Research & reports

Vanessa Daufenback, L. A. Z. Machado, Cláudia Maria Bógus · Revista Ingesta · Global

A systematic review using the Scielo database to examine the relationship between urban agriculture (UA) and food and nutrition security (SAN) in Latin America. A search for "agricultura urbana" returned 156 articles; screening by title and keywords narrowed this to 32, and excluding non-Latin-American studies left 26 articles connecting UA and SAN to some degree. Only 5 of these made a direct link between SAN and UA; the rest addressed only some dimension of the concept, and the review found no concrete, agreed definition of UA across the literature. Few studies treated the urban farmer or production scale as central to promoting SAN, despite UA's role in food-sovereignty practices such as seed exchange and preserving planting traditions. Most of the reviewed studies pointed to significant problems, including contamination of crops by heavy metals, difficulty achieving environmental, social and economic sustainability — particularly for farmers who end up working in other sectors — and a lack of technical assistance.

Jennifer M. Kreslake · Health Equity · United States

An online survey of 605 residents in California (Los Angeles/Orange), Florida (Miami-Dade/Broward), and Arizona (Maricopa) counties, conducted in July 2018, used multivariable ordered logistic regression to test whether perceived importance of local climate change adaptation and mitigation measures differed by social and medical factors, controlling for age, political party, and county. Lower income was associated with higher perceived importance of improved emergency alerts, government-subsidized air conditioners and energy-efficient appliances, strengthening buildings against extreme weather, greenhouse gas regulation, "cooling" urban planning technologies, and expanding community gardens and local agriculture. Black respondents rated evacuation services for those with financial barriers, subsidized appliance costs, and government communication about climate impacts as significantly more important than non-Black, non-Hispanic respondents, while Hispanic respondents rated several measures, including improved emergency alerts, as significantly more important than non-Hispanic respondents.

Celmeli T., Sari H., Canci H., Sari D., Adak A., Eker T., Toker C. · Agronomy 8(9):166 · Turkey

Compared protein, fat, fatty acids, selenium, iron, and zinc in 10 bean landraces and 5 modern varieties from Turkey. Landrace LR05 surpassed modern varieties in selenium, zinc, and protein, highlighting landraces as nutritional breeding resources.

Siegner A., Sowerwine J., Acey C. · Sustainability 10(9):2988 · United States

Systematic review of US urban agriculture and food systems literature. Finds strong emphasis on multiple benefits but few studies robustly measuring urban farms' impact on food security in low-income communities.

Bail J. R., Frugé A. D., Cases M. G., De Los Santos J. F., Locher J. L., Smith K. P., Cantor A. B., Cohen H. J., Demark-Wahnefried W. · Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 118(4):689-704 · United States

Pilot RCT of a home vegetable gardening intervention among older cancer survivors. The program was feasible and well-accepted, suggesting improved fruit and vegetable consumption, reassurance of worth, and attenuated waist-circumference increase.

Korn A., Bolton S.M., Spencer B., Alarcon J.A., Andrews L., Voss J.G. · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Vol. 15, No. 8 · Peru (Lima)

A longitudinal pilot study examining the feasibility and health outcomes of household garden implementation in a Lima urban slum, collecting anthropometric and mental health data at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months, finding positive associations with nutritional status and wellbeing.

Lucy O. Diekmann, Leslie C. Gray, Gregory A. Baker · Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems · United States (Santa Clara County)

This research evaluates how three types of urban gardens in Santa Clara County, California—home gardens, community gardens, and community food security (CFS) program gardens for low-income families—contribute to food security using a multidimensional framework. In summer 2015, median production ranged from 26 kg (CFS participants) to 56 kg (home gardeners), enough for at least one adult to meet federal vegetable guidelines; interviews further showed gardeners valued knowledge, control, freshness, flavor, organic methods, and cultural acceptability, not just quantity.

