Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
266 results(7 / 11)
The Work of Community Gardens: Reclaiming Place for Community in the City
2018Cumbers A., Shaw D., Crossan J., McMaster R. · Work, Employment and Society · United Kingdom
Using Glasgow community gardens as a case study, argues that gardening provides space for important forms of work that address social needs and advance community empowerment in deprived urban areas.
CommunityWelfareEconomicsCall for projects "Parisculteurs": catalyst for urban agriculture development on rooftops in Paris
2018Collé M., Daniel A.C., Aubry C. · Acta Horticulturae (International Symposium on Greener Cities for More Efficient Ecosystem Services in a Climate Changing World) · France (Paris)
Analysis of Paris's 'Parisculteurs' call-for-projects program based on 11-month participatory research, showing how the initiative catalyzed rooftop urban agriculture with over 48 projects on public and private buildings by 2018.
PolicyCommunityEconomicsDiversification in peri-urban agriculture: a case study in the Ruhr metropolitan region
2018· Journal of Land Use Science · Germany (Ruhr)
A case study of diversification strategies among peri-urban farms in Germany's Ruhr metropolitan region, documenting how urban proximity shapes multifunctional adaptation.
EconomicsPolicyReconciling economic viability and socio-ecological aspirations in London urban microfarms
2018· Agronomy for Sustainable Development · London, UK
Modeling 10 London urban microfarms, the study finds economic viability is achievable only by focusing on high-value leaf crops sold at high prices to restaurants while relying on volunteer labor and cheap council land, forcing trade-offs against their social-ecological aims.
EconomicsCommunityGlasgow in crescita: un community garden presso il Govan Graving Docks = Growing Glasgow: a community garden at the Govan Graving Docks
2018Villarino Hernandez, Diana Carolina · · United Kingdom (Glasgow)
This thesis proposes a redevelopment project for the Govan Graving Docks in Glasgow, Scotland. The project aims to make the port complex, abandoned since 1988, safer, more sustainable, and integrated with the existing urban environment by incorporating vertical farming and sustainable organic agriculture technologies. Vertical farming is positioned as a key element for developing new markets, shops, galleries, and a residential building.
CommunityOrganic cycleEconomicsPolicyCommercial Farms in Polish Metropolitan Areas: Changes in Production Factors
2018Tomasz Wojewodzic, Wojciech Sroka · Wieś i Rolnictwo · Poland
This study analyzed changes in production factors of 189 commercial farms in six Polish metropolitan areas from 2004 to 2016, using FADN data. Farms in inner metropolitan zones had larger average resources of land, labor, and capital in 2004, which largely equalized with outer zones by 2016, but remained larger than farms outside metropolitan areas. The largest percentage of farms reducing land, labor, and capital resources was in the inner zone, indicating barriers to development such as limited land supply and high labor opportunity cost.
EconomicsPeri-urban agriculturePolicyA PROBLEM-BASED APPROACH OF COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE WITHIN SHORT FOOD SUPPLY CHAINS BASED ON A WESTERN TRANSDANUBIAN SURVEY
2018Károly Kacz, Ádám Varga · Annals of the Polish Association of Agricultural and Agribusiness Economists · Europe
A survey in the Western Transdanubia region investigated major problems in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) within short food supply chains, involving farmer organizations and consumers. The analysis identified the insufficient market power of CSA organizations as the most influential factor. This finding suggests a significant constraint on the effectiveness of CSA models in the region.
Economic viabilityCSA & TeikeiEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceNew policies for the management of periurban agricultural spaces. The case of L’Horta de Valéncia (Spain)
2018J. L. Miralles i Garcia · International Journal of Design & Nature and Ecodynamics · Spain (Valencia)
The Law of L'Horta de València, approved on March 12, 2018, establishes new policies for managing the 23,000-hectare peri-urban agricultural area in Valencia, Spain. This law, developed over 20 years, aims to actively protect and revitalize the area's agricultural activity, which holds significant historical, environmental, economic, and social value. It introduces instruments such as a land bank, zoning, and a management council, moving beyond previous passive land-use controls to ensure the maintenance of agricultural activity compatible with its landscape and heritage.
PolicyPeri-urban agricultureEconomicsCommunitySolidarity: a Key Element in Alternative Food Networks
2018Laura Carlsona, Vera Bitsch, Carlsona, Laura, Bitsch, Vera · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · Germany
This study used a grounded theory approach to examine the importance of solidarity in four alternative food network (AFN) projects in former East Germany, including two community supported agriculture projects, one cooperative grocery, and one urban agriculture project. Data were collected through document analysis and participant observation. Results indicate that although solidarity is explicitly mentioned by actors and in official documents, its conception and implementation vary across initiatives, influenced by individuals, local conditions, and external institutions.
CommunityEconomicsCSA & TeikeiFood sovereignty & justiceDes jardins partagés dans les quartiers d'habitat social : un moyen de repenser les pratiques alimentaires ?
2018Nicole Darmon, Pauline Martin, Pascale Scheromm, Florence Ghestem, Paul Marchand, Jean-Noël Consalès, Darmon, Nicole, Martin, Pauline, Scheromm, Pascale, Ghestem, Florence, Marchand, Paul, Consalès, Jean-Noël · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · France
This multidisciplinary study in poor neighborhoods of Marseille, France, investigated whether community gardeners had a larger supply of healthy food, particularly fruits and vegetables, than non-gardeners. Among 21 women gardeners, only eleven harvested during the study month, with an average of 53 g of produce per household member per day. The study found that gardener households purchased significantly more fruit and vegetables (369 g/d per person) than non-gardener households (211 g/d per person), but this difference was due to purchases, not higher quantities produced.
CommunityHealthWelfareEconomicsUrban agriculture: a framework for agricultural policy – present and future
2018D. Cvijanović, Otilija Sedlak, Želјko Vojinović · Instytut Ekonomiki Rolnictwa i Gospodarki Zywnosciowej Panstwowy Instytut Badawczy eBooks · Poland
This monograph was prepared under the Multi-Annual Programme 2015-2019 "The Polish and the EU agricultures 2020+". It is a collection of selected papers delivered at the 22nd International Scientific Conference organized by the Institute of Agricultural and Food Economics - National Research Institute.
PolicyEconomicsUrban Agriculture: evaluating informal and formal practices
2018St Clair, Rebecca, Hardman, Michael, Adams, David, Armitage, Richard, Barry, Veronica, Larkham, Peter, Sherriff, Graeme · Research Explorer (The University of Manchester) · United Kingdom
This paper reviews the diversity of urban agriculture (UA) activities in England, from small-scale guerrilla gardening to large community projects. It suggests that UA is under-theorized, with previous research focusing on practicalities and activism. The paper highlights UA's problematic contribution to food production and warns of the 'local trap'.
Limited or null effectCommunityPolicyHealthEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceFood localization and agency
2018Lena Partzsch · · Germany (Freiburg)
This chapter examines agency and accountability in food localization projects in Freiburg, Germany, using two case studies: Regionalwert AG and Luzernenhof. Regionalwert AG defines agency through the market, while Luzernenhof, a CSA, relies on trust and charity. It was shown that while food localization is often portrayed as "best practice," it also implies decisions about alternatives, raising questions of agency and accountability.
Governance failureCSA & TeikeiEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityChanges in the sizes of agricultural areas and their agricultural and environmental functions within the territories of Cracow’s Mogiła and Wyciąże neighbourhoods
2018Piotr Krzyk, Bogusława Kwoczyńska · Problemy Drobnych Gospodarstw Rolnych / Problems of Small Agricultural Holdings · Poland (Cracow)
This study quantitatively assessed the conversion of agricultural land to investment purposes in Cracow's Mogiła and Wyciąże neighborhoods from 2010-2013, based on local plans. It also addressed soil quality, heavy metal content, and pH. Analysis of spatial management plans for these areas indicated a systematic decline in the share of biologically active areas.
Contamination & food safetyPeri-urban agriculturePolicyClimate changeEconomicsHealthUrban sustainability experiments in their socio-economic milieux: A quantitative approach
2018Irene Håkansson · Journal of Cleaner Production · United Kingdom (London)
A quantitative study using data from nearly two thousand urban agriculture projects across metropolitan London investigated the geographically uneven distribution of urban sustainability experiments. Spatial statistical analyses indicated that gentrifying and income-deprived neighborhoods disproportionately often provide distinct urban milieux for initiatives to emerge, while already gentrified or otherwise advantaged urban neighborhoods have a disproportionately low number of projects.
Equity & displacementCommunityEconomicsPolicyComparative study on the motivations that drive urban community gardens in Central Eastern Europe
2018Nikola M. Trendov · Annals of Agrarian Science · Europe
This paper aims to compare existing practices of urban gardening in the Central and Eastern European region and investigate their opportunities and limitations. Five capital cities (Budapest, Bratislava, Prague, Warsaw, and Zagreb) were chosen for this research with a benchmark method to analyze the aims, main motivations, and end-user beneficiaries of urban gardens.
CommunityPolicyEconomicsProduction for consumption: Prosumer, citizen‐consumer, and ethical consumption in a postgrowth context
2018Elisabeth Kosnik · Economic Anthropology · Europe
This article investigates self-provisioning practices and diverse economies, drawing on ethnographic research of lifestyle subsistence farmers in central Europe and New Zealand. It uses Alvin Toffler's "prosumer" concept to explore the meaning of production for consumption in relation to discourses on ethical consumption, social distinction, and the "citizen-consumer" within a postgrowth society.
DIYCSA & TeikeiCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsUrban Farming – The Ecological, Spatial and Social Factors of Urban Landscape Transformation
2018Paweł Szumigała, Karolina Szumigała · Economic and Regional Studies / Studia Ekonomiczne i Regionalne · Europe
This study analyzed the influence of urban farming and urban gardens in selected cities in North America and Europe on urban landscapes through a case study. Urban farming is gaining popularity, with dozens of diverse urban gardens existing in Poland. It was shown that these gardens satisfy the aesthetic, scenic, ecological, social, and economic needs of small communities, enriching the urban landscape with new, seasonally changeable enclaves of utility and aesthetic greenery.
CommunityBiodiversityEconomicsPolicyWie weit reicht die transformative Kraft der urbanen Ernährungsbewegung?
2018Cordula Kropp, Sven Stinner · Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Münster · Germany
The urban food movement aims to bring food production back to cities through initiatives like urban gardening and CSA, creating new economic relationships and sustainable food supply locations. This study explored the motives of founders and participants, examining how projects develop and disseminate innovative practices, participatory organization, and sustainability-oriented models. It found that while the movement generates productive internal tensions for socially just development and innovation-promoting external frictions to existing supply understandings, its penetration of the food system remains limited compared to conventional food trade.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicyRevisiting the Sustainability Concept of Urban Food Production from a Stakeholders’ Perspective
2018Esther Sanyé‐Mengual, Francesco Orsini, Giorgio Gianquinto · Sustainability · Italy (Bologna)
This paper evaluates the concept of Urban Food Production (UFP) sustainability from stakeholders' perspectives in Bologna, Italy, through two workshops using mind-mapping. The bottom-up approach revealed a comprehensive vision of sustainable UFP, identifying relevant elements and key aspects for its development and policy-making. The study also highlighted priorities, synergies, and trade-offs among sustainability dimensions, suggesting UFP can serve as a local tool for democracy and equity.
CommunityPolicyEconomicsClimate changeThe landscapes of professional farms in mid‐sized cities, France
2018Pascale Scheromm, Christophe‐Toussaint Soulard · Geographical Research · France
This paper provides a spatial analysis of agriculture in three mid-sized French cities, focusing on professional farms. It confirms the existence of significant agricultural spaces within cities and the persistence of field-based, market-oriented agriculture. Key determinants in the observed dynamics include the cities' geographies, the impact of land speculation and urbanization on farmers, and the resistance and adaptation processes implemented by some farmers.
Economic viabilityEconomicsUrban–rural linkagePolicyMarcos temáticos y multifuncionalidades de los huertos comunitarios en el área urbana de A Coruña (Galicia): un estudio de caso
2018Juan Soriano-Baeza, Raimundo Otero-Enríquez, Estefanía Calo · Semata: Ciencias sociais e humanidades · Spain
This study conducted a quantitative sociological investigation in three community gardens on the periphery of A Coruña, Galicia, Spain. The research aimed to theoretically define the concept of urban community gardens and to extrapolate data and reflections on their multifunctionality and the motivations supporting their production to the Galician territorial context.
CommunityPolicyEconomicsMotivation and background of participants and providers of self-harvest gardens in Germany
2018Martin Gauder, Heinrich Hagel, Nadine Gollmann, Joachim Stängle, Reiner Doluschitz, Wilhelm Claupein · Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems · Germany
A 2015 survey of 173 participants and 34 providers of self-harvest gardens in Germany aimed to characterize individuals engaged in this form of urban agriculture. Participants generally exhibited middle to high incomes, sustainable lifestyles, high education levels, and strong nutritional awareness, with a disproportionate engagement of females. Providers were primarily farmers with an affinity for organic agriculture, often benefiting from synergistic effects with farm shops. Challenges identified for some gardens included bad harvests, theft, and vandalism.
CommunityEconomicsHealthProtection of a place?
2018Birgit Peuker · · Germany
This chapter discusses whether community supported agriculture (CSA) constitutes a real alternative to the conventional food system. From the perspective of social movement research, CSA is viewed not as a niche that will replace the agri-food system in the future, but rather as a space for learning and expressing sustainability. The analysis is based on experiences with CSA in Germany and includes comparisons with developments in other European countries.
CSA & TeikeiFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityEconomicsThe creation of a sustainable urban “green oasis” A qualitative study of the discursive making of an ecological social enterprise
2018S. Parsisson · · Netherlands (Rotterdam)
This study investigated how urban farmers at Rotterdamse Munt, an urban herb garden in Rotterdam, Netherlands, discursively negotiate their status as a 'social enterprise' using ethnographic fieldwork and a semiotic approach. The research found that Rotterdamse Munt has not fully transformed into a sustainable ecological social enterprise. Instead, urban farmers constantly negotiated between altruistic and commercial approaches, failing to fully achieve both, which obliged them to combine two contrasting identities through dual visual identity, services, and products to reach two different populations.
CommunityEconomicsPolicy