Research & reports

Sarah Rabkin · · United States

Amy Courtney, founder of Freewheelin’ Farm, a community supported agriculture (CSA) program, delivers shares by bicycle-drawn trailer. Courtney, a 1997 graduate of UCSC’s Apprenticeship in Ecological Horticulture, started the farm in 2002 with minimal motorized vehicles, utilizing used equipment and recycled materials. She and her partners continue to haul all CSA shares six miles into Santa Cruz by bicycle. Courtney's work is driven by a commitment to social justice, community health, and cultural vitality. The farm collaborates with "Food, What?!"—a youth empowerment program, and hosts cultural and educational initiatives.

Zhou Pei · · China (Shanghai)

A study conducted in Orchard Village, Nanhui District, Shanghai, from July to September 2009, investigated the effects of phosphorus non-point source pollution on groundwater in an urban agricultural region. Total phosphorus concentrations averaged 1.31 mg/L and phosphate concentrations averaged 0.42 mg/L, with phosphate significantly exceeding the V class surface water standard (0.4 mg/L), rendering the water unsuitable for drinking. Phosphorus non-point source transport was linked to land-use types, with phosphorus content near orchards changing with increased rainfall, and farmland phosphorus loss accelerating with runoff, fertilization, and water leach.

I. Bame, J. C. Hughes, Louis Titshall, C.A. Buckley, R. J. Gilkes, N. Prakongkep · · Global

This soil column study investigated the effects of anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR) effluent on chemical properties of three contrasting soils, relevant to peri-urban agriculture. Soil columns were leached with ABR effluent or distilled water using 16 pore volumes, then sectioned and analyzed for inorganic-N, P, and K. For all soils, nutrient content, particularly phosphorus, in the 0-2 cm layer was significantly higher than in the middle and bottom sections of the columns. Significant differences in phosphorus accumulation were observed between effluent-leached and water-leached soils.

Mary Lydecker, Pay Drechsel · International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability · Ghana (Accra)

This study examines the contributions of urban agriculture to municipal sanitation and health services in Accra, Ghana. It estimates that Accra generates 80,000,000L of wastewater daily, with urban vegetable farms using up to 11,250,000L. By mitigating health risks from wastewater irrigation, urban farms can significantly contribute to the city's sanitation needs and support buffer zone management, reducing solid waste dumping and improving flood control.

Sarah Rabkin · eScholarship (California Digital Library) · United States (California)

This is a biographical account of horticulturalist Beth Benjamin, based on an interview conducted on June 30, 2009. Benjamin joined Alan Chadwick's garden at UC Santa Cruz in 1967 and later co-founded Camp Joy Gardens in Santa Cruz County in the early 1970s. By 2009, Camp Joy Gardens was a thriving non-profit educational organization offering apprenticeships, educational programs, and a community supported agriculture program.

Sarah Rabkin · · United States (California)

Juan Pablo Perez founded J&P Organics, a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program in California, in 2006, which now serves approximately 300 subscribers. The enterprise offers flexible subscription options, including home delivery and varied order frequencies, and sells produce to restaurants and farmers' markets. Perez's success is attributed to his entrepreneurial skills and mentorship from the Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association (ALBA).

Mamadou Ndiaye, H.‐R. Pfeifer, S. Niang, Y Dieng, Mauro Tonolla, Raffaele Peduzzi · VertigO · Senegal (Dakar)

In Dakar's urban agriculture, untreated wastewater is used for irrigation due to shallow groundwater salinization. A study conducted at Pikine and Patte d'Oie sites evaluated the chemical and microbiological quality of irrigation water. Findings showed that total nitrogen in irrigation water exceeded WHO guideline values, Salmonella spp. was isolated from 35% of irrigation water, and a wastewater sample tested positive for Vibrio cholerae. This research indicates that irrigation with polluted water and the use of organic fertilizers can degrade groundwater quality and pose health risks.

Zhou Pei · · China (Shanghai)

A study from July to September 2009 in an orchard village, Nanhui District, Shanghai, investigated the characteristics of non-point source nitrogen pollution in groundwater. Total nitrogen and its three forms (NO3-N, NH4-N, NO2-N) were monitored, revealing NO3-N as the main form (average 1.43-13.71 mg/L). Nitrogen pollution in groundwater depended on land use, with NH4-N pollution most serious under residential areas (average 0.074-0.457 mg/L). Total nitrogen pollution near the river and orchard (average 33.67-62.57 mg/L and 33.05-65.04 mg/L) was more severe than under residential areas.

서향숙 · 의철학연구 · Global

This paper discusses the environmental and health issues arising from modern food culture, focusing on industrial and pastoral food chains as explored by Michael Pollan. It examines environmental pollution and GMO food issues within industrial food chains, and problems with semi-organic corporate food systems in pastoral chains. The study proposes urban agriculture, including school gardens, as a solution for a healthy food chain for future generations, integrating the concept of "food justice."

Sarah Rabkin · eScholarship (California Digital Library) · United States (California)

This article profiles Andy Griffin, who operates Mariquita Farm on twenty-five acres in Watsonville and Hollister, California. Griffin, with roots in California's 1970s organic-farming renaissance, offers insights gleaned from extensive experience in the farming and marketing of organic produce. He was interviewed by Sarah Rabkin on November 6th and December 16th, 2008, sharing trenchant insights into the evolving economics of organic production, distribution, and marketing on both small and large scales.

Liu Cheng-yu · Sichuan Environment · China

This paper examines the environmental effects and management of urban modern agriculture, characterized by high input, high consumption, high output, and high discharge, using Chengdu City, China, as a case study. It states that while urban modern agriculture has a direct impact on the environment, it can develop coordinately with the environment if appropriate patterns are adopted. The paper summarizes environmentally friendly modern agriculture development patterns observed in Chengdu and proposes suggestions to promote further coordinated development between modern agriculture and the environment, which could serve as a reference for urban agriculture development nationwide.

Emma Schroeder, Daniel J. Arp · · United States

In a 2010 interview with Emma Schroeder, Dan Arp recounted his experiences living in Eagle Heights as a graduate student in the late 1970s. Arp shared his recollections of participating in the gardens with fellow Eagle Heights residents, discussing the variety of plants and vegetables grown, organic gardening practices, weeds, pesticides, and irrigation. This interview was conducted for inclusion in a Master's thesis focusing on the Eagle Heights Community Gardens.

Emmanuel Berthier, Bernard de Gouvello, Florian Archambault, Didier Gallis · · Global

This preliminary study aimed to better understand the water balance of vegetated or green roofs (TTV) and to develop a conceptual reservoir storage model. Two databases were used: CSTB's one-year data (limited to rain and runoff) and LROP's nine-day detailed data (including evapotranspiration and water storage). Detailed monitoring was shown to deepen the understanding of water balance, and the developed reservoir storage model appeared suitable for reproducing the TTV water balance.

Hygin Faust Kakai, Alban Gilles Kakai, Armelle Grey Tohouegnon · VertigO · Benin (Cotonou)

This study in Benin examined urban agriculture and waste valorization in Cotonou, Abomey, and Abomey-Calavi. In Cotonou, overexploitation of sandy, organic-poor soil in market gardening led to soil impoverishment, forcing gardeners to use chemical fertilizers with negative environmental impacts. However, some market gardeners adopted compost use, transitioning to organized organic urban agriculture after a waste management project supported waste valorization. This dynamic was not observed in Abomey, where urban agriculture is practiced in family spaces and public areas, unlike Cotonou's developed sites. Abomey-Calavi, despite rapid demographic growth, was almost devoid of urban agriculture practices.

Emma Schroeder, Patricia A. Palmieri, Tom Palmieri · · United States

In a 2010 interview, Tom and Pat Palmieri shared their memories of the Eagle Heights Community Garden. They discussed organic gardening practices, the seasonal vegetables they cultivated, and challenges such as weeds. The Palmieris also expressed their continued interest in gardening after their time at Eagle Heights.

Yuji Hara, Takashi Furutani, Akinobu Murakami, Armando M. Palijon, Makoto Yokohari · Waste Management & Research The Journal for a Sustainable Circular Economy · Philippines (Metro Manila)

This research used solid waste management programs in three Quezon City barangays, Metro Manila, as a case study to assess organic waste recycling and local urban agriculture potential. It measured organic waste and compost production from barangay projects and identified potential compost use on local farmlands and vacant lots. The study found that securing compost buyers is currently difficult, leading to distribution to neighboring farm villages, but concluded that a more local compost recycling system within the barangays is feasible.

Sarah Rabkin · eScholarship (California Digital Library) · United States (California)

This interview, conducted by Sarah Rabkin at Jim Nelson's home at Camp Joy Gardens in Boulder Creek, California, on August 20 and October 23, 2008, features Nelson discussing the founding and early days of the UCSC Garden, his experiences with Alan Chadwick, the creation and evolution of Camp Joy, and his philosophy as a farmer-educator. Camp Joy Gardens is a 4.5-acre farm in Santa Cruz County that organically cultivates crops using biodynamic principles and supplies produce to twenty-five local families through a community-supported agriculture program.

