Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
1545 results(61 / 62)
Continuous Productive Urban Landscapes: urban agriculture as an essential infrastructure
2005André Viljoen, Katrin Bohn · University of Brighton Repository (University of Brighton) · United Kingdom (London)
This paper, from a U.K. perspective, discusses urban agriculture using London as an example. While the benefits of urban agriculture for food security and income have often focused on the Global South, its integration into a multifunctional land use strategy could significantly reduce a city's ecological footprint, raising questions about its wider implementation.
Urban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsClimate changePolicySOME QUESTIONS ON URBAN AGRICULTURE
2005Wanbin Zhu · Keji daobao · China
This paper discussed various questions concerning Urban Agriculture (UA) research in China, covering its origin, concept, functions, and land use planning. It also provided suggestions regarding common misconceptions, potential research areas, and strategies for the sustainable development of UA.
PolicyUrban–rural linkageClimate changeUrban agriculture: The new frontier
2005Ian Knowd, David Mason, Andrew Docking · · Global
The integration of agriculture into urban landscapes has a long history, intensifying since the industrial revolution, with early "garden cities" remaining utopian ideals. In contemporary urban development, renewed interest in agriculture relates to implementing sustainability and addressing globalization's structural changes to communities, food systems, and urban quality of life. Urban agriculture is a strategic resource requiring a strategic planning approach that recognizes its economic, social, and environmental values.
Urban–rural linkageClimate changeFood sovereignty & justicePolicyAn Assessment Of Urban Agricultural Land Use Changes Using Geospatial Information System: A Case Study Of Jos-Bukuru
2005E. Omomoh, C. O. Adeofun · · Nigeria
This study assessed urban agricultural land use changes in Jos-Bukuru, Nigeria, between 1961 and 2002 using a geospatial information system. It found that agricultural land use substantially increased from 1961 to 1986. However, between 1986 and 2002, approximately 63% of agricultural land was lost, with about 68% of this loss attributed to urban development. The study concludes that while urban spatial expansion is increasing, agricultural land use is decreasing.
Governance failurePolicyUrban–rural linkageClimate changeUrban Agriculture: Small, Medium, Large
2005Gil Doron · Architectural Design · Global
This paper by Gil Doron explores urban agriculture's potential ecological, economic, and social benefits for city dwellers. It notes that horticulture, often overlooked by architects, exists at various scales in most cities globally, from window boxes to large farms. The author suggests urban agriculture could be a significant design revolution.
CommunityEconomicsClimate changeHealthPolicyImplications Of Rainwater Harvesting In ARiver Basin Management: Evidence FromThe Modder River Basin, South Africa
2005Yali E. Woyessa, Etheresia Pretorius, Pieter S. van Heerden, M. Hensley, L. van Rensburg · WIT transactions on ecology and the environment · South Africa
This field survey in the Modder River basin, South Africa, investigated the potential expansion and implications of a rainwater harvesting technique introduced to small-scale farmers. While a rapid spread within home yard sizes was expected, no significant spread to community gardens or beyond was anticipated in the short term. This limitation was attributed to socio-economic constraints, including poverty and a lack of appropriate tools and basic farming skills.
Limited or null effectDIYCommunityClimate changeDiversity and connections in community gardens: a contribution to local sustainability
2004Leigh Holland · Local Environment · United Kingdom
This 2004 study in the United Kingdom analyzed the community garden movement through questionnaires and in-depth interviews. It found that community gardens, often in inner-city areas, serve diverse purposes including vegetation growing, permaculture, organic methods, health, education, and training. These gardens are strongly characterized by community participation and involvement, suggesting the movement could model local social, economic, and environmental policy implementation.
CommunityClimate changePolicyCities people planet : liveable cities for a sustainable world
2004Herbert Girardet · · Global
This book explores the concept of liveable cities for a sustainable world. Its chapters cover a range of topics including urban ecological aspects, the role of technology, globalization, transport, efficient water use, relearning urban agriculture, and building EcoPolis.
Urban–rural linkageClimate changePolicyUrban Agriculture in Shenzhen: Problems and Strategies for Sustainable Development
2004Jianguo Dai · Journal of Shenzhen Polytechnic · China (Shenzhen)
Urban agriculture in Shenzhen faces problems including decreasing farmland, inadequate skilled farmers, poor disaster resistance, immature insurance, increasing contamination of water, soil, air, and agricultural products, and poor modern enterprise management. Strategies proposed for sustainable development include specific laws, pollution protection, education, research, technology application, industrial technology application, leisure agriculture development, and diversification.
Contamination & food safetyPolicyEconomicsClimate changeFood education" L'agriculture urbaine dans le bassin méditerranéen, une réalité ancienne à l'heure du renouveau",
2004Marc Lavergne · HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe) · Europe
While urbanization and agriculture often appear contradictory, the existence of urban agriculture (intra-urban and peri-urban) in the Mediterranean basin demonstrates that their relationship is not as clear-cut. Urban growth consumes agricultural land, and urban and rural worlds seem radically opposed in lifestyles and values. However, urban agriculture has forged complex relationships with the urban environment, involving both antagonisms and complementarities.
Urban–rural linkagePolicyClimate changeSustainable Implant and EVA Centre, Culemborg; a hub for Sustainable Development
2004Arjan van Timmeren, Wiek Röling, Marleen Kaptein · · Netherlands (Culemborg)
This paper focuses on an innovation in urban development in the Lanxmeer district of Culemborg, Netherlands. A "Sustainable Implant (SI)" based on permaculture and organic design principles will be built in conjunction with the EVA-Center and an ecological city-farm. The SI functions as an interconnector for three "essential" flows in urban planning, such as wastewater management and energy generation, facilitating both vertical and horizontal integration. It is considered a sustainable hub operating at three scales: the Culemborg region, the Lanxmeer urban district, and the nearby EVA Center.
Organic cycleClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityEat Here: Reclaiming Homegrown Pleasures in a Global Supermarket
2004Brian Halweil · · Global
This book points out that the long-distance food system consumes staggering amounts of fuel, generates greenhouse gases, and compromises food security. Since 1961, the tonnage of food shipped between nations has grown fourfold, with food in the United States typically traveling 1,500 to 2,500 miles from farm to plate. While this system often runs roughshod over local cuisines, varieties, and agriculture, a local-foods movement is beginning to emerge globally.
Environmental trade-offsFood miles & supply chainFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changeUrban–rural linkageUrban and peri-urban agricultural production in Beijing municipality and its impact on water quality
2003James M. Wolf, M S van Wijk, X Cheng, Yuanhao Hu, C.A. van Diepen, A.W. Jongbloed, H van Keulen, C H Lu, R.P. Roetter · Environment and Urbanization · China (Beijing)
This paper reviews agricultural production trends in Beijing Municipality and their impact on water quality. Rapid urbanization and agricultural intensification have led to concerns regarding water resource quantity and quality. The agricultural sector, while supplying food, is a major water user and has contributed to significant water supply-demand gaps and high levels of water pollution, particularly from intensive crop, vegetable, and livestock production.
Environmental trade-offsUrban–rural linkageEconomicsClimate changeOrganic cycleQuantitative evaluation of greenroof systems for sustainable development
2003Grace K. Luk · WIT transactions on ecology and the environment · Canada (Greater Toronto Area)
This paper describes the design and data collection for an on-site evaluation to quantify the benefits of greenroof systems, focusing on six greenroof systems in the Greater Toronto Area, Canada. The study's objective is to specifically quantify the multiple benefits greenroofs provide, such as improved stormwater management, air quality, increased energy efficiency, extended roof life cycle, and mitigation of the Urban Heat Island Effect. A long-term, real-time monitoring program is intended to help define the ecological and hydraulic benefits of these greenroofs.
Climate changePolicyBiodiversityA conceptual framework for the sustainable management of wastewater in Harare, Zimbabwe
2003Innocent Nhapi, Huub J. Gijzen, Maarten A. Siebel · Water Science & Technology · Zimbabwe (Harare)
This study aimed to formulate an integrated wastewater management model for Harare, Zimbabwe, integrating resource recovery and reuse in urban agriculture. Harare was divided into five major operational areas, and specific options were considered to suit land use, development constraints, and socio-economic status within the overall criteria of limiting nutrient inflows into Lake Chivero. Flexible and differential solutions were developed in relation to the built environment, population density, user composition, ownership, future environmental demands, and technical, environmental, hygienic, social, and organizational factors.
Organic cycleClimate changeHealthAgriculture in the City: A Key to Sustainability in Havana, Cuba
2003María Caridad Cruz, Roberto Sánchez Medina · · Cuba (Havana)
This book details a three-year research project by a multidisciplinary team of 15 professionals on the history and current state of urban agriculture in Havana, Cuba. The project assessed the long-term potential of integrating urban agriculture into Havana's social economies and city-wide environmental management programs. The findings are relevant for authorities considering how to transition emergency food production into sustained support for urban agriculture, aiming for food self-reliance and environmental improvement.
EconomicsClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityOn Basic Characteristics and Function Exploitation of Urban Agriculture
2002LI Ya-hong · Nongye xiandaihua yanjiu · Global
This paper describes urban agriculture as a modern agricultural industry shaped by metropolitan regions and socio-economic circumstances. Its main characteristics include a perfect market system, aggregated production patterns, industrialized management, high-tech production, and the harmonization of three agricultural benefits. Beyond commodity production, urban agriculture should also offer direct and indirect multifunctions such as ecological construction, leisure tourism, cultural education, export, and demonstration.
Urban–rural linkageEconomicsFood educationClimate changeThe Thermal Effects of Plants on Buildings
2002Nyuk Hien Wong, Vi Ling Wong, Yu Chen, Siew Eang Lee, David Cheong, Guan Tiong Lim, Chui Leng Ong, Angelia Sia · Architectural Science Review · Global
This study explored the potential of rooftop gardens to reduce heat gain into buildings and modify ambient conditions through plant photosynthesis and evapotranspiration. Results suggest that rooftop gardens can effectively cool the immediate ambient environment by 1.5°C. Surface temperature readings from rooftop gardens were lower than those on barren concrete rooftops, indicating improved thermal insulation in the presence of plants. However, high relative humidity was also observed in rooftop gardens due to plants, requiring adequate natural ventilation to prevent discomfort.
Climate changeDIYPolicy issues and institutional impediments in the management of groundwater: lessons from case studies
2002Charles W. Howe · Environment and Development Economics · Global
This study noted that in inappropriate legal and administrative settings, groundwater becomes an open-access resource, leading to excessive externalities. Competition between urban and agricultural sectors for limited groundwater can lead to crises if appropriate policy instruments are not used to mediate it. For non-renewable groundwater stocks, without economic and demographic development planned according to long-term criteria, there is a risk of overly rapid exploitation, unsustainable population levels, and inappropriate infrastructure investment.
Governance failurePolicyEconomicsClimate changeUrban agriculture and sustainable urban systems: a benefits assessment of the garden movement in Havana, Cuba
2002Patrick Henn, John Henning · International Journal of Environment and Sustainable Development · Cuba (Havana)
This paper argues for an extended assessment of the total economic value of urban agriculture (UA), encompassing social, environmental, and economic benefits, to inform optimal decisions on its role in urban sustainability. It presents results from a contingent valuation study on the value of popular gardens in Havana, Cuba. The abstract notes that despite significant benefits, UA remains marginalized in urban planning.
EconomicsCommunityClimate changePolicyInventaire des espèces végétales mises en culture dans les parcelles en milieu urbain. Cas de la commune de Limete-Kinshasa- R.D. Congo
2002E. Makumbelo, L. Lukoki, Sj. Paulus, J., N. Luyindula · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa)
A survey conducted in 201 plots within the Limete commune of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, inventoried nineteen cultivated vegetable species and 764 plants from 18 fruit-tree species. Mangifera indica was identified as the most planted tree species, while Ipomoae batatas was the most frequently cultivated vegetable species.
BiodiversityCommunityClimate changeOrganic cycleQuality assurance initiatives for peri-urban food production in India
2002Nigel Poole, DS Bhupal, Fiona Marshall, Dolf te Lintelo · · India
New knowledge is presented on the impacts of urban and peri-urban (UPU) environmental pollution on food safety attributes of vegetable marketing systems in India. Air pollution reduces crop yield and nutritional quality, and is a major source of particulate contaminants that accumulate at toxic levels in edible crops. The study explores the balance between public and private quality assurance initiatives and identifies wholesale markets as a potential entry point for quality assurance.
Contamination & food safetyHealthPeri-urban agriculturePolicyClimate changeCreating Livable Cities: The Need For Urban Agriculture
2002Gina E. Castillo, S. Langeveld · WIT transactions on ecology and the environment · Africa
This paper examines the contributions of civil society organizations working on urban agriculture in Africa and Latin America. It argues for the need to develop land use policies that incorporate the social, economic, and environmental benefits of urban gardens. The paper concludes that both urban agriculture and civil society organizations are essential for creating livable cities.
PolicyEconomicsCommunityClimate changeEnvironmental concerns of (peri-) urban vegetable production: Case studies from Kumasi and Accra
2001E. Mensah, Philip Amoah, Robert Clement Abaidoo, Pay Drechsel · CGSPace A Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research) · Ghana
This document presents case studies on environmental concerns related to urban and peri-urban vegetable production in Kumasi and Accra, Ghana. It is part of a larger work on waste composting for urban and peri-urban agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Environmental trade-offsPeri-urban agricultureOrganic cycleClimate changeUrban harvest: cities, food, activism and the third sector
2001Robyn Lynn · ResearchOnline at James Cook University (James Cook University) · Global
This paper highlights the significance of urban food production, which has been historically neglected despite its potential to address issues of globalization, urbanization, and environmental degradation. It explores the relationship between cities, food production, and activism, noting a growing local food movement that resists global food discourses. The paper aims to identify issues within urban food production activism and its organizational aspects.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityClimate changePolicy