Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
2530 results(68 / 102)
Monitoring of heavy metal residues in cauliflower and their respective health hazards
2017Muhammad Asif Khan Rai Muhammad Amir · International Journal of Biosciences (IJB) · Pakistan (Faisalabad)
To investigate heavy metal residue levels in cauliflower grown in the peri-urban area of Faisalabad district, Pakistan, 30 cauliflower samples were collected from 10 selected farmers. Analysis revealed variable heavy metal residue levels (nickel, lead, zinc, copper, arsenic, and mercury) in the samples, indicating that the cauliflower was contaminated with multiple heavy metals. This contamination is attributed to the use of untreated sewage water for cultivation, which is the single largest contributor to heavy metal accumulation in cauliflower.
Contamination & food safetyHealthPeri-urban agricultureFood sovereignty & justiceURBAN AGRICULTURE AS A FOOD SECURITY STRATEGY FOR URBAN DWELLERS: A CASE STUDY OF MKOBA RESIDENTS IN THE CITY OF GWERU, ZIMBABWE
2017Nyasha Chaminuka, Ernest Dube · PEOPLE International Journal of Social Sciences · Zimbabwe
This qualitative study, involving 26 participants in Mkoba suburb, Gweru, Zimbabwe, analyzed urban agriculture as a food security strategy. It found that urban agriculture's growth is driven by population growth, poverty, high food prices, and unemployment, and it promotes food security, employment, and savings. However, existing legal frameworks, including the Urban Councils Act and Regional Town Planning Act, do not support but rather impede urban agriculture, alongside challenges like lack of supportive legislation, government support, and funding.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justicePolicyEconomicsCommunityAgricultura urbana: um olhar a partir da agroecologia e da agricultura orgânica
2017Mariana Barbosa de Souza, Ana Claudia Guske · COLÓQUIO - Revista do Desenvolvimento Regional · Global
This study aimed to discuss the concept of urban agriculture from the perspectives of agroecology and organic agriculture. A theoretical review of key concepts such as urban and peri-urban agriculture, agroecology, and organic agriculture, along with an exploratory study, were conducted. Through a bibliographic and documentary survey, the research explored the possibility of urban agriculture, when associated with agroecology and organic agriculture, contributing to regional development.
Organic cycleClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageThe New Sacred Farm
2017Gretel Van Wieren · Worldviews Global Religions Culture and Ecology · United States
This paper explored religious approaches within the food and faith movement in the U.S. by examining the work of three religious, community-based farming projects. These projects are characterized by ritual practices and narrative tropes as they address social, ecological, political, and ethical challenges posed by current food systems. The study concluded that these religious farms should be considered sacred spaces for how they ritualize and symbolically interpret agricultural and food practices.
CommunityFood educationCSA & TeikeiFood sovereignty & justiceCommunity gardens as urban social-ecological refuges in the Global North.
2017J. Chan, Bryce DuBois, Kristine T. Nemec, Charles Francis, Kyle D. Hoagland · CABI eBooks · Global
This chapter examines community gardens in three distinct urban locations in the Global North through the lens of social-ecological resilience. Case studies focus on Vienna, Austria; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; and New York City post-Hurricane Sandy. These community gardens support vital social-ecological functions, ranging from generating local ecosystem services to cultivating community empowerment and bolstering food sovereignty, reflecting their local contexts.
CommunityBiodiversityFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageReappropriating urban green spaces and urban food production
2017Judith Schicklinski · · Europe
This chapter discusses the reasons behind the re-appropriation of public space and its relation to urban food production. The commodification and privatization of public spaces are considered a spatial structure that transforms spaces into strategic resources. The urban gardening movement in European cities has drawn attention to using common green spaces for urban food production.
CommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceThe role of interdisciplinarity in evaluating the sustainability of urban rooftop agriculture
2017Esther Sanyé‐Mengual, Jordi Oliver‐Solà, J.I. Montero, Joan Rieradevall · Kobra (Universitätsbibliothek Kassel) · Europe
This paper presents an interdisciplinary scheme to evaluate the sustainability of urban rooftop agriculture (URA), investigating its quantitative and qualitative potential, and environmental and economic impacts. Using Barcelona, Spain, and Bologna, Italy, as case studies, four interdisciplinary methods were combined: qualitative research, geographic information systems (GIS), life cycle assessment (LCA), and life cycle costing (LCC). Results indicate that a combined GIS-LCA tool is useful for evaluating URA implementation and its environmental benefits at the city scale, with soil cultivation using compost in open-air rooftop gardens being the most eco-efficient option.
CommunityEconomicsClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceDivorcing food and agriculture: towards an agenda for urban food security research
2017Bruce Frayne, Jonathan Crush, Cameron McCordic · · Global
Building on research from Harare's urban food system, David W. Smith proposed a global agenda for urban food security research in 1998. He noted that many national food security plans inadequately address urban food systems by focusing almost exclusively on smallholder agriculture, and that coordinated policy reviews are overdue. Smith emphasized the need to examine individual and household food insecurity in cities and questioned the role of urban agriculture in mitigating it.
Food sovereignty & justicePolicyEconomicsUrban–rural linkage“The Lucky country”? A critical exploration of community gardens and city–community relations in Australian cities
2017Alec Thornton · Local Environment · Australia
This study, based on Australian city case studies, explored community gardeners' views and engagement in community gardens. Findings revealed that community gardeners identified local councils as barriers to the emergence of community gardens and other forms of urban agriculture. Unlike other Western cities, effective city–community relations for community garden growth have not yet emerged in Australian cities.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsKnow Food, Know Peace?
2017Emily Holmes · · Global
This chapter explores the potential of community-based agriculture as a practice of peace and active non-violence. Community-based agriculture encompasses various methods of growing food for local communities, including urban community gardens, urban farms, and small, biodiverse rural farms. These forms of agriculture are distinguished from conventional, industrial, or monocultural practices by their commitment to sustainable and organic growing methods, and their dedication to local communities.
CommunityCSA & TeikeiFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageStatus and possibilities of the development of Community Supported Agriculture in Poland as an example of short food supply chain
2017Marta Sylla, Julia Olszewska, Małgorzata Świąder · Journal of Agribusiness and Rural Development · Poland
This article analyzes the current state of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in Poland, focusing on farm characteristics, spatial distribution of producers and consumers, and operational principles of CSA groups. Based on survey data from telephone interviews, the analysis indicates a rapid increase in CSA groups, which primarily operate in large cities. A common operational principle is that consumers prepay for organic, high-quality produce at the beginning of the growing season.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceKETAHANAN PANGAN DAN COPING STRATEGY RUMAH TANGGA URBAN FARMING PERTANIAN DAN PERIKANAN KOTA SURABAYA
2017Fika Mayrlina Anggrayni, Dini Ririn Andrias, Merryana Adriani · Media Gizi Indonesia · Indonesia (Surabaya)
This observational study, conducted in Surabaya, Indonesia, analyzed differences in food security and coping strategies between agriculture and fisheries urban farming households. Among 62 households, 64.7% of the agriculture group were food secured, while 75% of the fishery group were food insecure with severe hunger. There was no statistical difference in household food security between the agriculture and fisheries urban farming groups (p=0.255). However, a difference in coping strategy was found (p=0.021), with agriculture urban farming households being more food secure and rarely employing coping strategies compared to fishery urban farming households.
Limited or null effectFood sovereignty & justiceHealthCommunityDossier « L’agriculture dans le système alimentaire urbain : continuités et innovations » – Comprendre la complexité des liens ville-agriculture : intérêt d’une approche par le système agri-urbain. Le cas de Bobo-Dioulasso, Afrique de l’Ouest
2017Ophélie Robineau, Christophe‐Toussaint Soulard · Natures Sciences Sociétés · Africa
This article emphasizes the utility of the agri-urban system concept for analyzing expanding urban agriculture and the complex relationships between cities and agriculture, moving beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries. Based on a case study in Bobo-Dioulasso, West Africa, it aims to develop a framework for understanding these relationships at the city and regional scale. It distinguishes three groups of city-agriculture interactions: spatio-historical, interactions between the current urban system and agriculture, and interactions within the urban agrarian system, seeking to identify factors influencing the diversity and future of urban agriculture.
Urban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justicePolicyPengembangan Urban Farming Berdasarkan Preferensi Masyarakat Kecamatan Semampir Kota Surabaya
2017Nadia Belinda, Dian Rahmawati · Jurnal Teknik ITS · Indonesia (Surabaya)
This study in Semampir District, Surabaya City, Indonesia, aimed to develop urban farming based on community preferences. It identified potentials and problems using theoretical descriptive techniques, identified community preferences using confirmatory factor analysis, and formulated development directions using qualitative descriptive analysis. The study found that urban farming activities in Semampir District had not developed optimally due to the suboptimal role of the community and local institutions.
Governance failureCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsWelfareAgricultural science and technology research to supportfood security
2017Jimoh Gbadamosi, Peter Kolawole · Journal of Emerging Trends in Educational Research and Policy Studies · Nigeria
This paper reviews machinery and equipment developed for future farmers and encourages the adoption of urban farming as a way for city dwellers to produce more food using technology. It recognizes the activities of smallholder farmers, who are Nigeria's main food producers, and the absence of large-scale farmers who produce raw materials for factories. The paper emphasizes the role of modern technology in increasing farm product by small-scale farmers and the benefits from innovations that will enable farmers to solve some of the world’s biggest challenges.
Food sovereignty & justiceDigital agricultureActors’ motivations
2017Judith Schicklinski · · Global
This study examines individual motivations for commitment to sustainability issues, including urban food production, across different cities globally. It notes that legal frameworks can be a motivating factor, such as land development plans designating agricultural use. While quantitative data suggests food self-sufficiency is not a major motive in any region, qualitative data indicates its increasing importance in the Global South.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyMapeo de la agriricultura urbana y periurbana en el área metropolitana Santa Rosa-Toay: aproximaciones metodológicas para la lectura territorial
2017P. V. ERMINI, M. R. DELPRINO, B. GIOBELLINA · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Argentina (Santa Rosa-Toay)
In the Santa Rosa-Toay metropolitan area of Argentina, urban and peri-urban agriculture is noted for its scarce recognition in urban development policies and food security policies. Despite the region's urbanization, the absence of political recognition as a metropolitan area has hindered planning and management of land use and occupation according to its potential and limitations. This study developed and applied a methodological proposal to generate information on urban and peri-urban agricultural activities, integrating a spatial perspective with participatory procedures.
Governance failurePeri-urban agriculturePolicyHealthFood sovereignty & justiceImportancia de los cursos de agricultura urbana ante el cambio climático y la seguridad alimentaria en México
2017Adela Chávez, Juan Ariosto Palacios Vásquez · DELOS Desarrollo Local Sostenible · Mexico
This research argues for the importance of not only studying climate change and its consequences but also consolidating professional training in urban food production to strengthen food security. It emphasizes the urgent need to provide learning units related to sustainable development, climate change, and food at all educational levels.
Food educationClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceRelying on urban gardens for survival within the building of a modern city in Colombia.
2017Colleen Hammelman · CABI eBooks · Colombia
In Medellín, Colombia, displaced women utilize urban gardens as a survival strategy amidst food insecurity and tenuous support from local government. Urban planning permits these gardens under the guise of supporting displaced families, but also for preserving open space and halting the growth of informal settlements. This chapter provides a clear example of how urban planning impacts the critical survival strategy of growing food.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justiceWelfareCommunityPolicyUndergraduate Student Research Opportunities and Economic Revitalization through Urban Agriculture Initiatives
2017Michael Schläppi · Metropolitan Universities · United States (Milwaukee)
This paper discusses the Sustainable Research and Economic Development model, which involves undergraduate students in interdisciplinary community-based research. Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, supports community efforts to bring healthy food to urban environments through interactions with the Cooperative of the Institute of Urban Agriculture and Nutrition (CIUAN). The model explores pathways for urban agriculture and urban farmers' markets to convert blighted properties into productive spaces as part of metropolitan economic development.
CommunityEconomicsFood educationFood sovereignty & justiceAnalyse De La Performance Productive De L’agriculture Urbaine Dans Le District d’Abidjan
2017Kouakou Kouakou Paul-Alfred · European Scientific Journal ESJ · Cote d’Ivoire (Abidjan)
This study assessed the productive performance and technical efficiency determinants of urban agriculture in the Abidjan District, Cote d’Ivoire. The analysis of the production frontier revealed that producers' technical efficiency ranged from 21% to 97%, with an average of 76%. Key determinants significantly impacting technical efficiency included the legal status of occupied space, education level, irrigation water quality, access to credit, and the nature of the main activity. The study suggests improving efficiency through strengthened training and technical support for producers and integrating urban agriculture into district development plans.
EconomicsPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceDan Carmody
2017· Policy Press eBooks · United States (Detroit)
Dan Carmody, President of Detroit's Eastern Market Corporation, discussed the market's history and its importance for food access in Detroit. He addressed the role of urban agriculture and the new wave of gentrification, which has the potential to significantly impact the Market.
Equity & displacementFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicyCommunityCuatro iniciativas de agricultura en la ciudad frente a la banalización del paisaje histórico urbano | Four urban agriculture initiatives against the banalization of urban historical landscape
2017David Arredondo Garrido · ZARCH · Spain
This study analyzed four urban agriculture and gardening initiatives in the city centers of Seville, Barcelona, Madrid, and Zaragoza, Spain, over the last decade. These projects aimed to counteract the homogenization of urban historical landscapes and create spaces for culture and social interaction. Despite difficulties in their management and their minor impact, these interventions demonstrated a method for reconfiguring urban landscapes in abandoned central areas.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceThe contribution of smallholder irrigated urban agriculture towards household food security in Harare, Zimbabwe.
2017Never Mujere · CABI eBooks · Zimbabwe (Harare)
This case study in Harare City, Zimbabwe, examined an urban irrigated agriculture project's contribution to household food security and poverty alleviation, including crop types, productivity, and farmer challenges. It found that while urban irrigated smallholder agriculture contributes to livelihoods, numerous socio-economic factors impede greater participation. Furthermore, some participants withdrew due to security threats from perceived political affiliations.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justiceWelfareEconomicsPolicyChapter 2: Agriculture sector modernization and renewable energy development: perspectives from developing countries
2017Deborah Hines, Sarah Balistreri · Sustainable energy developments · Latin America and the Caribbean
This chapter highlights successful Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture (UPA) practices in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) that have improved food and nutrition security and increased dietary diversity. It introduces sustainable production techniques that reduce dependence on traditional energy sources and promote renewable energy. The chapter provides evidence that UPA activities can reduce poverty and hunger, generate food and nutrition security benefits, and create employment and income for poor urban households in LAC.
Food sovereignty & justiceEconomicsHealthClimate change