Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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2066 results(63 / 83)
Elementary School Gardens and the Community
2013Christine Moon, Rachel Spinelli · DigitalCommons - CalPoly (California State Polytechnic University) · United States (California)
This project proposes to examine the relationship between school garden initiatives and the socioeconomic status of the community in California, United States. It plans to compare five elementary schools, using Pacheco Elementary School as a model, to explore how socioeconomic factors affect the success of garden projects and their community contributions. The study aims to address these research questions through comparative analysis.
Food educationCommunityHealthUrban Farming Program Demonstrates Sustainable Practices for Increasing Local Food Production
2013Richard V. Tyson · Proceedings of the Florida State Horticultural Society · United States
Orange County, FL, with a population of 1.2 million, is rapidly urbanizing. In 1998, 20,000 acres of local vegetable production ceased due to concerns about phosphorus-laden water discharges into Lake Apopka, shifting the county from a net exporter to an importer of vegetables. The Urban Farming Extension Education Program aims to identify, demonstrate, and encourage the adoption of sustainable agricultural production methods usable in and around urban centers to leverage local markets.
Food educationCommunityUrban–rural linkageCommunity Supported Agriculture and Community Labor: Constructing a New Model to Unite Volunteers and Employers
2013A. Bryan Endres, Rachel Armstrong · · United States
This article discusses Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and 'community labor,' where customers participate in food production on farms. It highlights a paradox: traditional employment law, envisioning autonomous competition, makes little room for these novel relationships, potentially undermining CSA values and limiting its viability and growth. The authors suggest that employment law should develop a more nuanced view of relationships in the CSA context, supporting mutual gain and shared values over competition-based rules.
Governance failureCSA & TeikeiEconomicsPolicyCommunityUsing Garden-Based Service-Learning to Work Toward Food Justice, Better Educate Students, and Strengthen Campus-Community Ties
2013David Aftandilian, Lyn Dart · Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship · United States
This article presents approaches for using garden-based service-learning to promote food justice, educate undergraduate students, and strengthen campus-community ties. It discusses three interdisciplinary service-learning projects: the Fairmount Community Garden, the North Side Garden Survey, and the Como Community Garden. The authors evaluate the success of their approaches using multiple measures and identify benefits for undergraduates, community partners, communities served by the gardens, educators, and their university.
CommunityFood educationFood sovereignty & justiceIntroducing urban food forestry: a multifunctional approach to increase food security and provide ecosystem services
2013Kyle Clark, Kimberly A. Nicholas · Landscape Ecology · United States (Burlington, Vermont)
This study proposes "urban food forestry" (UFF), combining urban agriculture, urban forestry, and agroforestry, to enhance urban sustainability and food security. It analyzed 37 urban food tree initiatives, finding 73% performed only one activity (planting, mapping, or harvesting) and 8% performed all three. An analysis of 30 urban forestry master plans showed only 13% included human food security objectives. A case study in Burlington, Vermont, estimated that planting Malus domestica in public spaces could meet 108% of the city's daily fruit intake under the most ambitious scenario. The study identified 70 potential food tree species for temperate urban environments, with 30 deemed highly suitable.
CommunityPolicyClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceThe Symbolic Garden: An Intersection of the Food Movement and the First Amendment
2013Jamie M. Bouvier · Maine law review · United States
This essay argues that urban agricultural practices, such as growing food or raising animals, are symbolic acts that communicate viewpoints and support for the "Food Movement." It asserts that these acts, as symbolic expressions, deserve protection under the First Amendment. The article examines the Food Movement as a social and political movement, how urban homesteading practices symbolize it, and the application of First Amendment principles to these practices.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyNot Just the Price of Food: Challenges of an Urban Agriculture Organization in Engaging Local Residents
2013Yuki Kato · Sociological Inquiry · United States (New Orleans)
This case study of a community-supported agriculture (CSA) organization in New Orleans focused on the lack of participation by local residents in the CSA market despite its intentions. Interview and ethnographic observation data indicated a general consensus on economic constraints, while some non-resident supporters attributed the issue to a lack of knowledge about the food system. Residents, however, pointed to spatial and sociocultural barriers, including produce selection, purchase options, market access convenience, and the race-related historical and spatial context of the market's location, making the market less accessible to them.
Equity & displacementCommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justicePolicyGrow Some!: Building Strong Communities through Community Gardens
2013Naomi Hill · Illinois Digital Environment for Access to Learning and Scholarship (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) · United States (Chicago)
This study investigated the effects of community gardens in impoverished inner-city African-American neighborhoods in Chicago. The research focused on five themes: how community gardens are created, their mission, motivations for involvement, contributions to individuals and the overall community, and envisioned futures. Results indicated that community gardens are established through collective efforts by community members and maintained through active participation and ongoing recruitment.
CommunityWelfareHealthFood educationA Gradual Reawakening: Broadacre City and a New American Agrarianism
2013Ella Wise · Berkeley Planning Journal · United States
Frank Lloyd Wright's Broadacre City proposed a decentralized, agrarian landscape, which was reflected in post-WWII American suburbanization. However, the agrarian ethos of Broadacre City is absent from both suburbia and its alternatives. The rising interest in urban agriculture is argued to represent a demand to reconnect with the land, suggesting that planners should incorporate agrarian design into urban growth models.
PolicyUrban–rural linkageCommunityDeveloping a Cohesive Urban Agriculture Policy for Burlington, VT
2013Alison Nihart · ScholarWorks -A service of University of Vermont Libraries (University of Vermont) · United States (Burlington, VT)
This research analyzed urban agriculture governance in Burlington, VT, in coordination with the Urban Agriculture Task Force created in March 2011. Using a governance framework and participatory action research, it examined stakeholder needs, available policy tools, governance networks, and approaches in other cities. Over 50 policy recommendations were developed, highlighting the need to balance stakeholder needs, establish a legal basis for some aspects like livestock treatment, and partner with organizations for technical expertise.
PolicyCommunityRefugee Farmers and the Social Enterprise Model in the American Southwest
2013Vanna Gonzales, Nigel Forrest, Noreen Balos · Journal of Community Positive Practices · United States (Arizona)
This paper presents the first known case study of Gila Farm Cooperative (GFC), a U.S.-based marketing cooperative formed by refugees from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Founded in 2011 by the Phoenix International Refugee Committee, GFC has 22 members supporting Community Supported Agriculture in central Arizona. This three-month study, conducted in spring 2012, provided a descriptive analysis of GFC's structure and operational processes through participatory observation and in-depth interviews.
CommunityCSA & TeikeiWelfareEconomicsDeployment of urban agriculture in East Lima, Peru
2013Javier Morales, Ramón Zamorano, Miguel Salvo · RURAL DEVELOPMENT 2019 · Peru (Lima)
This study showed the situation of urban agriculture five years after the "Farmers in the city" project, carried out by the International Potato Center (CIP) and GESPLAN research group in the East Cone of Lima, Peru, from 2006 to 2008. All members of the Cosanaca producer association, created under the project, were interviewed, and an expert panel was conducted with municipal urban agricultural office representatives. The results showed that Cosanaca had doubled its number of producers and that the participating municipalities had increased their number of workers in urban agriculture.
CommunityPolicyEconomicsConsumer Choices for Organic and Local Food Products in North Carolina
2013Kenrett Y. Jefferson-Moore, Richard Robbins, Daniel L. Johnson, Jefferson-Moore, Kenrett Y., Robbins, Richard D., Johnson, Daniel · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · United States (North Carolina)
This study evaluated consumer perceptions of organic and locally grown produce at farmers' markets in North Carolina, focusing on the Piedmont Triad region. Using qualitative methods with focus groups from five locations, preliminary findings showed consumers distinguish local and organic foods only by labeling. Participants had limited knowledge of organic certification, and while most purchased more local foods, they were willing to pay up to 100% more for organic food.
EconomicsFood miles & supply chainUrban–rural linkageHelping students become global citizens: Successful study abroad programs in the Iowa State University department of horticulture
2013Ann Marie VanDerZanden, Jeffery K. Iles · Iowa State University Digital Repository (Iowa State University) · United States
The Iowa State University Department of Horticulture has offered study abroad programs since 1998, with 326 students participating in experiences ranging from 12-day trips to semester-long service learning projects in school gardens. These programs, which include pre-trip preparation, in-country immersion, and post-trip reflection, have proven effective in preparing students to become global citizens.
Food educationCommunityNEBLINE, May 2013
2013· Lincoln (University of Nebraska) · United States
This document, "NEBLINE, May 2013," from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, covers various extension topics. It features sections on urban agriculture, food and fitness, home and family living, horticulture, environmental focus, 4-H & youth, community focus, and nutrition education programs. It also includes an extension calendar and news from Family and Community Education (FCE) Clubs.
CommunityFood educationHealthUrban Agriculture as “Agricultural” Producer
2013Adam Prince · · United States (California)
This chapter considers movements to transform the food system in the United States. In Oakland, California, a growing community of urban food producers and advocates is working to address food insecurity in historically underserved communities. Diverse enclaves in Oakland exhibit various forms of community-based food production, ranging from windowsill herb patches to rooftop projects and distributed farming networks utilizing vacant lots.
CommunityCSA & TeikeiFood sovereignty & justiceHealthA conceptual framework to assess urban agriculture’s potential contributions to urban sustainability: an application to San Cristobal de Las Casas, Mexico
2013Larissa Vásquez-Moreno, Ana Córdova y Vázquez · International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development · Mexico (San Cristobal de Las Casas)
This study developed a conceptual framework to assess urban agriculture's (UA) potential contributions to urban sustainability (US). The framework was applied to a qualitative analysis of UA practices in San Cristobal de Las Casas, Mexico. The study found a rich practice of UA in the city and that the framework was valuable for evidencing data and stimulating analysis. However, the study also discusses limitations of UA and further refinements needed for the framework to guide actions towards increasing UA's impact on urban sustainability.
Limited or null effectClimate changeCommunityPolicyGrowing Healthy Kids
2013Dina C. Castro, Margaret Samuels, Ann E. Harman · American Journal of Preventive Medicine · United States
A pilot study evaluated the "Growing Healthy Kids Program" (GHK) in a Southern US state from 2008-2010 to prevent childhood obesity among low-income families. Among 95 children aged 2-15, 17% of obese or overweight participants improved their BMI classification, and 100% of normal BMI children maintained their classification. Parental reports indicated a 146% increase in fruit and vegetable availability and increased consumption of fruits (28%) and vegetables (33%) among participating children.
HealthFood educationCommunityWelfareRace, Class, and Food Justice in South Allison Hill, Pa.
2013Giovania Genevieve Tiarachristie · · United States (Harrisburg)
This qualitative study explored race-class conflicts around food and urban gardening in South Allison Hill, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, a diverse, low-income neighborhood. Seven interviews with neighborhood leaders revealed that the "Whiteness" of a new wave of urban gardening can create race and class tension, hindering collaborative partnerships and local food systems development. The findings indicate structural limitations and social roadblocks, suggesting that urban gardening can exacerbate existing inequities if not approached with structural economic justice and cultural competency.
Equity & displacementCommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyEconomicsGrowing a just garden: environmental justice and the development of a community garden policy for Hamilton, Ontario
2013Erika S. Jermé, Sarah Wakefield · Planning Theory & Practice · Canada (Hamilton)
This paper uses the process of drafting a community garden policy in Hamilton, Canada, as a case study. It illustrates how an environmental justice framework could inform effective and inclusive policy creation, while noting that barriers within the policy process could mitigate against the meaningful incorporation of environmental justice concerns. It concludes that greater inter-departmental and community collaboration, along with the routine application of an environmental justice lens, could mitigate the ill effects of inequitable resource distribution.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyWelfareRegulatory and Other Barriers to Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture:A Case Study of Urban Planners and Urban Farmers from the Greater Chicago Metropolitan Area
2013Sheila Castillo, Curtis R. Winkle, Stephen Krauss, Amalia Turkewitz, Cristina L.M. Silva, Edie Heinemann · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United States (Chicago)
This study identifies seven perceived barriers to urban and peri-urban agriculture in the greater Chicago metropolitan area through interviews with urban planners and farmers. All seven barriers involve unclear or agriculture-unfriendly regulations. Results suggest that urban and peri-urban farmers are commonly forced to operate within a legal limbo or petition for exceptions to current regulations.
Governance failurePolicyPeri-urban agricultureUrban–rural linkageTelling Consumers, Gardeners, and Farmers about the Possible Risk of Rat Lungworm in the Local Food Supply in Hawai‘i
2013James R. Hollyer · PubMed Central · United States
This article discusses the potential risk of rat lungworm (Angiostrongylus cantonensis) in Hawai‘i's local food supply, which can cause eosinophilic meningitis if ingested by humans. While the statistical risk is extremely low compared to other foodborne agents, two individuals in Hawai‘i developed serious eosinophilic meningitis in late 2008 after consuming insufficiently washed local produce. The article highlights the challenge of informing the public about this rare but potentially serious disease, especially amidst efforts to promote local produce and school gardens.
Contamination & food safetyHealthFood educationDevelopment of an online food safety training for employees of university farms and school gardens
2013Angela Shaw, Catherine Strohbehn, Linda Naeve · Iowa State University Digital Repository (Iowa State University) · United States
This project addressed the need for food safety training for staff at publicly accessed fruit and vegetable growing venues, such as university farms and school gardens. It developed various media options to educate workers on proper handling of fruits and vegetables to ensure food safety.
Food educationHealthRecruiting and Retaining Shareholders for Community Supported Agriculture in Texas
2013Kelsey Hall, Courtney Meyers, David L. Doerfert, Cindy Akers, Phillip Johnson · Journal of Applied Communications · United States (Texas)
This mixed-methods study explored how Texas CSA shareholders received local food information and how CSA owners recruited and retained members, given retention rates of 20-70% nationwide. Data from an online survey of three Texas CSAs and interviews with owners showed shareholders preferred daily/weekly information searches via websites and interpersonal communication. Owners used local media, events, and word-of-mouth for recruitment, and weekly email newsletters for retention.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsCommunityIncreased Productivity, Role in Alleviating Food Insecurity Possible
2013Kathryn Colasanti, Michael W. Hamm · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United States
This paper criticizes Hallsworth and Wong (2013) for failing to adequately recognize the potential for increased productivity in urban agriculture and its role in alleviating food insecurity. The authors emphasize the opportunities for urban agriculture in diverse North American cities and the potential for productivity expansion using methods like passive solar and season extension. They cite examples such as Michigan hoophouses growing 30 crops year-round and a 4-square-meter garden providing daily vegetable servings for a family of four, arguing that urban agriculture's value extends beyond food quantity.
Food sovereignty & justiceEconomicsClimate change