by visits to other local green roofs, which will mitigate stormwater runoff and showcase native and water-wise plants suitable for the Philadelphia area.

Benjamin Amundson, Janbaaz Ghani, Patricia Szeto, Joseph Shen, Nanette Ho, XiaoLin Shi, Xiu-Ming Tang, Leslie Brugger, Tracy Burnett, Hilda Wang · cIRcle (University of British Columbia) · Canada

This document is a student project/report from UBC SEEDS, presenting a business proposal for a new rooftop garden. It contains student findings, opinions, conclusions, and recommendations. The report does not reflect the official status of activities at UBC.

N. Hooton · Development in Practice · Uganda (Kampala)

This article discusses agricultural research and development projects aiming for pro-poor outcomes through policy change. It describes two case studies of actual policy change, one on dairy marketing in Kenya and another on urban agriculture in Kampala, analyzing their policy-change processes. The study highlights two key matters: the role of 'user voice' through links with civil society and user groups, and the value of strong links with 'formal' policy-process actors.

杨坤, 莫鉴国 · Acta Scientiarum Naturalium Universitatis Sunyatseni · China (Chengdu)

This study discusses the application and development of agricultural informatization from the perspective of agricultural development in Chengdu, China. It analyzes issues requiring attention for agricultural informatization in Chengdu's integrated urban-rural development and the construction of a "World Modern Pastoral City." The research proposes strategic priorities for Chengdu's future development to achieve leapfrog agricultural growth and promote shared urban-rural development and prosperity.

Femke Hoekstra, Rob Small · Urban Agriculture Magazine · South Africa

Abalimi Bezekhaya, a civil society organization in Cape Town, South Africa, has worked for 28 years with small-scale producers, primarily unemployed women, in Khayelitsha, Nyanga, and surrounding townships. These micro-farmers engage in home and community gardening to supplement their diet, improve household food and nutritional security, and generate sustainable income. The initiative also fosters community building, personal growth, and self-esteem among participants.

David Baker Architects · · United States (San Francisco)

Armstrong Place Senior Housing is located in San Francisco's Bayview District, providing 116 affordable apartments for seniors. The complex includes a community garden space in the central courtyard, 9,000 square feet of commercial space, community services, and retail shops. Additionally, twenty-three apartments are reserved for formerly homeless seniors participating in San Francisco's Direct Access to Housing Program.

J. Mittchel, Henri Leturque, Marielle Dubbeling, Femke Hoekstra, R. van Veenhuizen · Urban Agriculture Magazine · Global

A scoping study for the International Development Research Centre aimed to re-appraise the role of urban agriculture in poverty reduction in developing countries. The research, conducted by a team at the Overseas Development Institute, was based on an extensive literature review, key informant discussions, and field visits to Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Zhou Can-fang · Ke-ji guanli yanjiu · China

This paper analyzes the current development of urban agriculture in the Pearl River Delta, noting its similarity to and deep influence from Taiwan's urban agriculture. It draws lessons from Taiwan's model and proposes a development strategy for the Pearl River Delta's urban agriculture to promote its sustainable development.

Wuyang Hu, Marvin T. Batte, Timothy A. Woods, Stanley C. Ernst, Hu, Wuyang, Batte, Marvin T., Woods, Timothy A., Ernst, Stanley C. · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · United States

This study used survey data from two US states to answer two questions: what is the maximum distance food can travel and still be considered "local" by consumers, and is "local" equally important across food categories. The research found that consumers' accepted food travel distance may be much shorter than generally believed. Additionally, there is significant variation in the importance consumers attach to "being local" for different food categories, and these differences are related to consumer characteristics.

Satoru USHIROZAWA, Masao Makiyama, Takaaki Takahashi · JOURNAL OF RURAL PLANNING ASSOCIATION · Japan

This study evaluated the benefits of Kleingartens (stay-type allotment gardens) for local municipalities in Japan, using data on investment, maintenance costs, and user fee revenue. A main finding is that municipalities, on average, incur a considerable deficit, with a typical Kleingarten having an estimated annual deficit of approximately 240,000 yen. The study concluded that it is difficult for municipalities to achieve profit by providing Kleingartens, even with marginal improvements from increased user fees.

Francisco Javier Morales Martín · Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) · Peru (Lima)

This doctoral thesis proposes a new local development planning model based on social capital, applied to urban agriculture projects in the suburbs of developing countries. The model aims to identify critical initial social capital, generate new social capital, and maintain it over time through conversion into quantifiable physical capital. This approach ensures the model's sustainability, viewing urban agriculture as a means for local progress rather than an end in itself.

Sarah Rabkin · eScholarship (California Digital Library) · United States (California)

This is a biographical account of horticulturalist Beth Benjamin, based on an interview conducted on June 30, 2009. Benjamin joined Alan Chadwick's garden at UC Santa Cruz in 1967 and later co-founded Camp Joy Gardens in Santa Cruz County in the early 1970s. By 2009, Camp Joy Gardens was a thriving non-profit educational organization offering apprenticeships, educational programs, and a community supported agriculture program.

