Research & reports

Adriana Premat · City & Society · Cuba

This paper, based on ethnographic research in Havana, Cuba, from 1997 to 2007, examines the creation of officially-sanctioned sustainable urban agriculture sites. It highlights the significant role of various non-state actors and interests, often overlooked in scholarly accounts, alongside the state's function. The study offers a refined understanding of the Cuban state's influence and limitations in agricultural development.

XU Hua-me · Technoeconomics & Management Research · China

This article evaluates the level of Urban Agriculture Modernization in China's major cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, using the Analytic Hierarchy Process method. It finds that modern urban agriculture has developed rapidly based on urbanization and agricultural modernization, but disparate development is obvious in China. The article analyzes the reasons for this disparity and various factors for Urban Agriculture Modernization, revealing the mechanism and path for its realization.

Crispen Dirwai, P.M. Makonese, N. Mboto · Figshare · Zimbabwe (Harare)

This study investigated how urban poor (Mabvuku-Tafara) and urban rich (Mabelreign, Marlborough, Westgate) communities in Harare, Zimbabwe, addressed the food crisis between 2005 and 2008. Using a mainly qualitative methodology to compare urban agricultural activities, findings showed that the urban poor engaged in seasonal, often inorganic, less paying off-yard farming, exposed to nature's vagaries. In contrast, the urban rich practiced on-plot perennial, often organic, researched (including soil testing) farming with greenhouses, which yielded better returns.

Wang Wen-zhen · Journal of Huangshi Institute of Technology · China (Huangshi)

Due to economic development, Huangshi, China, located along the Yangtze River, has shifted its agriculture from a production-centered peri-urban pattern to a multi-functional urban pattern encompassing production, ecology, and landscape. Integrating urban agriculture with Huangshi's notable location along the Yangtze River is believed to give its modern agriculture distinct features and a promising future.

Kwesi Acheampong, Amoako Mensah, Boatemaa Boateng · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Ghana

A survey conducted from January to March across five favelas in Accra, Ghana, investigated the impact of community gardening workshops on food security. While participants gained knowledge on sustainable gardening techniques, 45% of respondents still lacked access to necessary resources like seeds and tools. The study concluded that workshops improved awareness but further support is needed to address practical implementation barriers.

Lorenzo Montero San José, Reinaldo Cun García, Jeny Pérez Petitón, Martha Paula Ricardo Calzadilla, Julián Herrera Puebla · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Cuba (Ciudad de La Habana)

This study, conducted at the "Camilo Cienfuegos" urban farm in San Miguel del Padrón, Havana, Cuba, investigated the effect of wastewater irrigation on sorghum and maize yields for animal feed. Applying a total net dose of 1775.4 m3·ha-1 of wastewater over 31 irrigations significantly increased grain yields to 4.29 t·ha-1 for sorghum and 1.73 t·ha-1 for maize, compared to rainfed conditions.

Martina Předotová, Eva Schlecht, Andreas Buerkert · Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems · Niger (Niamey)

An experiment quantified nitrogen and carbon losses from animal manure stored in urban vegetable gardens in Niamey, Niger. During a 3.5-month dry season experiment, cumulative gaseous nitrogen losses were highest (0.11 g kg−1 manure DM) in the uncovered control, decreasing by 72% with plastic sheet roofing and 50% with roofing plus rock phosphate. In a second 3.5-month rainy season experiment, carbon losses from the control were 164 g kg−1 manure DM, reduced to 77% and 65% of the control by roofing and roofing plus rock phosphate, respectively. Leaching losses during the rainy season were only observed for the unroofed control.

Antonio Ortega Santos · Historia Contemporánea · Cuba (La Habana)

This article reviews contributions from urban environmental history and examines the potential of productive strategies to transform cities into more sustainable systems. The latter part of the article presents the results of Urban Agriculture in Havana, Cuba. Havana's urban agriculture secured urban food supply levels and the sovereignty of urban agricultural producers, transforming the city into a more socio-environmentally sustainable model as an urgent measure against supply problems for the Cuban economy.

