Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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Understanding the Dissemination of Technology in a Food Incentive Program: A Qualitative Evaluation Applying the Diffusion of Innovation Model
2026Rui Ling, Sarah N. Strack, Anne Abbott, Haley Schneider, Aryn McLaren · Health Promotion Practice · Global
This qualitative study explored facilitators and barriers to implementing an electronic redemption system in a Healthy Food Incentive (HFI) program among farmers' markets, farm stands, and community-supported agriculture. Semi-structured interviews with HFI staff identified six facilitators and ten barriers, including a cumbersome registration process, technological difficulties, the risk of losing customers, and insufficient capacity. The evaluation highlighted the necessity of localizing technology dissemination.
Limited or null effectCSA & TeikeiEconomicsCommunityDigital agricultureCommunity gardens as locally embedded nature-based solutions: a comparative study of Budapest and Turin
2026Luca Battisti, Adrienne Csizmady, Federico Cuomo, Luca Kristóf, Boldizsár Megyesi · Sustainability Science Practice and Policy · Hungary (Budapest)
This study examined how community gardens in Budapest and Turin function as locally embedded nature-based solutions (NbS) through the everyday practices of urban residents. Based on a qualitative analysis of 47 semi-structured interviews conducted in five gardens in Budapest and two in Turin, findings showed that gardeners practice NbS-aligned approaches. Socially, they foster well-being, inclusion, and community cohesion; technically, they adapt to resource constraints through low-tech experimentation and collaborative problem-solving; and ecologically, they support biodiversity, soil regeneration, and microclimate regulation through organic cultivation and composting.
CommunityBiodiversityCompostOrganic cycleHealthPolicyBuilding Resilience to Food Insecurity in Bulawayo City, Zimbabwe: Lessons for Best Practice
2026Thulani Dube, Bright Chisadza, Nkululeko Mpofu, Abel Mungure, Nancy N Manase · Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition · Zimbabwe (Bulawayo)
A study in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, investigating urban food insecurity resilience strategies through 200 household surveys, found that 50.5% of households experienced food insecurity, primarily driven by hyperinflation and unemployment. Current interventions, including urban agriculture, showed mixed effectiveness due to fragmented coordination and rural-biased programming, indicating governance challenges.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justicePolicyCommunityEconomicsDesafios sobre os resíduos orgânicos em áreas urbanas:
2026Mayara Grazielle Consentino Ferreira da Silva, Karina Amendola da Silva Guimarães, Monique das Neves Silva · Revista Tamoios · Global
This paper discusses the challenges and benefits of composting organic waste in urban areas, examining community urban agriculture experiences, a university campus, and corporate environments. Community composting in urban agriculture showed that community involvement is crucial for success, fostering socio-environmental coexistence and low-cost use of degraded urban areas. However, composting on a university campus proved difficult to implement due to a lack of dedicated labor, despite student engagement.
CompostCommunityOrganic cycle‘It's a Gender Issue’: Women Farmers in Community‐Supported Agriculture
2026Guilherme Raj, Giuseppe Feola, Irina Velicu · Sociologia Ruralis · Portugal
Case studies of three women farmers in two Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) initiatives in Portugal used data from semi-structured interviews and participant observation. The study demonstrated that while CSA initiatives are conducive to women farmers’ emancipation, the absence of collective efforts to address unequal gender relations hinders their transformative potential. CSA initiatives tend to overlook power imbalances emerging from their internal micro-politics and neglect the ambivalent effects shaping their transformative efforts.
Equity & displacementCSA & TeikeiCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceA(GR)TECTURE: Designing an Agricultural Learning Facility to Energize Food Production in the Urban Areas of Dominica
2026Kendel Constant · DigitalCommons - Kennesaw State University (Kennesaw State University) · Dominica
This thesis explores improving Dominica's urban agricultural sector, examining challenges like hurricanes, landslides, temperature shifts, limited adoption of advanced farming techniques, an aging farmer population, and soil erosion. The proposed Agricultural Learning Facility aims to address these issues by leveraging smart farming methods and enhancing traditional practices. However, the proposed greenhouse and hydroponic systems cannot completely replace traditional farming practices, but rather help increase food production.
Governance failureFood educationCommunityClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceEcological landscape planning in earthquake-prone regions: Integrating agriculture, water systems and green ınfrastructure
2026ŞEVVAL KARATAŞ, Mustafa Artar · Scientific Works · Global
This study, based on a literature review, examines ecological landscape planning approaches for enhancing urban resilience in earthquake-prone regions. It proposes integrating agricultural areas, water systems, and green infrastructure as complementary ecological components within a holistic planning model. The findings indicate that this integrated approach enhances ecological integrity, supports biodiversity, regulates surface water, reduces the urban heat island effect, and strengthens communities' adaptive capacity in post-disaster phases.
Climate changeCommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyGrowth and Yield Responses of Dragon Fruit to Diverse Growing Media in Rooftop Gardens
2026Md. Monirul Islam, Joydeb Gomasta, Md. Abdul Quddus, Asma Anwari, A. K. M. Saiful Islam, Md. Torikul Islam · New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science · Global
A two-year pot experiment was conducted from 2020 to 2022 on the roof of a four-story building to identify an optimal growing medium for dragon fruit cultivation on rooftops. Seven different combinations of soil, cocodust, biochar, and vermicompost were evaluated, with the medium comprising 80% cocodust and 20% vermicompost (T2) showing the highest branch count, fruit count, fruit weight, and yield in the second year. T2 also improved edible portion, TSS, and vitamin C contents, and exhibited the highest benefit-cost ratio (4.17).
DIYCommunityEconomicsExploring Motivations, Crop Diversity and Socioeconomic Benefits of Home Gardening: A Case Study of Urban Agriculture in Rimuka, Kadoma District, Zimbabwe
2026D Machoko, N Soboksa, M Zuma, X Mbhenyane · African Journal of Food Agriculture Nutrition and Development · Zimbabwe
This qualitative case study, conducted in June and July 2022 in Rimuka, Kadoma District, Zimbabwe, explored motivations, crop diversity, and socioeconomic benefits of urban home gardening among thirty purposively sampled households. It found more women participate than men, kale is a year-round staple despite water scarcity, and primary water sources are family wells and public boreholes. Most gardeners started due to food shortages or pandemic fears, and while many do not sell produce, they earn significant income from off-farm activities.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsUrban Gardening in der Sozialen Arbeit und in Bildungseinrichtungen – ein Leitfaden aus dem Wassermelonengarten
2026Juliane Forßmann · OPUS der Technischen Hochschule Augsburg · Global
This guideline extracts successful urban gardening strategies and effective pedagogical interventions from a three-year social community garden project, "Wassermelonengarten," located on the grounds of a family collective accommodation for refugees. The garden served as a laboratory for social work students and residents to explore simple, cost-effective urban gardening techniques and group relationship and project design, aiming to improve the quality of life for all involved. The guideline is intended as a resource for those developing urban gardening projects in social work and educational settings, focusing on strengthening social cohesion and preserving healthy soils and biodiversity.
CommunityFood educationWelfareBiodiversityKokspilleri i kolonihaver: en kulegravning
2026Hikoline Hylleborg Erlandsen · Arbejderhistorie - tidsskrift for historie kultur og politik · Denmark (Copenhagen)
This article explores the little-known practice of digging for coke residues ("pillekoks") in Copenhagen allotment gardens during WWI and WWII. Using ethnological surveys from the 1970s and contemporary newspapers, the study shows this was a widespread practice with significant yields. Individual allotment owners could gather enough pillekoks with a value equivalent to several weeks’ wages, easing fuel scarcity and improving daily life during wartime.
CommunityEconomicsThe Eco-English Classroom: Using Project-Based Learning in promoting environmental learning initiatives
2026Hazel Acosta Cadungog, Carlos Daniel Cazco Maldonado, Martha Lucía Lara Freire · Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) · Ecuador
This research project aimed to promote meaningful learning in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classes by implementing a Project-Based Learning (PBL) approach, integrating urban agriculture content. The project involved 35 English teachers from four Ecuadorian cities: Azogues, Cuenca, Ibarra, and Riobamba. Data collection on teachers' experiences followed an action-research design. Main findings revealed significant improvement in students' vocabulary development and understanding of basic sentence structures, and teachers noted increased student engagement and interest due to the integration of current and relevant topics.
Food educationCommunityRevisiting the secret garden: (de)territorialising student transience through stories from a university garden
2026Kirsten Lambert, Janene Sproul · International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education · Global
This research explored the experiences of university students participating in a university community garden project during and after the Covid-19 pandemic, using qualitative semi-structured interviews. The study found that the garden became a home for transient and often marginalized students by decentering normative conceptions of university space. It also highlights that community gardens offer divergent spaces for neurodivergent and LGBTQIA+ students.
CommunityFood educationBiodiversityWelfarePsycho-social factors influencing the intention to adopt urban horticultural practices in Pokhara Metropolitan City, Nepal: evidence from PLS-SEM analysis
2026Bibas Poudel, Ujjal Tiwari, Sushmita Bhatta, Bishal Shrestha, Kalyani Mishra Tripathi · Cogent Food & Agriculture · Nepal
This study investigated psycho-social factors influencing urban residents’ intention to adopt urban horticultural practices in Pokhara Metropolitan City, Nepal. Analysis of data collected from 384 households revealed that a positive attitude toward urban horticulture was the strongest predictor of adoption intention, followed by knowledge and perceived behavioral control. However, environmental consciousness and subjective norms showed a positive but statistically insignificant influence on adoption intention.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceFood Sharing in Brno
2026Jennifer Lyons, Anna Davies · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Czech Republic (Brno)
This report documents the sustainability impacts of Food Sharing Initiatives (FSIs) in Brno, Czech Republic, using data from CULTIVATE's automated Food Sharing Map and submitted Sustainability Impact Assessment data. The estimations cover environmental, economic, and social sustainability pillars. The report notes that the presented impact indicators are a subset of total impacts, and estimations will become more accurate with more submitted data.
CommunityFood educationEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceSchool garden programs supporting sustainable agricultural intensification through knowledge transfer and family engagement
2026Channaty Ngang, Donchida Wathinputhiporn, Lyda Hok, David R. Ader, Cherdpong Kheerajit · Thai Journal of Agricultural Science · Cambodia
This study investigated the role of school garden programs in facilitating the transfer of Sustainable Agricultural Intensification (SAI) knowledge from students to their families, involving 120 families in Siem Reap province, Cambodia. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews in June 2024 and analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, independent t-tests, and logistic regression models. Results showed that parents' occupation, perceived benefits of SAI, and social influence were significant predictors of their willingness to apply SAI practices at home.
Food educationCommunityDIYWhat drives participation in urban agriculture? Evidence from Türkiye
2026Coşkun Şerefoğlu, Duhan Kalkan · İDEALKENT · Türkiye
This quantitative study in Türkiye used a structured survey and binary logistic regression to examine factors influencing urban agriculture participation intention. Findings showed prior agricultural experience was the strongest determinant, and COVID-19's impact on food perceptions positively influenced intention. Education level and policy awareness, however, did not significantly explain participation, revealing a gap between awareness and behavioral engagement.
CommunityPolicyHealthDesarrollo de un Brazo Robótico Automatizado: Una Estrategia de Integración Transdisciplinar de los Campos del Conocimiento
2026Juana Yadira Martín Perico, Lady Alexandra Rodríguez Rincón, Daniel Eduardo Ávila Velandia, Nathalia Rincón Ortega · Ciencia Latina Revista Científica Multidisciplinar · Global
This project focused on designing a robotic arm for precision agriculture, aiming for young trainees to interact with research processes through prototyping applied to urban agriculture. Using a mixed methodology and educational approach, researchers, professors, and students engaged with processes for natural fertilizer production, soil preparation, biocontrols, and the design and development of technologies useful for urban agriculture. This initiative contributed to didactics related to prototyping, fostered an ethics of care for plants, food, and nature, and helped students recognize agriculture's link to technology and precision agriculture principles.
Digital agricultureFood educationCommunityEvaluating a Healthcare Rooftop Garden: Post-Occupancy Insights into Evidence-Based Design Processes and Governance Considerations
2026Nina Oher, Anna Bengtsson, Patrik Grahn · Land · Global
This study aimed to understand the evidence-based design process behind a rooftop garden at an urban Memory Clinic. Through focus group interviews with healthcare professionals and an interview with the landscape architect, findings showed that while the garden exceeded expectations regarding aesthetics, restorative qualities, and staff use, it was not used for patient-oriented therapeutic activities as intended. This divergence was linked to governance issues such as organizational change, loss of key actors, insufficient documentation of design intentions, procurement disruptions, shifting clinical priorities, and maintenance arrangements.
Governance failureHealthCommunityPolicyInstitut für heimische Pflanzen und Saatgut im historischen Gutshof in Rothneusiedl
2026Buse Aksu Altiparmak · reposiTUm (TU Wien) · Austria (Vienna)
This diploma thesis presents the design for an institute for native plants and seeds at the historic Zukunftshof farm in Rothneusiedl, Vienna. The project involves comprehensively renovating and reorganizing the over one-hundred-year-old, partially used, and dilapidated building stock. The aim is to establish Zukunftshof as a sustainable location for research, conservation, knowledge transfer, and communal use, adapting its spatial structure to current and future requirements.
Heirloom & landraceFood educationCommunitySeeds' Valley Ecological Farm
2026Zoltán Dezsény · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Hungary
This is a presentation about Magosvölgy (Seeds' Valley) Ecological Farm in Hungary, a real-world example of a short food supply chain. The family-run farm operates on 0.5 hectares, growing over 40 species and 100 varieties of mixed organic vegetables using low-tech, regenerative methods without chemicals or heavy machinery. It functions as a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model, with 160 members paying a yearly fee for weekly vegetable shares, reaching around 800 consumers and distributing approximately 32,000 kg of vegetables annually.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityOrganic cycleClimate changeBusiness Strategies of Small Urban Farmers for Financial Sustainability and Growth: Basis for a Strategic Action Plan
2026Exequiel Campomanes, Ma. Rossdie Etis, Job Leroi Santiago, Reigne Tumbado, Mark Joseph Villamil, Jake Bitulia, Divina Gracia Cabaddu · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Philippines
This qualitative study in the Philippines examined the profiles and business strategies of small urban farmers for financial sustainability and growth. It found that urban farming can be profitable, with all informants generating positive returns despite variations in techniques and capitalization. However, urban farmers faced challenges including personal, organizational, financial, operational, commercial, and fundamental issues, which they resolved through strategic analysis and implementation.
EconomicsCommunityPolicySynergising outdoor, indoor, and greenhouse urban agriculture to strengthen urban resilience in an era of polycrisis
2026James Vandenberg, Kerstin Krellenberg · Sustainable Cities and Society · Global
This study investigated how differentiated configurations of outdoor, indoor, and greenhouse urban agriculture (UA) impact Urban Resilience Capacities (URCs). It found that a strategic, place-based, combinatorial approach to integrating UA typologies can produce mutually reinforcing outcomes, strengthening various URCs simultaneously. However, a strong risk of trade-offs exists when UA systems are not aligned, and a critical research gap remains as empirical case studies are concentrated in Europe and North America, overlooking experiences in the Global South.
Environmental trade-offsClimate changeCommunityPolicyThe role of urban community gardens in the food system in Brisbane, Australia
2026Serafina Stone, Jeremy Farr, Damian Hine, Yasmina Sultanbawa, S. K. Fyfe · Local Environment · Australia (Brisbane)
This research investigated how 16 members of four urban community gardens in Brisbane, Australia, derive value from their involvement in relation to the food system, using semi-structured interviews and participant observation. The findings indicate that while urban community gardens alone cannot address food security needs, they provide spaces for building community, generating social capital, connecting to nature, and developing food systems education. These benefits are contingent on the gardens' continued existence and primarily extend to those able to participate.
Limited or null effectCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceCompostIntegrative Garden Therapy and Promoting Education for Sustainable Development – An IGT/ESD Program for Children as Part of a Community-Supported Agriculture Initiative
2026Johanna Ruh · Open MIND · Global
This study connects Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) with Integrative Garden Therapy (IGT), demonstrating how combining both approaches can deepen and expand ESD. A concept for IGT/ESD units for children aged 6-10 within a Community-Supported Agriculture framework is presented. The concepts of multiple alienation, ecophilia, ecosophy, and integrative cultural work are particularly highlighted.
Food educationHealthCSA & TeikeiCommunity