Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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4283 results(65 / 172)
What Works to Improve Nutrition and Food Sustainability across the First 2000 Days of Life: A Rapid Review
2022Rachel Laws, Megan Adam, Emma Esdaile, Penelope Love, Karen Campbell · Nutrients · Global
This rapid review synthesized evidence on what works to improve nutrition and food sustainability across the first 2000 days of life. Most systematic reviews (n=60) and grey literature (n=27) focused on interventions targeting the behavior of parents and caregivers, with no reviews focusing on food supply-chain activities. Most reviews were rated as critically low (n=28, 47%) or low (n=21, 35%) quality using AMSTAR 2.
HealthCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceThe wellbeing paradox in Hungarian local sustainable agriculture: a health psychology approach
2022Ilona Liliána Birtalan, Imre Fertő, Ágnes Neulinger, József Rácz, Attila Oláh · BMC Public Health · Hungary
This study examined situational and engagement-related work difficulties for Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farmers in Hungary, using interpretive phenomenology and semi-structured interviews. The research found that new modes of consumer-producer connectivity create novel issues for farmers, leading to three experiential themes: conflicted autonomy, the pressure of boxes, and social overload. These difficulties are rooted in the economic characteristics of alternative agriculture and structural conditions that require conflicting farmer roles. The study highlights the health and wellbeing costs of sustainable farming, noting that farmers often lack the time, experience, or skills for new producer-consumer connections.
Limited or null effectCSA & TeikeiHealthWelfareCommunityEffects of Plant Spacing with Companion Plants on Growth and Fruit Quality of Cherry Tomatoes
2022Byoung-Kwon Lee, Hyung-Kwon Yun, In-Kyoung Hong, Young-Bin Jung, Sangmi Lee, Sang-Deok Lee · Journal of people, plants, and environment · Global
This study investigated the effects of French marigold, zinnia, spearmint, and basil as companion plants at 10, 20, and 40 cm spacing on cherry tomato growth and fruit quality. Statistical differences were found in stem thickness and total number of fruits per plant, but not in plant height, total fresh weight of fruits, sugar content, fruit hardness, or vitamin C. Stem thickness decreased when spearmint and basil were planted at 20 cm or 40 cm compared to the control, and only zinnia at 40 cm increased the total number of fruits per plant.
DIYFood educationOrganic cycleProcesos de empoderamiento espacial de mujeres en la agroecología urbana en Bogotá
2022Birgit Hoinle · Revista Iberoamericana de Economía Solidaria e Innovación Socioecológica · Colombia (Bogotá)
This chapter explores the emancipatory potential of urban agroecology in Bogotá, Colombia, and its surrounding Sabana region. Based on participatory action-research conducted between 2014 and 2017 with agroecological groups, it develops a theory of spatial empowerment. The study highlights the potential of solidarity economy within the urban agroecology movement to foster spatial empowerment, discussing both contributing and hindering factors.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageWelfareFEW-meter Final Report
2022Caputo Silvio, Dorr Erica, Runrid Fox-Kämper, Hawes Jason K., Lelièvre Agnes, Newell Josh, Poniży Lidia, Schoen Victoria, Jean-Soro Liliane, Specht Kathrin, Yaman Rokiah · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Global
The three-year FEW-meter project, funded by the Sustainable Urbanization Global Initiative, was developed by an international consortium from France, Germany, Poland, the UK, and the US. It investigated the Food-Water-Energy (FEW) nexus in urban agriculture through collaboration between researchers, farmers, gardeners, and various associations. This report presents the main outcomes of the project, which involved co-production of knowledge and feedback on methodology and data analysis.
CommunityClimate changeFood educationWelfareA little does a lot: Can small-scale planting for pollinators make a difference?
2022Philip Donkersley, Sammy Witchalls, Elias H. Bloom, David W. Crowder · Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment · Global
A meta-analysis of 31 studies and a 5-year study on small pollinator habitats (30 m²) at community gardens and farms (150,000 m²) assessed the effect of pollinator planting interventions. Pollinator conservation interventions increased species richness and abundance in almost all studies, with greatest increases from hedgerows (40 m²) and herbaceous interventions (500 m²). Small interventions (∼500 m²) can significantly benefit pollinators, but only when densely distributed at a landscape level, and future research is needed on their cumulative effects.
BiodiversityPollinatorsCommunityPivotal role of municipal wastewater resource recovery facilities in urban agriculture: A review
2022Jiefu Wang, Yuepeng Sun, Kang Xia, Allison Deines, Ross Cooper, Karen Pallansch, Zhi‐Wu Wang · Water Environment Research · Global
This review examines the potential pivotal role of Urban Water Resource Reclamation Facilities (WRRFs) in sustainable urban agriculture. It highlights that reclaimed water can offer higher quality and less variable supply than other sources, while biosolids from wastewater treatment can be used as fertilizers or soil amendments. Additionally, WRRFs can produce renewable electricity, heat, CO2, and bioplastics, serving as essential resources for urban agriculture operations.
Organic cycleClimate changeUrban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceCommunity gardens STEM
2022Ramon Majé Floriano · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Colombia (Pitalito Huila)
The STEM community gardens project aims to contribute to food security in the San Francisco, Santa Inés, and Holland villages of the Pitalito Huila municipality in Colombia. This report describes the project's development through three phases: immersion, transfer, and communication.
CommunityFood educationFood sovereignty & justiceEducational Frameworks for Designing Regenerative Food Systems in the Arabian Gulf
2022Anna Grichting · · Qatar
This teaching experience, conducted over seven years at Qatar University, addressed the challenge of food production in desert regions within graduate and undergraduate architecture and urbanism courses. Students designed productive architectural and urban landscapes through vertical farming, community gardening, and urban farms, among other methods. Outcomes included an increase in the integration of food production systems into student projects and a vision for Qatar University as an "edible campus."
Food educationCommunityBiodiversityClimate changePolicyFarming Practices and Disease Prevalence among Urban Lowland Farmers in Cameroon, Central Africa
2022Annie Stéphanie Nana, Timo Falkenberg, Andrea Rechenburg, Annet Adong, Anne Ayo, Pierre Nbendah, Christian Borgemeister · Agriculture · Cameroon
This study investigated factors influencing farming practices and disease prevalence among 130 vegetable producers in the lowlands of Yaoundé, Cameroon, through a cross-sectional survey. Education level and farm size were positively associated with overall fertilizer use, while pesticide usage was positively associated with years cultivated but negatively with land ownership. Waterborne disease prevalence was linked to education level, and malaria prevalence to farmer gender. The location of cultivated areas significantly influenced reporting malaria and headaches, concluding that despite associated health risks, vegetable production is necessary for farmers’ livelihoods.
Contamination & food safetyHealthEconomicsPolicyStrategic Development of Primary School Garden Education Based on the PEST Analysis of Organophonico in Cuba
2022Nam-Gyeong Gim, Nam-gyeong Gim · The Jounal of Cultural Exchange · Cuba
This study explored strategic methods for effective school garden operation in elementary schools, focusing on Cuba's organopónico system. It conducted a PEST analysis of organopónico to extract technological strengths relevant to school garden education and a SWOT analysis of domestic elementary school gardens from an operational perspective. Findings suggest organopónico offers solutions for limited space through cantero farming and highlights organic farming using living organisms as a key method for strategic linkage in school gardens.
Food educationCommunityOrganic cycleA Systematic Review of Knowledge Representation Techniques in Smart Agriculture (Urban)
2022Bikram Pratim Bhuyan, Ravi Tomar, Amar Ramdane-Chérif · Sustainability · Global
An extensive systematic review of knowledge representation techniques used in smart agriculture, specifically in the urban agricultural domain, was conducted. The review found that spatial-temporal characteristics were rarely approached, a generalized representation technique to include all agricultural domains remains an issue, and a proper validation technique was missing in such ontologies.
Methodological critiqueDigital agricultureRooftop Greenhouse: (2) Analysis of Thermal Energy Loads of a Building-Integrated Rooftop Greenhouse (BiRTG) for Urban Agriculture
2022Uk-Hyeon Yeo, Sang‐Yeon Lee, Se‐Jun Park, Jun‐Gyu Kim, Jeong-Hwa Cho, Cristina Decano-Valentin, Rack-woo Kim, In-Bok Lee · Agriculture · Global
This study analyzed the energy-saving efficiency of Building-integrated Rooftop Greenhouses (BiRTGs) for urban agriculture using building energy simulations (BES) combined with computational fluid dynamics (CFD). For growing tomatoes, the annual energy load in a BiRTG was 464,673 MJ, representing an average 5.2% reduction compared to a single-span greenhouse (490,128 MJ). Energy savings were observed from October to April due to heat transfer from the building, and implementing alternating air temperature management (ATM) from November to March further reduced heating energy loads, yielding average energy savings of 11.8%.
Climate changeEconomicsOrganic cycleProdução de húmus líquido com diferentes solventes e proporções, para uso na arborização e agricultura urbana e periurbana
2022Eleano Rodrigues da Silva, Sônia Sena Alfaia, Marta Iria da Costa Ayres, S. G. A. de Sousa, Robert Corrêa Rodrigues · Concilium · Global
This study investigated the production of liquid humus (HL) using different solvents and proportions for use in urban and peri-urban afforestation and agriculture. Nutrient content and concentrations, yields, and the odor and appearance of the residue were analyzed. Results indicated that the odor in all HL samples was very mild, practically odorless, allowing their use in urban areas. From the chemical compositions of the analyzed products, it was inferred that HL has potential for use in urban agricultural practices, possibly contributing to improving soil cation exchange capacity (CTC).
Organic cycleCompostPeri-urban agricultureRisk of Waterborne Parasitic Infection among Vegetables Producers in the City of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso: An Attempt to Quantify Them Using the Quantitative Microbiological Risk Assessment Method
2022Noëllie W. Kpoda, Hamidatu S. Darimani, Adama Ouéda, Idrissa Ouédraogo, Gustave B. Kabré · Agricultural Sciences · Burkina Faso (Ouagadougou)
This study evaluated the risk of parasitic infection among vegetable producers in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, who use polluted water, employing a quantitative microbiological risk assessment method. Protozoa and helminths from 9 species were detected in irrigation water, with Ancylostoma sp. eggs being common and severe across all water types. Contamination risk was higher for groups using raw wastewater than for those using well water, and halved for those using treated wastewater; however, regardless of water type, gardeners had an approximate 9.83 × 10−1 pppy probability of Ancylostoma sp. infection.
Contamination & food safetyHealthClimate changeBecoming Better People: Children's Perceptions of how a School's Garden Program has Impacted their Actualisation of Values
2022Beverly Christian, Jason Morton · TEACH Journal of Christian Education · Australia
A case study in one Australian primary school used focus groups to gather children's perceptions of how a school garden program impacted their actualisation of values. The study found that the garden program's organizational elements positively impacted the actualisation of intrapersonal and interpersonal values among children.
Food educationCommunityEncadré 6.1. Les analyses de bassin alimentaire: entre évaluation de la dépendance et de la capacité d'autonomie alimentaire des territoires
2022Caroline Petit, Barbara Redlingshöfer · HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe) · Global
This paper discusses food basin analysis, focusing on evaluating the food dependency and self-sufficiency capacity of territories. This boxed text is presented as part of Chapter 6, "Territorialized Food Systems: New Frameworks for Integrating Urban Agriculture."
Food sovereignty & justicePolicyUrban–rural linkageWill Participatory Guarantee Systems Happen Here? The Case for Innovative Food Systems Governance in the Developed World
2022April M. Roggio, Jason Evans · Sustainability · Global
Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS) are locally-rooted agroecological governance mechanisms that have garnered interest globally. However, there is little evidence of their development in the United States, where community supported agriculture (CSA) and farmer's markets grew instead, though many of these mechanisms failed to sustain interest and support. This study explores factors driving PGS creation in other global regions and identifies factors shaping a different trajectory for local agriculture in the United States.
Limited or null effectPolicyCSA & TeikeiFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsThe Analysis of Urban Farming Potential in Port Dickson for Food Security amid COVID-19 Pandemic
2022Noor Atiqah Sanudin, Mohd Yazid Mohd Yunos, Emran Zahrin Mohamad Taram · INTI JOURNAL. · Malaysia
This case study in Port Dickson, Malaysia, aimed to identify potential urban farming locations and suitable approaches, utilizing mapping analysis of green spaces and interviews with experts. The findings recognized multiple urban farming approaches tailored to different site characteristics and contextual forms. The study offers recommendations for a resilient food system, efficient land management, and empowering urban farming knowledge and entrepreneurship.
Food sovereignty & justiceClimate changePolicyREDES SOCIAIS NO CONTEXTO DA AGRICULTURA URBANA: UMA REVISÃO SISTEMÁTICA DE LITERATURA
2022Luíza Costa Caldas, Tania Pereira Christopoulos · Revista Gestão & Sustentabilidade Ambiental · Global
This systematic literature review investigated how social network perspectives apply to urban agriculture, analyzing 65 articles. The study found that social networks are important for individual survival and empowerment, access to resources, social change, environmental change, and the development of urban agriculture projects. It also noted that relationship characteristics, such as tie strength, generate different types of social capital, including bridging and bonding.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyMaking Green(s) With Black and White: Constructing Soils for Urban Agriculture Using Earthworms, Organic and Mineral Wastes
2022José Hilario Rocha Araujo, A. Pando-Bahuon, C. Hartmann, H. Aroui-Boukbida, Thierry Desjardins, Thomas Z. Lerch · Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution · Global
This study evaluated the possibility of growing green vegetables on soils made from excavated deep horizon soils and green waste compost. Over three seasons, the effects of different amounts of compost (10, 20, and 30%) and the addition of earthworms (Lumbricus terrestris) on the production of lettuce, arugula, and spinach were tested in situ. The results demonstrated that it is possible to reuse urban mineral and organic wastes to engineer soils adapted to agriculture. Higher doses of compost significantly increased plant biomass, especially when earthworms were introduced.
CompostOrganic cycleDigital transformation of agri-food system: policy pathways for greater socio-economic inclusion, sustainability, and international cooperation
2022Amit Kumar, Venkatachalam Anbumozhi, Suresh Chandra Babu, Carlos Andrea Bollino, Siti Mustaqimatud Diyanah, Vyta W. Hanifah, Syarif Hidayat, Masanori Kozono, Agus Eko Nugroho, Risti Permani, Sahara Sahara, Mat Syukur, Irwanda W. Wardhana · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Global
This brief investigates policy pathways for accelerating inclusive digital transformation in agri-food systems. Digital transformation offers opportunities to manage resources and address information asymmetries, fostering efficient, equitable, and sustainable economic development, including urban and peri-urban agriculture. However, challenges remain in maximizing benefits and ensuring equitable access, necessitating innovative policy and strategic approaches, as well as improved coordination and global governance.
Digital agriculturePolicyEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceNature-Based One Health Approaches to Urban Agriculture Can Deliver Food and Nutrition Security
2022Bassey Ebenso, Akaninyene Otu, Alessandro Giusti, Philipe Cousin, Victor O. Adetimirin, Hary Razafindralambo, Emmanuel Effa, Vasileios Gkisakis, Ousmane Thiaré, Vincent Levavasseur, Sonagnon Kouhoundé, Kifouli Adéoti, Abdur Rahim, Majid Mounir · Frontiers in Nutrition · Global
This paper argues that adopting a One Health approach to urban agriculture is crucial for significantly increasing food yields and improving quality of life in cities, given global population growth and urbanization trends. It proposes six nature-based and climate-smart approaches, including reducing synthetic inputs and increasing biodiversity, to accelerate the transition to sustainable food systems. These approaches require cross-sectoral stakeholder engagement to ensure sustainable, nutritious, and accessible diets.
Food sovereignty & justiceHealthBiodiversityClimate changePeri-urban agricultureDigital agricultureHealth Risk of Heavy Metals Related to Consumption of Vegetables in Areas of Industrial Impact in the Republic of Kazakhstan—Case Study for Oskemen
2022Laura Boluspayeva, Monika Jakubus, W. Spychalski, Akhan Abzhalelov, Yertas Bitmanov · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · Kazakhstan (Oskemen)
This study investigated heavy metal contamination in soils and vegetables due to the metallurgic industry in industrial areas of Oskemen, Republic of Kazakhstan. The greatest amounts of metals were found in soils and vegetables from the industrial zone, with the lowest in the suburban zone. Lead concentrations exceeded WHO/FAO standards in all analyzed vegetable samples, leading to the conclusion that consumption of vegetables cultivated in industrial areas should be restricted due to health risks.
Contamination & food safetyHealthCommunityPolicyEffect of Substrate Type and Fertilizing Management Programs on Yield and Nitrate Content of Both Molokhia and Spinach Grown on Rooftops in Egypt
2022· Middle East Journal of Agriculture Research · Egypt
Two experiments were conducted in 2020 and 2021 on a rooftop garden in Giza, Egypt, to investigate the effect of substrate type and fertilizing programs on molokhia and spinach yield and nitrate content. Substrate S1 (50% perlite: 50% peat moss) was found more suitable for high yield. While chemical nutrient solution (CNS) alone resulted in the highest yield, the combination of S1 and CNS followed by compost tea for 5 days before harvest (CNS+5) was most suitable for high yield with lower nitrate accumulation.
DIYCompostOrganic cycleHealth