Research & reports

B. Pound, Adrienne Martin, Mark Thomas, B. J. Njokwe · · South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal)

This publication integrates theory and practical work from Farming Systems and Farmer Participatory Research courses held at the Institute of Natural Resources and associated institutions in KwaZulu-Natal during 1996 and 1997. Its objectives are to provide reference material for FSR/FPR, demonstrate how its principles and methods can be applied to real situations, and record the situation, suggestions, and priorities of rural and peri-urban families in Vulindlela District. It also presents the Urban Agriculture workshop in Sobantu Village as a case study of participatory workshop methods.

H. Losada, H. Martínez, J. Vieyra, R. Pealing, R. Zavala, J. Cortés · Environment and Urbanization · Mexico

This paper describes the scale and nature of agricultural production in urban, suburban, and peri-urban zones of Mexico City and how these have adapted to changing urban demands for food, wood, and recreation. Agricultural producers have successfully adapted their products and production methods, including building on traditional systems, despite environmental deterioration from urban development and lack of government support. These producers have also devised new ways to use degraded land and large volumes of waste.

Laura Stocker, Kate Barnett · Local Environment · Australia (Western Australia)

This paper reviews the types and roles of community gardens, which are managed by community members and contribute to Local Agenda 21 planning and sustainable communities. It presents a case study of a community garden in Western Australia, analyzing lessons learned and the potential contributions of such gardens to physical, ecological, sociocultural, and economic sustainability. Community gardens produce fresh organic food, create community spaces, and disseminate community science.

Ren Azuma · Journal of Rural Problems · Japan; Europe

This paper examines the potential for recreational use of farmland by comparing dual land use policies between Japan and Europe (mainly the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands). While Europe has not considered allotment gardens as dual farmland use, Japan is promoting them for both recreation and agricultural production through new legislative measures. Additionally, small-scale caravan sites using farmland are exempt from strict planning controls in many European countries to promote recreational use, but Japan lacks an equivalent. In conclusion, the paper suggests that Japan needs to introduce or further expand dual farmland use policies for recreation and agricultural production in these three policy areas.

Tina M. Waliczek, R. Daniel Lineberger, J.M. Zajicek · HortScience · Global

An online survey was conducted on the KinderGARDEN Web page to investigate children's perceptions of gardening benefits. Children responded via email, reporting on their gardening experiences, learning, and perceived advantages. Results indicated that children positively valued gardening for recreation, and also mentioned educational, environmental, aesthetic, social, and economic benefits. Specifically, 81% felt they learned about the environment, 54% about plants, 31% cited recreation/fun, and 15% mentioned socialization with friends and family.

ASM Karaan, Nabilaa Mohamed · Development Southern Africa · South Africa

This article presents recommendations and policy directives for urban agricultural initiatives, based on an evaluation of Abalimi Bezekhaya's gardening promotion activities in Cape Metropolitan Area townships. Field research used participatory methodologies with gardeners to understand their motivations, constraints, and opinions on Abalimi Bezekhaya's services. The evaluation suggested improvements for the organization's services and highlighted urban agriculture's potential as an entrepreneurial activity, provided policy, agricultural development, land reform, and livelihood creation issues are addressed.

庄菊明, 付燕凤, 沈建英, 高贵临 · 高等农业教育 · China (Shanghai)

This paper explores new ideas in Shanghai's urban agriculture higher education, adapting to the trend of agricultural transformation and upgrading in Shanghai, and learning from Deng Xiaoping Theory. It establishes views on urban agriculture, integrated agriculture, multifunctional agriculture, and highly intelligent agriculture, aiming to create a new situation where general, vocational, and adult higher education advance in parallel and develop coordinately, striving for new breakthroughs in cultivating high-quality and distinctive agricultural science and technology talents.

Parajas Il · PubMed · Global

A 3-year study in two elementary schools investigated the caries preventive effect of wild tea (tsaang-gubat) among schoolchildren. The experimental group drank one cup of tea daily for 17 months, prepared from fresh school garden leaves. Results indicated that wild tea is an effective caries preventive agent, showing a 75.67% decrease in caries incidence, though an increase in the third year was attributed to irregular consumption and reduced tea fluoride content.

