Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
1626 results(48 / 66)
Chapter 2: Agriculture sector modernization and renewable energy development: perspectives from developing countries
2017Deborah Hines, Sarah Balistreri · Sustainable energy developments · Latin America and the Caribbean
This chapter highlights successful Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture (UPA) practices in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) that have improved food and nutrition security and increased dietary diversity. It introduces sustainable production techniques that reduce dependence on traditional energy sources and promote renewable energy. The chapter provides evidence that UPA activities can reduce poverty and hunger, generate food and nutrition security benefits, and create employment and income for poor urban households in LAC.
Food sovereignty & justiceEconomicsHealthClimate changeIn This Issue: Food Systems Resilience
2017Duncan Hilchey · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · Global
This combined spring and summer issue of JAFSCD highlights the growing interest in food systems resilience, presenting various strategies such as supporting critical organizational and physical infrastructure along with social capital, incubating new farmers, protecting farm landscapes, using season-extending technology, and supporting labor. It also emphasizes adapting to climate change and creating stronger connections between farmers and residents in need who are in close geographic proximity. The issue includes columns on Latinx/Hispanic issues in food systems work, the role of "freedom farmers" in the civil rights movement, and the under-appreciated contribution of urban agriculture to communities.
Climate changeFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageEconomicsSustainable Development Through Urban Agriculture
2017Eric R. R. Weaver · Digital Commons - University of South Florida (University of South Florida) · Global
This document compiles three publications advocating urban agriculture as a solution for UN Sustainable Development Goals. The first publication examines stormwater Best Management Practices (BMP) modeling for urban agriculture. The second highlights agriculture's role as a driver for planetary systems impacts, and the third proposes a new definition for urban agriculture due to existing ambiguities.
Climate changeCommunityPolicyEconomicsReview study of source retention of rainwater as a means of peak discharge reduction an urban environment
2017Jackie W.Y. Ng · DR-NTU (Nanyang Technological University) · Singapore
The objective of this study is to propose water retention features to reduce peak urban runoff at source during storm events in an urbanized area. The report focuses on applications in a decentralized area with a centralized system. The three main proposed features are water towers, rooftop gardens (planter tanks), and permeable pavements, intended for implementation in residential housings such as HDB public housings. The study aims to determine how much water can be delayed during high rainfall, and computations and reasoning for these features are discussed.
Climate changeUrban–rural linkageChallenges and Opportunities in Urban Farming
2017V. Kumar, K. Sentamilselvan · Advances in business strategy and competitive advantage book series · Global
This study is an initiative to explore the feasibility of urban farming and focuses on its challenges and opportunities in the context of rapid global urbanization. It aims to bring out societal views on urban farming and suggest ways to overcome hindrances. The research seeks to facilitate the utilization of urban farming's benefits.
Climate changeHealthFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsUrban Agriculture as an instrument of Environmental Education and Sustainable Development
2017Deborah Dotta Corrêa, Gilson Luis Borges Corrêa, Lisiane Ilha Librelotto · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Brazil
This study examined the role of urban agriculture from a Brazilian agricultural perspective through qualitative and exploratory bibliographic research. It hypothesized that urban agriculture serves not only to supply food demand but also as a promoter of environmental education and sustainable development. The findings indicated that urban agriculture revives previously used agroecological principles, effectively contributes to environmental education, and enhances sustainable development by fulfilling the economic, social, and environmental orders of urban ecosystems.
Food educationClimate changeCommunityAir pollution risk assessment on urban agriculture
2017Marthe Ortolo · Infoscience (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) · Netherlands
This study outlines a plan to assess air pollution risks in urban agriculture in the Netherlands, focusing on heavy metal (Cd, Hg) and PAK accumulation in spinach in Amsterdam urban gardens. It includes a literature review, policy maker interviews, and practical measurements of airborne contamination. The study aims to model different uptake routes by plants, but actual findings on contamination levels are not presented in this abstract.
Contamination & food safetyHealthPolicyClimate changeGlobal urban agriculture into the future: urban cultivation as accepted practice.
2017Antoinette WinklerPrins · CABI eBooks · Global
This chapter highlights three main points regarding urban cultivation. First, urban cultivation is much more than producing food. Second, it should be seen as a normal and accepted livelihood in all urban areas, requiring land rights and regulatory environments to align with this reality. Third, urban cultivation has a critical role in making cities sustainable, green, and more resilient in the future.
CommunityPolicyEconomicsClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceCrowd-based production
2017Klaus Philipsen · · Global
This text discusses how custom production, facilitated by technologies like 3-D printing, challenges traditional mass production theories. It notes that urban agriculture is exploring experimental, low-impact production methods to integrate urban surfaces into food production for a growing urban population. The high costs of mass production prototypes can be significantly reduced by 3-D printing, allowing for greater product variation at lower costs.
Food sovereignty & justiceClimate changeEconomics도시농업의 다원적 기능차트 개발
2017권오성, Oh-Sung Kwon, 최동식, 김진효, 이순주 · 한국산림휴양학회지 · South Korea
This study aimed to quantitatively analyze the multifunctional aspects of urban agriculture and develop a corresponding functional chart. Through literature analysis, 17 evaluation indicators, including area, view, and temperature reduction, were selected, and five types of urban agriculture were categorized into three factors. Based on expert surveys, weights were assigned to each function and indicator, and an evaluation model using a summation matrix method was established. The developed functional chart was applied to actual sites, yielding value ratings of Grade I and Grade II for Cheoneulsan Public Urban Agriculture Farm and Joilgol Public Urban Agriculture Farm, respectively, indicating high value.
PolicyEconomicsClimate changeCommunityUrban rooftop farming : sustainability, practices and stakeholder perception on case studies in Europe (Torino, Paris, Rotterdam)
2017Jonida Alliaj · · Europe
This qualitative investigation examined rooftop farming in Turin, Paris, and Rotterdam, focusing on local practices, policies, and stakeholder perceptions of sustainability and social impact. Findings reveal significant differences in governance: Turin's OrtiAlti project faced difficulties due to absent city strategies and policies, while Paris has a moderate number of rooftop farms with recent supportive policies. Rotterdam's Dakakker is a consolidated project, supported by local government through multi-stakeholder participation.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyClimate changeUrbanization alters communities of flying arthropods in parks and gardens of a medium-sized city
2017Edward Lagucki, Justin Burdine, Kevin E. McCluney · PeerJ · United States (Toledo, Ohio)
This study investigated associations between urbanization and flying arthropod communities in 30 gardens and parks in Toledo, Ohio, during July and August 2016, collecting 2,369 individuals across nine orders using elevated pan traps. Flying arthropod community composition was associated with percent impervious surface and canopy cover. Overall abundance was negatively associated with impervious surface and positively with distance to city center, with specific taxa showing similar responses, indicating urbanization reduces taxa important for urban agriculture.
BiodiversityPollinatorsClimate changeA change is needed. Urban regeneration may be the answer.
2017Miriam Bodino · PORTO Publications Open Repository TOrino (Politecnico di Torino) · Global
Given the clear limits to growth, this study argues for a better definition and application of sustainable development, particularly in urban areas. It proposes envisioning a de-growth society, emphasizing resilience, flexibility, and adaptability in urban regeneration. The use of Third Landscape, public spaces, and urban agriculture is suggested as a more sustainable approach to urban transformation.
Climate changeCommunityUrban–rural linkageConsiderations for reducing food system energy demand while scaling up urban agriculture
2017Eugene Mohareb, Martin Heller, Paige J. Novak, Benjamin Goldstein, Xavier Fonoll, Lutgarde Raskin · Environmental Research Letters · Global
This literature review provided new insight into the energy implications of scaling up urban agriculture (UA) in cities in high-income countries. It noted that limited data quantify resource demand directly associated with UA systems, indicating the literature is not yet robust enough to make universal claims on benefits. Analyzing existing literature data and cases, the review proposed that energy efficiency gains could be realized by co-locating UA operations with waste streams (e.g., heat, CO2, greywater, wastewater, compost).
Climate changeEconomicsUrban–rural linkageFood lossAssessing the Economic Contributions and Benefits of Consumer Horticulture
2017Lucy Bradley, Bridget K. Behe, Natalie R. Bumgarner, Charlotte Glen, Joseph Donaldson, Ellen M. Bauske, Sheri Dorn, Gail Langellotto · HortTechnology · Global
This study discusses the difficulty in documenting the economic contributions and benefits of consumer horticulture (CH) and CH extension programs. CH can result in individual outcomes such as money saved and improved quality of life, and community-level impacts like water quality protection. Quantifying these values is challenging but can be evaluated using several strategies, including measuring consumer dollars spent on gardening supplies, the value of environmental ecosystem services, and cultural, social, and health system services.
EconomicsCommunityHealthBiodiversityClimate changeEFFECT OF DIFFERENT VERMICOMPOST RATES AND POT VOLUME ON PRODUCING CELERY AND RED CABBAGE UNDER URBAN HORTICULTURE CONDITIONS
2017S. H. Ahmed, M. Emam, M. Abul-Soud · Zagazig Journal of Agricultural Research · Egypt (Cairo)
This study investigated the effect of different vermicompost rates (10%, 20%, 30%) and pot volumes (4, 6, 8 L) on celery and red cabbage grown under green roof conditions in Cairo, Egypt, during 2014/2015 and 2015/2016. Increasing pot volume from 4 to 8 L increased vegetative growth and yield but decreased economic efficiency. A 20% vermicompost rate increased vegetative and yield characteristics, while 30% had a negative impact. Increasing vermicompost from 10% to 30% increased N, P, and K contents, but increasing pot volume from 4 to 8 L/plant decreased N, P, and K contents.
CompostOrganic cycleClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceThe potential of urban agriculture for sustainability of cities in Poland
2017Rafał Jasionkowski, Anna Lewandowska-Czarnecka · Ecological Questions · Poland
This paper aims to present the possibilities of food production in cities in Poland, particularly in the context of sustainable development. Urban agriculture can play an important role in the sustainable development of cities, with the idea of crop cultivation and its implementation dating back centuries, and new forms of ecological farms being designed with technological advancements.
CommunityClimate changePolicyFloods and Food in the City: Lessons from Collaborative Governance Within the Policy Network on Urban Agriculture in Bangkok, Thailand
2017Piyapong Boossabong · Palgrave Macmillan US eBooks · Thailand (Bangkok)
This chapter examines how the policy network on urban agriculture in Bangkok, Thailand, developed collaborative governance mechanisms to cope with food distribution disruption caused by floods. It argues that deliberation between policy network members and flood victims determines meaningful collective actions that enhanced victims' resilience and promoted fair distribution, political and cultural recognition, and parity of participation.
PolicyCommunityClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceNew urban ecologies
2017John Rennie Short · · Global
This chapter focuses on the developing imaginary of the green and resilient city and the emergence of new urban ecologies. It examines the changing city-nature dialectic, discusses cities and climate change, explores city metrics of urban sustainability, and presents urban environmental issues. In 1976, the US Department of Agriculture established an Urban Gardening Program, and Singaporean city authorities are working to green the city-state.
CommunityClimate changePolicyAssessing the edible city: Environmental implications of urban agriculture in the Northeast United States
2017Benjamin Goldstein · · United States
This project aims to address uncertainties regarding the environmental performance of urban agriculture, using the Northeast United States as a case study. Existing literature lacks environmental appraisals comparing urban and rural food production, leaving questions about whether the benefits of reduced farm-to-fork distance are outweighed by energy demands of year-round growing systems, and if farm-scale resource efficiencies translate to meaningful shifts in a city's environmental footprint. This report comprises six chapters that explore and contribute to the understanding of urban food systems.
Climate changeFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageThe role of urban agriculture in climate change mitigation and adaptation in Ghanaian cities
2017David Anaafo, G. A. Akolgo · · Ghana
A study on urban agriculture in Ghanaian cities found that it faces challenges including difficult access to land and water resources, and a lack of extension services and credit support. Despite these issues, urban agriculture may help reduce flooding impacts, improve water infiltration, and enhance environmental sanitation. The study recommends policy measures to address these challenges.
Governance failureClimate changePolicyEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceIdentification of Space for Urban Agriculture through Transformative Governance
2017Rob Roggema · NA · Global
This study tested the role and outcomes of three case studies (INCREASE-Groningen, Minamisoma-Japan, and AESOP-NL) that applied a Research by Design methodology in a design charrette. These case studies focused on sustainability and planning at different spatial scales, utilizing a design charrette as part of the planning process. The outcomes were spatial representations of future visions, evaluated by criteria such as design quality, the importance of food growth, the quality of the planning process, and the overall sustainability of the final result.
PolicyCommunityClimate changeAgricultural Land and the New Urban Paradigm: Coexistence, Integration, or Conflict?
2017Ilenia Pierantoni, Massimo Sargolini · Challenges in Sustainability · Global
This contribution examines the evolving relationship between urban and rural areas, emphasizing their increasing complexity and interdependence. It discusses how managing these interdependencies can solve problems, enhance economic performance, and improve quality of life in and around urban areas. Within this context, green infrastructures and urban agriculture practices are discussed, with strategies for their implementation at regional and local scales suggested.
Urban–rural linkagePolicyEconomicsClimate changeEffects of biochar, waste water irrigation and fertilization on soil properties in West African urban agriculture
2017Volker Häring, Delphine Manka’abusi, Edmund Kyei Akoto-Danso, Steffen Werner, Kofi Atiah, Christoph Steiner, Désiré Jean‐Pascal Lompo, S.G.K. Adiku, Andreas Buerkert, Bernd Marschner · Scientific Reports · Sub-Saharan Africa
This 2-year study in Tamale (Ghana) and Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) investigated the effects of biochar, wastewater irrigation, and fertilization on sandy, nutrient-depleted soils in urban vegetable production. Biochar addition (2 kg m⁻²) initially doubled soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks, but 35% SOC losses occurred afterward. Both biochar types had no effect on soil pH, phosphorus availability, or cation exchange capacity, though rice husk biochar retained nitrogen. The study found that the effects of biochar and waste water were less pronounced than reported elsewhere.
Environmental trade-offsOrganic cycleCompostClimate changeAlimentando la ciudad: ¿Podría la agricultura urbana contribuir a la seguridad alimentaria en Kathmandu y actuar además como catalizador para la participación ciudadana?
2017Amara Roca Iglesias · Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) · Asia
This research explores the possibility of introducing urban gardens into the former floodplains of the Bagmati River in Kathmandu, integrating them into a planned river park. It investigates how urban agriculture could reduce the Kathmandu Valley's dependence on neighboring countries for food and enhance self-sufficiency. The study suggests changing current government policy to promote urban agriculture, shorten food supply chains, and foster social and citizen participation.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityPolicyClimate change