Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
3402 results(55 / 137)
Phenomenon of Urban Agriculture and Its Role in Shaping Sustainable Cities
2021Kateryna Dorofieieva, Kristīne Vugule · Landscape architecture and art · Global
This paper conducted complex research on the phenomenon of urban agriculture and its pioneering practices as a tool to combat problems related to ecology, economy, and human physical and mental well-being, arising from urban sprawl, land distribution, and modern city functioning. Selective case study and relevant literature analysis were applied as main research methods. The research results were compiled into a summarizing table highlighting core data and supporting conclusions and suggestions for planning and management of urban agriculture structures.
CommunityPolicyEconomicsHealthSocial entrepreneurship in obesity prevention: A scoping review
2021Audrey Chia, Junyu Ong, Anjali Bundele, Yee Wei Lim · Obesity Reviews · South Korea
A scoping review of social ventures in obesity prevention identified 512 social ventures across 32 countries, with 93% originating from developed countries, including urban farming among their intervention areas. Social ventures developed diverse business models with multiple revenue streams, offering financially self-sufficient approaches. However, the review did not provide detailed data on specific successful cases or the scale of economic viability for these ventures.
Economic viabilityCommunityEconomicsPolicyHORTAS ESCOLARES: PARÂMETROS PEDAGÓGICOS PARA RECURSOS MATERIAIS E ESTRUTURA FÍSICA
2021ELIZABETE CRISTINA RIBEIRO SILVA JARDIM · Editora Realize eBooks · Brazil
This research analyzed Brazilian school garden experiences across three document sets, identifying procedures and resources incongruent with stated counter-hegemonic objectives. The study found structural inadequacies for the school space and omissions regarding the protection and safety of farmers and students during activities. It recommends adjustments to location, spatial organization, and material resources for school gardens to ensure the health of food producers.
Governance failureFood educationCommunityHealthPolicyAgricultura na aglomeração urbana de Presidente Prudente - SP
2021Claudinei da Silva Pereira · GEOUSP Espaço e Tempo (Online) · Brazil (Presidente Prudente)
This paper analyzed agricultural production in Presidente Prudente, Brazil, from two essential dimensions: urban morphology and socioeconomic conditions. A typology for urban agriculture analysis was constructed by mapping the incidence of agriculture and applying questionnaires to commercial producers. The study demonstrated the different functions that agricultural practice performs for individuals and cities.
EconomicsUrban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justicePolicySustainable Social Entrepreneurship Models for Urban Agribusiness Initiatives in Johannesburg
2021Michael Rudolph, Madimetja Antony Mello, Evans Muchesa · Journal of food security · South Africa (Johannesburg)
This study aimed to develop a sustainable social entrepreneurship model for urban farming initiatives in Johannesburg. Through a literature review and qualitative interviews with experts, findings highlighted several important challenges that limited urban smallholder farmers' ability to ensure the financial viability and sustainability of their farming initiatives. These challenges included limited accessibility to farming land, markets, funding, and knowledge regarding setting up and managing small agri-businesses.
Economic viabilityEconomicsCommunityPolicyFood educationWillingness to pay for urban agriculture in Oslo
2021Geir Wæhler Gustavsen, Helge Berglann, Elisabeth Jenssen, Signe Kårstad, Divina Gracia P. Rodriguez · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Norway (Oslo)
This study used a contingent valuation survey to assess Oslo citizens' attitudes and willingness to pay for four types of urban agriculture: urban community gardens, urban gardens for work training, education, and kindergartens, aquaponics, and vertical production. While urban agriculture provides services like enhanced food security and biodiversity, its value is often hard to quantify for policymakers. The survey results indicated that Oslo citizens are willing to increase their tax payments to contribute to the further development of urban farming in Oslo.
