Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
3623 results(47 / 145)
Evaluating Importance of Community Gardens in Times of Calm and Crisis: From Relaxation to Food Self-Provisioning
2023Marek Hekrle, Jan Macháč, Lenka Dubová · Resources · Czechia
This study investigated how ecosystem services (ES) provided by the community garden 'Žížala na Terase' in Czechia are affected during crises related to the COVID-19 pandemic and increased food prices. Results indicated that the importance of social interaction and educational ES significantly decreased in the COVID-19 scenario. Conversely, the role of community gardens as places for recreation increased. In the food self-provisioning scenario, provisioning ES increased at the expense of recreational ES. Economic assessment further showed that cultural ES were the most monetarily valued, followed by provisioning ES.
Limited or null effectCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsHealthO.6.3-10 Investigating the impact of a school garden intervention on children’s school motivation, climate literacy, food literacy and physical activity: the FoodACT protocol
2023Anna Stage, Mads Bølling, Glen Nielsen, Peter Bentsen, Mette Aadahl, Camilla Roed Otte, Peter Elsborg · European Journal of Public Health · Global
The FoodACT study aims to investigate the impact of a school gardening intervention on pupils' school motivation, climate literacy, food literacy, and physical activity, with a special attention on children with low socio-economic status. The study design includes an efficacy study using a pre-post quasi-experimental design measuring pupils’ food literacy, climate literacy, and school motivation; a within-subject association study quantifying the influence of school garden activities on pupils’ physical activity; and an association study investigating contextual characteristics of school garden activities using systematic observations and focus-group interviews. This abstract describes the study protocol and design.
Food educationHealthClimate changePotential And Need of Urban Horticulture for A Sustainable Future
2023Mansi I. Bhati and R.K. Dubey · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Global
Urban horticulture, a new concept for growing family-sufficient food in urban and peri-urban areas, is gaining importance. However, environmental challenges for urban farming in urban environments include soil contamination, micro-climate alteration and air pollution, and contaminated water resources. Appropriate guidelines for urban and peri-urban agricultural practices are required.
Contamination & food safetyDIYPeri-urban agricultureClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceCommunity gardens as psychosocial interventions for refugees and migrants: a narrative review
2023Triya Tessa Ramburn, Yufei Mandy Wu, Rachel Kronick · International Journal of Migration Health and Social Care · Global
A narrative review analyzed 17 peer-reviewed and 4 grey literature articles up to 2021 to document psychosocial outcomes of gardening programs for refugees and migrants. The analysis found that community gardening programs promoted continuity and adaptation (81% of articles), social connectedness (81%), overall wellbeing (95%), and a sense of meaning and self-worth (67%). Community gardens can strengthen psychosocial pillars for the recovery and resettlement of refugees and migrants.
CommunityHealthWelfareClimate changeAutumn Production of Romaine Lettuce on an Extensive Green Roof
2023Stuart Walters, V. P. Thomas, Karen Stoelzle Midden, John W. Groninger · Journal of Living Architecture · Global
This study evaluated the productivity of four Romaine lettuce cultivars grown to maturity in an 8 cm deep lightweight clay substrate on an extensive green roof during the autumn production seasons of 2012 and 2013. Lettuce productivity was improved by the addition of fertilizers, with fast-release fertilizer providing the greatest growth and productivity. However, abnormally cold growing conditions in autumn 2013 resulted in lower yields compared to 2012, highlighting the system's vulnerability to weather.
DIYUrban–rural linkageClimate changeThe Art of Green Maintenance
2023Anna Horolets, Saša Poljak Istenič, Alexandra Schwell · Etnološka tribina · Slovenia (Ljubljana)
This ethnographic fieldwork examined the role of maintenance and care practices in urban gardening. It was conducted at the Onkraj gradbišča community garden in Ljubljana, Slovenia, which was initially conceived as a social and cultural innovation. The study argues that continuous maintenance labor by organizers and gardeners is crucial for the longevity and sustainability of urban future-making practices, highlighting that the focus on innovation often obscures the importance of ongoing care.
CommunityClimate changeThe impact of planting scenarios on agricultural productivity and thermal comfort in urban agriculture land (case study: Tabriz, Iran)
2023Akbar Rahimi, zahra nobar · Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution · Iran (Tabriz)
This study examined the effect of native plant-crop combinations on micrometeorological conditions and thermal comfort on urban agricultural land in Tabriz, Iran. Through ENVI-MET model simulations validated with field data, seven scenarios were identified. The findings showed that edible functions of deciduous plants increased with canopy height and diameter, improving thermal comfort in high-temperature conditions, and concluded that adopting this planting form would rejuvenate abandoned agricultural fields.
Climate changeBiodiversityUrban–rural linkageSpaces, Places & Lines Between Teacher Education and Community Garden
2023Lucy Harding · Cultural and Pedagogical Inquiry · Global
This paper examines the diffractive connectedness of spaces among education, nature, academia, and community. It follows a project where trainee teachers and a community garden volunteer group used photography and poetry to connect in cross-community education spaces. The author documents a discomfort emerging from these encounters, reflecting on their entanglement with philosophical posthuman and feminist new materialist ideas.
CommunityFood educationPropuesta de indicadores para la planificación de la agricultura urbana en Camagüey
2023Yurisandra Sierra Reyes, Ana de Dios Martínez, Jorge Pereda Mouso, Manuel Francisco Rodríguez Saldaña · Cuadernos de Administración · Cuba (Camagüey)
This article proposes indicators for urban agriculture planning in Camagüey, Cuba, aiming to contribute to urban sustainability and food sovereignty. The methodology involved theoretical analysis and synthesis, a mixed focus group for variable delimitation, and the IADOV method for validation. These indicators are presented as a useful tool for decision-making, enabling the diagnosis and characterization of urban agriculture and its integration into territorial planning.
PolicyFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changeUnique landscape features and significance of former allotment gardens in the protection of the visual landscape
2023Kinga Albicz, Nóra Hubayné Horváth · 4D Tájépítészeti és Kertművészeti Folyóirat · Hungary
This study explores the landscape significance and unique features of former allotment gardens in Hungary, focusing on their vineyard origins and role in visual landscape protection. Using geographic information methods, the analysis revealed that a significant portion of allotment garden areas have a vineyard past. These areas contain unique landscape features at a density almost five times higher than the national average, with one-third of the country's vine and fruit production features concentrated there.
CommunityUrban–rural linkageBiodiversityAn assessment of the feasibility of initiating urban agriculture in Pardis New Town of Iran
2023Maede Hedayatifard, Mitra Azimi · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems · Iran
This research assessed the feasibility of initiating a community garden in Pardis New Town, Iran, through a qualitative approach involving interviews, focus group meetings, and an online survey. Findings revealed favorable conditions due to residents' background in local communal activities, adequate agricultural skills from previous residences, and their readiness to engage in volunteer activities. The study also identified strategic requirements for the design and management of community gardens.
CommunityHealthPolicyPotential Economic, Social and Environmental Contribution Study of Urban Agriculture Based on Five Key Features Identified through Past Studies
2023Arun Kafle, James Hopeward, Baden Myers · Land · Global
This paper assesses the potential economic, social, and environmental contributions of urban agriculture (UA) based on five key features: area, purpose, crop value, mechanisation level, and market mechanism. A review of 15 past studies, including those from Adelaide, Australia, and the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, revealed that most UA research focuses on social benefits and cost savings. Few studies investigate economic viability, employment potential, or greenhouse gas reduction opportunities, indicating a need for a systems approach and diverse real-world case studies.
EconomicsCommunityClimate changeAn Effect on Sustainable Urban Ecological Environment Perception of Environment-friendly Urban Agricultural Education
2023Sun–A Jung · The Global Association of Applied Liberal Arts Studies · Global
This study investigated the effects of environment-friendly urban agricultural education. It found that participants mostly used chemicals for pest control, though some avoided them for safety and environmental reasons. Those who completed the education perceived a higher possibility of solving urban environmental problems and used less manure, with some producing their own.
Food educationOrganic cycleClimate changeInterpretation of the imaginary of farmers about the products obtained through urban agriculture
2023María Angélica Vargas, Diego Armando Osorio, Leonela Narváez, Verenice Sánchez Castillo · Perspectiva austral. · Colombia (Florencia)
This exploratory study in Florencia, Caquetá, aimed to identify factors affecting the adoption of urban agriculture practices. Data was collected through surveys and interviews with Mr. José. The research analyzed farmers' perceptions of urban agriculture products and provided recommendations to promote adoption and improve impact on the local population.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityEconomicsCarbon, indoor air, energy and financial benefits of coupled ventilation upgrade and enhanced rooftop garden installation: An interdisciplinary climate mitigation approach
2023Sarabeth Buckley, Catherine L. Connolly, Jonathan I. Levy, Pamela H. Templer, Jacqueline Ashmore, Luís Carvalho, Nathan Phillips, M. Patricia Fabian · Sustainable Cities and Society · Global
This study quantified changes in CO2 emissions, energy use, and financial cost when ventilation upgrades and rooftop garden installations are done simultaneously, with the potential to enhance plant growth from exhausted CO2. Researchers measured indoor CO2 concentrations (maximum 2210 ppm, median 840 ppm, 33% of daytime above 1000 ppm) and estimated ventilation rates (4 L/s). Model calculations showed that while increasing ventilation to recommended levels (7 L/s) would increase CO2 emissions, energy, and cost by 1-4%, rooftop garden installation benefits could counterbalance this, leading to a net decrease of 23-46% in CO2 emissions, 12-13% in energy use, and 12-16% in cost.
Climate changeEconomicsHealthAre Rainwater and Stormwater Part of the Urban CE Efficiency?
2023Carlos Novaes, Rui Cunha Marques · Sustainability · Global
This study points out the potential importance of urban stormwater in the circular economy (CE) when treated as a useful resource. Urban stormwater can replace part of the water supply from distant sources, reducing energy consumption and emissions. Urban agriculture can also benefit from using green infrastructures. The main gap lies in implementing an efficiency mentality and aligning policies, institutions, regulations, urban planning, and water cycle efficiency.
Climate changeOrganic cyclePolicyWhich urban agriculture conditions enable or constrain sustainable food production?
2023Seongeun Lee, Seongmin Shin, Hansol Lee, Mi Sun Park · International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability · Global
A systematic review of urban agriculture (UA) case studies identified conditions enabling and constraining UA development across different country income groups. For high-income countries, a lack of farmers' knowledge and urban development are significant challenges to UA implementation. Common requirements for all income levels include motivation, labor, policy, social capital, and arable land.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justicePolicyEconomicsCommunitySeasonal variation and risks of potentially toxic elements in agricultural lowlands of central Cameroon
2023Annie Stéphanie Nana, Timo Falkenberg, Andrea Rechenburg, Joshua Ntajal, Juliet Wanjiku Kamau, Anne Ayo, Christian Borgemeister · Environmental Geochemistry and Health · Cameroon (Yaoundé)
This study assessed the seasonal characteristics and ecological risks of potentially toxic elements (Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, Cr, Ni) in urban agricultural soils across four lowlands in Yaoundé, Cameroon. Concentrations of Cu, Pb, Zn, and Cr exceeded recommended thresholds in some or all areas, with Cr exceeding thresholds in all areas during both seasons. One area recorded strong soil pollution (grade V) during the wet season, indicating that preventive action is needed to limit heavy metal contamination in the lowlands of Yaoundé.
Contamination & food safetyHealthClimate changeRethinking Psychiatry: Solutions for a Sociogenic Crisis
2023Helena Hansen, Kevin J. Gutierrez, S. López García · Daedalus · Global
This essay draws on Frantz Fanon's insights into the sociogenesis of psychiatric disorders and feminist standpoint theory to map a path toward sociogenic mental health. It argues that psychiatry should shift from iatrogenesis, the harms of current individual-level and pathologizing approaches, toward the sociogenesis of mental health through robust collaboration with social movements of oppressed people and their collective healing approaches, including community gardens. The essay concludes by outlining a reinvented, community-collaborative psychiatry that supports sociogenesis.
