Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
1961 results(70 / 79)
Outpost Gardening in Interior Alaska: Food System Innovation and the Alaska Native Gardens of the 1930s Through the 1970s
2010Philip A. Loring, S. Craig Gerlach · Ethnohistory · United States (Alaska)
This paper describes the history of crop cultivation in Athabascan communities of Alaska's Tanana and Yukon Flats regions, revealing a distinct agricultural tradition dating back to the late 1800s. These gardening activities are not widely considered customary or traditional for Alaska Native communities, nor are they incorporated into historical and ethnographic literature on Alaska or high-latitude agriculture. This lack of recognition has consequences for communities experimenting with new community gardens, as land use is heavily regulated by a legal framework based on definitions of "customary and traditional."
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceFood educationZoning Considerations for Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture
2010John Ikerd · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United States
According to the American Farmland Trust, approximately 1.2 million acres of U.S. farmland are converted to residential and other commercial uses annually. This farmland conversion is noted to be putting the long-run sustainability of U.S. food production at risk.
PolicyUrban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceFood For Thought: The Social Impact of Community Gardens in the Greater Cleveland Area
2010Andrew Flachs · Electronic Green Journal · United States (Cleveland)
This paper explored the social and cultural effects of urban gardening in the greater Cleveland area. Fieldwork indicated that gardeners combine economic, environmental, political, social, and nutritional motivations, challenging the presumption that utilitarian function and environmentalist ideology are mutually exclusive. The study aimed to convey the complexity of use, function, and intent in communal gardening spaces.
CommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceWelfareVanished Gardens: Finding Nature in Philadelphia
2010David Fenimore · ISLE Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment · United States (Philadelphia)
This work explores the hidden natural and historical layers beneath Philadelphia's urban landscape, focusing on buried waterways like Mill Creek and the traces of legendary 18th and 19th-century gardens. It describes how the author discerns the re-emergence of "fragile outlines of a large wild garden" in various urban settings, including abandoned areas where wildflowers bloom and community gardens are occasionally established.
CommunityOral History Interview: Robert House (1151)
2010Emma Schroeder, Robert M. House · · United States
In two interviews with Emma Schroeder, Robert House shares his memories of the Eagle Heights Community Garden during the 1960s, when he and his wife were graduate students at UW. House recalls advocating for new land grants for the gardens, cultivating various crops, irrigation, the relevance of community garden projects, canning vegetables, using fertilizers and pesticides, raising children in the Eagle Heights community, and relationships with other residents.
CommunityFood educationDIYBaltimore Urban Gardening
2010A. Morton, Betty Franky, Emily Fisher, Erin Doran, Heather Sites · Digital Commons at University of Maryland Carey Law (University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law) · United States (Baltimore)
The student film “Baltimore Urban Gardening” highlights the benefits of creating spaces for and using locally grown produce.
CommunityFood educationHealthDeterminates of inner city butterfly and bee species richness
2010Kevin C. Matteson, Gail Langellotto · Urban Ecosystems · United States (New York City)
A study in community gardens in densely populated Bronx and East Harlem, New York City, evaluated local and landscape factors influencing bee and butterfly richness. Contrary to predictions, models showed that within-garden variables like floral area and sunlight availability were the most influential factors for both bee and butterfly richness. Marginal support was found for models of bee richness including the number of surrounding building units, which showed a negative association.
CommunityBiodiversityPollinatorsSemillas y la Ciudad: La Agricultura Urbana en Oaxaca de Juárez Como un Aporte a la Soberanía Alimentaria
2010Katie Oberwager · Archives of Oral Biology · Mexico (Oaxaca de Juárez)
This project examined the urban agriculture movement in Oaxaca de Juárez, Mexico, as a potential local contribution to food sovereignty. Through interviews, observations, and participation, the research found that urban agriculture can be a form of local political expression against governmental and large agricultural company control over food production and consumption. It concluded that while urban agriculture can make a small contribution to food sovereignty, as a local movement, it cannot resolve global agricultural and food issues.
Food sovereignty & justiceEconomicsCommunityUrban–rural linkageOral History Interview: Almuth Koby (1154)
2010Emma Schroeder, Almuth Koby · · United States
In a 2010 interview, Almuth Koby shared her memories of the Eagle Heights Community Garden, including her time as president of the Community Gardens Committee. She described challenges such as members failing to fulfill their duties and the issue of abandoned plots, indicating governance difficulties within the community garden. Koby also recounted her personal gardening journey, from being mentored to mentoring others and learning from diverse cultures.
Governance failureCommunityFood educationDIYProfiling Community Gardeners
2010Thomas W. Blaine, Parwinder S. Grewal, Ashley Dawes, Darrin Snider · Journal of Extension · United States
A profile of participants in an Extension urban community gardening program in the United States showed success in attracting diverse income and age groups. Community gardening contributed to dietary changes for three-quarters of both new and continuing gardeners. The time spent in the garden weekly was influenced by factors such as years in the program, income, diet, and charitable produce donations.
CommunityHealthFood educationDesigning the Green Roofs of the New Horticultural Center
2010Sarah Presogna · ScholarlyCommons (University of Pennsylvania) · United States (Philadelphia)
The Morris Arboretum is incorporating two new Green Roofs to demonstrate sustainable and functional stormwater management. The author designed an aesthetically pleasing rooftop garden, informed by visits to other local green roofs, which will mitigate stormwater runoff and showcase native and water-wise plants suitable for the Philadelphia area.
CommunityClimate changeBiodiversityBusiness Proposal for the New SUB Rooftop Garden
2010Benjamin Amundson, Janbaaz Ghani, Patricia Szeto, Joseph Shen, Nanette Ho, XiaoLin Shi, Xiu-Ming Tang, Leslie Brugger, Tracy Burnett, Hilda Wang · cIRcle (University of British Columbia) · Canada
This document is a student project/report from UBC SEEDS, presenting a business proposal for a new rooftop garden. It contains student findings, opinions, conclusions, and recommendations. The report does not reflect the official status of activities at UBC.
DIYEconomicsArmstrong Place Senior Housing
2010David Baker Architects · · United States (San Francisco)
Armstrong Place Senior Housing is located in San Francisco's Bayview District, providing 116 affordable apartments for seniors. The complex includes a community garden space in the central courtyard, 9,000 square feet of commercial space, community services, and retail shops. Additionally, twenty-three apartments are reserved for formerly homeless seniors participating in San Francisco's Direct Access to Housing Program.
CommunityElderlyHealthWhat is Local and for What Foods Does it Matter?
2010Wuyang Hu, Marvin T. Batte, Timothy A. Woods, Stanley C. Ernst, Hu, Wuyang, Batte, Marvin T., Woods, Timothy A., Ernst, Stanley C. · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · United States
This study used survey data from two US states to answer two questions: what is the maximum distance food can travel and still be considered "local" by consumers, and is "local" equally important across food categories. The research found that consumers' accepted food travel distance may be much shorter than generally believed. Additionally, there is significant variation in the importance consumers attach to "being local" for different food categories, and these differences are related to consumer characteristics.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsFood miles & supply chainCommunityModelo de agricultura urbana basado en el capital social: aplicación al área metropolitana de Lima (Perú)
2010Francisco Javier Morales Martín · Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) · Peru (Lima)
This doctoral thesis proposes a new local development planning model based on social capital, applied to urban agriculture projects in the suburbs of developing countries. The model aims to identify critical initial social capital, generate new social capital, and maintain it over time through conversion into quantifiable physical capital. This approach ensures the model's sustainability, viewing urban agriculture as a means for local progress rather than an end in itself.
CommunityEconomicsPolicyBeth Benjamin: Horticulturalist
2010Sarah Rabkin · eScholarship (California Digital Library) · United States (California)
This is a biographical account of horticulturalist Beth Benjamin, based on an interview conducted on June 30, 2009. Benjamin joined Alan Chadwick's garden at UC Santa Cruz in 1967 and later co-founded Camp Joy Gardens in Santa Cruz County in the early 1970s. By 2009, Camp Joy Gardens was a thriving non-profit educational organization offering apprenticeships, educational programs, and a community supported agriculture program.
CommunityFood educationOrganic cycleEngagement, Ecology, and Design Education: Outreach Work of the Tulane City Center
2010Scott Bernhard · Innovations Technology Governance Globalization · United States (New Orleans)
The Tulane City Center (TCC) in New Orleans supports architecture faculty and students who collaborate with local nonprofits to provide design and "visioning" assistance to underserved neighborhoods. Since its establishment after Hurricane Katrina, TCC has worked on dozens of projects, including six ecologically sound single-family houses, several green markets with urban agriculture facilities, and over 50 other initiatives. These projects incorporate extensive community input and are often constructed by students, providing them with hands-on experience in progressive design and new construction technologies.
CommunityFood educationHealthEconomicsUrban agriculture as a part of a sustainable metropolitan development program: A case study in Mexico City
2010Pablo Torres Lima, Alfonso Chávez-Muñoz, Gerardo Ávila-Jiménez, Sergio Contreras-Prado · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Mexico (Mexico City)
This article analyzes the principal components of a planning process that promotes the development of agricultural production zones in Xochimilco-Tlahuac, Mexico City. The experience was conceptualized in 2008 with the integration of data obtained through fieldwork, interviews, ethnographic techniques, and geomatics. The study highlights the critical need for district or metropolitan authorities to support urban agriculture to address various city development issues and concludes that re-assessing socio-territorial organization in the study region is also necessary to achieve an integrated, habitable, and sustainable city.
PolicyCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changeCommunity Garden Unveiling During Flat Shoals Football Spirit Night 2010
2010Clayton County, Eldrin Bell, Wole Ralph, Gail B. Hambrick, Sonna Singleton, Michael L. Edmondson · · United States
This event marks the unveiling of a community garden in conjunction with Flat Shoals Park Football Spirit Night, kicking off the park's official football league season. The fun-filled family evening includes food, music, games, and a pep rally.
CommunityFood educationJuan Pablo (J.P.) Perez: J&P Organics
2010Sarah Rabkin · · United States (California)
Juan Pablo Perez founded J&P Organics, a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program in California, in 2006, which now serves approximately 300 subscribers. The enterprise offers flexible subscription options, including home delivery and varied order frequencies, and sells produce to restaurants and farmers' markets. Perez's success is attributed to his entrepreneurial skills and mentorship from the Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association (ALBA).
CSA & TeikeiOrganic cycleEconomicsGrowing What You Eat: Developing Community Gardens and Improving Food Security
2010Michelle P. Corrigan · OhioLink ETD Center (Ohio Library and Information Network) · United States (Baltimore, Athens)
Food insecurity and food-related health concerns are growing in the United States, leading to increased engagement with food systems through community food security approaches like community gardening. In-depth interviews and field observations in Baltimore, Maryland, and Athens, Ohio, examined the challenges of community gardening and the extent of people's involvement in the food system. While community gardens contribute to engagement, additional assistance such as education, policy, and funding is needed to enhance food security.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceHealthPolicyEconomicsSmall scale additions of native plants fail to increase beneficial insect richness in urban gardens
2010Kevin C. Matteson, Gail Langellotto · Insect Conservation and Diversity · United States (New York City)
The ability of adding 70 plants of seven native wildflower species over two years to augment beneficial insect richness, including bees, butterflies, and predatory wasps, was assessed in New York City community gardens. Bayesian analyses failed to find a strong influence of the native plant additions on beneficial insect richness, even after correcting for prior floral abundance. Butterflies and megachilid bees were found to heavily utilize introduced ornamental and crop flowers in these gardens, even when native flowers were present.
Limited or null effectCommunityBiodiversityPollinatorsThe LFS Cropedia – Creating an UBC Urban Agriculture Educational Resource
2010Suzanne C. Ho, Ji Hye Hwang, Teresa Liu, Acy Lo, Grace Shyong · cIRcle (University of British Columbia) · Canada
This record is a disclaimer from UBC SEEDS, stating that the associated document is a student project/report. It clarifies that the content reflects student findings, opinions, conclusions, and recommendations, and is not an official UBC document. Readers are advised that the reports may not reflect the current status of activities at UBC.
Food educationDIYThe New Student Union Building Rooftop Garden
2010Leslie Brugger, Tracy Burnett, Xiu-Ming Tang, Hilda Wang · cIRcle (University of British Columbia) · Canada
This document is a student project/report from UBC SEEDS, sharing findings, opinions, conclusions, and recommendations regarding the New Student Union Building Rooftop Garden. It is not an official UBC document and may not reflect the current status of activities at the university.
CommunityRoberta Jaffe, Founding Director, Life Lab Science Program, Co-Founder of Community Agroecology Network
2010Ellen Farmer · eScholarship (California Digital Library) · United States (California)
This oral history details the career of Roberta Jaffe, co-founder of the Life Lab Science Program and the Community Agroecology Network (CAN). Jaffe was involved in the United Farm Workers movement, co-founded Santa Cruz County's first farmers' market in 1976, and established a school garden at Green Acres School, which led to the Life Lab Science Program. In 2001, she co-founded CAN, aiming to support self-sufficiency and sustainable practices in coffee-growing communities in Mexico and Central America.
Food educationCommunity