Research & reports

Nahide AYDIN MARAL, Pınar AYDIN ÇAYCIOĞLU, Hasan MARAL · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Global

This conceptual paper proposes a framework for using medicinal and aromatic plants in preschool education, arguing that their volatile compounds add olfactory stimulation to visual and tactile input and may support attention, emotional memory and environmental awareness given the link between the olfactory and limbic systems. It recommends selecting non-toxic, low-allergenic species for school gardens or mini plant areas, growing annual aromatic species from seed so children can observe life cycles, using observation, description and drawing activities, and controlling the duration and intensity of exposure. No empirical data are reported.

Rattan Lal · · Global

A book chapter addresses rising food and nutritional insecurity from rapid urbanization in Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and elsewhere, noting that 55% of the world population currently lives in cities, projected to reach 70% by 2050. It states that as much as 10-20% of food consumed could be grown within city limits, but that careful planning is needed to reduce risks from soil contamination, plastic pollution, and reuse of grey/black water and city-waste compost. It identifies rooftop gardens, multistory glass buildings, and soil-less methods such as aquaculture, hydroponics and aeroponics as modern forms of urban agriculture, and discusses barriers including land tenure and research priorities for scaling up.

Crystal Victoria Olin · Journal of urban regeneration and renewal · New Zealand

A paper examines Wellington, the capital of Aotearoa New Zealand, and its Town Belt, a green belt paradigmatic of 19th-century planning ideals that has shaped the city's urban form. It argues that this enduring ring of public green space can mask significant gaps in equitable, everyday access to green space within the compact urban area it encircles, with steep terrain and peripheral location limiting everyday use for residents who are less affluent or mobile. It also notes that the city's colonial history has obscured Māori sites of significance, including historic streams — such as Waimapihi — that once flowed from the area now known as the Town Belt but have since been piped and diverted underground. The paper discusses the Town Belt's colonial legacies and Waimapihi to illustrate the limits of protection at the margins and of symbolic recognition within the core, and considers two emerging responses at public housing sites — an Indigenous-led community garden and the planned Frederick Street Park — as responses to the need to retrofit existing spaces in densifying centres and improve accessibility, quality and everyday use. It situates Wellington within debates on shifting from green belts to connected green and blue infrastructure networks, arguing that edge protection must be complemented by sustained, equitable and culturally informed investment integrating natural and built environments to support accessibility, resilience and quality of urban living.

Daniel Etim Jacob, Imaobong Daniel Jacob, Koko Sunday Daniel, Pius Agaji Oko · Sustainable Food Connect · Global

A paper arguing that recreational planning in the Global South is constrained by Western models prioritizing ornamental aesthetics over local socio-ecological crises, producing metabolically inefficient and exclusionary landscapes, and proposing an "Agro-Blue Commons" (ABC) framework integrating food production, sustainable water management and communal leisure. The framework was tested through a qualitative meta-synthesis of four prototype cases in Lagos, Mumbai, Rajasthan and Nairobi, purposively sampled to represent diverse biomes and climate-vulnerable informal settlement types, evaluated with a Multi-Criteria Assessment focused on metabolic circularity, governance polycentricity and socio-spatial accessibility. Results show that integrating food, water and leisure together with polycentric stewardship increases urban resilience and reduces resource dependency, while the paper states that systemic change requires addressing institutional inertia and insecure land tenure to prevent speculative displacement of marginalized communities.

Patrick Sobotka · reposiTUm (TU Wien) · Austria

Set against growing urban populations, housing shortages, and ecological and social challenges, this TU Wien thesis is a design study exploring housing that supports urban agriculture through integrated vertical farming. Its aim was to develop a hybrid housing concept combining sustainable timber construction with vertical farming, using a modular timber structure intended to offer ecological benefits, short construction times, and the ability to add stories later without sealing new land. The project centers on compact apartments for young adults, students, and couples, drawing on literature review of sustainability, timber construction and vertical farming, plus analysis of selected reference projects, to produce a design concept. No quantitative evaluation results are reported.

Eduardo Antonio CastroNemocon · Institutional Repository of the National University Open and Distance UNAD (Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia) · Colombia (Bogotá)

Focused on the UPZ 96 Lourdes area of the Santa Fe Tercera locality in Bogota, Colombia, this paper reports on an initiative that treats urban agriculture as a tool for building sustainable food systems. From an environmental standpoint, it advances a process of training and knowledge exchange using an agroecological approach in private spaces, generating self-supply and self-consumption of agricultural products and using household spaces to plant and harvest organic food free of fungicides that compromise food safety, aiming to prevent declines in quality of life and health problems for consumers. Drawing on a political ecology perspective, the initiative seeks policy directions and direct social action to improve the quality of food consumed in daily diets, prioritizing responsible environmental management and the practice and production of organic agricultural food in urban spaces — promoting healthy eating habits while culturally preserving knowledge exchange and ancestral planting, harvesting and consumption practices in a country whose historical character has been agricultural, and aiming to guarantee food sovereignty.

