Research & reports

Nadia Johanisova, Lucie Sovová, Eva Fraňková · Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks · Czech Republic

This chapter examines eco-social enterprises in the Czech Republic, a post-socialist country, using a five-dimensional framework to expand the EU social enterprise definition. The framework includes criteria such as other-than-profit goals, using profits for nature and community, democratic governance, rootedness in place, and non-market production. Research identified a heterogeneous group of entities, including organic farms and community gardens, shaped by varied traditions and ideologies.

Brandon García Rodríguez, José Andrés Martínez Machado, Reinier Lop Herrera, Reina Dayamí Reyna Reyes · Revista Científica Agroecosistemas · Cuba (Cienfuegos)

A study on the use of Meliponinos was conducted in two meliponarios in Cienfuegos province, Cuba, specifically in San Fernando de Camarones and Pueblo Nuevo. Interviews with bee owners and community members identified factors affecting the sustainable development of Meliponicultura within Urban, Suburban, and Family Agriculture systems. Findings indicated a tendency for the Melipona beecheii population to increase in both municipalities, and common factors affecting bees were identified.

Jiwon Park, Mi‐Ae Jeong · Journal of people, plants, and environment · Global

An analysis of 63 Korean and 90 overseas articles on urban gardens compared the types of physical and social benefits provided by gardens in urban areas. Community gardens were the most significant type in both Korea and overseas. Due to narrow urban structures, Korea focused on using rooftop, wall, and alley spaces, while overseas focused on promoting health and reducing food inequality through larger allotment and kitchen gardens. Urban gardens were found to have a positive effect on urban biodiversity, providing comprehensive environmental (37.73%) and social (62.27%) benefits.

Pierre Jassogne · · Belgium

SAULE (Urban Agriculture Housing Ecosystem Symbiosis) was a co-creation project conducted in Brussels, Belgium, from 2017 to 2020, involving citizens, urban agriculture professionals, researchers, social information specialists, and urban planners. Focused on the Ferme du Chant des Cailles urban agriculture site and the Archiducs – Logis-Floreal neighborhood, the project was initiated due to construction threats to the site. The research aimed to reflect on the challenge of combining ecological transition and social cohesion at the Brussels regional level.

Dona Pickard · Sociological Problems Journal · Bulgaria (Sofia)

This article analyzes the attitudes toward urban agriculture as an instrument for sustainable urban policies among local authorities, practitioners, and civil groups in Sofia, Bulgaria. Based on data from the research project "Urban agriculture as a strategy for improving the quality of life of urban communities" (2016–2020), the analysis reveals existing deficits in communication and information exchange between these actors. Factors for these deficits and ways to overcome them are also outlined.

Solon Alberto Calero Cruz, Carmen Cecilia Rivera Gómez · Repositorio Digital Universidad Autonoma de Occidente · Colombia (Cali)

This chapter discusses practical urban agriculture approaches to food sovereignty in Cali, Colombia, focusing on five food production and distribution spheres. It examines how participatory communication influences social change and urban sustainability by analyzing how approaches emphasize or de-emphasize culturally situated experiences. The study summarized the outcomes of an intercultural collective convened to discuss communication processes linked to food production and distribution, aiming to understand the most prominent subjectivities.

Abby M. Lohr, Keegan C. Krause, D. Jean McClelland, Noah Van Gorden, Lynn B. Gerald, Vincent J. Del Casino, Ada M. Wilkinson‐Lee, Scott C. Carvajal · Journal of Adventure Education & Outdoor Learning · Global

This scoping review synthesized evidence on the impact of school gardens on youth Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), screening 1589 abstracts and 76 full-text articles to include eight studies. While qualitative studies suggested a positive influence on SEL, quantitative studies showed few statistically significant results. Therefore, current evidence from qualitative research indicates school garden programs have the potential to successfully enhance experiences that promote SEL, but more research is needed to further investigate this claim.

Anita Pinheiro, Madhav Govind · Journal of Scientometric Research · Global

This scientometric analysis explored global research trends in urban agriculture from 2004-2018 using articles from the SCOPUS database. Research attention significantly increased from 2013, predominantly in the Global North, focusing on food security, sustainability, and community gardening within Social Sciences. The study found very little research in urban agriculture policy and governance.

Ines Babnik · IntechOpen eBooks · Global

This paper discusses how historical gardens, from ancient Mesopotamia to the Renaissance and Baroque eras, have shaped human living environments and incorporated green elements. It proposes that studying the motifs and innovations of these historical gardens can offer inspiration and possibilities for the design and development of present and future urban horticultural gardens.

Noriah Othman, Siti Zabeda Mohammad, Nurhayati Abdul Malek, Mohd Ali Waliyuddin A. Razak · Environment-Behaviour Proceedings Journal · Malaysia

This study was conducted in Malaysia to identify deterrent factors hindering "community buy-in" in urban farming projects and to understand how to overcome these problems. The research aims to identify these factors to achieve and sustain community buy-in in urban farming projects in the future.

Jefry Joel López Acevedo · REICE Revista Electrónica de Investigación en Ciencias Económicas · Nicaragua

A 2019 case study at the Rubén Darío educational center in Nicaragua investigated the operation of a school garden, its production, connection to food and nutritional security, and its use as a pedagogical tool in primary education. The garden facilitated food availability, access, and consumption, with harvests complementing school snacks. Furthermore, 100% of primary school teachers utilized the school garden as a pedagogical tool, allowing students to apply theory to practice.

Silvana Nicola, A. Ferrante, Giacomo Cocetta, Roberta Bulgari, Carlo Nicoletto, Paolo Sambo, Andrea Ertani · Bulletin of University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca Horticulture · Global

The Covid-19 pandemic revealed the vulnerability of the agrifood system, with lockdowns disrupting long-distance fresh vegetable supply chains and causing dramatic declines in local market sales. While purchases concentrated in supermarkets, increasing crowding risks, gardening can increase opportunities for local and fresh food availability. Scaling up local food production is important to enhance community resilience.

Debra J. Davidson · International Journal of Sociology of Agriculture and Food · Global

This study assessed the multiple emergent effects of urban agriculture activities through an extensive, interdisciplinary literature review to discuss its disruptive potential. It suggests that producing food in cities is not inherently transformative in itself, but the potential and observed new forms of social engagement emerging in many contexts can create institutional conditions that may disrupt conventional agri-food systems by building social capital as much as physical capital.

Kate Gardner Burt, Gail Mayer, Rachel Paul · Local Environment · Global

A systematic review analyzed 277 community gardening articles to assess outcomes of community garden participation related to food justice, synthesizing 31 studies. Many positive impacts were indicated across seven social and dietary outcomes. Community garden participation was positively correlated with community connectedness, but evidence demonstrating diet improvement was neutral. Methodological rigor in study design and lack of participant racial/ethnic and socioeconomic diversity were common issues, leaving the effectiveness of community gardening as a strategy for a more equitable food system unclear.

Aisling Bailey, Jonathan Kingsley · Local Environment · Australia (Melbourne)

This qualitative study investigated how community and allotment gardening may enhance wellbeing for people and place in urban Melbourne, Australia. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 23 participants representing six community/allotment gardens. The findings suggested that community and allotment gardening enhance people's wellbeing on a personal mental and physical level, through social connectedness and community, and by connecting with the natural environment through the gardens themselves.

Sandesh Thapa, Rakshya Bhandari, Anjal Nainabasti · Ecofeminism and Climate Change · Nepal

A random sampling survey in Dhulikhel, Kavrepalanchok district, Nepal, found that while all respondents perceived rooftop farming as beneficial, many could not practice it due to constraints like fear of roof damage. Practicing farmers also faced difficulties managing rooftop gardens due to a lack of proper knowledge and reliance on non-recyclable planting materials.

Morten Kromann Nielsen, Pernille Malberg Dyg, Karen Wistoft · Food Culture & Society · Denmark

This article explores taste education within the outdoor educational context of Danish school gardens, specifically the "Gardens for Bellies" program. It found that despite lacking an explicit pedagogy of taste, tasting is central to student involvement, encouraging reflection and autonomous taste judgments. The study suggests a critical, reflective, and systematic approach to taste education can link school garden experiences to broader educational goals.

