Research & reports

Felipe de Jesús Cruz Celis, María Sánchez Zarate, Martha Lis Garrido Cardona · · Mexico

This study surveyed 384 residents in Ixtepec, Juchitan, Tehuantepec, and Salina Cruz in the Istmo Oaxaqueño, Mexico, regarding urban agriculture and tomato consumption. Findings indicate that 73.06% of respondents buy Saladet tomatoes, and 84.87% purchase 1 to 2 kg per week. Additionally, 79.34% buy tomatoes in the local market, and 54.98% state that price is the main characteristic they seek when buying.

Elena Broaddus, Liana S. Przygocki, Peter J. Winch · Children Youth and Environments · United States (Baltimore)

A year-long case study examined six eleventh- and twelfth-grade students participating in a farm-based youth internship program in Baltimore, Maryland. Using Self-Determination Theory as an analytical framework, program components that promoted participants' engagement by meeting their needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness were identified. The findings indicate specific strategies that urban agriculture programs can use to more effectively engage youth.

Maria José Pereira Tavares, Ana Paula Maia Espíndola Rodrigues, Reginaldo Ferreira de Lima Júnior, Pedro José Santos Carneiro Cruz · Encontro Regional Nordeste I 2015 · Brazil (João Pessoa)

The "Praticas Integrais da Promocao da Saude e Nutricao na Atencao Basica – PINAB" University Extension Program, active since 2007 in João Pessoa, Brazil, uses popular education methodology to promote health and food security. The "Horta Popular Boa Esperanca" community garden, a key initiative, provides weekly educational activities like cultivation and harvesting, fostering collective work and social mobilization. The program's actions create a collective space for learning and integration between the community, health services, and university, contributing to health promotion and environmental care.

Eleni Papaoikonomou, Matías Ginieis · Revista Internacional de Organizaciones · United States (New York City)

This study conducts an empirical comparison between two local food systems: Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in Manhattan, New York, and Responsible Consumption Cooperatives in Catalonia, Spain. Using a qualitative methodology, the research identifies and explores the practices and narratives established between producers and consumers, which are also defined by the orientation and raison d’être of the local system. The study aims to empirically verify romanticized discourses about local food systems.

Bryanna Sherman · · United States

This literature review comprehensively studied local food system efforts in Watauga County, United States, examining how local food is integrated into the landscape. The review analyzed benchmarks for success and failure, and the recognized impact of local food on community life. It determined the social, environmental, and economic reasons for continuing to produce quality food for community benefits, noting strong community readiness and support for local agriculture in Watauga County.

N. Claire Napawan · Landscape Journal · United States (San Francisco)

This paper evaluated five case studies of communally-managed urban farms in San Francisco to determine their ability to operate dualistically as areas for food production and public space. Using a case-study methodology, it compared the spatial characteristics of these farms against the spatial criteria for successful public space. The study identified both conflicts and compatibilities in the spatial considerations for both functions.

Benjamin Shepard · Palgrave Macmillan US eBooks · United States (New York City)

This paper describes a guerilla gardening action that took place in August 2012 at a vacant lot at 181 Stanton Street in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City. Activists dismantled a fence, cleaned the lot, and planted flowers, transforming it into a community space. Within weeks, community support led to the passage of a resolution supporting a green-thumb lease for the garden, named Siempre Verde.

Faith Rusk · · United States

This resource provides information for UDC students on urban agriculture as a social movement that combines traditional farming with the lifestyle of an urban dweller.

Karinna Vernaza · · United States

This paper describes a semester-long, community-based service learning project at Gannon University's First-Year Seminar in Engineering, utilizing the university's community garden. Projects included designing a rainwater collection system and vertical planters to engage first-year students in the engineering design process. Students' self-reported data indicated increased appreciation for engineering design and understanding of societal engineering solutions.

Gabriel Gonçalves Ribeiro Silva, André Maciel da Silva, Antônio Fernandes Nascimento · Periódico Eletrônico Fórum Ambiental da Alta Paulista. · Brazil

This study describes the development of a didactic strategy to approach environmental themes in fundamental teaching II, presenting a teaching sequence involving the construction of a terrarium in a 7th-grade classroom in Brazil for teaching environmental education and ecology concepts. Students built a terrarium, visited the school garden, and deepened discussions through a video. Based on student evaluations, the practice was effective not only for teaching formal concepts but also for the civic formation of students, who perceived themselves as agents of environmental transformation.

Renan Yamashita Ferreira · · Brazil (Criciúma)

This article reports on the survey, registration, diagnosis, and restoration of urban public green spaces in Criciuma/SC, Brazil. Green spaces created in urban allotment processes were demarcated on maps, and a diagnosis describing vegetation, degradation factors, and necessary improvement actions was elaborated. Actions such as tree planting, organic matter input, fencing, and removal of invasive species and waste were carried out in some areas. Engaging the local community is recommended to aid recovery, and intrusion problems should be restrained with prompt inspection, which is more efficient with community surveillance.

Ana Paula Louzada, Ernesto Grillo Rabello, Yan Menezes Oliveira · Revista Interinstitucional Artes de Educar · Brazil

This study documents the collective construction experience of an agroecological garden by psychology students at the Federal University of Espírito Santo. The paper emphasizes the relevance of this practice in producing integral health and critiques the current context of Integrated World Capitalism, which separates humans from nature.

Bill Musser · · United States (Iowa)

The 2015 CBHL annual meeting and conference was hosted by Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah, Iowa, from June 16-20, 2015. Held during SSE's 40th anniversary year, the conference theme reflected the growing public interest in creating edible landscapes.

Sebastião Gabriel Chaves Maia · Revista Ouricuri · Brazil (São Paulo)

This case study focuses on understanding the representations of rural environments within urban spaces, emphasizing urban agriculture practices. It applies theoretical assumptions of pluriactivity and multifunctionality from traditional rural agriculture to urban agriculture in Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil. The organization of urban gardens exemplifies the application of rural representation in urban settings, with these activities contributing to local well-being, the local economy, and the conservation of agrobiodiversity.

Jacques Abelman · Kobra (Universitätsbibliothek Kassel) · Brazil (Porto Alegre)

The "Cultivating the City" project attempts to apply landscape architectural thinking to integrate urban agriculture into the city. A proposed network of urban agriculture typologies, emphasizing agroforestry with native species, was developed for Porto Alegre, Brazil. These hypothetical designs aim to serve as a basis for dialogue among potential stakeholders and as catalysts for future projects.

Charlotte Prové · Ghent University Academic Bibliography (Ghent University) · United States (Philadelphia)

This project aimed to understand the dynamics of urban agriculture in Philadelphia and formulate how governance processes can address its developments. A literature study and interviews with diverse stakeholders, including farmers, project founders, public officers, and researchers, were conducted. The City of Philadelphia's Greenworks plan sets a goal to establish twelve commercial agriculture projects over the next eight years, developing necessary infrastructure such as distribution facilities and water sources.

Ellen Barnidge, Elizabeth A. Baker, Mario Schootman, Freda Motton, Marjorie Sawicki, Frank Rose · Health Education Research · United States

This quasi-experimental study in rural Missouri evaluated an intervention providing nutrition education and community garden access to African Americans to increase fruit and vegetable consumption. At mid-intervention, the intervention county showed lower hypertension and BMI. Both nutrition education participation and community garden access were independently associated with perceived fruit and vegetable consumption, with the strongest effect when combined. However, individuals with access but without education had a reduced likelihood of consuming recommended servings of fruits and vegetables.

Gerda R. Wekerle, Michael Classens · Local Environment · Canada (Toronto)

This paper examines approaches to urban agriculture in Toronto that renegotiate land access for food production between private property owners and landless growers. It documents three methods challenging current property relations: temporary use of development sites, redesignating suburban backyards for farmer training and production, and garden sharing of private backyards. These initiatives promote collaboration and a sharing economy to expand urban agriculture's land base.

Tracy George, Debbie Humphries, Trace Kershaw, Josh Singer · The FASEB Journal · United States (Washington, DC)

This study explored the health and community experiences of gardeners at Wangari Gardens, a community garden in Washington, DC, through 17 semi-structured qualitative interviews. Gardeners chose to garden for improved nutrition, chronic disease management, hobbies, and connection to nature and community. They continued gardening for relationships, physical benefits, harvests, and self-efficacy, indicating community gardens provide multi-faceted individual and community benefits.

José Tobias Marks Machado, Jeferson Tonin, Evandro Pedro Schneider · SHILAP Revista de lepidopterología · Brazil

This study, conducted in two schools in Cerro Largo - RS, Brazil, during 2013, performed a post-implementation analysis of ecologically based school gardens introduced through a university extension program. Positive results included the proliferation of similar projects. However, significant difficulties were emphasized in integrating the school gardens with disciplinary education, attributed to existing conservatism in the educational context.

Luke Drake · · United States

This study examined the role of networks in producing community gardens. Focusing on community gardening in New Jersey, USA, the research involved a survey of 445 community gardening organizations in the U.S. and Canada, discourse analysis of archival documents from the 1890s to 2010s, 48 semi-structured interviews in 19 municipalities, and two years of participant-observation. These methods revealed a complex web of resource flows and the mechanisms through which they are configured.

Danny Tarng · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United States

This commentary discusses how nonprofit urban agriculture organizations, central to the U.S. food justice movement, can foster better allyship. It highlights that as the movement expands, the transformation of allies' privilege into empowerment at an organizational level is crucial for ongoing growth and success. The text provides insights into organizational policies and practices that can improve allyship.

Ari Novy, Devin Dotson · CSA News · United States

This article argues that botanical and public gardens are well-positioned to connect the public with agriculture, especially in urban centers where interest in food and agriculture is resurging. With over 70 million visitors annually and existing infrastructure, botanical gardens can serve as urban nodes for science-based education. They can perform plant research, offer education, interpret plant uses, and showcase plant beauty.

Alicia S. Landry, Nikki Chittendon, Christine Coker, Caitlin Weiss · Journal of Extension · United States

This article describes the perceived physical and psychological health impacts of community gardening on participants in the Mississippi Delta. Identified themes include gardening as an educational tool, increasing self-efficacy, and fostering responsibility for personal and community health. Additional benefits reported are exposure to new healthy foods, increased physical activity, and legacy building.

Yun-Wen Betty Fletcher · ScholarSpace (University of Hawaii at Manoa) · United States

This observational study examined the range-of-motion movements demonstrated by elders while gardening in a community garden in Manoa, United States. A specific study instrument was used to identify the observed range of motion movements during their gardening activities.