Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
2056 results(56 / 83)
Impact 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 educationWelfareAgricultura urbana: o desenvolvimento de um projeto social
2017Joice Zagna Valent, Letícia de Oliveira, Vinicius Dornelles Valent · DRd - Desenvolvimento Regional em debate · Brazil
This descriptive study aimed to describe a social urban agriculture project in a community located in Canoas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Through a literature review and a semi-structured interview with the project coordinator, it was shown that urban agriculture possesses social, economic, ecological, and symbolic dimensions beyond food production. The study concluded that various projects developed around urban food cultivation, with main impacts including the promotion of food security, generation of employment and income, environmental management, social integration, and development of human capital.
CommunityFood educationEconomicsHealthWelfareStudy on Community Gardens for Village Development Projects
2017Jeong Nara, Myeongil Jeong, Seung-Won Han, Jaesoon Kim · Journal of people, plants, and environment · Global
This study was conducted to provide basic data for the construction of a community garden in a village. The research showed that residents have a high intention to use community gardens for rest, strolls, exercise, and appreciation, with older respondents showing higher frequency of use. Garden efficiency is enhanced when located within a 20-minute walk (1km), and it is desirable to design the space to reflect community characteristics and introduce needed facilities.
CommunityHealthElderlyIdentifying the potential of some heavy metals toxicity in urban and peri-urban cropping systems in Sierra Leone
2017Abdul Rahman Conteh, Alusaine Edward Samura, E. L. S. Hinckley, Osman Nabay, Mohamed S. Kamara · Journal of Agricultural Science and Practice · Sierra Leone (Freetown)
This study was conducted to identify the risks of heavy metal contamination in urban and peri-urban cropping systems in Sierra Leone. Soil and plant samples were collected from 72 sites in Freetown and Bo and analyzed for Zn, Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb, and Cd. Heavy metals were detected across all sites, and some mild risk of cadmium toxicity was observed in densely populated areas of Freetown, though this was not reflected in plant uptake of cadmium.
Contamination & food safetyHealthUrban–rural linkageWelfareIntroducing School Gardens to the Omani Context: A Preliminary Study with Grade 7 Classes
2017Neil Taylor, Abdulla Ambusaidi, Rashid Al‐Yahyai, Subhashni Taylor · Eurasia Journal of Mathematics Science and Technology Education · Oman
A pilot school gardening project in Oman, using a mixed-method quasi-experimental design with Grade 7 classes, investigated its impact. Quantitative findings tentatively suggest improved learning outcomes in science skill development. Qualitative findings indicated a positive impact on students' affective domain and, in some cases, encouraged healthier eating habits.
Food educationHealthEffects of Sustainable Home-Yard Food Garden (KRPL) Program: A Case of Banten in Indonesia
2017Eka Rastiyanto Amrullah, Ani Pullaila, Akira Ishida, Haruka Yamashita · Asian Social Science · Indonesia (Banten)
In Banten, Indonesia, the effects of the Sustainable Home-Yard Food Garden (KRPL) program on participants' household income were evaluated. The program was shown to contribute to dietary diversification through the harvest of various fresh vegetables and resulted in reduced expenditure on fresh vegetables and/or increased household income. OLS regression results indicated that participants with more pots and/or more vegetable varieties tended to enjoy gardening, were not passively motivated, grew vegetables for sale, and resided in the more developed northern part of Banten.
DIYEconomicsHealthPeri-urban agricultureHeavy metals in suburban gardens and the implications of land-use change following a major earthquake
2017Seyedardalan Ashrafzadeh, Niklas J. Lehto, Gareth Oddy, Ron G. McLaren, Ling‐Fen Kang, Nicholas Dickinson, Johannes Welsch, Brett Robinson · Applied Geochemistry · New Zealand (Christchurch)
A study in Christchurch, New Zealand, measured heavy metal (HM) concentrations in suburban garden soils and soils at risk of HM contamination due to former land uses or nearby activities. HM concentrations in suburban garden soils were higher than normal background levels, with 46% of urban garden samples exceeding the residential land use national standard for lead (210 mg kg−1), and the most contaminated soil reaching 2615 mg kg−1. Arsenic and zinc also exceeded national standards in 20% of soils. These findings suggest that soil HM concentrations should be key criteria when determining future land use for former residential areas demolished due to the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes, and that redeveloping these areas as parklands or forests would result in less human HM exposure than agriculture or community gardens where food is produced and bare soil is exposed.