CommunityHealthWelfareUrban Gardening in a Changing Climate: A Review of Effects, Responses and Adaptation Capacities for Cities
2023Francisco Tomatis, Monika Egerer, Adriana Corrêa-Guimarães, Luis Manuel Navas-Gracia · Agriculture · Global
This study systematically reviewed 72 academic documents published from 2000 to 2022 to investigate the relationship between climate change and urban gardening. The analysis showed that climate change can have negative impacts on cities, people, and urban food. Suggestions for building urban gardens' adaptation capacity include rainwater collection, changing plant selection, adjusting planting times, and applying vegetative soil cover. Community and allotment gardens contribute to urban adaptation, mitigation, and resilience by regulating microclimates, reducing urban heat island effects, buffering floods, capturing carbon, and fostering social networks.
Climate changeCommunityDIYPolicyUrban gardening as a risk-reduction strategy – an intersectional analysis of top-down gardening initiatives
2023Emelie Larsson, Katarina Giritli Nygren · Journal of Risk Research · Global
This study analyzed strategy documents and municipal website information to examine how municipalities frame urban gardening as a risk-reduction strategy, using critical discourse analysis. It identified two discourses: an eco(no)logical risk discourse addressing ecological risks within a capitalist market logic, and a social risk discourse focusing on gardening for work training. The findings reveal that top-down urban garden initiatives highlight contemporary inequalities in urban spaces.
Equity & displacementPolicyCommunityEconomicsWelfareDesign of a greenhouse for peri-urban horticulture in Algeria
2023WUR GTB Gewasgezondheid Bodem en Water, C. van der Salm, WUR GTB Tuinbouw Technologie, David Katzin, E. van Os, M.G.M. Raaphorst · · Algeria
In this study, a greenhouse was designed for optimal production in the coastal area near Algiers. Data showed two main options for optimal production of tomatoes and similar products: winter production in a heated greenhouse or summer production with air-conditioning and CO2 injection. Estimated production is fairly similar for both seasons, but summer production costs are 30% higher. While investment costs for the summer production scenario are higher, running costs are lower due to less additional water and energy needed in summer.
Peri-urban agricultureEconomicsÉvaluation et risque sanitaire de la bioaccumulation de métaux lourds (cadmium, cuivre, plomb et le zinc) chez le chou (Brassica Oleracea L.) produit en agriculture urbaine : Cas du périmètre maraicher de Dogona (Bobo-Dioulasso)
2023Issaka Senou · Journal of Applied Biosciences · Burkina Faso
This study assessed heavy metal bioaccumulation in cabbage grown on the Dogona market garden perimeter in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, using a randomized block design with urban solid waste treatments. The results showed high levels of cadmium, copper, and lead in cabbage leaves, with concentrations significantly exceeding WHO standards across all treatments. A critical finding was that consuming this cabbage poses a high health risk to consumers due to significant ingestion of cadmium and lead.
Contamination & food safetyHealthOrganic cycleClimate changeNature-Based Solutions as Building Blocks for the Transition towards Sustainable Climate-Resilient Food Systems
2023Saskia Keesstra, J.A. Veraart, A. Verhagen, Saskia Visser, Marit E. Kragt, Vincent Linderhof, Wilfred Appelman, Jolanda van den Berg, Ayodeji O. Deolu‐Ajayi, Annemarie Groot · Sustainability · Global
This paper examines the role of nature-based solutions (NBS) in the transition towards sustainable, climate-resilient food systems. A conceptual framework was developed to assess NBS contributions, evaluating three types: intrinsic NBS utilizing existing ecosystems, hybrid NBS managing and adapting ecosystems, and inspired NBS consisting of newly constructed ecosystems. Inspired NBS, in particular, are shown to increase opportunities for achieving sustainable development in food systems, facilitating the transition and contributing to reaching SDGs by 2030.
Climate changeFood sovereignty & justiceBiodiversityAnalisis Dampak Kebijakan Program Kebun Sekolah untuk Mengatasi Kekurangan Gizi pada Anak
2023Deni Permana · ANTASENA Governance and Innovation Journal · Global
This analysis evaluated the impact of school garden programs on students' nutritional status and nutritious food intake, using surveys, interviews, and nutritional status measurements before and after program implementation. School gardens positively impacted students' nutrition knowledge and increased fresh fruit and vegetable consumption, contributing to a reduction in malnutrition prevalence with significant increases in children's weight and height. However, the program's success was constrained by budget limitations and a lack of training for educators, highlighting the need for adequate training, stable financial support, and curriculum integration.
Governance failureFood educationHealthPolicyWelfare