Research & reports

Kgosi Khumalo, Siyabonga Xaba, Mpho Motshekga, Thabo Tshabalala · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · South Africa (Johannesburg)

This systematic review examined eco-friendly urban gardening practices for youth in Johannesburg slums, analyzing 34 studies from multiple databases. The review found a trend towards community-led initiatives combining horticulture with sustainable living education. These practices positively impacted household food insecurity, reducing it by an average of 20%, and enhanced youth engagement in environmental stewardship.

Carmenza Ochoa Ochoa · Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) · Colombia

Applied research based on Participatory Action Research (IAP) was conducted in Soacha municipality, Cundinamarca, Colombia, with vulnerable populations participating in an urban agriculture program. The study aimed to develop local and simple alternatives for environmental management and landscape improvement, focusing on the reuse and proper management of wastewater for crop irrigation. The project was carried out as stipulated and evolved during its implementation due to its IAP methodology, with observations, conclusions, and notes presented.

Seunghwan Kim, Sung-Yung Yoon, Min-Jun Cha, Hae-Jin Yoo, Ji‐Young Cho, Yoon‐Sun Kim · Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture · South Korea

This study investigated the planning, construction, partnership, and cost-sharing processes of an experimental rooftop community garden at a disabled welfare house in South Korea. The project, led by Busan Green Trust and a citizens' council, involved funding from Standard Chartered SC First Bank, volunteers, and administrative support. The established garden provided food production, urban agriculture experience, horticultural therapy, and cultural space for users, demonstrating the potential for low-cost rooftop community gardens to improve urban environments and foster community.

Ian Michael Mearns · University of Washington Tacoma Digital Commons (University of Washington Tacoma) · Global

This paper proposes urban agriculture as a community system, similar to Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), to provide homeless citizens with access to food, housing, vocational opportunities, and social resources. It suggests that urban agriculture can address the lack of employment, nutritional food sources, and housing resources that have contributed to increased homelessness over the past decade.

Jessica Isler · Educational Media Reviews Online · Global

The 2011 film "A Community of Gardeners" explores the impact of community garden projects in various urban settings. It highlights that community gardens fulfill important needs for individuals and communities by providing access to fresh food, increasing self-sufficiency, improving urban aesthetics, and strengthening communities through connections across diverse socio-economic groups. The film also presents the historical origins and different incarnations of community gardens.

Kasanga Makawa, Ndaye Nshuti, Mashiwama Nyamwe, Chilufya Mwakumbwa · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Tanzania

A qualitative study in Zimbabwean slums in Tanzania, involving semi-structured interviews with 20 participants from four communities over six months, explored the impact of community gardening. Participants reported significant improvements in mental health scores, noting an enhanced sense of purpose and social connection. Community garden programs appear to be a promising low-cost intervention for improving mental health resilience among urban slum dwellers.

Lacy Weinblatt, Sarah Najdek · · United States (Oregon)

The Oregon State University research project "Producing for the Future" involved low-income youth, adult partners, and researchers collaborating to design and plant a community garden and develop a microenterprise to market produce. The project aimed to compare participants' knowledge and attitudes regarding local food resources, gardening, organic eating, and healthy lifestyles before and after their involvement. This study used data to analyze changes among participants pre and post-experience, but specific findings are not reported.

Désiré Jean‐Pascal Lompo, Sheick Sangaré, Emmanuel Compaoré, Michel Papoada Sedogo, Martina Předotová, Eva Schlecht, Andreas Buerkert · Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science · Burkina Faso (Bobo-Dioulasso)

This study determined horizontal fluxes of N, P, K, and C, and gaseous N and C emissions in two urban vegetable gardens in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, from March 2008 to March 2009. Emission rates peaked after fertilizer applications during hot midday hours, with annual gaseous N and C losses reaching 419 kg N ha−1 and 35862 kg C ha−1 at Kodéni, and 347 kg N ha−1 and 22364 kg C ha−1 at Kuinima. Ammonia emissions accounted for 73% and 77% of total estimated N losses, suggesting that nutrient management practices could benefit from better synchronizing nutrient-input rates with crop demands.

Martijn Koster, Pieter A. de Vries · Focaal · Brazil (Recife)

This article examined slum dwellers' politics in Recife, Brazil, as a realm of possibility where care and recognition are central. A community leader's urban agriculture project, which from an outsider's perspective might be considered non-viable, provided slum dwellers with possibilities to strive for community solidarity and personal recognition. The article concludes that slum politics is about claiming the right to be counted and recognized, and about the care for the other.

· · United States

The Birch Tree Project is a rehabilitation initiative for a 56-unit apartment complex designed to house low-to moderate-income families and offer supportive services. These services include a Head Start facility, Life Skills classes, Case Management, Asset Building and Credit Repair, the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, a Community Garden, and a Summer Feeding site. Given Farmington City's growth in minimum-wage service industry jobs, which leads many families to spend a disproportionate amount of income on housing, this project aims to create safe, affordable housing opportunities for marginalized families.

Michelle Melissa Althaus Ottmann, Juliana Maantay, Kristen Grady, Nilce Nazareno da Fonte · Cities and the Environment · United States (New York City)

This study investigated urban agricultural practices and gardeners' perceptions in community gardens in the Bronx, New York City, United States, using semi-structured interviews, garden observations, and GIS spatial analysis of socio-demographic characteristics. GIS analysis revealed a significantly higher rate of poverty and Hispanic population in block groups within a quarter mile of the community gardens. The gardens were characterized as places for socialization, fresh produce, neighborhood beautification, and education, and gardeners valued family/community time, nature, and therapeutic benefits, but expressed fears of losing the gardens due to lack of city protection and developer take-over.

Sandra Lorena Herrera Giraldo, Adriana Panader Torres, Luz Mery Cárdenas Cárdenas, Nancy Aurora Agudelo Cely · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Colombia

A qualitative study in Tunja, Colombia, designed, implemented, and evaluated an intervention strategy to increase vegetable availability in a community. Applying five principles of community-based research, the strategy included educational and urban agriculture components. Seven participatory educational sessions were conducted, and eight home gardens and one community garden were implemented. The intervention strategy successfully increased vegetable availability, fostered community empowerment, built social networks, and highlighted the role of nursing professionals in community actions.

Rui Yang · Nanjing Linye Daxue xuebao · China (Nanjing)

This paper explores a new community endowment pattern by integrating vertical farms into urban senior day care centers, contrasting with traditional nursing homes. Focusing on the South Lake Community in Nanjing, China, it examines the specific construction of vertical farm landscapes to address the physical and mental health needs of the elderly in an aging society.

Mat Jones, Emma Weitkamp, Richard Kimberlee, Debra Salmon, Judy Orme · Children Youth and Environments · Global

This mixed-methods study analyzed the development of school garden initiatives by tracking the progress of 55 primary schools participating in the "Food for Life Partnership" program. Findings showed considerable expansion of food growing facilities, outputs, and supporting infrastructure. Participating students, parents, and community volunteers created new links to food-related activities in the dining hall, classroom, and home environment. The effectiveness of these changes was connected to the strategic redevelopment of growing spaces and conceptually integrated messages on food sustainability.

Yves ZONGO, Isidore Mbock, Ngaïmi Fongòmba, Siméon Ndayizeye · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Ghana

To evaluate the impact of community gardening initiatives on food security in Ghanaian towns, a structured survey was administered online and through face-to-face interviews. Findings indicated that community garden programs resulted in an average of 20% increase in vegetable production per household, with significant improvements noted among women and youth participants who traditionally had limited access to fresh produce.

Ubokudom E. Okon, Anselm A. Enete, Taofeq A. Amusa · Outlook on Agriculture · Nigeria

This study identified factors influencing enterprise choice decisions among urban smallholder farmers in Akwa Ibom state, Nigeria. Based on farm-level data from 160 randomly selected farmers and analyzed using a multinomial logit model, marital status and household size were negatively and significantly related to choosing pepper over waterleaf, while choosing garden egg was positively related to marital status. Farmers' formal education level and farm size were positively and significantly related to choosing cassava, maize, pepper, or garden egg over waterleaf, but income was negatively and significantly related to choosing these other crops.

Arvazena E. Clardy, Brian R. Copeland · ˜The œAgricultural education magazine · United States (Nashville)

This article advocates for implementing sustainable school gardens in agriscience education programs, drawing on the author's experience as a former educator and current work with middle and secondary schools in Nashville, Tennessee. It suggests that school gardens can cement learning for students and address issues like food deserts and childhood obesity in inner-city areas.

Žiga Vodovnik · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Global

This article examines the concept of "translocal citizenship," which moves away from the nation-state as its territorial reference point and rejects its continuation within new supranational entities. The second part focuses on the "Beyond a Construction Site" project, initiated by the Obrat Culture and Art Association (KUD Obrat), where an unused construction site has been repurposed as a community garden. This project practically illustrates translocal citizenship by fostering new forms of collective action and political membership better suited for intercultural dialogue and the inclusion of migrant communities.

Rebecca Mize · eCommons (Cornell University) · United States

The Massachusetts Avenue Project (MAP) aims to create a more local and inclusive food system by growing fresh produce on its urban farm on the West Side of Buffalo. Annually, MAP employs approximately 50 at-risk youth to support the transformation of the community's food system.

Masao Makiyama, Mami Inoue · JOURNAL OF RURAL PLANNING ASSOCIATION · Japan

This study investigated the effects of the Great East Japan Earthquake on Fudouson and Hippo stay-type allotment gardens in Marumori Town, Miyagi Prefecture. Immediately after the earthquake, management entities confirmed user safety and conducted rescue operations. Post-earthquake, some users retired, but the gardens gained new users who were earthquake victims or reconstruction workers.

Danny Simatele, Tony Binns, Munacinga Simatele · Journal of Human Development and Capabilities · Zambia (Lusaka)

This field-based research in Lusaka, Zambia, examines the impact of climate change and urban governance on urban agriculture, which serves as a source of food and income for poor households amidst deteriorating economies. The study finds that urban agriculture is often excluded from urban development and planning policy, posing significant challenges for small-scale farmers to achieve food security. A lack of policies supporting the urban poor, combined with climatic changes like drought and flooding, makes it difficult for households to adapt to the changing urban environment.

Mary Caesar, Jonathan Crush, Trevor Hill · Scholars Commons (Wilfrid Laurier University) · South Africa (Msunduzi Municipality)

A study on food security in Msunduzi Municipality, South Africa, was part of AFSUN's baseline survey across eleven Southern African cities. The survey found that urban poor in Msunduzi are significantly worse off than those in Cape Town and Johannesburg, with one-third of households reporting frequent food shortages. Urban agriculture is not particularly significant in Msunduzi, and while supermarket supply chains dominate the food system, they do not meet the needs of the poor.

Teddi Dineley Johnson · ˜The œNation's health · United States (Denver)

This abstract describes various projects aimed at creating healthier neighborhoods in the United States. Examples include liquor retailers in Louisville, Kentucky, removing alcohol ads, utility boxes in Chula Vista, California, being transformed into art, and youths at risk for gang violence in a Denver neighborhood participating in a community garden. These initiatives focus on violence prevention and health promotion.

Fungai Hamilton Mudzengerere · · Zimbabwe (Bulawayo)

This research investigated the contribution of women to food security and family livelihoods through urban agriculture in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. Primary data collected through observations and interviews showed that women practice urban agriculture more than men and play a crucial role in household food security. While women make decisions on crop types, harvest times, and markets, they face challenges with land ownership, financing, and market access, which negatively affect their agricultural activities.

Kristen B. Crossney, Emily Shellenberger · · United States

A study examining the relationship between neighborhood quality and the presence of community gardens in Philadelphia, United States. Neighborhoods were characterized by population and neighborhood factors including race, ethnicity, and income, and t-tests assessed the statistical significance of differences between areas with a community garden and other parts of the city. The statistical results showed that while areas with community gardens faced more socioeconomic challenges, they underwent more positive change and improvement between 2000 and 2010 than other parts of the city.