Research & reports

Centre for Mental Health · Centre for Mental Health · United Kingdom

This Centre for Mental Health article describes Sydenham Garden, a community resource in Lewisham, London, whose green space supports mental health through contact with nature, growing and cooking food, and creative activities. About 370 people a year join as 'co-workers' on placements of up to 12 months, and the piece frames the garden as an antidote to loneliness, isolation and exclusion.

Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) · Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) · United Kingdom

A donation page for the RHS Campaign for School Gardening, stating that over 30,800 schools and groups across the UK already receive support and around 2.1 million children take part in gardening activities through the campaign.

· Wikipedia · Global

A Wikipedia article on care farming, the use of farming practices to provide healing, mental health, social, or educational care. It cites the 19th-century Riddrie farm school in Scotland (1866-1871), where of 158 boys admitted, 64 were later considered to be living respectable and productive lives, though the program ended due to financial constraints. It references practices in the UK, Netherlands, US, Austria, Switzerland, and Belgium (Flanders) without giving specific farm-count or participant statistics, and notes potential benefits for offender rehabilitation and as an adjunct therapy for anxiety and depression, while stressing the need for more rigorous research.

· Wikipedia · Global

A Wikipedia article on attention restoration theory (ART), developed by Stephen and Rachel Kaplan in their 1989 book The Experience of Nature: A Psychological Perspective, which holds that exposure to nature helps recovery from directed attention fatigue. It cites a 2025 meta-analysis finding consistent benefits to executive function and working memory after at least 30 minutes of nature exposure, with effects plateauing around 200-300 minutes, and notes findings that people who spent at least two hours in nature in the past week were more likely to report feeling healthy and well.

· Wikipedia · Global

A Wikipedia article on Mycobacterium vaccae, a non-pathogenic soil bacterium first cultured from cattle dung and also isolated from soil in Lang'o District, Uganda. It cites research in which heat-killed bacteria injected into mice raised serotonin levels and lowered anxiety, and live bacteria led mice to navigate a maze twice as fast with less anxious behavior. It also notes a meta-analysis of 54 clinical trials finding improved sputum conversion and radiological outcomes in tuberculosis treatment, and a 2019 study finding a lipid from the bacterium blocks several pro-inflammatory pathways in immune cells.

· Wikipedia · Global

Food neophobia is a fear of new things, referring specifically to a child's tendency to reject unfamiliar foods. About two-thirds of the variation is attributed to genetics, with psychosocial factors (observing parents' food preferences) and heightened bitterness sensitivity (supertasters) also implicated. Effective strategies include offering non-food rewards for trying new foods, parental modeling, and repeated exposure (acceptance may require around 15 tries), while pressure or punishment worsens the problem.

· Wikipedia · Global

The mere-exposure effect is the phenomenon whereby liking increases simply from familiarity with a stimulus, also called the familiarity principle in social psychology. Robert Zajonc led research on it from the 1960s to 1990s, showing that an initial fear/avoidance response to novel stimuli decreases with repeated exposure and turns into liking. A meta-analysis of 208 experiments by Bornstein (1989) found an effect size of r=0.26, with the effect typically reaching its maximum within 10-20 presentations.

· Wikipedia · Global

A school garden is an area designated for students to learn how to grow plants and produce at school, aimed at improving students' health, social development, and academic achievement. In Europe, the practice began in Schleswig-Holstein in 1819 and spread, reaching about 20,000 schools in Austria, 45,000 in France, 8,000 in Russia, and 2,500 in Sweden by the early 20th century. Research suggests the experiential nature of gardening increases preference for and consumption of fruits and vegetables, though more quantitative research is needed to prove benefits to children's health and wellbeing.

Dissinviel Stéphane Kpoda, Namwin Siourimè Somda, Muller Abdou Kiswendsida Compaore, Yemah Bockarie, Abel Tankoano, Ndoïallah Mickael Andjibaye, Amana Metuor-Dabire · Revista Argentina de Microbiología · Burkina Faso (Bobo-Dioulasso)

A 2026 study of 135 environmental samples — lettuce, irrigation water and organic manure — from market garden sites in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, testing for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) by microbiological isolation, antimicrobial susceptibility testing and molecular characterisation. Of 55 Staphylococcus isolates, 16 (32.7%) were confirmed MRSA, with the PVL toxin gene detected in 18.4% and TSST-1 in 6.1%; resistance to oxacillin reached 96.4% and to fusidic acid 69.1%. The authors call for stronger microbial surveillance, better hygiene protocols and policy measures to reduce foodborne risks associated with urban agriculture. The study is West African evidence that market gardens, while supplying food and income, can also act as environmental reservoirs of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria via irrigation water and organic fertiliser.

Singh C., Koduganti M., Patil S. · Urban Studies · India

A study measuring the self-reported wellbeing outcomes of urban agriculture in India at individual and community level, drawing on a household survey (n=361), key informant interviews (n=50) and in-depth interviews with home gardeners (n=7). Its novelty is a dataset covering both formal and informal settlements, going beyond existing Indian data. Wellbeing is operationalised through physical and mental health, intra-family, community and beyond-human connectedness, and contribution to pro-environmental values. The authors find significant perceived benefits at individual, household and community levels, and that urban agriculture lets citizens participate, innovate and collectivise in deeply meaningful ways — concluding that it needs to be recognised and mainstreamed within ongoing urban sustainability and climate initiatives.

· Wikipedia (English) · Germany

The article on the German food crisis of 1916–17 during the First World War. It states that the Allied blockade reduced food supplies by 33 per cent and that the civilian diet fell to 1,560 calories a day by the summer of 1917 and to 1,000 calories a day in winter, against the 3,000 calories said to be needed by a healthy adult male. The name comes from the substitution of fodder swedes (turnips) for the failed potato crop. Female mortality is given as rising 11.5 per cent in 1916 and 30 per cent in 1917 against pre-war rates, and the historian G. J. Meyer is cited, quoting a Berlin physician, for the claim that eighty thousand children died of starvation in 1916. The historian Avner Offer is cited for the estimate that one-fifth to one-third of food could be obtained only through illegal channels.

Oyewole Michelle T., Pellow David N., Cassels Susie · Environmental Justice · 米国

A study measuring soil lead by X-ray fluorescence at 31 Brooklyn public schools with active garden programmes, sampling both garden beds and adjacent school grounds. Proximity to 306 known environmental hazard sites was mapped geostatistically and combined with demographic data and soil-management surveys. Of the samples, 42% exceeded the US EPA's minimum screening level for child-accessible soils near known lead sources (100 ppm); garden soils showed lower average lead concentrations than adjacent school-ground soils. The authors argue that soil lead in schools, and the disparities in it, have received far less attention than lead in paint and water.

Olabode K., Lewińska K., Komorowicz I. · Environmental Geochemistry and Health · ポーランド南部・ズウォティストク（旧鉱山地域）

Quantifies total arsenic, gastric-phase in vitro bioaccessible arsenic (IVBA) and direct-soil-exposure risks for children and adults in mining-affected allotment gardens in Złoty Stok, southern Poland, applying deterministic calculations and Monte Carlo simulation to incidental soil ingestion, dermal contact and inhalation of resuspended particles. Total As ranged 433–1148 mg/kg and IVBA 4.5–23.5%. Under the total-As multi-pathway scenario median hazard indices were 5.50 for children and 0.62 for adults (P05/P95: 2.26/15.18 and 0.29/1.89). Median total cancer risk was 1.78×10⁻⁴ for children and 1.06×10⁻⁴ for adults, with 80.0% of simulated child profiles and 54.0% of adult profiles at or above 10⁻⁴. Ingestion and dermal contact accounted for nearly all modeled risk while inhalation was negligible; applying IVBA to the ingestion pathway alone cut the median ingestion-related hazard quotient and cancer risk by 89.3%. Total soil As and soil ingestion rate were the principal positive risk drivers, body weight inversely associated.

Johne P., Rao Bangady Killur R. · Soil and Sediment Contamination: An International Journal · Papua New Guinea

An assessment of trace metals in the soils of peri-urban food gardens at Lae, Papua New Guinea's second city and its main industrial centre, and of the ecotoxicological risk they pose. The subject — food growing on the fringe of an industrial city — is barely documented anywhere in the South Pacific. Published online 28 June 2026; the publisher does not make the abstract openly available, so only the study's scope is recorded here.

Huq F.F., Deacon L. · Discover Sustainability (Springer), 6:696 · Global

A systematic review of 37 studies examining how community gardens affect food access, urban resilience, and community well-being, with research interest peaking during the COVID-19 pandemic. It identifies inequitable access and weak policy integration as key barriers and calls for inclusive, interdisciplinary, long-term planning.

Macharia M.W., Caproni L., Solemanegy M., Takele R., Chiulele R.M., Munisse P., Amane M., Pè M.E., Buizza R., Dell'Acqua M. · Communications Biology 8:834 · Africa

Genotypes 389 cowpea accessions (mostly landraces) from Southern Africa and identifies 36 genomic loci linked to local climate adaptation, highlighting the breeding value of farmer-conserved resources.

Langerman S., Juarez N., Magan I. M. · Journal of Urban Health 102:857-871 · Global

Scoping review of 42 studies (1990-2024) on urban agriculture interventions for refugees and immigrants, identifying five domains (well-being, physical health, ecological, economic, sociological), with social outcomes most common.

東急不動産株式会社, 株式会社マイファーム · 東急不動産 プレスリリース資料 · Japan

Tokyu Fudosan launches an agriculture experience project for Branz owners in Higashimatsuyama using solar-sharing farmland, an official developer-led rental-garden initiative linking resident food education, exchange, and regional revitalization.

Takahashi Y., Yoshida T., Johnson B.A., Shigeto S., Yamagata Y. · Sustainability Science (Springer) · Japan

Uses structural equation modeling on national survey and geospatial data to demonstrate the relationship between urban-to-rural migrants' quality of life and natural capital (farmland, greenspace), providing evidence for the effectiveness of rural in-migration policy.

Wilkens J., Mombo S., Dumat C. · Urban Science · France (Toulouse)

Examines 11 years of collective urban gardens in the Toulouse region through the lens of global health—encompassing human well-being, soil health, and interspecies interactions—as a driver of agroecological transitions among gardeners.

Schreinemachers P., Kumar S.S., Uddin M.N. · Food Security · Bangladesh (Dhaka)

Panel data from 679 households across four Dhaka metropolitan city corporations shows that promoted urban home gardens significantly improved vegetable production and consumption, with 85% of participants being women.

Liu Y., Chanse V., Chicca F. · Urban Science (MDPI), Vol. 9, No. 8, Article 305 · New Zealand (Wellington)

This study quantifies Wellington, New Zealand's community gardens' capacity to meet post-disaster vegetable demand in terms of weight and nutrient content, finding current gardens insufficient alone but identifying substantial potential through expanded urban agriculture land use.

Ashley Gripper, Tori Cowger · Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development · United States

Using exploratory factor analysis on 363 respondents recruited from U.S.-based agricultural networks, this study developed a survey-based scale to capture what Black- and Brown-led food justice organizations value most about community farming and gardening. The analysis supported a five-factor structure—termed "Agricultural Community Power" (AgCPS), covering collective self-determination, community care, land-based spiritual wellbeing, embodied Earth care, and Ubuntu/interdependence—with adequate reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.93).

Estenia Ortiz, Adriana Mayr Mejia, Emma Borely, Liam Schauer, Lena Young Green, Maya Trotz · Sustainability · United States (Tampa)

Motivated by a community's desire to co-locate community gardens with stormwater pond spaces, this study monitored water quality of a 23.4-hectare stormwater detention pond in East Tampa, Florida over one year and compared it to US EPA reuse recommendations and water quality criteria. pH and conductivity were acceptable for irrigating crops and heavy metals were below maximum reuse levels, but E. coli concentrations exceeded irrigation requirements and synthetic organic compounds exceeded human health criteria.

Imani Canton, Vanesu Jakachira, Dawn Blackman, Heather Rose, Susan Aguiñaga · Health Promotion Perspectives · United States (Champaign, Illinois)

This 8-week pre-post feasibility study tested a culturally tailored community gardening intervention—embedding Black History Knowledge—among 11 middle-aged African American women in Champaign, Illinois, in summer 2023. Participants significantly increased device-measured daily step count (median +880 steps/day) and fruit and vegetable consumption (median +82 units), with smaller effects on physical activity and perceived stress. The authors conclude the intervention may be a feasible way to improve physical activity, produce intake, and psychological health, though larger, adequately powered studies are needed.