Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
2012 results(55 / 81)
School Children’s Intestinal Parasite and Nutritional Status One Year after Complementary School Garden, Nutrition, Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Interventions in Burkina Faso
2017Séverine Erismann, Serge Diagbouga, Christian Schindler, Peter Odermatt, Astrid M. Knoblauch, Jana Gerold, Andrea Leuenberger, Akina Shrestha, Grissoum Tarnagda, Jürg Utzinger, Guéladio Cissé · American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene · Burkina Faso
A cluster-randomized controlled trial in Burkina Faso, involving 360 children aged 8-15, assessed the impact of school garden, nutrition, and WASH interventions on intestinal parasites and nutritional status. The prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections significantly decreased in intervention schools compared to control schools (OR = 0.2), and safe handwashing and latrine use improved. However, indices of undernutrition and water quality parameters did not decrease or change in intervention schools.
Food educationHealthWelfareEffects of School Gardening Lessons on Elementary School Children’s Physical Activity and Sedentary Time
2017Erika Rees‐Punia, Alicia Lynn Haire Holloway, D. A. Knauft, Michael D. Schmidt · Journal of Physical Activity and Health · Global
This study investigated the effects of school gardening lessons on elementary school children's physical activity and sedentary time. Teachers from four elementary schools taught one math or science lesson per week in the school garden. Physical activity was measured using accelerometers on 74 children, and 75 were observed, comparing garden days and no-garden days. Children spent a significantly larger proportion of time active on garden days at three of the four schools, and the proportion of time spent sedentary and active differed significantly across schools.
Food educationHealthRECOVERY OF HEALTHY AND SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES THROUGH EXPERIENCES OF AGROECOLOGY AND URBAN AGRICULTURE
2017Silvana Maria Ribeiro, Jessica Franco, Mariana Tarricone Garcia, Cláudia Maria Bógus, Helena Akemi Wada Watanabe · DEMETRA Alimentação Nutrição & Saúde · Brazil
This paper discusses the recovery of practices focused on food, health, and the environment through four workshops held in Brazil in 2012 and 2013, which systematized experiences from the agroecological urban agriculture project "ColhendoSustentabilidade." This participatory qualitative research, involving 24 participants, revealed that contact with land in garden activities contributes to cultural recovery and new knowledge construction, promotes gradual changes in eating habits by emphasizing the food-health-environment relationship, and provides opportunities for social interaction involving food.
HealthFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityFood educationThe impact of urban gardens on adequate and healthy food: a systematic review
2017Mariana Tarricone Garcia, Silvana M Ribeiro, Ana Cláudia Camargo Gonçalves Germani, Cláudia Maria Bógus · Public Health Nutrition · Global
This systematic review examined the impacts of urban garden participation on food and nutrition outcomes, including healthy food practices, access, beliefs, knowledge, and attitudes. It analyzed 12 studies published between 2005 and 2015, finding significant heterogeneity in settings, populations, and methods, and a need for greater methodological rigor. The review reported positive impacts such as increased fruit and vegetable consumption, better access to healthy foods, and enhanced valuing of cooking and organic production.
HealthFood educationCommunityPerancangan Interior Fasilitas Edukasi Hidroponik di Surabaya
2017Cynthia Natalia, Yusita Kusumarini, Jean Francois Poillot · Intra · Indonesia (Surabaya)
In Surabaya, an interior design for a hydroponic education facility was developed to address the lack of farmlands and sub-optimal existing facilities. Using a design thinking methodology, the project resulted in a design incorporating a climate control system for optimal plant growth and visitor comfort. This design aims to optimize educational activities through the use of eco-friendly materials, maximized natural light, and good air quality.
Food educationDIYUrban–rural linkageEnvironmental educators learning and theorizing place-responsive pedagogy
2017Robert B. Stevenson, Gregory A. Smith · · Global
This paper discusses professional learning opportunities for teachers regarding outdoor environmental pedagogy. These opportunities include resource materials, formal experience-based workshops at centers, informal observations and discussions, and collaborative curriculum planning with center educators. Various methods, such as creating school gardens and engaging in green school activities, are presented to alert students to the importance of reinhabitation.
Food educationCommunityDesigning urban agriculture education for social justice: Radical innovation through Farm School NYC
2017Kristin Reynolds · International Journal of Food Design · United States (New York City)
Farm School NYC, an adult education program in New York City, was examined as an example of radical innovation in urban agriculture education for social justice. Based on research conducted between 2013 and 2014, the program uses critical pedagogy and popular education to train adult students in urban farming, social justice advocacy, and teaching skills. A network of urban agriculture practitioners, educators, and activists created this community-based training program, which infuses radical visions of social change into its daily educational activities.
Food educationCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEVALUACIÓN DE UNA PRÁCTICA DE AGRICULTURA URBANA CON BOTELLAS PET EN EL MUNICIPIO DE POPAYÁN
2017ANTONIO JOSE CHAGUENDO DORADO, Sandra Morales Velasco, Fabio Alonso Prado Cerón · Biotecnología en el Sector Agropecuario y Agroindustrial · Colombia (Popayán)
A study in Popayán's Comuna 2 evaluated PET bottle urban agriculture practices, examining two crops (cilantro and lettuce) and three bottle orientations (horizontal, vertical, 45-degree inclined). Agronomic variables like height, coverage, vigor, and biomass were analyzed using SPSS 22. Results showed that vertical bottles yielded better production in terms of vigor and fresh weight for both species, attributed to the relationship between container size and root development.
DIYFood educationCommunityTHE EXPERIENCE OF AN AGROECOLOGICAL SCHOOL GARDEN AS AN INTERACTIVE AND CREATIVE HEALTH PROMOTION STRATEGY
2017Natália Gebrim Dória, Denise Eugênia Pereira Coelho, Mariana Tarricone Garcia, Helena Akemi Wada Watanabe, Cláudia Maria Bógus · DEMETRA Alimentação Nutrição & Saúde · Global
This study aimed to analyze a school garden as a health promotion strategy from the students' perspective. Forty-nine students aged 10-11 years participated, using a draw-and-tell method to illustrate and report on their experiences in the school garden. Analysis of these reports identified categories related to Health Promotion principles such as equity, social participation, empowerment, sustainability, and personal skills development, as well as Nutrition Education and Food and Nutrition Security.
Food educationHealthCommunityAssessing a School Gardening Program as an Integrated Component of a Pilot Farm-to-school Initiative Based in South Carolina
2017Carl E. Taylor, Elizabeth B. Symon, Amy Dabbs, Alexander Way, Olivia M. Thompson · HortTechnology · United States
An online survey of 37 educators (36% response rate) in South Carolina, who completed a school gardening training course between 2012-2015, assessed a pilot farm-to-school initiative. The study found that most educators were unaware their garden was part of the initiative, and gardens were not integrated with school-wide programs, particularly cafeteria meals. However, most educators maintained their gardens for over a year and used them for academic instruction.
Limited or null effectFood educationHealthKsiążki z serii „Biblioteka Młodych Miczurinowców” jako przykład łączenia popularyzacji wiedzy i ideologizacji młodego pokolenia w latach 50. XX wieku
2017Bogumiła Staniów · Roczniki Biblioteczne · Poland
This article discusses the "Young Michurinist Library" series, popular science books about nature for children and young people published in post-war Poland from 1953 to 1956. The books in this series provided readers with information on plants, animals, and amateur husbandry, alongside elements of communist ideology. They aimed to disseminate Michurinism and teach pupils how to cultivate crops, maximize the use of available plants, and enrich their diet with easily managed farm animals, often through fictionalized stories.
Food educationCommunityPolicyThe Harvest is the Best Teacher: A Narrative on Food Insecurity and Community Gardening with Children and Adolescents
2017Gayle Mallinger, Molly Kerby · Reflections: Narratives of Professional Helping (Click on Current or Archives; Registration Optional) · United States (Kentucky)
This narrative describes a three-year community garden project at the Boys & Girls Club in a semi-rural Kentucky city, addressing disparities in access to fresh produce, education, and food programs in poverty-stricken neighborhoods. Participants engaged in preparing garden sites, planting seeds, and harvesting vegetables through a Junior Master Gardener program.
