Research & reports

F. A. Abd El Hamid · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · United Kingdom (Glasgow)

This paper presents the complete operational blueprint for the EArTh System, a community-led model designed to establish food sovereignty in post-industrial areas. The system integrates a decaying digital currency, democratic assemblies, and urban agriculture to create a parallel 'commons' for essential goods. Detailed as a pilot implementation for Glasgow East, UK, the document outlines its currency mechanics, legal structure, governance, and launch strategy.

Dayane Barbosa de Oliveira, Adelmo Fernandes de Araújo, Iara Terra de Oliveira · Ambiente & Educação · Brazil

This qualitative, exploratory study in Brazil investigated high school students' perceptions and meanings of a school garden through an aesthetic-environmental education experience. Data was collected from written experience reports by full-time high school students. The analysis revealed fragmented perceptions and meanings, indicating the school garden's potential as a relevant resource for educational development and fostering integration between students and their environment.

Sutiyono Sutiyono, Luluk Edahwati, Atika Andini · JURNAL AKADEMIK PENGABDIAN MASYARAKAT · Indonesia (Surabaya)

A community service program in Medokan Ayu, Surabaya, Indonesia, developed technology for producing organic soap from used cooking oil and local herbal extracts for the Kosagrha Lestari Farmers Group. Training and mentoring enabled the group to produce good quality, safe soap, which reduced environmental pollution and enhanced their entrepreneurial skills.

Yusuf Kamaluddeen Ibrahim, Zabawi Abdul Ghani, Rasheed Osuolale Oladosu, O. D. Idris,, Tamwesigire Caleb · Journal of Innovative Research · Nigeria (Bauchi)

In Bauchi metropolis, Nigeria, urban farming practices and constraints were investigated among 285 urban farmers. Findings revealed that most farmers do not own land, instead borrowing or renting it. The major constraints to urban agriculture were reported as lack of tenure security, limited land area, and poor access to microcredit facilities.

Nur Muttaqien Zuhri, Andwiani Sinarasri, Firdaus Firdaus, Ari Dwi Astono, Ali Khamdi, Ida Kristiana, Dina Fadhilatun Niswah, Indra Perdana · Springer Link (Chiba Institute of Technology) · Indonesia (Semarang)

This study analyzed the entrepreneurial traits of millennial farmers and the effectiveness of urban agriculture in Semarang City, Indonesia. Eighty-six millennial farmers from urban agriculture in Mijen District were randomly sampled, with entrepreneurial characteristics assessed using a Likert scale and urban agriculture effectiveness measured by income and profit. Millennial farmers' entrepreneurial traits were significant, scoring 86%, and urban agriculture in Semarang City generated an average income of IDR 4,861,701 and a profit of IDR 3,481,433 during the 2023 planting season. A positive correlation was found between farmers' entrepreneurial skills and urban agriculture performance.

Dodi Wirawan Irawanto, Adi Setiawan, Noorsy Zidna Nabiela · RESONA Jurnal Ilmiah Pengabdian Masyarakat · Indonesia

This community service activity in a village in Malang Regency, Indonesia, aimed to enhance the community's financial planning and digital marketing skills, and to provide understanding and experience in urban farming methods. Using lectures, training, and mentoring, the activity successfully improved participants' abilities in urban farming cultivation.

Maria Teresa Braga Bizarria · Gender Place & Culture · New Zealand (Wellington)

This qualitative study explored the embodied experiences of six women in three community gardens in Wellington, New Zealand, focusing on gender roles and care responsibilities. The findings indicate that participants' experiences were permeated by complicity with oppressive structures, and their actions had limitations in fostering transformative justice.

S Aliyu, Okhimamhe A. A, I. M. Sule · International Journal of Research and Innovation in Applied Science · Nigeria (Lagos)

This study explored the role of urban farming in enhancing food security and sustainability in the Lagos Metropolis through focus group discussions and quantitative surveys with various stakeholders, including policymakers, urban farmers, and community members. Findings suggest urban farming's potential to reduce food transportation distances, enhance local food production, and mitigate climate change impacts. However, challenges such as land demands and gender disparities persist, necessitating integrated policy approaches and targeted educational programs.

Diego Alejandro Riaño-Herrera, Felipe A. Perdomo, Juanita Quintero-Castro, Alejandra García-Sánchez, Leonardo Rodríguez-Urrego · Sustainable Futures · Global

A content analysis and qualitative assessment of 34 urban agroecosystem living labs (UALLs) from academic and grey literature explored their design and contributions to sustainable city development. UALLs were found to boost agricultural productivity, food security, and community cohesion, while also supporting climate mitigation and waste reduction. However, the study noted that UALLs need to better align their strategies with SDGs and improve the measurement of their contributions.

Rebecca Lindberg, Stephanie Godrich · · Australia

This chapter proposes a typology of Australian food charity, describing seven types of food aid provision in Australia. The typology includes large warehousing foodbanks, community food charity, emergency and disaster responses, networks, social enterprises, community gardens and farms, and school food charity programmes. These food assistance agencies play a vital role in Australia's food space and are involved in addressing hunger and food insecurity.

Nancy Domínguez González, Fernando Naranjo Chacón, A Solé, Miguel Ángel Escalona Aguilar, A. Medina · Tropical and Subtropical Agroecosystems · Mexico (Xalapa)

A descriptive study was conducted at Federal Secondary School No. 4 David Alfaro Siqueiros in Xalapa, Mexico, to evaluate the impact of a school garden on student learning, bonds, and intrinsic purposes. A qualitative Likert scale survey was applied to 80 actively participating students before and after the garden's implementation and related workshops. The intervention process failed to generate statistically significant changes in students' learning about school garden aspects (plant growth, planting, care, harvesting, processing), in the bonds developed through teamwork, or in the meaning they attributed to working in the school garden.

Mila Ulfiah Milenia, M. Mustaqhfirin Amin, Muslim Cahaya Indra · Jurnal Pendidikan Indonesia · Indonesia (Jawa Barat and Bali)

A qualitative multi-site study across five elementary schools in West Java and Bali investigated an integrative model to improve the quality of basic education. The integration of contextual curricula increased learning motivation by 28%, and community participation through the "Parents' School" program reduced dropout rates by 15%. Additionally, self-financing from urban farming contributed 22% of the operational budget.

Kurt Ackermann, Tamsin Faragher · CABI climate change series. · South Africa (Cape Town)

A three-year case study of the Langa Agrihub in Cape Town, South Africa, supports a network of over 250 urban farmers comprising more than 30 food gardens. The Agrihub provides inputs, infrastructure, knowledge exchange, and market connections, serving as a platform for civic participation, social cohesion, and local agency. This chapter states that the primary value of community food gardens lies in enabling communities to mitigate and adapt to intersecting stresses, including economic marginalisation, environmental degradation, and infrastructure shortcomings like water scarcity.

Меглена Златкова · Семинар_BG · Bulgaria (Plovdiv)

This article analyzes urban gardening as a practice of inhabiting in the Bulgarian post-socialist city, based on long-term anthropological research in the Trakia residential district of Plovdiv. It examines how inter-block gardens and peripheral "ranch" gardens are maintained, transformed, and inherited amidst changing urban space management. Urban gardening is interpreted as a sustainable mechanism for rooting in the city and understanding post-socialist forms of inhabiting public space.

Girma Mulu Alemu, Sophie Schramm, Wilbard Kombe · Cogent Social Sciences · Ethiopia (Addis Ababa)

This qualitative study in peri-urban Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, explored the impacts of peri-urbanization on smallholder farmers' socio-economic conditions. The research found that peri-urbanization leads to the erosion of capital assets, with dwindling agricultural land causing tenure insecurity and disrupting livelihoods. This process exacerbates smallholder farmers' marginality by weakening social ties and mutual support systems.

Rahoyo Rahoyo, Teti Susilowati, Sri Purwantini · Economics Development Analysis Journal · Indonesia (Semarang)

This research explored the economic viability of community gardens in Semarang City, Indonesia, using a qualitative approach with 24 participants. Findings indicate that most community gardens operate at a financial loss, showing weak economic viability. However, these gardens continue to function sustainably, driven not by profit but by government programs, social cohesion, and environmental concern.

Jacqueline de Almeida Barbosa Franco, Quintino Augusto Có de Seabra, Bruno Humberto da Silva, Adriano Alves Teixeira, Rosane Aparecida Gomes Battistelle, Bárbara Stolte Bezerra · Anthropology & Aging · Brazil (São Paulo)

This report examines an inclusive community vegetable garden project at Vila Vicentina, a long-term care facility in Bauru, São Paulo, Brazil, initiated through participatory action research. The project created a space for older adults to engage in leisure and horticultural activities. Findings suggest the initiative contributed to improvements in physical engagement, social interaction, and overall well-being among older adults.

