Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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1626 results(54 / 66)
School Gardens: Ripe with STEM and Experiential Learning; Fertile Soil for Agricultural Program Growth
2012Shannon Lawrence, John Rayfield · The Agricultural education magazine · United States
This article discusses the merits and potential of incorporating school gardens into agricultural education programs in the United States. It notes that school gardens, a national movement since 1891, offer opportunities for agricultural literacy, community outreach, and STEM integration. The ideas presented are based on conversations with agriculture teachers, observations, experiences, and reflections.
Food educationCommunityCSA & TeikeiThe Learning Gardens Laboratory: Teaching Sustainability and Developing Sustainable Food Systems Through Unique Partnerships
2012Heather Burns, Weston Miller · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United States (Portland)
The Learning Gardens Laboratory (LGL) in Portland, Oregon, a partnership between Portland State University and Oregon State University, develops garden-based education programs to advance sustainable food systems and sustainability education. LGL's pedagogical principles, drawn from permaculture and ecological design, include interdisciplinary and place-based learning. The paper discusses these principles in relation to LGL's educational programs, highlighting the Beginning Urban Farming Apprenticeship and Lane Middle School Garden-Based Education programs.
Food educationCommunityOrganic cycleClimate changeReturning to the Roots: Urban Farming and Environmentalism in Detroit
2012Kevin Wonch · Hope College Digital Commons (Hope College) · United States (Detroit)
This study examines urban farming in Detroit, a city experiencing rapid decline with a population under a million, limited access to fresh food stores, and extensive vacant land. While arguing for modern urban farming as a foundation for sustainable practices and positive development, it notes that some political and business analysts question its ability to make a significant impact on the city’s future.
Limited or null effectFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsClimate changeCommunitySlum politics
2012Martijn Koster, Pieter A. de Vries · Focaal · Brazil (Recife)
This article examined slum dwellers' politics in Recife, Brazil, as a realm of possibility where care and recognition are central. A community leader's urban agriculture project, which from an outsider's perspective might be considered non-viable, provided slum dwellers with possibilities to strive for community solidarity and personal recognition. The article concludes that slum politics is about claiming the right to be counted and recognized, and about the care for the other.
Economic viabilityCommunityWelfareFood sovereignty & justiceBirch Tree Apartment Complex rehabilitation project
2012· · United States
The Birch Tree Project is a rehabilitation initiative for a 56-unit apartment complex designed to house low-to moderate-income families and offer supportive services. These services include a Head Start facility, Life Skills classes, Case Management, Asset Building and Credit Repair, the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, a Community Garden, and a Summer Feeding site. Given Farmington City's growth in minimum-wage service industry jobs, which leads many families to spend a disproportionate amount of income on housing, this project aims to create safe, affordable housing opportunities for marginalized families.
CommunityWelfare2012 LAND GRANT AND SEA GRANT NATIONAL WATER CONFERENCE Portland, OR Poster Abstract Stormwater management education and best management practice (BMP) implementation in the City of Newark
2012Jillian Thompson, Christopher C. Obropta · · United States (Newark)
In 2009, the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Water Resources Program, funded by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, implemented stormwater management education and best management practices (BMPs) in Newark, New Jersey. The initiative aimed to reduce combined sewer overflow (CSO) discharges. Through this effort, a formerly vacant lot was transformed into a community garden featuring a 1,550-gallon cistern and a rain garden, with educational training provided to ex-offenders and sixth-grade students.
CommunityClimate changeOrganic cycleCommunity gardens for social capital: a site suitability analysis in Akron, Ohio
2012Allison Oulton · · United States
This study tested social capital as a measurable indicator for community garden planning in Akron, Ohio, by identifying vacant parcels in areas with fewer civic engagement hubs. Using an adapted methodology that introduced spatial components to social capital at the neighborhood scale, it identified sites with a greater need for social capital. A limitation was that the principal hubs of civic engagement identified were churches, suggesting further fieldwork is needed to identify site-specific social hubs.
CommunityHealthPolicyEconomicsTime and Self-Valorization Freedom from Work Thr ough Work, an EJ Perspective on Work, Capital, and the Environment
2012Sjsu ScholarWorks, Gabriel R. Valle · · United States
This paper explores the self-valorization of work in community gardens as a path to environmental justice, arguing that community gardens disrupt capital's system by removing food as a commodity and revaluing time outside market-driven speed. The Chicano community, being susceptible to workplace inequalities, has a particular stake in this self-valorization, as these inequalities are reflected in unhealthy communities, economies, and environments. The study suggests that self-valorization through work creates natural wealth, reconstructing time, oppression, and communities.
Equity & displacementCommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceHealthMaking Local Planning Work for Urban Agriculture in the North American Context
2012Joël Thibert · Journal of Planning Education and Research · North America
A literature review and an analysis of urban agriculture (UA) in Detroit, Toronto, and Montreal, based on interviews with practitioners, were conducted in North America. The study suggests that UA practices vary significantly and face cultural, legal, and technical challenges. These findings support the view that UA belongs within planning and that municipalities have an important role in facilitating its development.
PolicyCommunityEducating for Environmental Literacy in America's Public Schools
2012Annie L Stoller-Patterson · Scholarship @ Claremont (The Claremont Colleges) · United States
This paper explores how education for environmental literacy can be integrated into America's public school system. It investigates the benefits of environmental education and how green school buildings, sustainable cafeterias, school gardens, and environmental education curriculum can be used to teach for environmental literacy at all grade levels. A sample lesson plan is included.
Food educationCommunityAgricultura urbana e periurbana em Dom Pedrito: Associação Pedritense dos Produtores de Hortifrutigranjeiros (APPH)
2012Luciano Deiques Minozzo · · Brazil
This study characterized urban and peri-urban agriculture practiced by nine producers belonging to the Associação Pedritense dos Produtores de Hortifrutigranjeiros (APPH) in Dom Pedrito/RS, Brazil, between September 2011 and March 2012. Findings showed that 67% of producers practiced peri-urban agriculture (10-26 km from the city), while three practiced urban agriculture. Producers had low schooling (78% incomplete elementary education) and 55% earned 2.5 to 4 minimum wages. Family labor accounted for 88% of the workforce, and personal satisfaction was the main motivation. Water availability and quality were identified as limiting factors for production.
EconomicsHealthFood sovereignty & justicePeri-urban agricultureCommunityControle alternativo do moleque-da-bananeira e manejo de hortas agroecológicas em comunidades do Semiárido nordestino.
2012Adriana Franklin de Souza da Silva, M. M. da Silva, L. M. de Santana, A. N. Moreira, J. R. B. Pereira, S. A. S. Amorim, C. R. R. S. França, A. P. G. Santos, Rooselvelt Izel Pereira de Melo · infoteca-e (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation) · Brazil
This study describes multiple participatory research and technological learning fields concerning alternative control of banana weevils and the management of agroecological gardens in communities of the Brazilian Northeast Semi-arid region. These include projects on the Maria Tereza Project, Senator Nilo Coelho Irrigation Project, community agroecological gardens in Nova Descoberta, Petrolina, PE, chemical characteristics of biofertilizer, adaptation of lettuce varieties, and cultivation of different species using well water.
CommunityOrganic cycleBiodiversityRohrbach Library Home: 2013 Kutztown University School Garden Workshop: Home
2012Dan Stafford · · United States
This record describes the 2013 Kutztown University School Garden Workshop, an event designed as a learning opportunity for educators and parents. The workshop featured speakers and demonstrations focused on fostering sustainable community partnerships through school gardens.
Food educationCommunityCharacterization of Urban Agricultural Practices and Gardeners' Perspective in Bronx Community Gardens, New York City.
2012Michelle Melissa Althaus Ottmann, Juliana Maantay, Kristen Grady, Nilce Nazareno da Fonte · Cities and the Environment · United States (New York City)
This study investigated urban agricultural practices and gardeners' perceptions in community gardens in the Bronx, New York City, United States, using semi-structured interviews, garden observations, and GIS spatial analysis of socio-demographic characteristics. GIS analysis revealed a significantly higher rate of poverty and Hispanic population in block groups within a quarter mile of the community gardens. The gardens were characterized as places for socialization, fresh produce, neighborhood beautification, and education, and gardeners valued family/community time, nature, and therapeutic benefits, but expressed fears of losing the gardens due to lack of city protection and developer take-over.
CommunityFood educationHealthWelfareAfter the Storms: South Louisiana Sustainable Food System Assessment in light of Environmental Natural Disasters Hurricanes Katrina & Rita
2012Toni Y. Sims-Muhammad · · United States (South Louisiana)
This project examined the impact of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on existing food systems in Lafayette, Acadia, Evangeline, St Martin, and St Landry parishes, with a focus on home and community gardens. The researcher interviewed 57 home/community gardeners and farmers and conducted a survey on pre- and post-Katrina/Rita food sustainability problems, challenges, and perspectives on future food systems.
Governance failureCommunityClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceMaterial Ecocriticism: Dirt, Waste, Bodies, Food, and Other Matter
2012D. Z. Phillips, Heather I. Sullivan · ISLE Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment · United States
This collection of essays for ISLE assesses the material aspects of healthy economies, environments, and bodies, arguing that the traditional economic-ecological "health" dichotomy is insufficient. It finds that the determination of "healthy" is complex, as artificial environments can be benign, and even a flourishing community garden can have neglected produce going to waste. The essays explore how a large number of healthy human bodies can be detrimental to healthy environments.
Limited or null effectCommunityFood lossOrganic cycleImplementing Service-Learning as a Pre-Service Teacher
2012Amber Fessler · ScholarWorks@BGSU (Bowling Green State University) · United States (Ohio)
This project explored service-learning in middle school math in Findlay, Ohio, during the 2010-2011 school year, focusing on a pre-service teacher's experience. It addressed challenges and possibilities for pre-service teachers implementing service-learning as part of their educational preparation. The project involved engagement in a math classroom, design and implementation of a service-learning project, and reflection.
Food educationCommunityCultivating the City: Urban Agriculture and Agrarian Questions in Brooklyn, New York
2012Evan Weissman · Syracuse University Libraries (Syracuse University) · United States (New York City)
This dissertation explores urban agriculture in Brooklyn, New York, using a mixed-methods analysis to investigate its historical changes, motivations for engagement, and outcomes. The study argues that Brooklyn's urban agriculture is limited by its neoliberal characteristics, which undermine its potential to build a radical political movement around food issues. While urban agriculture tends to reproduce neoliberalism, it simultaneously creates political possibilities through the assertion of public rights to cultivate the city and the potential of food to serve as a tool for building solidarities towards food justice.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceRethinking the Role of Community Gardening in Localizing Post-Oil Suburbia: A Proposal for Willowdale Community Garden in Cherry Hill, NJ
2012Andrew Schlesinger · ScholarWorks -A service of University of Vermont Libraries (University of Vermont) · United States (Cherry Hill)
This paper highlights the high dependency of U.S. suburban communities on fossil fuels, particularly oil. It states that while global oil supply is projected to decline, few suburban communities are currently planning for "life after oil." Presented as a proposal for the Willowdale Community Garden, the abstract does not state specific research or its findings, nor an analysis of how community gardening addresses this challenge.
CommunityClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceNEBLINE, May 2012
2012· Lincoln (University of Nebraska) · United States
The May 2012 issue of NEBLINE features Lincoln's Biosolids Land Application Program, which is 20 years old. It also covers topics such as urban agriculture, food and fitness, home and family living, horticulture, environmental focus, 4-H and youth, community focus, and extension news and events.
Urban–rural linkageFood educationCommunityHortas em escolas urbanas, Complexidade e Transdisciplinaridade: Contribuições para a Educação Ambiental e para a Educação em Saúde
2012Elizabete Cristina Ribeiro Silva, Alexandre Brasil Carvalho da Fonseca · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Brazil (Rio de Janeiro)
This study discusses the multidimensionality of agriculture and its interfaces with environmental and health education, based on perceptions from social actors in a school and an extension unit belonging to the Municipal Network of Rio de Janeiro. Agricultural activities are suggested as a pedagogical tool to facilitate complex thinking and transdisciplinarity, and to perceive food and environment as interconnected transversal themes. School gardens are re-qualified for urban spaces based on agroecological urban agriculture principles.
Food educationHealthCommunityChapter 8 Planning for urban agriculture: problem recognition, policy formation, and politics
2012Nevin Cohen · · United States
This chapter discusses the nature of urban agriculture planning and policymaking in the US and the conditions necessary for policy implementation, using John Kingdon's multiple streams policy framework. Case studies of five US cities illustrate how problem recognition and policy formation, in the presence of supportive political conditions, create a window of opportunity for implementing urban agriculture policy.
PolicyCommunityPollination by Native Bee Communities in Berkeley, California
2012Kevin F. Welzel · Berkeley Scientific Journal · United States (California)
This study examined native bee pollination at two urban agricultural sites in Berkeley, California: the Oxford Tract and Berkeley Youth Alternative garden. It observed squash, tomato, strawberry, and sunflower plants, collecting data on distance from natural habitat, native bee pollinator diversity, and visitation rates. The study found mixed results for genus richness and evenness, and a t-test indicated no significant difference in visitation rates for each plant type between the two sites.
BiodiversityPollinatorsCommunityIntroducing a Longitudinal Study of Community Gardeners and Gardens in New York City
2012Erika S. Svendsen, Lindsay K. Campbell, Nancy Falxa-Raymound, Jessica Northridge, Edie Stone, Carolin Mees · Cities and the Environment · United States (New York City)
This study introduces a longitudinal examination of community gardens in New York City, building on data collected since 2003 by the GreenThumb program. In summer 2011, structured phone interviews were conducted with representatives from a sample of 102 community gardens to examine membership, programming, partnerships, and motivations for gardening from 2003-2011. The research aims to understand the evolving role of community gardens and how they have changed over time.
CommunityPolicyHealthEconomicsSustainable School Gardens and Green Education: Familiar Lessons through a New Lens
2012Arvazena E. Clardy, Brian R. Copeland · The Agricultural education magazine · United States (Nashville)
This article advocates for implementing sustainable school gardens in agriscience education programs, drawing on the author's experience as a former educator and current work with middle and secondary schools in Nashville, Tennessee. It suggests that school gardens can cement learning for students and address issues like food deserts and childhood obesity in inner-city areas.
Food educationCommunityHealthWelfare