Research & reports

HD Vashi, PK Dubey · International Journal of Chemical Studies · Global

This paper discusses urban farming and vertical farming as solutions for future urban food security and sustainability, addressing environmental changes and resource shortages. It highlights how urban farming, including green rooftops, can contribute to environmental, social, and economic sustainability by improving urban greenery and food systems. Vertical farming is presented as a method to produce large quantities of fresh food in densely populated areas with limited land.

Francisco Fransualdo de Azevedo, Helena Perxacs, Maria Angelis Alió · Mercator · Global

This study aimed to deepen the social dimension of urban agriculture by examining experiences in cities such as Barcelona, Girona, and Natal. It proposed a scheme of the various advantages urban agriculture offers to society, including contributing to urban poverty reduction and improving public health. The study concluded that urban agriculture represents a social phenomenon of territorial resistance and a transition towards a more balanced productive paradigm.

Adrián H. Hearn, Thaís Mauad, Chris Williams, Luís Fernando Amato‐Lourenço, Guilherme Reis Ranieri · Journal of Urbanism International Research on Placemaking and Urban Sustainability · Australia (Melbourne)

This article analyzed the phenomenon of urban agriculture promotion by real estate developers and community associations in Melbourne and São Paulo. Developers of upmarket condominiums advertise urban agriculture as a purchasable commodity, but the gentrifying effects of these developments deepen rather than alleviate social and environmental ills. In contrast, community projects in four case studies emphasized urban agriculture's ability to confront the long-term neglect of land, employment, and environment.

Nazanin Nafisi, Osman Mohd Tahir, Sara Nafisi, Nazri Ishak · Journal of Architectural Environment & Structural Engineering Research · Malaysia

To investigate the effectiveness of urban farming programs in Malaysia, this study focused on small-scale agriculture projects like community gardens and community-level programs such as community supported agriculture and farmers markets. The study found that urban agriculture enhances community resilience and wellbeing. It highlighted the necessity for Malaysian urban authorities to provide appropriate identification and support to city dwellers and promote urban farming practices.

Amit Umesh Paschapur, Chaitra G. Bhat · · Global

This article focuses on the history, types, major cultivated crops, advantages, success stories, and future scope of urban agriculture. Urban agriculture is the practice of cultivating, processing, and marketing food in and around urban localities, also encompassing animal husbandry, aquaculture, beekeeping, and horticulture. It contributes to providing fresh food, generating employment, recycling urban wastes, creating greenbelts, and strengthening cities' resilience to climate change.

Charlotte Glennie · Sustainability · Global

This article argues that the process of community formation and strengthening in shared growing spaces, such as community gardens and orchards, is a crucial element of urban sustainability. Based on 55 interviews with urban agriculture planning stakeholders, it shows a widespread understanding that shared growing spaces enhance both environmental and social sustainability. However, the difficulty in quantifying these social benefits poses a challenge for advocates in communicating with policymakers.

Linda Corkery, Sara Padgett Kjaersgaard, Lisa Thomson · · Australia

This case study was undertaken in collaboration with Indigenous practice partner Jiwah. One of the core principles underpinning its development and collaboration is the concept of 'give back'. The research partners are committed to sharing the knowledge that was shared with them, with other Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.

Zornitsa Stoyanova · Economic Alternatives · Bulgaria

This paper aims to determine the possibilities of urban agriculture for improving life quality in Bulgaria, based on an assessment of its ecological impact. It analyzes respondents' opinions on the environmental benefits, customer profiles, product types, and production methods of urban agriculture. Conclusions relate to urban agriculture's potential for food security, resource optimization, green practices, and local employment.

Christina Plank, Robert Häfner, Rike Stotten · Österreichische Zeitschrift für Soziologie · Austria

This paper analyzes Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in Austria, examining its values-based production and consumption within the "third food regime" using an interdisciplinary framework. The study found that CSA is currently a niche in Austria, where solidarity, community attachment, and respect for nature are central ideals for members. However, CSA initiatives face institutional, social, and material challenges in daily practices that require attention for their long-term viability.

Stepha McMullin, Barbara Stadlmayr, Erick Ngethe, Brendah Wekesa, Ken Njogu, Agnes Gachuiri, Ben Mbaya, Agnes Katiwa, Ramni Jamnadass · · Global

This chapter discusses the role of neglected indigenous fruit trees in providing vital minerals and micronutrients to children and communities, and in addressing seasonality and hunger periods. It highlights their diversity, food composition, and contribution to dietary needs, as well as a 'portfolio approach' for addressing nutritional gaps. School gardens are presented as an entry point for integrating and promoting these trees for nutrition education and community engagement.

Gülşah KURU, Esra DEMİR ÖZTÜRK, Furkan Atmaca · İlköğretim Online · Global

A study using semi-structured interviews with 30 primary school teachers and 12 school managers revealed opinions on the evaluation of primary school gardens. The majority of participants believed their school gardens were inadequate, citing examples such as a lack of playgrounds, insufficient green areas, and the use of gardens as car parks.

Zeinab Abd Elkader, Ahmed Haroun · Fayoum University Journal of Engineering · Egypt

The legislative and executive challenges of roof gardens in new cities in Egypt were clarified. Theoretical studies, including an applied study in Sheikh Zayed City, were presented. The research suggests that while roof gardens offer environmental, social, and economic benefits, challenges exist for their widespread application.

Lexi Earl, Pat Thomson · · Global

This scholarship reviews current research on the history of school gardens, examining their purposes and practices through a discourse lens. It analyzes school garden movements in the US, Australia, and England, identifying a range of benefits and challenges. The study combines analyses to offer an analytic framework for case study materials.

Lexi Earl, Pat Thomson · · Global

This chapter considers the challenges faced by school gardens. School gardens often have tenuous links with subjects other than health, nutrition, geography, or science, and practical challenges exist in their establishment and maintenance. Key issues of teacher learning, management of resources, and school identity and ethos are also highlighted regarding school change. The chapter concludes with unanswered questions about the prospects for school gardening, particularly whether and how school gardens might be part of an educational solution to the questions posed by the pandemic and climate collapse.

Ana Mélice Dias, Teresa Marat-Mendes · Portuguese National Funding Agency for Science, Research and Technology (RCAAP Project by FCT) · Portugal (Lisbon)

In Lisbon's Greater Area, Portugal, the morphological impact of municipal planning instruments (Municipal Master Plans) on urban agriculture was investigated. It was concluded that current planning regulations prioritize leisure and aesthetic solutions for urban agriculture uses, rather than design solutions that address economic growth or ecological diversity.

Zornitsa Stoyanova, Galina Koleva · · Bulgaria

In Bulgaria, the economic aspects of urban agriculture were evaluated using a literature review and qualitative research methods. The study's purpose was to assess the economic aspects of urban agriculture to propose conclusions about its economic benefits for people and society in Bulgaria. No specific findings are presented.

Joycelyn K. Quansah, Cesar L. Escalante, Angela Parry‐Hanson Kunadu, Firibu Kwesi Saalia, Jinru Chen · Agriculture · Ghana (Accra)

A survey was conducted among 102 urban leafy green vegetable farmers from 12 farming areas in Accra, Ghana, to determine agricultural practices and their association with microbial safety of vegetables produced. It was observed that 70% of farmers used water from waste drains for irrigation, 99% used incompletely composted manure, 96% harvested with bare hands, and over 60% disagreed that polluted irrigation water can contaminate vegetables or make consumers sick. Vegetables cultivated by farmers with no formal education, less food safety knowledge, and those who disagreed about contaminated water causing illness were associated with higher fecal coliform and Enterococcus sp. counts.

Jana Walsh · · Global

In this chapter, Jana Walsh recounts her experience implementing nature journaling in her school garden with kindergarten students over a school year. Her research examined children's and her own sense of place and belonging, sense of story, and use of authentic literacy. The account indicates that children engaged in powerful learning with the assistance of the journals and the setting, and experienced a sense of peace and calmness as they built connections with the natural world.

Karácsony Zoltán · · Global

This paper presents three examples of urban plant cultivation directions. One of these,

S. Serra, P. Afonso, Tereza Cristina Lopes Duarte · Open Schools Journal for Open Science · Global

In a school in Portugal, an interdisciplinary "Green School" project, encompassing Natural Sciences, Mathematics, ICT, and other subjects, was implemented based on student interest. For this project, students were involved in planning, partnership building, execution, and maintenance of a school garden to improve school green spaces. As a result, throughout the school year, changes in behavior regarding the garden and care for green spaces were observed among participating students and the wider school community.

Samantha Noll · Open Philosophy · Global

This study explores how justice-oriented urban agriculture projects, guided by "food justice" and "food sovereignty" goals, transform city contexts by reducing regulatory barriers that could perpetuate systems of oppression. The study argues that by removing regulatory barriers, urban agriculture projects are transforming cityscapes in ways that cultivate justice at the system level.

Lenka Dubová, Jan Macháč, Alena Vacková · Sustainability · Czechia

To understand the drivers for inhabitants of Czech cities joining community gardens, data was obtained through an online survey from 28 community gardens across Czechia. The importance of different drivers was examined using statistical analysis and logit models. The research showed that the main motivation for members is not crop production itself, but rather the spending of leisure time, social contact, and relaxation.

C. Jorge Félix Massani Enríquez, Luisa Fernanda · · Colombia

This qualitative ethnographic study in the Noble y de Paz Marco Aurelio Buendia community, Charras, Guaviare, Colombia, analyzed the contributions of collectively constructed community gardens to the food autonomy of FARC ex-combatants. Using semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and participatory observation, the research found that participants perceive community gardens as a tool for their food process, contributing to food autonomy, strengthening nutritional status, and fostering community and family ties through collective work.

Nick Roskruge · · New Zealand

In New Zealand, the resurgence of Māori school gardens (māra) reflects a broader trend of intergenerational activities introducing younger generations to food cultivation. Māori mara, historically used for food production (mara kai) to support families and communities, are seen as contributing to the well-being of participants beyond just growing food. Tahuri Whenua initiated its first project, "Spud-in-a-bucket," in 2008, promoting it to all schools, especially Māori immersion schools.

Iván Dario Gómez Raigozo, Jaime Andres Chico Prada · · Colombia (Bogotá)

This abstract describes support provided to the environmental education program of the Bogotá Botanical Garden "Jose Celestino Mutis". The program targets various interest groups in the Suba, Engativá, and Usaquén localities, addressing themes such as environmental interpretation, urban agriculture, and silviculture. The aim is to foster knowledge for sustainable development and a lifestyle aligned with environmental and climatic realities.