Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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Critical findings
7626 results(69 / 306)
Il parco agricolo come possibile strumento per il governo della complessita agro-urbana. Alcune esperienze italiane a confronto
2024Michele Deri · Florence Research (University of Florence) · Italy
This paper examines the peri-urban agricultural park, an instrument that has gained significant importance in Italian territorial policy in recent years, as a tool for integrated governance of peri-urban territory and socio-ecological factors. Based on a desk analysis, it selects several major Italian experiences and presents an initial overview of the characteristics this tool presents in various contexts, in terms of both process and project. The paper highlights the relevance and diffusion of the instrument in public discourse and territorial governance practices, as well as the strengths, limitations, and critical issues the various cases present in operational terms, concluding that further exploration of its design and management characteristics as a connective element between planning and rural development is needed.
PolicyCommunityPeri-urban agriculturePublic perceptions towards urban horticulture in front-yard greenhouses: Unveiling ecosystem services and practices for sustainable and resilient city
2024Mahsa Tarashkar, Salman Qureshi, Zhifang Wang, Akbar Rahimi · Sustainable Futures · Asia
This study examined factors shaping preferences for front-yard greenhouse urban horticulture in Iran. It found that greenhouse design influences urban horticulture preferences, and that urban dwellers prioritize cultural ecosystem services over regulating and provisioning services when engaging in urban horticulture activities. Anticipated ecosystem services differed among socio-demographic groups, and different greenhouse elements evoked distinct perceptions of ecosystem services, though certain greenhouses were found to improve overall perception of ecosystem services due to strong correlations between different service types.
CommunityHealthBiodiversityWhat do we really know about urban agriculture’s impact on people, places, and the planet?
2024Agnès Fargue‐Lelièvre, Jason K. Hawes, Benjamin Goldstein, Lidia Poniży, Erica Dorr · Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists · Global
This 2024 essay in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists states that urban agriculture brings many benefits to its participants but is not guaranteed to be more climate-friendly than conventional agriculture. It adds that there are some specific steps urban farmers can take to cut carbon emissions.
Limited or null effectClimate changeCommunityINTENSIFIKASI LAHAN PEKARANGAN MENJADI HERBAL SMART GARDEN DI KELURAHAN KALISEGORO GUNUNGPATI SEMARANG
2024Sri Suwarni, Odilia Dea Christina, Harum Sitepu, Tessa Trimonica · BESIRU Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat · Indonesia
This 2024 community-service report documents an urban farming team's project, together with youth and elderly residents, converting unused yard land (pekarangan) in Kalisegoro village, Gunungpati district, Semarang, Indonesia, into a "Herbal Smart Garden." The activity began with training on types of medicinal plants, followed by hands-on instruction in seedling propagation using polybag media, soil preparation, and planting. Information on the plants' medicinal uses and processing is shared through an information system or e-catalog of the medicinal plants grown in the garden. The formerly idle land was put to use as a source of medicinal plants for minor ailments and for supporting residents' immunity.
Food educationCommunityHealthUrban horticulture: Building the evidence base to support integration into cities and towns
2024Jill L. Edmondson · Plants People Planet · Global
This special collection introduction on urban horticulture — the growing of fruits and vegetables in cities, a food source for millions worldwide — frames the interdisciplinary scientific, engineering and socio-cultural challenges that must be resolved to integrate food growing more widely into cities and towns. It sets out the rationale for the collection and identifies remaining knowledge gaps rather than presenting new empirical results.
CommunityFood educationA Sentient Planet as a School; a School as a Community Garden: Toward Eco-Creative Think-Practicing
2024Mónica G. Rocha-Bravo, Polina Golovátina‐Mora · Qualitative Inquiry · Global
This article offers a diffractive reading of two practices — a curricular environmental education project in Colombian schools and walking through Colombian volcanic rainforest (selva) — to revisit theory as differential becoming, treating both the classroom and the process of academic writing as ecosystems. It frames living knowledge as co-created and emergent rather than purely practical or instrumental, and argues that decolonizing inquiry requires inner decolonization at the level of the person, the field and academia.
CommunityFood educationA systematic review of food-waste based hydroponic fertilisers
2024Oscar Wang, Rosalind Deaker, Floris van Ogtrop · Agricultural Systems · Global
A systematic review using the PRISMA protocol searched for literature on food-waste based hydroponic fertilisers (FWBHF), identifying 6,840 papers with search terms combining "food-waste," "hydroponic," "fertiliser" and "organic," narrowing to 308 papers by title and abstract relevance and ultimately including 37 papers in the final review. The review sought to identify major challenges limiting yield outcomes in food-waste based hydroponic systems, explore conventional and non-conventional improvements, and propose a standardized reporting framework for future research, framed against a backdrop of an estimated 931 million tonnes of food wasted globally in 2018.
CommunityOrganic cycleIntegrating Rooftop Agriculture and Atmospheric Water Harvesting for Water‐Food Production Based on Hygroscopic Manganese Complex
2024Shan He, Primož Poredoš, Hao Qü, Xinge Yang, Mengjuan Zhou, Lulu Bai, Jiadong Shi, Wenshuai Chen, R.Z. Wang, Swee Ching Tan · Advanced Functional Materials · Global
A composite adsorbent combining manganese(II)-ethanolamine complexes with a hierarchical, interconnected polypyrrole-doped matrix was developed to reduce vapor diffusion resistance, a key factor limiting scale-up kinetics, achieving water uptake of 2.54 g per gram at 90% relative humidity with 62% of the water released within 30 minutes, enabling multiple daily capture-release cycles. A hybrid desorption mode combining photovoltaic electrical heating and solar heating achieved stable, high-yield water production, and simulation and feasibility verification showed that an atmospheric-water-irrigated rooftop farm could produce 879.9 g of water per square meter of sorbent per day and 1.28 kg of food per square meter of device within 14 days, without human intervention and independent of external water inputs.
CommunityClimate changeIntroducing an integrative evaluation framework for assessing the sustainability of different types of urban agriculture
2024Henriette John, Martina Artmann · International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development · Germany
Based on a German case study, this paper introduces an integrative framework for evaluating the environmental, social and economic sustainability of urban agriculture, applying multi-criteria analysis via the Analytic Hierarchy Process combined with a participatory approach. Analyzing the examples of vertical farming and community-supported agriculture, the environmental dimension received the highest weight, followed by the social and then the economic dimension; among sub-criteria, species diversity received the highest weight and food quality and safety the lowest.
PolicyEconomicsCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceHALAL INDUSTRIAL PARK: INOVASI KAWASAN GREEN ECONOMY DALAM PEMBERDAYAAN INDUSTRI KECIL DAN MENENGAH
2024Nuryanti Nuryanti, Muhamad Bai’ul Hak, Adhitya Bagus Singandaru · Elastisitas - Jurnal Ekonomi Pembangunan · Indonesia
Using an integrated literature approach combining a literature review with a systematic review, this paper examines the innovations in Governor Regulation No. 6 of 2022, which sets out the Roadmap of the Halal Industrial Park in West Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia. It finds that the Roadmap functions as a clean, clearly defined green-economy location for scaling up and increasing the productivity of small and medium industries (SMI), that it secures a sustainable supply of raw materials for industry through integrated urban farming, that it guarantees SMI empowerment from the production process through market segmentation, and that it encourages SMIs to meet national and international product standards.
PolicyEconomicsCommunityEdukasi Pemanfaatan Pekarangan Dengan Budidaya Sayuran Di Lingkungan Panti Sosial Bina Remaja Harapan Bengkulu
2024Nanda Andini, Muhammad Fikry, Rahma Yunita, Bayu Dwi Prasetya Bahari, Muhammad Firmansyah Zukhruf · Jurnal Dehasen Mengabdi · Indonesia
This project delivered a participatory-learning education program teaching backyard vegetable cultivation at the Bina Remaja Harapan Social Shelter in Bengkulu, Indonesia -- a residence and learning center for children mostly abandoned by their parents -- where yard land, despite sufficient space, was not being optimally used. Using selected crops such as eggplant, mustard greens, spinach, water spinach, tomatoes and chilies, the program improved the shelter children's practical understanding of planting techniques, maintenance and the benefits of urban agriculture, and showed the crops could be produced at affordable cost.
