Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
2058 results(48 / 83)
Trace Element Uptake by Herbaceous Plants from the Soils at a Multiple Trace Element-Contaminated Site
2019Obinna Elijah Nworie, Junhao Qin, Chuxia Lin · Toxics · Global
This study investigated trace element uptake by wild herbaceous plants at a multiple trace element-contaminated site. It found significant variability in bioaccumulation and translocation factors among plant species, identifying some as hyperaccumulators for specific elements. The marked accumulation of trace elements in plant tissues suggests that the site may not be suitable for urban agricultural production.
Contamination & food safetyHealthOrganic cycleHealthy eating promoting in a Brazilian sports-oriented school: a pilot study
2019Fábia Massarani, Marta Citelli, Daniela Silva Canella, Josely Correa Koury · PeerJ · Brazil (Rio de Janeiro)
This pilot study evaluated the eating habits of 83 adolescent athletes in an experimental school in Rio de Janeiro from 2013 to 2016. Following the implementation of a school garden, experimental kitchen activities, and health promotion classes, the frequency of raw salad and fruit consumption increased, suggesting that integrated healthy eating promotion programs may improve eating habits.
Food educationHealthCommunityImpact of school gardens and complementary nutrition education in Burkina Faso
2019Pepijn Schreinemachers, Mamounata Sandaogo Ouedraogo, Serge Diagbouga, Amadou Thiombiano, Serge Rodrigue Kouamé, Caroline Makamto Sobgui, Hsiao-pu Chen, Ray-Yu Yang · Journal of Development Effectiveness · Burkina Faso
A repeated cluster randomized controlled trial in 30 schools with 1,760 schoolchildren (8–14 years old) in Burkina Faso evaluated the impact of school vegetable gardens combined with nutrition education. The study found a small but significant increase in knowledge of sustainable agriculture (+5.0%) and food/nutrition (+6.6%). However, there was no significant increase in other outcome indicators, including fruit and vegetable consumption.
Limited or null effectFood educationHealthCommunityPlanning for Healthy Eating
2019Jennifer Kent, Susan E. Thompson · · Australia
This chapter reviews the link between the built environment and eating habits, noting that where people live and work influences food types and prices. It examines how urban planning in Australia supports local food production to encourage healthier eating. This support includes protecting peri-urban agricultural lands and promoting food cultivation in community gardens, verges, and homes.
HealthPolicyCommunityPeri-urban agricultureGrowing Local: The Role of Urban Gardening in Fostering Food Security, Sustainability, and Community
2019Franklin Wagner, Lindsey Payne · Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement · United States (Lafayette)
In summer 2016, Purdue University researchers collaborated with Lafayette's GrowLocal Urban Gardens Network in Lafayette, Indiana, to conduct a baseline analysis of current community gardening initiatives. Using qualitative and quantitative data collection methods, they identified motivations and barriers to participation through stakeholder interviews and focus groups. The study indicated that urban gardens as community spaces may serve a greater purpose than providing fresh food, and its results informed a planning document for GrowLocal with strategic recommendations for governance, communication, event integration, and collaborative grants.
CommunityFood educationFood sovereignty & justiceHealthWelfareKnowledge, Attitudes, Beliefs and Behaviors Regarding Fruits and Vegetables among Cost-Offset Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) Applicants, Purchasers, and a Comparison Sample
2019Karla L. Hanson, Leah C. Volpe, Jane Kolodinsky, Grace Hwang, Weiwei Wang, Stephanie Jilcott Pitts, Marilyn Sitaker, Alice S. Ammerman, Rebecca A. Seguin‐Fowler · Nutrients · United States
A cross-sectional study in August 2017 surveyed cost-offset Community Supported Agriculture (CO-CSA) applicants (purchasers n=46, non-purchasers n=18) and a comparison sample (n=105) of low-income adults with children. CO-CSA applicants reported better knowledge, self-efficacy, home habits, and diet than the comparison sample. Among applicants, purchasers and non-purchasers had equivalent knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs, but children in purchaser households consumed significantly more fruits and vegetables (4.14 vs. 1.83 cups, p = 0.001).
CSA & TeikeiHealthWelfareFood educationSafe community gardening practices: focus groups with garden leaders in Atlanta, Georgia
2019Candis M. Hunter, Dana Williamson, Melanie Pearson, Eri Saikawa, Matthew O. Gribble, Michelle C. Kegler · Local Environment · United States (Atlanta)
This study used five focus groups with Atlanta community garden leaders to investigate perspectives on composting, hygiene, and mulching, which are practices to reduce exposure to soil contaminants. Gardeners cited a need for more funding, volunteers, and training. A primary barrier to composting and mulching was concern about contamination of source materials, and participants did not directly link these practices to reducing soil contaminant exposure. Hygiene challenges included concerns about beneficial bacteria, inadequate water access, and limited supplies.
Contamination & food safetyCommunityHealthCompost‘The play’s the thing’: A creative collaboration to investigate lived experiences in an urban community garden
2019Yvonne Black · Management Learning · Global
This article explores a non-traditional qualitative research project that used a creative approach, specifically collaborative performance ethnography, to investigate lived experiences in an urban community garden. Working with a playwright and garden staff/volunteers, the study explored connections between people and nature and their impact on well-being. The creative method, incorporating arts-based inquiry and performance, facilitated relaxed communication with participants and provided new perspectives on data collection and analysis, stimulating discourse on community gardens' role in social and environmental change.
CommunityHealthFood educationCan participating in school gardens increase fruit and vegetable intake, subsequently enhancing students’ academic performance?
2019Victoria Holmes · Proceedings of Student Research and Creative Inquiry Day · Global
This literature review analyzed research data from 2002-2018 to investigate the effects of school garden programs on students' fruit and vegetable intake and the impact of increased intake on academic performance. Findings support the claim that school garden programs promote an increase in fruit and vegetable consumption among participating students. In one study, nutrition education and garden-based activities doubled daily fruit and vegetable servings among sixth graders. A positive relationship was shown between academic performance and fruit and vegetable consumption, but more studies are needed to understand long-term effects.
Food educationHealthCommunityThe Nutritional Content of Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) Landraces in Comparison to Modern Varieties
2018Celmeli T., Sari H., Canci H., Sari D., Adak A., Eker T., Toker C. · Agronomy 8(9):166 · Turkey
Compared protein, fat, fatty acids, selenium, iron, and zinc in 10 bean landraces and 5 modern varieties from Turkey. Landrace LR05 surpassed modern varieties in selenium, zinc, and protein, highlighting landraces as nutritional breeding resources.
Heirloom & landraceBiodiversityHealthDoes Urban Agriculture Improve Food Security? Examining the Nexus of Food Access and Distribution of Urban Produced Foods in the United States: A Systematic Review
2018Siegner A., Sowerwine J., Acey C. · Sustainability 10(9):2988 · United States
Systematic review of US urban agriculture and food systems literature. Finds strong emphasis on multiple benefits but few studies robustly measuring urban farms' impact on food security in low-income communities.
WelfareHealthCommunityPilot Randomized Controlled Trial of a Home Vegetable Gardening Intervention among Older Cancer Survivors
2018Bail J. R., Frugé A. D., Cases M. G., De Los Santos J. F., Locher J. L., Smith K. P., Cantor A. B., Cohen H. J., Demark-Wahnefried W. · Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 118(4):689-704 · United States
Pilot RCT of a home vegetable gardening intervention among older cancer survivors. The program was feasible and well-accepted, suggesting improved fruit and vegetable consumption, reassurance of worth, and attenuated waist-circumference increase.
HealthPhysical and Mental Health Impacts of Household Gardens in an Urban Slum in Lima, Peru
2018Korn A., Bolton S.M., Spencer B., Alarcon J.A., Andrews L., Voss J.G. · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Vol. 15, No. 8 · Peru (Lima)
A longitudinal pilot study examining the feasibility and health outcomes of household garden implementation in a Lima urban slum, collecting anthropometric and mental health data at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months, finding positive associations with nutritional status and wellbeing.
HealthWelfareCommunityGrowing ‘good food’: urban gardens, culturally acceptable produce and food security
2018Lucy O. Diekmann, Leslie C. Gray, Gregory A. Baker · Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems · United States (Santa Clara County)
This research evaluates how three types of urban gardens in Santa Clara County, California—home gardens, community gardens, and community food security (CFS) program gardens for low-income families—contribute to food security using a multidimensional framework. In summer 2015, median production ranged from 26 kg (CFS participants) to 56 kg (home gardeners), enough for at least one adult to meet federal vegetable guidelines; interviews further showed gardeners valued knowledge, control, freshness, flavor, organic methods, and cultural acceptability, not just quantity.
HealthCommunityWelfareNovel Soil Barrier Systems Potentially Protect Urban Growing Beds from Legacy Soil Contamination and Improve Soil Health
2018Blake T. Moskal, Sean T. Berthrong · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems · United States (Indianapolis)
The study tested a barrier strategy used by urban farmers in Indianapolis—layering wood chips between contaminated or low-quality background soil and healthy growing media—for protecting urban growing beds. Despite a limited sample, barriers appeared effective at separating contaminated soils from growing beds, and farming with barriers or in non-contaminated soil improved soil nutrients and physical characteristics, though phosphorus was very high in many beds, posing a potential risk to waterways.
CompostOrganic cycleHealthCultivating healthy trajectories: An experimental study of community gardening and health
2018Dietlinde Heilmayr, Howard S Friedman · Journal of Health Psychology · United States
Framing community gardening as a promising but under-evidenced multifaceted health intervention, this paper presents one of the first experimental studies on the topic. The results showed promise for aspects of community gardening while underscoring the need for more rigorous methodologies, and the article offers a framework for studying the health effects of community gardening and similar multifaceted health-promotion efforts.
