Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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Critical findings
2067 results(45 / 83)
EMPREENDEDORISMO FEMININO SOLIDÁRIO: estudo de caso em uma horta comunitária
2018Anderson Luiz Duarte, Bezamat de Souza Neto · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Brazil (São João del-Rei)
This research examines a type of solidarity female entrepreneurship carried out by a group of women participating in a community garden in São João del-Rei, Brazil. The objective is to demonstrate how knowledge exchange and management practices are established within this endeavor. The community garden is presented as an educommunicative ecosystem that creatively transforms urban space through micropolitics, aiming to address social inequalities and mitigate economic vulnerability. It also highlights female empowerment, promoting self-esteem and a sense of community belonging among participants.
CommunityEconomicsWelfareFood sovereignty & justiceJustice across Real and Imagined Food Worlds: Rural Corn Growers, Urban Agriculture Activists, and the Political Ontologies They Live By
2018Michael Carolan · Rural Sociology · United States
Understandings of "social justice" and "autonomy" were investigated among conventional corn producers in North Dakota and participants in an urban agriculture cooperative in an anonymized U.S. city. Qualitative interviews and "word cloud" analysis revealed greatly differing understandings of these concepts, but both groups were grounded in a shared neoliberal world that negatively impacts both populations. Interviewees in the rural space failed to understand their marginalization as an artifact of the neoliberal worldview.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityUrban–rural linkagePolicyStakeholder-Identified Barriers, Challenges, and Obstacles in Community Gardens
2018Sue Webb, John Diaz · EDIS · United States (Florida)
A Delphi study was conducted to identify the barriers, challenges, and obstacles to starting and sustaining community gardens in Florida. This 3-page document summarizes the results of that study.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyA Cultured Learning Environment: Implementing a Problem- and Service-Based Microbiology Capstone Course to Assess Process- and Skill-Based Learning Objectives
2018Rachel Watson, John Willford, Mariel A. Pfeifer · Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-based Learning · United States
A problem-based capstone course at the University of Wyoming Microbiology Program was designed to assess student learning objectives. Students collaborated with a local farm, community garden, and clinic to address partner problems. Instructor assessments and external subject matter experts confirmed students' mastery of learning objectives, and community partners expressed satisfaction with the solutions.
CommunityFood education“A Worth-While Living from the Soil”: The Farmlet in Southern California from the Late Nineteenth Century to World War II
2018Eileen V. Wallis · Western Historical Quarterly · United States (California)
This article explores the significance of urban agriculture in Southern California from the late nineteenth century to World War II. It examines how informal, small-scale, part-time urban and suburban agricultural production contributed to the region's economic development and cultural identity.
EconomicsDIYUrban–rural linkageThe Effectiveness of Monarch Café and Hub City Farmers’ Market in Feeding the Northside: Perspectives from Two Communities
2018A. Laitif Qureshi · Digital Commons - Wofford College (Wofford College) · United States
This research investigated how residents in Victoria Gardens and Cleveland Heights, located in the Northside area of the United States, perceive the Hub City Farmers’ Market and Monarch Café. The Northside, previously considered a food desert, is no longer classified as such due to the establishment of Harvest Park, which includes these facilities. The study aimed to gain insight into how Harvest Park benefits the Northside community and to explore suggestions for future improvements to attract more residents.
CommunityWelfareHealthEconomicsInoculação de Microrganismos Eficientes (EM) e Fungos Micorrízicos Arbusculares (FMA) em alface: um trabalho de campo conduzido na horta comunitária (HC) Vapabuçu, município de Sete Lagoas- MG
2018Ana Paula Borges Martins, Júlia Pimenta Pereira, Polyanna Abreu Corrêa, Mariene Cristina Conceição De Melo, Francisco Adriano de Souza · Portuguese National Funding Agency for Science, Research and Technology (RCAAP Project by FCT) · Brazil (Sete Lagoas)
This record provides information about a field study paper on the inoculation of Efficient Microorganisms (EM) and Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (FMA) in lettuce, made available in DSpace on November 8, 2017. The paper is provided in PDF format.
CommunityOrganic cycleAgroecologia: Uma análise do direito humano à alimentação adequada
2018Patrícia Fernandes Forny, Luana Mota e Sá Silva, Wyara Ferreira Melo, Patrício Borges Maracajá, Micheline Braga Lopes, Adrielly Braz Rolim · · Brazil
This study aims to detail and provide an understanding of the human right to adequate food through urban agriculture, within the context of the 1988 Federal Constitution and post-World War II developments in Brazil. This understanding was gained through a bibliographic review on the adequacy of this right, agroecology, and urban agriculture.
Food sovereignty & justicePolicyCivic Stewardship as a Catalyst for Social-Ecological Change in Detroit, Michigancccccc
2018R. Witt, Erika S. Svendsen, Marianne E. Krasny · Cornell University Press eBooks · United States (Detroit)
This chapter explores how civic stewardship has driven social-ecological transformation in Detroit through the work of the nonprofit Greening of Detroit. The organization expanded its mission from restoring the city's tree canopy to include urban agriculture, environmental education, and workforce development, acting as a bridging organization connecting various stakeholders. Sustained community-based stewardship builds resilience, strengthens social networks, and shapes both local change and broader social movements through inclusive green infrastructure and civic participation.
CommunityPolicyFood educationBiodiversityColhendo e plantando vida nas cidades: extensão ao contrário e ecologia de saberes no Aglomerado da Serra, Belo Horizonte - MG
2018Bruno Martins Dala Paula, Luana do Carmo Araujo de Oliveira, Emmanuel Duarte Almada, Filipe Freitas Chaves, Maura Neves Coutinho · Expressa Extensão · Brazil (Belo Horizonte)
This essay reflects on the relationship between urban agriculture practices and life care, based on a university extension project mobilized between resident groups of the Aglomerado da Serra communities in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and members of Grupo Aroeira, over six years (2008-2013). The project was structured through main activities including surveying urban agriculture initiatives in the community, holding a cycle of 'Cultivating Health' meetings, forming a Medicinal Plants Group, creating a literacy class, and organizing open-air markets with urban agrobiodiversity products. This project aimed to cultivate and promote the care for the lives of the residents, valuing their popular knowledge, while bringing these experiences into the university through the practice of 'reverse extension'.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceFood educationBiodiversityAVALIAÇÃO DA VIABILIDADE DE UM MODELO HIDROPÔNICO ARTESANAL DE BAIXO CUSTO PARA AGRICULTURA URBANA SUSTENTÁVEL
2018David Vieira Lima, Geovane Rocha de Carvalho, Jaqueline Silva Sousa, José Weselli de Sá Andrade · Global Science and Technology · Brazil
This research in Brazil evaluated the viability of a low-cost, handmade hydroponic system for sustainable urban agriculture, constructed from 25 reused 2L PET bottles. Lettuce was cultivated in this system and a commercial system for 57 days. Statistical analysis showed that while the handmade model was less productive, it yielded plants in excellent condition for consumption at a low cost, validating it as a viable alternative for sustainable urban agriculture.
DIYUrban–rural linkageOrganic cycleHortas sócioeducativas e o trabalho de ressocialização na cadeia pública de Bananeiras, Paraíba
2018Lucas Bras Barbosa, Sérgio Syddney Borges de Araújo, Evelyn Maria Alexandre da Silva Lima, Erikson Kadoshe de Morais Raimundo, Alexandre Eduardo de Araújo, Carlos Roberto Marinho Silva Filho · Cadernos de Agroecologia · Brazil (Paraíba)
This study analyzed the resocialization aspects for eight prisoners in the Public Penitentiary of Bananeiras-PB, Brazil, through labor activities in educational community gardens. Using a qualitative approach, it found that remuneration was not a primary factor for prisoners; instead, sentence remission, improved food, and occupation of time and mind were the most important aspects.
Food educationWelfareCommunityHealthLynchburg College Community Garden
2018Kaitlin Hathaway · Digital Showcase Research, Scholarship, & Creative Works (University of Lynchburg) · United States (Lynchburg)
The Lynchburg College Community Garden at Beaver Point, United States, was established in 2016 by students and faculty to teach sustainable agriculture and enrich soil. In spring and summer 2017, projects included donating produce, promoting pollinators, raising chickens, and composting. The abstract also describes a designed rainwater collection and irrigation system.