A. D. Jones, Jennie Popp · Discovery The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural Food and Life Sciences · United States

This research aims to develop enterprise budgets for sustainable school gardens as part of a service learning program at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville (UAF). These budgets are used to evaluate the costs and returns of producing crops that meet three criteria: minimal negative environmental impact, just-in-time production for school needs, and financial solvency. The research focuses on developing enterprise budgets for four crops—chili peppers, cabbage, corn, and tomatoes—and an interactive Excel® budgeting tool to evaluate revenues and expenses.

Andreas Buerkert, Eva Schlecht, Martina Předotová, Rodrigue V.C. Diogo, Katja Kehlenbeck, Jens Gebauer · eScholarship (California Digital Library) · Sub-Saharan Africa

This study analyzed urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) systems in major Sub-Saharan African cities, measuring carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fluxes and conducting biodiversity studies. In Niamey, low-input gardens showed annual gaseous carbon emissions of 20-25 t ha-1, predominantly CO2, and high-input gardens irrigated with wastewater had annual CO2-C emissions of 27 t ha-1, with N2O as a major nitrogen loss contributor. Animal manure stored in the open was subject to large carbon and nitrogen losses, indicating environmental tradeoffs. However, UPA gardens in Niamey maintained a large variety of fruit and vegetable species, with richness increasing with garden and household size and commercialization.

Ana Puertas, L Hidalgo-Díaz · Revista de Protección Vegetal · Cuba

An experiment in Cuba investigated the effect of different organic fertilizers on the establishment of the biological control agent Pochonia chlamydosporia var. catenulata in the substrate and rhizosphere of tomato plants. High colonization levels of the substrate and tomato roots were observed across all treatments using soil, cattle manure, and worm humus in various proportions. Results indicated a tendency for higher root colonization values in organic fertilizers and proportions that allowed medium or lower substrate colonization. Both organic fertilizers can be used to support the application of P. chlamydosporia var. catenulata in urban agriculture.

Allyson Holbrook · Figshare · Global

"The Green We Need" project, commissioned by Nursery and Garden Industry Australia (NGIA), identified 171 articles published since 2000 across 75 academic journals. These articles presented new data on the health, quality of life, and social impacts of urban dwellers' access to green space. The research strongly supported a growing body of international studies since 2000 indicating the human need for nearby green spaces for healthy living, physical and social activity, and a direct relationship between proximity to green space and its use for recreation and daily activities.

Duan Yuan-gu · · China

This study analyzed community outdoor environment spaces, focusing on deficiencies in current community garden design. Drawing from traditional Chinese housing psychology, it summarized the necessity of community private spaces and proposed design techniques.

David M Ahronian, Kelly R Ashton, Erin G Bassett, Maxwell A Cohen, Victor J Czulak, Gregory S Dunbar, Brendan T Farragher, Jonathan L Gorman, Peter L Guy, Timothy J Iles, Piyawut Inthasorn, Travis A Johnson, Jonathan B. Koch, Justin J Kronewitter, Zachary B Livingston, Matthew Morano, Brian Mulvehill, Kevin Murphy, Sean P O'Connell, Peter W. Stephens, Christopher Tourigny, Bryce P White, Timothy E Young · ScholarWorks@UMassAmherst (University of Massachusetts Amherst) · United States (Springfield)

This work explores a service learning strategy within an Urban Design Studio at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, focused on envisioning Springfield's North End. The project aimed to stimulate conversation, develop green design strategies, improve services, and foster cultural engagement to enhance the community's vibrancy and quality of life. It proposes that improved physical, cultural, and social connectivity is key to achieving these goals, and identified six sustainable learning and planning principles, including urban agriculture and education for healthy living.

Abdullah Al-Shahin · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Libya

A cross-sectional survey using structured questionnaires was conducted in four Libyan coastal cities to assess the impact of urban community gardens on food security. Participants reported significant increases in fresh produce consumption, with 72% of those living within five kilometers of their gardens showing increased fruit and vegetable intake. The study suggests urban community gardens positively impact food security by improving access to fruits and vegetables for residents.