CommunityFood educationWelfareUrban Farming Framework, Benefits for Neighbourhood Development And Urban Sustainability
2024Albin Mathew -, Sanu K Thekkath -, N Sneha · International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research · Global
This paper is a review that surveys various forms and definitions of urban farming and discusses its role in implementing circular economy strategies and strengthening urban food security. Drawing on case studies within institutions such as schools and Anganwadi centres, it argues that urban farming initiatives can promote sustainability, community engagement and equitable participation, that urban farming and neighbourhood development are interconnected in ways that support an inclusive society and sustainable urban design principles, and advocates positioning urban farming as central to urban planning.
CommunityPolicyClimate changeFood educationComputer Vision and Machine Learning-Based Predictive Analysis for Urban Agricultural Systems
2024Arturs Kempelis, Inese Poļaka, Andrejs Romānovs, Antons Patļins · Future Internet · Global
A study on microclimate monitoring for urban agriculture (region unspecified) evaluated convolutional neural networks (CNNs) forecasting relative air humidity, soil moisture, and light intensity sensor readings from thermal images. Forecasts for relative humidity and soil moisture achieved higher accuracy, with Mean Absolute Percentage Errors of 10-12%, attributed to their strong dependency on thermal patterns captured by the CNNs, while light intensity forecasting was less accurate due to more complex and variable urban factors. The authors acknowledge that implementing these technologies in urban agricultural models still poses challenges.
CommunityDigital agricultureA Means to an End? The Role of Technology in Growth and Post-growth Futures of Agrifood Work in a European Context
2024Constantine Manolchev, David Watson, Laura A. Colombo, Patrick Elf, James Scott Vandeventer · · United Kingdom
A chapter examines the role of technology across the European 'agrifood' system, an umbrella term for the agriculture, horticulture, food, and drink sectors. Placing the dysfunctional consequences of making economic growth the driver of food-system organization in historical context, it shows through a case study of a daffodil farm in South West England that when technology is deployed as an engine of efficiency, unbridled growth, and profit maximization, it vastly improves productivity through worker quantification—time, motion, and output tracking—while transforming worker-nature relationships in exploitative ways. By contrast, when used to prioritize non-exploitative, collaborative relationships, technology can support sustainable well-being and ecological production, illustrated through three alternative food network cases: a UK community garden, a UK Community Supported Agriculture scheme, and a network of social agricultural cooperatives in Italy.
Equity & displacementEconomicsPolicyCommunityAssessment of Urban Farming Production, and Contribution to the Households’ Livelihood: A Case of Kigali City and Musanze District
2024Gaspard Ntabakirabose, Maniriho Festus, Tuyisenge Jean Claude, Harold Ogwal, David Mwehia Mburu · International Journal of Environmental Protection and Policy · Africa
A study of smallholder vegetable- and fruit-growing households in Kigali City and Musanze District, Rwanda (Gasabo, Kicukiro, Nyarugenge and Musanze districts), used multistage purposive sampling on a population of 1,085 households, surveying 112 respondents. Of 14 factors examined, 10 positively influenced urban farming production and 4 influenced it negatively. Crops were grown in bags, baskets, hanging baskets, old tires, pallet gardens, open ground, trellises and window-box fences, doing well even in small plots enclosed within household compounds. Urban farming contributed to malnutrition control, household savings and food security, but was constrained by small plot sizes, limited farming knowledge and technology, crop maturation time, lack of capital, low awareness, housing arrangements and inadequate infrastructure.
EconomicsFood educationCommunityIdentifying opportunities for invasive species management: an empirical study of stakeholder perceptions and interest in invasive species
2024Matthias Winfried Kleespies, Dorian D. Dörge, Norbert Peter, Anna V. Schantz, Ajdin Skaljic, Viktoria Feucht, Anna Lena Burger-Schulz, Paul Wilhelm Dierkes, Sven Klimpel · Biological Invasions · Germany
Surveying more than 2,200 people across nine stakeholder groups in Germany involved with invasive species—hunters and hunting association members, farmers, environmental and conservation organization members, allotment garden club members, animal welfare supporters, divers, zoo employees, regulatory authority administrative staff, and speleologists—this study investigated how these groups perceive invasive species. The number of invasive animal and plant species in Germany was roughly correctly estimated across all groups, but the economic damage they cause was substantially underestimated. Species named were mostly conspicuous ones such as raccoons (Procyon lotor) or Impatiens glandulifera, and while all groups showed notable interest in invasive species and regarded them as an environmental issue, the study found a need for greater education about inconspicuous invasive species and the damage they cause.
CommunityBiodiversityPeri-urban agricultureUtilization of solar energy in hydroponic systems for enhancing energy independence in farming communities
2024Lorenta In Haryanto, Tri Yuni Hendrawati, Darto Darto, Febri Yani, Firgi Adha Listanto, Dimas Yoga Pradipta Pratama · Abdimas Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat Universitas Merdeka Malang · Indonesia
A community-service report on introducing solar-powered water pumps for hydroponic systems with the farmer group Hidroponik Generik (HG) in Pesanggrahan, Indonesia, from April to October 2024, including training and assistance in vertical hydroponic technology and solar power generation. An 800 Wp solar panel supplied 1,600 Wh daily, powering pumps for 12-13 hours and cutting electricity usage by 66%, reducing monthly expenses by 10%. Combined with the vertical hydroponic installation, farm income increased by 15%, and participants' understanding of solar technology improved by 45%.
Peri-urban agricultureEconomicsCommunityClimate changeAssessing the Growth Response of Gimakalmi (Ipomoea Aquatica) under Alternative Wetting and Drying (AWD) System as Influenced by Plant Growth Regulator (PGRs) Application in the Rooftop Garden
2024Khadezatul Kubra, Md. Rofekuggaman, Md. Habibullah Siddiki, Rebeka Sultana, Jakaria Chowdhury Onik, Md. Abubakar Siddik · Plant Science Archives · Global
A study at the rooftop garden of Habiganj Agricultural University, Bangladesh, examined the effect of combining alternate wetting and drying (AWD) irrigation with plant growth regulators (PGR, specifically gibberellin) on the growth of Gimakalmi (Ipomoea aquatica) during the Boro season (January-June 2024), in silt loam soil (pH 6.14, 2.25% organic matter, 0.12% total nitrogen). A randomized complete block design with four treatments and three replications compared a control (T0), 100% recommended fertilizer dose plus PGR (T1), PGR plus AWD (T2), and 100% recommended fertilizer dose plus PGR plus AWD (T3). At 21 days after sowing, leaf number was 3.83 in the control versus 7.50 in T3, and yield at the first harvest (21 days after sowing) was 5.68 t/ha in the control versus 11.51 t/ha in T3, with T3 consistently showing the highest leaf number, plant height and yield across all three harvests.
CommunityA review on urban farming: Potential, challenges and opportunities
2024Shu Hua Teoh, Gwo Rong Wong, Purabi Mazumdar · Innovations in Agriculture · Global
A review combining scientific literature analysis and interviews with urban farmers examined urban farming models including community, indoor, rooftop and vertical farms using techniques such as aeroponics, hydroponics and aquaponics. It found that sustainability and yield remain major challenges to fully realizing urban farming's potential, identifying limited land and water resources, pest and disease incidence, financial constraints on setup and maintenance, knowledge and skill gaps among participants, and a lack of effective collaboration between universities, government and industry as the key barriers.
Economic viabilityCommunityEconomicsPolicyGeneral Category
2024Nova Southeastern University · NSUWorks (Nova Southeastern University) · United States
A description of the "Get Well" Community Garden and Eat Well Project — the Community Health Intervention Program in Neighborhood Gardens (CHIPING) — in the United States. The project's stated aim is to determine whether providing community gardens in diverse low-income neighborhoods promotes health by increasing knowledge of healthier food choices and increasing access to foods rich in micronutrients.
CommunityHealthFood educationAnalyzing the Socio-Ecological System of Bees to Suggest Strategies for Green Space Planning to Promote Urban Beekeeping†
2024Hojun Choi, Min Kim, Jinhyung Chon · Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture · South Korea
A study structurally analyzed the socio-ecological system of honeybees, as pollinators, using systems thinking, in order to propose green space planning strategies to revitalize urban beekeeping. It analyzed the ecological structure of bees' foraging and pollination activities and the social-ecological structure of urban beekeeping through individual causal loop diagrams, then synthesized these into an integrated causal loop diagram. The resulting proposed strategies were citizen participation programs, local government investment, and the creation of urban parks and green spaces on idle land.
PollinatorsCommunityBiodiversityAfetividade pessoa-ambiente nas hortas comunitárias: promoção da saúde e da sustentabilidade
2024Eduardo Chierrito de Arruda, Gabriela Costa Alves, Catherine Menegaldi Silva, Barbara Macedo Soares de Araujo, Rute Grossi Milani · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Brazil
A study in Brazil used the Affective Map Generator Instrument to interview 40 community garden users aged 45 to 80 about their emotional experiences during gardening activities. Analysis of the images produced showed that experiences in these gardens were mediated by feelings of pleasantness, belonging and restoration, with connection to nature and social interaction as the most cited senses.
CommunityHealthFood educationWelfareAgricultura urbana conhecer para promover: um despertar no Território de Identidade do Vale do Jiquiriçá/BA
2024Adriana Martins da Silva Bastos Conceição, Márcia Bento Moreira, Hélder Ribeiro Freitas · Peer Review · Brazil
A study in the Território de Identidade do Vale do Jiquiriçá, Bahia, Brazil surveyed municipal agriculture-department professionals through an online questionnaire (stages I and III) and field research (stage II). Online questionnaires initially identified only 12 urban and peri-urban agriculture experiences, but field visits raised that count to 62 active experiences. Stage III data showed professionals lack understanding of the urban agriculture concept and its potential, and that the legal provisions regulating the practice need much wider dissemination for implementation; the data indicate that urban agriculture in the territory's municipalities goes largely unnoticed and is not addressed in public policy.
PolicyCommunityPeri-urban agricultureAnalyzing of Agrotourism Potential in Malang City
2024Karuniawan Puji Wicaksono, Setyono Yudo Tyasmoro, Akbar Saitama, Paramyta Nila Permatasari · International Journal of Environment Agriculture and Biotechnology · Indonesia
A study in Kedungkandang District, Malang City, Indonesia (May-September 2022) assessed agrotourism potential across four sub-districts using direct-observation survey and SWOT analysis, in an area with average temperatures of 22.7-25.1°C and humidity of 79-86%. Identified strengths included government-owned land available for agrotourism use, existing paddy-based agrotourism integrated with sheep farming and fisheries, a nearby Masked Village aerial-photography tourist site, multiple potential locations for agrotourism-based edutourism, and community enthusiasm. The study concludes that agrotourism development in Tlogowaru sub-district should be organized around two functions: lodging and trade, and agriculture, animal husbandry and fishery education.
CommunityEconomicsFood educationFood sovereignty & justiceSprouts Healthy Communities Foundation awards $4 million for health and wellness programs.
2024· Corporate Philanthropy Report · United States
The Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Sprouts Farmers Market in the United States, awarded $4 million to neighborhood elementary schools and local nonprofits through its annual grants program, funded partly by customer checkout round-up donations. Individual grants ranged from $5,000 to $10,000 across three categories: Sprouting School Gardens for school-based gardening programs, Growing Healthy Kids for community-based children's nutrition programs, and Wellness Across the Lifespan for adult health and wellness programs. The foundation has awarded more than $25 million in such grants since 2015.
Food educationHealthCommunityWelfare