Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
185 results(6 / 8)
Community gardening in poor neighborhoods in France: A way to re-think food practices?
2017Martin P., Consalès J.-N., Scheromm P., Marchand P., Ghestem F., Darmon N. · Appetite · France (Marseille)
Study in a deprived Marseille neighborhood found that socioeconomically disadvantaged women with access to a community garden were more likely to adopt a healthy diet than matched controls without such access.
CommunityHealthWelfareFood educationCare farms as a space of wellbeing for people with a learning disability in the United Kingdom
2017Rotheram S., McGarrol S., Watkins F. · Health & Place · United Kingdom
Qualitative interviews with 18 clients with a learning disability who attend UK care farms examined how these spaces contribute to their health and wellbeing, identifying care farms as a positive 'space of wellbeing'.
WelfareHealthThe motivations and experiences of community garden participants in Edinburgh, Scotland
2017· Regional Studies, Regional Science · United Kingdom (Edinburgh, Scotland)
Investigates the motivations and lived experiences of community garden participants in Edinburgh, Scotland.
CommunityHealthWelfareQuality of care and quality of life of people with dementia living at green care farms: a cross-sectional study
2017· BMC Geriatrics · Netherlands
A cross-sectional study in the southern Netherlands comparing quality of care and quality of life for 115 residents with dementia across green care farms, regular small-scale living facilities, and traditional nursing homes.
ElderlyWelfareHealthWhen Allotment Gardens Become Urban Green Spaces like Others, Providing Cultural Ecosystem Services
2017Amélie Robert, Jean Louis Yengué · Environment and Ecology Research · France
This case study investigated the Bergeonnerie allotments in Tours, France, through in situ observations, user surveys, and interviews with municipal stakeholders. It found that these allotments provide not only provisioning services like food but also cultural ecosystem services, serving as a source of well-being for gardeners and a place for walking, sociability, and education for other people. Municipal stakeholders confirmed these broader benefits, indicating allotments offer more than just vegetable cultivation.
CommunityFood educationHealthBiodiversityFamily allotment gardens - the case of the Poznań agglomeration
2017Magdalena Szczepańska · Europa XXI · Poland
In Poland's Poznań agglomeration, agricultural functions tend to be marginalized in urban development concepts and documents due to urbanization. Despite their ecological, health, landscape, recreational, and social functions, family allotment gardens are alarmingly perceived as restricting urban spatial development. This study presented the current state of family allotment gardens in the Poznań agglomeration and offered recommendations for spatial policy.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyHealthEconomicsAir pollution risk assessment on urban agriculture
2017Marthe Ortolo · Infoscience (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) · Netherlands
This study outlines a plan to assess air pollution risks in urban agriculture in the Netherlands, focusing on heavy metal (Cd, Hg) and PAK accumulation in spinach in Amsterdam urban gardens. It includes a literature review, policy maker interviews, and practical measurements of airborne contamination. The study aims to model different uptake routes by plants, but actual findings on contamination levels are not presented in this abstract.
Contamination & food safetyHealthPolicyClimate changeGrowing for health: community agriculture in Sandwell
2017Veronica Barry · BCU Open Access Repository (Birmingham City University) · United Kingdom
This paper discusses the recognized link between spatial planning and public health, highlighting urban agriculture (UA), gardening, and food growing as contributors to healthier urban environments. It states that UA can benefit health at community and individual levels through land regeneration, while also supporting broader health policy development.
CommunityHealthPolicyThe nutritional value of leaves of selected berry species
2017Wioletta Biel, Anna Jaroszewska · Scientia Agricola · Poland (Szczecin)
This study determined the nutritional value of leaves from four berry species (raspberry, blackberry, chokeberry, and sea buckthorn) collected from allotment gardens in Szczecin, Poland. Sea buckthorn leaves were the richest in protein, raspberry leaves in lipids, and all four were rich in crude and dietary fiber. The leaves showed desirable Ca:P and Na:K ratios, suggesting potential as mineral sources for bone formation and hypertension treatment, with sea buckthorn leaves also being a safe source of iron.
HealthCommunityUrban–rural linkageLos huertos urbanos y el cultivo de sí. La agricultura urbana en España y el País Vasco como experiencia de ocio emergente y fenómeno social en expansión
2017Fernando Richter Iturregui · Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) · Spain (Basque Country)
This study aimed to understand the current significance of urban agriculture in Spain and the Basque Country as an emerging leisure experience and expanding social phenomenon. It employed a dual-pronged investigation, quantitative to assess the magnitude and qualities of urban agriculture in the Basque Country within the Spanish context, and qualitative to understand how users interpret the practice. The research sought to identify the characteristics describing urban agriculture as a leisure experience.
CommunityHealthPolicyGrowing 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 educationOkul 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 educationHealthCommunityFostering 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 educationHealthMitigating Stress and Supporting Health in Deprived Urban Communities: The Importance of Green Space and the Social Environment
2016Catharine Ward Thompson, Peter J. Aspinall, Jenny Roe, Lynette Robertson, David Miller · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · United Kingdom
A cross-sectional survey of 406 adults in four deprived urban communities in Scotland, UK, investigated the relationship between green space access and health outcomes. While the amount of neighborhood green space and access to a garden or allotment were significant predictors of stress, social isolation and place belonging were found to be the strongest predictors of stress in three communities and of poor general health in the least healthy community. Physical activity, winter green space visits, and home views also predicted general health.
Limited or null effectHealthCommunityWelfareEén buurttuin, twee gemeenschappen: een case study
2016E.J. Veen, Petra Derkzen, B.B. Bock, A.J. de Visser, J.S.C. Wiskerke · Sociologie · Netherlands
This case study of a community garden in the Netherlands, used by three different groups, found that communities formed in such gardens are complex and multiple, not singular. While the garden served as a meeting space for two groups, strengthening internal cohesion, both groups categorized people as 'us' and 'them' based on residence. This strengthened their social identities and led to struggles over garden ownership, demonstrating that shared presence does not necessarily bridge social distances.
Equity & displacementCommunityPolicyHealthFood Inequities, Urban Agriculture, and the Remaking of Milwaukee, Wisconsin
2016Margaret Pettygrove · UWM Digital Commons (University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee) · United States (Milwaukee)
This case study in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, examines food procurement patterns among low-income residents and how local governance and political economic processes shape food environments. It uses quantitative and qualitative methodologies, drawing on spatial analytical and political ecological perspectives. The research critiques the "obesogenic environment thesis" by emphasizing other dimensions of food access beyond proximity to retail sources.
HealthWelfareCommunityVulnerability Analysis of Urban Agriculture Projects: A Case Study of Community and Entrepreneurial Gardens in the Netherlands and Switzerland
2016Ladina Knapp, E.J. Veen, H. Renting, J.S.C. Wiskerke, J.C.J. Groot · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems · Europe
This study assessed criteria for the successful establishment and continuity of 29 small-scale, bottom-up urban agriculture (UA) initiatives in the Netherlands and Switzerland, using a vulnerability analysis framework. Biophysical and socio-institutional criteria were analyzed through interviews with project leaders. Findings revealed that the vulnerability of UA systems strongly depends on local circumstances, with the main perturbations and causes of vulnerability originating from social-institutional and human conditions, such as the institutional sphere, local authority assistance, and project leaders' determination.
Governance failureCommunityEconomicsPolicyHealthFrom sanctuaries to prefigurative social change: Creating health-enabling spaces in East London community gardens
2016Madeleine A. Guerlain, Catherine Campbell · Journal of Social and Political Psychology · United Kingdom (East London)
This qualitative research explored the impact of community gardens on the psycho-social well-being of marginalized groups in East London, UK, and their role in prefigurative social change. Through interviews, Photovoice, and participant observation with 28 gardeners from four groups, findings suggest that participation is driven by the shared practice of gardening, leading to unintended benefits addressing personal adversities. Community gardens create "health-enabling social spaces" and offer an alternative understanding of prefiguration based on participants' lived experiences.
CommunityHealthWelfareFood sovereignty & justiceUrban Gardeners’ Motivations in a Metropolitan City: The Case of Milan
2016Giordano Ruggeri, Chiara Mazzocchi, Stefano Corsi · Sustainability · Italy (Milan)
This study investigated the motivations of urban gardeners in Milan, Italy, using multiple correspondence analysis and hierarchical clustering analysis. While urban gardening's multifunctionality is well-documented, individual motivations are less explored. The analysis revealed the significant importance of the social component in urban gardening and identified several distinct gardener profiles.
CommunityHealthEconomicsRisk assessment from exposure to arsenic, antimony, and selenium in urban gardens (Madrid, Spain)
2016Eduardo De Miguel, Miguel Izquierdo‐Díaz, Amaia Gómez, Juan Mingot, Fernando Barrio‐Parra · Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry · Spain (Madrid)
Forty-two soil samples from seven urban gardens in Madrid, Spain, were collected to measure concentrations of arsenic, antimony, and selenium, along with soil properties. Antimony concentrations exceeded recommended values for agricultural use in 70% of the urban gardens. A human health risk assessment indicated acceptable levels for noncarcinogenic and carcinogenic risks, though carcinogenic values were elevated, with arsenic identified as the main risk driver.
Contamination & food safetyHealthurban communities: the importance of green space
2016Catharine Ward Thompson, Peter Aspinall, Jenny Roe, Lynette Robertson · · United Kingdom
This cross-sectional survey investigated the relationship between access to green space and health outcomes (stress, general health) among 406 adults in four highly deprived urban communities in Scotland, United Kingdom. Social isolation and place belonging were the strongest predictors of stress in three communities and of poor general health in the fourth. The amount of green space in the neighborhood, particularly access to a garden or allotment, was a significant predictor of stress, while physical activity, frequency of winter green space visits, and views from home predicted general health.
HealthCommunityUrban AgriCulture and Food Systems Dynamics: Urban Gardening and Urban Farming of the Bonn-Rhein-Sieg region, Germany
2016Darya Hirsch, Christian H. Meyer, Johannes Klement, Martin Hamer, Wiltrud Terlau, Hirsch, Darya, Meyer, Christian, Klement, Johannes, Hamer, Martin, Terlau, Wiltrud · Publication Server of Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences (Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences) · Germany
This paper presents an empirical case study on Urban AgriCulture initiatives in the Bonn-Rhein-Sieg region of Germany. It states that Urban AgriCulture is a niche movement with the potential to contribute significantly to urban development and constitute a pillar of urban quality of life.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsHealthPerception and acceptance of agricultural production in and on urban buildings (ZFarming): a qualitative study from Berlin, Germany
2015· Agriculture and Human Values · Germany (Berlin)
A qualitative study from Berlin examining public perception and acceptance of agricultural production in and on urban buildings (ZFarming).
CommunityPolicyHealthThe Well-Being of Allotment Gardeners: A Mixed Methodological Study
2015Jo Webber, Joe Hinds, Paul M. Camic · Ecopsychology · United Kingdom
A mixed-methods study surveyed 171 allotment gardeners in the United Kingdom to investigate the relationships between allotment gardening, feeling connected to nature, and well-being. Allotment gardeners' eudaimonic well-being and quality of life in the environmental domain were significantly higher than population means reported in the literature. However, the study found no association with subjective well-being.
HealthCommunityRecycling urban waste as possible use for rooftop vegetable garden
2015Baptiste Grard, N. Bel, Marchal, Nicolas, Frédéric Madre, Jean‐François Castell, Philippe Cambier, Sabine Houot, Nastaran Manouchehri, Stéphane Besançon, Jean‐Charles Michel, Claire Chenu, Nathalie Frascaria‐Lacoste, Christine Aubry · Kobra (Universitätsbibliothek Kassel) · France (Paris)
A 2012 pilot experiment in Paris, France, tested simple rooftop gardening systems using local urban organic waste as crop substrates. Measurements of production levels and heavy metal content in crops and substrates showed high crop production with limited inputs, low heavy metal pollutants in edible parts, and positive yield influence from layered substrates and earthworm inoculation. These results suggest rooftop gardening is feasible and has potential for urban resiliency, though further assessment of roof types, pollution levels, and sustainability is needed.
DIYCompostOrganic cycleHealth