Xiaona Li · Nongye huanjing kexue xuebao · China

A study measuring dioxin-like compound (PCDD/Fs) concentrations in 23 surface soil samples collected from different areas of Baiyin City, China, using HRGC/HRMS (high-resolution gas chromatography/high-resolution mass spectrometry). The concentration range of 2,3,7,8-PCDD/Fs was 0.42-8.56 pg I-TEQ/g, averaging 2.28 pg I-TEQ/g. By land-use type, concentrations averaged 3.37 pg I-TEQ/g in industrial areas, 1.31 in urban areas, 1.01 in agricultural areas, and 0.85 in background areas, following the order industrial > urban > agricultural > background. Higher-chlorinated isomers were the dominant contributors to total toxic equivalency (TEQ) in most samples.

Emma Schroeder, Eric Olmanson · · United States

In this 2010 oral history interview conducted by Emma Schroeder for a master's thesis on the Eagle Heights Community Gardens, former UW–Madison graduate student Eric Olmanson recalls his experience at the Eagle Heights Community Garden. He discusses organic farming, plants that behaved like invasive weeds, permanent versus rented plots, and the garden's international community.

O. Muñiz, M. Ternero, Álvarez Montero, F. Martínez, T. Limeres, O. Jouber, M. Orphee, Julia Vidan Estevez, B. Calero, F. A. de Alcantara, Adriana María de Aguiar Accioly · Portuguese National Funding Agency for Science, Research and Technology (RCAAP Project by FCT) · Global

This paper situates its topic within the urban agriculture movement, which it describes as having successfully enabled low-input food production in cities, noting that organoponicos — plots focused on producing leafy vegetables and condiment crops in organic substrates — have driven up demand for organic material sources. The title indicates the study addresses the effect of using heavy-metal-contaminated compost on vegetable production, but the available abstract provides only this background context, with no results on contamination or crop impact stated.

Rebecca T. Barnes, Peter A. Raymond · Ecological Applications · United States

This study examined nitrate export from small, closely spaced headwater watersheds in the United States representing urban, agricultural, and forested land uses, using the dual isotopic composition of stream nitrate (δ15N-NO3− and δ18O-NO3−) together with a numerical model to control for variation in geology, surficial materials, and climate. The isotopic values varied significantly among the three land-use types, with δ15N-NO3− reflecting nitrogen source and δ18O-NO3− reflecting biogeochemical processing; the highest nitrate concentrations coincided with the highest stream δ15N-NO3− values because of enriched anthropogenic sources — septic systems in urban watersheds and manure in agricultural watersheds — and average net removal of the available nitrate pool across urban and agricultural catchments was estimated at 45%, with the degree of removal varying by drainage area and organic carbon availability.

Hideharu KURITA, Tokuji Yamamoto, Tetsushi Shigeoka · JOURNAL OF RURAL PLANNING ASSOCIATION · Japan

A case study of an allotment garden for kitchen garbage recycling in Kitamoto City, Japan, examines the potential for agricultural land management by user organizations of allotment gardens in peri-urban areas. Analyzing the management system of an allotment garden with a garden user organization, the study finds that such organizations can potentially play a role in managing agricultural land in peri-urban settings, and that garden user organizations and their networks contribute to resolving problems related to urban residents' use of agricultural land.

Bruno Martins Dala Paula, Ivana Cristina Lovo, José Delázaro Filho · Urban Agriculture Magazine · Brazil (Belo Horizonte)

This project in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, involved seven households sharing a community garden. Participating families collected household organic waste, with five families collecting 5 kg every 8-10 days. From March 25 to September 25, a total of 420 kg of organic waste was collected and used for collective compost production, which was then distributed to all garden members.

Emma Schroeder, Julie Schneider · · United States (Eagle Heights)

Julie Schneider's 2009 interview discusses her five years at the Eagle Heights Community Garden. She described vegetables grown, organic gardening, rules and restrictions, and tensions with the university, as well as changes in the community gardens since the early 1990s. This interview was conducted for a Master's thesis on the Eagle Heights Community Gardens.

Alexandra Evans, Liqa Raschid-Sally, Olufunke Cofie · · Global

This chapter presents three case studies in which multi-stakeholder processes were used to improve wastewater management for urban agriculture. Although differences were observed, there were several cross-cutting lessons. A critical factor is the starting point, including an agreed definition of the problem to be addressed, negotiated goals, and a management structure acceptable to all stakeholders. When multi-stakeholder processes are externally initiated, it is essential that project priorities are commensurate with local priorities.