Contamination & food safetyHealthCommunityContaminants in Urban Soils: Bioavailability and Transfer
2017Dorothy Menefee, Ganga M. Hettiarachchi · · United States
Soil contamination with potentially toxic trace elements and anthropogenic organic pollutants is a widespread problem in urban areas worldwide. While urban agriculture increases food security, potential risks exist without knowledge of urban soil contamination. Lead (Pb) contamination is a widespread and common urban soil issue associated with human health risks, with almost half of US EPA Superfund sites having Pb contamination. Cadmium (Cd) is also a widespread urban soil pollutant, largely from industrial activities like plastic manufacturing, battery disposal, and metal ore processing. The bioavailability of soil Pb to humans is unusually low and generally tied to Pb speciation.
Contamination & food safetyHealthCommunity도시농업 활동이 친환경 식단에 미치는 영향
2017강미영, 김영희, 김용현, 진종현, 이민희, 허무룡 · · South Korea
This study conducted in South Korea investigated the influence of urban farming activities on changes in eco-friendly diets. Urban farming participants were often office workers living in apartments with 4-person families, and tended to have over 10 years of rural experience in childhood. They participated in activities for 1-2 hours on weekend mornings once a week for over 3 years. Eco-friendly food education influenced crop yields, and difficulties with weed removal and the need for eco-friendly farming education were noted. Participants reported satisfaction with the type and quality of harvests, changes in diet, reduced food costs, and health benefits.
HealthFood educationCommunityDIYEconomicsGrowing the community – a case study of community gardens in Lincoln's Abbey Ward
2017Jennifer Jackson · Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems · United Kingdom (Lincoln)
This qualitative case study examined Green Synergy's community garden initiatives in Lincoln's Abbey Ward, UK, using observation, interviews, a focus group, and a workshop. It explored the social element of community gardening in building connections between social and natural capital. The study found that collaborative creation of green spaces fosters bonding and bridging social capital within communities and challenges narratives of individual and community capacity.
CommunityHealthFood educationBottom-up governance after a natural disaster: a temporary post-earthquake community garden in central Christchurch, New Zealand
2017Roy L. Montgomery, Andreas Wesener, Fran Davies · Lincoln University Research Archive (Lincoln University) · New Zealand
This study examined a temporary community-initiated open space (CIOS) established in central Christchurch, New Zealand, after the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes. CIOS are bottom-up initiatives relying on financial sponsorship, temporary land-use agreements with landowners, and volunteers. The paper discusses bottom-up governance approaches in a single post-earthquake community garden project, using concepts of community resilience and social capital, and analyzes the facilitating organization's actions, its impact, and key actors' motivations, values, perceived benefits, and challenges.
CommunityPolicyClimate changeHealthPROMOTING POSITIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT: A SCHOOL GARDEN NARRATIVE
2017Andile Mji · Commonwealth Youth and Development · Global
This study reports on a program where 118 learners (56.8% female), aged 16-18, participated in starting and tending school gardens. The aim was to determine how an empowering environment built learners' competencies and what lessons they learned, and if their utterances reflected positive youth development attributes. Qualitative data from open-ended interviews revealed that learners changed, learned to share, understood the meaning of working with others, and their utterances were consistent with positive youth development competencies.
Food educationCommunityHealthSociabilidades, laços e redes de vizinhança.: Quintais com vida
2017Maria de Fátima dos Santos Pimenta Garcia · Service social · Global
This study discusses how urban agriculture facilitates social participation, stimulates solidarity, and fosters social belonging, thereby strengthening neighborhood networks and bringing generations together. It suggests that urban gardens encourage active aging and contribute to the biopsychosocial balance of the elderly by transforming daily life and integrating people through leisure activities and the use of common spaces.
CommunityElderlyHealthOrdering urban agriculture: farmers, experts, the state and the collective management of resources in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
2017Gabin Korbéogo · Environment and Urbanization · Burkina Faso (Ouagadougou)
This article explores how land tenure, water flows, and water quality are legally, politically, and socially framed in urban agriculture in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Urban agriculture serves as a revenue source and a socio-political arena involving state representatives, experts, and farmers. Public authorities monitor legal standards for water use and hygiene, while farmers strive for efficient resource use, sometimes challenging official norms. These competing interests lead to conflicts over resource use or rule legitimacy, which are negotiated through institutional or informal bargaining.
Governance failurePolicyEconomicsCommunityHealthFood sovereignty & justiceThe case for citizen science in urban agriculture research
2017Georgia Pollard, Philip Roetman, James Ward · Kobra (Universitätsbibliothek Kassel) · Australia (South Australia)
While urban agriculture is seen as a sustainable approach to improving food security, there is a significant knowledge gap regarding the financial accessibility of urban food production for all households. If urban agriculture remains primarily a middle-class discretionary activity, its role in city-wide food security improvement will be limited. This paper demonstrates that citizen science offers an effective approach to investigate the inputs (labor, costs, water use) and outputs (produce yields, value) of urban food gardens, using the Edible Gardens project in South Australia as an example.
Equity & displacementFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsCommunityHealthDIYUrban parks, gardens and greenspace
2017Jason Byrne · · Global
Research on urban greenspace, including parks, gardens, and green infrastructure, consistently demonstrates that marginalized and vulnerable communities have less access to these areas. This chapter overviews environmental injustice research on urban greenspace, examining debates and challenges for researchers and policymakers, and highlighting issues like climate injustice and food insecurity related to environmental inequality.
Equity & displacementCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changeHealthOkul Öncesi Eğitim Kurumlarının Bahçelerinin Peyzaj Tasarımı ve Alan Kullanımlar
2017Sertaç Güngör · Journal of Agricultural Faculty of Gaziosmanpasa University · Turkey (Konya)
This study investigated the current state of gardens in 7 nursery schools in Selçuklu district, Konya city, Turkey, regarding landscape design and space usage. The findings revealed that the nursery school gardens were not used effectively, lacked sufficient green space in their landscape design, and were not properly designed to contribute to children's mental and physical development.
Limited or null effectFood educationHealthCommunityEffect of Urban Agriculture Experience Program on the Mental Health of the Elderly
2017Hyun‐Kyung Kang, Seung Jun Back · Journal of people, plants, and environment · Global
This study investigated the effect of an urban agriculture experience program on the mental health of seniors over 65, comparing a group participating for over six months with a control group. Using t-tests on stress and depression indices, and physiological disparity, the experiment group showed statistically significantly lower stress scores related to loneliness and health, and much lower depression levels than the control group. Autonomic nervous system analysis also indicated lower stress and normal pulse diversity for the experiment group, suggesting urban agriculture stabilizes sympathetic nerves and activates parasympathetic nerves, increasing stress resistance.
HealthElderlyFood educationCommunitySustainability at work, sustainability at play
2017Jyothsna Latha Belliappa, Alison Byrnes, Prayas Abhinav · · India
The City Spinning project, an urban horticulture and community networking experiment in two Indian cities, demonstrated a low-cost, resource-light model that separates consumption from ownership, aligning with sustainable Product-Service Systems. This project aimed to support urban poor children's nutritional needs and foster social equity by enabling interaction with community members. It also highlighted the importance of safe play spaces for children's development of citizenship competencies, which are often limited to confined playgrounds in most Indian cities.
CommunityFood educationWelfareHealthFostering behaviour change to encourage low-carbon food consumption through community gardens
2017Ju Eun Kim · International Journal of Urban Sciences · United Kingdom (London)
This empirical research evaluated the role of London's community gardens in promoting participants' environmentally friendly food consumption patterns, thereby lowering London's foodprint. An online survey was circulated to 95 community gardens in London, with 48 gardeners responding, complemented by semi-structured interviews. The study confirmed that the timespan of community garden participation is not an absolute indicator of low-carbon food consumption choices, while identifying experiential and social learning as key aspects promoting gardeners' behavioral change.
CommunityClimate changeFood educationHealthConcentration of Potentially Toxic Elements in Various Berries Grown in Allotment Gardens of Rīga City, Latvia Section B Natural, exact, and applied sciences =
2017Zane Vincēviča–Gaile, Dāvis Varakājs · · Latvia
This study aimed to determine the concentration of potentially toxic elements (Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, Zn) in berries grown in allotment gardens in Rīga city, Latvia. Samples of raspberries, strawberries, red currants, black currants, gooseberries, and cherries were analyzed using atomic absorption spectroscopy. The results showed significant variability of element concentration among the berry species, with mean concentrations for Ni at 0.54 mg/kg, Pb at 0.20 mg/kg, Cr at 0.10 mg/kg, and Cd at 0.03 mg/kg.
Contamination & food safetyHealthSistemas alimentarios sostenibles. Potencial de la agricultura urbana para pequeños empresarios del cantón Machala
2017Dra. C. Andreína Inés González Ordóñez, MSc. David Zaldumbide, MSc. Javier Solano · · Ecuador (Machala)
This research analyzes the potential of urban agriculture for small entrepreneurs in Canton Machala, El Oro Province, Ecuador, using a documentary review of related literature. Urban agriculture is identified as having economic, social, and environmental benefits, including improved food and nutrition, reduced ecological footprint, and strengthened social fabric. Its implementation can enhance living conditions by providing healthy food, additional income, and improved environmental quality.
EconomicsCommunityHealthClimate changeLeadership, partnerships, and civic engagement
2017Helena C. Lyson · · United States (California)
This qualitative fieldwork in a large, urban school district in Northern California explored school food reform efforts addressing childhood obesity. Reforms transpired through three processes: sustained involvement of parent-activists, leadership by the school food service director in championing farm-to-school efforts and facilitating partnerships, and widespread community support for funding and implementation. These findings indicate how local social change transformed public school food programs to benefit youth health.
Food educationCommunityHealthPolicyMoving dirt: soil, lead, and the dynamic spatial politics of urban gardening
2017Bethany B. Cutts, Jonathan London, Shaina Meiners, Kirsten Schwarz, Mary L. Cadenasso · Local Environment · Global
This paper applies a dynamic spatial politics framework to interpret a 30-year conflict over an urban garden in Sacramento, California. It examines how urban gardens, often idealized, are also sites of conflict due to competing visions of "soil" versus "dirt." The study highlights that contaminants like lead in the soil contribute to this instability, reframing fertile soil as dangerous dirt, and influencing the garden's transformation from a countercultural space to a gentrified amenity.
Contamination & food safetyCommunityHealthPolicyAssessing the sustainability of vegetable production practices in northern Ghana
2017Eileen Bogweh Nchanji, Imogen Bellwood‐Howard, Nikolaus Schareika, Takemore Chagomoka, Johannes Schlesinger, D. Rodríguez Torres Axel, Glaser Rüdiger · International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability · Ghana (Tamale)
An ethnographic study in Tamale, Northern Ghana, assessed the sustainability of urban vegetable production between 2008 and 2014. While urbanization increased cultivation of profitable vegetables like cabbage, the practice involved irrigation with grey and wastewater and high pesticide use, posing health and environmental hazards. Industrial growth reduced open space urban agriculture by 8.7%, leading farmers to use interstitial spaces and peri-urban fringes, indicating a dynamic but not yet sustainable production system.
Contamination & food safetyHealthEconomicsClimate changePolicyOrganic cycle