Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
2067 results(47 / 83)
Community Supported Agriculture: Legal Concerns
2017Kenna McMurray, Kelsey Hall, Roslynn Brain · Digital Commons - USU (Utah State University) · United States
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) growers in the United States may experience legal concerns and liabilities. This fact sheet aims to guide growers through steps to minimize these liabilities and manage possible risks associated with CSA operations. The presence of such concerns highlights a governance challenge for CSA growers.
Governance failureCSA & TeikeiPolicyStudent-Led Farmers Market: Engaging, Real-World Experience And Nutrition Education That Prepares Students For A Successful Professional Life After High School
2017Rebecca A Hennessey · Digital Commons - Hamline (Hamline University) · United States
This capstone project proposes a curriculum that supports a student-led farmers market program for high school students. The curriculum provides garden and nutrition education through a fully-functioning farmers market run entirely by students, offering them real-world experience.
Food educationCommunityUrban arthropods respond variably to changes in landscape context and spatial scale
2017Monika Egerer, Courtney Arel, Michelle D. Otoshi, Robyn D. Quistberg, Peter Bichier, Stacy M. Philpott · Journal of Urban Ecology · United States (California)
This three-year study in 19 urban community gardens on the California central coast examined how urban landscape intensification and diversity influence the abundance and richness of five arthropod groups (ants, bees, ladybeetles, parasitoids, spiders) across six spatial scales (200 m to 5 km). All arthropod groups were influenced by landscape factors, but this influence varied with spatial scale and local habitat features, likely due to arthropod community interactions and life history strategies.
CommunityBiodiversityPollinatorsInvolving Extension in Urban Food Systems: An Example from California
2017Lucy Diekmann, Rob Bennaton, Jessica Schweiger, Cole Smith · Journal of Human Sciences and Extension · United States (California)
This article illustrates how Extension in the San Francisco Bay Area, California, develops urban agriculture programming and engages in food-system-related partnerships. The Extension practice in this metropolitan region aligns with research findings on local food system involvement, focusing on educational opportunities and collaborative work with community and government partners. This case study provides insights for Extension personnel designing urban food system programs.
Food educationCommunityPolicyHealthEconomicsFarm Fresh Foods for Healthy Kids (F3HK): An innovative community supported agriculture intervention to prevent childhood obesity in low-income families and strengthen local agricultural economies
2017Rebecca A. Seguin‐Fowler, Emily H. Morgan, Karla L. Hanson, Alice S. Ammerman, Stephanie Jilcott Pitts, Jane Kolodinsky, Marilyn Sitaker, Florence Becot, Leah M. Connor, Jennifer Garner, Jared T. McGuirt · BMC Public Health · United States
Farm Fresh Foods for Healthy Kids (F3HK) is a community-based, randomized intervention trial designed to assess the impact of subsidized community supported agriculture (CSA) coupled with nutrition education to prevent childhood obesity in low-income families and strengthen local agricultural economies. Conducted in New York, North Carolina, Vermont, and Washington, the study targets low-income families with children aged 2-12 years. Primary outcomes include children's intake of fruits and vegetables, sugar and fat, and diet quality, with data collected over three years.
CSA & TeikeiHealthWelfareEconomicsFood educationCommunity Supported Agriculture: Pricing
2017Kenna McMurray, Kelsey Hall, Roslynn Brain · Digital Commons - USU (Utah State University) · United States
This fact sheet assists with financial knowledge and planning for Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) operations. It explains how to develop a budget, price CSA shares using different strategies, and outlines payment options.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsUrban Agriculture, Food Justice, and Neoliberal Urbanization
2017Michelle Glowa · · United States (San Francisco)
In the San Francisco region, highly competitive land markets increasingly force landowners to use properties for purposes other than gardening, despite the popularity of urban agriculture. This situation compels gardeners to develop strategies to gain and maintain land access, linking gardening to broader land politics and urban design. The chapter explores how gardeners influence space production and property institutions.
Economic viabilityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyCommunityEconomicsUrban Development Legislation for Cities, by Cities
2017Kellen Zale · Maine law review · United States
This presentation connects Senator Muskie's legacy in urban development and Model Cities to contemporary urban development legislation. It highlights that while urban development legislation can originate from any government level, local governments are crafting innovative responses to urban challenges. Examples include Detroit's blight reduction, Seattle's living wage ordinance, San Francisco's urban agriculture zoning, and New Orleans' mixed-use public housing redevelopment.
