Research & reports

Wong G.C.L., Ng T.K.S., Lee J.L., Lim P.Y., Larbi A. · The Journals of Gerontology: Series A · Singapore

A feasibility pilot RCT with 59 community-dwelling older adults in Singapore found that a horticultural therapy program was associated with reduced biomarkers of T-cell exhaustion and inflammaging.

· Horticulture International Journal · Nepal (Kavrepalanchok)

Evaluates how home garden interventions contributed to household access to vegetables and nutrition security in Nepal's Kavrepalanchok district during the COVID-19 period.

· Scientific Reports · Guelph, Canada

Analyzing heavy metals in urban garden soils in Guelph, the study examines links between contamination and vulnerable populations, raising environmental-justice concerns that soil contamination in urban gardens may impose unequal health risks.

Yufei Qi, Sareena Hanim Hamzah, Erya Gu, Haonan Wang, Yue Xi, Minghui Sun, Siyu Rong, Qian Lin · Nutrients · Global

A meta-analysis pooling 14 randomised controlled trials covering 9,187 children aged 7–12 that tested school gardening combined with physical activity. Fruit and vegetable intake increased significantly, but the intervention showed no clear effect on BMI and related obesity measures, with only a modest positive direction for weight reduction. The result separates dietary behaviour change from anthropometric change and shows that whether school gardens are judged effective against obesity depends heavily on which outcome is measured.

Marion Tharrey, Nicole Darmon · Nutrition Reviews · Global

A systematic review searching January 2000 to August 2020 for quantitative studies on urban collective gardening and health among free-living adults in high-income countries; 15 of 1,261 identified articles met the criteria. Gardeners reported higher fruit and vegetable consumption than non-gardeners and most studies found positive associations with mental and social health, while results for physical activity and physiological measures were mixed. However, 13 of the 15 studies were cross-sectional and subject to selection bias and only 3 used objective measurement, so the authors conclude that longitudinal studies are needed before the suggested health benefits can be regarded as confirmed.

Helena I. Hanson, Emma Eckberg, Malin Widenberg, Johanna Alkan Olsson · Urban forestry & urban greening · Sweden (Lund)

This study explored private gardens' contribution to urban biodiversity and garden owners' wellbeing (in terms of cultural ecosystem services) in Lund, Sweden, through a garden land-use inventory and interviews with 35 garden owners. Results showed that urban development influences gardens' biodiversity potential by limiting available space or garden vegetation, with new properties having small gardens containing few biodiversity features and large trees. Important cultural ecosystem services included social bonds, recreation, nature experiences, and relaxation, which were influenced by age and gender.

Barbara Maćkiewicz, Raúl Puente Asuero · Urban forestry & urban greening · Spain (Seville)

This paper compares public and private urban allotment gardens (AGs) in Seville, Spain, as nature-based solutions (NBS). Both types of AGs are found to have positive impacts on user health and well-being and complement each other. The choice between public and private AGs is primarily linked to freedom of cultivation and access, rather than economic factors. The study concludes that both public and private AGs require integrated territorial, legal, and institutional frameworks within urban policies.

Kamonashish Haldar, Katarzyna Kujawa-Roeleveld, Marco Schoenmakers, Dilip Kumar Datta, H.H.M. Rijnaarts, Jeroen Vos · Journal of Environmental Management · Bangladesh (Khulna)

This study assessed stakeholder awareness, perception, and willingness towards urban water reuse in Khulna City, Bangladesh, using a questionnaire with 385 urban respondents, 32 farmer interviews, one farmer focus group, and ten key informant interviews. It found an overall positive attitude among major stakeholder groups toward planned water reuse for peri-urban agriculture, with 53% of citizens willing to pay for wastewater treatment and 66% of farmers willing to pay for better-quality irrigation water. However, the public sector requires adjustments in rules and regulations, addressing issues like lack of transparency, coordination, and resources, to implement planned water reuse.

Chethika Gunasiri Wadumestrige Dona, Geetha Mohan, Kensuke Fukushi · Sustainability · Global

This systematic literature review analyzed 54 articles on urban agriculture, examining socio-economic context, agriculture models, opportunities, and challenges. The review found that academic literature favors community gardens in developed countries and gives comparatively less attention to identifying challenges, benefit groups, and government support for urban agriculture.

Carlos Tapia, Linda Randall, Shinan Wang, Luciane Aguiar Borges · Sustainable Cities and Society · Denmark (Aarhus)

This study presents a novel indicator-based evaluation framework for urban agriculture, tested in Fællesgartneriet Brabrand, a community garden in Aarhus, Denmark. The framework aims to capture the contribution of gardening practices to urban sustainability, acknowledging that urban agriculture may also have social and environmental externalities depending on prevalent farming practices.

