Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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974 results(5 / 39)
Developing Sustainable Urban Agriculture in Research and Innovation Smart Specialisation Strategy to Implement the Quintuple Helix
2025Ana María Bartolomé Sualdea, Teresa Briz, Beatriz Urbano · Sustainable Development · Europe
This study analyzed socio-economic variables from 100 European regions to understand how urban agriculture (UA) development within Research and Innovation Smart Specialisation Strategy (RIS3) benefits regions. A binary logistic regression found that a 1% increase in the population over 65 could lead to a 72.75% increase in UA. ANOVA results indicated that regions benefit from UA in RIS3 through active aging, diversification, alleviating urbanization pressure, technology development, and improved governance and social capital.
PolicyEconomicsCommunityElderlyFood banks, food diversion, and other responses
2025Dennis Raphael · Policy Press eBooks · Canada; United Kingdom
This chapter documents the growth of charitable non-governmental responses to food insecurity in Canada and the UK, including food banks, food diversion schemes, and community gardens. It is shown that these responses are problematic as they fail to address the economic and political causes of food insecurity. Further failures associated with charitable responses include the experience of stigma and degradation by food bank users and the promulgation of the belief that food insecurity is being addressed.
Equity & displacementCommunityWelfareFood sovereignty & justicePolicyGreening for meaning: Sense of place in green citizen initiatives in the Netherlands
2025Mellany N.C. van Bommel, Marthe L. Derkzen, Lenneke Vaandrager · Wellbeing Space and Society · Europe
This mixed-methods study aimed to understand the meanings attributed to green citizen initiatives in the Netherlands by using the concept of sense of place and to investigate which factors predict this sense of place. Surveys (n=130) were used alongside interviews with 38 participants from ten green citizen initiatives. Findings demonstrate a strong sense of place among participants, which was significantly predicted by meaningful experiences, a sense of safety within the initiative, and length of involvement. Participation in green citizen initiatives appears to create meaning across place attachment, place identity, place dependence, and a broader societal meaning of place.
CommunityHealthEl Aprendizaje Servicio a través de los ecohuertos escolares de la Universidad de Salamanca: una herramienta innovadora del siglo XXI al alcance de la Agenda 2030
2025David Caballero Franco, Judith Martín Lucas, Parra Nieto, Gabriel · Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) · Spain (Salamanca)
This work describes the Community School Gardens Network (HecoUSAL) project, a Service-Learning program launched in 2013 at the University of Salamanca, Spain. The program aims to improve university education quality, strengthen social commitment, expand sustainability culture, and develop sustainability skills among students. It proposes new teaching-learning models that integrate sustainability skills through multi-sensory, nature-based educational experiences within school environments.
Food educationCommunityClimate change30+ Innovations in Urban Agriculture
2025University of Liège, Reframe.food, ASTREDHOR · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Europe
This catalogue presents over 30 innovative Urban Agriculture initiatives from across Europe. These projects were selected for their originality, relevance, maturity, and potential to address urban challenges, demonstrating several years of successful operation. It provides an comprehensive overview of diverse urban farming systems and their potential to transform cities into more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient places.
CommunityUrban–rural linkageClimate changeA Tale of Soft Spaces and Seeds Under the Snow
2025Francesca Gotti, Yona Catrina Schreyer · field · Italy (Bergamo)
This essay describes two alternative spatial practices implemented in Bergamo, Italy: "Software-ing Spaces," a living-designing-building residency in a former monastery, and "Seeds Under the Snow," an experimental laboratory for knowledge exchange and innovative methods within Bergamo's social gardens. Both projects aim to challenge systemic procedures in the construction sector and develop spatial ideas based on empathy, synchronizing place, resources, users, and builders.
CommunityDigital agricultureFood educationUrban farming as a form of the future food security in the Czech Republic
2025Jan Szturc, Tomáš Mašíček, Adéla Navrátilová, Jana Kozlovský Dufková · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · Europe
This study explored the production potential of urban farming in Olomouc, Czech Republic, using spatial analysis to identify suitable spaces. Results indicated that 408.04 hectares of currently unused land could be repurposed for urban farming, yielding 7,099.9 tons of vegetables. This production could meet 42.68% of the city's total vegetable demand, though detailed analysis is always necessary for specific areas due to varying potential.
Food sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicyPeri-urban agriculturePilotstudie zu urbanem Gärtnern: Schadstoffgehalte in Nahrungspflanzen in Straßennähe/Pilot study on urban gardening: Pollutant levels in food plants near roads
2025Katja Hombrecher · Gefahrstoffe Reinhaltung der Luft · Germany
A pilot study in Germany investigated the impact of road traffic emissions on food plants grown near roads. Bioindicators like kale, chard, Lollo Rosso, and lettuce were exposed for four weeks at four roadside locations and compared to plants in a garden away from roads. While pollutant levels generally did not exceed background or EU maximum limits, significant traffic-related inputs of PAK 4, antimony, aluminum, chromium, and vanadium, and lesser inputs of copper, iron, and lead were detected compared to the control. The findings indicate a potential contamination risk for certain vegetable plants from road traffic.
Contamination & food safetyHealthUrban–rural linkageNordplus project “Healing greenery” – Green care education for a changing environment
2025Kadri Maikov · Vytautas Magnus University · Europe
The Nordplus project "Healing greenery" has fostered interdisciplinary collaboration since 2018, bringing together international students and lecturers to design healing green spaces. Educational projects serve as a research foundation to raise awareness of environmental risks and the importance of green spaces for mental health, addressing the new generation's disconnect from nature. Participants in annual projects (2021-2024, 19-26 participants each year) highlighted environmental risks including insufficient green spaces and limited awareness of nature’s impact on health.
CommunityHealthFood educationCare About Well-Being in the Urban Habitat—Family Allotment Gardens in Warsaw
2025Maciej Lasocki, Kinga Zinowiec-Cieplik, Piotr Majewski, Maja Radziemska, Renata Giedych, Damian Derewońko, Maria Kaczorowska, Anna Szczeblewska, Marta Melon, B J Gawryszewska · Sustainability · Poland (Warsaw)
This study examined family allotment gardens in Warsaw, Poland, as a means of enhancing urban living environments and promoting residents' well-being. The research employed a literature review, qualitative data analysis from individual in-depth and focus group interviews, and a matrix analysis. Findings identified well-being features associated with allotment gardens, including recreation, leisure, impact on physical and mental health, formation of social relationships, and self-production of healthy, affordable food. The results also emphasized the importance of accessibility and the acquisition of new competencies as primary contributions.
CommunityHealthWelfareCollaborative governance in urban agriculture: Stakeholder roles, collaborative mechanisms, and power dynamics
2025Svetla Stoeva · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · Europe
Stakeholder roles, collaborative mechanisms, and power dynamics were analyzed across 14 urban agriculture case studies in Europe. Public authorities, civil society organizations, NGOs, private businesses, and practitioners were identified as key stakeholders. Effective collaboration depends on inclusivity, shared responsibility, flexibility, and social cohesion, but challenges include power imbalances where public authorities and businesses dominate marginalized stakeholders.
PolicyCommunityTemporal and Spatial Analysis of the Environmental State of the Valencia Plain Aquifer Area Using the Weighted Environmental Index (WEI)
2025Javier Rodrigo-Ilarri, Claudia P. Romero-Hernández, Sergio Salazar-Galán, María-Elena Rodrigo-Clavero · Sustainability · Spain (Valencia)
This article analyzes the impact of urban sprawl on the Valencia Plain aquifer system from 1990 to 2018 using the Weighted Environmental Index (WEI). Results show urban surfaces expanded by 70% and rainfed agricultural areas declined by over 59%, leading to a 9.2% reduction in environmental value (WEI decreased from 44.80 to 40.68). These changes threaten ecosystem sustainability and reduce the capacity to deliver ecosystem services.
Environmental trade-offsPeri-urban agriculturePolicyBiodiversityClimate changeEVALUATION OF THE FEASIBILITY OF URBAN AGRICULTURE IN EDIRNE CITY CENTER
2025Beyza Aleyna Bayram, Selin ARABULAN · Pamukkale University Journal of Social Sciences Institute · Turkey (Edirne)
This study aimed to identify and evaluate the urban agriculture potential in Edirne, Turkey, based on the hypothesis of transforming passive areas into urban agricultural areas. It conducted a literature review, reported on climate, topography, vegetation cover, and land use conditions, and used SWOT analysis to evaluate potential in technological, economic, demographic, sociological, and ecological contexts. The study determined that urban agriculture practices in Edirne, where the existing structure is quite favorable, can be evaluated as a strategic development tool with proper planning and management.
Food sovereignty & justiceClimate changeBiodiversityCommunityPflanzMit! - Das Urban Gardening Network
2025Storey, Benjamin · TIB Repositorium · Germany
The PflanzMit! project is an innovative initiative aiming to involve urban populations in the care and design of their green environment. The app enables users to organize and collaboratively work on planting and maintaining urban green spaces, strengthening social fabric and fostering a sense of community. The app offers organizational tools for group formation and task distribution, as well as practical aids like care tips, plant identification by photos, and AI-supported plant recommendations based on local conditions.
CommunityDIYDigital agricultureUnderstanding community supported agriculture through the intersection of practices and socio-technical Regimes
2025Mattia Andreola · Discover Sustainability · Italy (Trento)
This study conducted three years of ethnographic research, including participant observation, in-depth interviews, and quantitative data analysis, on "NaturalMente in Trentino," a CSA initiative in Trento, Italy. The research revealed multiple lock-in points, indicating that CSA constraints stem from organizational inefficiencies, deeply rooted cultural and behavioral habits such as the use of private gardens or a preference for supermarket convenience, and rigid institutional frameworks like cooperative dominance in the local agri-food regime.
Governance failureCSA & TeikeiCommunityEconomics“Planting flowers into potholes”: urban community gardens as symptoms of institutional shortfall?
2025Ágnes Gagyi · Local Environment · Europe
This paper investigated urban gardening in an East European capital, focusing on institutional resources. The study found a clear relationship between a shortfall of institutional resources and the limited, conflictual promotion of urban gardens as sustainability tools. It argues that gardens' contradictions stem from the privatization of public functions, which has depleted institutions capable of implementing gardens as sustainability tools, instead outsourcing costs to garden communities.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyClimate changeUrbanFarm 2025
2025Orsini, Francesco, D'Aprile, Andrea, Pennisi, Giuseppina, Prandi, Riccardo, Morelli, Agata, d'Ostuni, Michele, Martin, Michael, de Brun Skantz, Natalie · AMS Acta (University of Bologna) · Europe
The UrbanFarm Student Challenge, established in 2019, promotes innovation and sustainability in urban agriculture by engaging European university students in co-designing urban agricultural systems. The 2025 edition focused on transforming an underutilized lot at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden, which presented challenges like isolation and low ecological value. Student teams developed design proposals integrating productive landscapes with multifunctional public uses, aiming to activate the space for food production, education, and community interaction.
CommunityPolicyEconomicsClimate changeBiophilic Architecture of the 21st Century as an Immersive Art: New Urban Atmospheres
2025Renata Jóźwik · Arts · Poland
This article analyzes how biophilic architecture employs immersive strategies to transform buildings into environments that support sensory, behavioral, and social practices. It analyzes projects such as the Rooftop Garden—Warsaw University Library, Musée du quai Branly, and apartment buildings Bosco Verticale, and proposes a Multi-criteria Method for Assessing Architectural Immersiveness (MMAAI). Findings indicate that the integration of nature, technology, and spatial narrative enables architecture to act as a mediator between humans and the environment, generating new qualities of spatial experience in the Anthropocene epoch.
BiodiversityHealthClimate changeCan school gardens contribute to resilient communities from a scientific and eco-social perspective in early childhood education?
2025Lourdes Aragón Núñez, Beatriz Erdozain Manzano · Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education · Spain
Diagnostic research using a questionnaire with 45 closed-ended and 9 open-ended questions was conducted in 21 urban schools in Spain that use gardens in early childhood education. The study assessed the resilience level of school gardens across environmental, economic, social, and curriculum dimensions. Results indicate school gardens are valuable for transforming urban environments and creating resilient communities, generally showing a medium level of resilience, with weaknesses identified in environmental and social dimensions.
Food educationCommunityClimate changeBiodiversityCommunity farming in Northern Ireland: Definitions and impacts
2025Jonathan H. Hanson, C Lynn Collins, Tiziana O'Hara, Matthew Williams · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United Kingdom
This study explored community farming in Northern Ireland, defining it as a collaborative transformation process at the intersection of land, community, and enterprise. Using Social Return on Investment (SROI) methodology over two years, it quantified the cumulative impacts of nine diverse community farming projects. The overall SROI ratio was 3.52:1, with 90% of the value being social, 8% environmental, and 2% economic.
CommunityCSA & TeikeiFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsTransformar a partir dos interstícios: hortas urbanas comunitárias face à crise ecossocial
2025Sara Sama Acedo, David Berná Serna, Patricia Homs Ramírez de la Piscina · Scientific Repository of Open Access of Portugal (RCAAP) · Spain (Madrid)
A study analyzed the challenge faced by community urban gardens in Madrid, Spain, in remaining transformative spaces amidst an ecossocial crisis. These gardens are initiatives situated between community and public institutional management, with their expansion and institutionalization involving practices and relationships among diverse agents. The study points out the difficulty for these gardens to maintain their transformative role—updating community ties, reciprocity, and mutual care, and reformulating relationships with "nature" in the city and food supply—without being absorbed by market logics or marginalized into welfare or community volunteering spaces.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceGrowing vegetables: A gateway to biodiversity in domestic gardens?
2025Blanche Collard, Quentin Dutertre, Emmanuelle Baudry · Landscape and Urban Planning · France
This study investigated the relationship between vegetable growing and biodiversity conservation in domestic gardens in France, using a nationwide online survey and ecological monitoring in a suburban area near Paris. 67% of surveyed gardeners nationwide had a vegetable garden, and no significant conflict was found between vegetable production and biodiversity conservation. Instead, synergies emerged, particularly in the stronger commitment of vegetable gardeners to their gardens, wild species, and nature, and in practices like more frequent planting.
BiodiversityDIYUrban–rural linkageSchulgärten als BNE-Lernorte für Studierende
2025Leena Bröll, Aline Haustein · Perspektiven auf Lehre Journal for Higher Education and Academic Development · Germany
An evaluation of a school gardening seminar for student teachers in Saxony, Germany, revealed that practical gardening imparts specialist knowledge, reflection ability, and motivation. These skills are considered crucial for prospective teachers to transmit sustainable values to future generations. School garden lessons, historically introduced in the GDR in 1963/64, are now integrated into primary school science lessons in Saxony.
Food educationCommunityCultivating Bonds: On Urban Allotment Gardens and Their Relationship with Social Capital
2025Noelia Fernández-Salido, Alfonso Gallego‐Valadés, Carlos Serra-Castells, Jorge Garcés Ferrer · Agriculture · Spain (Valencia)
This qualitative study in Valencia, Spain, explored the role of urban allotment gardens in producing social capital. Fifteen in-depth interviews were conducted with key informants involved in urban garden projects. Findings indicate that urban gardens act as relational infrastructures, fostering intergenerational learning and inclusive participation. However, exclusionary attitudes and fragmented governance were found to limit their potential.
CommunityPolicyFood educationThe EArTh System: A Community Food Sovereignty Blueprint
2025F. A. Abd El Hamid · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · United Kingdom (Glasgow)
This paper presents the complete operational blueprint for the EArTh System, a community-led model designed to establish food sovereignty in post-industrial areas. The system integrates a decaying digital currency, democratic assemblies, and urban agriculture to create a parallel 'commons' for essential goods. Detailed as a pilot implementation for Glasgow East, UK, the document outlines its currency mechanics, legal structure, governance, and launch strategy.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicy