Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
1129 results(42 / 46)
Applying Sen's Capability Approach to Poverty Alleviation Programs: Two Case Studies
2008John Schischka, Paul Dalziel, Caroline M. Saunders · Journal of Human Development · New Zealand
This research investigated the application of Sen's Capability Approach to two human development programs: a community garden-based poverty alleviation program in a New Zealand city and a self-help project for women in Samoa. Sixteen focus groups of participants described significant changes in their capabilities, including learning new skills and discovering existing valuable capabilities. This finding aligns with Sen's emphasis on participant agency.
CommunityWelfareEconomicsBuying into Community Supported Agriculture: Strategies for Overcoming Income Barriers
2008Cristin B. Forbes, Alison H. Harmon · Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition · Global
This article examines strategies employed by Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms to help limited-resource consumers overcome income barriers to membership. Due to the typical lump sum membership fee, CSA can be inaccessible. Identified strategies include accepting government food assistance, offering payment plans, working shares, subsidized or low-cost shares, transportation assistance, bartering, outreach, and connections to emergency food assistance.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsWelfareFood sovereignty & justiceRussia's Unknown Agriculture: Household Production in Post-Socialist Rural Russia
2007Pallot J., Nefedova T. · Oxford University Press (Oxford Geographical and Environmental Studies Series) · Russia
A monograph based on four years of fieldwork across European Russia examining the scale, geography, and socioeconomic significance of household plot production in post-socialist rural Russia.
EconomicsPolicyCommunityWastewater Agriculture in Kurunegala City, Sri Lanka
2007Jayakody P., Gunawardana I., Guneratne S., Clemett A., Dissanayake P. · IWMI Research Reports (WASPA Asia Project Report 8), International Water Management Institute · Sri Lanka (Kurunegala)
This IWMI report documents peri-urban paddy cultivation using diverted municipal wastewater around Kurunegala city, highlighting the practice as representative of urbanization impacts on Sri Lankan agriculture while identifying significant public health risks from untreated effluent irrigation.
EconomicsHealthOrganic cyclePolicyUrban Horticulture and Agriculture in the Developing World
2007Jim Godfrey · The Journal of Horticultural Science and Biotechnology · Global
This article, titled "Urban Horticulture and Agriculture in the Developing World," was published in The Journal of Horticultural Science and Biotechnology, 82(1), p. 1. The abstract provides only the publication details and title of the article.
Urban–rural linkageEconomicsCommunityUrban Agriculture i den hållbara staden
2007Anna Eklund, Camilla Björk · · Nicaragua (Managua)
This diploma work, a case study in Managua, Nicaragua, explored how urban agriculture can improve the life situation of urban populations. The study found evidence that urban agriculture can be a key strategy for the urban poor, securing food access, improving public health and the environment, increasing income possibilities, and strengthening social belonging.
Food sovereignty & justiceEconomicsClimate changeWelfareComparison of Origin and Function on Urban Agriculture In Different Countries
2007Huang Ying · · Global
This paper compares the origins and functions of urban agriculture (UA) in various countries. It notes that UA is flourishing globally, with its origins, evolution, and modalities differing across nations due to diverse natural, economic, and social conditions. The study aims to better develop UA by examining these characteristics in typical countries.
CommunityEconomicsPolicyÍndice e indicadores para el desarrollo sustentable: una contribución para el análisis de la viabilidad de emprendimientos comunitarios de producción agroecológica
2007Virginia Hamdan, Paula Natinzon · REVISTA BRASILEIRA DE AGROECOLOGIA · Argentina
This study quantified the organizational sustainability of 41 agroecological urban gardens within the UNMdP Food Autoproduction Program in Argentina. It developed a Socio-Organizational Sustainability Index (ISO) based on Group Potential, Capacity of Automanagement, and Organizational Practices. Most gardens showed a "Middle" degree of ISO, primarily due to Capacity of Automanagement and Organizational Practices.
CommunityOrganic cycleEconomicsCountervailing Market Responses to Corporate Co-optation and the Ideological Recruitment of Consumption Communities: Table 1
2007Craig J. Thompson, Gökçen Coskuner-Balli · Journal of Consumer Research · Global
This paper argues that the corporatization of the organic food movement, typically seen as co-optation, can instead generate a countervailing market response. This response actively promotes the oppositional aspects of a counterculture that are attenuated by commercial mainstreaming. The study analyzes community-supported agriculture (CSA) as an example of this response to corporate co-optation.
Economic viabilityCSA & TeikeiEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityCool green water wise streets ... saving money while giving stormwater, energy, comfort and quality of life benefits
2007S Fjell · Rainwater and Urban Design · Global
This paper presents the concepts of "Cool Streets," "Green Streets," and "Water Wise Streets" to mitigate urban heat islands and create sustainable urban environments. Cool Streets reduce heat absorption, Green Streets promote improved air quality, stormwater management, and urban agriculture through vegetation. These multidisciplinary design approaches can achieve cost-effective Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD) outcomes, and the concept has been implemented in Pentridge Village, Coburg, Victoria, Australia.
Urban–rural linkageClimate changeBiodiversityEconomicsWhat is the Deal with Local Food Systems: Or, Local Food Systems from a Regional Science Perspective
2007David W. Hughes, Daniel Eades, Kenneth L. Robinson, Carlos E. Carpio, Isengildina, Olga, Cheryl Brown, Hughes, David W., Eades, Daniel C., Robinson, Kenneth L., Carpio, Carlos E., Isengildina, Olga, Brown, Cheryl · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · Global
This paper critiques the current literature on local food systems, which are promoted for local economic growth and reduced environmental impact, but often lack rigorous analysis from a regional science perspective. Using the Porter Diamond framework, it discusses how regional science can analyze local food systems as an economic development tool and assesses their potential environmental benefits.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsFood miles & supply chainClimate changeUrban Agriculture Innovation Hubs in Egyptian Megacities: Efficiency, Adoption Paces, and Economic Growth Potential
2007Hussein Sharafat, Ahmed El-Sayed, Abdelaziz Ahmed Abdelhafez · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Egypt
A quantitative study surveyed farmers in urban agriculture innovation hubs (UAHs) across Cairo, Alexandria, and Port Said, Egypt. It found that vegetable production in UAHs was 25% more efficient than traditional methods, with advanced irrigation and community management enhancing yields and market access. The study suggests government policies should incentivize UAH development through subsidies and training.
EconomicsDigital agricultureFood sovereignty & justicePrecision application of water for peri-urban horticulture
2007Viola Devasirvatham, P. S. Cornish · International Journal of Water · Australia
Peri-urban horticulture in Australia requires irrigation for year-round vegetable production. Subsurface Drip Irrigation (SDI) offers higher water use efficiency and crop yields, with the potential to reduce environmental risks from drainage and runoff. However, SDI has potential disadvantages, including poor germination or crop establishment and uneven wetting patterns. Research is needed to solve these problems and enable environmentally acceptable vegetable production.
Environmental trade-offsPeri-urban agricultureEconomicsClimate changeOrganic cycleEnchanting Ethical Consumerism
2007Craig J. Thompson, Gökçen Coskuner-Balli · Journal of Consumer Culture · Global
This article analyzes Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) as a form of ethical consumerism. The analysis explicates how CSA's aspects allow consumers to perceive its practical inconveniences and choice restrictions as moral virtues. The article concludes by assessing the societal implications of these localized marketplace relationships.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsCommunityRevisiting Urban Food Security Systems in Dakar: A Study of Community Gardens and Urban Agriculture Adoption Over Three Years
2007Toure Sylla Mamadou, Mamoudou Diop · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Senegal (Dakar)
This three-year study in Dakar, Senegal, investigated urban food security systems through surveys and interviews with community garden participants. It found that 75% of participants reported increased engagement in urban agriculture, driven by government subsidies for materials and equipment. The study validates previous findings on community garden participation, noting a significant increase due to subsidized resources, and highlights the effectiveness of targeted interventions.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyEconomicsEl riego con aguas de mala calidaden la agricultura urbana. Aspectosa considerar. I. Aguas salinas o alcalinas
2007F Ortega Sastriques, Rosa Orellana Gallego · Revista ciencias técnicas agropecuarias · Global
In many cities, the high price and limited availability of potable water necessitate considering irrigation with poor quality water, such as saline or alkaline waters, in urban agriculture. This paper considers aspects of irrigation with poor quality water, including risks like contamination.
Contamination & food safetyClimate changeEconomicsThe Earthscan Reader in Rural-Urban Linkages / Rural-Urban Interaction in the Developing World
2006Tacoli, C. (ed.) · Routledge / IIED · Global
A landmark edited collection on rural-urban interaction in the developing world, analyzing—through many cases—the flows of people, goods, capital and information and the asymmetric power relations between countryside and city.
EconomicsPolicyWastewater use for urban and peri-urban agriculture.
2006Stephanie Buechler, Gayathri Devi Mekala, B. Keraita · Victoria University Research Repository (Victoria University) · Global
This 2006 global study from Victoria University discusses wastewater use in urban and peri-urban agriculture for crop production and aquaculture, noting its role in generating livelihoods and providing cheap produce. However, the study emphasizes that clear policy guidelines and careful research are needed to prevent potential negative impacts on human health and the environment from wastewater reuse.
Contamination & food safetyUrban–rural linkagePeri-urban agricultureHealthPolicyEconomicsCities farming for the future : urban agriculture for green and productive cities
2006R. van Veenhuizen · Issue Lab (Candid) · Global
This publication defines urban agriculture as growing plants and raising animals for food within and around cities, along with related processing and marketing. It notes increased attention from development organizations and authorities in developing countries due to urban agriculture's role in poverty alleviation, food security, waste management, and greening. The work presents the "state of the art" of sustainable urban agriculture development, indicating progress since earlier major publications.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityPolicyEconomicsClimate changeThe No. 1 Ladies' Poultry Farm: A feminist political ecology of urban agriculture in Botswana
2006Alice J. Hovorka · Gender Place & Culture · Botswana
This research draws on a feminist political ecology perspective to demonstrate that agrarian restructuring and rural-urban transformation in Botswana offer women opportunities to renegotiate their marginalized positionality within the commercial urban agricultural sector in Greater Gaborone. Men and women participate in equal numbers, and both perceive this sector as offering new and accessible avenues for economic and social advancement. Although there is continuity of women's social and economic disadvantage relative to men from rural to urban contexts, women are actively making claims on land and capitalizing on their traditional roles and responsibilities associated with poultry production.
CommunityEconomicsUrban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceReview of 'Food + the City'
2006Paul Knox Clarke · Ulster University Research Portal (Ulster University) · Global
This is a review of the AD special edition focusing on the relationship between food, the city, and urbanism. It discusses concepts such as markets, community gardens, Asian cities, food mapping, and historical precedents.
CommunityUrban–rural linkageEconomicsAgricultura urbana en Ciego de Ávila. El caso del municipio montañoso de Florencia
2006Ángela Borroto, Águeda C. Arencibia, J.L. López, Liliam J. Leyva, Carlos Mazorra, Gladys E. Dopico, R. Maurelo, A. Caraballoso · Pastos y forrajes · Cuba (Florencia)
This two-year study characterized animal production in urban agriculture in Florencia municipality, Cuba, by examining 32 randomly selected household backyards across two popular councils. Findings showed that 85% of households involved family members of all ages, with backyard animal rearing serving as a supplementary activity rather than a primary livelihood. Traditional management methods and local resources predominated in feeding practices, contributing 18% to the municipal family basket's protein needs and over 1 kg of protein per capita annually, thus potentially enhancing food security.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsA Comparison of Urban Agriculture between Countries and its Development in China
2006Wang Lijuan · · Global
This paper examines urban agriculture (UA) as a phenomenon linked to urban development, noting significant differences between developed and less developed nations due to economic development stages. It classifies these differences into five aspects based on UA theory and practice. The paper concludes by proposing countermeasures for achieving sustainable UA, specifically considering the status of UA in China.
Urban–rural linkagePolicyEconomicsSustaining Urban Agriculture Requires the Involvement of Multiple Stakeholders 1
2006Marielle Dubbeling, Gunther Merzthal, R. van Veenhuizen · · Global
Urban agriculture is a dynamic concept encompassing diverse production, processing, and marketing systems for food and non-food products. It operates within varied resource situations, including both scarce and abundant land or water, and under policy environments that can either hinder or support its development.
PolicyEconomicsCommunity도시농업의 인식 및 가치평가에 관한 연구
2006장동헌, 소순열, 유찬주 · 지역사회연구 · Global
This study investigated urban residents' perceptions of urban agriculture and their willingness to pay for its conservation. Residents prioritized urban agriculture's value as a landscape green zone and for intergenerational inheritance. Regarding conservation, more respondents favored using urban agriculture for other purposes through external expansion, preferring environmentally friendly development via experience programs. The willingness to pay a fund for urban agriculture conservation was 39.6%, with an estimated monthly average of 2,623 won per household.
PolicyEconomicsCommunityFood education