Kamal Prasad Acharya, Govinda Prasad Devkota, Krishna P. Dhakal · Higher Education Studies · Nepal

This article explores the possibilities of using eco-san in school gardens in Nepalese community schools, focusing on transformative pedagogical impacts on the social learning environment. The use of urine as fertilizer through eco-san positively impacted students' meaningful engagement, social connections, and confidence development, as shown by qualitative data from students, parents, and teachers. Parents and teachers highly valued increased student engagement, opportunities for experiential learning through dialogue conferences, and the building of social skills like cooperation and argumentation.

Stefan Staehle · sub\urban zeitschrift für kritische stadtforschung · Global

This study offers an alternative perspective on the critical practice of urban gardening, highlighting the ambivalence of the phenomenon. Specifically, the decoupling of social and artistic critique is shown to lead to a programmatic weakening of initiatives and their co-optation by neoliberal urban policies. This can reverse the critical practice of spatial appropriation into its opposite.

Margarita Triguero‐Mas, Isabelle Anguelovski, Judith Cirac‐Claveras, James J. Connolly, Ana Vázquez, Ferran Urgell-Plaza, Núria Cardona-Giralt, Esther Sanyé‐Mengual, Jordi Alonso, Helen Cole · Preventing Chronic Disease · Global

This study evaluated the association between urban rooftop gardening and the quality of life for individuals with moderate to very marked disabilities. Questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and field observations were conducted with 54 gardeners and 43 non-gardeners. Results indicated that urban rooftop gardening was associated with better personal development and suggested enhanced physical and emotional well-being, sense of purpose, social inclusion, interpersonal relations, and general quality of life.

Effrosini Melissourgou, Nefeli Kassari, Irene Manoukaraki, George Melissourgos, Amane Awir, Irene Vergaki, Yiannis Dramitinos, Ariadne Delilai, Laith Yazi, Nektarios Tsagliotis · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Global

This report shares 12 years of knowledge and practice regarding companion planting in a school garden, where seed plants are prepared in a greenhouse and transplanted to raised beds. Through testing many combinations, it was found that some combinations help companion plants flourish, leading to improved vegetable crops and quality products for the community.

Pauline Marsh · · Australia

A 2020 study investigated the nexus between urban agroecology and public health, using four case studies of community gardens in urban and peri-urban sites in Tasmania, Australia. The research demonstrated how place-based modes of community care can impact broader public health aims, such as positive risk-taking and addressing health inequities, and have implications for urban agroecology. It concluded that an improved understanding of the connection between community gardening and public health principles allows for a better understanding of agroecology's significance and its potential contribution to human health and well-being.

Pozo Palacios, María Gabriela · · Ecuador (Cuenca)

This paper describes the context of urban agriculture in the historic center of Cuenca, Ecuador, highlighting challenges posed by urbanization and gentrification. It mentions the increase in urbanization rates in Latin America since 1950 and its impact on the food production sector. The paper also touches upon the tradition of private patios devoted to family farming in Cuenca's republican architectural typologies and the diminution of farming areas due to rising land prices, but it does not present specific research methods, findings, or conclusions.

Paul Sherfey · Budkavlen · Global

This study explores human-animal relationships, particularly with insects, in collective gardens through observation and digital research. It demonstrates that in collective gardens, cultivating community is as important as cultivating organic produce, and this community includes not only humans but also animal species like insects. The article analyzes why gardeners show interest in building hotels and cafes, sowing meadows, and arranging festivals for insects, especially bees, and contrasts discourses about bees with the lack of similar discourse about wasps, considering how different cultural heritages affect the value placed on species.

Govinda Prasad Devkota, Sheri Lee Bastien, Petter D. Jenssen, Manoj K. Pandey, Bhimsen Devkota, Shyam Krishna Maharjan · International Education Studies · Nepal

This Participatory Action Research study in Nepal investigated five teachers' perceptions of using urine diversion dry toilets (UDDTs) and human urine as fertilizer in school gardens. Few teachers accepted human urine as fertilizer, considering it impure and expressing unwillingness to use it on crops. Teachers disliked UDDTs due to perceived bad odor and uncomfortable sitting positions, especially for females, and felt urine as fertilizer was unnecessary.