Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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1033 results(7 / 42)
Chapter 7 Urban agriculture and water management circular solutions for urban landscapes
2025Robert C. Brears · · Global
This chapter examines urban agriculture's role in circular urban ecosystems, highlighting its contributions to food security, urban heat island reduction, and improved water management. It discusses various types of urban agriculture and their benefits, such as enhancing green spaces and fostering community building, and explores its integration into the circular economy. The chapter also covers closed-loop water systems and waste-to-resource initiatives, positioning urban agriculture as a nature-based solution that enhances urban resilience and sustainability.
Climate changeCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceOrganic cycleVIOLÊNCIA DOMÉSTICA E SEU IMPACTO NA SEGURANÇA ALIMENTAR DE MULHERES
2025Jassana Moreira Floriano, Rita de Cássia Ávila Pens · Revista Científica da Escola Estadual de Saúde Pública de Goiás *Cândido Santiago* · Global
Nutrition education workshops and the implementation of a community garden were conducted to promote food security and empowerment among women in situations of social vulnerability. In the workshops, participants learned to prepare healthy recipes using accessible ingredients, while the garden encouraged fresh food cultivation and strengthened food autonomy. Participants showed a high level of acceptance for the practices taught, and the workshops fostered knowledge exchange and strengthened community ties.
Food educationWelfareCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceLiving labs of agriculture in innovation districts
2025Laura Martins de Carvalho, Zilma Borges, Janaina Mitsue Kimpara · PARC Pesquisa em Arquitetura e Construção · Global
This case study analyzed two agricultural living labs, VivAgriLab in France and AgroLab Uniandes in Colombia, to understand their adaptation possibilities for Brazilian university campuses. VivAgriLab effectively integrates civil society with academic research for ecological and food transitions. AgroLab Uniandes facilitates knowledge integration and high-tech solutions, but raises concerns about accessibility and scalability for small-scale farmers, potentially widening the gap between advanced and traditional practices.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyClimate changeSustainable Foods and Consumption
2025Songül Kesen, Eda Elgin Kılıç · Özgür Yayınları eBooks · Global
Sustainable food is a concept integrating environmental, social, and economic dimensions to ensure food system sustainability. It aims to reduce environmental impacts, ensure food security, and promote healthy nutrition, often associated with plant-based diets. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) models have potential to strengthen local food systems and environmental sustainability by encouraging local community participation in agricultural production.
CSA & TeikeiFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changeEconomicsSpaces for Buen Vivir in the City? Urban Agroecology and Decolonial Processes in Bogotá
2025Birgit Hoinle · Global Environment · Colombia (Bogotá)
This study explores the relevance of Buen Vivir (good living) for urban spaces and its practical manifestations in urban-gardening contexts in Bogotá, Colombia. Based on eighteen months of fieldwork inspired by participatory action research, it shows how urban agroecological initiatives create spaces for Buen Vivir within urban areas. The study discusses the potential and limitations of such projects, which contribute to balanced nature-society relations and decolonise urban spaces.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyUrban–rural linkage3 Food banks, food diversion, and other responses
2025Dennis Raphael · Policy Press eBooks · Global
This chapter documents the growth of charitable non-governmental responses to food insecurity in Canada and the UK, including food banks and community gardens. It argues that these responses are problematic because they fail to address the economic and political causes of food insecurity. Further failures include the stigma experienced by food bank users and the false belief that food insecurity is being resolved.
Governance failureCommunityWelfareFood sovereignty & justicePolicyInside and over urban buildings: will urban agriculture spark the next urban design revolution?
2025RENÉ DAVIDS · Cogent Arts and Humanities · Global
This paper argues for creating a connected network of farms within and on top of existing urban buildings to address increasing food demand and limited land resources. It highlights urban farming's benefits, including enhanced food security, public health, reduced transportation pollution, urban heat island mitigation, improved water retention, and biodiversity fostering. The paper notes that current research on urban agriculture's impact on city design is insufficient, and proposes this approach based on an examination of historical and contemporary urban projects.