CommunityFood educationWelfarePeri-urban agriculturePerancangan Interior Sekolah Dasar Dengan Penerapan Konsep Green Building
2017Shearen Hariono · Intra · Global
This interior design project for a primary school aims to facilitate learning activities, including environmental care, by implementing a green building concept. The design incorporates green activities such as a school garden to educate children aged 6-12 about the environment. Based on greenship interior space version 1.0 parameters, this primary school design achieved a gold rating with 74 points and a percentage of 71.8%.
Food educationCommunityA horta Povo Unido como referencial de desenvolvimento social e humano
2017Katiuscia Maria Da Silva · Revista ComSertões · Brazil
This article reflects on the concept of "place" by observing its re-significations from modern geography, which established new relationships between humans and their environment. It discusses perceptions observed "in loco" based on theoretical foundations, analyzing the Povo Unido Community Garden. The study aims to capture the meanings of place that permeate humanistic geography and define the human-place relationship within this space.
CommunityFood educationThe Black Swans of Agricultural Education: A Glimpse into theLived Experiencesthat Shapte Urban Agricultural Educators' Meaning in Work
2017Richie Roberts, Jon W. Ramsey · Journal of Agricultural Education · United States
This study explored the lived experiences of urban agricultural educators in the United States to understand the essence of their meaning in work. The essence emerged as a "Black Swan" metaphor, representing their distinctiveness in agricultural education, guided by individualization, self-connection, contribution, unification, and coping abilities. These educators appeared to cope with challenges through transcendence, possibly due to serving a distinct population largely comprised of ethnic minority students in low socioeconomic households.
Food educationCommunityWelfareThe Efficacy of an Urban Farm Intervention Based on the Stages of Change for a Low Income Population with Multiple Risk Factors for Diabetes
2017Rachel A. Clare, J. S. Jenkins, Debbie Humphries · The FASEB Journal · United States (New Haven, CT)
In 2016 in New Haven, CT, USA, a 16-week urban agriculture-based wellness program was evaluated for 73 low-income individuals with multiple risk factors for diabetes. The program aimed to increase fruit and vegetable consumption and decrease diabetes risk factors. Among the 30 participants with complete data after program completion, daily vegetable servings increased to an average of 2.1, but daily fruit servings decreased to 1.5.
HealthWelfareFood educationCommunityA Aldeia Vertical e a Horta no Morro
2017Camila Bevilaqua · Ponto Urbe · Brazil (São Paulo)
Fieldwork in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, accompanied three indigenous people from "Aldeia Vertical." Since 2016, these individuals have been developing a community garden in the Complexo de Favelas do São Carlos. The garden is constructed as a space for "dissemination of indigenous culture" through relationships involving bodies, food, and techniques. The study focused on the relationships between "culture" and "learning" as established by these individuals, dialoguing with Amerindian ethnology and Afro-indigenous approaches.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceFood educationThe Impact of Information Technology in Garden Maintenance
2017Rosalina Almendras · Language arts journal of Michigan · Canada
This project, part of ‘Empowering Growth’, partnered with the Ottawa Juvenile Detention Center (OCJDC) to build a community garden and assess information technology (IT) for improving gardening outcomes. It evaluated available technological tools for gardening and proposed developing a custom web-based garden application for OCJDC, offering planning and tracking capabilities. A prototype of the application was designed to identify specific needs of residents and staff.
CommunityFood educationDigital agricultureWelfareCollaborative planning via urban agriculture: The case of Tegucigalpa, Honduras
2017Andrea Oyuela, Arnold van der Valk · Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems · Honduras (Tegucigalpa)
This study questions the adequacy of Tegucigalpa's top-down planning system in Honduras and explores urban agriculture (UA) as a potential building block for a bottom-up strategy. While UA is organized in Tegucigalpa due to residents' need to overcome food insecurity and hardship, the concept of active citizenship and bottom-up development is not yet consolidated. Furthermore, challenges exist regarding the resources needed for practicing UA and the diffusion of knowledge to the population.
Governance failurePolicyCommunityFood educationFood sovereignty & justiceImpact of school gardens in Nepal: a cluster randomised controlled trial
2017Pepijn Schreinemachers, Dhruba Raj Bhattarai, Giri Dhari Subedi, Tej P. Acharya, Hsiao-pu Chen, Ray-Yu Yang, Narayan Kaji Kashichhawa, Upendra Dhungana, Gregory C. Luther, Maureen Mecozzi · Journal of Development Effectiveness · Nepal
This study evaluated the combined impact of school gardens and nutrition education on 10- to 15-year-old schoolchildren in Nepal, using a cluster randomized controlled trial with 1275 students (2014) and 785 students (2015). After one year, significant improvements were observed in children's awareness of fruits and vegetables, knowledge of sustainable agriculture, food, nutrition, and health, and stated preferences for eating fruits and vegetables. However, these improvements in intermediary outcomes did not translate into significant improvements in fruit and vegetable consumption or nutritional status.
Limited or null effectFood educationHealthCommunitySearching for Haknip Achukma (Good Health): Challenges to Food Sovereignty Initiatives in Oklahoma
2017Devon A. Mihesuah · American Indian Culture and Research Journal · United States
In Oklahoma, tribes have initiated numerous food projects over the past three decades aimed at achieving food sovereignty. However, Oklahoma's complex history, environmental issues, and current politics present challenges such as uneven food quality, poor indigenous health, intratribal factionalism, racism, and a stark dichotomy of affluence and extreme poverty. These factors complicate the creation of self-sufficient food systems and the reconnection of tribal members with traditional foodways.
Equity & displacementFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityFood educationHealth도시농업 체험프로그램이 노인의 정신건강에 미치는 영향
2017강현경, 백승준 · · South Korea
This study conducted in South Korea investigated the effect of an urban agriculture experience program on the mental health of seniors over 65 years old. The experiment group, who participated in the program for over six months, showed statistically significantly lower stress scores related to loneliness and lower health-related stress levels compared to the control group, while the control group exhibited significantly higher depression levels. Urban agriculture activities were shown to stabilize sympathetic nerves and activate parasympathetic nerves in the elderly, increasing resistance against stress.
HealthElderlyFood education‘Because the ego started to grow bigger than the project itself’: a case study of founder’s syndrome on an educational community of practise
2017Donovon Ceaser · Ethnography & Education · Global
This study analyzed the leadership of founder John Browne at Green Shoots, a nonprofit service-learning urban farming school established in 2010, using the theory of founder's syndrome. Browne, despite an openly egalitarian community of practice ethic, created a hierarchy at the school that led to a staff walk-out and subsequent firings. Findings revealed Browne as a charming and inspirational teacher who engaged in dominating leadership contradicting the community of practice's ideals, resulting in disrespected students, disillusioned staff, and a founder unable to take responsibility for his leadership.
Governance failureCommunityFood educationPolicyPelatihan Teknologi Pertanian Perkotaan
2017Suryani Suryani, Reni Nurjasmi, Siti M. Sholihah, Ayu Vandira Candra Kusuma · Jurnal Pelayanan dan Pengabdian Masyarakat (Pamas) · Indonesia
A community service program in Ceger Village, Indonesia, provided training and outreach on urban agricultural technology to 39 members of farmer groups and community representatives. The program aimed to raise awareness of urban farming's importance, optimize narrow urban land use, and facilitate knowledge of cultivation techniques. Participants responded positively, and the program offered solutions for leisure time and family food security.
Food educationCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsImpact Indicators for Community Garden Programs: Using Delphi Methods to Inform Program Development and Evaluation
2017John Diaz, Sue Webb, Laura A. Warner, Paul Monoghan · HortTechnology · Global
This study demonstrated the use of a Delphi approach with a diverse panel of community garden stakeholders to reach consensus about program outcomes for community garden programs. The panel successfully reached consensus on a variety of short-, medium-, and long-term outcomes. The study aimed to provide a framework for program development and evaluation that stakeholders can adopt to show program outcomes, addressing the difficulty of learning lessons from geographically specific community garden studies.
CommunityHealthFood educationWelfare