PolicyHealthPersonal Narratives Changing Student Understandings of Community-based Academic Programs
2017Isabel Verhille · Scholarship @ Claremont (The Claremont Colleges) · United States (California)
A Media Studies Senior Thesis from the Claremont Colleges in California, USA, focuses on two community programs: the Spanish Practicum program at Pitzer College and Huerta del Valle, a community garden in Ontario. The project comprised a photographic essay on personal experience in the Spanish Practicum, an article on the program's history, and an interview with the founder of Huerta del Valle and a student participant. These personal narratives were presented as a webpage to explore their communal significance in constructing a shared understanding of community-based academic programs.
CommunityFood educationFor the Love of Land and People: An Evaluation of The Food Project as an Empowering Youth Development Program
2017Emily Walls · DigitalCommons-Macalester (Macalester College) · United States (Boston)
The Food Project, a youth development and urban agriculture organization in the Greater Boston area, demonstrates effective empowerment by successfully creating safe spaces, engaging youth in meaningful work, and providing them with confidence and skills to effect change. This study analyzed program structures through youth experiences to evaluate empowerment and personal growth.
Food educationCommunityWelfareExamining the Business Case and Models for Sustainable Multifunctional Edible Landscaping Enterprises in the Phoenix Metro Area
2017Christopher Robinson, Scott Cloutier, Hallie Eakin · Sustainability · United States (Phoenix)
This study assessed the business case for multifunctional edible landscaping enterprises in the Phoenix metro area. Semi-structured interviews with four landscaping entrepreneurs and a GIS landscape analysis of seven cities revealed that multifunctional edible landscaping offers a greater range of value propositions and revenue streams, with over 180,000 acres of suitable landscapes identified. Scenario analysis estimated potential value creation from $3.9 to $66 billion, with positive return on investment (ROI) achievable in 11 out of 12 scenarios within one to five years.
EconomicsPolicyCommunityThe New Sacred Farm
2017Gretel Van Wieren · Worldviews Global Religions Culture and Ecology · United States
This paper explored religious approaches within the food and faith movement in the U.S. by examining the work of three religious, community-based farming projects. These projects are characterized by ritual practices and narrative tropes as they address social, ecological, political, and ethical challenges posed by current food systems. The study concluded that these religious farms should be considered sacred spaces for how they ritualize and symbolically interpret agricultural and food practices.
CommunityFood educationCSA & TeikeiFood sovereignty & justiceSafe food facts for community gardens
2017Marisa Bunning, M. Newby · Digital Collections of Colorado (Colorado State University) · United States (Colorado)
This document provides practical tips for community gardeners to ensure the safety and quality of food grown in community gardens. It emphasizes proper garden management and handling of fresh produce to maximize the benefits of growing one's own food.
CommunityFood educationGreening the shrinking city—policies and planning approaches in the USA with the example of Flint, Michigan
2017Karina Pallagst, René Fleschurz, Franziska Trapp · Landscape Research · United States (Flint, Michigan)
This paper examines greening and green infrastructure development in shrinking US cities, focusing on rightsizing and urban agriculture. It highlights recent greening efforts in Flint, Michigan, as an example. Shrinking cities in the US, characterized by economic decline and population loss, often have vacant land and blighted buildings, which some cities are now re-evaluating as assets for sustainable and livable urban environments.
PolicyUrban–rural linkageCommunityOrganic Mixed Production Blocks for Direct Markets on California's Central Coast: A Guide for Beginning Specialty Crop Growers
2017Jim Leap, Kirstin Yogg Comerchero, Darryl Wong · eScholarship (California Digital Library) · United States (California)
This guide focuses on producing mixed blocks of 30- to 60-day, direct sown and transplanted crops for direct market sales on California's Central Coast. It aims to improve cropping system efficiencies and economic viability for small-scale farms. The guide emphasizes managing the mixed crop production block as a whole, rather than providing specific crop information.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsPeri-urban agricultureOrganic Pepper Production on California's Central Coast: A Guide for Beginning Specialty Crop Growers - eScholarship
2017Jim Leap, Darryl Wong, Kirstin Yogg Comerchero · · United States (California)
This grower guide addresses the basic steps for organically growing peppers in California's Central Coast region. It notes that peppers are productive from July to October without season extension, are relatively easy to grow, and offer various marketing and culinary options. The guide also provides an overview of pepper varieties for specialty crop growers.
DIYCSA & TeikeiEconomicsCommunity Supported Agriculture: Marketing & Outreach Strategies to Encourage Membership
2017Kenna McMurray, Kelsey Hall, Roslynn Brain · Digital Commons - USU (Utah State University) · United States
This fact sheet provides tips on effective communication tools for marketing Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) operations. It focuses on delivering information to potential and current shareholders, engaging them, and gathering feedback.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsCommunityBarriers and facilitators to healthy eating and disease self-management among older adults residing in subsidized housing
2017Katherine Frances Petroka, Rania Campbell-Bussiere, Dan Dychtwald, Brandy‐Joe Milliron · Nutrition and Health · United States (Philadelphia)
This 2017 qualitative study in Philadelphia, USA, investigated barriers and facilitators to healthy eating among 24 low-income seniors (65-75 years old) in subsidized housing, which included a community garden and food pantry. Personal barriers included food cost, physical limitations, and low self-efficacy, while external barriers involved lack of transportation and market distance. Facilitators focused on food preparation, and participants expressed interest in community nutrition programming.
HealthElderlyCommunityWelfareEXPLORING THE SOCIO-ECOLOGICAL DIMENSIONS OF AGRICULTURAL EXPANSION IN NEW HAMPSHIRE
2017Jennifer Wilhelm · University of New Hampshire Scholars Repository (University of New Hampshire at Manchester) · United States (New Hampshire)
This dissertation addresses agricultural extensification from several angles. Chapter 1's literature review showed an increase in research on urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) and ecosystem services, but highlighted a need for quantifying ecosystem services and functions to clarify ecological tradeoffs. Subsequent chapters focused on a mixed-methods study in New Hampshire, surveying approximately 600 residents (494 general population, 103 food system stakeholders) on their perception of forestland conversion to agriculture.
Environmental trade-offsUrban–rural linkagePeri-urban agricultureBiodiversityClimate changeA sustainable place
2017Audrey Desjardins, Xiaolan Wang, Ron Wakkary · · Canada
This chapter investigates how everyday designers function as placemakers, advancing the understanding of sustainability in human-computer interaction. Through an autobiographical study of a camper van interior and an ethnographic study of community gardeners in Vancouver, Canada, the research identifies three common themes in creating sustainable places: longevity, unfinishedness, and multiplicity in placemaking.
CommunityMount Carmel Community Garden: Inspiring Community Growth through Sustainable Food Production
2017C. E. Deardorff, Julia Friedman, Charlotte Walton · Bucknell Digital Commons (Bucknell University) · United States
This entry comprises a project report and a Community Garden Guide for Mount Carmel, United States. The report outlines community garden benefits, analyzes potential advantages for Mount Carmel, and reviews stakeholders, goals, and a community interest survey. The guide compiles essential information and tools for establishing new community garden projects, covering social and economic benefits alongside technical skills.
CommunityFood educationEconomicsPolicyPatrimonio y agricultura urbana en Recife: Análisis y directrices para el barrio de Várzea.
2017Igor Villares de Carvalho, Paola Branduini · Revista Urbano · Brazil (Recife)
Addressing the issue of abandoned and unclear urban agricultural heritage in many South American cities, this study focused on the Várzea neighborhood in Recife, Brazil, applying principles from the European Landscape Convention and findings from COST Action Urban - Agriculture Europe (2011-16). It noted that the tangible and intangible rural heritage of Várzea, a region settled by Europeans in the 16th century for sugarcane cultivation and remaining rural until the 20th century, is disconnected from the current population and conservation practices. To mitigate this problem, the article proposes guidelines for the regeneration of this heritage and the improvement of cases related to the area's rural background.
CommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkageACS celebrates Earth Day
2017Linda Wang · C&EN Global Enterprise · United States
In April 2017, the American Chemical Society (ACS) organized "Chemists Celebrate Earth Day" (CCED) across the U.S., with the theme "Chemistry Helps Feed the World." The program involved hands-on science activities and community garden planting, with a majority of ACS's 185 local sections participating. Over 62,000 copies of "Celebrating Chemistry" were distributed, and events like Chem Demo were held for over 350 students in Arizona.
CommunityFood educationFostering Community Supported Agriculture in Utah
2017Kelsey Hall, Roslynn Brain · Digital Commons - USU (Utah State University) · United States (Utah)
This curriculum consists of seven modules aimed at fostering Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in Utah. It covers the fundamentals of CSA, marketing and outreach, management, pricing, crop planning, legal concerns for CSA operations, and additional resources.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsPolicyHanford FFA Ornamental Horticulture Unit Master Plan
2017Savanah Diane Rhine, Russell Alan Zimmerman · DigitalCommons - CalPoly (California State Polytechnic University) · United States (California)
This project aims to develop a more functional plan for the Ornamental Horticulture (OH) Unit at the Hanford Agriculture Program, which serves over 1,000 students from three high schools in Hanford, California. A majority of these students are not in the OH Career Pathway due to a lack of a constant, fully functional unit. The plan focuses on four broad areas: vegetable boxes, greenhouses, a shade house, and beautification, to provide a functional school garden and OH Unit at the Hanford High Campus. This initiative seeks to equip students with skills in horticulture, crop, and soil sciences, greenhouse production, and irrigation technology, offering practical experience for future careers in agriculture.
Food educationCommunityDIY