Research & reports

Wang H., Qiu F., Swallow B. · Applied Geography 55:127-137 · Canada

Analyzes whether community gardens and farmers' markets improve fresh food access in Edmonton. They relieve food desert problems somewhat, especially in mature inner-suburban neighborhoods, but several areas remain food deserts citywide.

Frayne B., McCordic C., Shilomboleni H. · Urban Forum 25(2):177-189 · Southern Africa

Using data from 11 Southern African cities, this study questions whether urban agriculture meaningfully contributes to household food security, finding its impact limited and often a last resort rather than a choice for poor households.

Lattuca A.L., Terrile R.H., Sadagorsky C. · Hábitat y Sociedad · Argentina (Rosario)

Documents Rosario's municipal Urban Agriculture Programme (PAU), launched in 2002, which grew to over 800 community farming projects on vacant land to address food insecurity and generate income for marginalized residents, with 65% of participants being women.

Moulin-Doos C. · Journal of Urban Affairs · Germany

Examines how intercultural gardens in Germany respond to migrants' need for spaces of interaction outside home and work, offering a setting to build social capital and practise the mutual respect essential for integration.

Korth M., Stewart R., Langer L. · Environmental Evidence · Global

After screening 8,142 records and 198 full texts, not a single study met the inclusion criteria for rigorous impact evaluation; the review found no evidence either supporting or refuting that urban agriculture positively affects food security in low- and middle-income countries.

McClintock N. · Local Environment · USA

Argues that urban agriculture, by filling the void left by the 'rolling back' of the social safety net, underwrites neoliberalization; its discourse of entrepreneurialism and self-help shifts responsibility onto individuals, exposing the movement's contradictions.

Jennifer R. Wolch, Jason Byrne, Joshua P. Newell · Landscape and Urban Planning · USA / China (comparative)

Reviews greening efforts in US and Chinese cities and documents the 'urban green space paradox': public greening policy meant to improve health disproportionately benefits affluent white communities and can displace the intended beneficiaries via rising property values.

Rina Ghose, Margaret Pettygrove · Antipode · USA (Milwaukee)

Case study of Milwaukee community gardens challenging the assumption that participation is empowering: under neoliberal restructuring, volunteer-dependent garden governance shifts state responsibility onto residents and produces uneven, tension-ridden citizenship outcomes.

Chloe Puett, Cécile Salpéteur, Elisabeth Lacroix, Simbarashe Dennis Zimunya, Anne-Dominique Israël, Myriam Aït-Aïssa · Cost Effectiveness and Resource Allocation · Zimbabwe (Chipinge)

A 2014 societal-perspective cost-effectiveness analysis of a low-input community vegetable garden (LIG) programme for households affected by HIV in five wards of Chipinge District, eastern Zimbabwe. Activity-based costing drew on accounting data, 15 focus groups with participants and 5 with comparators, and 33 key-informant interviews; effects were measured with the Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) and Food Consumption Score (FCS) for 1,330 participant and 1,330 comparator households. Total societal cost was €1,525 per beneficiary household (€1,415 incremental), giving €12,456 per household reaching the top HDDS tertile and €8,299 per household reaching an acceptable FCS (>35) — 20–30 times Zimbabwe's GDP per capita. The authors conclude the gardens are neither cost-effective nor affordable relative to other interventions. Stated limitations include no baseline data, self-selection among participants, recall bias (data collected more than a year after the programme) and an inability to measure full garden yields. Note that the setting is a rural district, not a city, so the figures cannot be transferred directly to urban gardens.

Art McCabe · International journal of child health and human development · Global

This paper discusses how reclaiming abandoned properties and vacant lots in inner-city areas and converting them into community gardens or pocket parks can address urban health challenges and youth crime. It suggests that these conversions can reduce health disparities, eliminate blight, stabilize neighborhoods, and foster community engagement. The paper highlights that community gardens can serve as a cost-effective, multi-purpose urban asset, meeting the demand for such spaces, especially among immigrant populations.

Laura-Anne Minkoff-Zern · Antipode · United States

Research on farmworker food insecurity in the USA points out that food assistance providers often treat farmworkers' inability to afford healthy food as a lack of knowledge, reinforcing racialized assumptions that people of color do not know "good" food. This study argues that food security and healthy eating are not a matter of consumers making healthy "choices," but rather a matter of class-based and racial differences within the food system.

O. A. Odusina, C. A. Afolami, S. Momoh · · Nigeria (Ibadan)

This study in Ibadan, Nigeria, assessed household food access and diversity across 180 households during harvest and hunger periods using structured questionnaires. Findings indicated significantly better food access during harvest (HFIAS 5.23-7.01) compared to hunger periods (HFIAS 9.75-11.77), though adequate access was maintained in both. Dietary diversity also decreased from an average of 3 food groups during harvest to 2.54 during hunger periods, a significant difference (p<0.01).

Wisdom Kurangwa, Retseleng Karonga, Kwayedza Muranda Kaseke, Liliosa Pahwaringira · International journal of research in social sciences · Zimbabwe (Harare)

A case study on roadside urban agriculture in Mufakose high density suburb, Harare, Zimbabwe, showed that the majority of respondents were unemployed, aged 41-60, had a high number of dependents, and earned less than $200 per month. This high level of poverty, combined with inadequate home garden space, forced them to practice roadside agriculture to supplement their diet and income.

Ezra Pedzisai, Pedzisai Kowe, C. H. Matarira, Anyway Katanha, Ronald Rutsvara · Journal of food security · Zimbabwe

The contributions of urban agriculture to household food security and income were assessed in Cold Stream, a low-income residential area of Chinhoyi town in Zimbabwe. Twenty questionnaires were administered to urban farmers, five key informants were interviewed, and three fieldworks were carried out. Results showed that urban agriculture is a prominent livelihood for the poor unemployed majority (53%), and while local non-governmental organizations provide inputs and technical advice, there is no government support. Questionnaire results confirmed that farmers are poor, using yields and income primarily for basic necessities. All urban farmers (100%) consume their produce, enhancing food security. A majority (80%) agreed that urban farming makes food cheaper, improving accessibility. About half (48%) also agreed that urban agriculture reduces food insecurity in their rural homes. Challenges include a lack of credit lines for inputs and unfavorable policy arrangements that classify urban agriculture as an illegal activity.

Austen Moore, Norma Samuel, Glenn D. Israel · Journal of Extension · United States

The Empower Ocala Garden project in Marion County aimed to increase participation among low-income minority populations and address food desert conditions. It created a community garden for 12 households and provided bi-weekly trainings. Evaluation using pre- and post-project questionnaires showed participants attended 53.4% of sessions, attitudes improved by 9.82% across four indicators, and knowledge increased by 19.57% across eight indicators.

Marcin Graban · Pressto (Uniwersytetu Adama Mickiewicza) · Poland (Poznań)

The Polish National General Exhibition in Poznań in 1929 attracted many laborers, who later contributed to the unemployed population during the 1930s economic crisis, exacerbating the housing crisis in Poznań. City authorities initially housed the homeless in former exhibition grounds as an interim measure. For a more permanent solution, the city redeveloped allotments or community gardens by building purpose-built residential garden huts or sheds.

Kamyar Enshayan · Iowa State University Digital Repository (Iowa State University) · United States (Iowa)

A group of urban women in northern Iowa, facing various life challenges, learned self-sufficiency by collaboratively planning, planting, growing, and harvesting produce from a community garden. This initiative focused on developing farming skills through practical engagement.

Markus Schermer · Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) · Austria (Innsbruck)

This paper examines an intercultural community garden in Innsbruck, Austria, as a case study. It uses interviews, observations, and newspaper clippings to describe how intercultural gardens function as transnational spaces. These gardens foster new social networks and learning processes, impacting urban social cohesion and community stability by enabling interaction beyond assimilation.

Tim Cashion, I. Forbes, Irena Knežević · · Canada

This preliminary study in Nova Scotia, Canada, explored the initiation and sustainability of community food initiatives through in-depth interviews with coordinators. The research identified that these initiatives are in a precarious state due to reliance on volunteers, land ownership issues, and a lack of consistent funding. Despite these challenges, they persist through community support and coordinator dedication.

Thomas DeVere Wolsey, Diane Lapp · Journal of Education · Global

This article proposes a pedagogical framework for school gardens, highlighting their role in promoting healthier eating habits, sustainable local practices, and community service. It suggests that school gardens can integrate knowledge of cultures, resources, and sustainable food sources, potentially leading to increased care for the community and the planet. The article also notes that school gardens can provide opportunities for students to contribute to the availability of fresh, healthy foods in socioeconomically challenged areas.

Otu W. Ibok, Idiong C. Idiong, Nsikan Edet Bassey, Ekaette S. Udoh · Agricultural Science · Nigeria

This study investigated the effect of urban food crop farming household productivity on household food security in Cross River State, Southern Nigeria. Data was collected from 217 urban food crop farmers using a two-stage sampling technique and analyzed with food security index, food insecurity/surplus gap index, head count index, productivity index, and logistic regression. Results showed that 53.5% of households were food insecure, while 46.5% were food secure. Logistic regression revealed that urban farming household productivity had a significant positive effect on household food security status.

Isabelle Anguelovski · The MIT Press eBooks · Global

In Dudley, Casc Antic, and CayoHueso, residents feel strongly attached to their places of living and working, and to the relationships they have built. This attachment has motivated engagement in environmental revitalization initiatives, where activists repair community spaces, build parks, and develop urban farms to address trauma and fear of erasure. These environmental projects contribute to healing the community, achieving environmental recovery, and creating a sense of rootedness and home.

Tim Cook · · Global

Over 30 community projects, including guerrilla gardening and "grow your own" initiatives for family food banks, received grant funding from the North of England Horticultural Society (NEHS).

Pierrette Hondagneu‐Sotelo · Boom · United States (Los Angeles)

This article recounts the history of a central Los Angeles community garden, primarily used by women from Southern Mexico and Central America, which served as an informal support network and a place to grow culturally significant plants. The essay then details the significant upheaval that occurred after a local nonprofit took over and invested in the garden, implying a negative impact on the existing community.

Michael Christie · · Australia

This study describes a government consultancy into the feasibility of a remote Aboriginal community garden in Galiwin'ku, Arnhem Land, Australia. Researchers collaborated with Yolgu knowledge-authorities to develop a "transdisciplinary research methodology" that integrates academic and Aboriginal knowledge practices. The project aimed to establish a garden with a non-Indigenous gardener to address high unemployment and food prices, but faced challenges in communicating with the government without compromising Yolgu methodologies.