CommunityHealthBulk density and content, density and stock of carbon, nitrogen and heavy metals in vegetable patches and lawns of allotments gardens in the northwestern Ruhr area, Germany
2018Burghardt W., Schneider T. · Journal of Soils and Sediments · Germany (Ruhr)
Analysed pH, bulk density, and contents/stocks of organic carbon, nitrogen and heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Zn, Cu, Ni) in vegetable patches, lawns and compost heaps across fourteen gardens in four allotments of the northwestern Ruhr area.
Organic cycleCompostHealthEffects of Horticultural Therapy on Asian Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial
2018· International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · Singapore
A waitlist-control randomized controlled trial recruiting 59 older adults (29 horticultural therapy, 30 waitlist control) to investigate improvements in mental well-being and modulation of biomarker levels.
ElderlyHealthOccurrence of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in garden produce at homes with a history of PFAS-contaminated drinking water
2018· Chemosphere · USA (Minnesota)
Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) were found in garden produce grown at homes with a history of PFAS-contaminated drinking water, showing home gardens can be a PFAS exposure pathway.
HealthEffects of Water Quality and Post-Harvest Handling on Microbiological Contamination of Lettuce at Urban and Peri-Urban Locations of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
2018· Foods · Burkina Faso (Ouagadougou)
Lettuce from urban and peri-urban gardens in Ouagadougou was contaminated with E. coli, coliforms, and Salmonella, with 60% of irrigation water failing WHO safety standards, indicating a microbial food-safety risk.
HealthImpact of Wastewater-Irrigated Urban Agriculture on Diarrhea Incidence in Ahmedabad, India
2018Timo Falkenberg, Deepak Saxena · Indian Journal of Community Medicine · India (Ahmedabad)
A 12-month case-cohort study of 187 households in four communities of Ahmedabad, India, purposively selected by irrigation water type (groundwater, surface water, wastewater), with bimonthly self-reported health diaries and most-probable-number measurement of Escherichia coli in water. Mean E. coli concentrations per 100 mL were 3.04×10^4 (groundwater), 9.28×10^5 (surface water) and 4.02×10^9 (wastewater) — all exceeding international irrigation water standards. Diarrhoea incidence was 7.92 episodes per 1000 person-weeks in the groundwater area versus 13.1 (wastewater) and 13.4 (surface water), with a positive correlation between irrigation water quality and diarrhoea. Wastewater reuse is often promoted as a water-scarcity fix for urban agriculture; this study shows it carries a health cost borne by the farming households themselves.
Contamination & food safetyHealthOrganic cycleSalutogenic Affordances and Sustainability: Multiple Benefits With Edible Forest Gardens in Urban Green Spaces
2018Jonathan Stoltz, Christina Schäffer · Frontiers in Psychology · Global
This paper explores the salutogenic potential of urban green spaces, proposing edible forest gardens as a concept for urban green space use and management. It argues that including edible forest gardens in urban green spaces (today globally dominated by lawns) could reinforce several affordances of salutogenic importance, such as social cohesion and restoration from psycho-physiological stress and attention fatigue. Increased opportunities for contact with nature and food production processes may also reinforce pro-environmental behaviors in the population.
BiodiversityHealthFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageHow community gardens may contribute to community resilience following an earthquake
2018Naomi Shimpo, Andreas Wesener, Wendy McWilliam · Urban forestry & urban greening · New Zealand (Christchurch)
This paper examines the community benefits provided by an established community garden in Christchurch, New Zealand, following the 2010/2011 Canterbury Earthquakes. Based on surveys and interviews, findings indicate the garden helped gardeners cope with the post-quake situation by serving as a place to de-stress, share experiences, and gain community support. Garden features encouraging social interaction, such as central meeting and communal working areas, reportedly supported disaster recovery.
CommunityHealthClimate changeThe spatial and temporal variation of water quality at a community garden site in an urban setting: citizen science in action
2018Martin Dawson, Mike Hutchins, Nuria Bachiller‐Jareno, Steven Loiselle · Freshwater Science · United Kingdom (London)
A citizen-science study from 2014 to 2016 assessed water quality in a 5.6-ha urban community garden in southwestern London, using borehole water. Measurements of specific conductance and tryptophan-like fluorescence were taken over 28 months. The study found no evidence of external contamination sources or temporal changes in water quality. However, significant variations in water quality between boreholes were directly linked to on-site manure storage and use, and local geological conditions.
Contamination & food safetyCommunityHealthUsing the Perceptions of Residents to Determine Key Priorities for Planning a Community Garden
2018Nara Jeong, Seung-Won Han, Kwang Jin Kim, Young-Bin Jung · Journal of East Asian Landscape Studies · Global
This study analyzed local residents' perceptions in a town-development project to determine how community garden spaces should be used for village-rehabilitation. Participants desired community gardens to offer shade, relaxation, children's play areas, green spaces, and conversation spots. The findings suggest that uniform garden designs are inappropriate, recommending 20-25% allocation for community, ornamental, and relaxation spaces, with plant selection prioritizing environmental benefits over aesthetics.
CommunityHealth