Research & reports

Suzana Márcia Souza dos Santos, Clecia Simone Gonçalves Rosa Pacheco · Editora Científica Digital eBooks · Brazil

This study analyzed the experience of the Vila Galvão Women Workers' Benevolent Association in Casa Nova, Bahia, Brazil, which produces organic vegetables in urban and peri-urban contexts. The study aimed to characterize the productive, commercial, and sociocultural aspects related to organic vegetable production and commercialization, identifying main marketing channels and understanding difficulties faced by producers. It concluded that organic production, combined with collective organization and the strengthening of the solidarity economy, represents a viable alternative for a more just, sustainable, and female-led rural development model.

Letícia Englete de Mello, Dirlane de Fátima do Carmo, Daiane Cecchin, Leonardo da Silva Hamacher, Marcel Carvalho Abreu, R. M. Anjos, Mariana Vezzone · Revista de Gestão Social e Ambiental · Brazil (Rio de Janeiro)

This study investigated the profile of 159 urban and peri-urban agricultural producers across 29 municipalities in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, using quantitative interviews and statistical analysis. Producers were predominantly men over 50 with limited education, cultivating small plots with organic methods but receiving little technical support. Key challenges identified were a lack of assistance and resources, and urban agriculture's potential is hindered by the absence of effective public policies.

Chivers, Ruth, Laing, Olivia 1977-, British Library · · Global

Ten award-winning designers present original garden designs for public and private spaces, extending up to 50 years into the future. These designs aim to mitigate the effects of climate change, encourage biodiversity, and address issues of legacy, land ownership, changing societal needs, and individual well-being. The paper emphasizes the power of gardening to nurture nature and adapt to change.

Juan Camilo Fontalvo-Buelvas, María Teresa Pulido Silva, Miguel Ángel Escalona Aguilar, Raúl Romero Ramírez · Memorias · Mexico (Xalapa)

This diachronic study analyzed the drivers and inhibitors of urban agriculture in Xalapa, Mexico, through a historical tracing from 1821 to 2023. Drivers included rural immigration, academia, and government programs, while inhibitors were identified as diversification of trades, ejido laws, remittances, health policies, and food markets.

Siti Dharmawati, Aam Gunawan, Sugiarti Sugiarti · Jurnal Abdi Insani · Indonesia

A community service program in Banjarbaru City, Indonesia, aimed to empower 22 women farmers from the Nusa Indah Women Farmers Group to diversify duck meat products into duck soy sauce. The program, part of an urban farming initiative, involved technical guidance, outreach, and practical training. Participation was high, with 100% attendance and over 70% active engagement. While 68.19%-100% understood the material, only 27.27% expressed a strong desire to develop and market the product. Organoleptic tests showed positive feedback on the soy sauce's color, aroma, and taste.

Francisco García, Francisco Vergara‐Perucich · Urban Planning · Chile (Santiago)

This article examines how "ollas comunes" (community-led survival kitchens) in Santiago, Chile, contest the dominant logic of neoliberal governance and ownership within public space. Emerging during the 2019 social revolt and amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic to address food insecurity, these initiatives reclaim streets as arenas of collective care, mobility, and embodied everyday democracy by providing free communal meals. Based on qualitative data from interviews, focus groups, and participant observations, findings demonstrate that cooking and eating in the street transform physical streetscapes and mobility patterns, producing emergent publics, meanings, and solidarities.

Ida Afriliana, Abdul W. Basit, Safar Dwi Kurniawan, Ahmad Maulana · Jurnal SOLMA · Indonesia (Tegal)

This community service program aimed to enhance the knowledge and skills of the Melati Women Farmers Group (KWT Melati) in Tegal City, Indonesia, regarding the application of Internet of Things (IoT)-based Smartfarming Hydropro technology. The program used socialization, demonstration, and simulation of automatic watering with the Hydropro tool, which monitors and controls water and nutrient delivery for tomato plants. The results showed that the program successfully imparted knowledge on IoT, smartfarming, hydroponic tomato cultivation, and harvesting methods to the KWT Melati members.

Rodríguez Taboada, Sanyi · Figshare · Cuba

The SolAgro Framework is an integrated agricultural engineering project by SolAgro SRL, designed for urban farms of 1 to 3 hectares in Cuba. It integrates functional agroecology, open technologies, renewable energy, and local manufacturing to create autonomous nodes of resilience. The project aims for economic returns within 12 months and social returns through youth training, consolidating technological and community sovereignty.

Tofan Tri Nugroho, Intan Rohma Nurmalasari · JIWAKERTA Jurnal Ilmiah Wawasan Kuliah Kerja Nyata · Indonesia (Probolinggo)

This Participatory Action Research (PAR) study in Mayangan District, Probolinggo City, Indonesia, aimed to optimize vacant land use through oyster mushroom cultivation training for Muhammadiyah community members. The project, conducted in four stages (observation, planning, action, evaluation), demonstrated that oyster mushroom cultivation can be effectively done in limited spaces using organic waste. Evaluation showed 90% of participants were interested in implementing urban farming, with oyster mushrooms identified as a promising commodity due to their high economic value and strong local market potential.

Galia Oriya Cukierman, Demi Coenraads, Emmy Iwarsson, Tong Wu, Alon Shepon · npj Urban Sustainability · Global

This systematic review analyzed 363 community garden (CG) articles from 1992 to 2021, identified through a bibliometric analysis of 1534 urban agriculture (UA) and 470 CG studies. Findings indicate that UA research primarily focuses on food production, while CG studies emphasize social and urban dynamics, mainly in the Global North, with limited quantitative evidence of their impacts. The review concludes that CGs contribute to all SDGs, but their roles in urban resilience, food systems, and policymaking are underexplored, and their overall contribution to sustainability remains unclear due to the lack of a global estimate.

Citra Dusun, Magie M. Kapojos, Mervina Rondonuwu, Christine Lomo, Rinny Lontoh, Filan Mandang, Yuannita Aida · Jurnal Pengabdian Ibnu Sina · Indonesia (Manado)

A program in Manado, Indonesia, aimed to enhance food security and self-reliance by promoting chili cultivation in home gardens through socialization, counseling, and seed distribution. While it provided positive economic impacts, the program faced challenges including limited access to agricultural inputs and post-program plant maintenance. Further research and continued mentoring were recommended to evaluate its effectiveness and maximize impact.

Ana Caroline Ferreira Rodrigues Acosta, Álvaro Ribeiro Nicotti · Revista Educação e Saber – REdeS · Brazil

This paper presents the "Movimento dos Quintais Brincantes" (Playful Backyards Movement) in Brazil, focusing on an experience in 2023 at Quintal Aroeira in Imbé-RS. The project involved five families and children aged 2-6, offering free play, outdoor activities, organic food from a community garden, and family participation in space maintenance and activity planning. After one year, it was concluded that this space contributed to children's autonomy, creativity, health, cooperation, and the creation of bonds among families, educators, and the surrounding community.

Sabounchi, Saina, Saheb, Anahita Javanmardi, Adhami, Sadaf, Minouei, Alan · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · United States (Cambridge)

A study using 2020 U.S. Census data across 87 block groups in Cambridge, Massachusetts, found that higher social vulnerability was positively associated with greater sidewalk presence. However, social vulnerability showed no significant associations with open space acreage, pedestrian ramps, community gardens, or public art landmarks.

Belma Soto-Fernández, Lurys Bourdett-Stanziola · Asian Journal of Agricultural and Horticultural Research · Latin America

A documentary review on the importance of urban gardening in Latin America revealed that urban gardening, when approached through the lens of agrobiodiversity, has become a key strategy for safe food production and environmental sustainability. However, it was found that several Latin American countries lack clear and established laws to regulate this activity. Preliminary evidence of rotavirus was detected in fresh vegetables from an urban garden in Panama, indicating that urban gardens can become infection foci capable of causing diseases of public health and veterinary importance.

Lena Schmeiduch, Émile Thévenot · International Review of Education · Global

This study explored the potential for lifelong learning within sustainability-led initiatives, such as ecovillages and community-supported agriculture, through the theoretical lens of Noah Sobe's four pillars of lifelong education. While these initiatives offer opportunities to address sustainability-related challenges, their insular nature and limited accessibility have drawn criticism in the literature on sustainability transitions. The analysis suggests that these initiatives and lifelong learning agendas frequently converge in their framing of sustainability issues.

Chris Blythe, Veronica Barry · · United Kingdom

This chapter examines urban farming and growing in the United Kingdom, advocating for a broader definition beyond purely productive practices to include social, political, and environmental interpretations. It explores how physical spaces in four Birmingham examples foster social interaction, drawing on practitioner experience, literature, and user perspectives. The aim is to provide insights into the value of these spaces as social landscapes for urban policy.

Sawsan Salah, Lori A. Francis · Journal of Clinical and Translational Science · United States

This project developed a community garden at a childcare center in Harrisburg, PA, serving a low-income community where 74.6% of residents identified as Black or Hispanic/Latino. A listening session with six community members provided positive feedback and ideas for the garden, which was then installed with four beds. Weekly gardening activities engaged 20-50 children (n=50 total in summer program) for nine weeks, resulting in positive responses from children and staff, demonstrating the feasibility of such an initiative.

