Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
11393 results(68 / 456)
Implementation of PT Pupuk Kujang's Social Innovation in Community Empowerment through Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Women's Empowerment, and Urban Farming
2025Agung Gustiawan, Ade Cahya Kurniawan · Prospect Jurnal Pemberdayaan Masyarakat · Indonesia
This participatory action research study describes PT Pupuk Kujang's corporate social and environmental responsibility program in Indonesia through four initiatives: Kuwatan Sadesa, which raised coffee productivity from 1.2 toward a potential 3 tons/ha while conserving forest land; Kujang Wanita Tangguh (KUWAT), which had women produce at least two products from garment waste; Asa Warga Ternak Mandiri (Asatama), which developed a communal system of at least 16 sheep funded by crowdfunding and fed partly on pineapple waste; and Kujang Urban Farming (KURFA), which established one greenhouse, engaged at least 10 residents and generated derivative food products. The study reports these programs enhanced community welfare and social solidarity and promoted environmental sustainability.
CommunityEconomicsFood educationEnhancing Capsicum Production and Water Efficiency through Drip Irrigation in Rooftop Gardens
2025Dinesh Kumar, Abhishek Ranjan, Mahendra Sharma, Sanoj Kumar, Vishnu Ji Awasthi, Anshu Kumari, Ramesh Kumar Sahni, Ananya Rai, Krishna Murari, Shilpi Kumari, S. Paswan, Kushwaha Abhijeet · Journal of Scientific Research and Reports · India
A trial at the College of Agricultural Engineering, Ara, Bihar, India (November 2024-March 2025) used a randomized block design with six replications to test drip irrigation on Indra capsicum (Capsicum annuum L.) grown on a rooftop. Drip irrigation produced greater plant height, more leaves and flowers, an average of 21.3 fruits per plant, fruit length of 67.2 mm, fruit weight of 79.81 g and yield of 3.52 kg/plant, while saving about 75-80% of water compared with conventional irrigation at a water-use efficiency of 9.2 kg/m³, and yield increased 10-15% over yields typically observed with traditional irrigation methods.
Peri-urban agricultureEconomicsFood educationClimate changeThe Impact of Home Farming and Digital Platforms on Food Sustainability in the UAE: Stakeholder Perspectives
2025Mouza Mohammed Eissa, Mohamad Zahir Zainudin, Norun Najjah Ahmat · International Journal of Social Science Research · United Arab Emirates
A qualitative study conducted semi-structured interviews with 35 stakeholders — home farmers, commercial producers, policymakers and agritech developers — in the United Arab Emirates, examined against the National Food Security Strategy 2051. It found 70% of home farmers engage in urban agriculture to reduce import dependency, but are constrained by high water costs (cited by 70%) and limited technical training (55%). Commercial farms widely use hydroponics (88%) and vertical farming (62%), though energy-water trade-offs limit scalability. Stakeholders emphasized AI-driven tools for water-use optimization (75%) and blockchain for traceability (45%); the most desired digital-platform features were real-time soil and weather data (90%), centralized subsidy access (80%) and market linkages (65%), though fragmented data systems currently limit their effectiveness. Policy implementation gaps persist, with 60% of farmers unaware of subsidy programs and minimal integration across agricultural initiatives; the study recommends expanding solar-powered irrigation subsidies, improving training and extension services, and developing a unified digital platform connecting farmers, policymakers and agritech stakeholders.
Food sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicyDigital agricultureHidden Hunger in Sahelian Cities: Nutrient Adequacy and Food Security in Urban Mali
2025Mohamed Lamine Dramé, Abdoulaye DIAWARA, Hamadoun GARBA, Bonkana MAIGA, Hamadoun SYLLA, Yacin Guirre OSMAN, Ntcughunene Rokissi Ondombe, Soumaila DIARRA, Bakary DIARRA, Akory Ag Iknane, Fatou Diawara · Asian Food Science Journal · Mali
A study analyzed food security, dietary diversity and their socio-demographic determinants among households in Bamako, Mali, between 2018 and 2022. Using National Food Security and Nutrition Survey (ENSAN) data on 5,792 households, it applied descriptive statistics, bivariate analysis and multivariable logistic regression, with Household Dietary Diversity Scores (HDDS), Food Consumption Scores (FCS) and wealth quintiles as primary predictors. Household diets were cereal-based (99.3%) and largely lacking protein-rich foods such as eggs (20.1%) and legumes (36.7%). The prevalence of food security fell significantly, from 64.5% in 2018 to 59.2% in 2022 (p<0.01). Urban residence and higher education were strong positive predictors of food security (AOR 1.8, 95% CI 1.4-2.3, and AOR 2.1, CI 1.7-2.6, respectively), while households in the lowest wealth quintile (AOR 0.4, CI 0.3-0.6) and polygamous households (AOR 0.7, CI 0.5-0.9) showed significantly lower food security. The study concludes that Bamako's food insecurity stemmed from economic instability and educational disparities despite a degree of dietary diversity.
HealthWelfareFood sovereignty & justiceCommunity Food Security Strategy Through Sustainable Integrated Urban Farming
2025Widowati Widowati, Cahyo Budiman, Meiny Suzery, Jafron Wasiq Hidayat, Sutrisno Sutrisno, Eka Triyana, Taleb Gaber · International Journal of Community Engagement and Development · Indonesia
An article reports on a community activity strengthening local food security through sustainable, integrated urban farming in Rowosari Village, Tembalang District, Indonesia. It combines hydroponic cultivation with catfish aquaculture in limited spaces such as home yards, rooftops and vertical surfaces, and integrates waste management and plant nutrition. The activity involved lectures and discussions plus hands-on training on vertical hydroponic installations and catfish pond cultivation in the village, followed by monitoring and evaluation.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicyUrban gardener preferences and values can affect the aesthetics, management, and vegetation complexity of community gardens
2025Brenda B. Lin, Peter Bichier, Heidi Liere, Shalene Jha, Edith Gonzalez, Stacy M. Philpott · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · United States (California)
An online survey across 21 community gardens in Central California asked gardeners about their aesthetic and management preferences using paired images representing common garden styles, with open-ended explanations. For the first image pair, 85% of respondents preferred a tidy and organized image, citing easier movement, better plot access and weed control from managed pathways, a preference correlated with participation in the University of California's Master Gardener program; for the second pair, preferences were not strong and 20% of gardeners declined to choose because they valued aspects of both, food-producing crops and pollinator-supporting flowering plants.
CommunityBiodiversityRooftop agrivoltaic powered onsite hydrogen production for insulated gasochromic smart glazing and hydrogen vehicles: A holistic approach to sustainable residential building
2025Shanza Neda Hussain, Aritra Ghosh · Energy and Buildings · United Kingdom
This study examined a sustainable residential building design in Birmingham, UK, combining rooftop agrivoltaics, vacuum gasochromic smart glazing and onsite green hydrogen production. Comparing vertical, optimal 30-degree tilt and dome monofacial/bifacial agrivoltaic setups growing tomatoes, tomato production held steady at 0.31 kg/m2 despite varying shading; maximum electricity generation was 7,919 kWh from bifacial 30-degree panels, the lowest levelized cost of electricity was 0.061 British pounds/kWh from monofacial 30-degree panels, the vacuum gasochromic glazing had the lowest U-value (1.32 W/m2K) but the greatest thickness (24.6 mm), and the hydrogen needed annually for the glazing was estimated at 52.56 g, with the bifacial 30-degree system theoretically covering up to about 64.23 km per day for a hydrogen vehicle.
EconomicsPeri-urban agricultureBuilding Resilient Food Systems: Government Community Collaboration in Flood Mitigation
2025Anthony Steven, Iriani Atrika, Doris Febriyanti, Siti Zubaidah · Government & Resilience · Indonesia (Palembang)
This case study examines collaborative governance between local authorities and community stakeholders in Palembang, Indonesia, a low-lying delta city on the Musi River facing recurrent flooding, food insecurity and disrupted supply chains driven by urban expansion, poor drainage infrastructure and climate-related rainfall variability. It analyzes local policy responses, community-led initiatives such as floating vegetable gardens, and urban farming on flood-resilient land, finding that while municipal disaster agencies provide early warning and evacuation support, food access and distribution during floods are primarily sustained by grassroots networks and community-organized food banks.
CommunityPolicyClimate changePeri-urban agricultureKewenangan Pemerintah Kabupaten Labuhanbatu Utara dalam Mewujudkan Pembangunan Kebun Masyarakat
2025Ika Oktaviani, Agusmidah Agusmidah, Affila Affila · Jurnal Kajian Konstitusi · Indonesia
This normative-juridical legal study examines the North Labuhanbatu Regency Government's authority over plasma (community garden) development, a legal obligation for plantation companies renewing their Right to Cultivate, in the context of a land dispute with PTPN IV Regional 1 in South Merbau. It finds that the regency government, through its Agriculture Office, has not imposed administrative sanctions on the plantation company that failed to develop plasma gardens for the South Merbau community, and concludes the government appears to have failed to exercise its authority to secure community welfare.
CommunityPolicyWhere are urban farms and community gardens? Examining sociodemographic and neighbourhood characteristics associated with urban agriculture in Ohio
2025Kelsey Ryan-Simkins · Local Environment · United States (Ohio)
This study used multilevel negative binomial regression to examine the relationship between urban agriculture site locations and sociodemographic and neighbourhood environmental characteristics at the census tract level in Ohio, USA. Findings challenge the idea that urban agriculture is placed in areas with low food access, raising questions about the food-access rhetoric used to promote urban agriculture, a movement critiqued for often being led by upper-class, urban elites, and contribute to debates about the roles of race and gentrification in urban agriculture.
Equity & displacementCommunityPolicyWelfare“Posso me desenhar no mapa?”
2025Vitória Ângela Paim, Denise Wildner Theves · Quaestio revista de estudos em educação · Brazil
This paper reports on a Final Course Project (TCC) practice in which a group of early-elementary children from a school in Canoas, in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, created a collective experiential map of a neighborhood community garden after visiting it. Aiming to understand how school-geography-mediated didactic proposals mobilize children's experience and authorship, the ethnographic study emphasized children's protagonism and authorship, finding that children's spatiality extends beyond the classroom, giving multiple meanings to geographic knowledge, and that the collective map-making translated their spatial experiences into their own geographic expression.
CommunityFood educationFactors affecting urban households’ participation in home gardens: the case of Mekelle City, Tigray Region, Ethiopia
2025Aregawi Beyene, Azeb Gebreegziabher, Zenebe Abraha, Tsahaynesh Hagos, Yohansu Girmay · European Journal of Horticultural Science · Africa
This study examined factors affecting urban households' participation in home gardening in Mekelle city, Tigray Region, Ethiopia, where home gardens served as a means of survival, particularly in urban areas, during the region's war and siege. Structured questionnaires and focus group discussions with 264 multistage-sampled households (171 users, 93 non-users) were analyzed using descriptive statistics and a probit model, showing government motivation and access to land, income, education, extension services and inputs significantly influence home gardening participation. Users were significantly older, had larger families, and had higher incomes and education than non-users, with markedly greater access to land and agricultural inputs, underscoring the role of socioeconomic factors in participation.
CommunityFood educationEconomicsSoil, Ancient Civilizations and Modern Science
2025Rattan Lal · CABI eBooks · Global
A chapter discussing soil scientist Rattan Lal's synthesis of spirituality and philosophy, drawn from Sanskrit/Vedic teachings passed down by his grandmother, with soil science. It traces the historical development of soil and plant science disciplines and states that more change may occur between 2020 and 2050 than in the preceding 10 millennia, listing carbon farming, nutrition-sensitive agriculture, soil-less urban farming and sky farming as future agricultural practices, and noting that the UN Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals depend on soil protection, restoration and management.
Organic cycleClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceImpacto da agricultura urbana na saúde emocional e no desempenho acadêmico dos estudantes
2025Márliton Santos, Martele Brito Santos, Josilene Martins Inez · REVISTA PONTO DE VISTA · Global
A systematic review following the PRISMA protocol, covering articles published between 2014 and 2024 in the CAPES and SciELO databases, analyzed the effect of school-based urban agriculture projects on students' emotional health. The review found that participation in school gardens was associated with a significant reduction in stress and anxiety levels and promoted the development of social skills. Pedagogical practices linked to urban agriculture were reported to foster a collaborative environment and improve emotional well-being, and the presence of green areas in schools was also found beneficial for academic performance and mental health.
Food educationHealthWelfareRenewable energy and urban agriculture – Multidisciplinary strategies for resilient cities
2025Stefano Follesa, Leila Farahbakhsh, Xinxin Song · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Global
A paper examines urban agriculture as a process capable of promoting environmental sustainability, social inclusion and the circular economy, proposing ways to use and develop it. Through an interdisciplinary approach based on "demand maps," it presents an implementation model aligning users' needs with design solutions. Critical analysis of case studies identifies benefits including reducing urban heat islands, supporting biodiversity, enhancing food security, fostering social cohesion, and aiding the development of vulnerable communities. The guidelines presented aim to encourage the use of demand maps in urban decision-making processes to support participatory, inclusive and sustainable strategies.
CommunityPolicyClimate changeBiodiversityEconomicsProtokol_VEK_FoodACT_V1_withoutpics.
2025Anna Stage (17743305), Marie Caroline Vermund (11075551), Mads Bølling (6661577), Camilla Roed Otte (21175813), Alberte Laura Oest Müllertz (21175816), Peter Bentsen (3527732), Glen Nielsen (10468844), Peter Elsborg (8894495) · Figshare · Denmark
A study protocol describes FoodACT, a multimethod, quasi-experimental investigation of the existing Danish school garden program Gardens to Bellies (GtB) and its effects on children's food literacy (FL), climate change literacy (CCL), school motivation (SM) and physical activity (PA), preregistered on ClinicalTrials.gov (#NCT05839080). The study covers six GtB locations across Region Zealand and Region of Southern Denmark, recruiting approximately 1,600 fourth-grade GtB pupils as the intervention group and approximately 1,600 fourth-grade pupils from non-GtB schools as controls. Pupils grow, prepare and cook food across eight garden sessions; FL, CCL and SM are measured via pre- and post-intervention surveys, PA via accelerometry, and acute SM via text-message surveys, alongside semi-structured and focus-group interviews with garden facilitators and pupils on implementation and mechanisms.
Food educationHealthClimate changeAnalysis of Urban Farming Success Determinants
2025Rafitri Novitasari, Agustina Shinta Hartati Wahyuningtyas, Heptari Elita Dewi, Riyanti Isaskar · JOURNAL ON SOCIAL ECONOMIC OF AGRICULTURE AND AGRIBUSINESS · Indonesia
A study in Malang City, Indonesia, where population growth has reduced agricultural land even as unused agricultural land is being converted to urban farming, analyzed factors (knowledge, attitude, perception) influencing interest in farming. Using purposive sampling, data were collected from 70 respondents via interviews and documentation and processed with descriptive statistical analysis and SEM-PLS. The results showed that knowledge of and attitude toward urban agriculture did not have a significant effect on people's interest in urban farming, while perception of urban agriculture had a positive influence on interest, associated with residents' recognition of its economic, social and environmental benefits.
CommunityEconomicsFood educationNegotiating green urbanism: Colonial legacies, governance contradictions, and resistance in Nairobi's informal settlements
2025Valentine Opanga · Urban Political Ecology · Kenya
A study examines how green urbanism is imagined, politicised and contested in two informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya, Korogocho and Pumwani-Majengo, using a mixed-methods approach combining Feminist Urban Political Ecology, Postcolonial Urbanism and Travelling Models, drawing on 45 semi-structured interviews, six focus group discussions and a review of policy documents. It shows that international greening agendas are selectively interpreted, reworked or resisted rather than adopted as a unified global sustainability narrative. Findings reveal that state-led greening initiatives, even when aligned with global frameworks, can reinforce spatial inequality, displace low-income residents and obscure colonial-era land injustices. At the same time, grassroots actors engage in context-specific greening practices such as urban farming and dumpsite reclamation driven by survival and care, representing forms of environmental agency that challenge dominant models.
Equity & displacementCommunityPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceSustainable construction based on green roofs designed to retain rainwater and provide food: An LCA compared to conventional roofs
2025Florence Rezende Leite, Maria Lúcia Pereira Antunes, Diogo Aparecido Lopes Silva · Sustainable Production and Consumption · Global
A life cycle assessment (LCA) comparing the environmental performance of a conventional ceramic roof (CR) and a modular green roof (GR) planted with the edible species Pereskia aculeata. Primary data came from experimental GR prototypes monitored for one year, including irrigation volumes, plant development and rainwater retention across 50 rainfall events; secondary data were modeled from the ecoinvent database and literature. The analysis had three stages: comparing CR and GR construction and first-year use, sensitivity/uncertainty analysis of alternative GR materials, and a 30-year projection of use-phase impacts. In stage one, GR outperformed CR in 11 of 14 impact categories, with total normalized impacts 13% lower; 80% of CR's impact came from ceramic tile production, while in GR polymer components dominated, with polypropylene accounting for 82% of fossil depletion and polyester for 95% of ozone depletion. Substituting alternative polymers for the module and filter layers cut marine and freshwater ecotoxicity by over 70%. The optimized GR scenario had 71% lower normalized impacts than CR and outperformed it in 13 of 14 categories, with the 30-year projection confirming GR's continued advantage.
Climate changeOrganic cycleUrban sprawl and farming practices: Examining farm diversification and its intensity in Hyderabad’s peri-urban areas
2025Judy Thomas, Nedumaran Swamikannu, R. Vijaya Kumari, Jyosthnaa Padmanabhan · CABI Agriculture and Bioscience · India
A survey of 330 peri-urban farm households in Hyderabad, India, using multi-stage sampling and a Double Hurdle Model to analyze the decision to diversify farm activities and the intensity of that diversification. Results show the initial decision to diversify is strongly shaped by socio-environmental factors — proximity to urban areas, sole reliance on farming for income, household size and risk attitudes — while diversification intensity is largely determined by farm-specific resource conditions such as soil fertility and farmers' subjective assessment of production and market uncertainty. The study concludes that peri-urban farms in India are moving toward diversification, but at low intensity, particularly among small and semi-medium landholdings.
Peri-urban agricultureEconomicsPolicyAdvocacy as an NP
2025Beth Haney · The Nurse Practitioner · United States
A policy-advocacy article by a US nurse practitioner (NP) arguing that NPs, positioned at the intersection of healthcare and community well-being, can lead food-system reform to expand access to healthy food and reduce pesticide and herbicide use. Citing CDC data that over 40% of American adults have obesity and that diet-related disease is among the leading causes of preventable death, the article lists policy goals including expanding SNAP and WIC to add incentives for fresh-produce purchases, supporting farming communities producing quality, pathogen-free, organic food, and backing urban agriculture, farmers' markets and farm-to-school programs.
PolicyFood sovereignty & justiceDo Food Gardens Improve Household Food Security Status in uMzumbe Local Municipality, KwaZulu‐Natal, South Africa?
2025Byamungu Lincoln Zabuloni, Maxwell Mudhara, Joyce Chitja · Food and Energy Security · South Africa
A study assessing the impact of home- and community-garden programs on household food security status in uMzumbe Local Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, using random and purposive sampling to survey 223 respondents with a structured questionnaire and a Tobit regression model to examine determinants. Total income (p<0.001), extension services (p<0.01), credit access (p<0.05), age, farm size (p<0.01) and education level (p<0.05) positively affected food security status, while household size (p<0.001), home gardens (p<0.01) and community gardens (p<0.01) negatively affected it. The study concludes that implementing home and community garden programs alone was not enough to improve households' food security status in uMzumbe Municipality.
Limited or null effectFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityWelfareKOMUNITNÉ ZÁHRADY AKO MIKROSVETY SPOLUPRÁCE / COMMUNITY GARDENS AS MICROWORLDS OF COLLABORATION
2025Zuzana Strculová · Revue of Social Sevices / Revue sociálnych služieb · Europe
An article framing community gardens as spaces where people from different social groups meet to co-create and share space, arguing they function not only as ecological or urban projects but as effective tools for social work — particularly in community building, social inclusion and strengthening intergenerational ties. While community gardens often emerge as grassroots civic initiatives, their operation involves a range of actors: local residents, social workers, educators, non-profit organizations, city governments and even businesses — a diversity that, the article argues, is why gardens can be understood as "microworlds of collaboration." Drawing on foreign examples of good practice, it illustrates how community gardens can serve as effective tools in inclusive, environmental and participatory social work.
CommunityWelfareCommunity strategies for navigating food insecurity in ward 10, Mudzi District, North Eastern Zimbabwe
2025Tatenda Sukulao, Ansley Nonsikelelo Tshugulu, Noel Garikai Muridzo, Mziwandile Sobantu · Discover Food · Africa
A study analyzing food-insecurity coping strategies among community members in Ward 10, Mudzi District, a rural area of north-eastern Zimbabwe. Using an African Centred Research Methodology, data were collected from a purposive sample of 10 participants and analyzed through advanced manual analysis. The study found that planting drought-resistant crops, community gardens, seeking piece jobs, selling valuable assets, and borrowing money and food were the coping strategies employed by community members.
CommunityWelfareLong-term soil health effects of human urine and other bio-based fertilizers: A comprehensive field study
2025Veronika Hansen, Franziska Häfner, Bianca Messmer, Luca Bragazza, Carsten Tilbæk Petersen, Jakob Magid · Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment · Europe
Using a long-term field trial (the CRUCIAL experiment) running for more than 20 years in Denmark, this study compared the long-term effects of bio-based fertilizers (BBFs) — compost, sewage sludge, cattle slurry, and human urine — against conventional mineral NPK fertilizer on soil physical, chemical, and biological properties. Mineral NPK fertilizer supported crop productivity and improved certain soil properties but did not deliver the broader soil health benefits of organic amendments; compost and sewage sludge notably increased soil organic carbon, cation exchange capacity, porosity, water content at field capacity, and microbial activity while reducing bulk density and clay dispersibility. Human urine produced a nitrogen fertilizer effect on crop yield comparable to NPK, but showed a higher sodium adsorption ratio than NPK and a negative trend in bulk density (though values stayed below critical thresholds), indicating a need for complementary organic matter input, and carbon-rich bio-based fertilizers reduced crop production per unit of nitrogen applied.
Organic cycleCompost