Research & reports

Julie Collins · Australian Planner · Australia (Adelaide)

This article examines small-scale green spaces developed on underutilized land in inner-city Adelaide, South Australia. Through three case studies—a café, a bar, and a community garden—it investigates how familiar domestic outdoor design characteristics have been used for placemaking in commercial settings, bringing a sense of "home" to the city's commercial center. These green spaces contribute to revitalization by imaginatively treating leftover spaces and integrating stories and nostalgia into place creation.

Leonie K. Fischer, Jonah L. Landor-Yamagata, Ingo Kowarik · · Global

This paper illustrates the benefits of urban foraging, the practice of collecting wild-growing edible plants in urban green spaces worldwide. It describes how ecological and cultural knowledge intertwine in this practice and elucidates approaches used in urban foraging studies globally, including an example from Berlin, Germany. The paper also highlights challenges and opportunities for urban greenspace planning and management related to foraging.

Katherine C. R. Baldock · Current Opinion in Insect Science · Global

Urban expansion is a major threat to biodiversity, yet some pollinator groups, particularly bees, can thrive in urban areas. Recent studies indicate that local floral resources and the amount of impervious cover influence pollinator abundance, richness, and community composition. Urban intensification, chemicals, climate change, and increased honey bee colony densities all negatively affect urban pollinators.

Michael Deflorian · Social movement studies · Global

This article examines the volatile participation of critical creatives in collective alternative everyday practices (CAEPs) like community gardens, which often involves irregular engagement and adherence to unsustainable consumer lifestyles. Drawing on Late-Modern Subject Theory, it argues that participants attempt to embody an idealized Self but fail persistently due to structural constraints and personal liberties in late-modern society. This results in "refigurations" of utopia that are bound to fail, highlighting a governance challenge in sustaining engagement.

Pauline Marsh, Suzanne Mallick, Emily J. Flies, Penelope Jones, Sue Pearson, Iain S. Koolhof, Jason Byrne, Dave Kendal · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · Global

This study assessed the socio-spatial context of a proposed Campus Community Garden (CCG) at a student university accommodation site. It explored perceptions of the space and the proposed garden through interviews, focus groups, a survey with diverse university and community stakeholders, visual observations, and public life surveying. Results confirmed known problems associated with an underutilized site and identified unknown barriers, including socially disconnected stakeholders and community distrust of the university.

Fanni Bársony · Tér és Társadalom · Hungary

This study examines urban community gardens in Hungary through fieldwork and group interviews. It investigates how these gardens function as urban commons, focusing on community characteristics, resource relationships, and sharing practices. The research concludes that for urban commons, it is insufficient to focus solely on the shared resource and access conditions; the commons must be examined in relation to the operating community.

F. Feldmann, Ute Vogler · Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection · Global

Ten key challenges for plant protection in cities were identified, each belonging to a specific field of action of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in urban horticulture, according to Directive 2009/128/EC. These challenges include appropriate plant selection, microbiome engineering, nutrient recycling, smart digital solutions, diversification of vegetation, avoidance of pesticide side effects on beneficials, biorational efficacy assessment, effective pest diagnosis, efficient outbreak control, and holistic approaches.

Jani Kozina, Nela Halilović · Capacities · Slovenia (Velenje)

The book "Velenje, an industrial city in transformation" aims to illuminate aspects of the Slovenian industrial city of Velenje's past, present, and future transformation, providing an overview of its developmental factors. It emphasizes social, cultural, spatial, environmental, and economic aspects, alongside a critical evaluation of future development resources and actions. Through 16 diverse contributions, the book highlights the importance of utilizing endogenous development resources and adopting a participatory approach to future decision-making.

Cynthia Ellis Topsey, Anabel Ford, Sherman Horn · Heritage · Global

This narrative describes an education outreach project in archaeology that incorporates local collaboration, focusing on ancient Maya heritage and the Maya forest garden. The project is centered on the El Pilar Archaeological Reserve for Maya Flora and Fauna, with activities at the Cayo Welcome Center, Chak Ha Col forest garden, and Känan K’aax School Garden. It highlights that community partnerships require acknowledging tangible heritage, formal information outlets, education links, and cultural traditions.

Amon Anoh Denis-Esdras, Konan Kouadio Ezéchiel, Kouadio N’da Kouamé Cyriac, Soro Kafana, Seguena Fofana, Ouattara Pan Issa · International Journal of Science and Research Archive · Côte d'Ivoire (Daloa)

A survey using semi-structured interviews with 19 individuals at 8 market gardening sites in Daloa, Côte d'Ivoire, investigated urban agriculture practices. The study identified 11 crop species across 9 genera and 8 families, with carrot, cabbage, and lettuce among the most cultivated vegetables. The sector is primarily managed by functionally illiterate individuals with over five years of experience, and it provides a significant source of income for local populations.

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

This case study describes the South Eveleigh Community Rooftop Garden, located on the unceded land of the Gadigal people of the Eora nation. Developed in collaboration with Indigenous practice partner Jiwah, the project is underpinned by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander principle of "give back," emphasizing the sharing of accumulated Indigenous knowledge with both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.

Nunes Vital · Revista Meio Ambiente e Sustentabilidade · Global

This bibliographic research, conducted over four months, explored how school gardens can positively influence the development of a healthy food culture among children and adolescents. The study identified that school gardens, based on urban agriculture and agroecology principles, serve as an attractive tool for students, encouraging participation outside the classroom and offering benefits to all involved agents.

Maximilian Manderscheid, Valentin Fiala, Bernhard Freyer · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Global

This report D4.3 describes the status quo analysis and documentation of Edible City Solutions (ECS). Over 300 ECS were identified in Berlin and Montevideo, and online research was conducted in Carthage and Lomé, after which a total of 84 ECS were documented in detail using a mixed-method approach (online survey, interviews, workshops, etc.). Most documented ECS take the form of urban gardening and focus on social benefits like providing education and fostering social cohesion, but the report does not detail specific challenges or limitations regarding governance.

Rasmuna Mazwan Muhammad, Nik Rozana Nik Mohamed Masdek, Mohd Tarmizi Haimid, Siti Zahrah Ponari, Zulhazmi Sayuti · · Malaysia

This study in Malaysia investigated the effectiveness of urban farming in reducing household expenses among the urban poor, who spend 50-70% of their income on food. Using questionnaires, FGDs, and interviews, it found that urban farming, particularly aquaponics, led to a significant average reduction of RM66 per month in household expenses. The study concluded that urban farming benefits the community by supplying nutritious vegetables, improving housing aesthetics, and reducing costs.

Sabine Gruber · Frontiers in Psychology · Global

This study compares two models, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and Airbnb, to illustrate how trust is formed differently in the sharing economy. In CSA, trust is built through personal relationships and face-to-face communication, while Airbnb promotes trust through its system and technological innovations. A conceptual analysis, adopting Niklas Luhmann's distinction between personal and system trust, describes two different modes of trust formation.

Kristin Reynolds · Environmental Justice · Global

This chapter explores the intersection of food systems, agriculture, and environmental justice within social movements, activism, and scholarship. It reviews historical instances of these intersections, including indigenous peoples' movements, farmworker organizing, urban agriculture, and consumer solidarity campaigns. The chapter also discusses recent developments and future concerns connecting environmental justice, food, and agriculture with issues like climate change, gentrification, and Black Agrarianism.

Georgia Csortan, James Ward, Philip Roetman · PLoS ONE · Australia

The productivity, resource efficiency, and potential financial savings of home food gardens in South Australia were investigated. Thirty-four citizen science participants measured and recorded garden inputs and outputs, revealing that smaller gardens were more intensive than larger ones, requiring higher inputs but also yielding higher outputs per unit area. Labor requirements were significantly lower than previously estimated, and it was calculated that 65% of the gardens should break even within five years or less and save money.

Janaina Henrique dos Santos, Clara Fagundes, Beatriz Barbalho, Nicole Massa · Cadernos de Agroecologia · Global

This report details an experience in ecological, medicinal, and biodegradable cleaning using medicinal herbs, developed by two female urban farmers. The farmers, after training, produced cleaning products for personal use and then for commercialization, aligning with agroecological urban agriculture principles. This initiative promotes income generation and women's autonomy through the use of medicinal plants and agroecological cleaning products.

Madara Dobele, Andra Zvirbule · Rural Sustainability Research · Global

This study aimed to identify the historical development stages of the concept of urban agriculture and its main research tendencies. Using monographic and descriptive analysis, it revealed that the concept has evolved from an initial stage associated with technical solutions for urban planning to provide food, to current diverse directions including the analysis of agriculture's role in urban areas and its place in sustainable development. Researchers adapting definitions to local characteristics creates a risk of limited possibilities for quantitative comparisons between studies.

Martin Mulligan, Yaso Nadarajah · · Sri Lanka

A broadly based committee formed in Hambantota, Sri Lanka, immediately after a disaster played a crucial role in ensuring survivors received aid and respectful treatment. This study emphasizes the importance of equitable relief aid delivery and long-term assistance needs assessment. It also notes that poor people and communities often create their own coping mechanisms, and that home gardens and community gardens can enhance food security for poor households, particularly during periods of rising food prices.

Marie-Soleil L’Allier · Revue Possibles · Global

In recent years, citizen-led agricultural and food innovations, such as urban agriculture, community gardens, collective greenhouses, and food cooperatives, have proliferated. These initiatives operate on a logic distinct from the globalized food system, forming the seeds of a post-growth society that does not depend on economic growth. This study raises the question of how to ensure these social innovations, while holding significant transformative potential, can effectively outline an ecological transition for our food system.

Dhruba Raj Bhattarai, Pepijn Schreinemachers · · Nepal

A paper synthesising impact evaluations using cluster randomized controlled trials of school garden programmes in Nepal, described as the largest evaluation of school garden programmes to date. School garden interventions significantly improved children's knowledge of food and agriculture and their awareness of and stated preference for fruits and vegetables, but in none of the countries studied did these improvements translate into increased frequency of fruit and vegetable consumption or into eating a greater variety of fruits and vegetables. This null result on consumption matches findings from two major reviews of school garden programmes in developed countries; the paper suggests that a more holistic intervention design addressing household-level food supply and parents' food choices may be needed for such programmes to improve children's healthy eating.

Emilita Monville‐Oro, Imelda Angeles‐Agdeppa, Irish P. Baguilat, Julian Gonsalves, Mario V. Capanzana · · Philippines

A chapter examining how the evidence-based Integrated School Nutrition Model (ISNM) - combining bio-intensive gardens, supplementary feeding with iron-fortified rice and indigenous vegetables from school gardens, and nutrition education - was scaled up from one province (Cavite) to an entire region of five provinces in the Philippines. Fifty-eight "lighthouse schools" serving as hubs for research, learning, and scaling now influence 2,732 public elementary schools with a total student population of 1,839,445. Through capacity building and multi-stakeholder partnerships, the Department of Education pursued a programme to establish 221 lighthouse schools nationwide, with additional investment and adoption from the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, and the National Nutrition Council.

Hannah Whitley · · Global

A book chapter reviewing global research on gender and urban agriculture. It notes that limited statistics and inconsistent definitions of urban agriculture make an accurate profile of operators difficult, but regional studies show women make up the majority of urban agriculturalists. The chapter discusses women's motivations for engaging in urban agriculture and its links to neighborhood-level change, identifies seven challenges facing women urban growers drawn from the academic literature, and sets out a future research agenda on women urban agriculturalists.

Ada Górna, Krzysztof Górny · Miscellanea Geographica · Cuba

An exploratory, classification-based study combining fieldwork with satellite and aerial imagery analysis characterized urban agriculture across the built-up areas of Havana, Cuba. It found urban gardens distributed unevenly across the city, concentrated in lower-density districts where land was intentionally left between buildings by modernist planners, with organopónico (organoponics) as the most common production technique — but found that the material commonly used to build the bordering walls of these plots is asbestos, posing a significant health threat to both producers and consumers.