Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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Critical findings
2531 results(55 / 102)
Urban Agriculture: The Saviour of Rapid Urbanization
2020Amit 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.
Food sovereignty & justicePeri-urban agricultureEconomicsCommunityFrom Individual Seeds to Collective Harvests: Urban Agroecology as Political Action
2020Helda Morales, Bárbara Lazcano, Ana Isabel López García · · Mexico
This study compiles experiences from Mexico to explore how individual urban farming acts as an act of resistance. It describes food's role as a "common ground" where various political struggles intersect, including food sovereignty, gender equality, decolonization, climate change activism, indigenous rights, and social justice. The research also analyzes conditions that could facilitate a transition to broader political change and collective action, highlighting how planting actual seeds can yield not only ecological benefits but also social revolution.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityClimate changeAgricultura urbana contribui para a segurança alimentar no Brasil? O que nos diz a produção científica dos últimos dez anos
2020Moisés Savian, Mari Inês Caríssimi Boff, Pedro Boff · Cadernos de Agroecologia · Brazil
This study evaluated Brazilian scientific production from 2009 to 2018 on urban agriculture's contribution to food and nutritional security, analyzing 34 selected articles out of 612. It found that while agrobiodiversity is present in urban agriculture areas, pesticide use is a reality in some crop plots. The research suggests urban agriculture must be based on agroecology to avoid environmental contamination and produce healthy food.
Contamination & food safetyFood sovereignty & justiceBiodiversityOrganic cycleHealthPlanning Policy Frameworks and Urban Agriculture Practices in Western Kenya
2020Isaac Otieno Dawo, George Mark Onyango, Francis Ang’awa Okere · The International Journal of Humanities & Social Studies · Kenya
This study investigated the influence of planning policy frameworks on urban agriculture practices in Eldoret, Kakamega, and Kisumu towns in Western Kenya. A cross-sectional survey of 205 urban farmers found that the economic influence of urban planning legislation declined, social influence increased only in Kakakamega, and environmental influence doubled in all towns. Newly enacted urban planning legislations had no major influence on the planning, promotion, and regulation of urban agriculture, though a significant low positive correlation with urban agriculture practice was observed.
PolicyEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityAnalyzing values-based modes of production and consumption: Community-supported agriculture in the Austrian Third Food Regime
2020Christina 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.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceIMPLEMENTASI TEKNOLOGI BUDIDAYA URBAN FARMING DENGAN SISTEM AQUAPONIC SKALA RUMAHAN UNTUK PENINGKATAN KUALITAS LINGKUNGAN PERKOTAAN DAN MENDUKUN KETAHANAN PANGAN MASYARAKAT DI MASA PANDEMI COVID-19
2020RR. Sophia Ratna Haryati · PROSIDING SEMINAR HASIL PENGABDIAN MASYARAKAT · Indonesia
This study discusses the implementation of household-scale aquaponic urban farming technology in Surakarta, Indonesia, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The project, a partnership between Universitas Amikom Yogyakarta and Karang Taruna Baluwarti, aimed to improve urban environmental quality and support community food security by providing knowledge on enhancing urban farming yields.
DIYFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityHealthA Study on the Utilization of Urban Garden Design Derived from the Traditional Farming Method Gyeonjongbeop from the Joseon Period: Focused on Imwongyeongjeji Bolliji
2020In-Kyoung Hong, Hyung-Kwon Yun, Young Chae, Sangmi Lee, Young-Bin Jung, Mi-Ra Lee · Journal of people, plants, and environment · South Korea
This study proposed and tested an urban garden model derived from the traditional Korean Gyeonjongbeop farming method, interpreting practices from Imwongyeongjeji Bolliji. Researchers cultivated vegetables on ridges and furrows, finding that Raphanus sativus, Allium fistulosum L., Brassica juncea, and Spinacia oleracea on ridges, and Hordeum vulgare var. hexastichon and Triticum aestivum L. on furrows, showed higher growth than in conventional flat fields. This method proved effective for crops vulnerable to weather and could enable year-round urban farming by utilizing winter fallow lands.
DIYUrban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceHORTA URBANA: UM PROTÓTIPO COMPACTO E MÓVEL / VEGETABLE GARDEN: A COMPACT AND MOBILE PROTOTYPE
2020Luiz Orlando dos Santos, Fernanda Miguel Franco, Wagner da Cunha Siqueira, Arthur Guilherme Schirmbeck Chaves · Brazilian Journal of Development · Brazil (Cáceres-MT)
In Cáceres-MT, Brazil, a compact and mobile urban garden prototype was implemented in two residences with limited space. This system cultivated chives, coriander, and parsley, supplying enough food for a family of approximately 5 people during a 90-day monitoring period. A water reuse system was also integrated, and the mobile garden structure contributed to optimizing small spaces and producing healthy, low-cost food.
DIYFood sovereignty & justiceOrganic cycleIntergenerational transfer of knowledge and mindset change through school gardens among indigenous children in Meghalaya, North East India
2020Melari Shisha Nongrum · · India (Meghalaya)
The North East Slow Food and Agrobiodiversity Society (NESFAS) facilitated the development of an Indigenous Food System Curriculum to enhance students' knowledge of their environment and food system in Meghalaya, India. Following the implementation of school gardens, schools began harvesting produce. NESFAS aimed to assess students' knowledge of indigenous foods in connection with the impact of these school gardens.