CommunityFood educationBiodiversityCompostOrganic cycleUrban agriculture and small farm water use: Case studies and trends from Cache Valley, Utah
2018Tyler Pratt, L. Allen, David E. Rosenberg, Andrew A. Keller, Kelly Kopp · Agricultural Water Management · United States (Utah)
Irrigation evaluations were performed for 24 urban and small farms in Cache Valley, Utah, during the 2015 growing season. A great degree of heterogeneity was observed in irrigation methods, equipment, and management practices. Small fields had lower application uniformities and greater irrigation depths than large fields, and surface-irrigated fields had higher depths than sprinkle and drip-irrigated fields. The study concluded that urban and small farm irrigators need improved knowledge of proper irrigation management.
Climate changeEconomicsIniciativas de hortas comunitarias municipales en Teresina - PI: Prácticas Promotoras de Renta y Trabajo
2018Maclóvia Corrêa da Silva, Cristianne Teixeira Carneiro, Ana Lúcia Barbosa Monteiro, Natália Pereira Marinelli, Eloy Fassi Casagrande · Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) · Brazil (Teresina)
This study analyzed the characteristics of urban agricultural work in community gardens in the Dirceu and Renacimiento II neighborhoods of Teresina - PI, Brazil. A field survey of 32 farmers found that 71.88% worked 4-8 hours daily, 59.38% were retirees, and 50% worked with family collaboration. Income from vegetable sales showed 50% earned up to one minimum wage and 43% up to two minimum wages, but the activity depends on land owners, public policies, seed producers, and traders.
CommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceWelfareContribuições metodológicas para a extensão a partir da implementação do modelo Community-Supported Agriculture no município de Sete Lagoas-MG
2018Angelina Moreira Melo, Daniel Calbino, Alair Ferreira de Freitas · Revista Ciência em Extensão · Brazil (Sete Lagoas)
This experience report analyzed the methodology used by extension agents in implementing the Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) model in a community garden in Sete Lagoas, Brazil. Responding to producers' demand regarding production flow problems, CSA was introduced as a fair trade marketing alternative connecting consumers and producers through weekly sales of agroecological product baskets. The methodology focused on constructing participatory methods based on producers' reality and interests, with the autonomy given to subjects being a central point, leading to significant economic, social, and cultural contributions for those involved.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityEconomicsOrganic cycleTeens as Teachers in the Garden: Cultivating a Sustainable Model for Teaching Healthy Living
2018Virginia L. J. Bolshakova, John Gieng, C. Sheena Sidhu, Mary Vollinger, Lorena Gimeno, Jessica Guild · Journal of Youth Development · United States (California)
The "Healthy Living Ambassador" school garden program in low-income communities integrated resources from schools, community programs, and the University of California Cooperative Extension. This program utilized culturally competent teenagers as teachers to educate elementary school youth on healthy living. The successes and challenges of the program development were discussed, revealing that public schools often lack the resources and support to establish sustainable garden-based programming.
Governance failureFood educationHealthCommunityWelfareAgronomy Garden Food Literacy and Community Food System Engagement Strategy
2018Lucas Chan, Lily Han, Lia Monteferrante, Ryah Rondolo · cIRcle (University of British Columbia) · Canada
The UBC Agronomy Garden was the subject of a research project exploring strategies to increase community engagement. The research team conducted a literature review, in-person interviews, and an online survey to investigate ways to make the garden more attractive. Findings indicated that installing multilingual, informative, and welcoming signage is key to increasing engagement, with 63% of students preferring handmade, creative, simple, and colorful welcoming signs.
CommunityFood educationHealthCOMPARATIVE FERTILITY EVALUATION FOR PEPPERS AND MELONS ON AN EXTENSIVE GREEN ROOF.
2018R John Little · OpenSIUC (Southern Illinois University Carbondale) · United States
A research study evaluated fertility requirements for 'Sweet Hungarian' Peppers and 'Savor' Charentais Melons grown in a three-inch extensive green roof medium on the Southern Illinois University campus. Six treatments were applied to peppers and four treatments to melons, each replicated three times. This study contributes to optimizing appropriate fertility treatments for green roof agriculture.
DIYFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsOrganic cycleHealthy Roots: Building capacity through shared stories rooted in Haudenosaunee knowledge to promote Indigenous foodways and well-being
2018Kelly Gordon, Adrianne Lickers Xavier, Hannah Tait Neufeld · Canadian Food Studies / La Revue canadienne des études sur l alimentation · Canada
The Healthy Roots initiative in the Six Nations community in southern Ontario, Canada, aimed to promote traditional food consumption among First Nation families facing food insecurity. A small number of participants who consumed only locally available foods reported improved blood glucose control, positive weight changes, and increased traditional food knowledge. The program also fostered new relationships and partnerships, including with the community organization Our Sustenance, to further community-based initiatives like developing a Haudenosaunee Food Guide.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceHealthFood educationBuilding User Capacity Through Iterative Processes
2018Edward M. Orlowski, Julia Jovanovic · · Canada
Master of Architecture student Julia Jovanovic facilitated a participatory design process for the redesign of the Ten Friends Diner in Windsor, Ontario, which supports individuals recovering from mental illness. This process empowered the diner's staff to analyze needs and propose design solutions. The completed project supported the community partner's goal of staff empowerment and inspired additional initiatives, including a community garden.
CommunityWelfareCollaborative Creation and Implementation of a Michigan Sustainability Case on Urban Farming in Detroit
2018Lauren Boone, Lizz Ultee, Ed Waisanen, Joshua Newell, Joshua A. Thorne, Rebecca Hardin · Case Studies in the Environment · United States
This article analyzes a Michigan Sustainability Case (MSC) on urban farming in Detroit, developed by the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS). This MSC embodies principles of cocreation, integration into multiple curricula, and digital innovation for enhanced experiential learning, having been collaboratively produced, deployed, and iteratively improved in successive SEAS classrooms. It incorporated field learning in Detroit, providing strong user experiences for students, faculty, and practitioners.
Food educationCommunityClimate changeBases para la construcción de la sostenibilidad en huertos urbanos comunitarios: Enraizando Espacios, Ciudad de México
2018Irma Xánath Bautista-Villalobos, Eduardo Garcı́a-Frapolli, Alba Hernández · Cadernos de Agroecologia · Mexico
This technical experience presents the Participatory Action research process for the Enraizando Espacios urban community garden, established in 2016 in Mexico City's Guerrero neighborhood. The study aimed to recognize the project's impact after one year, resulting in a collective memory and establishing bases for useful sustainability indicators. Key lessons learned include the importance of solidarity and cooperation for the project's success and its transformative power.
CommunityOrganic cycleWelfareUtah Agricultural Teachers' Perceptions of Urban and Non-Traditional Agriculture Curriculum & SAEs: An Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior
2018Ashlee Cromer, Kelsey Hall, Tyson J. Sorensen, David Francis, Joshua Dallin · Digital Commons - USU (Utah State University) · United States (Utah)
This study aimed to describe agricultural education teachers' perceptions of urban and non-traditional agriculture curriculum and Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAEs) in Utah. It addresses a gap in understanding teachers' preparedness to implement curriculum and career information related to emerging agricultural issues like urban agriculture. Previous research indicates a need for professional development in these areas for agricultural education teachers.
Food educationUrban–rural linkageBuilding an Urban Food System Through UDC Food Hubs
2018Sabine O’Hara, Dwane Jones, Harris B. Trobman · Advances in higher education and professional development book series · United States
The Landgrant College of the University of the District of Columbia operates urban food hubs as the only exclusively urban land-grant university in the United States. These hubs utilize bio-intensive hydroponic and aquaponic systems and green roofs to maximize productivity in small urban spaces, and kitchens serve as business incubators and training facilities. They also promote waste and water reuse through composting, rainwater capture, and green infrastructure, offering training, wellness, and leadership opportunities to UDC students and DC residents.
Food educationEconomicsCommunityCompostDigital agriculturePolicy