Blake T. Moskal, Sean T. Berthrong · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems · United States (Indianapolis)

The study tested a barrier strategy used by urban farmers in Indianapolis—layering wood chips between contaminated or low-quality background soil and healthy growing media—for protecting urban growing beds. Despite a limited sample, barriers appeared effective at separating contaminated soils from growing beds, and farming with barriers or in non-contaminated soil improved soil nutrients and physical characteristics, though phosphorus was very high in many beds, posing a potential risk to waterways.

Dietlinde Heilmayr, Howard S Friedman · Journal of Health Psychology · United States

Framing community gardening as a promising but under-evidenced multifaceted health intervention, this paper presents one of the first experimental studies on the topic. The results showed promise for aspects of community gardening while underscoring the need for more rigorous methodologies, and the article offers a framework for studying the health effects of community gardening and similar multifaceted health-promotion efforts.

Burghardt W., Schneider T. · Journal of Soils and Sediments · Germany (Ruhr)

Analysed pH, bulk density, and contents/stocks of organic carbon, nitrogen and heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Zn, Cu, Ni) in vegetable patches, lawns and compost heaps across fourteen gardens in four allotments of the northwestern Ruhr area.

· International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · Singapore

A waitlist-control randomized controlled trial recruiting 59 older adults (29 horticultural therapy, 30 waitlist control) to investigate improvements in mental well-being and modulation of biomarker levels.

· Chemosphere · USA (Minnesota)

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) were found in garden produce grown at homes with a history of PFAS-contaminated drinking water, showing home gardens can be a PFAS exposure pathway.

· Foods · Burkina Faso (Ouagadougou)

Lettuce from urban and peri-urban gardens in Ouagadougou was contaminated with E. coli, coliforms, and Salmonella, with 60% of irrigation water failing WHO safety standards, indicating a microbial food-safety risk.

Timo Falkenberg, Deepak Saxena · Indian Journal of Community Medicine · India (Ahmedabad)

A 12-month case-cohort study of 187 households in four communities of Ahmedabad, India, purposively selected by irrigation water type (groundwater, surface water, wastewater), with bimonthly self-reported health diaries and most-probable-number measurement of Escherichia coli in water. Mean E. coli concentrations per 100 mL were 3.04×10^4 (groundwater), 9.28×10^5 (surface water) and 4.02×10^9 (wastewater) — all exceeding international irrigation water standards. Diarrhoea incidence was 7.92 episodes per 1000 person-weeks in the groundwater area versus 13.1 (wastewater) and 13.4 (surface water), with a positive correlation between irrigation water quality and diarrhoea. Wastewater reuse is often promoted as a water-scarcity fix for urban agriculture; this study shows it carries a health cost borne by the farming households themselves.

Jonathan Stoltz, Christina Schäffer · Frontiers in Psychology · Global

This paper explores the salutogenic potential of urban green spaces, proposing edible forest gardens as a concept for urban green space use and management. It argues that including edible forest gardens in urban green spaces (today globally dominated by lawns) could reinforce several affordances of salutogenic importance, such as social cohesion and restoration from psycho-physiological stress and attention fatigue. Increased opportunities for contact with nature and food production processes may also reinforce pro-environmental behaviors in the population.

Naomi Shimpo, Andreas Wesener, Wendy McWilliam · Urban forestry & urban greening · New Zealand (Christchurch)

This paper examines the community benefits provided by an established community garden in Christchurch, New Zealand, following the 2010/2011 Canterbury Earthquakes. Based on surveys and interviews, findings indicate the garden helped gardeners cope with the post-quake situation by serving as a place to de-stress, share experiences, and gain community support. Garden features encouraging social interaction, such as central meeting and communal working areas, reportedly supported disaster recovery.

Martin Dawson, Mike Hutchins, Nuria Bachiller‐Jareno, Steven Loiselle · Freshwater Science · United Kingdom (London)

A citizen-science study from 2014 to 2016 assessed water quality in a 5.6-ha urban community garden in southwestern London, using borehole water. Measurements of specific conductance and tryptophan-like fluorescence were taken over 28 months. The study found no evidence of external contamination sources or temporal changes in water quality. However, significant variations in water quality between boreholes were directly linked to on-site manure storage and use, and local geological conditions.

Nara Jeong, Seung-Won Han, Kwang Jin Kim, Young-Bin Jung · Journal of East Asian Landscape Studies · Global

This study analyzed local residents' perceptions in a town-development project to determine how community garden spaces should be used for village-rehabilitation. Participants desired community gardens to offer shade, relaxation, children's play areas, green spaces, and conversation spots. The findings suggest that uniform garden designs are inappropriate, recommending 20-25% allocation for community, ornamental, and relaxation spaces, with plant selection prioritizing environmental benefits over aesthetics.

Wanda Martin, Lindsey Vold · Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention in Canada · Canada (Saskatoon)

This qualitative case study examined how participation in the "askîy" urban agriculture project in Saskatoon, Canada, empowered young adults and built food-growing capacity. Seven interns (aged 19-29) participated in 2015, and their experiences were analyzed using a sustainable livelihoods framework. Findings indicated that collaborative engagement fostered connections, influenced grocery shopping habits towards more vegetables, and motivated interns to continue gardening and apply their knowledge in their home communities.

Camille Frazier · Journal of Political Ecology · India (Bengaluru)

This article examines the motivations and practices of organic terrace gardeners (OTGians) in Bengaluru, India, who grow food in private spaces. While OTGians successfully create a vibrant community driven by food safety and environmental concerns, their efforts are limited to the middle class due to class-specific concerns and production practices. The study highlights that urban gardening in this context remains an intervention primarily for the middle class.

Leandro Nascimento Bertoldi, Pamela Johanna Menéndez Velásquez · Revista panorama/Panorama. Cuba y salud · Brazil

A course on Agroecology was conducted in Jequié, Bahia, Brazil, focusing on creating organic community gardens and training communities in health promotion, disease prevention, and food and environmental education. The project identified farmers who transitioned from using agrotoxins to biological control, resulting in increased local biodiversity and encouraging community gardening. The initiative also fostered social empowerment, increased self-esteem, and developed collective discussion and production practices within the SUS.

Cisneros Bestene, María Alexandra · · Colombia (Bogotá)

In Localidad Ciudad Bolivar, Barrio Las Namas, Bogotá, Colombia, a social interest housing project was developed after analyzing qualitative and quantitative housing deficits. This project aims to resettle families from high-risk zones and integrates activities that generate a neighborhood economy and enhance social cohesion. Additionally, a series of spaces encouraging and promoting urban agriculture is proposed as a method to train the population on nutrition-related issues.

Anna Petit‐Boix, Defne Apul · Sustainability · Global

This study addresses the lack of a framework for the emergence of social cohesion in urban agriculture (UA) by modifying the cascade ecosystem services model. It transforms this into a bottom-up causal framework for UA, where biophysical and social structures lead to human activities fostering attitudes and feelings like trust. These aggregated attitudes generate social cohesion, supporting the development of causality pathways in social life cycle assessment and understanding UA's social impacts.

Lorrilee McGregor, Pamela Toulouse, Marion Maar, Nancy L. Young · International Journal of Indigenous Health · Canada

A narrative analysis of eight focus groups with 33 caregivers in six First Nation communities in Canada explored determinants of dietary decisions. Caregivers identified changes in food systems due to factors like wage economy participation, low income, hunting/fishing regulations, and processed food availability. These factors have altered food systems and influenced dietary choices, leading communities to pursue initiatives such as community gardens, freezers, and hunting camps to regain food sovereignty.

Rani Prihatmanti, Nooriati Taib · Arab world geographer · Global

This paper reviews the potential of biofaçades as Vertical Greenery Systems for urban food security, optimizing them as 'Vertical Edible Landscapes' on high-rise buildings. The review identifies key factors for growing edible plants on high-rises, including plant type, climatic conditions, maintenance, and pest control. Findings suggest edible biofaçades could increase vegetable consumption, lower transport emissions, minimize pesticide use, and reduce local produce expenditures.