Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
2091 results(62 / 84)
Using Community-Based Participatory Research to Explore Backyard Gardening Practices and Soil Lead Concentrations in Urban Neighborhoods
2016Sheri L. Johnson, Dalila Cardona, J. H. C. Davis, Benjamin Gramling, Chelsea Hamilton, Ray G. Hoffmann, Sabrina J. Ruis, Douglas J. Soldat, Steve Ventura, Yan Ke · Progress in community health partnerships · Global
This study used community-based participatory research to explore backyard gardening practices and soil lead concentrations in urban neighborhoods. Interviews with 20 adult gardeners revealed perceived benefits but few initial concerns about lead exposure, despite children's active involvement. Soil lead concentrations from 17 residential properties ranged from 7 to 3,234 mg kg-1, significantly higher than commercial soils (6 to 13 mg kg-1), indicating a contamination risk.
Contamination & food safetyHealthCommunityFood educationCaracterización de diferentes métodos de establecimiento y producción de agricultura urbana, bajo la sostenibilidad y seguridad alimentaria para la población vulnerable de Altos de Cazucá, municipio de Soacha: Informe de avance de investigación
2016Paredes Guzmán, Germán Ricardo · · Colombia (Bogotá)
This project aims to describe different methods of establishing and producing urban agriculture, focusing on sustainability and food security for the vulnerable population of Altos de Cazucá, Soacha municipality, Colombia. This population is affected by forced displacement due to armed conflict, resulting in increased poverty and malnutrition, with a chronic malnutrition rate of 30% in children compared to the national average of 8%. The project proposes to apply participatory action research methodologies and techniques to develop an urban production model that addresses these issues.
Food sovereignty & justiceWelfareCommunityHealthIntroduction Context and commonality: Women in agriculture worldwide
2016Manase Kudzai Chiweshe, Kudzai MacMillan Muzanago · · Zimbabwe (Harare)
This exploratory study analyzed the emergence of sack potato farming as an alternative empowerment platform for urban women in Zimbabwe, using qualitative methodologies and secondary literature. It found that sack potato production, which gained prominence in Zimbabwe in 2013, can increase food security and income for urban households and promotes micro-economic enterprises among urban women.
Food sovereignty & justiceWelfareCommunityEconomicsThe Role of Re-Appropriation in Open Design: A Case Study on How Openness in Higher Education for Industrial Design Engineering Can Trigger Global Discussions on the Theme of Urban Gardening
2016Francesca Ostuzzi, Peter Conradie, Lieven De Couvreur, Jan Detand, Jelle Saldien · The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning · Global
This case study explored opportunities for 47 Industrial Design Engineering students to share open-ended urban gardening design solutions during a two-week intensive course, using Instructables.com. Open sharing of local solutions triggered global discussions and reported instances of re-appropriation. However, the study also showed difficulty in keeping students engaged in global discussions, with online activity dropping to near silence after a few weeks, and challenges in tracking re-appropriation cycles.
DIYFood educationCommunityStatens roll förendras
2016Erika Augustinsson · Stat & Styring · Global
This abstract suggests that microcredits, crowdfunding, and urban farming may be significant social innovations of our time, comparable to 20th-century kindergartens, maternal care, and fire departments. It posits that the state's role is changing, focusing more on creating opportunities and relinquishing control.
PolicyCommunityGarden-based nutrition education programs: a review of impact and evaluation methods
2016Hollis J. Laird · D-Scholarship@Pitt (University of Pittsburgh) · Global
This paper reviews the effects and evaluation methods of garden-based nutrition education programs, noting their positive impacts on children, including increased knowledge, preference, and consumption of fruits and vegetables, and increased self-efficacy. It identifies a lack of standardized evaluation methods for these programs as a limitation. The paper also describes the evaluation of the Enright Community Garden's nutrition education component for children.
Food educationHealthCommunityTactical Urbanism: Short-term Action for Long-term Change
2015Lydon M., Garcia A. · Island Press · Global
A foundational book systematising short-term, low-cost, scalable interventions (pop-up parks, gardens, experiments) that use space temporarily to build consensus for permanent change — a theoretical pillar of interim land activation.
PolicyCommunityUrban home gardens in the Global North: A mixed methods study of ethnic and migrant home gardens in Chicago, IL
2015Taylor J.R., Lovell S.T. · Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 30(1):22-32 · Global
Studies African American, Chinese, and Mexican-origin home gardens in Chicago, finding that ethnic gardeners saving open-pollinated traditional crop seeds preserve agrobiodiversity while reproducing cultural identity and supporting community food systems.