Nina Madrigal Zuluaga, Sebastián Ardila Osorio, Diana Carolina Perez Torres · Revista de la Facultad de Trabajo Social · Colombia (Santander de Quilichao)

This article describes a 2020 research project in Santander de Quilichao, Colombia, focused on food security and community strengthening for families with children with disabilities. The project implemented community gardens and provided training to parents, benefiting 45 families and 150 individuals with 30 urban gardens and 2 home gardens. The research demonstrated positive results, showing how community development can be approached integrally by incorporating community elements to facilitate access and participation for people with disabilities.

Odeimy Sarría-Crespo, Mayelin López-Roque, Wilfredo Sis-Sánchez · Revista Metropolitana de Ciencias Aplicadas · Cuba (Cienfuegos)

A ten-month non-experimental study at the "Pueblo Griffo Viejo" organic farm in Cienfuegos, Cuba, identified limiting factors in vegetable production through surveys, field observations, and documentary review. The research found low yields due to poor substrate quality, inadequate water management, limited organic matter, and insufficient training participation. Additionally, the workforce's low educational level hindered efficient agricultural practices.

Theresa Widya Artika, Efendi Surahman · UNITY Journal of Community Service · Indonesia (Surabaya)

This three-week community service program in Tembok Dukuh District, Surabaya, aimed to enhance local residents' knowledge and skills in hydroponic urban farming. Participants, primarily women from the Family Welfare Movement (PKK), received training in hydroponic concepts, simple installation construction, and vegetable planting and maintenance techniques. The program resulted in a significant improvement in participants' understanding of hydroponic systems and their ability to apply these techniques at home.

Gregg G. Van Ryzin · Policy Studies Journal · Global

This article argues that viewing the coproduction of public goods and services by government agencies and citizens as a causal process, using causal diagrams, can help describe and diagnose coproduction processes more precisely across various services and settings. The approach is demonstrated with examples such as roads, community gardens, traffic safety, education, and policing, and helps clarify the definition of coproduction and its relation to concepts like volunteering, participation, co-creation, and collaborative governance.

Yvon Mwengwe Muhongo, Eric Nice Nshembe Chishungu · Journal of Advanced Psychology · Democratic Republic of Congo

This study investigated the psychological and environmental impacts of climate change and mining degradation in villages surrounding the Mutanda Mining site in Lualaba province, Democratic Republic of Congo, using a mixed-methods approach. Findings reveal that proximity to the mining site is a major determinant of ecological deterioration and psychological distress. Villages within 5 km of the site showed higher environmental degradation, stronger perceptions of climate change, and significantly elevated eco-anxiety and ecological stress levels. Community resilience mechanisms such as social support, community gardens, and local ecological restoration initiatives partially mitigate psychological impacts.

Hue Younsun · Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture · Australia (Gold Coast)

A study analyzed six community gardens in the Gold Coast, Australia, using literature review, field observations, and interviews with managers and participants. It found that these gardens function as multifunctional platforms integrating environmental, social, and economic values, rather than solely urban agriculture sites. The findings suggest the need for integrated operational strategies for Korean community gardens.

Santi Rukminita Anggraeni, Ayyas Ziya Ul Hakim, Abdullah Asyam, Qurnia Wulan Sari, Neng Tanty Sofiana · JURNAL KREATIVITAS PENGABDIAN KEPADA MASYARAKAT (PKM) · Indonesia (Jatinangor)

A community service program provided urban farming education and practical training in planting vegetables in polybags to 18 housewives in Cisempur Village, Jatinangor, Indonesia, from November to December 2024. Evaluation showed that 66.7% of participants found the program very useful for obtaining fresh vegetables without a yard, and 80% expressed interest in applying the knowledge. While the program increased knowledge and experience for personal fresh food supply, it had not yet provided tangible economic impact.

Alex Kudryavtsev, Manuela Vega‐Zamora, Megan Nordgrén · The Journal of Environmental Education · United States (New York City)

This participatory, grounded case study examined New York Sun Works (NYSW), a nonprofit providing hydroponics labs and sustainability curricula to hundreds of public schools in New York City. Data from interviews with the executive director and nine teachers, and classroom observations, revealed a framework showing how school-nonprofit partnerships for sustainability education catalyze systemic impacts in educational transformation, sustainability solutions, and civil society. The findings suggest that nonprofit-facilitated, school-based sustainability education can advance significant educational, environmental, and societal transformations.