Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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Critical findings
4122 results(61 / 165)
City Region Food Systems: Building Resilience to COVID-19 and Other Shocks
2021FAO, RUAF · FAO / RUAF · Global
A casebook on strengthening COVID-19 resilience of urban-rural food connections through the City Region Food Systems (CRFS) approach, demonstrating the interlinkage of food distribution, waste, food security and farmer livelihoods.
PolicyUptake of Climate Smart Agriculture in Peri-Urban Areas of South Africa's Economic Hub Requires Up-Scaling
2021Chitakira, M., Ngcobo, N. · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · South Africa
A mixed-methods study (n=36) of peri-urban smallholders in the Tshwane metro (Gauteng), South Africa, documenting a knowledge-practice gap—high experiential awareness of climate change but low recognition of 'Climate Smart Agriculture' as a framework—and calling for up-scaling its uptake.
PolicyCommunity gardening in Hellinikon as a resistance struggle against neoliberal urbanism: spatial autogestion and the right to the city in post-crisis Athens, Greece
2021Apostolopoulou E., Kotsila P. · Urban Geography, 43(2), 293–319 · Greece (Athens)
Examining the Hellinikon self-organized guerrilla garden that emerged as resistance to real estate redevelopment of the former Athens international airport, the paper argues that community gardening can embed grassroots opposition to neoliberal urban transformation and assert the right to urban space.
CommunityPolicyWelfareEconomicsAssembling agroecological socio-natures: a political ecology analysis of urban and peri-urban agriculture in Rosario, Argentina
2021Hammelman C., Shoffner E., Cruzat M., Lee S. · Agriculture and Human Values · Argentina (Rosario)
Drawing on interviews with 30 stakeholders in Rosario, the study applies assemblage and urban political ecology frameworks to reveal how institutionalized agroecology constructs valued socio-natures amid land pressure and economic marginalization.
CommunityPolicyEconomicsCadenas de valor cortas hortícolas en Lima - Perú
2021Rendón Schneir E. · e-Agronegocios, Vol. 7, No. 2 · Peru (Lima)
Analyzes short horticultural value chains (cadenas cortas) in Lima, showing that removing intermediaries improves farmer incomes and strengthens urban food security, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
EconomicsCommunityPolicyStrategic placement of urban agriculture: A spatial optimization approach
2021Bhuwan Thapa, Aniruddha Banerjee, Jeffrey Wilson, Samantha Hamlin · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems · United States (Indianapolis)
The study developed a p-median spatial optimization model to identify new urban agriculture sites in Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana, weighting block groups by food access and obesity prevalence. Optimally selected locations were 52% more efficient than randomly chosen ones in average distance traveled, with no significant difference among the three policy scenarios.
PolicyHealthCommunityBeyond ‘food apartheid’: Civil society and the politicization of hunger in New Haven, Connecticut
2021Mary P. Corcoran · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems · United States (New Haven)
Based on 28 in-depth interviews and participant observation in New Haven, CT (Fall 2018), this article examines community-based food-justice activism across the urban agriculture and food-policy sectors. It finds that grassroots civil society groups largely set a broad and contradictory hunger agenda, that their work is structurally constrained by dependence on philanthropic funding and a fiscally weak municipality, and that a tension persists between depoliticizing and repoliticizing hunger—tensions sharpened by COVID-19 and the 2020 BLM mobilization.
PolicyCommunityExploring the needs of urban producers in a rural state: A qualitative needs assessment
2021Catherine Sanders, Casandra Cox, Leslie Edgar, Donna Graham, Amanda Philyaw Perez · Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development · United States (Arkansas)
This qualitative study conducted in-depth interviews with 16 urban farmers in Northwest and Central Arkansas to assess their needs and their interactions with the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service. Needs were highly individualized by operation size, years in operation, and mission, but common needs included market pricing, co-ops, and equipment access; participants viewed Extension positively but noted it lacked resources specific to small-scale, sustainable farming.
EconomicsCommunityPolicyUrban agriculture: local government stakeholders’ perspectives and informational needs
2021Catherine G. Campbell, Shelli D. Rampold · Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems · United States (Florida)
Through a University of Florida IFAS Extension statewide survey of local government stakeholders, this study assessed attitudes, subjective knowledge, perceived benefits and barriers, and educational needs regarding urban agriculture. Respondents showed positive attitudes and moderate knowledge, and the findings support the hypothesis that a lack of basic knowledge about UA hampers efforts to foster it through local policy.
PolicyAssessment of Urban Agriculture for Evidence-Based Food Planning: A Case Study in Chengdu, China
2021· Sustainability · China (Chengdu)
Assesses how urban agriculture can inform evidence-based food planning in Chengdu, China. The staple-food self-sufficiency rate was 83.82% in 2019, suggesting potential food-security pressures.
PolicyEconomicsExploring the spatial planning dimensions of urban informal food systems in Nanjing, China
2021· Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems · China (Nanjing)
Analyzes the spatial-planning dimensions of urban informal food systems in Nanjing's Qinhuai District, China.
PolicyCommunityComprehensive Food System Planning for Urban Food Security in Nanjing, China
2021· Land · China (Nanjing)
Discusses comprehensive food-system planning for urban food security in Nanjing, China, including expansion of peri-urban greenhouse vegetable production.
PolicyEconomicsUrban Agriculture Education and Youth Civic Engagement in the U.S.: A Scoping Review
2021· Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · USA
A scoping review of how urban agriculture education programs foster youth civic engagement, leadership, and understanding of social justice in the United States.
Food educationCommunityPolicyBeekeeping in, of or for the city? A socioecological perspective on urban apiculture
2021Sponsler D. B. · People and Nature · Global (review)
A socioecological perspective on urban apiculture examining whether urban beekeeping serves cities, bees, or beekeepers, and its implications for wild pollinator conservation and management.
PollinatorsPolicyPublic action and policy implementation: a comparative analysis of Urban Agriculture in three regions of São Paulo
2021Alves Mário Aquino, de Oliveira Lya Cynthia Porto · Local Environment · Brazil (São Paulo)
Compares municipal urban-agriculture policy implementation across three São Paulo regions. Despite policy on the books, implementation is carried out 'timidly'—strong in the south, weak in the east, and almost nonexistent in the north—driven by uneven land access and NGO presence.
PolicyGovernance of urban agriculture in African cities: Gaps and opportunities for innovation in Accra, Ghana
2021Puppim de Oliveira José A., Ahmed Abubakari · Journal of Cleaner Production · Ghana (Accra)
Empirical study of urban-agriculture governance in Accra. Finds UA marginalised by a lack of policy directives, fragmented institutions, and unfair land-use and tenure decisions, so government neglect leaves urban farming informal and unable to realise its potential benefits.
PolicyAdvancing food democracy: The potential and limits of food policy positions in local government
2021Berglund E., Hassanein N., Lachapelle P., Stephens C. · Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development · USA
Interviews 11 municipal and county food-policy staff to assess dedicated government food-policy positions. Finds their impact is constrained by limited authority, resources, and institutional standing, documenting the practical limits of embedding food policy in local government.
PolicyReviewing financing barriers and strategies for urban nature-based solutions
2021Helen Toxopeus, Friedemann Polzin · Journal of Environmental Management · Global
A systematic review of academic literature identified key barriers and strategies for financing urban nature-based solutions (NBS), including urban agriculture. Two overarching barriers were found: a lack of coordination between private and public financiers, and difficulties in integrating NBS benefits into valuation and accounting methods. The review concluded that an integrated accounting and valuation framework for NBS is currently lacking, and strategies often focus on encouraging co-financing from private beneficiaries.
Economic viabilityEconomicsPolicyCommunityCan Allotment Gardens (AGs) Be Considered an Example of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) Based on the Use of Historical Green Infrastructure?
2021Barbara Sowińska-Świerkosz, Malwina Michalik-Śnieżek, Alicja Bieske-Matejak · Sustainability · Poland
This study analyzed the potential of allotment gardens (AGs) in Poland to be considered nature-based solutions (NBS), examining their use of green/blue infrastructure, problem-solving capabilities, benefits, and economic efficiency. The study identified institutional barriers, irregular distribution of benefits, and deficiencies in economic efficiency as significant obstacles. It concluded that AGs, while a type of unsophisticated NBS, have limited effectiveness.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyEconomicsGardens’ contribution to people and urban green space
2021Helena I. Hanson, Emma Eckberg, Malin Widenberg, Johanna Alkan Olsson · Urban forestry & urban greening · Sweden (Lund)
This study explored private gardens' contribution to urban biodiversity and garden owners' wellbeing (in terms of cultural ecosystem services) in Lund, Sweden, through a garden land-use inventory and interviews with 35 garden owners. Results showed that urban development influences gardens' biodiversity potential by limiting available space or garden vegetation, with new properties having small gardens containing few biodiversity features and large trees. Important cultural ecosystem services included social bonds, recreation, nature experiences, and relaxation, which were influenced by age and gender.
BiodiversityHealthUrban–rural linkagePolicySignificance of Allotment Gardens in Urban Green Space Systems and Their Classification for Spatial Planning Purposes: A Case Study of Poznań, Poland
2021Dominika Dymek, Agnieszka Wilkaniec, Leszek Bednorz, Magdalena Szczepańska · Sustainability · Poland
This study in Poznań, Poland, examined the significance of allotment gardens in the urban green space system and developed a classification method for urban planning. While over 30% of allotment gardens were found to be of high significance, urban planning documentation indicates plans to reduce their area. Even highly significant gardens are slated for liquidation, highlighting a conflict between their ecological value and current urban development plans.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkagePublic versus private: Juxtaposing urban allotment gardens as multifunctional Nature-based Solutions. Insights from Seville
2021Barbara Maćkiewicz, Raúl Puente Asuero · Urban forestry & urban greening · Spain (Seville)
This paper compares public and private urban allotment gardens (AGs) in Seville, Spain, as nature-based solutions (NBS). Both types of AGs are found to have positive impacts on user health and well-being and complement each other. The choice between public and private AGs is primarily linked to freedom of cultivation and access, rather than economic factors. The study concludes that both public and private AGs require integrated territorial, legal, and institutional frameworks within urban policies.
CommunityPolicyHealthEconomicsIntegrating Urban Agriculture and Stormwater Management in a Circular Economy to Enhance Ecosystem Services: Connecting the Dots
2021Tolessa Deksissa, Harris B. Trobman, Kamran Zendehdel, Hossain Azam · Sustainability · Global
This study reviews literature on integrating urban agriculture (UA) and stormwater green infrastructures (GIs) within a circular economy framework. It explores how cities can combine these developments to overcome barriers and enhance ecosystem services. The findings indicate that integrating UA with GIs can improve urban food production while simultaneously protecting urban water quality.
Climate changeOrganic cyclePolicyInstitutional challenges and stakeholder perception towards planned water reuse in peri-urban agriculture of the Bengal delta
2021Kamonashish Haldar, Katarzyna Kujawa-Roeleveld, Marco Schoenmakers, Dilip Kumar Datta, H.H.M. Rijnaarts, Jeroen Vos · Journal of Environmental Management · Bangladesh (Khulna)
This study assessed stakeholder awareness, perception, and willingness towards urban water reuse in Khulna City, Bangladesh, using a questionnaire with 385 urban respondents, 32 farmer interviews, one farmer focus group, and ten key informant interviews. It found an overall positive attitude among major stakeholder groups toward planned water reuse for peri-urban agriculture, with 53% of citizens willing to pay for wastewater treatment and 66% of farmers willing to pay for better-quality irrigation water. However, the public sector requires adjustments in rules and regulations, addressing issues like lack of transparency, coordination, and resources, to implement planned water reuse.
Peri-urban agricultureHealthPolicyAssessing Agri-Food Start-Ups Sustainability in Peri-Urban Agriculture Context
2021Ambrogio Zanzi, Valentina Vaglia, Roberto Spigarolo, Stefano Bocchi · Land · Italy (Milan)
This study assessed the sustainability of eight agri-food start-ups in a peri-urban area of Milan, Italy, using the FAO's Sustainability Assessment of Food and Agriculture systems (SAFA) framework. The application of SAFA indicators revealed positive aspects but also some limitations typical of unstructured enterprises.
Economic viabilityPeri-urban agricultureEconomicsPolicyCommunityClimate change