Heirloom & landraceBiodiversityCommunity'Quiet Food Sovereignty' as Food Sovereignty without a Movement? Insights from Post-socialist Russia
2015Visser O., Mamonova N., Spoor M., Nikulin A. · Globalizations · Russia
Introduces the concept of 'quiet food sovereignty' to describe how Russian smallholders practise dispersed, muted, bottom-up food autonomy in the absence of organised rural social movements.
PolicyCommunityEconomicsWelfareFamily Urban Agriculture in Russia: Lessons and Prospects
2015Boukharaeva L.M., Marloie M. · Springer (Urban Agriculture Series) · Russia
A Springer monograph documenting research since 1999 on urban gardening collectives in Russia, analysing the social, cultural, and food-security roles of family urban agriculture and its prospects.
CommunityEconomicsFood educationWelfareUrban agriculture, civil interfaces and moving beyond difference: the experiences of plot holders in Dublin and Belfast
2015Corcoran M.P., Kettle P.C. · Local Environment · Ireland (Dublin)
This comparative study of plot holders in Dublin and Belfast shows that allotment gardens can act as 'spaces of potential' where shared gardening dissolves social differences and fosters intergenerational knowledge exchange. The authors argue that urban agriculture sites function as civic interfaces bridging community divides.
CommunityHealthFood educationUrban agriculture in the transition to low carbon cities through urban greening
2015Mary J. Thornbush · AIMS environmental science · Global
This review paper examines global trends in urban agriculture as a climate change mitigation and adaptation approach. It presents urban agriculture as a land-use solution that enhances food security, sequesters carbon, and offers rural services within cities. The review discusses physical and human factors influencing urban agriculture adoption, integrating a social-ecological perspective.
Climate changeFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityPolicyThe promises of farming in the city: Introduction to the urban agriculture themed issue
2015Carolyn Dimitri, Lydia Oberholtzer, Andy Pressman · Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems · Global
Urban agriculture is gaining widespread enthusiasm in many developed countries and is presented as a solution to various social problems. These include creating new green spaces, controlling runoff, providing shade to mitigate urban heat, and reducing urban blight in cities with vacant land.
CommunityClimate changeUrban–rural linkageOgrody szkolne we współczesnej szkole. Znak edukacyjnego zacofania, a może jednak postępu?
2015R. Kowalski, Edward Grott · Studia Ecologiae et Bioethicae · Global
This article examines the importance of school gardens in environmental education for children and young people at all school levels. The authors argue strongly for retaining school gardens as essential and fundamental educational tools for teaching biology and nature sciences, asserting they will never lose their relevance. They also suggest redefining school gardens to include any natural environment used for teaching, regardless of urban or rural location.
Food educationCommunityAgricultura urbana en el marc d'un urbanisme sostenible
2015Nadal, Ana, Cerón, Ileana, Cuerva Contreras, Eva, Gabarrell Durany, Xavier, Josa Garcia-Tornel, Alejandro, Pons Valladares, Oriol, Rieradevall Pons, Joan, Sanyé-Mengual, E. · UPCommons institutional repository (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya) · Global
This paper discusses the historical relationship between cities and agriculture, noting that agriculture was essential in ancient civilizations. However, in 20th-century modern urban planning, such as Le Corbusier's Chandigarh and Lucio Costa's Brasília, agriculture was largely excluded from major cities.
CommunityPolicyHeirloom & landraceThrough the Generations:VictoryGardens for Tomorrow's Tables
2015Susan Andreatta · Culture Agriculture Food and Environment · Global
This paper examines the historical role of Victory Gardens and explores their potential relevance today for addressing climate change and reducing food deserts. It also discusses community gardens, ideas for connecting people to local food production at home or in communities, and the sharing of harvests. Additionally, the paper considers agrivoltaic production as a method for dual-purposing farmland for both power generation and produce cultivation.
CommunityClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageCultivating Community Collaboration and Community Health Through Community Gardens
2015Jacqueline Lanier, Julie Schumacher, Kerri Calvert · Journal of Community Practice · Global
This study used a mixed-method approach, including site visits and a web-based post-survey, to identify the perceived benefits of community gardens for organizations, volunteers, and served populations. It explored how a local coalition supports organizations in using community gardens to build social capital and foster community health and collaborations. The results indicate that community gardens are a strategy for creating sustainable positive change by building social capital and fostering community health through collaboration.
CommunityHealthThe Impact of an Environmental Educational Program of a School Garden on Pupils with Intellectual Disabilities—A Comparative Approach
2015Alexandros Stavrianos, Alexia Spanoudaki · Open Journal of Social Sciences · Greece
This research investigated the impact of a school garden environmental education program on 10 pupils diagnosed with mild to moderate intellectual disability in two Special Education Primary Schools in Greece. Using semi-structured interviews and descriptive statistical analysis to compare two groups of pupils, the study found that students who participated in the program were more familiar with environmental concepts and possessed skills directly linked to Environmental Education than their non-participating peers. Additionally, participating pupils perceived outdoor activities as part of the formal learning process, unlike their peers.
Food educationCommunityHealthNutrition Education Influences Vitamin A-Related Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Child Caregivers Towards the Production of Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potato in Uganda
2015Josephine Nabugoomu · Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences · Uganda (Kampala)
This controlled cohort intervention study in Kampala, Uganda, assessed the effect of nutrition education on orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) production and vitamin A-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices of 457 child caregivers. Respondents who received nutrition education had better knowledge of vitamin A and OFSP as a source of vitamin A, and more positive attitudes towards health and child health practices (p<0.05). They also showed significantly higher consumption of vitamin A-rich foods.
Food educationHealthPeri-urban agricultureCommunityRacism and Capitalism: Dual Challenges for the Food Movement
2015Eric Holt-Giménez · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · Global
This paper argues that the modern food system, shaped by 30 years of neoliberal globalization, has led to unprecedented global inequality, disproportionately affecting people of color. Despite the emergence of a U.S. food movement focusing on various components like urban agriculture, the underlying structures of the corporate food regime continue to control the context of these alternatives, hindering systemic change.
Equity & displacementFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityThe contribution of allotment gardening to health and wellbeing: A systematic review of the literature
2015Chris Genter, Anne Roberts, Janet Richardson, Mike Sheaff · British Journal of Occupational Therapy · Global
A systematic review of 10 selected papers investigated the contribution of allotment gardening to health and wellbeing. Thematic analysis of qualitative and quantitative findings revealed five themes: stress relief, healthier lifestyle, social opportunities, contact with nature, and self-development. The review suggests that allotment gardening impacts health and wellbeing, recommending it as occupational therapy and a health-promoting occupation.
HealthCommunityUrban agriculture as embedded in the social and solidarity economy Basel
2015Isidor Wallimann · · Switzerland (Basel)
In 2010, the SEA founded the Urban Agriculture Network Basel Association (UAB) to enhance food production for the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) and the urban space. The UAB aims to strengthen the SSE's focus on local and environmental sustainability and shift Basel's food policy towards "food sovereignty." The network fosters social integration by issuing its own hour-based currency and has contributed to building a pilot Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) producer-consumer coop for solar-powered cheese.
CommunityPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceCSA & TeikeiGardening the City: Neighbourliness and Appropriation of the Common Spaces in Bulgaria
2015Меглена Златкова · Colloquia Humanistica · Bulgaria (Plovdiv)
This anthropological research in a Plovdiv neighborhood, Bulgaria, discusses public-private space division in a post-socialist city. It examines everyday practices of urban gardening in common spaces, such as around apartment blocks and on balconies, to understand changing boundaries and social dynamics.
CommunityPolicyRaumgefühle – Gefühlsräume. Perspektiven auf die Verschränkung von emotionalen Praktiken und Topografien der Moderne
2015Benno Gammerl, Rainer Herrn · sub\urban zeitschrift für kritische stadtforschung · Global
This article outlines the theoretical, empirical, and political potential of the tension between affective disruptions of ordered structures and the emotional processing of power-infused spatial relations. It uses urban gardening practices and gentrification debates as examples to demonstrate how analyzing dynamic interactions between spaces and feelings can foster a critical perspective on urbanity, particularly regarding issues of equity. The study focuses on the ambivalent dynamics and effects of emotional-spatial processes.
Equity & displacementCommunityPolicyEconomicsImpact of rooftop garden and shading effect towardshuman thermal comfort
2015Muhammad Irfan Shathiran, Muhammad Syahir Osman, Jasasikin Ab Sani · · Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur)
The impact of rooftop gardens and shading effects on human thermal comfort was investigated in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Data on surface temperature and solar radiation were collected, supported by photographic observations and questionnaires. The study concluded that areas covered with dense green canopies, such as rooftop gardens and large vegetation, are crucial for providing a high level of thermal comfort to human beings.
Climate changeCommunity