Research & reports

Wiesława Gadomska · space&FORM · United States (New York City)

This article describes contemporary phenomena related to the introduction of new forms of urban horticulture in New York City. The observed phenomenon is multidimensional, where agrarian activity interacts with environmental, educational, social, and artistic issues within the city's landscape.

Rafaella Rodrigues Santos, Ana Clara Monte Teixeira, Andreza Cristina Stuchi, Alexandre Junio Borges Araujo, Daniela Araújo Vilela, Débora Brumatti Coutinho Messias, Felipe Ferreira Naves, Julia Hass, Lara Nascimento Zanato, Lara Parreira de Souza, Letícia Clemente Olmos Hernandes, Lorraine Mendes Barrada, Mayara Yukiko Yamada, Rafael Galisa de Oliveira, Tamires Do Carmo Dias, Yasmin de Araújo Ribeiro, Neusa Elisa Carignato Sposito, Carla Patrícia Bejo Wolkers · Revista Educação Artes e Inclusão · Brazil

This experience report details a project by PET BIO PONTAL and volunteer students from the Federal University of Uberlândia, Pontal Campus, involving 7th-grade students with special educational needs from a public special education school in Ituiutaba-MG, Brazil. The project aimed to teach about biodiversity in vegetable gardens through playful and inclusive methods, including sensory activities, garden implementation, and university visits. The project was well-received by the target audience and school management.

Leonardo Lopes Rufino, Guillermo Gamarra-Rojas, Mary Anne Medeiros Bandeira, José Pedro de Camargo Rodrigues de Souza, José Newton Pires Reis · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Brazil (Fortaleza)

A multi-case study characterized Living Pharmacies (LPs) in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil. LPs are dedicated to the production, consumption, and distribution of medicinal plants, with 30% also meeting the SUS phytotherapics demand. Medicinal gardens function as urban agriculture and spaces for learning, demonstrating their multifunctionality. The study suggests paying attention to integrated cultivation and the need for systemic extension services in production, management, and processing.

Stacy M. Philpott, Simone Santos de Albuquerque, Peter Bichier, Hamutahl Cohen, Monika Egerer, Claire Kirk, Kipling Will · Insects · United States (California)

This study examined local and landscape factors influencing ground beetle (Carabidae) activity, species richness, and traits in 19 community gardens in coastal California. Gardens with higher crop richness and agricultural surroundings showed greater carabid activity density, but species and functional group richness did not respond to these factors. Gardens with more leaf litter had lower carabid activity but tended to have larger carabids, indicating both local and landscape factors influence carabid communities.

João Flávio Bomfim Gomes, Renata SB Gomes, Alex Oliveira de Souza · Horticultura Brasileira · Brazil (São Luís)

This review examines the multifunctionality of urban agriculture globally and details the case of São Luís, Brazil. In São Luís, agricultural production has low expression in municipal GDP, with producers facing challenges such as small production areas, a need for technical assistance, and poor transport conditions. The study found a lack of public support for urban farmers in São Luís, contrasting with successful urban agriculture experiences that benefit from converging public policies.

Amy Z. Zeng, Emily Peer-Groves, Janela Sanqui, Linda Ling · cIRcle (University of British Columbia) · Canada

This report analyzes collaboration among UBC campus community gardens, noting fragmented communication, high volunteer turnover, and gaps in information and equipment sharing. Using Community-Based Action Research, including surveys and interviews, the study found that a designed harvest tool was poorly received and required revisions. Gardeners appreciated opportunities for communication and collaboration.

Roland Ebel · HortTechnology · Mexico

This paper introduced the chinampa system, an urban farming model developed by the Aztecs in the Lake Xochimilco region of Mexico City. Chinampas are raised fields on small artificial islands in freshwater lakes, characterized by capillary irrigation and soil fertility generated from aquatic components. This system provides ecosystem services such as greenhouse gas sequestration and biodiversity diversification, and offers a potential solution for food supply and ecosystem services in modern cities.

Sarah Becker · Digital Commons - Ursinus (Ursinus College) · United States

This project developed an interpretive signage protocol for the Ursinus Food Forest at the Whittaker Environmental Research Station (WERS), a two-acre agricultural field. The protocol includes a conceptual framework for the food forest, an inventory of signage topics and their placement, and design parameters for textual and visual clarity. Finished signage models accompany the protocol to illustrate these goals.

Lindsay K. Campbell, Erika S. Svendsen, Renae Reynolds, Victoria Marshall · Social & Cultural Geography · United States (Rockaway, NY)

This study used Actor Network Theory to explore the material and social dynamics of a coastal community garden on public housing grounds in Rockaway, NY, after Hurricane Sandy. Three assemblages with different governance arrangements—tidal shore, garden plots, and treed lawn—were identified. However, "unruly" actors and actants, including people, saltwater, poison ivy, dogs, and trash, were found to spark controversy and resist governing.

Gordon W. Frankie, Ingrid Feng, Robbin W. Thorp, Jaime C. Pawelek, Marissa H. Chase, Christopher C. Jadallah, Mark Rizzardi · Journal of Pollination Ecology · United States (California)

An extensive survey of bee-flower collection records from 10 California cities between 2005 and 2011 examined diverse bee species visiting native and non-native ornamental plants. A total of 7,659 bees were examined, identifying 229 bee species visiting both native and non-native plant types. Native bee species were common on both plant types, but substantially more non-native bee species visited non-native plants compared to native plants.

Rachel E. Mallinger, Anne Yasalonis, Gary W. Knox, Wayne Hobbs · EDIS · United States (Florida)

This 7-page fact sheet aims to conserve approximately 315 species of native wild bees in Florida. Published by the UF/IFAS Entomology and Nematology Department, it shows how gardeners and land managers can aid bee conservation efforts by planting flowers in home or community gardens.

Kimberly M. Ballare, John L. Neff, Rebecca Ruppel, Shalene Jha · Ecological Applications · United States

This study assessed bee community composition at 20 grassland and 20 agriculture sites across two US metroplexes over three time periods, identifying 172 species from nearly 13,000 specimens. It found that regional land use differentially impacted bee abundance and diversity depending on local habitat management. Local bare ground and floral richness were significantly related to multiple metrics of bee diversity.

Monika Egerer, Jacob M. Cecala, Hamutahl Cohen · Sustainability · United States (California)

This study compared the effects of local and landscape features on wild bee species abundance and richness in 19 gardens and 11 nurseries in California, USA. Local features such as floral richness and ground cover, and landscape features like impervious land cover, were assessed. In gardens, floral richness, local habitat size, and urban land cover impacted wild bee species richness, while in nurseries, floral richness and the proportion of native plant species impacted wild bee abundance and richness.

THAYZA DE OLIVEIRA BATITUCCI, Erika Cortines, Fábio Souto Almeida, Ângela Alves de Almeida · Ambiente & sociedade · Brazil (Rio de Janeiro)

This study analyzed the interactions of agricultural activities and the urban ecosystem through a literature review and a case study of an Urban Agriculture program in the metropolitan area of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It found that urban agriculture provides considerable ecosystem services, generates income, increases biodiversity conservation, and fosters social inclusion. The research concludes that urban agriculture functions as a mechanism for achieving equilibrium among the components of the urban ecosystem.

Yadeneyro de la Cruz Elizondo, Juan Camilo Fontalvo-Buelvas · Suelos Ecuatoriales · Mexico (Xalapa)

In an urban green area in Xalapa, Mexico, soil quality was evaluated prior to the implementation of a university garden. The soil was brown and sandy loam with poor aggregate stability and a bulk density of 2.52 g/cm3. Biologically, earthworm density was poor at 67.2 ind/m2 and the number of edaphic groups was poor at 5, though pH was optimal at 6.58 and organic matter was medium at 6.45%. Overall soil quality was assessed as moderate, indicating a need for an integrated soil management plan for improvement.

Sarah Lovell · · United States

This record is a dataset description accompanying a PLOS ONE manuscript by Bennett and Lovell (2019) on landscape and local site variables and pollinators in urban agricultural sites; the data consist of the percentage of each bee pollinator group recorded in bee bowls and through direct observation.

Meghan L. Avolio, Diane E. Pataki, G. Darrel Jenerette, Stéphanie Pincetl, Lorraine Weller Clarke, Jeannine Cavender‐Bares, Thomas W. Gillespie, Sarah E. Hobbie, Kelli L. Larson, Heather R. McCarthy, Tara L. E. Trammell · Plants People Planet · United States (California)

Several datasets on urban biodiversity in Los Angeles, California, were synthesized covering urban trees, residential yards, community gardens, nursery plant availability and resident attitudes toward plant attributes. Cultivated plant diversity was found to differ drastically from remnant natural areas, with more than double the number of plant species, a higher share of exotic ornamental species, and turnover in functional trait distributions; most sampled tree species were available for sale in local nurseries, and resident plant-trait preferences correlated with the composition of the plant community.

Mariana Berlanga, Christine G. Bowden, Tylar Campbell, Eva Wang, Zou, Joe · cIRcle (University of British Columbia) · Canada

A report on a biodiversity installation created by the University Neighbourhoods Association (UNA) and the Land and Food Systems 450 class at Hawthorn Community Garden along Main Mall Greenway at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Canada, aimed at engaging the community with biodiversity and food. Four data collection methods were used: a focus group, an online survey, interviews, and secondary sources. Community members wanted the installation to prioritize enhancing biodiversity and educating children, and showed equal preference between two concept designs—one emphasizing visual appeal, the other information. Expert interviews and secondary sources indicated a successful mason-bee installation should be east-facing with access to food, water and clay, and requires active community engagement.

Heidi Liere, Monika Egerer, Stacy M. Philpott · Journal of Urban Ecology · United States (California)

Ladybird beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) were collected from 19 community gardens across three counties of the California Central Coast during June to September of 2014 and 2015. Of the 19 species collected, only three were non-native to California (three specimens could not be identified to species). Similarity in species composition between gardens was not related to geographic distance, indicating no dispersal limitation among these mobile beetles. Instead, three landscape-level and seven garden-scale variables correlated with changes in community composition, and garden management practices such as ground cover altered the taxonomic and functional makeup of the ladybird beetle community.

Gail Ann Langellotto, Andony Melathopoulos, Isabella Messer, Aaron Anderson, Nathan McClintock, Lucas Costner · Sustainability · United States (Portland, Oregon)

This study sampled bees from gardens in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area and estimated typical foraging distances to assess whether urban gardens might supply pollination services to surrounding agricultural land. It estimates that when pollination-dependent crops are nearby, 30–50% of the garden bee community could potentially provide pollination services to adjacent crops, suggesting urban gardens could provision neighboring farms or serve as a refuge for pollinators.

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.

Saúl Ortiz Riveros, Nancy Domínguez González, Noel Reyes Pérez, Marycruz Abato Zárate, Carlos Roberto Cerdán Cabrera, Miguel Ángel Escalona Aguilar, Josè Armando Lozada-García · Revista Biológico Agropecuaria Tuxpan · Mexico (Xalapa)

This study characterized urban and peri-urban gardens within the Xalapa Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture Network (RAUPX) in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico, based on garden size, diversity, arthropod presence, and phytosanitary management practices. Findings indicated that producers' phytosanitary practices are corrective rather than preventive and are moderately related to the presence of pests.

Juliette Colinas, Paula Louise Bush, Kevin Manaugh · Urban forestry & urban greening · Canada (Montreal)

A study in Montreal, Quebec, investigated the socio-environmental impacts of public urban fruit trees, using a public urban orchard as a case study. Semi-structured interviews with users revealed positive impacts on social capital, place attachment, and food knowledge, but no evidence of impact on environmental knowledge. The findings suggest that public, unrestricted-access urban agriculture can have diverse socio-environmental impacts.

Patricia Noto · Digital Commons - RISD (Rhode Island School of Design) · United States (Providence)

This thesis investigated the role of designers in creating or enhancing productive systems in cities, focusing on Providence, Rhode Island. It proposed rethinking the function of public and quasi-public spaces and expanding the definition of urban productivity beyond community gardens to include a network of agroforestry sites and remediated lands. The study examined a series of diverse sites along the Woonasquatucket River, noting their suitability due to the river's industrial history, varied conditions, and existing community organization connections.

R. Witt, Erika S. Svendsen, Marianne E. Krasny · Cornell University Press eBooks · United States (Detroit)

This chapter explores how civic stewardship has driven social-ecological transformation in Detroit through the work of the nonprofit Greening of Detroit. The organization expanded its mission from restoring the city's tree canopy to include urban agriculture, environmental education, and workforce development, acting as a bridging organization connecting various stakeholders. Sustained community-based stewardship builds resilience, strengthens social networks, and shapes both local change and broader social movements through inclusive green infrastructure and civic participation.