Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
1626 results(47 / 66)
Management models : AMS SUB Roof-Top Garden for productivity and community
2014Brittany Buchanan, Toby Lam, Bonnie Lee, Aldhyan Randy, Natasha Tymo · cIRcle (University of British Columbia) · Canada
This student project, part of the UBC Food Systems Project, researched human resource management strategies for the new Student Union Building (SUB) Rooftop Garden at the University of British Columbia. Through literature review and interviews, four management models were discussed. The group identified a student club model with incentives, potentially led by a directed studies or paid position, as a fitting starting point for motivating students to contribute to food production for campus outlets.
CommunityFood educationEconomicsImproving Participation of Non-Traditional Extension Audiences: The Empower Ocala Garden Project
2014Austen Moore, Norma Samuel, Glenn D. Israel · Journal of Extension · United States
The Empower Ocala Garden project in Marion County aimed to increase participation among low-income minority populations and address food desert conditions. It created a community garden for 12 households and provided bi-weekly trainings. Evaluation using pre- and post-project questionnaires showed participants attended 53.4% of sessions, attitudes improved by 9.82% across four indicators, and knowledge increased by 19.57% across eight indicators.
CommunityFood educationWelfareHealthPracticing urban agriculture on campus : integrating the LFS Garden with the Faculty of Land and Food Systems community
2014Jessica Chen, Shawn DiPardo, Yuliana Hermanto, Amy Jennermann, Lyviana Mananta, Sharon Lee, Alanna Jean Schroeder · cIRcle (University of British Columbia) · Canada
This student project at the University of British Columbia focused on expanding the LFS Garden to enhance organic production, provide food, and offer interdisciplinary learning opportunities. The group reviewed literature and consulted stakeholders to devise a business proposal for the garden's development, covering aspects like management, layout, and educational integration. The project also designed a garden layout and established a garden management committee.
Food educationCommunityOrganic cycleDIYReversing food desertification: examining urban farming in Louisville, Chicago and Detroit
2014Nadra Hashim · Local Environment · United States
This study examines the early stages of the urban farming movement in Louisville, Kentucky, considering its relation to land use, segregation policies, obesity, and food security. While the urban farm movement is largely a success in New York, it is suggested that in Louisville, Chicago, and Detroit, where trans-fat bans did not succeed, the urban farm movement may be the primary means of addressing malnutrition in the form of obesity.
Food sovereignty & justiceHealthPolicyCommunityAn investigation into waste heat recovery for usage by a rooftop greenhouse
2014Rohit Kumar Singla, Jeremy Lord, Jorden Hetherington · cIRcle (University of British Columbia) · Canada
This report conducted a triple-bottom line assessment of the environmental, economic, and social feasibility of using waste heat from a microbrewery at the University of British Columbia as an energy source for a rooftop greenhouse. The investigation was based on academic research and ongoing communication with the primary stakeholder. The project was found to be economically viable, with social benefits outweighing drawbacks, and environmentally feasible.
DIYEconomicsFood educationCommunityA growing opportunity: Community gardens affiliated with US hospitals and academic health centers
2014Daniel R. George, Liza S. Rovniak, Jennifer L. Kraschnewski, Ryan Hanson, Christopher Sciamanna · Preventive Medicine Reports · United States
This 2013 study identified 110 community gardens affiliated with US healthcare institutions using national databases and search engines. The gardens were distributed across US regions, with 39 in the Midwest, 25 in the South, 24 in the Northeast, and 22 in the West. Communities served by these gardens had similar demographic characteristics to the US population average but significantly lower obesity rates (27% vs. 34%, p < .001).
CommunityHealthFood educationSetting the Table for Urban Agriculture
2014Margot J. Pollans · Pace Digital Repository (Pace University) · United States
This article examines the various roles law plays in the cultivation of urban agriculture. It argues that despite growing enthusiasm for urban agriculture, serious equity and ecological concerns exist within the forms of modern urban agriculture, recommending that careful strategic planning should align the implementation of available legal tools to address these concerns.
Equity & displacementPolicyCommunityEconomicsSocial Science, Public Policy, and Amnesty for Chickens
2014Merrill Eisenberg · Practicing Anthropology · United States (Arizona)
This paper describes efforts in Pima County, Arizona, to develop local policies supporting urban agriculture in Tucson. An applied anthropologist, collaborating with grassroots citizen groups and local government policymakers, guided these efforts. The study highlights how applied social science concepts and methods informed the policy development process and facilitated citizen participation in shaping urban agriculture policy.
PolicyCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceCooperatives and Alternative Food Systems Initiatives — and More
2014Duncan Hilchey · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United States
A study in the late 1990s investigated small-scale grower cooperatives in the northeastern United States, which had annual sales of US$5 million or less. It found many barriers to growth, including managers' difficulties in balancing diverse member interests, meeting buyer standards, and operating in a high-cost, low-price business. The Northeast Federation of Family-Farm Cooperatives (NEFFCO), a proposed support group, did not last beyond its grant period, indicating challenges in sustaining such initiatives.
Economic viabilityCSA & TeikeiEconomicsCommunityPolicyClimate action partnership : moving UBC beyond climate neutral
2014Kit Yieng Chan, Michelle Chan, Oi Yan Chan, Thomas Y.K. Chan, Tsz Mei Chan, Sharon B. Chang, Kenrick Chau, Tarik Chelali · cIRcle (University of British Columbia) · Canada
Research at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Canada, investigated whether rooftop gardens could reduce greenhouse gas emissions and food transportation carbon emissions. While edible landscapes could potentially assist with climate goals, they require careful selection of crops, buildings, and resources. Preliminary calculations indicated that rooftop and community gardens would do very little to reduce the UBC campus's dependency on imported food.
Limited or null effectClimate changeFood miles & supply chainCommunityDIYPracticing what we preach : a final report on UBC-O's potential for a campus community garden
2014Matt Stevens · cIRcle (University of British Columbia) · Canada
This record is a disclaimer for a student project report on the potential for a campus community garden at UBC-O. It states that the report contains student findings, opinions, conclusions, and recommendations, and is not an official UBC document. The disclaimer advises readers that the report may not reflect the current status of activities at UBC.
CommunityFarming—It's So Citified: An Urban Agriculture Marketing Campaign
2014M. L. Browning, Stacy Herrick · Journal of Extension · United States (West Virginia)
The marketing campaign for the inaugural West Virginia Urban Agriculture Conference, a collaboration between West Virginia State University (WVSU) and West Virginia University Extension Services, was successful. The WVSU communications team developed an innovative, character-driven campaign combining urban and rural elements, featuring "Chicken Stu" as the official spokes-chicken who shared his journey from farm to city via social media. The campaign surpassed its goals and demonstrated the impact of innovative social media marketing in promoting Extension initiatives.
Food educationCommunityDestination education: A place-based look at the influences of school gardens
2014Connor J. Sloan · Scholarly Commons (University of the Pacific) · United States (California)
This phenomenological study investigated the role of school gardens as learning places and how place-based education influenced teachers' pedagogical approaches and curriculum decisions, involving four elementary school teachers in Central California. Analysis of interviews, classroom and garden observations, and supplemental curricula showed that participants were inspired to integrate project-based learning and interdisciplinary supplemental curriculum through interactions with school gardens. Direct interactions and experiences with elements of place-based learning in a school garden influenced how participants perceived the purpose of their pedagogical approaches and curriculum decisions.
Food educationCommunityLocal food in every pot: Growing farmers in northeastern Iowa through public and private partnerships
2014Kamyar Enshayan · Iowa State University Digital Repository (Iowa State University) · United States (Iowa)
A group of urban women in northern Iowa, facing various life challenges, learned self-sufficiency by collaboratively planning, planting, growing, and harvesting produce from a community garden. This initiative focused on developing farming skills through practical engagement.
CommunityWelfareFood educationSuburban dirt
2014de Vries, Arianna · · United States (New Jersey)
This study investigated three large-format suburban community gardens, each with over one hundred plots, in Central New Jersey, United States. Using geospatial mapping, on-site observation, and interviews with coordinators and gardeners, the research explored participation reasons and the suburban conditions fostering these gardens. It found that suburban gardeners participate for reasons similar to their urban counterparts, but the suburban context significantly shapes how these motivations are defined and described.
CommunityPeri-urban agricultureUrban–rural linkageEffect of an After-School Garden Club Program on Elementary Students.
2014Maggie Caroline McGriff · Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science · United States
This study investigated whether three elementary school garden club programs influenced students' attitudes and behaviors regarding fruit and vegetable consumption. Quantitative analysis using pretest and posttest questionnaires found non-significant results, indicating no significant effect on participants' perceptions of fruit and vegetable consumption. Qualitative analysis of participant interviews also showed mostly non-significant changes in healthy eating, although participants reported positive experiences in other aspects like respect for nature and enjoyment of activities.
Limited or null effectFood educationHealthCommunityInitiating and sustaining community gardens and community kitchens: A preliminary study in Nova Scotia
2014Tim Cashion, I. Forbes, Irena Knežević · · Canada
This preliminary study in Nova Scotia, Canada, explored the initiation and sustainability of community food initiatives through in-depth interviews with coordinators. The research identified that these initiatives are in a precarious state due to reliance on volunteers, land ownership issues, and a lack of consistent funding. Despite these challenges, they persist through community support and coordinator dedication.
Governance failureCommunityEconomicsWelfarePolicyCommunity Voices: The Postville Oral History Project Recording with Judy Egeland
2014Judy Egeland · UNI ScholarWorks (University of Northern Iowa) · United States (Postville)
This oral history project recording features Judy Egeland, a master gardener and Vice President of the Diversity Council in Postville, United States. Egeland, who moved to Postville in 1970, was instrumental in establishing a community garden and a school garden in the rural town. The community garden is noted for bringing together people from diverse backgrounds.
CommunityFood educationUrban–rural linkageNarrative transparency
2014Melea Press, Eric J. Arnould · Journal of Marketing Management · United States
This paper examines how alternative marketing organizations communicate transparency amidst generalized risk and skepticism, using Community Supported Agriculture programs across the United States as context. It contrasts the traditional numeric approach to transparency, involving auditing and third-party certifications, with an alternative narrative transparency approach that emphasizes stakeholder dialogue and invites stakeholders to act as auditors. The article illustrates how alternative marketing organizations employ rhetorical tactics such as persona, allegory, consumer sovereignty, and enlightenment to communicate transparency to their stakeholders.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsCommunityFrom Vacant Lots to Full Pantries: Urban Agriculture Programs and the American City
2014Jessica Owley, Tonya Lewis · · United States
This article explores land tenure concerns that can hinder urban agriculture development in American cities. It examines various property law tools, such as long-term leases, permits for city-owned land, and theoretical self-help nuisance concepts, used across the United States. The study highlights urban agricultural land trusts and partial property rights like conservation easements as particularly intriguing and widely applicable tools for meeting urban agricultural needs.
PolicyEconomicsCommunityFood Co‐ops and the Paradox of Exclusivity
2014Andrew Zitcer · Antipode · United States (Philadelphia)
This article explored the paradox of exclusivity in consumer food cooperatives in the United States, focusing on two food co-ops in Philadelphia, PA. The study found that exclusivity manifests in the co-ops' sales, business practices, and marketing, inadvertently excluding certain practices and people. This paradox hinders co-ops from fully realizing their transformative social and economic potential.
Equity & displacementCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsDevelopment of a STEM‐based school garden and nutrition education program to increase knowledge and consumption of pulse crops by school aged children (626.17)
2014Kelly Atterberry, Carol Miles, Lee Anne Riddle, Janice Rueda, Drew Betz · The FASEB Journal · United States
A pilot study in a Washington school cafeteria investigated the effects of a school garden and nutrition education intervention on pulse crop consumption by school-aged children. Fifty-six students (25 in fourth grade, 31 in ninth grade) participated, with a STEM-based curriculum combining exposure to pulse crops in a school garden with classroom nutrition education. Pre- and post-intervention surveys assessed changes in students' knowledge about pulse foods and their attitudes towards spending class time in the school garden.
Food educationHealthCommunityCommunity Food Production as Food Security: Resource and Economic Valuation in Madison, Wisconsin (USA)
2014Vincent M. Smith, John A. Harrington · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United States (Madison)
This research explored the market value of community food production (CFP) in the Madison, Wisconsin, Urban Area, USA. The study measured and mapped the extent of CFP using a survey of 2,454 addresses and existing garden lists, and determined productive output from 36 test plots tended by citizen scientists. It found that the market value of gardening and garden-based programs, and their correlation to food-insecure communities, are not yet well understood.
CommunityFood educationEconomicsHealthSoluções tecnológicas e inovação: a Embrapa no ano internacional da agricultura familiar.
2014EMBRAPA. · infoteca-e (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation) · Brazil
This publication focuses on technological solutions and innovation to strengthen family farming in Brazil. Embrapa's research benefits family agriculture and traditional Brazilian populations, introducing technologies for sustainable agricultural systems, improved basic sanitation, adoption of sustainable techniques, successful organic colored cotton harvests, and increased harvest opportunities in dryland farming through underground dams. It also highlights the implementation of irrigation systems in community gardens and the enrichment of rural diets with traditional vegetables.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceParticipatory Budgeting in the United States: A Preliminary Analysis of Chicago’s 49th Ward Experiment
2014LaShonda M. Stewart, Steven A. Miller, R. W. Hildreth, Maja V. Wright-Phillips · New Political Science · United States (Chicago)
A preliminary analysis of Chicago's 49th Ward, the first participatory budgeting experiment in the United States, examined whether it resulted in different budgetary priorities and met social justice outcomes. Citizens chose projects classified as low priority by research literature, and while there was no clear pattern of projects only in affluent areas, geographic clustering was evident. Select areas received projects like community gardens, while others were limited to infrastructure repairs, indicating mixed social justice outcomes.
Equity & displacementPolicyCommunityEconomicsHealth