Deng Qing-nan · Economic Research Guide · China

This paper explores the transformation of traditional ecological agriculture tourism to urban agriculture tourism in Pi County, China. It suggests that Pi County, a birthplace of "Farm Fun" tourism, needs to upgrade its traditional ecological agriculture tourism to urban agriculture to ensure sustainable development and compete in the Chengdu suburban leisure agriculture tourism market. The paper presents initial thoughts based on the county's agricultural tourism development practices.

cdoyle · · Ireland

Celebrity Chef Richard Corrigan visited the Letterkenny Community Gardens in Donegal, Ireland, during the County Enterprise Board’s ‘Enterprise Week’. He emphasized the importance of community involvement in growing healthy food and cultivating native, indigenous varieties.

Noah Zerbe · · Global

Failures in the mainstream industrialized food system have increased interest in alternative food systems. These alternatives include urban agriculture, community supported farms, school and community gardens, and fair trade. Despite their diversity, these emergent systems share a common vision for food provision based on social and environmental justice.

금성근 · BDI 정책포커스 · South Korea (Busan)

This policy focus paper states that urban agriculture in Busan, South Korea, is in its initial stages and requires significant activation efforts from local governments. It identifies key roles for local governments in promotion, resource discovery, program support, organizational networking, and policy development. To activate urban agriculture in Busan, the paper recommends establishing institutional and policy support, strengthening education, providing experiential opportunities, fostering partnerships among public, private, and academic sectors, and linking with local industries for regional revitalization.

Scott Bernhard · Innovations Technology Governance Globalization · United States (New Orleans)

The Tulane City Center (TCC) in New Orleans supports architecture faculty and students who collaborate with local nonprofits to provide design and "visioning" assistance to underserved neighborhoods. Since its establishment after Hurricane Katrina, TCC has worked on dozens of projects, including six ecologically sound single-family houses, several green markets with urban agriculture facilities, and over 50 other initiatives. These projects incorporate extensive community input and are often constructed by students, providing them with hands-on experience in progressive design and new construction technologies.

Ferne Edwards, Dave Mercer · Local Environment · Australia (Melbourne)

This paper discusses the use of food mapping in the "Meals in Metropolis" undergraduate course at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. The course introduced Industrial Design and Landscape Architecture students to critical issues of food security and sustainability in urban design. Students produced food chain maps, neighborhood food maps, and redesign posters, which are concluded to reveal an emerging landscape of innovative food production in Melbourne, potentially leading to a more resilient, distributed urban food system.

Huang Jun · Nongye xiandaihua yanjiu · China (Wuhan)

This study analyzed the gap in urban and rural economic development in Wuhan. This disparity is reflected in differences in personal capital income, property, living standards, and the Engel coefficient of household expenditure. Unresolved past problems, an enlarging gap between industry and agriculture, a decreasing proportion of agricultural output, and an increasing contrast coefficient of industrial and agricultural sectors are identified as main causes of the gap.

Pablo Torres Lima, Alfonso Chávez-Muñoz, Gerardo Ávila-Jiménez, Sergio Contreras-Prado · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Mexico (Mexico City)

This article analyzes the principal components of a planning process that promotes the development of agricultural production zones in Xochimilco-Tlahuac, Mexico City. The experience was conceptualized in 2008 with the integration of data obtained through fieldwork, interviews, ethnographic techniques, and geomatics. The study highlights the critical need for district or metropolitan authorities to support urban agriculture to address various city development issues and concludes that re-assessing socio-territorial organization in the study region is also necessary to achieve an integrated, habitable, and sustainable city.

Rami Zurayk · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · Jordan (Amman)

This study describes instances of urban agriculture in Amman, the capital of Jordan. It illustrates the coexistence of agricultural activities alongside urban development, citing examples such as a wheat field replaced by a shopping mall, a cauliflower field in a posh neighborhood, and sheep grazing in a valley behind the U.S. Embassy.

Clayton County, Eldrin Bell, Wole Ralph, Gail B. Hambrick, Sonna Singleton, Michael L. Edmondson · · United States

This event marks the unveiling of a community garden in conjunction with Flat Shoals Park Football Spirit Night, kicking off the park's official football league season. The fun-filled family evening includes food, music, games, and a pep rally.

Sarah Rabkin · · United States (California)

Juan Pablo Perez founded J&P Organics, a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program in California, in 2006, which now serves approximately 300 subscribers. The enterprise offers flexible subscription options, including home delivery and varied order frequencies, and sells produce to restaurants and farmers' markets. Perez's success is attributed to his entrepreneurial skills and mentorship from the Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association (ALBA).