EconomicsCommunityPolicyFood educationFacilitating Multifunctional Green Infrastructure Planning in Washington, DC through a Tableau Interface
2021John Taylor, Mamatha Hanumappa, Lara Miller, Brendan Shane, Matthew L. Richardson · Sustainability · United States (Washington, DC)
A public-access geographic information system (GIS) and Tableau dashboards were developed for comprehensive multifunctional urban green infrastructure (UGI) planning in Washington, DC. The dashboards enable stakeholders to identify existing UGI (150 ha) and potential areas for new UGI, including urban agriculture (UA). A total of 2734 ha is potentially suitable for UGI development, with 2575 ha potentially suitable for UA. Of this UA potential, 56% is located in Wards 5, 7, and 8, which are largely food deserts with primarily Black residents experiencing the greatest inequities. The tool allows users to prioritize equitable UGI development using population vulnerability indices.
PolicyCommunityClimate changeHealthA Study on the Cooperation of Food Business Operators and Farmers in Urban Areas: Participation in the “Farm Mileage<sup>2</sup> Movement” of Narutoya Co. Ltd.
2021Kana Nakatsuka · Journal of Rural Problems · Japan (Higashi-Osaka City)
Higashi-Osaka City implemented the "Farm Mileage2 Campaign" to promote urban agriculture, collaborating with food business operators to jointly develop agricultural products. As a result, residential areas of consumers preferring ethical foods expanded based on the shipping destinations of food business operators. The movement also fostered events for food and agriculture education, promoting understanding of urban agriculture rather than just leisure. Many urban residents were found to desire agriculture near their homes.
Food educationCommunityPolicyFood miles & supply chainTwo Experiences of Urban Agriculture in Medieval Piedmont
2021Roberto Leggero, Mirella Montanari · University of Vienna · Italy
This investigation compared urban agriculture in the proto-city of Chieri and Novara in medieval Piedmont, Italy, finding that urban agriculture was influenced by the city's network and environmental relationship. Chieri's arid clay soils and water scarcity led to specialized wine production and in-city processing areas. Novara's Roman urban model and surrounding countryside facilitated vegetable gardens and peri-urban crops, demonstrating how different urban structures and territories generated diverse forms of urban agriculture.
CommunityPolicyMedia frames on urban greening in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
2021Mi Sun Park, Seongmin Shin, Haeun Lee · Forest Policy and Economics · Democratic People's Republic of Korea
This research examined urban greening policies in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) by applying media content analysis to articles on urban green spaces published in the Rodong Shinmun newspaper from 1959 to 2018. The analysis, using an ecosystem service approach, identified three media frames: diagnostic, prognostic, and motivational. Findings revealed edible trees highlighted as provisioning services, disaster control and environmental protection as regulating/supporting services, and recreation/landscape as cultural services, with frames also proposing strategic planning and encouraging public participation.
PolicyCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceSpecial Issue: “Urban Agriculture, Forestry and Green-Blue Infrastructure as “Re-Discovered Commons”: Bridging Urban-Rural Interface”
2021Ryo Kohsaka, Yuta Uchiyama · Sustainability · Global
This Special Issue re-explores research topics related to the relationships between urban and rural areas during the COVID-19 pandemic period in 2020 and beyond.
Urban–rural linkagePolicyCommunityAgricultura urbana e periurbana no Município do Rio de Janeiro – estudo de caso sobre as legislações pertinentes / Urban and periurban agriculture in the Municipality of Rio de Janeiro - case study on the relevant legislationd
2021Luísa Lima Leal, A. P. D. Turetta, C. L. Capeche, Luiz Felipe Guanaes · Brazilian Journal of Development · Brazil
This study conducted a descriptive analysis of the legal framework for urban and peri-urban agriculture (AUP) in the Municipality of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, at municipal, state, and federal levels. It found that while agricultural regulation in Brazil is primarily rural-focused, AUP can be integrated into development plans, sustainable strategies, and food security initiatives, despite lacking specific dedicated legislation.
PolicyPeri-urban agriculturePublic food forest opportunities and challenges in small municipalities
2021Sarah E. Coffey, John F. Munsell, Rico Hübner, Curtis R. Friedel · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems · United States (Virginia)
A survey of 68 mayors (39% response rate) in Virginia, US, from communities under 25,000 population, investigated public food forest initiatives. Mayors identified long-term maintenance as the greatest barrier and noted that 78% of municipalities lack land use codes for food-producing trees and shrubs. While nearly 70% reported some public land food production, only one-fifth included food-producing trees. Mayors emphasized sociocultural programs and education over food access as the most compelling aspect.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyFood educationClimate changeHow are allotment gardens managed? A comparative study of usage and development in contemporary urban space in Germany and Poland
2021Magdalena Szczepańska, Ewa Kacprzak, Barbara Maćkiewicz, Lidia Poniży · Moravian Geographical Reports · Germany; Poland
A comparative study analyzed the use and development of allotment gardens (AGs) in Westphalia and Lippe (Germany) and Wielkopolska (Poland). AGs in Westphalia and Lippe are accessible and harmoniously integrated into the landscape, while AGs in Wielkopolska are less accessible, prioritize internal users, and do not always blend with their surroundings. The considerable freedom enjoyed by Polish plot-holders leads to a gradual marginalization of edible-plant growing.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyBiodiversityUrban–rural linkageScience's Role in Stimulating West Bengal's Agricultural Performance
2021M. S. Swaminathan · · India
This study examines the agricultural situation in West Bengal, noting that livestock ownership is more egalitarian than land ownership and that the region has abundant fish ponds. It emphasizes the importance of adopting integrated pest management procedures to prevent pesticide pollution in fish cultivation water. The abstract also states that socially underprivileged communities gaining access to agricultural and homestead land through land reforms is a significant step in eliminating poverty.
PolicyEconomicsUrban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceCultivating the city for ecosocialism
2021Salvatore Engel‐Di Mauro, George M. Martin · · Global
This chapter examines urban cultivation across diverse global contexts, finding that global South cities often experience declining food production due to displacement by financiers and landowners. It notes that urban cultivation is frequently associated with unacknowledged pollution problems, and its overall ecological impacts are not necessarily positive. Furthermore, urban food production, with the exception of Cuba, does little to reduce social inequality and can sometimes exacerbate it.
Environmental trade-offsFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicyClimate changePlanning Peri-Urban Open Spaces: Methods and Tools for Interpretation and Classification
2021Enrico Gottero, Claudia Cassatella, Federica Larcher · Land · Italy (Turin)
This research developed a holistic method and map-based indices for interpreting and classifying peri-urban landscapes, focusing on open spaces to understand their complexity and identify homogeneous units. The method was applied to the peri-urban area of Turin, Italy, generating maps of spatial and functional classification at the landscape unit level, as well as a map of critical areas for improvement. Despite some minor limitations, the proposed method and tools appear to have a range of applications in the context of global challenges and from a landscape perspective.
Peri-urban agriculturePolicyClimate changeBiodiversityUrban–rural linkageMotor City Green: A Century of Landscapes and Environmentalism in Detroit by Joseph Stanhope Cialdella
2021T. G. McCarthy · Michigan Historical Review · United States
Joseph Stanhope Cialdella's book, "Motor City Green," describes how Detroit residents maintained various relationships with nature, including growing plants and food in their backyards and vacant lots, throughout the city's 130-year history. The book presents a series of episodes, from 1890s vacant lot programs to the Detroit Urban League's 1920s efforts to encourage gardening among African American residents and 1930s summer camps, which defined ideas about urbanism, nature, and relationships among residents.
CommunityPolicyEconomicsHeirloom & landraceFuture Shift for ‘Big Things’: From Starchitecture via Agritecture to Parkitecture
2021Philip Cooke · Journal of Open Innovation Technology Market and Complexity · Global
This article analyzes three shifts in the geography of "Big Things" in modern city center architecture: "Starchitecture" (1990s), "Agritecture" (2000s), and "Parkitecture" (2010s). Agritecture involved repurposing office blocks for high-rise urban farming, such as aquaponics and hydroponic horticulture. Parkitecture emerged as COVID-19 further undermined CBD property markets, leading to the replacement of malls with urban prairie landscapes.