Food educationCommunityHeirloom & landraceFood sovereignty & justiceEffect of changing urban farming landscape on financing livelihoods and food security of urban farmers’ households in Ghana
2020Mr. Isaiah ACQUAH, Dr.Sc. Joseph Ato FORSON, Dr.Sc. Theresa Yaaba BAAH-ENNUMH · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Ghana
This qualitative exploratory study in Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Ghana, investigated the effect of urban growth and concretization on urban farming households' livelihoods and food security. The study, using interviews and spatial imagery, found that urban farms face challenges due to inadequate land use planning and support, leading to a loss of farmlands. Significant challenges identified include limited farming space, limited resources, continuous increase in buildings, and inadequate education for urban farmers.
Governance failureUrban–rural linkageEconomicsFood sovereignty & justicePolicyThe Roles of Urban Agriculture for Climate Change Adaption in The Case of Debre Markos Town and Surrounding Districts East Gojjam Zone Amhara Region Ethiopia
2020Mengist Belay · HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe) · Ethiopia
This study, focusing on Debre Markos Town and surrounding districts in the East Gojjam Zone, Amhara Region, Ethiopia, establishes that Urban Agriculture is a multipronged tool for adaptation and mitigation to tackle climate change. It is concluded to be an effective tool to address food security challenges in cities, educate and reconnect urban and peri-urban farms and people to assure food and climate security in the cities.
Climate changeFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageBuilding Sustainable Local Food Solutions
2020Jennifer Sumner, Derya Tarhan, John Justin McMurtry · Working paper/Working paper CIRIEC ... · Canada
This paper explores how Indigenous communities in Canada address chronic food insecurity through the social and solidarity economy. Using a case study of the Northern Manitoba Food, Culture and Community Collaborative, it illustrates how local initiatives such as community gardens, greenhouses, and co-operatives contribute to achieving Sustainable Development Goals, particularly zero hunger. The paper emphasizes community ownership, control, and benefits as key aspects of these models.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceWelfareFood educationBuilding Indonesian Food Security A Review And Suggestions
2020Endah Sri Redjeki · INNOVATION RESEARCH JOURNAL · Indonesia
This review suggests that achieving food security in Indonesia during a pandemic requires conservation, seed banks, water reservoir construction, and urban farming. It emphasizes the need for a Penta helix approach, involving government, private sectors, institutions, local communities, and social entrepreneurs, to accelerate goal attainment.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityPolicyGreen Infrastructure Planning in Metropolitan Regions to Improve the Connectivity of Agricultural Landscapes and Food Security
2020Carolina Yacamán Ochoa, Daniel Ferrer Jiménez, Rafael Mata Olmo · Land · Global
This paper critically reviewed recent literature on Green Infrastructure (GI), highlighting a lack of references to peri-urban agriculture's role in GI planning. It emphasized peri-urban agriculture's positive contribution to local food supply and other services. Furthermore, the paper proposed a methodology to integrate practical GI planning in metropolitan regions to maximize the activation of traditional agricultural landscapes and improve landscape connectivity.
Peri-urban agriculturePolicyFood sovereignty & justiceReconciliation and Resistance from the Ground Up: The Power of Affect in Chicago’s Community Gardens
2020Olivia Lee · Johns Hopkins University eBooks · United States (Chicago)
This study, drawing on affect theory, examines community gardens in Chicago's low-income, primarily Black South Side neighborhoods. It argues that while these gardens offer a spatial break from violence, they appear unable to fully counteract the ongoing marginalization by race and socioeconomic status. The gardens represent a quiet, nascent resistance against neoliberal injustices through intimate human-nature interaction.
Equity & displacementCommunityWelfareHealthFood sovereignty & justiceImplementasi Maqashid Syariah dengan Pengembangan Ekonomi Hijau Melalui Urban Farming
2020Yusvita Nena Arinta · International Journal Ihya Ulum al-Din · Indonesia
This article proposes urban farming as a method to implement a green economy in Indonesia, aligning with Maqashid Shariah principles. It argues that urban farming, by producing, processing, and selling food and energy using natural resources and urban waste, can achieve economic quality growth, environmental efficiency, and social growth. This approach aims to maintain sustainable ecosystems and improve welfare, moving beyond conventional economic trends.
EconomicsClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceWelfareOrganic cycleOn whose land is the city to be built? Farmers, donors and the urban land question in Beira city, Mozambique
2020Murtah Shannon, Kei Otsuki, Annelies Zoomers, Mayke Kaag · Urban Studies · Mozambique (Beira)
This article examines the implications of global interventionism in African cities for existing claims to urban space, particularly those of farmers, using Beira, Mozambique, as a case study. A historical-political analysis demonstrates that urban farming has been a distinct feature of Beira's urbanism amidst successive and contradictory state-land regimes. A new urban regime, formed by municipal leaders and international donors, aims to erase urban agriculture from the city through urban 'development', indicating a need for better understanding of manifold claims to urban space beyond slum urbanism.
Governance failurePolicyFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityAgricultura urbana no semiárido: produção de plantas medicinais no sertão baiano
2020Rosy Kátia Souza Gonçalves, Hélder Ribeiro Freitas, Braz José do Nascimento Júnior, Lucas Ricardo Souza Almeida, Isabela Oliveira Leite, Amanda Santos Moura · · Brazil (Juazeiro)
This study mapped plant species cultivated and commercialized in the Community Garden of the Urban Social Center in Bairro Alto do Alencar, Juazeiro/BA, focusing on agroecological urban agriculture's role in medicinal plant production. Results showed that 61% of the 122 garden beds were occupied with medicinal herbs, regularly supplying basil, mallow, mastruz, holy leaf, and tanchagem, among others, to meet local demand. The cultivation of herbs, alongside vegetables, reflects a growing interest in health promotion through agroecological products.
CommunityHealthFood sovereignty & justiceGrowing Resistance to Systems of Oppression: An Exploration of the Transformative Power of Urban Agriculture
2020Samantha 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.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityPolicyWelfareAGRICULTURA URBANA E SOBERANIA ALIMENTAR: UMA REFLEXÃO SOBRE A IMPORTÂNCIA DAS PRÁTICAS SOCIOAMBIENTAIS NA GRANDE GOIÂNIA (GO)
2020Lara Cristine Gomes Ferreira, Stéfanny da Cruz Nóbrega · Revista GeoNordeste · Brazil (Goiânia)
This study explores agroecological urban agriculture in the Greater Goiânia region of Brazil, aiming to qualify the debate on its current relevance, understand the role of socio-biodiversity and food sovereignty, and foster dialogue through socio-environmental education. The methodology included a theoretical-bibliographical review, secondary data collection, and action research at a public school in Goiânia. The findings suggest that agroecological urban agriculture is an alternative to reduce the negative effects of agribusiness and minimize socio-environmental problems, highlighting the importance of family farming and education for food sovereignty and social equality.
Food sovereignty & justiceClimate changeCommunityPerempuan Produktif dalam Kegiatan Regrow di RW 15 Kelurahan Tanjung Mas Semarang
2020Rustina Untari, Angelika Riyandari, Bernadeta Resti Nurhayati, Ekawati Marhaenny Dukut, Emilia Ninik Aydawati, Alberta Rika Pratiwi, Retno Yustini, Hotmauli Sidabalok, VG Sri Rejeki · Unika Repositor (Unika) · Indonesia (Semarang)
To mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women and children, the Center for Women's Studies (PSW) Unika Soegijapranata provided guidance to productive women in Tanjung Mas Village, Semarang, Indonesia, on urban farming using a "regrow" method for vegetables and herbs. The guidance, mostly online via WhatsApp, involved creating modules and video tutorials. Success varied significantly among participants, with some producing many vegetables and herbs while others showed no progress.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceWelfareDIYPkM: Pelatihan Budidaya Damber Sebagai Solusi Pemenuhan Pangan Berbasis Keluarga
2020Akhmad Satori, Yogi Nirwanto, Sri Hardianti, Faisal Fadilla Noorikhsan · · Indonesia
The "Budikdamber" (fish cultivation in buckets) aquaponics method is presented as an urban farming solution for household food needs in Indonesia, especially for urban communities with limited yard space. This method allows fish and plants to grow in the same place, providing animal protein and vegetables. It aims to enhance food security, strengthen community cohesion, and support household economies through harvest sales.
DIYFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsCommunityHuertas Comunitarias como herramienta para alcanzar la Autonomía Alimentaria de los ex combatientes de las FARC de la comunidad Noble y de Paz Marco Aurelio Buendía, Charras, Guaviare
2020C. 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.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceHealthAgroecología urbana como una oportunidad para reducir las emisiones de dióxido de carbono equivalente en el ciclo de vida de la alimentación de habitantes de la localidad de Chapinero en Bogotá
2020Nicolás Caicedo Sarralde · · Colombia (Bogotá)
This investigation used life cycle assessment to determine how urban agroecology in Chapinero, Bogotá, could reduce CO2 equivalent emissions from food production and consumption without affecting nutritional needs. Based on secondary data and a comparison of current and increased agroecology scenarios, the study found that potatoes have high potential in urban agroecology for emission reduction. It also concluded that farm and transport stages have the highest emissions in urban agriculture food cycles, and efficient urban agroecology in Chapinero could reduce CO2 equivalent emissions by 38.99% in nutritionally balanced diets.
Climate changeFood sovereignty & justiceOrganic cycleAgricultural development and its new trends in Japan.
2020Keshav Chandra · Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research · Japan
In Japanese agriculture, women's participation is progressively increasing, and there is a close relationship between attracting youth to agriculture and achieving food self-sufficiency. Urban agriculture is developing as a new trend in Japan. New trends such as organic farms, robotics agro, urban agriculture, and increasing women's participation are emerging, which can accelerate the pace of agricultural development in Japan.
Urban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceDigital agricultureCommunity