Qicheng Lu · Ecological Economy · Global

This paper studies the functions of urban agriculture on the evolution of eco-city as a self-organizational system, based on reviews of conceptions and meaning. It analyzes the synergy effects between developing urban agriculture and constructing eco-city from sharing effective, implementing effective, and synchronizing effective perspectives. The study concludes that a typical synergy relationship exists between developing urban agriculture and constructing eco-city.

J. C. Pawelek, Gordon W. Frankie, Robbin W. Thorp, Maggie Przybylski · Cities and the Environment · United States (California)

A community garden in San Luis Obispo, California, was modified by planting bee-attractive plants to attract native bee pollinators. Garden modification and monitoring of native bees occurred from 2007 through the 2009 growing season. The diversity of collected and observed native bees increased each year, with 40 species in 17 genera recorded to date.

Robert Rogerson, Sue Sadler · Strathprints: The University of Strathclyde institutional repository (University of Strathclyde) · United Kingdom

This case study, prepared by BRASS (Centre for Business Relationships Accountability, Sustainability & Society), is part of an HCA/ESRC funded research project. The project investigated skills and knowledge applied in sustainability initiatives related to housing, land, food, and transport.

Ernarosa Tominich · Educational Media Reviews Online · United States (Chicago)

"Simple Living with Wanda Urbanska" is a 2008 documentary exploring themes of land use, energy conservation, and urban "green earth" movements in major American cities. Host Wanda Urbanska conducts interviews and visits projects like green rooftop gardens and city farms on vacant lots. The documentary features a Chicago family demonstrating a "green" lifestyle, including communal gardening and local shopping.

Hubert Więckowski · Jagiellonian University Repository (Jagiellonian University) · Germany (Berlin)

This article describes the 8th edition of the Synaxis Baltica Summer Academy, organized in Potsdam and Berlin, Germany. It presents the significant aims of the Synaxis Baltica Summer Academy, established in 2002, and briefly describes the main topics of the 8th academy, which included community gardens and guerilla gardening. Information about lectures, experts, and participants' tasks and obligations is also provided.

June Komisar, Joe Nasr, Mark Gorgolewski · Open House International · Canada

This paper describes how Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada, has explored agricultural and food issues as design challenges in various student projects. These projects, ranging from community investigations to thesis projects, integrated food-related strategies like community gardens and edible landscapes, demonstrating their utility in addressing broader design challenges such as social inclusion and sustainable building practices.

Yael Kemelmajer, Laura Cecilia De Luca · · Global

This work, part of the Programme of Food Self-Production, studied the influence of moon phases on horticultural crop productivity in urban vegetable gardens. Adapting agrarian science mechanisms, it incorporated popular knowledge regarding lunar influence on crops. Broccoli and lettuce were planted during crescent and waning moon phases, and differences in productivity were found for both species according to these moments.

AÇIKSÖZ Sebahat · Tarım Bilimleri Dergisi · Turkey (Bartın)

This study investigated whether urban agriculture activities in Bartın, Turkey, could be organized as a cluster according to Cluster Growth Theory, and examined its cluster characteristics as part of the TR-26 Bartın Regional Development Project. While urban agriculture in Bartın was identified as having cluster characteristics and growth potential, the study found that a fundamental problem for its future development is weak coordination and cooperation among stakeholders. It proposes a model for urban agriculture activities for a "Bartın Urban Initiative" at the city level.

Louise Joly · Primary Health Care · United States

This research focus describes three studies exploring the health benefits of gardening as a social activity. The studies investigate how community gardens in Denver, Colorado, contribute to strengthening neighborhoods and health.

Bruce Frayne, Jane Battersby, Robert Fincham, Gareth Haysom · · South Africa

This study examines urban food security in South Africa, focusing on Cape Town, Msunduzi, and Johannesburg, and includes a critique of the City of Cape Town's urban agriculture policy. The abstract indicates that the policy was found to have significant shortcomings, particularly concerning local production and access to food. The research highlights various policy issues related to food access, dietary diversity, local production, and local markets within these urban contexts.