Research & reports

Joanne E. Porter, Megan Simic, Elizabeth Miller, Daria Soldatenko, Luis Hualda · · Australia

This project, commissioned by the Collaborative Evaluation and Research Centre (CERC), explored how nature improved the recovery of remote and rural communities affected by bushfires in East Gippsland, Australia. Data were collected from June to September 2023 through a nature-based community recovery project survey and community interviews. Phase 1 evaluated grant-funded projects, while Phase 2 investigated how broader communities interacted with nature for healing after the 2019-2020 bushfires.

Lynch Jun H. Dondriano, Cathy Jane A. Susuban, Michelle C. Estreller, Saddamiya A. Mingkat · International journal of research and scientific innovation · Philippines

This action research study introduces the Sustainable Parental Resources of Organic Urban Teaching (SPROUT) innovation, aimed at upgrading the livelihood sustainability of parents participating in the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) in the Philippines. SPROUT supports parents in growing organic produce for personal consumption and potential income generation through sustainable agriculture practices and urban gardening techniques. This approach has the potential to enhance families' nutritional status, promote environmental stewardship, and encourage a shift towards healthier, sustainable lifestyles.

Beata Sirowy · ˜The œGeojournal library · Global

This chapter discusses and operationalizes the concept of eudaimonic well-being in cities, based on Aristotle's view of human flourishing and Martha Nussbaum's capability approach, within the context of public space. It proposes using Nussbaum's ten human capabilities and the consideration of virtues to evaluate how urban agriculture projects can sustain well-being dimensions through spatial/functional and social affordances. The research argues for a clearer distinction between eudaimonic and hedonic well-being in urban studies.

Efadul Huq · International Journal of Urban and Regional Research · Bangladesh (Dhaka)

This article argues that in the global South, ecological infrastructure often displaces marginalized urban dwellers by erasing existing informal agricultural practices, or "green informalities." Based on research with urban farmers facing eviction in Dhaka, Bangladesh, it highlights that these green informalities are crucial for understanding grassroots practices and collective power-building. The study advocates for recognizing the political and affective dimensions of informal urban agriculture as a socially just ecological infrastructure that prioritizes justice and dweller agency.

Huq, Efadul · Smith ScholarWorks (Smith College) · Bangladesh (Dhaka)

Research in Dhaka, Bangladesh, indicates that ecological infrastructure often erases existing informal agricultural practices, leading to the displacement of marginalized urban dwellers. Based on engaged research with a collective of urban farmers facing eviction, this paper argues that green informalities are crucial for understanding grassroots practices and can be appreciated as socially just ecological infrastructure.

Assyifa Fauzia · Journal of Critical Ecology. · Global

This literature review analyzed the role of urban agriculture as an ecosystem service provider within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Urban agriculture in developing countries was found to be adopted as a solution to address poverty and improve the welfare of urban populations, applicable to all SDGs except ocean ecosystems. Urban agriculture contributes to social indicators like employment, food provision, community welfare, education, women's roles, and community forms; economic indicators such as market food reach, job status, land ownership, food subsidies, and credit access; and environmental indicators including water storage, land use, emission reduction, microclimate regulation, and biodiversity.

Noga Pitowsky‐Nave, Michal Almog‐Bar, Hillel Schmid · Social Work in Mental Health · Global

This paper presents a case study of a community garden in Israel that emerged from a collaboration between a Social Service Nonprofit Organization (SSNO) providing mental health rehabilitation services and a real-estate business firm. Based on interviews with key figures, onsite observations, and document analysis, it examined the inter-organizational dynamics of this collaboration and its benefits and challenges for the SSNO and its service users. The results show that collaborating with a business can offer SSNOs benefits in financial resources and volunteers, but also involves difficulties, which were intensified in the context of a mental-health-focused SSNO.

Yunus Kara · Journal of Turkish Therapeutic Horticulture · Global

A 2024 literature review examines the relationship between horticultural therapy and ecological activism. It positions horticultural therapy as a means of ecological activism that can enhance individuals' environmental awareness while relating to improvements in mental and physical health, describing it as a practice that raises quality of life through interaction with plants and immersion in nature and supports understanding of ecosystems and the adoption of sustainable lifestyles. It identifies future research directions including examining effects across different age groups and communities, long-term impacts, and applications within community gardens.

Nafisah Awang, Suhana Saad, Sarmila Md Sum · International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences · Malaysia

A discussion of Malaysia's government Urban Agriculture Program, which promotes farming on unused spaces such as rooftops and empty lots, including rooftop gardens, community gardens, vertical farming and hydroponics, against a backdrop in which 76% of Malaysia's population lives in cities and faces difficulty accessing affordable, nutritious food. It describes support for urban farmers from the Department of Agriculture (DOA) and the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI), and states that urban agriculture provides improved food access, income generation, social interaction and community empowerment, arguing that participation, knowledge sharing and skills development drive economic empowerment.

Iman Mamnoon · GeoFocus Revista Internacional de Ciencia y Tecnología de la Información Geográfica · Global

Using a GIS-based risk assessment methodology, this study develops a quantitative food-insecurity scale for the most vulnerable urban populations, calculating risk as a combination of social vulnerability and hazard (difficulty of access to food distribution), and applying the model to two case studies: southeast Washington, D.C., in the United States and Puente de Vallecas in Madrid, Spain. A Social Vulnerability Index was computed from average income, education level, unemployment rate, and age, while hazard values were derived from proximity to supermarkets. The analysis identified high-risk food-insecurity areas in both neighborhoods requiring urgent intervention measures. In Puente de Vallecas, census tract 07913143 was identified as a high-risk hotspot with a Social Vulnerability Index of 1.646495 (range 0.901–3.223) and a risk value of 3 (range 3–10); in southeast D.C., tracts 7601 and 7605 were selected as high-risk zones for further study, with Social Vulnerability Index values of 2.221 and 1.737 (range 1.040–3.525) and risk values of 2 and 5 (range 0–10), respectively. The study also identifies a general shortage of areas combining residential and commercial use and limits on public transport availability in the food-insecure urban areas studied.

Bambang Tri Kurnianto · West Science Nature and Technology · Global

A review article examining urban farming practices — including rooftop gardens, vertical farms and community gardens — as approaches to the land scarcity and food-security pressures of rapid urbanization. Drawing on case studies from cities worldwide, it discusses their reported role in improving food access, reducing carbon footprints and fostering social cohesion, and argues for integrating urban agriculture into urban planning together with supportive policy and community engagement. The article does not report original data, a defined study site, or quantified outcomes.

Alcaldía de Medellín (Secretaría de Inclusión Social y Familia) · Alcaldía de Medellín · Colombia

An article on Medellín's municipal Social Inclusion and Family Secretariat program supporting home gardens for household self-consumption through training workshops, provision of agricultural supplies, and technical visits. The program benefits 670 households, who must attend at least 5 of 7 scheduled educational sessions to receive materials and products.

· LCR Diario Digital · Argentina

A regional Argentine newspaper report on the national Ministry of Human Capital's March 2024 discontinuation of ProHuerta, the national program providing free seed kits for household gardens. In the Villa Regina area of Río Negro province, the local Comisión de Fomento of Valle Azul stepped in to purchase and freely distribute 100 seed kits for the spring-summer season, while INTA (the national agricultural technology institute), though no longer funded to buy seeds, continues to offer free technical advice on soil improvement and pest control.

Ministerio de Desarrollo Agrario, Provincia de Buenos Aires · Ministerio de Desarrollo Agrario, Provincia de Buenos Aires · Argentina

The official page for the Buenos Aires Province Urban Garden Programme, launched by the provincial Ministry of Agrarian Development in the second half of 2024. It offers training, seedlings and technical support for community gardens of at least 40 square meters run or planned by schools, hospitals, clubs and civic organizations, and supports municipalities in setting up or strengthening local seedling nurseries; its first edition worked mainly with school, hospital and organizational community gardens.

Tracey D., Gray T., Sweeting J., Kingsley J., Bailey A., Pettitt P. · Health & Social Care in the Community (Wiley/Hindawi), 2023:5570089 · Global

The first systematic review to summarize the benefits of community gardening for vulnerable populations such as low-socioeconomic-status and culturally diverse groups. Analyzing 33 studies, it finds social connection, health, education, and nutrition to be the most frequently reported benefits, supporting social inclusion and welfare.

· Wellbeing, Space and Society · Denmark

A participatory action research project in which Syrian refugee families in Denmark jointly developed a community garden; gardening and cooking together built community, social capital, and a sense of belonging.

· Cogent Economics & Finance · Tanzania

Analyzes household participation in agri-food based livelihoods across urban and peri-urban contexts of Tanzania.

· City · Austria (Vienna)

Examines how greening-oriented planning policy shifts in Vienna interact with gentrification pressures, analyzing whether municipal planning instruments mitigate or inadvertently enable green gentrification in a social-democratic housing context.

Chipo Hungwe · Journal of Women & Aging · Zimbabwe (Bulawayo)

A qualitative case study based on interviews with 19 older women heading grandmother-headed households in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. Urban agriculture did not reduce food insecurity or social exclusion for these participants. The barriers reported were difficulty obtaining land to cultivate, health problems associated with ageing, and the physically demanding nature of the farming work itself. The author concludes that social assistance, rather than reliance on urban agriculture as a livelihood strategy for elderly-headed households, is what these households need.

Clive R. Hollin · · Global

This research shifts focus from individual gardening to collective gardening activities shared by groups of people, examining communal gardens that benefit groups such as hospital residents, school pupils, or prison inmates. These "gardens for the people" take various forms, including allotments primarily for food production, school gardens for academic and social purposes, prison gardens for prisoner well-being and rehabilitation, gardens tended by immigrant populations, and guerrilla gardening.

Pauline Marsh, Suzanne Mallick, Dave Kendal, Renae Riviere · · Australia (Hobart)

In Hobart, Australia, a conservation program for culturally and linguistically diverse adult migrants was implemented. This study used mixed methods to examine how a structured program of plant nursery and field-based community conservation activities helped overcome participants' sense of feeling "out of place." Positive impacts were found on indirect health and wellbeing factors such as work skills, language acquisition, and social connection, and participants' self-esteem, happiness, and social connection were also cultivated.

Luis Carlos Estupiñán Aponte · Repositorio Institucional UPTC · Global

This project explores urban and peri-urban agriculture as a viable, though not comprehensive, solution to food vulnerability in urban areas, where access to food is often limited by purchasing power. It applies circular economy and agroecological principles, utilizing available resources for garden assembly, processing plant waste into fertilizers, and employing botanical and microbiological controls for phytosanitary management. The initiative emphasizes broad community participation, knowledge exchange, and the creation of social spaces to enhance food and nutrition security.

Shannon Doocy, Emily Lyles, Robert Kenyi Morjan, Kayla Pfieffer-Mundt, Courtland Robinson, Kevin Savage · Agriculture & Food Security · South Sudan

A prospective cohort study in South Sudan (2019–2021) examined the impact of cash assistance for work in community gardens on food security among 1213 cash-receiving, 582 non-intervention, and 300 later cash-receiving households. The study found no significant differences in changes over time in household hunger, coping strategies, or meal frequency between participants and the comparison group. Cash transfers did not appear to have lasting benefits on food security and livelihoods coping strategy use.

Fabèkourè Cédric Kambiré, Sheick Sangaré, Rayangnéwendé Adèle Ouédraogo, Adama Zanga Ouattara · Journal of Agricultural Chemistry and Environment · Burkina Faso (Bobo-Dioulasso)

This study investigated the chemical quality of soils across six market gardening sites in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, considering the impact of fertilizer use and site location. Soil samples from 30 farms in urban, semi-urban, and rural areas were analyzed for carbon, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, and pH, revealing that soil chemical parameters, except for available K, were affected by site location. Urban farm soils were less acidic, and long-term organic matter application improved soil chemical quality, though soil quality tended to decrease with area expansion.

Licia María Lilli · kult-ur revista interdisciplinària sobre la cultura de la ciutat · Argentina (Rosario)

This study reflects on sustainable food systems through the biographical narrative of Antonio Lattuca, a key figure in urban agriculture development in Rosario, Argentina. Based on a semi-structured interview, the research focuses on his activism in establishing urban gardens and institutionalizing collective strategies within the municipal government since the 1990s, including the Urban Agriculture Program. Rosario has over 34 years of urban agroecological experiences addressing urbanization, poverty, and exclusion.