Khondokar H. Kabir, Jannatul Ferdows, Saifur Rahman, Ataharul Chowdhury, Md. Asaduzzaman Sarker, S.M. Asik Ullah, Mohammed Nasir Uddin, Mohammad Maruf Hasan · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems · Bangladesh

An online survey of 120 rooftop gardeners in Bangladesh investigated the extent to which Facebook groups support information needs and enhance capacity. Findings indicate that information sharing in Facebook groups assists in planning, acquiring and utilizing resources, carrying out intercultural operations, and determining optimal harvesting and storage practices. Facebook can play a significant role in bridging the information gap among rooftop gardeners and enhancing their skills.

Garcia, Pedro Henrique Lundquist de Souza, Carvalho, Joelson Gonçalves de · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Brazil (São Paulo)

This research, presented at the 10th Conference on Studies of Rural Settlements in July 2025, analyzes the socioeconomic impacts and challenges of urban and peri-urban gardens in Brazil, focusing on a 35-year municipal program in Penápolis, São Paulo. Based on field research and secondary data, preliminary results suggest that production for self-consumption and collective labor strengthen community bonds and reduce food insecurity. The study aims to propose improvements for local public policies.

T. JHANSI, Kamaruddin Rani, T. S. Swapna · ˜The œBioscan. · India (Tenali)

This thesis explores the strategy of transforming derelict spaces in Tenali into green urban landscapes for sustainable urban regeneration. The study aims to identify underutilized areas and propose their redevelopment into green urban landscapes such as parks, community gardens, and recreational zones, to enhance the city's ecological footprint, social cohesion, and urban aesthetics. It will provide a framework for transforming these spaces through a comprehensive analysis of existing derelict sites, green space design principles, community involvement strategies, and sustainable urban design approaches.

Sk. Md. Nur-E-Alam, Marcin Feltynowski, Md. Sekender Ali, Mohummed Shofi Ullah Mazumder, Fida Al Hasan · Acta Scientiarum Polonorum Administratio Locorum · Bangladesh (Dhaka)

This study in Dhaka, Bangladesh, aimed to explore the socio-economic characteristics and current knowledge of rooftop gardeners, and to evaluate factors contributing to their gardening knowledge. The research found that gardening space and media contact positively correlate with gardeners' existing knowledge. Access to diverse media can enhance understanding, and having gardening space facilitates technical knowledge sharing and community building among gardeners.

YUKUN, HE, HE, YUZHONG, Kiyoyama, Yohei, Ishida, Shigeyuki, Hama-cha Co-Creation Team · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Japan (Kyoto)

This paper documents a 2024–2025 field practice concerning Hama-cha, a traditional tencha in Kyoto, which faces threats from labor aging and persistent operational difficulties. Researchers encountered challenges in accessing tacit knowledge and identifying clear solutions for labor shortages, despite both farmers and researchers recognizing the problem. The study highlights the ongoing operational difficulties and lack of clear solutions for the economic viability of this traditional urban agriculture practice.

Hongmei Lu, Yanliu Lin, Pieter Hooimeijer, Yuelai Liu · Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning · China

This study investigates emerging coproduction transforming neglected vacant lands into community gardens in underserved neighborhoods in China, focusing on how collectivism influences civic engagement. Employing mixed methods including surveys, interviews, and field observations, the research explored how factors like motivation, legitimacy, and challenges manifest in a collective context. Findings revealed that residents prioritize neighborhood well-being over individual benefits, civic initiators use collectivism to legitimize garden land use, and residents frame community gardens as collective endeavors with broad societal benefits.

Vázquez-García, Amparo, Elizondo, Cecilia · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · Mexico

Home gardens in San Felipe Ecatepec, San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Mexico, are systems with diverse plant species and areas ranging from 600m² to 2500m². This study aimed to identify forms of resistance against neoliberal policies and urban sprawl, finding that home gardens provide healthy, fresh food, create useful spaces, and preserve agrobiodiversity. These gardens are considered spaces of resistance based on traditional knowledge, helping to bolster food sovereignty. The research was conducted during the two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Anna Birgitte Milford, Daniel Keech, Sarah Wangui Muiruri · Agricultural and Food Economics · Europe

This survey study explored differences in organizational models and member characteristics of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in Norway and the UK, focusing on factors contributing to member contentment, mental health, and vegetable consumption. Norwegian CSA members participated more actively in cultivation and harvesting and more often prepaid subscriptions than British members. In both countries, CSA membership was perceived to improve members' quality of life, vegetable intake, and physical and mental health, with more active members reporting higher satisfaction and stronger positive effects on vegetable consumption and mental health.