Kelly Johanna Molano Betin, Leo Danny Valencia Pinto · Ibero Ciencias - Revista Científica y Académica - ISSN 3072-7197 · Colombia

A mixed-methods, non-experimental descriptive study tested a school-based agroecology pedagogical strategy to strengthen food security at Institución Educativa Técnico General José Joaquín García, Sede 10 Peñolcitos, in Casabianca, Tolima, Colombia. Following a quantitative diagnostic questionnaire, a teaching sequence combining conceptual training, an agroecological school garden, and a healthy cooking workshop was implemented; students showed favorable preconceptions about agroecology, food security, and the garden but specific gaps in understanding its full scope beyond production, and the training activities narrowed those gaps.

Melissa Caballes, Jose Mari S. Uy · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Philippines

At Quezon City University in the Philippines, researchers surveyed 250 entrepreneurship students selected through stratified random sampling, using a structured Google Form questionnaire, to investigate urban farming as a tool for cultivating innovation among students. The study concluded that embedding urban farming into entrepreneurship education provides a holistic framework for skill development while promoting environmental awareness, and recommended that academic institutions integrate urban farming into their curricula and build partnerships with community stakeholders.

Sasha Gillies-Lekakis, Heidi Zogbaum · International Journal of Cuban Studies · Cuba

Cuban historiography is typically divided into pre-1959 and post-1959 periods, but land-use practices show continuity across both. Two hundred years of export-oriented sugar planting left Cuba dependent on food imports, first from the United States and later the Soviet Union. After 1991, Cuba had to find ways to feed itself on land depleted by two centuries of monoculture. The introduction of permaculture — first developed in Australia and suited to urban agriculture — helped Cubans address some of these food supply problems, making Cuba a world leader in permaculture practice.

Norlina Muhammad, Zanariah Kadir, Ismi Arif Ismail, Mohd Mursyid Arshad, Ahmad Aizuddin Md Rami · Pertanika Journal of professional Development and Continuing Education · Malaysia

This qualitative case study examines how employee competencies and organizational support shaped training transfer in the Sustainable Green Neighbourhood Garden Programme run by the Majlis Bandaraya Pasir Gudang (MBPG) local authority in Malaysia. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six purposively selected employees across departments who participated directly in the three-month program, with data analyzed thematically. Well-structured program design, effective facilitation by agricultural and landscape officers, and organizational coordination supported learning transfer; participants reported gains in technical skills (planting, soil and fertilizer management), self-discipline, teamwork, confidence, motivation, and work attitude, along with strengthened interdepartmental collaboration and reduced work-related stress.

Nur Choiro Siregar · Acceleration · Malaysia

Using a qualitative literature review of 24 scientific journal articles, this study examines the role of urban farming in strengthening family food resilience in Malaysia by integrating Islamic values, guided by Islamic principles and prior empirical findings. It reports that incorporating Islamic values into urban farming — aligned with concepts such as khalifah fil ard (stewardship), ishlah (improvement), and tawazun (balance) — is associated with greater fresh food availability, reduced household expenses, and increased environmental awareness. It notes that limited urban land availability drives reliance on imported food, and that limited technical knowledge further constrains effective use of small household spaces for urban farming.

Ligia Tobar, César Augusto Gutiérrez, Leidy Yurani Villa García, Jonathan S. Pelegrin · Applied Environmental Education & Communication · Colombia

This study examined how a school garden in Vijes, Colombia, functions as a habitat for pollinators and a space for experiential education. Primary school students recorded 208 floral visits across four plots (ornamental, medicinal, fruit, and crop) over three weeks of limited observation time. Visiting activity was dominated by the stingless bee Tetragonisca angustula (49%) and the honeybee Apis mellifera (36%). Pollinators mainly visited the ornamental plot, particularly Zinnia peruviana, and Cucurbita maxima in the crop plot. Participation in the monitoring fostered ecological awareness, teamwork, and appreciation of biodiversity among the students.

Rabia Admin, Malka Shahzadi, Malika Shahzadi, Muhammed Faisal Rasheed · Social Sciences Spectrum · Pakistan

This study examines women's involvement and empowerment in agricultural activities in Lahore Cantonment, Punjab, Pakistan, based on data from 118 women engaged in agriculture, analyzed using mixed methods including descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, correlation, and multiple regression. The results show that while participation rates among women are high, women are not yet empowered, owing to existing socio-cultural and resource-based obstacles. Significant associations were found between land ownership and women's decision-making, between education and participation, and between access to credit and extension services and involvement in agricultural activities; the correlation matrix showed positive relationships among key variables, and regression analysis identified land ownership, education, and access to credit as significant predictors of women's empowerment. The paper states that changes to law, access to resources, and social support are needed to improve women's agency in peri-urban agriculture, and proposes policy measures including land rights reform, targeted educational initiatives, and improved access to resources.

Lauren Strumos, L. G. Beaman · Journal for the Academic Study of Religion · Global

Drawing on interviews with 134 community garden members across eight countries, this article examines how individuals, both religious and nonreligious, understand and enact moral relationships with other terrestrial beings at their community gardens. It frames the community garden as a place constituted by human and more-than-human relationships, showing how people make sense of the world from where they are situated, with or without reference to religion or spirituality. Gardeners' relationships are organized into three experiential modes — gardens as places of connection, as places of control and human intervention, and as places of world-repairing or mending the Earth — which are not mutually exclusive and span the diverse lifestances of individual gardeners.

Ruma Chowdhury · Asian Journal of Advances in Agricultural Research · Bangladesh

A survey of urban agriculture in three Thanas (administrative wards) of Dhaka, Bangladesh — Bashabo, Gulshan, and Pallabi — examined the location, patterns, and processes of the practice. The survey found various types of urban agriculture in Dhaka, including vegetable gardens, ornamental plants, floriculture, pigeon and bird keeping, and dairy and goat farming. For most people it was found to be a hobby motivated by the aesthetic appeal it brings to houses and surroundings, with some residents growing fresh, chemical-free vegetables and fruit in their backyards. The city's agro-climatic conditions were described as well suited to flowers and foliage plants, floriculture was characterized as a new industry in Bangladesh, and dairy farming was reported to be common across every ward amid rising demand for milk.

Esther Reyna Molina, María Xóchitl Astudillo Miller, Yanik I. Maldonado-Astudillo, Ricardo Salazar · Discover Sustainability · Global

A systematic review using PRISMA 2020 methodology examined social innovation and sustainable entrepreneurship practices in the agri-food sector as responses to socio-environmental resilience challenges facing small-scale rural producers and local food systems. It characterized these practices, evaluated their impacts across sustainability dimensions, and identified success factors and barriers. Studies on social innovation predominated over those on sustainable entrepreneurship, with experiences distributed across Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas. The initiatives analyzed included social agriculture, community gardens, inclusive agribusiness models, women's cooperatives and regenerative agroecological projects, with overall positive effects reported for social inclusion, community empowerment, market access, income diversification and improved environmental practices. Facilitating factors included cross-sector collaborative governance, local leadership and the capacity to combine heterogeneous resources; barriers included poorly adapted regulatory frameworks, dependency on external funding, and tensions between economic and socio-environmental objectives. The review concludes that hybrid practices combining social innovation and sustainable entrepreneurship contribute significantly to rural producers' socio-environmental resilience when embedded in favorable institutional environments and supported by public policy and legal frameworks.

Quinton J, Nesbitt L, Connolly JJT, Wyly E · Urban Studies · カナダ（バンクーバー・カルガリー）

Green gentrification describes how greening a neighbourhood — with parks, community gardens and the like — can draw in higher-income households and displace or exclude marginalised residents; the authors note this has rarely been tested empirically, and that the literature has focused almost exclusively on urban neighbourhoods even though the desire for green space is often cited as a reason households move to suburbs. Surveying 104 households in gentrified downtown Vancouver and suburban Calgary new-build neighbourhoods, the study finds green factors were of similar importance to non-green factors such as safety, scenic views and ambience (and, in Vancouver, proximity to entertainment and transit). Proximity to green space mattered more than overall neighbourhood greenness, and private green space mattered more in the suburbs. Greening, in other words, is not the sole driver, and green-gentrification research needs to widen its geography beyond dense city environments.

Burton M, Margerison C, Nanayakkara J, Worsley A, Booth A · BMC Nutrition · オーストラリア（全国調査＋ビクトリア州）

School gardens are an effective strategy for food literacy and for promoting healthy eating and environmental health, yet inadequate funding, time and training stop many schools implementing or properly using one. This mixed-methods study surveyed 111 Australian primary school staff online and interviewed 13 Victorian primary teachers. Ninety per cent of respondents worked at a school with a food garden, but how well it was used varied widely. Responsibility for managing and maintaining the garden fell mainly on students and classroom teachers, with some schools relying heavily on volunteers. Healthy eating and environmental sustainability were the usual focus, and gardens also taught life and social skills — but many teachers reported the garden was poorly integrated into the curriculum. Time and funding were the most commonly reported barriers, though many schools showed resilience by drawing on existing community connections and adopting cost-reducing practices. The authors conclude that targeted teacher training, leadership support, community involvement and cost-reducing strategies would help.

Agure E, Kihagi GW, Muok EMO, Sorgho R, Danquah I · Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition · ケニア・シアヤ郡

A qualitative study of a home gardening intervention in Siaya county, rural Kenya, undertaken because home gardens are promoted as a climate change adaptation strategy in sub-Saharan Africa but the lived experience of them is less documented. Between September and November 2023 the authors ran two focus group discussions with stakeholders (n = 5) and implementers (n = 8), plus 30 in-depth interviews with male (n = 5) and female (n = 25) beneficiaries, using purposive sampling and semi-structured guides; data were transcribed verbatim and analysed by inductive content analysis mapped along the proposed impact pathways. Participants articulated a good understanding of the trainings and valued them as an occasion for knowledge exchange, and the adoption of tailored garden structures, organic gardening and food preservation created feelings of fulfilment, women's empowerment and family peace. Challenges included water scarcity, ineffective pesticides and long distances between beneficiary households. Perceived benefits were increased income, cost savings and increased dietary diversity.

Liz Ignowski, John Luis Lagdameo, Liel Gonzalez, Arma Bertuso, Pepijn Schreinemachers · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems 11(1) · Philippines (Quezon City, Metro Manila)

A quantitative survey of 300 urban food producers in Quezon City, one of the 17 cities of Metro Manila, examining who practises urban agriculture, the methods and technologies used, the challenges met and the benefits gained. Production is mainly small-scale and subsistence-oriented, with commercialisation limited except among those with access to agricultural land. Self-produced food does increase access to fruit and vegetables, but participation reflects economic vulnerability rather than food sufficiency, and both scale and commercialisation depend strongly on land access — a structural barrier in dense cities. The authors conclude that urban agriculture in Quezon City acts as a safety net rather than an income source, while also providing enjoyment and stress relief, and that urban food-security policy should be realistic about the limited role of urban food production.

Md. Nur Alom Sarkar Mithun, Saifur Rahman, Md. Asifur Rahman, Md. Hasan Sabit, Joseph L. Donaldson, Shonia Sheheli · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems 11(1) · Bangladesh (Mymensingh — Kewatkhali and Aqua)

A study of perceived barriers among 100 randomly selected rooftop gardeners in Kewatkhali and Aqua, Mymensingh, Bangladesh, interviewed with a structured protocol between September and November 2023 and analysed with descriptive statistics, rank order, correlation coefficients and multiple linear regression. Every participant perceived substantial barriers. The most prominent concern was the complexity of the technologies involved; neighbours' negative attitudes ranked least significant. Age, rooftop garden area, income, experience, contact with extension media and gardening knowledge were all negatively and significantly related to perceived barriers, with garden area and knowledge the strongest predictors in the regression. The authors argue that research, demonstrations, extension activity and training to build residents' skills and understanding are the way to lower those barriers.

· Wikipedia (English) · Cuba

According to English Wikipedia, organoponicos emerged as urban farming in Cuba during the 'Special Period' after the 1989 Soviet collapse cut off chemical inputs, responding to a food crisis in which daily per-capita calorie intake fell from 2,900 in 1989 to 1,800 by 1995. As of 2009 over 35,000 hectares were in use in Havana alone, producing 280 grams of fruit and vegetables per resident per day, with the Havana workforce growing from 9,000 in 1999 to 23,000 in 2001 and over 44,000 by 2006.

· Wikipedia · Global

The English Wikipedia article 'Permaculture' defines it as an approach to land management and design based on observing flourishing natural ecosystems. Franklin Hiram King introduced the term 'permanent agriculture' in 1911, and Bill Mollison and David Holmgren coined 'permaculture' with the 1978 publication of 'Permaculture One'. It outlines three core ethics (care of the earth, care of people, and setting limits to population and consumption), Holmgren's twelve design principles, and practices such as hugelkultur, sheet mulching, and companion planting.

· Wikipedia (English) · Singapore

English Wikipedia entry on community gardening in Singapore. The 'Community in Bloom' scheme, launched in May 2005 at Mayfair Park Estate, had grown to over 2,000 community gardens by 2025. The 'allotment gardens' scheme, introduced in 2016, expanded at roughly 300 plots per year from 2016 to 2021 and had exceeded 2,500 plots by 2025. A 2022 survey found 88% of plants grown were edible.

· Wikipedia · Global

This Wikipedia article on social capital defines it as networks of relationships that are productive towards advancing the goals of individuals and groups, and presents Robert Putnam's distinction between bonding social capital (the value assigned to networks between homogeneous groups) and bridging social capital (the value assigned to networks between socially heterogeneous groups). It cites criminal gangs as generating bonding capital and choirs or bowling clubs as generating bridging capital, illustrating that social capital is not always beneficial to society as a whole.