PolicyUrban–rural linkageEconomicsDEDUCING ACTUAL CONVERSION OF URBAN AGRICULTURAL LAND USING PLOT SIZE, STREET WIDTH, AND NUMBER OF SIDES FACING STREETS AS INDEXES
2021Mei Komatsu, Takashi Ariga · Journal of Architecture and Planning (Transactions of AIJ) · Global
This study explored the characteristics of actual conversion of partially surviving agricultural lands using plot size, street width, and number of sides facing streets as indexes. It compared land uses in 2016 with agricultural lands in 1983 and investigated the actual conversion of all agricultural lands in 2016 using these indexes. The study also compared the actual condition of converted plots partially retained as agricultural lands with the actual conversion of all agricultural lands.
PolicyUrban–rural linkageMultifuncionalidade da agricultura urbana e periurbana: uma revisão sistemática
2021Roberta Moraes Curan, Paulo Eduardo Moruzzi Marques · Estudos Avançados · Global
This article presents a systematic literature review on the multifunctionality of urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA), conducted using Science Direct, Scielo, and Capes databases. Fourteen articles were selected, and their data were analyzed to identify UPA typologies and functions. The study classified UPA functions into sociocultural, economic, and environmental dimensions, concluding that UPA offers benefits and can be a tool for achieving Sustainable Development Goals.
Urban–rural linkagePolicyEconomicsCommunityClimate changeBiodiversityImpact of urban expansion on the peri-urban farming communities: the case of lalibela town, amhara regional state, ethiopia.
2021Nibret Sefiw Adugnaw · Open access jounrals · Ethiopia
This study examines the impact of urban expansion on peri-urban farming communities in Lalibela town, Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia.
Peri-urban agricultureUrban–rural linkagePolicyUrban food growing and social sustainability
2021Salvatore Engel‐Di Mauro, George Martin · · Global
Claims that urban food production raises food security and creates a more just society are questionable and contradicted by data from the Global North. Urban land is insufficient, sunlight is often inadequate, and soil pollution is widespread. Technological attempts like vertical and rooftop farming have limited feasibility, may worsen environmental and social problems, and do not address major food sources, access, or waste. Furthermore, urban gardens are increasingly linked with socially devastating gentrification.
Limited or null effectFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicyClimate changePractices and Barriers to Sustainable Urban Agriculture: A Case Study of Louisville, Kentucky
2021Leigh Whittinghill, Sait Sarr · Urban Science · United States (Louisville, Kentucky)
A survey of 40 urban farmers and gardeners in Louisville, Kentucky, assessed their agricultural practices and barriers. Most growers engaged in urban agriculture for non-commercial reasons, with only 11% operating for profit, and smaller farms were less likely to be profitable or certified. Common sustainable practices included composting (60%) and crop rotation (54%), while challenges involved limited space, farm certification access, pests, and lack of record-keeping.
Economic viabilityCommunityEconomicsPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceBuilding resilient cities with stringent pollution controls: A case study of robust planning of Shenzhen City’s urban agriculture system
2021Yang Zhou, Yang Zhou, Jing‐Cheng Han, Jie Li, Ya Zhou, Ya Zhou, Keyi Wang, Yuefei Huang · Journal of Cleaner Production · China (Shenzhen)
This study focused on robust planning for Shenzhen City's urban agriculture system under stringent pollution controls, aiming to build resilient cities. A robust-optimization-based urban agriculture planning (ROB-UAP) model was developed and applied to Shenzhen City. Results indicated that under expected economic conditions, agricultural restructuring could increase the system's overall output by at least 8%. Furthermore, the total amount of major pollutants could be reduced in both risk-averse and risk-tolerant scenarios, highlighting the importance of robust decision-making for environmentally low-impact outcomes.
PolicyEconomicsClimate change