Research & reports

Karina Leal de Oliveira · · Brazil

This study evaluated terrestrial mollusc diversity and associated nematodes in two horticulture areas in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Manguinhos and Jacarepagua). Two collections, in spring and summer, sampled four points in each area. A total of 760 specimens were collected, identifying 16 species across 10 families, with significantly more live specimens collected in summer (363) than in spring (159) (p = 0.0011).

Otávio Augusto Queiroz dos Santos, Eduardo Carvalho da Silva Neto, Andrés Calderín García, Hugo de Souza Fagundes, Yan Vidal de Figueiredo Gomes Diniz, Robert Ferreira, Marcos Gervásio Pereira · Revista Brasileira de Ciência do Solo · Brazil (Rio de Janeiro)

This study investigated the effect of tillage with plowing and drainage on Histosol properties in three land use systems in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The research focused on areas subjected to different land use systems over the last twenty years, aiming to understand how management practices impact these carbon and nitrogen-rich soils.

Cassia Silva Santos Góes · Revista Integrativa de Inovações Tecnológicas nas Ciências da Saúde · Brazil

This paper documents the presentation of the “School Garden Project in Bahia” at the International Congress on Technological Innovation in Health Sciences, held from November 15 to 18, 2017, at IFBA SAJ. The presentation highlighted the school's experiences with a social community garden, including resistances, advancements, garden care outside school hours, and the teaching of composting and natural fertilizers using organic compounds.

John Taylor · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · United States (Rhode Island)

This long-term replicated trial in Rhode Island evaluated the yield performance and soil quality impacts of four small-scale food production systems over three summer growing seasons. While total marketable food yields (2.22 to 2.96 kg m-2) were modest compared to biointensive agriculture (4.64 kg m-2), individual crop yields often exceeded regional and national averages without soil quality loss. The study addresses a lack of experimental research on urban agriculture and provides a framework for normative research, offering more reliable yield estimates for modeling urban production potential.

Stacy M. Philpott, Azucena Lucatero, Peter Bichier, Monika Egerer, Shalene Jha, Brenda B. Lin, Heidi Liere · Ecological Applications · United States (California)

This study investigated natural-enemy-herbivore co-occurrence networks associated with Brassica oleracea in 24 urban vegetable gardens in the California, USA central coast region. Increased floral richness and B. oleracea abundance were associated with increased parasitoid and non-aphid herbivore abundance, and increased network vulnerability. Increased vegetation complexity suppressed parasitoid abundance but boosted network vulnerability. High agricultural land-use cover around urban gardens was associated with lower predator, parasitoid, and non-aphid herbivore abundance, lower natural-enemy:herbivore ratios, lower interaction richness, and higher trophic complementarity.

Tiare Saracino, Lynn Barber, Esen Momol, Tina McIntyre, Tom Wichman, Gail Hansen, Jen Marvin, Terra Freeman, Joseph Sewards, Wendy Wilber, Jacqlyn Rivas · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · United States (Florida)

The objective of this publication is to address the important concern of maintaining edible landscapes in a way that protects the environment for Florida's water quality. It introduces the framework of the Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ principles and applies these principles to guide decisions about Best Management Practices (BMPs) for the care of edible landscapes.

Marisa Menezes Leal, Bianca Motta Dolianitis, Jaqueline Rambo Anschau, Janessa Aline Zappe, Rosana Santos de Moraes, Marcelito Cavalheiro, Jean Carlos Robattini, Bruno Luan da Rosa Machado, Kelen Dal-Souto Frescura, Viviane Da-Souto Frescura · Ciência e Natura · Brazil (Rio Grande do Sul)

This study aimed to implement school gardens using recyclable materials in several schools in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Pet bottles, tires, pallets, and shingles were used to prepare beds and support plants. The activities were carried out by members of the "Living Garden Extension Project at School" in collaboration with students and teachers, and the garden space was utilized as an environment for teaching various subjects.

José Silveira Filho, Marcelo Rodrigues Tenório · Cadernos de Agroecologia · Brazil

This qualitative research, based on Paulo Freire's dialogical pedagogy, aimed to develop environmental education awareness in elementary school students through organic agriculture and sustainable cultivation techniques in a school garden. Semi-structured interviews with students revealed that activities in the school garden contributed to modifying their habits and attitudes towards nature. The study found that the school garden fostered a sense of solidarity, group work, and the development of citizens capable of addressing social and environmental problems.

Yoshiki HARADA, Thomas H. Whitlow, Nina Bassuk, Jonathan Russell‐Anelli · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · United States (New York City)

This study compared various soil mixes for rooftop farms to assess stormwater retention, yield, and quality of drought-sensitive crops. A 5-week greenhouse experiment cultivated leaf lettuce using an irrigation rate mimicking average growing season precipitation for New York City, comparing five soil mixes made of coconut coir, biochar, and animal manure compost, plus a commercial rooftop farm soil. Three soil mixes showed good yield with water retention rates up to 100%, and drainage nitrogen output levels were less than 13% of current levels at an operational rooftop farm in NYC.

Theresa J Beardell · Digital Commons @ Connecticut College (Connecticut College) · United States

Sprout is a community garden and direct-to-consumer farm dedicated to building community and empowering individuals through the shared effort of growing and eating good food. Cultivation at Sprout is led by the conviction that good food is produced in a way that is ethical in both its environmental and social impacts.

Heather Gray, K. Rashid Nuri · American Journal of Economics and Sociology · United States

This paper argues that industrial-chemical agriculture has abandoned the foundations of healthy agriculture, such as seed diversity and soil preservation, replacing them with genetically uniform crops. In contrast, it states that in the United States, small farms and urban agriculture are providing healthy food and reconnecting city dwellers with the life of the soil.

Bruce G. Ferguson, Helda Morales · · Mexico (Chiapas)

The Laboratorios para la Vida action research team in Chiapas, Mexico, trains educators to use school gardens and local food systems as venues for experiential learning. However, teachers face a host of hurdles to successful garden programs, including high teacher turnover, lack of space, and the difficulty of matching garden growth with the national curriculum calendar.

Mariella Camardelli Uzêda · Anais da Semana Científica Johanna Döbereiner · Brazil

This work aims to understand the origins of urban farmers in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and their traditions of cultivating and consuming spontaneous wild plants. It investigates how this knowledge of biodiversity has been preserved over time and influences current cultivation practices in areas like Colonia Juliano Moreira and Guaratiba. The study also explores opportunities to diversify agro-food systems with these wild plants to intensify ecosystem services such as pollination and biological pest control.

Moisés Savian, Mari Inês Caríssimi Boff, Pedro Boff · Cadernos de Agroecologia · Brazil

This study evaluated Brazilian scientific production from 2009 to 2018 on urban agriculture's contribution to food and nutritional security, analyzing 34 selected articles out of 612. It found that while agrobiodiversity is present in urban agriculture areas, pesticide use is a reality in some crop plots. The research suggests urban agriculture must be based on agroecology to avoid environmental contamination and produce healthy food.

Luiz Orlando dos Santos, Fernanda Miguel Franco, Wagner da Cunha Siqueira, Arthur Guilherme Schirmbeck Chaves · Brazilian Journal of Development · Brazil (Cáceres-MT)

In Cáceres-MT, Brazil, a compact and mobile urban garden prototype was implemented in two residences with limited space. This system cultivated chives, coriander, and parsley, supplying enough food for a family of approximately 5 people during a 90-day monitoring period. A water reuse system was also integrated, and the mobile garden structure contributed to optimizing small spaces and producing healthy, low-cost food.

Leonoura Katarina Santos, Cláudio José Bertazzo · · Brazil (Catalão)

This paper describes the Ecological Horticulture Program implemented by NEPEA at the Goias State Military Police College in Catalão, Brazil, aiming to promote socio-environmental education among elementary school students. The program used theoretical-practical classes and workshops to raise awareness about environmental sustainability, waste management, and organic production. Outcomes included composting processes, a school garden with 12 beds for various crops (e.g., lettuce, carrots), a nursery, and the creation of selective collection containers and awareness posters.

Jennifer Engels, Sheree J. Watson, Henrietta Dulai, Kimberly Burnett, Christopher A. Wada, ‘Ano‘ilani Aga, Nathan DeMaagd, J. J. McHugh, Barbara Sumida, Leah L. Bremer · PLoS ONE · United States (O‘ahu)

A researcher-farmer collaboration on O‘ahu's Sumida watercress farm conducted a 25-year trend analysis and a year of intensive spring water sampling. Negative correlations were found between historical crop yields and increases in the Oceanic Niño Index, temperature thresholds, and pest outbreaks. Despite urbanization, on-farm water quality was very high, and microbial analyses suggested the farm provides nutrient retention services to downstream systems. The study demonstrates that challenges facing urban agricultural systems shift over time.

Laryssa Mylenna Silva Santos, Maria Elizabete de Oliveira, Darcet Costa Souza, Cristiane Lopes Carneiro d’Albuquerque, Marcus Vinicius Guimarães Clack · Informe Econômico. · Brazil

This paper describes and analyzes the social, economic, and technological aspects of the agroecological transition toward organic certification at the Povoado Soinho Community Garden in Teresina, Piauí, Brazil, outlining the profile of its horticulturists and their production. Teresina's Community Garden Program, created by the municipal agriculture and supply agency (SEMAB), initially aimed to reduce delinquency among socially vulnerable children and adolescents, but later added goals of increasing horticultural output, generating employment and income, and improving farming families' diets. As of 2016, Teresina had 70 production units, five of which were awaiting organic certification from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA), including the Povoado Soinho Community Garden, which was undergoing the transition to organic production with support from the rural development secretariat. The analysis found that plots managed by women predominated and showed greater production diversification than those managed by men, and that more than half of plots received help from at least one family member.

Kristan Majors · Educational Media Reviews Online · Canada

This is a review of the 2017 documentary film "From Seed to Seed" (87 minutes, directed by Katharina Stieffenhofer, distributed by Bullfrog Films), which follows four farms of different sizes in Canada over a full year, covering topics including plant breeding, crop diversity, organic farming, green manure and seed exchange; the review recommends the film for classroom and community use and notes it won awards including 2019 Best of the Fest at the Colorado Environmental Film Festival and 2019 Best Documentary at the Big Water Film Festival.

Cristhiane Oliveira da Graça Amâncio, João Pedro Ribeiro Oliveira, Leonis Junior Santos Silva, Bruna Maria Pereira Ribas, Claudemar Mattos, Ilzo Arthur Moreira, Robson Amâncio · · Brazil (São Paulo)

Among farmers of the Rede CAU (Carioca Urban Agriculture Network) in the Vargem Grande neighborhood of western Rio de Janeiro, data collected from February to December 2019 using the LUME method analyzed production of fruit, vegetables and compost across 8 hectares of land. Total family income was estimated at R$62,632.00, of which 56% (R$38,906.00) came from agricultural income (with the greatest profit from vegetables sold at fairs) and 46% (R$30,726.00) from non-agricultural income (space rental); 65% (R$45,421.53) of total income derived from women's labor (making sweets and dried fruit for sale) and 35% (R$24,210.47) from men's labor (planting and management). The main constraint on improving production was difficult access to the steep, hard-to-reach region and the large distances between subsystems, with optimizing self-production of inputs through composting and mechanizing transport proposed as alternatives.

Jackline Gomes Silva, Maria Cleoneide Brito, Jerrana Cantarelli, Sebastião Santos, Paula Vanessa Queiroz, Lourinalda Luiza Dantas da Silva Selva de Oliveira · Revista de Agroecologia no Semiárido · Brazil

A report on SERTA (Alternative Technology Service), a Brazilian institution offering an agroecology technical course for rural and urban youth and traditional communities, describing a 30-hour internship experience of students from the Glória do Goitá unit at the Ibimirim unit in Pernambuco's semi-arid Sertão do Moxotó, in the caatinga biome, on a 5-hectare site with a range of native and exotic trees, shrubs, herbs and medicinal plants and a large variety of cacti. Activities included observing social technologies such as cactus-grafting techniques, animal and plant husbandry, use of high-protein, high-value medicinal and food plants such as moringa (Moringa oleifera) and pitaya (Hylocereus undatus), and participation in the "Caatinga Emoldurada" project making handcrafted lamps from dead plant material, as well as hands-on exposure to solar and wind energy use and to aquaponics combining fish, chickens, medicinal plants, fruit trees, vegetables and unconventional food plants (PANC).

Brian Raison · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United States

This is a review of "A Garden Experience: Growing Organic," a film about an organic community garden project in Colorado, United States, that centers on a participating gardener's statement, "It's not about the vegetables. It's about community," and is framed as potential inspiration for local food groups, garden clubs or food-and-community events.

Pai S., Ai N., Zheng J. · Sustainable Cities and Society, 50:101683 · United States

Using Chicago as a case study, this analysis assesses the feasibility of decentralized community composting on portions of public parks in terms of cost and greenhouse gas emissions. It finds decentralized composting delivers outreach, landfill diversion and cost-saving benefits, with an estimated net benefit of about $100 per tonne, indicating the financial viability of a city-wide strategy to compost household food waste locally.

Talia Talita Sehn, Cassiano Peixoto Rosa, Andersson Daniel Steffler, Daiane Karina Grellmann, Divanilde Guerra · · Brazil (Tres Passos)

The objective was to identify cultivated species and their management, and to disseminate agroecological practices in domestic gardens and orchards in the urban perimeter of Tres Passos-RS, Brazil. Over two years, 177 residences were visited in the first year, with 165 (95%) having orchards and 147 (87%) having vegetable gardens. In the second year, 12 residences were visited, all (100%) cultivating vegetables and 10 (75%) having fruit trees.

Odiney Alvarez‐Campos, Gregory K. Evanylo · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems · United States

This field study in Blacksburg, VA, investigated the effects of exceptional quality (EQ) biosolids on urban soil properties and vegetable yield over two years (2016-2018). Biosolids increased soil carbon storage by 37-84% compared to controls, but soil nitrogen availability was lower than expected. Reclamation rates of biosolids resulted in higher yields for cabbage (∼3.1 kg m⁻²) and Siberian kale (∼1.1 kg m⁻²) than inorganic fertilizer (1.0 kg m⁻² and 0.4 kg m⁻² respectively) in fall 2017, indicating potential to increase vegetable yield despite limiting soil conditions.