Research & reports

Elda Míriam Aldasoro Maya, Ulises Rodríguez‐Robles, María Luisa Martínez Gutiérrez, Guelmy Anilú Chan Mutul, Teresita Avilez López, Helda Morales, Bruce G. Ferguson, Jorge Mérida‐Rivas · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · Mexico (Tabasco)

Meliponiculture, or stingless bee breeding, in Mesoamerica serves as an effective tool for agroecological education, scaling, and pollinator conservation. In Tabasco, Mexico, activities included documenting contemporary knowledges, community agroecological workshops, guided visits to an institutional meliponary, and promoting school gardens, utilizing "knowledge dialogues" as a methodological approach. The study identified characteristics of stingless bees and their cultivation, such as their ecological and cultural importance, role as pollinators, association with community values, and productive potential, making them excellent mediators for biocultural conservation and agroecological education.

Ricardo Toledo Neder, Lívia Cristina Barros da Silva Wiesinieksi, Emilene Eustachio, Iasmin de Sousa Jaime, Simone Parrela Tostes, Rafael Oliveira dos Reis · LaSUS FAU eBooks · Brazil

This book presents the fundamentals and basis of a multi-professional course in Science, Technology, and Society (CTS) residency, offered in Brazil in 2021. The course features a pedagogical practice integrating research, teaching, and extension, addressing themes of Habitat, Agroecology, Health, and Associated Work. It involved 15 master's and doctoral students and over 50 individuals from social movements, professionals, and government technicians, discussing topics such as solidarity technology, sociotechnical adequacy, and solidarity economy.

Lianna Gomori-Ruben, Chantal D. Reid · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United States

This study examined women farming in the United States to analyze if their practices align with agroecology, using the FAO’s 10 Elements of Agroecology and the TAPE tool. A mixed-methods case study design collected web-based survey and interview data from 87 participants. Participating women farmers tended to lead agroecological farming projects that provide direct nutritional, environmental, educational, and social services to their communities, aligning with FAO elements. Farm size and region were significant in the prevalence of agroecological practices; farms of 50–100 acres were most likely to integrate animals, and farms in the Southeast were most likely to identify with conventional agricultural practices.

Dilafruz R. Williams · · United States (Portland)

This chapter describes how courses at Portland State University have integrated sustainability themes to engage students with marginalized communities affected by ecological injustices. The 10-acre Learning Gardens Laboratory provides hands-on experiences in food cultivation, nutrition, and composting, fostering garden-based education as a means to address ecological and human oppression.

Eri Saikawa, Erin Lebow-Skelley, Rosario Hernandez, Faith Flack-Walker, Leann Bing, Candis M. Hunter · Journal of Public Health Management and Practice · United States (Atlanta)

In Atlanta, Georgia, in-person and virtual Soil Screening, Health, Outreach and Partnerships (soilSHOPs) were implemented through a community-engaged partnership to screen soils for lead. These soilSHOPs informed best practices for increasing awareness about lead exposure and led the US Environmental Protection Agency to identify a Superfund site, confirming soil lead contamination.

Márcia Emília Moreira De Luca, Carlos Alfredo Franco Cardoso, Gabriel Schwambach Del Piero, Vinícius Feitoza Xavier · Revista da Jopic. · Brazil (Teresópolis)

This study implemented community medicinal gardens in two Basic Health Units and a nursing home in Teresópolis, Brazil, to promote health education and raise awareness about the risks of improper medicinal plant use. Five plants with therapeutic benefits were chosen, and seedlings were offered to patients alongside discussion groups. This initiative aimed to provide information on basic health, facilitate access to plants, reduce medication costs, and indirectly increase family income.

Patricia Mehner-Karam, C. Gutiérrez, Juan M. Casillas Pintor, Miranda Ori-Orlansino, D A Perez-DeLaMora, Mariana Ruiz-Morales, E. G. Hernández-Martínez · Journal of Advanced Agricultural Technologies · Mexico (Mexico City)

This study achieved the design and implementation of a raised bed urban garden to be tested in western neighborhoods of Mexico City. The project comprised four stages: design and development of the prototype garden, selection of a vegetable palette to promote immunonutrition, production of educational materials for planting and care, and validation. Urban gardens offering diverse plant species easy to grow in urban microclimates promote a sustainable culture by leveraging new technologies and virtual education, which help ensure their use and permanence.

Bezamat de Souza Neto, Anderson Luiz Duarte · OBSERVATÓRIO DE LA ECONOMÍA LATINOAMERICANA · Brazil (São João del-Rei)

This article aims to examine the intervention potential of urban agriculture in the physical and symbolic construction of city space. It is based on the premise that urban community gardens constitute an educommunicative ecosystem that, through collective cooperation, promotes transformations in urban space. To this end, theoretical discussions on urbanity, especially in a postmodern context, and urban agriculture are compared with the specificities of the Vida Verde community garden, located in the Senhor dos Montes neighborhood on the periphery of São João del-Rei (MG).

Anthony Silva Ferraz, Raick Silva Sousa, Maria Cristina da Silva de Carvalho, Valter dos Santos Mendonça Neto, Carlos Costa Cardoso · Revista Eletrônica Multidisciplinar de Investigação Científica · Brazil

This study presents the development of a mobile application providing information on seedlings cultivated and made available by the Municipal Nursery of Açailândia, Maranhão, Brazil. The software was built using the Kodular tool, and seedling information was extracted from a survey conducted at the nursery and complemented with data from specialized websites. Evaluations were conducted with 52 people aged 12 to 27 who installed and tested the application, with results showing good public acceptance regarding the software's utility and applications.

Joey Martin · DigitalCommons - CalPoly (California State Polytechnic University) · United States (California)

At City Farm SLO in California, a project was undertaken to upgrade a well pump enclosure and install a custom gate due to a lack of security for their well pump system. The project involved enlarging the enclosure, replacing posts, installing new fencing, and fabricating a custom steel gate with a padlock-compatible latch. Construction was completed in three workdays, providing the farm with a lockable enclosure to prevent trespassing, and the client was satisfied.

Andrew Jones, Joel Hockin, Max Longhurst · The Science Teacher · United States

This abstract does not describe specific research content or findings regarding rooftop garden ecosystems. Instead, it only provides information about the affiliations and roles of the authors: Andrew Jones, Joel Hockin, and Max Longhurst.

Tina McIntyre, Rachel Gutner, Hamutahl Cohen, Tiare Saracino, Esen Momol · EDIS · United States (Florida)

This 8-page publication from the UF/IFAS Environmental Horticulture Department defines common pests for home gardeners and advocates for diversifying landscapes to manage them. It introduces the "triangle" of Integrated Pest Management (IPM), providing examples of multi-method tools applicable in home settings for pest control.

Loyane Ferreira da Matta, Monique Cleia de Pontes Bandeira CARVALHO, Josué Rodrigues Gomes, Juliana do Nascimento Chagas Pessanha, Érika Eberlline Pacheco dos Santos · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Brazil (Campos dos Goytacazes)

A pedagogical garden project was implemented at Escola Municipal Santa Terezinha in Campos dos Goytacazes, Brazil, to teach the importance of agroecology, the environment, and healthy eating. The project involved weekly activities where students participated in workshops, courses, meetings, study groups, and garden construction, based on a bibliographic survey of pedagogical gardens, agroecology, and urban agriculture.

East Tennessee State University University Marketing and Communication · Digital Commons - East Tennessee State University (East Tennessee State University) · United States

ETSU Health's Johnson City Community Health Center in Johnson City, USA, has relaunched its community garden. Volunteers are active on the third Saturday of every month from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and are also encouraged to harvest and tend the garden outside these hours. The garden provides access to fresh, healthy, and free produce, and was relaunched with community support.

Robson Andrade de Jesus, Maria José Nascimento Soares, Jailton de Jesus Costa, André Vinícius Bezerra de Andrade Silva · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Brazil

A study analysing the interdisciplinary educational practice of the "Organic Garden" project at the Colégio de Aplicação of the Universidade Federal de Sergipe, Brazil, implemented between 2015 and 2019. Using a qualitative approach based on Bardin's (2011) method, the study drew on testimonials from basic-education students, higher-education students, teachers, and administrative technicians. The results showed that while the project achieved integration across disciplines, more attention is needed to fostering appreciation of nature and encouraging biodiversity conservation within its limits.

Catherine Hughes · · Canada

This article reports on integrating outdoor education, including school gardens, into the Ontario kindergarten program in Canada. Written by a practicing kindergarten teacher based on a year of taking students outside daily, it describes the process of establishing nine gardens and activities such as composting and tree planting. The initiative is reported to have led to attainment of platinum eco-school certification, and the article advocates a return to Friedrich Froebel's concept of the "children's garden."

Tina McIntyre, Hamutahl Cohen, Rachel Gutner, Tiare Saracino, Esen Momol · EDIS · United States (Florida)

This is a five-page extension publication from the UF/IFAS Environmental Horticulture Department that provides a decision tree to help edible-landscape gardeners decide how to respond to wildlife in their growing areas. It states that while wild animals can damage crops, this need not require conflict, and aims to help gardeners become more accepting of wildlife species present in their managed area and coexist with them.

Emmanuel Roux, David Himmelgreen · Futurum Careers · United States (Florida)

Well-being is closely tied to the food we eat and the places where it is grown; healthy soils produce nutrient-dense food that supports physical and mental health. For city residents, finding fresh, good-quality local food can be difficult. At 15th Street Farm in Florida, United States, Emmanuel Roux and Professor David Himmelgreen run an education project helping local families learn about their local food systems and make healthier food choices (2023).

Heather Kirk-Ballard, Kristine M. Lang, Esther McGinnis, Kerry Smith, Lucy Bradley · HortTechnology · United States

The 2021 Extension Master Gardener (EMG) National Summary reported an estimated 84,700 volunteers across the United States, who helped communities grow food, supported physical and mental health activities, worked on environmental projects, and together contributed 3.1 million hours of education worth $88 million to the public. The COVID-19 pandemic created challenges for the program, prompting many states to reduce requirements and increase flexibility for volunteers; a 2022 ASHS conference workshop shared strategies from three Extension educators and EMG coordinators on engaging volunteers in local food systems and community gardens despite limited in-person contact.

Mary Leou, Tania Goicoechea, Bethany Kogut · Catholic education/Catholic education (Dayton, Ohio. Online) · United States (New York City)

A report on "Bees Alive!", a civic ecology program run over three years by the NYU Wallerstein Collaborative for Urban Environmental Education & Sustainability in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, New York. A university, public schools, non-profit organizations and the Lentol Garden community garden collaborated to establish a native-plant pollinator garden, funded by EPA Region 2, using place-based education and experiential learning theory to create an outdoor classroom that supports wildlife and teaches the public about pollinators.

Stacy M. Philpott, Azucena Lucatero, Sofie Andrade, Cameron R. Hernandez, Peter Bichier · Insects · United States (California)

This study examined how native plant species richness, garden management, and landscape composition affect the abundance and richness of native and non-native bees, ladybeetles, ants, and ground-foraging spiders in urban community gardens (urban agroecosystems) in California, United States. Native plants — about 10% of species but only about 2.5% of plant cover — had little influence on arthropods overall, with the only significant effect being a negative one on non-native spider richness, likely reflecting native plants' low cover. Garden size increased native and non-native bee abundance and richness and non-native spider richness; floral abundance increased non-native spider abundance and native and non-native spider richness; mulch cover and tree/shrub abundance increased non-native spider richness; and natural habitat cover increased non-native bee and native ant abundance but was associated with fewer native ladybeetle species. The study concludes that native plant richness does not strongly influence the abundance and richness of beneficial arthropods.

Nataliya Apanovich, Seth Asare Okyere, Stephen Leonard Mensah, Louis Kusi Frimpong · Societal Impacts · United States

This study examined societal benefits gained by university students participating in community-based learning through the University of Arizona Community Garden (UACG) in Tucson, Arizona, using interviews, participant observation and student activities. Findings showed the community garden provided psychosocial benefits, including social interaction and connection with nature, for the participating students.

Alexis R. Cole, Jennifer Pethan, Jason Evans · Nutrients · United States

An integrative review examines the potential role of teaching kitchens operated in collaboration with local agriculture — including farms, community gardens, vertical farms, and urban agriculture — against the backdrop of diet-related chronic disease in the United States. The paper reviews the current state of agricultural systems, the food-is-medicine concept, consumer behavior, and the roles of each sector, followed by case studies illustrating how gaps between teaching kitchens and agriculture programs have been addressed. It summarizes opportunities for combining teaching-kitchen and agriculture-program knowledge and resources, along with challenges that may arise.

Leonor Ángeles Hernández, Mónica Leticia Acosta Miranda, Julio Pérez Machorro, Daniel Domínguez Estudillo, Leidys Fernández Arias · IPSUMTEC. · Mexico

A project in the eastern Morelos region of Mexico designs and builds urban/family gardens supported by Internet of Things (IoT) technology, primarily targeting small-scale farmers, homemakers, families, and older adults, aiming to let users remotely monitor gardens via mobile device or computer and reduce the time spent on routine care. The project is still under development, building prototype gardens of varying sizes and crops equipped with organic nutrients and an automated irrigation and monitoring system.

Wells N., Myers B., Henderson C. · Preventive Medicine Reports (Elsevier) · United States

A two-year randomized controlled trial assigning 46 low-income elementary schools in Arkansas, Iowa, New York and Washington to school gardens with curriculum or a waitlist control. Children in the intervention increased fruit and low-fat vegetable consumption more than controls, supporting the effectiveness of school garden programs.