Victoria Schoen, Chris Blythe, Silvio Caputo, Runrid Fox-Kämper, Kathrin Specht, Agnès Fargue‐Lelièvre, Nevin Cohen, Lidia Poniży, Konstancja Fedeńczak · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · Global North

This 2021 paper, based on data collected in summer 2020 from five Global North countries (France, Germany, Poland, UK, USA), examined the effects of COVID-19 on urban farms and gardens. The pandemic presented multiple challenges, including loss of support services, lost income, and reduced output due to labor supply issues. It also created opportunities like new local markets and increased community cohesion, demonstrating how gardens adapted to become more resilient.

Mariana Portilho, Camila Gonçalves de Oliveira Rodrigues , Annelise Caetano Fraga Fernandez · Portuguese National Funding Agency for Science, Research and Technology (RCAAP Project by FCT) · Brazil (Rio de Janeiro)

This study presents the formation of Arranjo Local da Penha, a community territorial network established in 2016 in the Penha favela complex in Rio de Janeiro. Primarily led by women and focused on promoting urban agriculture based on agroecology, this network fostered women's protagonism and built emotional ties between them and the place, mainly by enabling access to "real food" in the favela.

Jackie Hendrickson · Digital Commons - USU (Utah State University) · United States (Utah)

Utah State University's Food $ense and Master Gardener programs partnered to create the "Create Farm Fresh Gardens" community gardening program, targeting low-income families in Cache Valley, Utah. Piloted during the 2018 growing season, the program aimed to improve food security by increasing access to fresh vegetables and enhancing participants' self-efficacy in gardening and nutrition. Participants provided supportive feedback, and the program was slated for statewide implementation in Utah during the 2019 growing season.

Kusuma Wardhani Mas’udah, Zainal Abidin Achmad, Ita Sabilah Putri Chayani, Niken Nathania, Rahadyan Naufal A, Yusuf Fadhilah, Bayu Frastra Wiranegara · Abdi-mesin Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat Teknik Mesin · Indonesia (Surabaya)

In Dupak village, Krembangan district, Surabaya, Indonesia, due to limited land, KKN Group 38 of UPN "Veteran" East Java University conducted outreach and assistance on Budikdamber development. This initiative aimed to meet household food needs and support the local economy through the marketing of urban farming produce. The program provided knowledge to the community, contributed to nutritional satisfaction to prevent stunting, and enhanced skills for household food self-sufficiency by utilizing narrow home yards for growing vegetables and fish in buckets.

Tatiane Sueli Coutinho, Adrian José Ramos, Eric Schwamberger, Kassia Kathellyn Barboza, Eduarda Nunes, Roberta Hoepers Mascarenhas, Vinícius Verwiebe, Gabriela Santos Patriarca, Rossie Katherine dos Santos, Alicia Weber, Giovana Schwamberger, Jamily Assini, Samuel Carvalho de Matos-Filho, Isadora Bombassaro, Vitor Gomes Pinheiro · Extensão em Foco · Brazil

The Ervaterapia extension program, established in 2018 in Brusque, Brazil, aimed to create medicinal herb gardens and integrate students with the community. Activities included distributing approximately 300 seedlings, lectures, workshops, and creating school gardens, alongside a "Super Ervas" comic book. The project observed increased community awareness of medicinal herbs, leading to greater demand for natural products to alleviate symptoms and reduced consumption of allopathic medicines, as well as children's understanding of plant care.

Yang Deng · Journal of Hazardous Materials Letters · Global

While rainwater harvesting (RWH) is considered a sustainable irrigation method for urban agriculture, contaminants in rainwater pose challenges to RWH practices due to potential threats to crop, soil, and human health. Based on literature data, principal pollutants such as particles, toxic metals like cadmium, copper, and zinc, synthetic organic chemicals like agrochemicals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and waterborne pathogens were identified as likely exceeding irrigation quality criteria. This study identifies challenges, knowledge gaps, and research needs for RWH irrigation, offering a basis for technical strategies.

Christine Costello, Zeynab Oveysi, Bayram Dündar, Ronald G. McGarvey · Environmental Science & Technology · United States (Chicago)

This study used optimization techniques to assess the land area and radius needed around Chicago, Illinois, to meet nutritional needs. It found that no mix of food items could satisfy vitamin D, B12, and calcium needs within a 650 km radius. While urban agriculture reduced the required radius by 10-15 km, significant nutrient fortification or supplementation was still necessary to localize the food system.

Deni Nasir Ahmad, Luluk Setyowati · Jurnal Pengabdian Magister Pendidikan IPA · Indonesia

This community service activity in Indonesia introduced urban farming to students via Zoom meetings as a solution for food security and economic value during the COVID-19 pandemic. The program involved assessing partner needs, presenting urban farming concepts, and evaluating participant feedback. Participants responded positively, asking many questions and finding the information relevant to their needs, with some even developing new ideas for agricultural technology products.

Isaac Asirifi, Korbinian Kaetzl, Steffen Werner, Courage Kosi Setsoafia Saba, Felix K. Abagale, Philip Amoah, Bernd Marschner · Journal of Environmental Quality · Ghana

A field experiment in northern Ghana assessed health risks from pathogen and heavy metal contamination in urban agriculture, evaluating rice husk biochar, N-P-K fertilizer, and their combinations with untreated wastewater or tap water irrigation. While heavy metals in irrigation water and soil were below FAO/WHO standards, wastewater irrigation caused significant E. coli, fecal coliform, and helminth egg contamination on red amaranth vegetables and in soil. Biochar application did not affect bacterial contamination.

Karen McKenzie, Ryan Diston, Kara Murray · Northumbria Research Link (Northumbria University) · United Kingdom

A study evaluated a multifaceted activity, a visit to an inner-city farm, to measure which elements were the best predictors of psychological wellbeing. It found that, regardless of the specific activities engaged in, visiting the farm, on average, increased positive mood and reduced negative mood. The main contributing factor to this improvement was social interaction.

Diana Gabriela Figueroa-Piña, Jorge Luis Chávez‐Servín, Karina de la Torre‐Carbot, María del Carmen Caamaño, Gabriela Lucas-Deecke, Patricia Roitman Genoud, Laura Regina Ojeda-Navarro · Nutrition Research and Practice · Mexico (Queretaro)

A 3-arm controlled comparative impact study was conducted with 126 teenagers aged 12-18 at a private middle/high school in Queretaro, Mexico, to evaluate the effect of an educational intervention with a school garden (FE+SG) versus food education only (FE) and a control group (CG) on vegetable and fruit consumption. Both the FE+SG and FE groups significantly increased the frequency and daily intake of vegetables and fruits compared to the CG. The FE+SG group showed greater understanding, reflection, analysis of information, and willingness to include these in their daily diet. It was concluded that FE accompanied by a school garden is more effective than education alone or control in promoting vegetable and fruit consumption in middle-upper income teenagers.

Arisnia Devie Hapsari, Retno Setyowati, Hanifah Ihsaniyati · AGRITEXTS Journal of Agricultural Extension · Indonesia (Solo)

A descriptive qualitative study in Serengan Urban Village, Solo, aimed to identify internal and external factors influencing the adoption of urban farming TOGA (medicinal plants) in crowded residential areas. Data from observation, interviews, FGS, and document study revealed six strengths, nine weaknesses, seven opportunities, and six threats. Based on these findings, five strategies were proposed to improve community adoption, including enhancing experience, knowledge, awareness, and ability through assistance and cooperation.

Lili Tatiana Vega Clavijo, Daniel Andrés Vega Castro · Idesia · Colombia (Bogotá)

This study identified lead (Pb) levels in vegetables cultivated in urban gardens located in high-traffic areas of Bogotá, Colombia. Samples were taken from 49 planting sites across the city, analyzing soil, irrigation water, and plant tissue. The analyzed variables did not show abnormal Pb levels when compared to national and international regulations, leading to the conclusion that urban agriculture in Bogotá should not pose a significant chemical risk to consumers from lead ingestion.

Zerrin Mercan, Büşra BİLİR, Nilüfer Darıca · Cukurova University Faculty of Education Journal · Turkey

This qualitative study examined the gardens of 27 preschool education institutions in Gaziantep province as physical learning environments. Findings showed that while physical and social areas existed in school gardens, they required qualitative support. Silent areas were very limited and located within vocal areas, and creative and sensory areas were not present in the school gardens.

Martha Biddle, JungHee Kang, Julie C. Derringer, Anna M. Rose, D. Brewer, Misook L. Chung, Terry A. Lennie, Gia Mudd‐Martin, Timothy A. Woods · Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition · United States (Kentucky)

A study examined the relationships among food security status, eating patterns, and perceived barriers to food choices among 209 shareholders in a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program in Kentucky during COVID-19 stay-at-home restrictions. The food insecure group (n=33) reported lower consumption of fruits/vegetables and whole grains, greater consumption of fast foods, and more barriers to food choices compared to the food secure group. A low food insecure proportion (16%) among CSA participants suggests a potential role for CSA programs in preventing food insecurity.