Hiroshi AIZAWA, Daisuke Watanabe, Yohtaro ARIMA, Naoko Suzuki · Journal of Architecture and Planning (Transactions of AIJ) · Global

This paper analyzed the relationship between farmhouse management conditions and land possession, and agricultural land use design problems for regional agricultural development. Findings indicate that nuclear farmhouses in suburban and plain areas tend to acquire concentrated land, while those in hilly and mountainous areas do not efficiently possess farmland. It is necessary to improve farmland possession and use by lending inferior farmland from small farmers to nuclear farmhouses. In suburban areas, farmers show little intention to lend land for allotment gardens, requiring eased regulations and support measures. In hilly and mountainous areas, farmers' intentions to lend land are linked to management conditions and possession forms, reconfirming the need for regional zoning planning.

Hikaru Hoshi, Keiichi Moritsuka, Yoshiyuki Tokunaga, Hiroshi Suda · Journal of the City Planning Institute of Japan · Japan

Based on a comparison of allotment gardens in local cities versus metropolitan areas and on-site inspection of several gardens, this paper proposes a facilities and management policy for allotment gardens in local urban areas of Japan. It finds that in local urban areas most allotment gardens are located in suburban areas, whereas in metropolitan areas they are mostly located downtown; even the simplest garden type is expensive in metropolitan areas, while some enriched-type gardens with modest fees exist in local areas. It also discusses the relationship between how allotment gardens are evaluated and their facilities and management, concluding that local-area garden managers need dedication and users need to communicate with managers, guides, and other users.

Lucy Bradley, Jean C. Stutz · HortTechnology · United States

The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension's home horticulture World Wide Web site for Maricopa County, "Environmentally responsible gardening and landscaping in the low desert," delivers research-based, regionally appropriate public information. It provides self-service access to prepared text and high-quality images that could not be distributed economically through traditional print methods, plus interactive functionality for submitting questions.

Dick Foeken, A. Mboganie-Mwangi · Leiden Repository (Leiden University) · Africa

Using survey data collected in 1994 in Korogocho, one of Nairobi's slum areas in Kenya, this study examined whether access to farmland influences a household's food situation. Access to land had a positive impact on urban households' overall welfare, but not necessarily on their food situation. Households with access to a rural plot appeared better off in terms of self-reported food situation than households without any land access, and access to rural land appeared more favorable for food situation than access to urban land alone. Among the very poor households in Korogocho who claimed access to rural land, half did not actually use that land themselves.

Dream of Wild Health · Dream of Wild Health · United States

Dream of Wild Health (DWH), founded in 1998 (its predecessor Peta Wakan Tipi began in 1986), is a Native-led nonprofit. On its 30-acre farm in Hugo, Minnesota, it runs Indigenous seed-saving, traditional food and youth education programmes, and operates an Indigenous food network from its Minneapolis office. In 2022 the farm produced 13.5 tons of food; as of 2024 it had 20 full-time staff and had planted 1,000 trees since 2022.

Tripp R., Louwaars N. · Food Policy · Global

Analyzes how seed laws and regulatory systems shape farmers' freedom over their own seed and informal seed systems, presenting policy choices for reforming seed regulation in developing countries.

Jane Kolodinsky, Leslie L. Pelch · Journal of Sustainable Agriculture · United States (Vermont)

This study estimated the probability of becoming a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) member using a binomial logit regression model, based on data collected through phone interviews with members, ex-members, and non-members of three CSA farms in Vermont. Results indicated that price, productivity shifters, consumer beliefs, and awareness impact the probability of membership.

Koji ITONAGA · Journal of the City Planning Institute of Japan · Global

This paper describes alternative urban designs, including permaculture, eco-village movements, cohousing, community gardens, and city farms. Based on data gathered from international conferences and research in Australia, America, and Europe, the author proposes "Permaculture-City" as a restructured city model. This model integrates habitation with food production areas and eco-villages.

Yasunari Miyake, Yasuo Matsumoto · JOURNAL OF RURAL PLANNING ASSOCIATION · Japan (Ichinomiya City)

This study examined the future of allotment gardens in Ichinomiya City, Aichi Prefecture, by interviewing 20 landowners regarding land ownership and land use. Allotment distribution expanded into marginal urban regions, with new allotments concentrating in frontier areas. While most landowners were satisfied and intended to maintain allotments, those in urbanization promotion areas faced financial difficulties due to high taxes and motivation for land use conversion, indicating that allotment management will fail in these areas.

N.K. Lownds · HortScience · Global

This article describes a case where a university landscape horticulture professor, a landscape design class, a landscape construction class, elementary school teachers, and a principal collaborated to create school teaching gardens. University students engaged in a problem-solving project from the perspective of elementary school children, deepening their own understanding by explaining horticulture. This process was a genuine learning experience for all university students, elementary teachers, and students, with dynamic idea sharing throughout the design and construction.

M. R. S. Mlozi · African Studies Review · Tanzania (Dar es Salaam)

This article by Malongo R. S. Mlozi, published in African Studies Review in 1997, examines urban agriculture in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. It specifically addresses the aspects of ethnicity, cattle raising, and their environmental implications within the city.

Nicholas P. Dunning, Timothy Beach, David J. Rue · Ancient Mesoamerica · Guatemala

This study of the Petexbatun region, Guatemala, found that ancient Maya peoples in Preclassic times cleared large areas of upland tropical forest for agriculture, leading to significant soil erosion. During the Late Classic period, population expanded, forest clearance resumed, and upland agriculture, including terracing, was practiced, which significantly checked soil erosion. The study suggests considerable variation in urban agriculture among the region's major centers.

Guéladio Cissé · Infoscience (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) · Burkina Faso (Ouagadougou)

This thesis investigates the sanitary risks of using polluted water for urban agriculture in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, where vegetables, including those eaten uncooked, are irrigated with such water. The study aims to assess diarrhoea incidence, parasitic infection prevalence, microbiological pollution levels in water, soil, and vegetables, and sociocultural factors. Initial findings indicate that peripheral sectors are more polluted than central ones, and exploited surfaces vary significantly by season. The abstract highlights potential sanitary risks due to pathogenic germs surviving in water, soil, and plants.

Yasunari Miyake, Yasuo Matsumoto · JOURNAL OF RURAL PLANNING ASSOCIATION · Japan (Gifu)

This study investigated the user radius and attitudes of allotment garden users for the aged in Gifu City, Japan. The average user radius was 1,280m, with 10 out of 19 gardens having a radius of 1,000m or less. A significant negative correlation was found between user radius and residential density within 1km, and the absence of gardens in the city center led to an expansive user radius. Over 90% of users continued to use the gardens with high satisfaction, but distance significantly affected usage frequency and time spent, with assessments declining dramatically beyond 1,500m.

Carlos Alberto Schettini Pinto · PubMed · United States

A 1997 survey on healthcare construction and design in the United States notes that managed care, despite appearances, creates opportunities for architectural and design firms. An example of this trend is the 1995 west campus expansion of East Texas Medical Center in Tyler, which included a nine-story medical office building featuring artwork and rooftop gardens.

Brian Trelstad · Landscape Journal · United States

This paper explores the rise and decline of the school garden movement in the United States from 1891 to 1920. School gardens were established as a national phenomenon intertwining Progressive governance, the Back to Nature Movement, and early education reform. The paper seeks to explain the sudden demise of school gardens after 1920 by examining changes in American urban life and the nature of the professions that promoted them.

Jane Kolodinsky, Leslie L. Pelch · The Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction & Complaining Behavior · United States

A US study estimating consumer satisfaction with community supported agriculture (CSA) using an ordinal probit model, based on phone-interview data collected from members of three CSA farms in Vermont. The results indicate that both experience with the CSA farm and members' reasons for joining affect satisfaction.