Food sovereignty & justiceHealthClimate changeBiodiversityPolicyEnhancing food resilience in the age of geoeconomics by applying biomimetic principles in urban agriculture
2025Alex Toth · Social Sciences & Humanities Open · Global
This paper argues that adopting urban agroecological strategies rooted in biomimicry can significantly enhance resilience to geoeconomic pressures, supply chain disruptions, and environmental shocks. Urban agroecology is presented as a scalable and context-sensitive pillar for building more resilient and self-sustaining food systems. The paper explores how a biomimetic approach to urban agriculture can serve as a strategic mechanism for food security, particularly in urbanized and geopolitically sensitive regions.
Food sovereignty & justiceClimate changeBiodiversityOrganic cycleAddressing The Uncertain Future of Agriculture in Nepal: Agents of Food System Changes and Immediate Need for Intervention
2025Sudan Prasad Uprety, Tobin Hindle · Himalayan Biodiversity · Nepal
A study of 245 respondents from Chitwan, Dhading, and Rasuwa districts in Nepal identified major drivers of food system changes. These drivers included a lack of agricultural labor, insufficient government support, crop damage by wildlife, land abandonment, and shifts in occupation. Additionally, increased outmigration from rural to urban areas, climate change, and improved access to markets and processed foods were noted as significant factors influencing food systems in these districts.
CommunityEconomicsPolicyUrban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceGrowing sustainability: Analysis of socioecological drivers of urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) under multiple framework assessments. A review
2025Jairo Guzman-Molina, Ramoudane Orou Sannou, Serena Caucci · Journal of Urban Management · Global
This review explores the socioecological drivers and challenges of Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture (UPA) using multiple framework assessments: sustainability, resilience, cultural ecosystem services, and Nexus, following PRISMA guidelines. Global case studies demonstrated practical UPA applications, and a SWOT analysis categorized indicators from the four frameworks. Findings underscored the vital role of advanced technology, knowledge sharing, and resource management in UPA's performance, and that UPA enhances education, urban aesthetics, and health. Challenges included a lack of materials, disempowerment, inadequate institutional support, and resource mismanagement leading to food contamination in cases like Kampala.
Climate changeFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsCommunityPlanung für Ernährung in unsicheren Zeiten
2025Julija Bakunowitsch, Jost Buscher · RaumPlanung · Global
Global crises increasingly threaten the seemingly secure food supply of cities. Urban agriculture is therefore gaining focus as a potential contribution to resilient food systems.
Food sovereignty & justiceClimate changePolicyHuertos urbanos, infraestructura verde y urbanismo: una relación histórica con capacidad renovadora
2025Carmen Blasco Sánchez, Francisco Juan Martínez Pérez · Ciudad y territorio: Estudios territoriales · Global
This paper explores the historical relationship between urban gardens, green infrastructure, and urban planning. Urban gardens, with a long tradition, are recognized as a valuable resource for sustainable urban development, addressing not only environmental needs but also social cohesion, food security, health, and economic incentives. The evolution of rural-urban relationships in urban planning culture presents a new challenge with urban gardens, necessitating a re-examination of the disciplinary path to clarify their potential in new forms of urban planning.
CommunityClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceHealthA bibliometric analysis of food security and urbanization: insights and implications
2025Yujun Wei, Xiaokun Wei, Zhonghua Ye, Jie Fan · Frontiers in Sustainable Cities · Global
This study conducted a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of the intersection between Food Security and Urbanization (FSU) research. Using statistical, co-word, and social network analysis, it mapped the intellectual landscape and global collaboration networks. Findings revealed dominant contributions from the United States and China, and a key observation was the disconnect between urbanization and food security studies, underscoring the need for a more integrated approach. The study also showed that urbanization's impact on food security differs across developed and developing countries.
Food sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageEconomicsClimate changeSustainable agricultural knowledge-based entrepreneurship literacy in agricultural SMEs: Triple bottom line investigation
2025Muhammad Hasan, Tuti Supatminingsih, Thamrin Tahir, Feliks Arfid Guampe, Andrian Dolfriandra Huruta, Carol Yirong Lu · Journal of Open Innovation Technology Market and Complexity · Global
This qualitative case study, using in-depth interviews with urban agricultural SMEs, explored entrepreneurial literacy based on sustainable agricultural knowledge. It investigated the application of this knowledge in entrepreneurial activities within the agricultural sector, using a Triple Bottom Line (TBL) investigation.
EconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceGrass-roots Innovation for Justice in Urban Food Provisioning
2025Lídia Cabral, Ronald Ranta, Suleyman M. Demi, Ísis Domingues, Julian May, Claire Néel, Grace Nkomo, Luciana Marques Vieira, Marie Walser · · Global
An international research collaboration examined grass-roots food provisioning innovations in five urban locations across the UK, Canada, France, Brazil, and South Africa. These initiatives, which include social supermarkets and school gardens, faced challenges such as dependence on surplus food, logistical problems, funding limitations, and the need for ongoing volunteer support. The study found that these innovations struggle with economic viability due to funding and volunteer reliance.
Economic viabilityFood sovereignty & justiceWelfareCommunityEconomicsReassessing (en)gendered responsibilities for care through community gardening in Aotearoa New Zealand
2025Maria Teresa Braga Bizarria · Gender Place & Culture · New Zealand (Wellington)
This qualitative study explored the embodied experiences of six women in three community gardens in Wellington, New Zealand, focusing on gender roles and care responsibilities. The findings indicate that participants' experiences were permeated by complicity with oppressive structures, and their actions had limitations in fostering transformative justice.
Equity & displacementCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceExploring the design and contributions of urban agroecosystem living labs for sustainable city development
2025Diego Alejandro Riaño-Herrera, Felipe A. Perdomo, Juanita Quintero-Castro, Alejandra García-Sánchez, Leonardo Rodríguez-Urrego · Sustainable Futures · Global
A content analysis and qualitative assessment of 34 urban agroecosystem living labs (UALLs) from academic and grey literature explored their design and contributions to sustainable city development. UALLs were found to boost agricultural productivity, food security, and community cohesion, while also supporting climate mitigation and waste reduction. However, the study noted that UALLs need to better align their strategies with SDGs and improve the measurement of their contributions.
CommunityBiodiversityClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceEnvironmental ethics under commercialization of urban agriculture
2025K I Safitri, Oekan S. Abdoellah, Budhi Gunawan, P Parikesit · Ethics in Science and Environmental Politics · Global
This qualitative study investigated the commercialization of urban agriculture and its influence on agricultural practices and environmental ethics, engaging 43 participants through observation, interviews, and documentation. Findings showed that global commercialization promotes policies for environmental sustainability, leading to aligned production methods. However, in local contexts, farmers cultivating sloped land without perennial crops often use artificial inputs and contaminated irrigation water, facing constraints from intermediaries.
Contamination & food safetyEconomicsPolicyClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceFamilias de personas con discapacidad: resaltando un saber ancestral para garantizar la seguridad alimentaria
2025Nina Madrigal Zuluaga, Sebastián Ardila Osorio, Diana Carolina Perez Torres · Revista de la Facultad de Trabajo Social · Colombia (Santander de Quilichao)
This article describes a 2020 research project in Santander de Quilichao, Colombia, focused on food security and community strengthening for families with children with disabilities. The project implemented community gardens and provided training to parents, benefiting 45 families and 150 individuals with 30 urban gardens and 2 home gardens. The research demonstrated positive results, showing how community development can be approached integrally by incorporating community elements to facilitate access and participation for people with disabilities.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceWelfareAnálisis de los factores limitantes en la producción de hortalizas: Un estudio del organopónico Pueblo Griffo Viejo en Cienfuegos
2025Odeimy Sarría-Crespo, Mayelin López-Roque, Wilfredo Sis-Sánchez · Revista Metropolitana de Ciencias Aplicadas · Cuba (Cienfuegos)
A ten-month non-experimental study at the "Pueblo Griffo Viejo" organic farm in Cienfuegos, Cuba, identified limiting factors in vegetable production through surveys, field observations, and documentary review. The research found low yields due to poor substrate quality, inadequate water management, limited organic matter, and insufficient training participation. Additionally, the workforce's low educational level hindered efficient agricultural practices.
Governance failureCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceFood educationBalcony Environmental Monitoring & Plant Recommendation System Using IoT and Machine Learning
2025Pratham Kawade -, Mrunal Karkar -, Ritisha Mittal -, Neha Sathe · International Journal on Science and Technology · Global
This system utilizes an ESP32 microcontroller connected to DHT11 and soil moisture sensors to capture real-time data on temperature, humidity, and soil wetness. Data transmitted via MQTT protocol to a Flask-based web server is processed by a RandomForestClassifier model, trained on twelve sequential readings per sensor, to suggest the top five crops and monitor plant health against predefined optimal thresholds. Alerts are generated when deviations are detected, and the system is deployed on cloud platforms like Render.
DIYDigital agricultureClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceGaps, Overlaps, and the Political Ecology of Food Systems
2025Paul Β. Thompson · · Global
This chapter explores the potential for alliance around issues such as sustainability and the political interests of rural areas within food systems. While archetypes set different priorities, they generally do not involve irresolvable incompatibility, allowing for opportunities for alignment in support or opposition to policy initiatives or technological innovations. Sustainable intensification, rural resilience, and urban agriculture challenge the presumption that there is nothing morally unique in the production and distribution of food and fiber goods.
PolicyFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageBehavioral Sciences in the Study of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)
2025Virgínia Gomes de Caldas Nogueira, Laércia Abreu Vasconcelos · Revista de Gestão e Secretariado (Management and Administrative Professional Review) · Global
This systematic literature review aimed to identify studies on Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) members' pro-environmental, prosocial, or health-related behaviors, particularly those using a psychological approach or from other behavioral science fields. The review found that psychology studies on CSA members' behavior patterns are rare, despite the multidisciplinary scientific community's interest in these behaviors for food and planetary preservation.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsHealthOutcomes and impacts of community food hubs: a rapid review
2025Kate Wingrove, Penelope Love, Kristy A. Bolton, Patrícia Batista Melo, Erica Reeve, Colin Bell, Gavin L. Sacks, Steven Allender, Vivien Yii, A. Parsot, Dheepa Jeyapalan, Rebecca Lindberg · Proceedings of The Nutrition Society · Global
This rapid review aimed to identify short- and medium-term outcomes and long-term impacts associated with community food hubs in Australia and other high-income countries. In January 2024, relevant studies and reports published in English between 2013 and 2023 were searched across four databases and grey literature, including 16 studies/reports on 24 community food hubs (USA n=16; Australia n=7; Canada n=1). Of the 83 short- and medium-term outcomes assessed, 86% were positive, but no long-term impacts were evaluated.
CommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceHealthThe Farmer, the Gastronome, and the Chef: In Pursuit of the Ideal Meal. By Daniel J. Philippon
2025Hal Crimmel · ISLE Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment · Global
Daniel Philippon's latest book examines the production, processing, and consumption of sustainable food, focusing on the prolific work of agricultural writer Wendell Berry, Italian Slow Food advocate Carlo Petrini, and chef and writer Alice Waters. The book explores the central question: "How did nonfiction writing, as exemplified by the work of these three authors, shape the sustainable food movement?" Philippon's experience volunteering on a Wisconsin CSA farm provides context for probing Berry's ideas about agricultural practices.
CSA & TeikeiFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkage