Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
2012 results(50 / 81)
Playing with mud- becoming stuck, becoming free? … The negotiation of gendered/class identities when learning outdoors
2018Katherine Mycock · Children s Geographies · Global
This paper explores how mud is used to form gendered and class-based identities among children aged 3–11 years old during outdoor learning. Ethnographic fieldwork was conducted in a school garden and two forest schools during the 2014–2015 school year. The research found that mud kitchens and waterproofs partly governed experiences by creating separations between bodies and mud, though children's encounters sometimes exceeded pedagogical functions, leading to resistances.
Food educationCommunityHealthSustainability at SIT: a Look at the Past, a Plan for the Future
2018Taliesin Haugh · School for International Training Digital Collections (School for International Training) · Global
This paper outlines a 5-year plan for the School for International Training (SIT) to enhance sustainability praxis, building on its 2018 student-led community garden project. The plan aims for SIT to become an experiential ecology center, collaborating with local NGOs and hosting permaculture programs, to address climate change and contribute to sustainable development.
CommunityFood educationClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceSOS Polinizadores: un proyecto educativo sobre insectos polinizadores
2018Cindy Melissa Torres Peña · Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) · Spain
"SOS Polinizadores" is an educational project aimed at fostering knowledge and study of pollinating insects in ecosystems among students, teachers, and the broader educational community, including their impact on our lives and current threats. It also seeks to raise awareness about environmental problems and the sustainability of nearby ecosystems like parks, gardens, and urban and peri-urban vegetable gardens. The project was carried out in eight educational centers in Madrid in Spring 2017, with a guide provided for future implementation in other centers.
Food educationBiodiversityPollinatorsCommunityPromoting Effective Language Development In English Language Learners Through A School Garden-Based Curriculum
2018Krista Steffen · Digital Commons - Hamline (Hamline University) · Global
This project aimed to design a language-focused curriculum for English Language Learner (ELL) students, delivered through hands-on learning in a school garden. By synthesizing research on ELL, science, and outdoor education, eight best practices were identified to guide the curriculum's development. Findings indicated that garden-based education can effectively promote language development and improve student academics for ELLs when these strategies are applied.
Food educationCommunityResponding to neoliberal diets: School meal programmes in Brazil and Canada
2018Estevan Leopoldo de Freitas Coca, Ricardo Barbosa · Policy Press eBooks · Brazil, Canada
This chapter analyzes school meal programs in Brazil (PNAE) and Canada (F2S BC) as sustainable alternatives to corporate dominance in the global food system. PNAE creates an institutional market for family farmers and provides local food to students, while F2S BC involves school gardens, food education, and local food incentives. The study found that PNAE has wider reach but focuses on consumption, whereas F2S BC highlights schools as growing spaces and food as a pedagogical resource.
Food educationCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceWellbeing in school gardens – the case of the Gardens for Bellies food and environmental education program
2018Pernille Malberg Dyg, Karen Wistoft · Environmental Education Research · Denmark
An exploratory multiple case study in Denmark examined the "Gardens for Bellies" school garden program and its role in student wellbeing. The study indicated that the program promotes student wellbeing through positive emotions from being outdoors and positive social interactions, which seemed to affect self-esteem. While the majority of students experienced wellbeing, it is not documented whether these effects influence long-term wellbeing or planetary care, and not all students thrived in the garden's open space.
Food educationHealthCommunity11. Urban Gardening, Foodsharing and Makerspaces
2018Tim Schümann · · Germany (Bad Oldesloe)
The public library of Bad Oldesloe, Germany, developed a series of events combining makerspaces, community building, urban gardening, and foodsharing. This transformed the library into a modern and creative learning space and offered its physical space as a community platform for networking, cooperation, and creativity. This initiative demonstrates an opportunity for public libraries to show relevance and develop new sustainable services.
CommunityFood educationBecoming Garden
2018Kelsey Wapenaar, Aideen DeSchutter · Journal of Childhood Studies · Global
This paper consists of a series of moments evolving from an inquiry with a community garden plot, involving children's, educators', and families' experimentations and processes of "coming to know" the garden. Through this inquiry, it was found that a community garden is open to a plurality of possibilities. This entangled process of coming to know engages the imaginary and involves layers of touching, hearing, seeing, drawing, talking, writing, and storying the garden.
CommunityFood educationDIYA Handbook for Beginning and Veteran Garden Organizers
2018Renee Raiden Boyer, Ben Chapman · VTechWorks (Virginia Tech) · Global
This handbook outlines recommended agricultural practices for food safety in school and community gardens. Topics include food safety, site selection, pesticides and fertilizers, handwashing, water and irrigation, composting, garden design and animals, sanitation, and tools.
Food educationCommunityCompostOrganic cyclePKM PEMBERDAYAAN KELOMPOK PKK DENGAN MODEL URBAN FARMING DI DESA DAWUHAN LOR, SUKODONO, LUMAJANG
2018Nanik Furoidah, Muhammad Juhan · Prosiding Semnas PPM 2018 · Indonesia
This PKM activity aimed to empower PKK groups in RT 45 and RT 46, Dawuhan Lor Village, Sukodono, Lumajang, through urban farming to achieve economic productivity and family food security. The program provided soft skill training in urban farming, hydroponics, and portable cultivation, resulting in an approximately 80% increase in partners' urban farming knowledge, an approximately 80% increase in portable agriculture and composting skills, and a 40% increase in hydroponic skills. Consequently, about 15% of family fresh food needs could be met through self-cultivation, and family food security cadres capable of initiating sustainable urban farming activities were formed.
CommunityFood educationFood sovereignty & justiceDIYGENERACIÓN DE UN MODELO DE HUERTOS URBANOS COMO DESARROLLO SOSTENIBLE: CASO COLONIA LINDA VISTA DEL MUNICIPIO DEL CENTRO, EN VILLAHERMOSA, TABASCO.
2018Beatriz Doris Laury Dzib Moo, Sandra Patricia Dzib Moo, Gerardo González García · · Mexico (Villahermosa)
This study aims to help residents of Colonia Linda Vista in Villahermosa, Tabasco, understand the importance of implementing home gardens, targeting 7,500 inhabitants with a sample of 30 households. The primary objective of this first phase is to assist residents in comprehending the significance of urban gardens as an alternative to improve family nutrition and economy. The introduction of urban gardens is particularly emphasized due to the lack of parks and gardens for the residents in this area.
CommunityHealthEconomicsFood educationDevelopment of the food processing utilizing local vegetable-Commercializing dressing using the carrot of Niiza-
2018マリコ ソヤ, ミチコ コバヤシ, Mariko Soya, Michiko KOBAYASHI · Institutional Repositories DataBase (IRDB) · Japan (Niiza)
In Niiza City, the development of processed local vegetables is not advanced. This research matched the needs of Niiza City with the seeds of a university, leading to the industry-government-academia collaboration for the development of a "carrot dressing" using Niiza City's certified autumn-winter carrots. Students from the Department of Food and Nutrition were involved from cultivation to prototyping and design, resulting in manufacturing in March 2017 and sales in April through collaboration with local companies.
Food educationEconomicsUrban–rural linkageDesigning a Community Garden
2018Davide Fassi, Alessandro Sachero, Giulia Simeone · IDEA JOURNAL · Italy
This paper reviews Coltivando, a convivial garden at Politecnico di Milano, which serves as a design research project and a social and educational experiment. It brings together neighbors and design students to meet, cultivate, and share skills. The review analyzes the project's context, outputs, innovation, process, obstacles, impact, user needs, transferability, and dissemination.
CommunityFood educationDIYFortalecer los programas de orientación ambiental del Jardín Botánico de Bogotá en comunidades educativas de Bogotá
2018José Darío Barragán Romero, Johana Andrea Gutiérrez Rivera · · Colombia (Bogotá)
This document illustrates how urban agriculture is being applied in Bogotá, with the assistance of the Bogotá Botanical Garden (JBB), particularly in educational institutions. The objective is for young people to understand the benefits of urban agriculture through educational processes and replicate this information in their homes. The work consists of three parts: a photographic record of the gardens in educational institutions assisted by the JBB, the creation of a list of plant species suitable for cultivation in Bogotá, and a compilation of research related to the JBB on urban agriculture.
Food educationCommunityBiodiversityStakeholder Identified Community Garden Program Outcomes
2018Sue Webb, John Diaz · EDIS · United States
This 3-page publication discusses a statewide study conducted by the author to identify community garden program outcomes. The study was undertaken to address challenges in collecting meaningful data from community garden activities. The publication was issued by the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural Education and Communication in January 2018.
CommunityFood educationProposta pedagógica interdisciplinar realizada a partir da utilização da composteira numa horta escolar urbana<br>Propuesta pedagógica interdisciplinar realizada a partir de la utilización de la compostura en una horta escolar urbana<br>Interdisciplinary pedagogical proposal from the use of the composite in an urban school horta
2018Rodrigo Vanderlan do Nascimento, Ajibola Isau Badiru, Luiz Agberto Fragoso De Oliveira · REMEA - Revista Eletrônica do Mestrado em Educação Ambiental · Brazil (Maceió-Alagoas)
This study explored the pedagogical possibilities of using a composter for biofertilizer production as an interdisciplinary teaching resource in the school garden of Monte Sinai College in Maceió-Alagoas, Brazil. Employing a qualitative, exploratory research approach with observational data analysis, it identified educational benefits in environmental projects. The process utilized mango tree residues from the school as primary biomass generators for the composter.
Food educationCompostCommunityThe Use and Value of Green School Grounds in Developing Countries
2018Arlinda Sheqiri, Parna Rastgo · Journal of Environmental Science and Engineering - A · Europe
A study on the use and value of green school grounds in developing countries was conducted across five schools in Podujevo, Kosovo. The findings revealed that the potential of green school grounds in most studied cases has not been utilized. Opportunities provided by the municipality and environmental NGOs are insufficient, suggesting a need to rethink the design and use of green school grounds in developing countries.
Governance failureFood educationHealthCommunityPolicyMOVIMENTOS A FAVOR DA AGRICULTURA URBANA EM CURITIBA – PARANÁ E A CONSTITUIÇÃO DE PRÁTICAS DE ENSINO AMBIENTAIS/EDUCATIVAS
2018Ana Paula da Silva Rodrigues, Marcia Regina R. S. Zago, Nívea Gomes Nascimento de Oliveira, Lidia M. Lima, Eloy Fassi Casagrande, Maclóvia Corrêa da Silva, Alexandre Hüller · Educação Ambiental em Ação · Brazil (Curitiba)
This study identified the origins of urban gardens in Curitiba, Brazil, as a social movement for the appropriation of urban spaces and investigated their contribution to environmental education for urban sustainability through participation mechanisms and environmental education teaching practices.
CommunityFood educationPolicyClimate changeThe Smallest Sprouts
2018Katrina Hoch · · Global
Involving children in decisions and preparations for activities, particularly in natural settings, increases their enthusiasm and understanding of the food system. A 2015 systematic review of 13 studies found that participation in school garden programs led to an increased preference for vegetables. School gardens provide individual, interpersonal, and social benefits, engaging children in broader themes such as protecting biodiversity.
Food educationHealthBiodiversityAprovechamiento de los residuos sólidos a través del compostaje en la Escuela Tecnológica ITC
2018Fabiola Mejía, Clara Liliana Montero, Lina Marcela Arango, Emily Johanna Bermúdez · Letras ConCiencia TecnoLógica · Colombia (Bogotá)
At the Escuela Tecnológica Instituto Técnico Central (ETITC) in Bogotá, Colombia, a process for utilizing organic waste through composting was implemented. Following an "Urban Agriculture" workshop, organic waste from the ETITC cafeteria was collected and identified. Different mixtures were created to produce compost, which was then used in seedbeds and for transplanting seedlings. This research aimed to demonstrate the potential of using organic waste for compost production.
CompostFood educationOrganic cycleJames Greenlees’ school garden and the suburban dream in colonial Australia
2018Kay Whitehead · Studies in the History of Gardens & Designed Landscapes · Australia (Adelaide)
The public school at Plympton, although one of the smallest in the suburbs of Adelaide, has a reputation of its own. The headmaster, Mr. J. Greenlees, is an enthusiast in manual training.
Food educationCommunityDistribuição e dinâmica de ocupação socioespacial de iniciativas em agricultura urbana e periurbana do município de petrolina-pe, semiárido brasileiro
2018Lucas Ricardo Souza Almeida, Hélder Ribeiro Freitas, Ícaro Cardoso Maia, Rita de Cássia Rodrigues Gonçalves Gervásio, José de Alencar Peixoto Filho · Cadernos de Agroecologia · Brazil (Petrolina)
This study mapped urban community vegetable gardens in Petrolina, Brazil, using GPS and ArcGis software to understand their distribution and socio-spatial occupation. Results showed fewer gardens in the city center, with the majority located in peripheral areas, predominantly on public land, especially in schools. More recent urban and peri-urban agriculture initiatives have been established on private land.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPeri-urban agricultureFood educationFarm Fresh Foods: What to Know About Growing and Selling Produce in Buffalo
2018Colleen Roberts · eCommons (Cornell University) · United States (Buffalo)
This document details local regulations for market and community gardens in Buffalo, including rules for selling produce. It provides tips for locating suitable sites for food gardens and outlines educational opportunities for growing and selling. Topics such as plant selection and soil safety are also addressed.
PolicyFood educationCommunityEconomicsKey Program Outcomes for K-12 School Gardens Identified Through Expert Consensus
2018Susan Webb, John Diaz, Catherine Campbell · EDIS · United States
This article presents results from a Delphi study, which is the first step in developing a comprehensive set of indicators for K-12 school garden programs. The study addresses the lack of an outcome-driven framework for support organizations, such as Extension, to evaluate the short, medium, and long-term outcomes of school garden activities.
Food educationCommunityKnowledge and Experience Related to Community Supported Agriculture and Local Foods among Nutrition Educators
2018Rebecca A. Seguin‐Fowler, Jared T. McGuirt, Stephanie Jilcott Pitts, Jennifer Garner, Karla L. Hanson, Jane Kolodinsky, Marilyn Sitaker · Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition · Global
This qualitative study examined nutrition educators' (n=20 in telephone interviews, n=17 in focus groups) experiences, knowledge, and beliefs about local foods. Most educators identified as local food advocates, but few had direct experience with Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). Variability across seasons, financial issues, and risk of spoilage were identified as challenges of using seasonal, local foods within programming.
CSA & TeikeiFood educationCommunityHealth