Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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4283 results(57 / 172)
Edible landscape: Key factors determining consumers’ commitment and willingness to accept opportunity cost and risk of foraged food
2023Meike Rombach, David Dean · Frontiers in Horticulture · Global
A study on urban food foraging examines key factors determining consumers' willingness to try foraged food, spend time and effort on it, accept risk, and commit to food foraging. A conceptual model — in which general perceptions of nature, food foraging, and COVID-19 shape three specific attitudes toward food foraging, which in turn drive four behavioral intentions — was tested using partial least squares structural equation modelling. Results show the strongest drivers of willingness to try are approval of responsible foraging activities and individual benefits of foraging. For willingness to spend extra time and effort, all predictors had some impact. For willingness to accept risk, approval of responsible foraging activities and societal benefits were influential. For commitment to food foraging, individual and societal benefits were the most important drivers.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceFood education“Are these girl ladybugs or boy ladybugs?”: An exploratory study on gender in nature-based education
2023Abigail M. Decker, Scott A. Morrison · The Journal of Environmental Education · Global
An exploratory study examined how gender is communicated, experienced and constructed in nature-based education (NBE), based on 30 hours of fieldwork at one private outdoor preschool and two public elementary school garden clubs. The analysis identified four sites where gender socialization occurs in NBE: materials, spaces, conversations and educators. While gender-coded human-made objects tend to be fewer outdoors, the study argues that environmental educators must be intentional and explicit about curating a gender-decoded learning space, recognizing how gender is constructed by and for children and communicated and experienced, and must foster understandings of gender beyond the binary.
Food educationWelfareA systematic review of the ecological, social and economic sustainability effects of community-supported agriculture
2023Lukas Egli, Judith Rüschhoff, Joerg A. Priess · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · Global
A systematic review of quantitative empirical research on the sustainability effects of community-supported agriculture (CSA) covered 39 studies. Fewer than 30% of the studies assessed ecological sustainability aspects, but where CSA farms were compared to reference systems, they mostly performed better on resource use efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions. Most studies assessed social aspects; many showed that CSA still fails to reach low-income households, so members do not represent the average population, while CSA membership was associated with improved health and sustainability behavior. Economic variables were assessed in more than half of the studies, but knowledge of CSA's relative economic performance remains scarce, though early studies indicate high economic viability. The review calls for more research on ecological aspects specifically, comparisons across farming and marketing systems, and integration of knowledge from theses and practical sources in multiple languages.
Equity & displacementCSA & TeikeiCommunityEconomicsHealthPolicyBiodiversityQuantifying the Impacts of Urbanization on Urban Agriculture and Food Security in the Megacity Lahore, Pakistan
2023Muhammad Mushahid Anwar, Juergen Breuste, Ayaz Ahmad, Asad Aziz, Ali Aldosari · Sustainability · Global
A study of how urbanization affects urban agriculture and food security in the megacity of Lahore, Pakistan. Regression and statistical analysis used food consumption and food quality as independent variables and local residents' monthly income as the dependent variable, yielding a food security assessment with R = 0.857 and adjusted R² = 0.728. The results show extensive change in food security and land use driven by urbanization, large-scale loss of agricultural land, and biodiversity loss, as natural land is converted to built-up areas that threaten food security.
PolicyFood sovereignty & justiceHealthResponse of Cellulose Decomposition and Nodulation in Soils Amended with Biochar for Peri-Urban Agriculture
2023Samir A. Haddad, Hossam Abdelmageed, Abdelaziz Saleh, Samia Ahmed, M. M. Abd El-Azeim, Joanna Lemanowicz, Gaber E. Eldesoky, Omar Saad · Sustainability · Egypt
Incubation and pot experiments under controlled greenhouse conditions used clay and sandy soils collected from peri-urban agricultural areas near El-Minia, Egypt, to test how different biochar application rates affected faba bean growth, cellulose decomposition, nodulation, and carbon-cycling enzyme activities. Biochar at 3 kg/sq·m was the most effective treatment, followed by 2 kg/sq·m; counts of cellulose-decomposing microorganisms rose to a high level in both soil types by 60 days of incubation and then declined by 90 days regardless of biochar rate, while clay soil showed significantly greater fresh and dry weight than sandy soil, and biochar overall improved soil health, microbial communities, and faba bean nodulation and growth.
