Research & reports

Jonathan Crush, Bruce Frayne, Wade Pendleton · Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition · Sub-Saharan Africa

A paper on rapid urbanization and rising urban poverty shifting the historical locus of food insecurity from rural areas to the cities of Africa uses baseline survey data from the African Food Security Urban Network (AFSUN), carried out in 11 cities in 9 southern African countries in 2008-2009, to demonstrate extremely high levels of urban food insecurity. It finds that lack of access to food results primarily from household poverty, high unemployment, and limited income-generating opportunities rather than any absolute food shortages. The paper also shows the growing importance of supermarkets, and finds that urban agriculture plays a relatively insignificant role in the food sourcing strategies of the urban poor.

Ellen William-Olsson Heed, Pernilla Knutsson · · India

Through a case study in Mumbai, this work explores how urban agriculture can be integrated into slum upgrading schemes in a developing country such as India.

Enow Ajebe, Anna Granberg · · Sub-Saharan Africa

A study using qualitative data from 24 urban farming households in Kumba municipality, Cameroon, drawing on key informant interviews with the government agriculture delegate and questionnaires administered to farmers. Urban agriculture was found to have become an important source of fresh produce, employment, and income for those practicing it, but this activity and the livelihoods depending on it were found to be threatened by a number of problems. The study also finds that while urban agriculture contributes to household food supply, its magnitude in terms of utilization, availability, dietary diversity, and financial contribution should not be overemphasized. Suggestions are offered for improving the sector.

Robert Connolly, Samantha E. J. Gibbs, Mallory L. Bader · Museums & Social Issues · United States

This paper examines the outreach program that the C.H. Nash Museum at Chucalissa, located on the grounds of a prehistoric earthwork complex in Memphis, Tennessee, has run toward the surrounding African-American community over the past decade. The archaeological site was first investigated, and the museum was founded, as a byproduct of 1930s Jim Crow-era segregation policies; since its founding, the site and museum have functioned as a place of academic privilege that ignored the surrounding community. Transparency and a commitment to community engagement are described as central to the outreach program, whose highlights include installing an African-American Cultural Heritage exhibit, hosting community events, establishing a community garden, and collaborating with community partners on service projects. Based on a participatory model, the museum has moved to position itself as a social asset and stakeholder in the Southwest Memphis community.

Brittany Minnick Hanson · Journal of International Crisis and Risk Communication Research · United States

This study of several community gardens in Orange County, Central Florida, conducted structured interviews with gardeners and semi-structured interviews with garden leaders to examine effects on food insecurity, health, and community cohesion, as well as the challenges gardens face. Results showed benefits including increased fresh produce consumption, improved physical activity, better mental health, and stronger community cohesion, but about a third of the gardeners and a majority of the leaders identified lack of participation as a challenge.

Adedayo Adebisi, Tunde Afolabi Monisola, Adebisi, Adedayo, Monisola, Tunde Afolabi · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · Nigeria

This study examines the motivations behind women's involvement in urban agriculture in small agro-towns of Kwara State, Nigeria. A total of 1,801 women farmers were selected from 13 settlements across 8 local government areas, and data were analyzed using simple percentages, graphic illustrations, charts, cross-tabulation, and stepwise multiple regression. The study identifies three factors — food security, income supplement, and accessibility to land — as the best predictors of women's involvement, together accounting for 98.6% of the explained variation. It recommends official recognition of urban agriculture and provision of financial resources to help women expand their farm plots.

Ferdinan Dos Santos · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Sub-Saharan Africa

This study examines the impact of school garden programmes on nutrition knowledge and food security among primary school students in rural Mozambique. While such programmes have been implemented across various regions with mixed results, this study used a mixed-methods approach combining qualitative interviews and quantitative surveys with primary school students and their parents or guardians. Students showed a statistically significant improvement (p<0.05) in nutrition knowledge, with an average score increase of 20% on the post-intervention survey compared with pre-test results. The findings indicate that the school garden programmes positively influenced students' nutritional knowledge and contributed to their families' food security in Mozambique's rural areas. The authors state that further studies should examine long-term impacts and potential barriers to implementation.

Largo-Wight E., Chen W. W., Dodd V., Weiler R. · Public Health Reports · United States

Survey of 503 university office staff finding that as workday nature contact (gardens, plants, greenery) increases, perceived stress and general health complaints decrease, providing evidence for workplace greening and garden programs.

Corrigan M. P. · Applied Geography 31(4):1232-1241 · United States

Qualitative study of Baltimore community gardens via interviews and observation. Gardens contributed to individual, household and community food security but needed added support through education, policy and funding.

Mkwambisi D. D., Fraser E. D. G., Dougill A. J. · Journal of International Development 23(2):181-203 · Malawi

Evaluates how urban food production in Malawi contributes to food security, employment and income, showing its role as a livelihood strategy for the poor while identifying constraints in land, inputs and institutional support.

White M. M. · Environmental Practice 13(4):406-417 · United States

Case study of the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network, framing farming as resistance to structural food insecurity and a site of community building, culturally relevant food education, and political agency.

Chris Firth, Damian Maye, David Pearson · Local Environment · United Kingdom (Nottingham)

This paper presents an exploratory investigation of two community gardens in Nottingham, UK, examining the nature of "community" and its benefits. Case-study results indicate that community gardens foster cohesion and vitality, generating bonding, bridging, and linking social capital. The study identifies two categories: "place-based" gardens, which are territorially embedded, and "interest-based" gardens, which may span diverse communities.

Monica M. White · Race/Ethnicity Multidisciplinary Global Contexts · United States (Detroit)

This article analyzes the experience of black women activists in Detroit who engage in urban agriculture as a form of resistance. They use urban gardening to reassess cultural roots, reclaim personal power, and build a sense of community. The study examines their efforts to transform vacant land into a community-based food system and safe, green spaces, challenging racial and class-based barriers to healthy food access.

Luc Hippolyte Dossa, Andreas Buerkert, Eva Schlecht · Human Ecology · Sub-Saharan Africa

A study surveyed 700 randomly selected households across Kano (Nigeria), Bobo Dioulasso (Burkina Faso), and Sikasso (Mali) to explore the relationship between household socioeconomic status (SES) and participation in urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA). The results showed no significant differences in UPA participation rates across socioeconomic groups. Instead, UPA participation was significantly and positively related to household size.

Lesley Acton · Papers from the Institute of Archaeology · Global

This article examines the changing demand for allotment gardens and the motivations of plot holders, refuting the assumption that economic reasons are primary. It finds that while allotments have historically alleviated hunger, the social aspect primarily motivates most plot holders. Allotments are valued by individuals and collectives as part of history and cultural heritage.

Stephen Odede. Shisanya, Sheryl L. Hendriks · Development Southern Africa · South Africa

This study evaluated the contribution of community gardens to alleviating food insecurity for 53 community gardeners in Maphephetheni, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Using the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale, it was found that 89% of these households were anxious about food supplies, consumed insufficient food, and were severely food insecure. Additionally, 72% consumed poor quality food. Community gardens were unable to solve the problem of food insecurity, but their contribution to consumption cannot be entirely ignored.

M. Tshitangoni, A. Okorie, Joseph Francis · Scientific Research and Essays · South Africa

In Vhembe District, Limpopo Province, South Africa, the performance of 30 poverty alleviation projects (12 community gardens, 8 poultry, 2 piggery, 2 bakery, 6 other) was reviewed. Based on structured questionnaires with 108 respondents, project performance differed by type. All bakery projects were successful, poultry projects achieved 62% success, and community garden and other projects each achieved 33% success. In contrast, all piggery projects performed poorly.

Marina Castelo Branco, RS Liz, F. A. de Alcântara, HAG Martins, J.A Hanson · Horticultura Brasileira · Brazil

This study gathered information on Community Supported Agriculture (CSA/AAC) projects in the US and assessed the willingness of consumers and poor urban producers in a low-income Brazilian city to engage in such projects. US AAC farmers typically cultivated less than 2 hectares, offered various vegetables for at least four months, but faced challenges with production planning and long-term maintenance. Brazilian consumers showed willingness to participate, mainly for fresh, organically produced food, while poor urban producers were unwilling due to their inability to guarantee production.

Phumelelo Edwin Khomo · · South Africa (Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality)

An investigation was conducted into three urban agriculture projects in the townships of Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, South Africa, examining their role as a local economic development mechanism for poverty alleviation. Five project participants from each project and three municipal officials responded to structured questionnaires. The study aimed to determine the projects' impact on participants' livelihoods, their role in employment creation, and participants' views on project sustainability.

Marina de Fátima Brandão Carneiro, Igor Martins de Oliveira, Gabriel Alves Veloso · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Brazil

This article discusses food and nutritional security, urban poverty, and their relationship with urban agriculture, which arises from the urbanization process. It analyzed quantitative data from the Pan-American Health Organization and Pastoral da Criança in two neighborhoods of Montes Claros, Brazil, to map poverty distribution and child malnutrition. It concludes that the search for more effective and continuous alternatives for food insecurity is increasingly urgent, as hunger has only increased globally despite various initiatives.

Prasanta Bauri · · India

This article assesses the significance of urban agriculture in globalizing India. It suggests that urban farming offers a pragmatic solution to food insecurity, livelihood crises, unemployment, poverty, hunger, and environmental unsustainability in India. Additionally, commercial urban agriculture could enhance Indian cash crop exports.

Marielle Dubbeling, H. de Zeeuw · Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks · Global

This handbook highlights that most urban growth occurs in less developed regions, often leading to over-urbanization where migrants struggle to find employment, adequate shelter, and sufficient food. Despite these challenges, urban poverty is frequently considered less severe than rural poverty.

Bayani M. Espiritu · Journal of the International Society for Southeast Asian Agricultural Sciences · Asia

This study investigated the effects of microbially inoculated compost on mungbean and pechay growth in container media. Compost from coconut coir dust and chicken manure was inoculated with nitrogen-fixing bacteria (Azotobacter sp.) and/or cellulolytic fungi (Trichoderma harzianum). Mungbean plants supplied with uninoculated compost showed the lowest fresh biomass and nodule count, while compost with combined Azotobacter sp. and T. harzianum inoculation significantly increased fresh biomass and nodule numbers in mungbean, and showed similar positive results for pechay.

Éric Duchemin · · Global

This paper discusses how urban agriculture improves the economic situation and health of poor and vulnerable families in both industrialized and developing countries. It suggests that policies reconciling urbanity and rurality can reduce food insecurity and better integrate the most vulnerable populations, contributing to sustainable development.

Nerea Morán Alonso, Agustín Hernández Aja · · Europe

This historical review traces the functions and characteristics of urban agriculture (UA) in Western cities. It notes that UA flourished during economic and energy crises for self-sufficiency, serving subsistence, hygiene, and social control in the 19th century and patriotic functions during 20th-century world wars. Since the 1970s, UA projects have focused on local development, social integration, and environmental education, led by community and ecological organizations.