Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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11393 results(451 / 456)
A Web Site for Urban Horticulture: Meeting Increasing Demands with Decreasing Resources
1998Lucy Bradley, Jean C. Stutz · HortTechnology · United States
The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension's home horticulture World Wide Web site for Maricopa County, "Environmentally responsible gardening and landscaping in the low desert," delivers research-based, regionally appropriate public information. It provides self-service access to prepared text and high-quality images that could not be distributed economically through traditional print methods, plus interactive functionality for submitting questions.
Food educationDIYCommunityDoes Access to Land Have a Positive Impact on the Food Situation of the Urban Poor? A Case Study in Nairobi
1998Dick Foeken, A. Mboganie-Mwangi · Leiden Repository (Leiden University) · Africa
Using survey data collected in 1994 in Korogocho, one of Nairobi's slum areas in Kenya, this study examined whether access to farmland influences a household's food situation. Access to land had a positive impact on urban households' overall welfare, but not necessarily on their food situation. Households with access to a rural plot appeared better off in terms of self-reported food situation than households without any land access, and access to rural land appeared more favorable for food situation than access to urban land alone. Among the very poor households in Korogocho who claimed access to rural land, half did not actually use that land themselves.
Limited or null effectCommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceSeed regulation: choices on the road to reform
1997Tripp R., Louwaars N. · Food Policy · Global
Analyzes how seed laws and regulatory systems shape farmers' freedom over their own seed and informal seed systems, presenting policy choices for reforming seed regulation in developing countries.
Heirloom & landracePolicyEconomicsFactors Influencing the Decision to Join a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Farm
1997Jane Kolodinsky, Leslie L. Pelch · Journal of Sustainable Agriculture · United States (Vermont)
This study estimated the probability of becoming a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) member using a binomial logit regression model, based on data collected through phone interviews with members, ex-members, and non-members of three CSA farms in Vermont. Results indicated that price, productivity shifters, consumer beliefs, and awareness impact the probability of membership.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsCommunityThe View of "Permaculture-City" Considered from the Permaculture Theory and Practices
1997Koji ITONAGA · Journal of the City Planning Institute of Japan · Global
This paper describes alternative urban designs, including permaculture, eco-village movements, cohousing, community gardens, and city farms. Based on data gathered from international conferences and research in Australia, America, and Europe, the author proposes "Permaculture-City" as a restructured city model. This model integrates habitation with food production areas and eco-villages.
CommunityOrganic cycleFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageLocational Character of Allotment Gardens and Landowners' Attitudes. A Case of Ichinomiya City in Aichi Pref.
1997Yasunari Miyake, Yasuo Matsumoto · JOURNAL OF RURAL PLANNING ASSOCIATION · Japan (Ichinomiya City)
This study examined the future of allotment gardens in Ichinomiya City, Aichi Prefecture, by interviewing 20 landowners regarding land ownership and land use. Allotment distribution expanded into marginal urban regions, with new allotments concentrating in frontier areas. While most landowners were satisfied and intended to maintain allotments, those in urbanization promotion areas faced financial difficulties due to high taxes and motivation for land use conversion, indicating that allotment management will fail in these areas.
Economic viabilityCommunityUrban–rural linkageEconomicsUniversity–Elementary School Partnerships: Using Landscape Design and Construction Classes to Create School Teaching Gardens
1997N.K. Lownds · HortScience · Global
This article describes a case where a university landscape horticulture professor, a landscape design class, a landscape construction class, elementary school teachers, and a principal collaborated to create school teaching gardens. University students engaged in a problem-solving project from the perspective of elementary school children, deepening their own understanding by explaining horticulture. This process was a genuine learning experience for all university students, elementary teachers, and students, with dynamic idea sharing throughout the design and construction.
Food educationCommunityUrban Agriculture: Ethnicity, Cattle Raising and Some Environmental Implications in the City of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
1997M. R. S. Mlozi · African Studies Review · Tanzania (Dar es Salaam)
This article by Malongo R. S. Mlozi, published in African Studies Review in 1997, examines urban agriculture in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. It specifically addresses the aspects of ethnicity, cattle raising, and their environmental implications within the city.
CommunityEconomicsThe Paleoecology and Ancient Settlement of the Petexbatun Region, Guatemala
1997Nicholas P. Dunning, Timothy Beach, David J. Rue · Ancient Mesoamerica · Guatemala
This study of the Petexbatun region, Guatemala, found that ancient Maya peoples in Preclassic times cleared large areas of upland tropical forest for agriculture, leading to significant soil erosion. During the Late Classic period, population expanded, forest clearance resumed, and upland agriculture, including terracing, was practiced, which significantly checked soil erosion. The study suggests considerable variation in urban agriculture among the region's major centers.
Environmental trade-offsUrban–rural linkageClimate changeImpact sanitaire de l'utilisation d'eaux polluées en agriculture urbaine. Cas du maraîchage à Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso)
1997Guéladio Cissé · Infoscience (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) · Burkina Faso (Ouagadougou)
This thesis investigates the sanitary risks of using polluted water for urban agriculture in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, where vegetables, including those eaten uncooked, are irrigated with such water. The study aims to assess diarrhoea incidence, parasitic infection prevalence, microbiological pollution levels in water, soil, and vegetables, and sociocultural factors. Initial findings indicate that peripheral sectors are more polluted than central ones, and exploited surfaces vary significantly by season. The abstract highlights potential sanitary risks due to pathogenic germs surviving in water, soil, and plants.
Contamination & food safetyHealthAnalysis of the User Radius and Attitudes of Allotment Gardens for the Aged.
1997Yasunari Miyake, Yasuo Matsumoto · JOURNAL OF RURAL PLANNING ASSOCIATION · Japan (Gifu)
This study investigated the user radius and attitudes of allotment garden users for the aged in Gifu City, Japan. The average user radius was 1,280m, with 10 out of 19 gardens having a radius of 1,000m or less. A significant negative correlation was found between user radius and residential density within 1km, and the absence of gardens in the city center led to an expansive user radius. Over 90% of users continued to use the gardens with high satisfaction, but distance significantly affected usage frequency and time spent, with assessments declining dramatically beyond 1,500m.
ElderlyCommunityPolicy1997 construction & design survey.
1997Carlos Alberto Schettini Pinto · PubMed · United States
A 1997 survey on healthcare construction and design in the United States notes that managed care, despite appearances, creates opportunities for architectural and design firms. An example of this trend is the 1995 west campus expansion of East Texas Medical Center in Tyler, which included a nine-story medical office building featuring artwork and rooftop gardens.
CommunityHealthLittle Machines in Their Gardens: A History of School Gardens in America, 1891 to 1920
1997Brian Trelstad · Landscape Journal · United States
This paper explores the rise and decline of the school garden movement in the United States from 1891 to 1920. School gardens were established as a national phenomenon intertwining Progressive governance, the Back to Nature Movement, and early education reform. The paper seeks to explain the sudden demise of school gardens after 1920 by examining changes in American urban life and the nature of the professions that promoted them.
Food educationPolicyFactors Influencing Consumer Satisfaction with a Community Supported Agriculture Farm (CSA)
1997Jane Kolodinsky, Leslie L. Pelch · The Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction & Complaining Behavior · United States
A US study estimating consumer satisfaction with community supported agriculture (CSA) using an ordinal probit model, based on phone-interview data collected from members of three CSA farms in Vermont. The results indicate that both experience with the CSA farm and members' reasons for joining affect satisfaction.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsCommunityAnalysis of Structure, Function and Diversity on Suburban Eco-agriculture
1997LiYuan LiYuan, Y Zu · Yunnan Nongye Daxue xuebao · China
This study tracked six years of dynamic change in agricultural structure, function, and diversity in Xiaodiantou Village, Gejiu City, Yunnan Province, China, as an example of suburban eco-agriculture. Results showed: (1) the structure shifted from a conventional, single food-production type to a commercial economic type combining hog raising, biogas, food crops, forestry, fruit, and vegetables; (2) economic benefit and the output-input value ratio increased gradually; (3) output of matter and energy increased with input, but the output-input ratio of energy and matter decreased when input became excessive; and (4) system diversity was closely related to structure and function, increasing as structure and function improved. Based on these findings, a measure for sustainable development was proposed.
EconomicsBiodiversityOrganic cycleEffects of using organic wastes as soil amendments in urban horticultural practices in the district of Columbia
1997C. C. Weir, James R. Allen · Journal of Environmental Science and Health Part A Environmental Science and Engineering and Toxicology · United States (New York City)
In the District of Columbia, tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum) and mustard (Brassica juncea) grown on a low-pH, compacted silt-loam soil were compared under plots treated with composted sewage sludge and composted yard waste versus plots receiving commercial N-P-K fertilizer. Yields were generally significantly higher in the compost-treated plots than in the commercial fertilizer plots. Chemical and physical soil analyses showed the composted organic amendments not only improved the compacted soil's poor physical properties but also significantly increased soil pH, organic matter content, and available phosphate and magnesium. Chemical analysis of the edible plant portions for heavy trace metals such as lead and cadmium found levels not high enough to raise health concerns, remaining within ranges established as acceptable by other researchers.
CompostCommunityOrganic cycleEstimating genetic erosion in landraces — two case studies
1996Hammer K., Knüpffer H., Xhuveli L., Perrino P. · Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution 43:329-336 · Mediterranean
A classic study comparing collecting missions decades apart in Albania and South Italy, quantifying genetic erosion of landraces at 72.4% and 72.8% respectively.
Heirloom & landraceBiodiversityRutgers Urban Gardening: A Case Study in Urban Agriculture
1996Ishwarbhai C. Patel · Journal of Agricultural & Food Information · United States (Newark)
The Rutgers Urban Gardening (RUG) program in Newark, New Jersey, transformed 30 acres of wasteland into 1,900 food gardens in 1994, engaging 6,500 residents. This initiative produced over $915,000 worth of food and recycled nearly 4,000 tons of city leaves, saving participants approximately $4 million over five years. The program also fostered social interaction, improved diets for 44% of participants, and enhanced neighborhoods.
CommunityHealthEconomicsCompostCOMMUNITY SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE: FILLING A NICHE MARKET
1996Richard L. Farnsworth, Saråhelen Thompson, Kathleen A. Drury, Richard E. Warner, Farnsworth, Richard L., Thompson, Sarahelen R., Drury, Kathleen A., Warner, Richard E. · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · Global
This research suggests that social objectives primarily drive CSA shareholders' decisions to join, with economic and "club-related" objectives being secondary. While the CSA movement is expected to grow, its emphasis on social objectives, inability to supply food year-round, and the development of size-neutral organic technologies will likely prevent it from becoming a major market channel in the next century.
Economic viabilityCSA & TeikeiCommunityEconomicsUrban agriculture in Dar es Salaam: Its contribution to solving the economic crisis and the damage it does to the environment
1996M. R. S. Mlozi · Development Southern Africa · Tanzania (Dar es Salaam)
This article discusses urban agriculture in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, examining its role in helping residents cope with the country's economic crisis. The study also associates urban agriculture with environmental degradation in the city. Factors encouraging urban agriculture at four levels are identified, and concerted efforts at all four levels are suggested to mitigate further environmental degradation.
Environmental trade-offsEconomicsClimate changeUrban–rural linkageSustainable living demonstration center creates solar markets
1996J. Lambie, W.T. Osborn, A. Dominski · OSTI OAI (U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information) · United States (Florida)
The Florida House Foundation, Inc. (FHF), a non-profit regional economic incubator, developed a demonstration house and yard in Sarasota County, Florida, in partnership with the Cooperative Extension Service. This model home, designed to appeal to consumers and be marketable by the construction industry, aimed to stimulate interest in solar and resource-efficient technologies. It incorporated active and passive design, solar photovoltaic and water heating systems, daylighting, cisterns, gray water, and native edible landscaping.
DIYClimate changeFood educationURBAN AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITIES AND WOMEN'S STRATEGIES IN SUSTAINING FAMILY LIVELIHOODS IN HARARE, ZIMBABWE
1996Godfrey D. Mudimu · Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography · Zimbabwe (Harare)
This study examines the role of women in urban agriculture and perceptions of urban space use for agriculture in Harare, Zimbabwe. Despite its utility in meeting household food needs, urban agriculture is not planned for or supported by urban planners and managers as a legitimate urban land use. The activities of women, who are the main participants in urban agriculture, directly conflict with planning provisions for urban space. The study offers empirical insight on perceptions of space use for agriculture in an urban tropical environment, where conflicts can arise from different perceptions and alternative uses.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justiceWelfarePolicyCommunitySchool garden projects: A qualitative research project
1996Serr, Elisabeth N · CommonKnowledge Research Repository (Pacific University Oregon) · United States (Eugene)
This qualitative research project focused on school garden projects in the Eugene, Oregon area, exploring how teachers integrate classroom curriculum in the garden. Information was gathered through interviews, primarily with elementary teachers, and visits to school gardens. The research aims to answer questions regarding the pervasiveness of gardening projects, how schools can collaborate with communities to form garden projects, and how teachers can integrate a garden project with class curriculum.
Food educationCommunityBenefits of Community Gardening on Quality-of-Life Issues
1996Tina M. Waliczek, Richard H. Mattson, Jayne M. Zajicek · Journal of Environmental Horticulture · United States
A nationwide survey of community gardeners in the United States investigated the relationship between community gardens and quality-of-life perceptions, based on Maslow's hierarchy of needs. The study found that race, gender, and city size influenced perceptions, with significant differences observed across racial/ethnic divisions and between gardeners in Los Angeles and New York. Community gardens were particularly important to African-American and Hispanic gardeners, and while men and women rated overall benefits similarly, women valued saving money and garden beauty more highly.
CommunityHealthPolicyUrban Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition in Low Income Areas of the City of Nairobi, Kenya
1996A. Mboganie-Mwangi, Dick Foeken · Leiden Repository (Leiden University) · Kenya (Nairobi)
A 1996 study in Nairobi, Kenya, compared the food security and nutritional status of low-income households engaged in urban agriculture with those not farming. It found that urban farmers primarily produced for home consumption and faced theft as a major problem. While the Undugu Society Urban Agriculture Project (USUAP) group showed better food situations and higher energy and protein intakes than other groups, all three groups had inadequate energy intake on average. The long-term beneficial effect of urban agriculture on nutritional status was negligible.
Limited or null effectFood sovereignty & justiceHealthWelfareCommunity