Organic cycleBiodiversityAdoption of smart urban farming to enhance social and economic well-being ofelderly: a qualitative content analysis
2023Nasreen Khan, Teck Chai Lau, Booi Chen Tan · Food Research · Global
A qualitative content analysis examining social entrepreneurship and adoption factors behind smart urban farming among elderly people. Interviews were conducted via purposive sampling and analyzed using the framework method, drawing on diffusion of innovation theory and the theory of planned behavior. It found that positive attitudes and positive social influence increase adoption of smart urban farming, that using technology can help elderly farmers continue farming, and that effective social entrepreneurship involvement - providing information and technical advice - influenced adoption. Ease of use was the most important adoption factor, with attitude and subjective norms also shown to be influential.
ElderlyCommunityDigital agricultureWelfareCommitting to change? A case study on volunteer engagement at a New Zealand urban farm
2023Daniel Kelly · Agriculture and Human Values · New Zealand
This case study examines volunteer engagement at Farm X, an urban farm with a strong volunteer culture in Tāmaki-Makaurau Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, drawing on extended researcher participation and 11 in-depth interviews with volunteers and project coordinators. Engagement was helped by strong leadership, learning by doing, socializing around plants, and a sense of contributing to a movement. It was hindered by time scarcity, economic hurdles, and struggles over direction. Building on McClintock's (2014) account of the hybrid and contradictory nature of urban agriculture as a tool for social change, the paper identifies two trade-offs in both farm management and movement-building at Farm X: focused leadership versus volunteer agency, and asking more versus less of volunteers.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceFrom Thai to Zai: Insects as Example of Threatened Nature-Based Solutions for Sustainable Food Production
2023Jean Pascal · Biodiversity online journal. · Global
Noting that insects constitute most of the biodiversity on Earth and provide a wide range of services to society while being threatened by human activities such as habitat destruction and urbanization, this article assesses advances in understanding the impact of insects on sustainable food production in low-income countries. It focuses on two research topics that have emerged in recent years: entomophagy combined with the creation of small household farms rearing insects for sale (the Thai example), and the use of insects to improve soil fertility and nutrient availability (the Zai example). The article advocates considering the diversity of solutions and adaptations found in nature, arguing that the ways local communities and ethnic groups use natural resources are vast and should be seen as a source of inspiration for scientists developing sustainable food systems.
Organic cycleCommunityBiodiversityPollinatorsOccurrence of myxomycetes in selected elevated urban residential gardens in Metro Manila, Philippines
2023· Philippine Journal of Systematic Biology · Philippines
A survey of 204 ground leaf litter samples from ornamental woody shrubs and herbaceous flowering plants, collected from elevated gardens in eight low- to high-rise buildings in Metro Manila, Philippines, used the moist chamber technique to examine the occurrence of myxomycetes (slime molds). Fourteen species from nine genera were identified, with overall moist chamber productivity ranging from 43% to 45%. Arcyria cinerea and Perichaena depressa were the most frequently recorded species. The survey provided evidence that rooftop gardens serve as suitable habitats for myxomycetes.
BiodiversityCommunityGrowing of the Cretan Therapeutic Herb Origanum Dictamnus in The Urban Fabric: The Effect of Substrate and Cultivation Site on Plant Growth and Potential Toxic Element Accumulation
2023Aikaterini N. Martini, Μ. Papafotiou, Ioannis Massas, Nikoleta Chorianopoulou · Plants · Greece
Origanum dictamnus, a perennial herb endemic to Crete, Greece, was grown at two cultivation sites in Athens — an extensive green roof and ground level next to a moderate-traffic road — in two substrate types at 10 cm depth, to examine growth along with nutrient content (N, P, K, Na) and heavy metal accumulation (Cu, Pb, Ni, Mn, Zn, Fe) in its tissues. Plant growth was favored by the soil substrate but was also satisfactory in the soilless substrate. Cultivation site affected heavy metal accumulation, with higher concentrations found in leaves and flowers at street level, though no differences appeared in roots. Washing reduced heavy metal concentrations only in leaves grown at street level. Substrate type significantly affected manganese concentration in all tissues and iron concentration in roots, with the highest values in the soil substrate. The species could be cultivated on sustainable green roofs, preferably on a soilless substrate to reduce structural weight, but careful selection of the cultivation site was identified as necessary to minimize contamination with environmental pollutants when human consumption is intended.
Contamination & food safetyOrganic cycleBiodiversityState of the art: “social and solidarity economy as a driver of sustainability
2023Daniela S. Gómez-López · ECORFAN Journal Republic of El Salvador · Global
A paper providing a comprehensive analysis of the state of convergence between the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) and sustainability, covering 2009 to 2023, using a combined heuristic and hermeneutic literature review methodology. SSE, built on principles of cooperation, equity and citizen participation, is presented as a key tool for addressing inequality and promoting decent employment, while sustainability is framed as improving living conditions without compromising the future. The paper argues that SSE promotes sustainable economic practices aligned with the 2030 Agenda, and illustrates SSE's application through regional case studies spanning urban agriculture, circular economy, recycling cooperatives, and socioeconomic development projects.
CommunityPolicyEconomicsModelling the Benefits and Impacts of Urban Agriculture: Employment, Economy of Scale and Carbon Dioxide Emissions
2023Arun Kafle, James Hopeward, Baden Myers · Horticulturae · Global
A study modeling the social, economic, and environmental potential of urban agriculture (UA), based on information from 40 distinct locations in each of two regions: Adelaide, South Australia and the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. Modelling estimated equivalent employment, scale appropriateness, and earnings relative to labor use from commercial urban farming and gardening-style UA, together with carbon dioxide emissions for two vegetable types. The study examined the influence of distance and production scale under manual-to-modest mechanization for urban vegetable production, finding that the interplay between labor use and mechanization can favor scale-appropriate UA practices with better labor productivity and economic and social advantage. Distribution — assumed to be by car for UA — contributed the largest share of emissions, while the production component, even with mechanization, contributed a relatively small portion per unit of production. The study recommends that governments and planners facilitate scale-appropriate mechanization through better planning and policy instruments to support UA's sustainability.
CommunityEconomicsClimate changeThe Development of Urban Farming: Systematics Literature Review
2023Maulana Andinata Dalimunthe, Noviawan Rasyid Ohorella, Nabila Fahira Nasution · Journal of Peasants’ Rights · Global
This bibliometric literature review analyzed research using the keyword "urban farming" published between 2010 and 2023 to map the field's development. The reviewed literature characterizes urban farming as a way to improve food security and economic conditions in urban areas with potential positive impacts across economic, social, and environmental dimensions, and as commodity production it is concerned with distribution, marketing, and land area; the review itself does not report primary data from a specific location or population.
CommunityBiodiversityPolicyHealthPublic Aspirations for a decolonised city. Food security and "re-storytelling"
2023Katie Jane Tollan, Mike Ross, Ocean Mercier, Bianca Elkington, Rebecca Kiddle, Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, Amanda Thomas, Jennie Smeaton · MAI Journal A New Zealand Journal of Indigenous Scholarship · New Zealand
This study analyzed 40 public entries submitted to the 2017 Imagining Decolonised Cities (IDC) competition in Porirua, New Zealand, organized by Ngāti Toa Rangatira, to explore how participants understood decolonization enacted in an urban setting. It identified two overarching themes linked to Corntassel's theory of sustainable self-determination: food security, expressed through designs for community gardens, seafood harvesting stations, and larger food transportation systems, and "re-storytelling," centering Māori identities and stories.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityPolicyThe Influence of Urban Gardening Activities on Participants’ Perceived Restorativeness, Resilience, Sense of Community and Stress
2023H. J. Kim, Won-Suk Oh, Jin-Gun Kim, Won-Sop Shin · Healthcare · Global
Ninety participants were divided into experimental and control groups and took part in 16 biweekly urban gardening sessions from May to November 2022 to test effects on perceived restorativeness, resilience, sense of community, and stress reduction. Using the Perceived Restorativeness Scale, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, Sense of Community Index, Brief Encounter Psychosocial Instrument, and salivary cortisol testing, the study found that urban gardening activities positively influenced participants' physiological and psychological responses.
CommunityHealthWelfareCurrent state, peculiarities and opportunities for the development of urban agriculture in different territories of Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam)
2023Ngoc Mai Nga To · Izvestiya vuzov Investitsii Stroitelstvo Nedvizhimost · Global
An article (Izvestiya vuzov Investitsii Stroitelstvo Nedvizhimost, 2023) proposes zoning criteria and methods for assessing existing areas of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, by their distinctive characteristics and capacity for urban agriculture development. It presents this zoning framework as a basis for later applying area-specific urban agriculture design models, without reporting empirical measurements or numeric results for specific zones.
PolicyStrengthening food security through alternative carbohydrates in the city-state of Singapore
2023Amy Hui‐Mei Lin, Andrea Gómez‐Maqueo · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · Global
A review paper (2023) examines the challenge of strengthening food security — especially production of staple food carbohydrates — in places with limited or unavailable land and natural resources, using the city-state of Singapore as its case. Unlike some alternative foods such as cultured meat, producing carbohydrate foods through conventional agri-food approaches requires substantial natural resources unavailable in regions like Singapore, so the paper argues for developing new, sustainable methods to increase the quantity and nutritional quality of carbohydrate-rich foods. It reviews technology developments such as indoor vertical farming and urban farming used to improve crop quality and production, and recommends exploring underutilized and unconventional resilient, nutrient-dense crops, identifying hidden resources in local ecosystems such as revalorizing agri-food processing byproducts, and producing alternative carbohydrates including microbial and synthetic sources, suggesting Singapore's experience and approaches may serve as an example and inspire creativity for other regions.
EconomicsPolicyClimate changeDigital agricultureAssessing the growth-stimulating effect of tea waste compost in urban agriculture while identifying the benefits of household waste carbon dioxide
2023Mahsa Tarashkar, Mansour Matloobi, Salman Qureshi, Akbar Rahimi · Ecological Indicators · Global
This study investigated the effects of tea waste compost on the growth traits of radish (Raphanus sativus L.) and explored whether a clean carbon dioxide source from urban households could contribute to sustainable production. Tea waste gathered from urban households was decomposed for four months and mixed at 0–75% by volume with loamy garden soil; using a split-plot design, one greenhouse was enriched to an elevated CO2 concentration of 1500±100 ppm while a second was kept at the ambient level of 500±20 ppm. Results showed that elevated CO2 negatively affected radish yield, biomass accumulation, and vegetative growth parameters, while increasing volumes of tea waste compost, up to 75%, improved growth traits. At 75% tea waste compost, elevated CO2 had the same effect on growth traits as the normal level, showing a positive effect on total fresh weight but negative effects on total dry weight, leaf dry weight, and total leaf area. The study attributes the strongest support for radish growth at the highest compost volume (75%) to its high nitrogen content.
CompostOrganic cycleDIYClimate changePedagogical Transformation Through School Garden as a Living Laboratory in Public Schools in Nepal
2023Kamal Prasad Acharya, Chitra Bahadur Budhathoki, Birgitte Bjønness, Krishna Prasad Duwadi · Advances in educational marketing, administration, and leadership book series · Nepal
A participatory action research study (observe-plan-act-reflect) involving students, teachers and parents as co-researchers examined a school-garden project at a public school in Nepal. The garden functioned as a "living laboratory" for learning about flora, fauna and their interrelations, and transformed teaching into a mix of indoor and outdoor sessions. Students developed a sense of responsibility for environmental conservation and were positioned as "junior scientists" caring for the garden, with parents, teachers and students engaging in it as a co-curricular activity.
Food educationCommunityBiodiversityHealthEffect of manure-based biochar amendment on soil chemical properties, total enzymic activities and tomato growth performance in acidic soil under controlled conditions
2023B. BOLOU-BI Emile, Philippe GUETY Thierry, TRAORE Adama, KONE Brahima · African Journal of Agricultural Research · Global
To evaluate the effect of biochar on tomato production in acidic soil, a complete randomized block design with 5 replications tested four treatments: 0% (T0, control), 8% (T1), 12% (T2) and 16% (T3) biochar application, measuring plant height, stem diameter, leaf number, fruit number and biomass. Plants receiving biochar (T1, T2, T3) were taller than the unamended control (T0); T1 plants averaged 12±2 fruits per plant, while T0 control plants produced no fruit at all, and T2/T3 fruit counts fell between the control and T1. Soil chemical analysis showed exchangeable cations, cation exchange capacity, pH, soil organic matter, total nitrogen and C/N ratio all higher than the initial soil, though treatments had no significant effect on soil enzymic activity. The study recommends recovering waste as an organic material source in urban horticulture and open-field cultivation to restore soil fertility.
CompostOrganic cycleFood educationDIYContainer gardening program as a way of food augmentation: action research
2023Winalyn Denzon, Meraflor C. Estose, Krysha Camille Villanueva, Joa H. Jao · Multidisciplinary Science Journal · Global
A descriptive study surveyed 50 randomly selected respondents from designated areas on their acceptability of a container gardening program designed for BTVTED (technical-vocational teacher education) students, to gauge whether it could serve as a food augmentation strategy. Analysis using means and standard deviations found most participants were female, and acceptability was highest on the economic dimension — producing one's own food, generating income and supplying household subsistence. The researchers recommended that local governments run education campaigns to expand participation in container gardening.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceWelfareFood educationExploring Trade-Offs between Potential Economic, Social and Environmental Outcomes of Urban Agriculture in Adelaide, Australia and the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal
2023Arun Kafle, James Hopeward, Baden Myers · Sustainability · Global
An integrated modelling framework using proxy measures for economic benefit (net margin), social benefit (full-time farmer employment equivalent per consumer) and environmental benefit (CO2 emission reduction) was applied to two contrasting development settings, Adelaide, Australia, and the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, to examine the characteristics of urban agriculture (UA). Using two-stage optimisation across three mechanisation levels (non-mechanised, garden tiller, garden cultivator), two purposes (gardening or commercial), two crop-value categories and two market mechanisms, the model found that no single UA form maximises economic, environmental and social (employment) objectives simultaneously: commercial UA, in which both land and labour are costed, was favoured for maximising profit or reducing CO2 emissions, while gardening-form UA was favoured for maximising employment participation. In Adelaide the model favoured commercial UA for best-case profit and carbon emissions but gardening UA for employment maximisation, while in the Kathmandu Valley the model selected gardening UA under the given assumptions.
Environmental trade-offsEconomicsCommunitySoil management and engineering for blue-green infrastructure
2023Mark A. Goddard, Helen Glanville, Carla Comadran‐Casas, M. Ehsan Jorat, David A.C. Manning, Miranda T. Prendergast‐Miller, Kevin Stott · · Global
A book chapter on the role of soil within urban blue-green infrastructure (BGI). It outlines the characteristics of urban soils and their contribution to ecosystem services such as food production, flood mitigation, carbon storage and recreation, and discusses challenges and opportunities in managing and creating soils within urban BGI. The chapter closes with land-use-specific management recommendations and a call for greater recognition of urban soils in planning policy. It is a review/discussion chapter and reports no original data, study site or measurements.
CommunityBiodiversityClimate changePotential Benefits of Crowd-Collaborative Farming in Sustaining Small Scale Dairy Farming Business Performance
2023Mokoena Oratilwe Penwell, Ntuli Thembelihle Sam, Ramarumo Tshepo, Seeletse Solly Matshonisa · International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Studies · Global
A conceptual paper argues that crowdsourcing and synergy (CSS) platforms could optimize activities for small-scale dairy farmers (SSDFs) in low- and middle-income economies, where market withdrawal by small farmers is disrupting producer-consumer relationships. Built on logic-based reasoning rather than empirical data, the paper contends that crowd-collaborative farming (CCF) could improve local market performance depending on member composition, and calls for further research on revenue-distribution mechanisms and for training SSDFs in CCF, particularly those facing high failure rates and debt.
CommunityCSA & TeikeiEconomicsLa Huerta Escolar Como Estrategia Pedagógica Para Fortalecer El Aprendizaje Significativo En Los Grados Cuarto Y Quinto Del Centro Educativo La Honda De La Vereda La Honda Del Municipio De Timbío(Cauca)
2023Luis Manuel Cárdenas Cárdenas, Rafael Fernando Oyaga Martínez, Martha Luz Ortiz Padilla, Adriana Morales Salazar, Emily Juliana Tumbaco Patiño · Ingeniería e innovación · Colombia
A master's-degree research project in environmental pedagogy for sustainable development, conducted in 2020-2021 at the La Honda Educational Center in the La Honda village of Timbío municipality (Cauca), Colombia, examined school gardens as a teaching tool to strengthen environmental education and meaningful learning among fourth and fifth graders. Using qualitative, socio-critical action research, the study conducted semi-structured interviews with parents — largely via technology platforms because of pandemic confinement — along with children's drawings and participant observation. The gardens were found viable for rescuing the community's cultural tradition; a curricular proposal was built with the school garden as its center of interest, and community members were involved in creating and sustaining the garden.
Food educationCommunity