Research & reports

Richard Wiltshire, Ren Azuma · Local Environment · Global

In the late 1980s, Japanese experts seeking a model allotment garden rejected the UK model, perceiving it as low status and in decline, in favor of the German Kleingarten. This paper suggests reconsidering the UK experience, given efforts to rebrand UK allotment gardening within sustainable development and the challenges faced by the Japanese Kleingarten model in the 1990s' changed economic climate.

Bryan Zinschlag · · United States

This case study examines the City Soil Network (CSN), a community garden organization comprising seventeen garden sites in Portland, Oregon, thirteen of them in Northeast Portland — an area with a history of racial and ethnic discrimination. Methods combined content analysis of organizational publications, participant observation at four Northeast Portland garden sites, and interviews with eleven CSN members representing all three levels of involvement in the organization. Recent gentrification in Northeast Portland has disproportionately displaced African Americans and other historically marginalized residents, and the author argues that the CSN has so far failed to engage the residents who stand to benefit most from involvement.

N. Purnomohadi, N. Bakker, Marielle Dubbeling, S. Gündel, U. Sabel-Koschella, H. de Zeeuw · · Indonesia (Jakarta)

This piece's abstract describes the physical conditions of Jakarta's Special Capital City Region (DKI): an average annual temperature of 27C, humidity of 80-90%, annual rainfall of about 2,000 mm (highest in January, lowest in September), an area of about 650 km2, a population density of 12,495 people per km2, population growth of 2.4% per year, and low, flat land of 0-50 m elevation with fertile alluvial soils.

Jean-Noël Consalès · Méditerranée · France

In Marseille, France, family gardens (jardins familiaux) have established themselves over a century as privileged witnesses to the different phases of urbanization (2000). From a necessary peripheral phenomenon during 1900–1945, to a land reserve during the postwar boom years, these collective vegetable-garden groupings stand today as symbols of urban society's renewed enthusiasm for peripheral agriculture. Marseille's family gardens have effectively become veritable territorial laboratories of urban agriculture in the Mediterranean.

Helen L. La Trobe, Tim Acott · International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ecology · Global

An article arguing that while organic farming can address many environmental problems associated with agricultural intensification, it cannot on its own fully resolve the social and economic problems caused by the globalization of the food system, against a backdrop of increasingly industrialized, mechanized and chemical-input-dependent agriculture. It argues organic farming needs to be combined with local and regional direct marketing — such as farmers' markets, food box delivery schemes and Community Supported Agriculture — to move toward a more socially, environmentally and economically sustainable agrofood system.

WU Yong-xing · Shijie dili yanjiu · China (Shanghai)

A discussion of modern urban agriculture construction and development in Shanghai, China, examined from four perspectives: functional transformation, structural adjustment, development organization, and spatial structure composition.

Jörg Gertel, Salman Samir, N. Bakker, Marielle Dubbeling, S. Gündel, U. Sabel-Koschella, H. de Zeeuw · · Egypt

A paper on Cairo, the urban centre of Egypt, which has undergone numerous transformations shaping its social and spatial structure over its long history. It describes a complex urban structure in which modern, post-modern-style architecture stands beside centuries-old buildings, and inner-city slums directly border high-rise buildings with mirror-glass windows. Greater Cairo is described as a typical mega-city of about 13 million inhabitants across three municipalities — Cairo, Giza and Qaliyubiya. The abstract provided breaks off at this point and does not include specific content on urban agriculture.

Paul L. Swanson · Lincoln (University of Nebraska) · Global

This NebGuide, published by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, is a practical explainer describing what community-supported agriculture (CSA) is, how it works, and what producers need to do to participate — not an empirical study. At the time of writing, most Nebraskans had not heard of CSA, though the concept was about three decades old in Japan and Europe and 10-15 years old on the US East Coast. In Japan, amid continued loss of farmland to urbanization and farmers' migration to cities, a group of women approached local farm families proposing direct marketing of produce to urban residents; the resulting cooperative buying-club arrangement, called teikei, now involves millions of people. In Europe, farmers and community members concerned about food-system industrialization started the CSA model in the early 1970s. In the United States, two farms in the eastern US began CSAs based on the European model in 1986, and the guide states that more than 1,500 CSA farms existed across the country by the time of publication.

Drangert Jo · PubMed · Global

Motivated by concerns over water and food scarcity and the health threats posed by faecal pollution and malnutrition, this paper discusses the development of a no-mix excreta disposal system that separates urine and faeces. It argues that ecological sanitation systems open up new, constructive sanitation options, particularly in poor peri-urban areas. The purpose of the no-mix system is described as saving water, reducing wastewater treatment problems, protecting groundwater quality, and recirculating nutrients from urine, and the paper addresses these aspects comprehensively.

Rachel Nugent, N. Bakker, Marielle Dubbeling, S. Gündel, U. Sabel-Koschella, H. de Zeeuw · · Global

This piece opens with general context on urban growth in the developing world — expanding cities add jobs and services while facing pressure to provide public services amid existing unemployment, with many new jobs aimed at unskilled and less-educated workers, both migrants and city-born residents. The available text does not present specific urban agriculture findings, methods, or data.

A. L. Echemendía, Surey Valdés, Sugey Magdalena Castillo Jiménez, Gloria González, Juan Miguel Zarandona Femández · Redalyc (Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México) · Mexico

A survey of pests and diseases in crops associated with hydroponic systems, organopónicos, and urban gardens in Mexico identified three viral symptomatologies in lettuce (Lactuca sativa), celery (Apium graveolens), and Castilla melon (Cucumis melo), linked to aphid vectors. Using indicator plants, optical and electron microscopy, and ELISA (DAS and indirect variants), the causal agents were identified: Lettuce Mosaic Virus (LMV) in lettuce and a race of Cucumber Mosaic Virus (CMV) in celery, both first reports for the country, and Papaya Ringspot Virus race W (PRSV) in melon, never previously found in that crop. An aphid species colonizing lettuce was also identified for the first time as an LMV vector.

David Billings · · United States

A study of Portland, Oregon, examines claims that the well-documented benefits of community gardens are inequitably distributed across society. Portland is recognized as a sustainability leader with an abundance of community gardens and urban agriculture, yet it is also one of the whitest urban cities in the United States, where people of color — and the black community in particular — have faced a legacy of oppression and marginalization. Based on 17 in-depth interviews and extensive observation of community gardens, the research finds that the whiteness of these garden spaces functions to marginalize black individuals and contributes to the ongoing oppression of the black community. It also documents how Portland's black community engages in community gardening as a means of resisting these and broader effects of structural racism.

· 法令（e-Gov法令検索・412AC0000000116） · Japan

The 2000 Food Recycling Act, pushing food businesses to reduce waste and recycle it into feed and fertiliser. Sets per-industry recycling targets and certifies 'recycling loop' plans — the legal frame for running food-scrap composting as a business.

Pothukuchi, K., Kaufman, J.L. · Agriculture and Human Values 16, 213–224 · United States

A pioneering paper on urban food-system planning, exposing the invisibility of the food system in city planning and establishing the rationale for municipal involvement in food policy.

Altieri M.A., Companioni N., Cañizares K., Murphy C., Rosset P., Bourque M., Nicholls C.I. · Agriculture and Human Values · Cuba (Havana)

This study analyzes Cuba's grassroots urban agriculture movement that emerged after the 1989 Soviet collapse, showing how ~8,000 gardens nationwide operated on agroecological principles without synthetic inputs, providing Havana with thousands of tonnes of produce by 1996.

Seana Irvine, Lorraine Johnson, Kim Peters · Local Environment · Canada

This case study provides an analytical account of the Alex Wilson Community Garden in Toronto, Canada, examining the connections between ecological restoration and community gardening. The garden, opened in June 1998, reflects Alex Wilson's work by linking these two enterprises to nurture relationships between people, communities, and the landscape. Its design reconstructs the natural and cultural history of southern Ontario with native plant species, aiming for a positive impact on local biodiversity. The participatory planning process involved various stakeholders and utilized planning tools like conservation easements.

Laura DeLind, A. Ferguson · Human Organization · United States

This paper explores the role of gender within Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) using a Michigan CSA as a case study. It notes that women constitute a majority of active CSA membership and seeks to understand what attracts them and the nature of their involvement. The study finds preliminary answers within the wider context of new social movements.

Megumi Higuchi · Japanese Journal of Human Geography · Japan

This paper analyzed the Minuma Fureai Garden in Kawaguchi City, Saitama prefecture, finding that its operation costs exceed annual income from user fees (15,000 Yen/person/year), with municipal subsidies covering 18% of total income. While land use regulations keep rent low, deregulation could threaten the garden's existence. A user survey revealed 70% of users were over 50, and 60% re-applied after a one-year contract, though this varied by distance.

Daniel Maxwell, Wordsworth Odame Larbi, Grace Mary Lamptey, Sawudatu Zakariah, Margaret Armar‐Klemesu · Third World Planning Review · Ghana (Accra)

This paper compares four cases within peri-urban Greater Accra, Ghana, to assess the impact of rapid urban sprawl on the surrounding area. The study examines cases including land loss to housing, protection of agricultural land from urban sprawl, environmental degradation due to urbanization, and commercialization of peri-urban agricultural production from changing market demand. The paper also reviews the perspective that rapid peri-urban growth leads to the destruction of agricultural livelihoods without necessarily replacing them with alternative economic activity.

Isami Kinoshita, Jin Yoshikawa · Journal of the City Planning Institute of Japan · Japan

This study identified the meaning and role of edible landscapes in urban residential areas by comparing three districts in Japan: Nezu, Taishido, and Kokubunji-shinmachi. Through observation, interviews, and questionnaires, five common meanings and roles were found, including providing fresh food, fostering memories, promoting communication, preserving folk customs, and encouraging ecological thinking despite maintenance challenges.

Martha S. Burns, Nicholas J. Certo, Keith Storey · Education and training in mental retardation and developmental disabilities · Global

This quantitative study explored regular education students' attitudinal changes towards students with severe disabilities through inclusive service learning projects. The study involved a first intervention group of 12 volunteers who created a community garden with 8 students with severe disabilities, and a second intervention group of 12 Outdoor Education students who assisted 8 students with severe disabilities at a Special Olympics event. An attitudinal questionnaire was administered before and after the projects, and a control group was also included, but the abstract does not report the findings.

John A. G. Briggs, Davis Mwamfupe · Scottish Geographical Journal · Tanzania (Dar-es-Salaam)

Drawing on recent evidence from Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, this paper suggests that a combination of structural adjustment measures and the eased economic crisis in the 1990s changed conditions, resulting in the increasing commodification of land in the peri-urban zone. This shift transformed the peri-urban zone into an area of investment and economic opportunity, rather than survival, leading to the increasing exclusion of poorer urban groups. Furthermore, confusion arising from current Tanzanian land law, particularly tensions between customary and statutory law, complicates the situation.

K. Haggard, Phillip J. Cooper · Solar today · United States (California)

The Tierra Nueva Cohousing Project in California comprises living units, a common house, community orchard, community gardens, play space, future shop space, and parking. The units incorporate thermal mass, solar heating, passive solar cooling, and perimeter insulation on slabs. The design of the project was collectively agreed upon by the entire community.

Mary Anne Foo, Jason Robinson, Monica Rhodes, Lillian S. Lew, Maichew Chao, Sadira Sokhan Dy, William Eir · Health Education · United States (California)

This article describes how implementing policy changes in organizations and communities supported physical activity in the Southeast Asian community in Long Beach, California. Case studies from the Families in Good Health program illustrate the components of successful policy development for physical activity. Increased policy opportunities occurred when high levels of five factors were present: program champions were cultivated; strong partnerships were formed; the community gave approval of program results; community leaders were involved; and organizations or resources were ready for policy development.

· TSpace (University of Toronto) · Uganda

The determinants and impact of integrating forage legumes into intensive smallholder crop/livestock systems in peri-urban areas of central Uganda were investigated using an interview schedule with 90 smallholder milk producers and an econometric model. Findings showed that integration is more likely among farmers with less farmland or proximity to milk and input markets. Farmers integrating legumes into elephant grass obtain more herbage that remains greener into the dry season, spend less on artificial insemination services, and their animals have a lower incidence of disease.