Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
3402 results(56 / 137)
Social aspect of urban agriculture with examples from Croatia
2021Ana Poštek, Ivica Kisić, Marija Cerjak, Luka Brezinščak · Journal of Central European Agriculture · Croatia
This paper analyzes various social aspects of urban agriculture and presents examples from Croatia where social benefits are the primary purpose. Urban agriculture can have social effects such as fostering activism, gender equality, social cohesion and inclusion, education, and cultural heritage preservation. However, policymakers struggle to implement urban agriculture within city planning.
Governance failureCommunityFood educationPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceAn Analysis of Policy Implementation Factors of the School Farm Program in Seoul, South Korea
2021Subeen Jang · The Korea Association of Yeolin Education · South Korea (Seoul)
This study analyzed the implementation process of the School Farm Program in Seoul, South Korea, through a literature review. The analysis found that there was a risk of the policy's focus deviating from school and educational issues, as multiple policymakers pursued diverse economic and social goals using school farms. Additionally, policy effects at the target level could differ from policymaker goals depending on each school's context, and interaction among policy implementers and various interest groups like civic organizations, experts, and media was insufficient.
Governance failurePolicyFood educationCommunityThe cultural economy of human waste reuse: perspectives from peri-urban Karnataka, India
2021Zachary Burt, C. Shambu Prasad, Pay Drechsel, Isha Ray · Journal of Water Sanitation and Hygiene for Development · India (Karnataka)
A preference-ranking model was developed to understand the acceptance of fecal sludge-derived fertilizer (FSF) in Karnataka, India, by modeling farmowners and farmworkers separately. The study found that farmers willing to use FSF prefer to conceal its origins from workers and their caste group, especially caste-adhering, vegetarian farmowners. Workers were open to FSF if it resembled cow manure, revealing that the waste economy in rural India is shaped by unacknowledged caste hierarchies and practices.
Equity & displacementOrganic cyclePeri-urban agriculturePolicyEconomicsHealthCommunityCharacteristics of policies based on Basic Law for Urban Agricultural Promotion formulated by local governments located in urbanization promotion area of Tokyo
2021Izumi ARAKAWA, Noriko Akita · Journal of The Japanese Institute of Landscape Architecture · Japan (Tokyo)
This study identified the characteristics of local plan policies based on the Basic Law for Urban Agricultural Promotion, formulated by local governments. The survey covered 310 local governments in 11 prefectures across three major Metropolitan areas. Tokyo had a large number of local governments formulating local plans and implementing various policies, with differences observed between cities and wards. "Branding of agricultural products" was one policy independently formulated, while "Promotion of agricultural cooperation between rural and urban areas" was not adopted by any local government.
PolicyUrban–rural linkageEconomicsLegal Instruments to Support Local Food Systems in United States Law
2021Anna Kapała · Comparative Law Review · United States
This study analyzed federal, state, and local regulations in US law to identify instruments supporting local food systems (LFS), including food safety, zoning, tax law, and federal programs. It found that US law lacks a systematic approach to LFS support, but identified legislative tools such as food safety exemptions, sales tax exemptions, local zoning laws for urban agriculture, and federal grant programs.
PolicyCSA & TeikeiFood sovereignty & justiceConclusion
2021Christina Ergas · · Global
This concluding chapter summarizes lessons from urban agriculture and ecovillages, defining radical sustainability as socially and ecologically transformative and regenerative. It identifies tools for radical sustainability, including community care and skill sharing. The chapter offers practical, community-oriented solutions for socioecological crises, particularly for those unable to implement urban farming, and discusses the potential for large-scale structural change or collapse.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changePolicySustainable Urban Agriculture as Functional Hybrid Unit—Issues of Urban Resilience
2021Magdalena Grochulska-Salak, Aleksandra Nowysz, Anna Tofiluk · Buildings · Global
This research reviews urban agriculture as green and blue infrastructure solutions, evaluating modern hybrid units that combine biomass and food production with water retention in urban areas. It defines criteria and typology for urban resilience solutions, analyzing the correlation between water production, management, retention, and reuse within sustainable urban agriculture systems in compact cities. The study describes a typology for cultivation and production in modern cities, contributing to discussions on synergy in urban planning, architecture, and engineering for city resilience.
Climate changeOrganic cyclePolicyExperiencias relevantes de agricultura urbana y periurbana en Colombia
2021Ramón Antonio Mosquera Mena, Yolvi Prada Millán · Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia eBooks · Colombia
Urban and peri-urban agriculture in Colombia offers benefits such as alleviating food insecurity and creating jobs, but currently lacks government policies to support these processes. This paper contextualizes relevant experiences and technical tools for implementing agroecological orchards, emphasizing environmental and social sensitivity. It also notes that agricultural research in Colombia is still emerging, requiring more applied research for technological development to benefit communities and farmers.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicyCommunityFrom urban waste to urban farmers: Can we close the agriculture loop within the city bounds?
2021Rafael Carvalho Machado, Sieglinde Kindl Da Cunha · Waste Management & Research The Journal for a Sustainable Circular Economy · Brazil (Curitiba)
This study investigated Curitiba, Brazil's Urban Agriculture Program (UAP) and its decentralized composting strategy, which aimed to close the agricultural loop within city bounds. Despite training 24 urban farmer communities in composting techniques, the program was unable to achieve this goal. The research, based on secondary data review, interviews, and participatory observation, identified cultural barriers and conflicts among actor roles within the UAP that hindered the adoption of composting practices.
Governance failureCompostCommunityOrganic cyclePolicyFrom the researched to co-researchers: including excluded participants in community-led research on urban agriculture in Cape Town
2021Nicole Paganini, Silke Stöber · The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension · South Africa (Cape Town)
This long-term study in Cape Town, South Africa, developed and employed a co-research approach with urban farmers, using mixed methods including focus groups, farming diaries, and surveys. Participants perceived the research process itself as more important than the results, as they developed agency for change. The mutually developed results were used by co-researchers to establish a representative body advocating for small-scale farmers' needs.
CommunityPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceFood educationHousehold and Community Gardens Surge in the Philippines and Senegal during COVID-19
2021Halie Kampman, Shun-Nan Chiang, Salam Sawadogo · Gastronomica The Journal of Food and Culture · Philippines; Senegal
This study compares the surge in household and community gardening in the Philippines and Senegal during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on urban and peri-urban areas. It analyzes how government policies and community responses shaped this increased interest, noting that Philippine policy promotes citizen food growing for national self-sufficiency, while Senegalese policy favors large-scale, commercially oriented modernization. The research highlights contrasting visions for future food systems in these two Global South countries.
CommunityPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceEnergy justice, renewable energy, and the rural-urban divide: Insights from the Southwest U.S.
2021Stephanie Buechler, Karina Guadalupe Martínez-Molina · Energy and Climate Change · United States
This study compared rural and urban populations living near or receiving energy from a large-scale solar-wind energy park in Arizona, Southwest U.S., using an energy justice framework. Small-scale renewable energy projects better served low-income groups, with more governmental and non-profit organization support for these projects in urban areas. Adverse effects of large-scale projects on communities and wildlife were not being addressed via benefits or profit sharing.
PolicyCommunityUrban–rural linkageClimate change[Implementasi Urban Farming Berdasarkan Perspektif Political Ecology] : Review
2021Margareth Margareth, Oekan S. Abdoellah, Martha Fani Cahyandito, Kinanti Indah Safitri · Prosiding Seminar Nasional Fakultas Pertanian UNS · Indonesia (Bandung)
This qualitative study examines the implementation of urban farming in Bandung City, Indonesia, from a political ecology perspective, focusing on market, service, and institutional interactions, and product marketing chains. The research identifies policy failures, where city government agricultural policies were insufficient to meet residents' food needs, necessitating top-down urban farming innovations. It also notes market failures due to public dissatisfaction with available products, driving bottom-up urban farming initiatives by independent organizations. Funding sources and operational cost efficiency strategies differ between government-led and independent urban farming efforts.
Governance failurePolicyEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceThe Politics of Smart Farming Expectations in Urban Environments
2021Per-Anders Langendahl · Frontiers in Sustainable Cities · Global
This paper investigates the politics of smart farming expectations in urban environments, conducting exploratory case study research on early smart farming initiatives in Sweden. It explores the politics of knowledge claims at the project level and their performativity in envisioning more sustainable urban futures. The findings suggest that smart farming at the level of individual projects gives the appearance of change, but at the same time, it produces more of the same.
Governance failureDigital agriculturePolicyEconomicsUrban–rural linkageTransformative potential from the ground up: Sustainable innovation journeys, soft change and alignment of interests in urban food initiatives
2021Damian Maye, Paul Swagemakers, J.S.C. Wiskerke, Heidrun Moschitz, James Kirwan, Ingrid Jahrl · European Urban and Regional Studies · Europe
This study utilized the 'sustainable innovation journeys' concept to trace urban food initiatives in Rotterdam (Netherlands), Vigo (Spain), and Zurich (Switzerland) over a six-year period from 2013 to 2018. While micro-level innovation practices can induce sustainability shifts, particularly when aligned with policy interests, the study also observed potentially negative impacts due to a lack of alignment at the initiative or city-region levels.
Governance failurePolicyEconomicsCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceAgricultura urbana, governança territorial e planejamento urbano em área protegida de Manaus – Brasil
2021Camila Garcia Fernandes de Souza Margem, Néliton Marques da Sílva · Cadernos Metrópole · Brazil (Manaus)
This article analyzed the feasibility of implementing urban agriculture (UA) on idle land within the Tarumã – Ponta Negra Environmental Protection Area in Manaus, Brazil, as a tool for territorial governance and urban planning. Semi-structured interviews and card sorting techniques were applied to the target population. The study found that the use of idle land for UA is not envisioned as a territorial governance instrument, a situation exacerbated by municipal authorities hindering the legitimization of bills for such land use.
Governance failurePolicyFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageAgricultura urbana e agroecologia no território do extremo sul do município de São Paulo
2021Angélica Campos Nakamura, Valéria de Marcos · Estudos Avançados · Brazil (São Paulo)
Since the 2000s, urban and peri-urban agriculture activities have gained momentum in São Paulo, Brazil, directly impacting the city's agricultural sector. In the far south, public authorities, the University of São Paulo, and several NGOs promoted agroecological practices, leading to the establishment of Cooperapas, São Paulo's only farmers' cooperative. This expanded the production and commercialization of agroecological foods for the city.
Food sovereignty & justicePolicyCommunityEconomics“It’s one of the few things that … pulls us together when the outside world is really tough.” Exploring the outcomes and challenges of a charity-led community garden in a disadvantaged English city
2021Sam Ramsden · Local Environment · United Kingdom (England)
This article analyzes a charity-led community gardening project in a disadvantaged northern English community, which operated for three years with external funding. While it successfully engaged marginalized people, leading to increased skills, confidence, reduced isolation, and improved wellbeing, the project faced significant challenges requiring professional management. Crucially, after the funding ended, the community garden's future was fragile, and the long-term sustainability of outcomes for marginalized participants was vulnerable due to economic viability issues.
Economic viabilityCommunityHealthWelfareEconomicsPolicyGLOBAL CONCEPT OF POST-INDUSTRIAL PERIOD – CITY OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
2021Anastasiia Vesna · Current problems of architecture and urban planning · Global
This article considers global concepts of the post-industrial period, using the concept of the city of sustainable development as an example. Existing global concepts of a sustainable city were analyzed in four areas: ecology, economy, politics, and culture. Using content analysis, it was revealed that the concept of "the city of sustainable development" belongs to the category of "Architectural utopias" and coincided with "ideal cities" due to its attractive expectations of "Results" and vague descriptions of "Risks" and "Resource costs".
PolicyClimate changeUrban–rural linkageAgricultura e produção do espaço urbano: reflexões para uma agenda de pesquisa
2021Ricardo Theóphilo Folhes, Harley Silva, Raul da Silva Ventura Neto, Kevin Gabriel Leite Da Silva, Círia Cristiane Da Rosa, Aelton Dias Costa · Novos Cadernos NAEA · Brazil (Pará)
This article presents initial results from a bibliographic review on Urban Agriculture (UA) to support a research agenda in the metropolitan regions of Pará State, Brazilian Amazon. The review analyzed concepts, approaches, and challenges in national and international literature. It concludes that UA needs to be problematized within the phenomena of urban-regional space production, which cause socioeconomic and spatial inequalities, representing the greatest structural difficulties for urban agriculture.
Equity & displacementUrban–rural linkagePolicyEconomicsProximity of Urban Farms to Hazards With and Without Heavy Metal Contamination in Baltimore, Maryland
2021Jonathan Hall, Isabel Shargo, Niya Khanjar, Jianna Howard, Laura Schmidt, Ashley Deng, Camryn Edwards, Isabelle Berman, Joseph Galarraga, Sacoby Wilson · Environmental Justice · United States
This study in Baltimore, Maryland, used GIS mapping and spatial analysis to assess the proximity of urban farms to environmental hazards, including those with heavy metal contamination. Analyses indicated that contamination of urban farms is a possibility due to proximity: more environmental hazards were found in census tracts with urban farms, and low-income communities of color had hazards near urban farms. Historically industrial areas showed a higher concentration of environmental hazards with heavy metal or unknown contamination.
Contamination & food safetyHealthCommunityUrban–rural linkagePolicyAgroecología situada: contexto, proceso y masificación del Programa de Formación en Agroecología en Venezuela
2021Olga Domené-Painenao, Francisco Herrera · Desenvolvimento e Meio Ambiente · Venezuela
In Venezuela, the Bolivarian Revolution since 1999 has seen the unfolding of harsh class and food system contradictions. While the Program Degree in Agroecology (PDA) at the Bolivarian University of Venezuela has trained over a thousand graduates who contribute to agroecological scaling and urban agriculture, the abstract highlights the persistent "harsh class and food system contradictions" within the country. This indicates ongoing equity challenges despite agroecological efforts.
Equity & displacementFood sovereignty & justicePolicyCommunityFood educationTHEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL APPROACHES TO THE FORMATION OF URBAN AGROLANDSCAPE STRUCTURES
2021Viktoria Shchurova · Current problems of architecture and urban planning · Ukraine (Kiev)
This article highlights the problems of the negative impact of the agricultural sector integrated into the central and middle zones of large cities. A critical view was formulated on the practical implementation of scientific and legislative documents, using the example of the city of Kiev, and strategies for reorganization, restrictions, or a complete ban on estate development in urban environments were analyzed. Specific plots of estate development in Kiev were identified as requiring reconstruction or complete renovation in accordance with the city's strategic development concept.
Environmental trade-offsPolicyUrban–rural linkageClimate changeCommunityAs exigências cognitivas e a complexidade do trabalho para o agricultor urbano: um estudo de caso
2021Larissa Maas, Leila Amaral Gontijo · Saúde e Sociedade · Global
This case study investigated the cognitive demands and work complexity for urban organic farmers whose main economic activity is selling their products. The findings indicate that the cognitive load for these farmers is high, contributing to complex work. The study notes a lack of existing research on the cognitive load of organic urban agriculture workers, as it is still a nascent movement.
Limited or null effectEconomicsHealthPolicyLa trama de la naturaleza en el paisaje urbano
2021Soraya Nór · Revista Latino-americana de Ambiente Construído & Sustentabilidade · Global
This article reflects on the urban landscape, focusing on its environmental dimension, to understand how to better integrate natural and social elements in urban spaces. The study proposes the green and blue infrastructure and urban agriculture as planning and territorial management practices, based on a broad notion of landscape, to favor an expansion of nature's presence in city living spaces. These proposals analyze their environmental and socio-cultural aspects.
CommunityBiodiversityPolicy