Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
3315 results(51 / 133)
Cadenas de valor cortas hortícolas en Lima - Perú
2021Rendón Schneir E. · e-Agronegocios, Vol. 7, No. 2 · Peru (Lima)
Analyzes short horticultural value chains (cadenas cortas) in Lima, showing that removing intermediaries improves farmer incomes and strengthens urban food security, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
EconomicsCommunityPolicyA systematic scoping review of the impacts of community food production initiatives in Kenya, Cameroon, and South Africa
2021Hutton G.B., Brugulat-Panés A., Bhagtani D., Maadjhou Mba C., Birch J.M., Shih H., Okop K., Muti M., Wadende P., Tatah L., Mogo E., Guariguata L., Unwin N. · Journal of Global Health Reports · Cameroon
This systematic scoping review synthesized 118 studies (from 4,828 screened) on community food production initiatives across Kenya, Cameroon, and South Africa, finding that economic and environmental impacts dominated the literature while health and social dimensions were understudied; Cameroon-specific studies (10 papers) primarily addressed economic impacts.
CommunityHealthEconomicsFood educationExploring the needs of urban producers in a rural state: A qualitative needs assessment
2021Catherine Sanders, Casandra Cox, Leslie Edgar, Donna Graham, Amanda Philyaw Perez · Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development · United States (Arkansas)
This qualitative study conducted in-depth interviews with 16 urban farmers in Northwest and Central Arkansas to assess their needs and their interactions with the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service. Needs were highly individualized by operation size, years in operation, and mission, but common needs included market pricing, co-ops, and equipment access; participants viewed Extension positively but noted it lacked resources specific to small-scale, sustainable farming.
EconomicsCommunityPolicyModels for cost-offset community supported agriculture (CO-CSA) programs
2021Marilyn Sitaker, Mackenzie McCall, Weiwei Wang, Mia Vaccaro, Jane Kolodinsky, Alice Ammerman, Stephanie Jilcott Pitts, Karla Hanson, Diane Smith, Rebecca Seguin-Fowler · Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development · United States
Using a qualitative approach, this study describes the organizational models and best practices of five well-established nonprofit cost-offset community-supported agriculture (CO-CSA) programs in the US, which aim to increase low-income households' access to fresh produce while helping CSA farms grow. Administration took several forms—direct subsidies to member farms, acting as an aggregator/packer/distributor, or sourcing from an in-house incubator or food hub—funded through government grants, donations, and fundraising, with dedicated staff and community partnerships identified as key success factors.
EconomicsWelfareCommunityAssessment of Urban Agriculture for Evidence-Based Food Planning: A Case Study in Chengdu, China
2021· Sustainability · China (Chengdu)
Assesses how urban agriculture can inform evidence-based food planning in Chengdu, China. The staple-food self-sufficiency rate was 83.82% in 2019, suggesting potential food-security pressures.
PolicyEconomicsComparative analysis of carbon footprint between conventional smallholder operation and innovative large-scale farming of urban agriculture in Beijing, China
2021· PeerJ · China (Beijing)
Compares the carbon footprint of conventional smallholder operations versus innovative large-scale urban farming in Beijing, China.
EconomicsOrganic cycleComprehensive Food System Planning for Urban Food Security in Nanjing, China
2021· Land · China (Nanjing)
Discusses comprehensive food-system planning for urban food security in Nanjing, China, including expansion of peri-urban greenhouse vegetable production.
PolicyEconomicsCausal Relations of Upscaled Urban Aquaponics and the Food-Water-Energy Nexus—A Berlin Case Study
2021· Water · Germany (Berlin)
Analyzes the causal relations of upscaled urban aquaponics with the food-water-energy nexus, using Berlin as a case study.
EconomicsOrganic cycleLow-Cost Smart Indoor Greenhouse for Urban Farming
2021· Computational Science and Its Applications – ICCSA 2021 (LNCS) · Global
Presents the design of a low-cost smart indoor greenhouse to cultivate herbs and vegetables with minimum human intervention, monitored by a web application. It builds on IoT-based monitoring systems for indoor micro-climate horticulture.
DIYEconomicsDesign and Implementation of an LED Automatic Lighting System for Plant Factories
2021· IEEE Photonics Journal · Global
Design and implementation of an LED automatic lighting system for plant factories that provides automatic dimming and multi-band colour mixing, adjusting light intensity and colour to plant needs to increase crop yield.
DIYEconomicsEconomic viability of a small scale low-cost aquaponic system in South Africa
2021· Journal of Applied Aquaculture · South Africa
The study analyzes the economic feasibility of a small-scale, low-cost aquaponic system in South Africa, examining how the fish-to-plant revenue ratio affects viability.
DIYEconomicsEvaluation of Lettuce Growth, Yield, and Economic Viability Grown Vertically on Unutilized Building Wall in Dhaka City
2021· Frontiers in Sustainable Cities · Bangladesh (Dhaka)
Evaluates the growth, yield and economic viability of lettuce grown vertically on a building wall in Dhaka, finding a green-leaf cultivar in an organic medium significantly outperformed other treatments.
DIYEconomicsExpanding the Level of Technological Readiness for a Low-Cost Vertical Hydroponic System
2021· Inventions · Global
Presents a design advancing the technological readiness of a low-cost vertical hydroponic system using lighter, cheaper materials such as aluminum and PVC with integrated drip irrigation for resource-limited settings.
DIYEconomicsAssessing sense of community at farmers markets: A systematic review
2021Russomanno J., Jabson Tree J. · Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development · USA
A PRISMA-guided systematic review of how sense of community (belonging) at farmers markets shapes customer engagement, and how markets relate to food access for low-income shoppers.
CommunityEconomicsWelfarePost-harvest losses in rural-urban value chains: Evidence from Ethiopia
2021Minten B., Tamru S., Reardon T. · Food Policy · Ethiopia
Analyses self-reported post-harvest losses across farmers, wholesalers, processors, and retailers along rural-urban value chains for teff and liquid milk in Ethiopia.
Food lossEconomicsClosed-Loop Biodigesters on Small-Scale Farms in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Review
2021Kulkarni I., Zang J., Leandro W., Parikh P., Adler I., Da Fonseca-Zang W., Campos L. · Water · Low- and middle-income countries (review)
A review of closed-loop biodigesters on small-scale farms in low- and middle-income countries, converting organic waste into energy and nutrient-rich digestate fertilizer integrated with food production.
Organic cycleFood lossEconomicsSearching for the plot: narrative self-making and urban agriculture during the economic crisis in Slovenia
2021Petra Matijevic · Agriculture and Human Values · Slovenia (Ljubljana)
An ethnographic study in Ljubljana, Slovenia, carried out between summer 2014 and autumn 2015: informal conversations with 57 growers across 13 sites, 25 semi-structured life-history interviews, and participant observation on the researcher's own rented plot. Plot-taking surged during the post-2009 debt crisis (an 8% economic contraction; unemployment rising from 7% to 13% by 2013), and one gardening association had roughly 350 member households by 2015, over 40% of whom joined after 2010. The author argues, however, that this surge did not work as household food or income provisioning. Newcomers who took up plots for economic reasons frequently abandoned them within a year; those who did grow food continued to rely on market produce; and people at the very bottom of the economic scale had neither the skills, tools nor time to feed themselves from a plot. Growers were strongly opposed to selling surpluses and gave them away instead. The paper concludes that urban gardening functioned as a narrative practice repairing biographical rupture after unemployment or retirement, not as an informal economy.
EconomicsCommunityWelfareReviewing financing barriers and strategies for urban nature-based solutions
2021Helen Toxopeus, Friedemann Polzin · Journal of Environmental Management · Global
A systematic review of academic literature identified key barriers and strategies for financing urban nature-based solutions (NBS), including urban agriculture. Two overarching barriers were found: a lack of coordination between private and public financiers, and difficulties in integrating NBS benefits into valuation and accounting methods. The review concluded that an integrated accounting and valuation framework for NBS is currently lacking, and strategies often focus on encouraging co-financing from private beneficiaries.
Economic viabilityEconomicsPolicyCommunityCan Allotment Gardens (AGs) Be Considered an Example of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) Based on the Use of Historical Green Infrastructure?
2021Barbara Sowińska-Świerkosz, Malwina Michalik-Śnieżek, Alicja Bieske-Matejak · Sustainability · Poland
This study analyzed the potential of allotment gardens (AGs) in Poland to be considered nature-based solutions (NBS), examining their use of green/blue infrastructure, problem-solving capabilities, benefits, and economic efficiency. The study identified institutional barriers, irregular distribution of benefits, and deficiencies in economic efficiency as significant obstacles. It concluded that AGs, while a type of unsophisticated NBS, have limited effectiveness.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyEconomicsPublic versus private: Juxtaposing urban allotment gardens as multifunctional Nature-based Solutions. Insights from Seville
2021Barbara Maćkiewicz, Raúl Puente Asuero · Urban forestry & urban greening · Spain (Seville)
This paper compares public and private urban allotment gardens (AGs) in Seville, Spain, as nature-based solutions (NBS). Both types of AGs are found to have positive impacts on user health and well-being and complement each other. The choice between public and private AGs is primarily linked to freedom of cultivation and access, rather than economic factors. The study concludes that both public and private AGs require integrated territorial, legal, and institutional frameworks within urban policies.
CommunityPolicyHealthEconomicsUrban Agriculture on the Rooftop
2021Sumita Ghosh · · Global
This research conducted a desktop review and analyzed six international case studies of rooftop urban farms, community gardens, and home gardens. The analysis found that productive landscapes already exist on city rooftops, contributing positively to community, environment, ecology, economy, and society. Planning and designing rooftop gardens in dense urban areas could foster place-making through urban agriculture.
DIYCommunityClimate changeEconomicsBiodiversityAssessing Agri-Food Start-Ups Sustainability in Peri-Urban Agriculture Context
2021Ambrogio Zanzi, Valentina Vaglia, Roberto Spigarolo, Stefano Bocchi · Land · Italy (Milan)
This study assessed the sustainability of eight agri-food start-ups in a peri-urban area of Milan, Italy, using the FAO's Sustainability Assessment of Food and Agriculture systems (SAFA) framework. The application of SAFA indicators revealed positive aspects but also some limitations typical of unstructured enterprises.
Economic viabilityPeri-urban agricultureEconomicsPolicyCommunityClimate changePromoting Urban Agriculture and Its Opportunities and Challenges—A Global Review
2021Chethika Gunasiri Wadumestrige Dona, Geetha Mohan, Kensuke Fukushi · Sustainability · Global
This systematic literature review analyzed 54 articles on urban agriculture, examining socio-economic context, agriculture models, opportunities, and challenges. The review found that academic literature favors community gardens in developed countries and gives comparatively less attention to identifying challenges, benefit groups, and government support for urban agriculture.
Governance failureCommunityHealthEconomicsPolicyExploring the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of community-supported agriculture in Italy
2021Marco Medici, Maurizio Canavari, Alessandra Castellini · Journal of Cleaner Production · Italy
This study investigated the status and evolution of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in Italy, examining its social, environmental, and economic benefits. Using CSA data, participant observation, thematic network analysis, and interviews with CSA representatives, it found that Italian CSA generally meets sustainability goals, though with varying levels of member involvement, economic viability, and environmental impact across communities. The lack of policy support is hindering further CSA diffusion and consolidation.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsCommunityClimate changeEnvironmental and social life cycle assessment of growing media for urban rooftop farming
2021Susana Toboso‐Chavero, Cristina Madrid‐López, Gara Villalba, Xavier Gabarrell, Arne Björn Hückstädt, Matthias Finkbeiner, Annekatrin Lehmann · The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment · Global
A comprehensive environmental and social life cycle assessment of perlite, peat, and coir growing media, imported to Spain from Turkey, Germany, and the Philippines respectively, was conducted for urban rooftop farming. Environmentally, coir had the lowest burden, while perlite had the highest impacts due to mining and transport. Socially, peat performed best, but coir showed the worst scores in community infrastructure and human rights, and perlite performed lowest in health and safety.
Equity & displacementDigital agricultureClimate changeEconomicsFood sovereignty & justice