Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
3315 results(67 / 133)
Urban agriculture as a source of social capital in the Cape Flats of Cape Town
2019Tinashe P. Kanosvamhira, Daniel Tevera · African Geographical Review · South Africa (Cape Town)
This paper investigated urban agriculture as a source of social capital in Mitchells Plain, a low-income neighborhood in Cape Town, South Africa. Using a mixed-methods approach combining a questionnaire survey and in-depth interviews, the findings showed that urban agriculture increases social interaction among urban gardeners and the community. Non-governmental organizations and government actors were also found to be crucial in enhancing social interaction within the community.
CommunityEconomicsPolicyUrban markets and agricultural transformation in Southern Africa
2019Thulasizwe Mkhabela · · Southern Africa
This chapter examines trends in large and urban agricultural markets in Africa, focusing on Southern Africa and using South Africa as an example. It notes the increasing importance of urban agriculture markets due to growing urban populations, purchasing power, and changing consumer preferences. The chapter analyzes the evolution of these markets, including the rise of alternative marketing channels like farmers' markets, and discusses the linkages between rural and urban areas in food marketing, suggesting policy interventions to enhance urban agricultural markets.
EconomicsPolicyUrban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceDiseño de una estrategia como alternativa para incrementar e incentivar el uso de la Agricultura Urbana
2019Arantza Elena Sanchez Gutierrez · · Mexico
In Querétaro Municipality, Mexico, a strategy was designed and implemented to increase and incentivize the use of urban agriculture. Previous strategies implemented in Mexico had resulted in low participation and abandonment of practice due due to low interest from inhabitants and a lack of will to follow through on plans. This qualitative research analyzed the causes of these failures using User-Centered Design tools and Design Thinking. Findings showed that a "strategy of appropriation," emphasizing a sense of belonging, well-being, and commitment, resulted in an increase in this variable, which influences the abandonment of agricultural practices.
Governance failurePolicyCommunityEconomicsThe Role of Urban Agriculture in Alleviating Poverty Facing Women in Tanzania: A Review
2019Emmanuel Patroba Mhache, Elna Lyamuya · Huria Journal of the Open University of Tanzania · Tanzania (Dar es Salaam)
This review paper examined the role of urban agriculture in alleviating poverty for women in the Dar es Salaam Region, Tanzania. It found that women's participation in urban agriculture contributes to food security, increases household income (average net income Tshs 58,356.2 per month), offers employment, and reduces poverty. However, numerous bottlenecks hinder women's involvement in urban agriculture, including poor markets, water shortage, land shortage, seed unavailability, lack of capital, lack of government support, crude working tools, lack of water pumping machines for irrigation, poor storage facilities, and lack of agricultural extension services.
Equity & displacementWelfareEconomicsBiodiversityClimate changePolicyAgroecology, the Interaction between Agriculture and Environment: An Example from Cuba
2019Ana Cristina Teixeira Alves, Miguel Nenevé · International Journal of Advanced Engineering Research and Science · Cuba
This study addresses the benefits of agroecology, using Havana, Cuba as an example. Following the 1989 socialist crisis and economic blockade, urban agriculture emerged as a social movement in Havana. Through sustainable practices, this movement demonstrates success in generating jobs and income, as well as enhancing food security and sovereignty. Production, technical assistance, and sales outlets are steadily growing, supported by the government through an ecological and efficient low-cost agricultural policy that combines traditional knowledge with cutting-edge technology.
Food sovereignty & justiceEconomicsClimate changeCommunityNet Yield Efficiency: Comparing Salad and Vegetable Waste between Community Supported Agriculture and Supermarkets in the UK
2019N. R. Baker, Simon Popay, James Bennett, Moya Kneafsey · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United Kingdom
This paper introduced "net yield efficiency" (NYE) to compare food system performance by accounting for yields, loss, and waste. A UK case study compared fresh vegetable and salad waste between a community supported agriculture (CSA) scheme and the supermarket system. The study found that the CSA system wasted only 6.71% by weight across all stages, dramatically outperforming the supermarket system which wasted 40.7–47.7%. These findings highlight significant differences between the systems and suggest NYE offers a more accurate measure of food system performance.
CSA & TeikeiFood lossEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceEvaluación de la gestión de proyectos de inversión en la agricultura urbana
2019Milagros de la Caridad Mata Varela, Johana Meza Salvatierra, Ana Yilian Santana Mata · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Global
This research evaluated investment project management in urban agriculture through its life cycle, applying eighteen indicators and a management index. The study concluded that an agroecological farm development project exhibited economic inefficiency during its first two years of operation due to an imbalance between income and expenses, preventing high management values.
Economic viabilityEconomicsPolicyPengembangan Model Usaha Tanaman Hidroponik Melalui Pemanfaatan Teknologi Tepat Guna Berbasis Media Informasi Pada Komunitas Umkm Pertanian Perkotaan
2019Chabib Musthofa, Muhammad Andik Izzuddin · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Indonesia
This study developed a hydroponic plant business model using information-based appropriate technology for urban agricultural UMKM communities in SERPIS KRPL, Wonocolo, Surabaya, Indonesia. Employing the ADDIE method, the research quantitatively measured the effectiveness, efficiency, and attractiveness of the developed products. Validation tests showed high scores: content expert validation at 81.29%, media and design expert validation at 96.43%, and individual trials at 81.67%. The developed website and social media successfully met the communication needs of the UMKM KRPL SERPIS community and diverse online users for their business processes.
Digital agricultureEconomicsCommunityPotencialidades da produção de alimentos nas cidades: experiências de agricultura urbana no município de Pirapozinho – São Paulo
2019Daiara Batista Mendes · Geografia em Atos (Online) · Brazil (Pirapozinho)
This article identifies the potentialities of urban agriculture in Pirapozinho, São Paulo, focusing on food and economic use. Based on field research and interviews, the study found that urban agriculture provides quick access to quality products and fosters close farmer-consumer links. However, it also found that urban agricultural practices have not received due governmental attention at national or local scales, despite their potential.
Governance failureEconomicsFood sovereignty & justicePolicyEcosocial Innovations and Their Capacity to Integrate Ecological, Economic and Social Sustainability Transition
2019Aila‐Leena Matthies, Ingo Stamm, Tuuli Hirvilammi, Kati Närhi · Sustainability · Europe
This article analyzed 50 examples of ecosocial innovations in Finland, Italy, Germany, Belgium, and the UK to investigate how they integrate ecological, economic, and social sustainability goals. Ecosocial innovations were shown to combine these goals through five integrative practices: diversity of activities, successful networking, addressing new livelihood, focus on food, and explicit conceptual work on sustainability. These practices often emerge as pragmatic solutions to local needs and are valuable as forerunners for sustainability transition.
CommunityClimate changeEconomicsPolicyProgramas de agricultura urbana como estrategia para la generación de modelos de negocios inclusivos
2019Juan Sebastián Hernandez, Diego Cardona Arbeláez, Clara Judith Brito Carrillo · Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) · Colombia
This paper presents a qualitative case study of an urban agriculture program implemented by an NGO in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, from July 2017 to June 2018. The program targeted low-income populations, aiming to improve their food, environmental, and economic conditions. The study details the program's success factors, challenges, benefits for beneficiaries, and describes an inclusive business model derived from the NGO's strategy.
CommunityEconomicsWelfareUrban Agriculture, Production and Marketing: The Tanzania Experience
2019M. R. S. Mlozi · · Tanzania
This chapter presents research findings from an urban agriculture project conducted in several towns in Tanzania. It discusses the market flow of agricultural products in Tanzanian towns, explaining that products come from two sources: household compounds and gardens, plots, and various open spaces not part of urban dwellers' household compounds. Several factors are involved in production and marketing operations, and their complexity tends to intensify and exacerbate problems.
EconomicsCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceSituated agroecology: massification and reclaiming university programs in Venezuela
2019Olga Domené-Painenao, Francisco Herrera · Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems · Venezuela
The Bolivarian University of Venezuela established the Program Degree in Agroecology (PDA) in 2004 to expand agroecological practices and knowledge. Over a decade, more than a thousand PDA graduates have contributed to agroecological scaling in urban and rural areas, playing a key role in urban agriculture amidst economic crisis. The PDA has created human talent for territorializing agroecology and institutionalizing pro-peasant policy in Venezuela.
Food sovereignty & justicePolicyEconomicsFood educationUrban–rural linkageSustentabilidad y agricultura urbana practicada por mujeres en la Zona Metropolitana de Ciudad de México, Valle de Chalco Solidaridad
2019Silvia Iveth Moreno Gaytán, Mercedes A. Jiménez-Velázquez, Martín Hernández Juárez · Estudios Sociales Revista de Alimentación Contemporánea y Desarrollo Regional · Mexico (Ciudad de México)
The sustainability of urban agriculture practiced by women in the Valle de Chalco Solidaridad, Mexico City Metropolitan Area, was investigated. A qualitative follow-up on 45 production units and a quantitative questionnaire to 25 female producers from Xico Kaa’a Comunicaciones A. C. were conducted. Urban agriculture's sustainability was found to be strong, contributing to family food self-sufficiency, employing agroecological techniques for environmental improvement, and over 50% of MESMIS diagnostic criteria were evaluated as sustainable.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsOrganic cycleWelfarePower-shifts in the organizational landscapes of transport provision
2019Nadine Appelhans, Sabine Baumgart · · Morocco
An analysis of documents related to planning and agriculture and interviews with experts in Morocco indicated that urban and rural issues were treated as separate areas. Urban development affects daily travel distances as urban expansion changes distances between cultivated land and dwelling places. Data from Morocco show a lack of serious support for urban agriculture and animal husbandry in expanding urban agglomerations.
Governance failureEconomicsUrban–rural linkagePolicyCommunity<b>Users' Behaviors and Evaluations of Allotment Gardens</b>
2019Meng YE, Tomohiko Yoshida · Urban and Regional Planning Review · China (Beijing)
This study examined user evaluations of allotment gardens in Beijing, China, where demand is rising. The overall evaluation was between good and general, with high marks for landscape and facilities but low marks for service, guidance, agricultural festival activities, rent, sanitary facilities, and skilled labor. The consortium operation mode received the best evaluation, while the individual mode had the lowest.
Governance failureCommunityEconomicsPolicyHealthStrategies for Sustaining and Developing Agriculture and Regional Conditions in Japan
2019Akira Tabayashi, Toshio Kikuchi, Toshiaki Nishino · Journal of Geography (Chigaku Zasshi) · Japan
This study discusses strategies for sustaining and developing agriculture in Japan, based on 10 sample studies across various regions, including urban agriculture in Tokyo. Key strategies include ensuring capable farm operators, promoting rational farm management with advanced technology, maintaining stable income sources, establishing multiple sales channels, and forming producer-consumer networks. The research highlights the importance of locational, physical, economic, social, cultural, and political conditions, particularly accessibility to large cities and favorable physical conditions for production.
PolicyUrban–rural linkageEconomicsHow Will We Eat and Produce in the Cities of the Future? From Edible Insects to Vertical Farming—A Study on the Perception and Acceptability of New Approaches
2019Kathrin Specht, Felix Zoll, Henrike Schümann, Julia Bela, Julia Kachel, Marcel Robischon · Sustainability · Global
Nineteen qualitative expert interviews were conducted to identify perceptions of sustainability, social acceptability, and ethical aspects of new urban food production approaches. While major perceived benefits included educational effects and efficient resource use, significant conflicts involved negative side-effects, legal constraints, and high investment costs. Acceptance barriers were largely tied to the "unknown," encompassing a lack of understanding of new approaches, uncertainty about benefits, health risk concerns, unfamiliarity with products, and ethical doubts about animal welfare. The study concluded that adapting the unsuitable regulatory framework, which discourages investors, is a crucial first step to foster dissemination of urban food production approaches.
Governance failureDigital agricultureEconomicsPolicyFood educationEffect of household economic indices on sustainability of community gardens
2019Jooseok Oh, Seiyong Kim · Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering · South Korea (Seoul)
This study surveyed 117 participants in apartment complexes in Seoul, South Korea, to analyze the effect of household economic indices on the sustainability of community gardens. Findings indicated that a higher Engel's coefficient and an increase in cultivating land size boosted prolonged participation. Additionally, older participants and those with fewer family members were found to be more proactive in community gardening.
CommunityEconomicsHealthPEMBERDAYAAN MASYARAKAT MELALUI PROGRAM CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR) MANDIRI BERSAMA BANK MANDIRI DI MRICAN UMBULHARJO
2019Novia Marwah · Jurnal Pemberdayaan Masyarakat Media Pemikiran dan Dakwah Pembangunan · Indonesia (Yogyakarta)
This study described the concept, implementation, and results of Bank Mandiri's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program, Mandiri Bersama Mandiri (MBM), conducted in Mrican, Umbulharjo, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The MBM program's concept broadly aims to build community independence by utilizing local potential. Implementation involved urban agriculture development programs, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), and public facility development, resulting in physical empowerment like a clean environment and economic improvement, and non-physical empowerment such as increased awareness and knowledge.
CommunityWelfareEconomicsUrban Agriculture in shared spaces: The difficulties with collaboration in an age of austerity
2019Rebecca St. Clair, Michael Hardman, Richard Armitage, Graeme Sherriff · Urban Studies · United Kingdom (Manchester)
This study, conducted in Wythenshawe, Manchester, UK, highlights the difficulties of collaboration among organizations in a lottery-funded urban agriculture project. Due to local authority cutbacks and a lack of funding, community groups and charitable organizations compete for space and resources, leading to a "siege mentality" where organizational self-preservation takes precedence over cooperation. This paradoxically results in groups with similar goals working against each other instead of collaborating.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyEconomicsANÁLISE DA AGRICULTURA URBANA EM SÃO JOSÉ DO RIO PRETO - SP
2019Maria Vitória Cecchetti Gottardi Costa, Klisly Dark Pereira de Jesus, Kamila Gomes Uzeloto, Miriam Pinheiro Bueno, Adriano Luís Simonato, Teresa Cristina Castilho Gorayeb · · Brazil (São José do Rio Preto)
This interpretive study analyzed the importance of urban agriculture in São José do Rio Preto, Brazil, using data from questionnaires. Results showed urban agriculture is present across all social classes, utilizing residential spaces for cultivating food and non-food products, with spices and fruits being the most common food items. The study concluded that urban agriculture contributes to healthy eating and quality of life.
CommunityEconomicsHealthFood sovereignty & justiceTECHNICAL-PRODUCTIVE AND SOCIOECONOMIC LIMITATIONS TO THE ADOPTION OF URBAN AGRICULTURE. THE CASE OF THE URBAN AND PERI-URBAN AGRICULTURE NETWORK OF XALAPA, VERACRUZ
2019Guadalupe Del Ángel-Lozano, Martha Elena Nava-Tablada · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Mexico
This study analyzed technical-productive and socioeconomic limitations to urban agriculture adoption within the Urban and Periurban Agriculture Network (RAUP) in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico. Based on 25 questionnaires from active members and 10 from sporadic participants, both groups agreed that the main constraints are socioeconomic, such as lack of space and limited free time, which are linked to urban lifestyles. Technical-productive limitations were not considered relevant.
Economic viabilityEconomicsCommunityUrban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceDevelopment of Structural Model and Analysis of Design Factors for Small Greenhouse of Urban Agriculture
2019Hyung-Kweon Kim, Young-Sun Ryou, Younghwa Kim, Tae-Seok Lee, Sung-Sik Oh, Won Suk Lee, Yong-Hyeon Kim · Protected horticulture and Plant Factory · South Korea
This study analyzed design factors for small greenhouses suitable for urban agriculture in South Korea and developed structural models. Preferred dimensions for urban farmers were 3-4m width, 1.8-2m side height, 2.5-3m ridge height, and 4-7m length. The study proposed four structural models, including an arched vinyl greenhouse and gable-roofed glass or PC panel greenhouses, categorized into standard (approx. 2 million KRW) and premium (approx. 5 million KRW) types.
DIYEconomicsCommunityFood production and gender relations in multifunctional landscapes: a literature review
2019Lisa Westholm, Madelene Ostwald · Agroforestry Systems · Africa, Asia, Latin America
This literature review of 104 scientific articles across Africa, Asia, and Latin America examined food production and gender relations in multifunctional land use systems. The review found that the specific role of landscape multifunctionality for women's food security opportunities is rarely explicitly studied. It also showed that products controlled by women are often secondary and far from markets, risking neglect by policymakers, and efforts to increase their value may adversely affect women's empowerment if powerful actors appropriate benefits.
Equity & displacementWelfareFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicy