Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
1914 results(70 / 77)
A Extensão Universitária dentro de projeto de Agricultura Urbana e Periurbana com foco na agroecologia
2011Matheus Sehn Korting, Marlo do Nascimento, Lúcia Nobre, Adriana Mattos de Carvalho, E. Costa · Americanae (AECID Library) · Brazil
This study aimed to present the experience of the Social and Economic Development Center (NUDESE/FURG) as a protagonist in an Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture extension project linked to Brazil's Ministry of Social Development and Fight Against Hunger (MDS). The project directly contributed to institutions such as CAIC, CCMAR, Assis Brasil School, Rio Grande State Penitentiary, therapeutic communities, family farmers in São José do Norte and Rio Grande, and the Ecological Producers Group, through training, awareness, technical production support, and sales strengthening.
CommunityFood educationWelfarePeri-urban agricultureThe Integration of School Garden Programs into Educational Curriculum
2011Annie Lowry · Digital Commons - Olivet Distinctive Heritage, Scholarship, & Creativity (Olivet Nazarene University) · United States (Illinois)
This project aimed to evaluate how gardening is integrated into classroom curriculum in several schools in Illinois and the factors leading to this integration. Qualitative data was collected from interviews with educational professionals from seven different sites, confirming previous research on the benefits of gardening and providing new insights into current and future integration of gardens into the classroom.
Food educationHealthCommunityTruck Farm (2010)
2011Louise Chawla · Children Youth and Environments · United States (New York City)
This article reviews the 2010 film "Truck Farm," directed by Ian Cheney, which explores urban gardening in New York City. The film follows Cheney as he cultivates a vegetable garden in his grandfather's pickup truck and visits other urban farmers and food experts across the city. "Truck Farm" combines serious exposition with humor, prompting viewers to consider the future of urban farming and the role of whimsy in sustainability. The reviewer suggests the film is a valuable resource for youth community gardening programs or food systems classes.
DIYCommunityFood educationCurrent and Emerging Issues in the New Urban Agriculture: A Case Study
2011Kathryn A. Peters · Journal of Food Law & Policy · United States
Urban agriculture in the United States takes various forms, including individual gardens on private land, public property, and church and school grounds. Key factors for success include land acquisition, zoning ordinances, access to affordable water, infrastructure, and support services like education and outreach. Major U.S. cities, such as Seattle (declared 2010 the Year of Urban Agriculture) and Cleveland (declared 2012 the Year of Local Food), recognize urban agriculture's important role in sustainable cities and local food supply systems.
CommunityPolicyFood educationFood sovereignty & justiceThe Honeybee Man by L. Nargi
2011Sarah Mead-Willis · The Deakin Review of Children s Literature · United States (Brooklyn)
"The Honeybee Man" by L. Nargi is a 2011 picture book about Fred, a Brooklyn resident who keeps three honeybee colonies on his townhouse roof. The book illustrates Fred's urban beekeeping, showing how his bees collect nectar across the borough and how he harvests and distributes honey to neighbors. It aims to educate young families about local ecology and human community, explaining bee behavior and the processes of beekeeping and honeymaking.
DIYCommunityPollinatorsFood education(" \. \ ··_ ..
2011Craig Pearson · Urban agriculture · Sri Lanka
Each community in Sri Lanka developed its own Green Plan and decided what vegetables or plants it would grow. Home garden plots and community gardens were created with seed and plant donations from a university, with planting occurring in April and May 2004. Community residents assumed responsibility for the maintenance of the plants, while Sevanatha and university staff visited the sites regularly to monitor and provide consultation.
CommunityDIYFood educationUSING SCHOOL GARDENS AS A VEHICLE FOR HEALTH PROMOTION FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL YOUTH: A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
2011Hillary Anne Doerfler · D-Scholarship@Pitt (University of Pittsburgh) · Global
A literature review examined the use of school garden programs for health promotion among elementary school youth. The review found that school gardens successfully improved academic achievement, increased fruit and vegetable consumption, and enhanced social skills. However, significant barriers to implementation were identified, particularly in low socioeconomic status schools, including a lack of funding, insufficient gardening knowledge among teachers, and limited community and parent involvement.
Governance failureFood educationHealthCommunityWelfareAn evaluation of the California Instructional School Garden Program
2011Eric L. Hazzard, Elizabeth Moreno, Deborah Lane Beall, Sheri Zidenberg‐Cherr · Public Health Nutrition · United States (California)
A mid-term evaluation was conducted on 3103 California public schools (80.6% of applicants) to assess the effectiveness of the California Instructional School Garden Program (CISGP). Many schools reported not achieving their predicted goals related to the CISGP grant, with only 39.4% of schools accomplishing all their garden-related goals. Additionally, 37.8% of schools reported that their school gardens were negatively affected by the California budget deficit, suggesting that the discrepancy between predicted and actual grant utilization may be due to a combination of budget shortfall and insufficient grant award amounts.
Limited or null effectFood educationPolicyEconomicsReview and Analysis of the Benefits, Purposes, and Motivations Associated with Community Gardening in the United States
2010Draper C., Freedman D. · Journal of Community Practice 18(4):458-492 · United States
Reviews 1999-2010 literature, organizing community gardening purposes, benefits and motivations into eleven themes. Finds rigorous quantitative studies sparse but a substantial body of qualitative evidence.
CommunityWelfareFood educationThe impact of nutrition education with and without a school garden on knowledge, vegetable intake and preferences and quality of school life among primary-school students
2010Morgan · Public Health Nutrition · Australia
Among primary-school students, the study compared nutrition education with and without a school garden, examining effects on knowledge, vegetable intake and preferences, and quality of school life.
Food educationHealthUrban agriculture and ecological citizenship in Philadelphia
2010Katharine Antonia Travaline, Christian Hunold · Local Environment · United States (Philadelphia)
This study explored urban agriculture's contribution to ecological citizenship in Philadelphia, United States. The analysis was based on participant-observation and open-ended interviews with leaders and community participants from seven urban agricultural organizations. The findings indicate that urban agriculture promotes public participation and social learning about environmental decisions.
CommunityFood educationPolicyDoes Socio/Economic Status Affect Environmental Awareness in Elementary School Children Interacting with School Gardens?
2010Grady C Erickson · Lincoln (University of Nebraska) · United States (Lincoln, Nebraska)
This case study in three elementary schools in Lincoln, Nebraska, examined whether socio-economic background affects environmental awareness in children interacting with no-till, raised-bed school gardens. Surveys were used to measure environmental awareness. The hypothesis that lower socio-economic background would result in lower environmental awareness was inversely related to the findings. The school with the most impoverished background (Saratoga) showed the highest percentage of correct answers on environmental awareness surveys, while the school with the highest socio-economic scale (Norris) showed the lowest.
Food educationCommunityA Tropical Perspective on Environmental Sustainability in Horticultural Education
2010Kent D. Kobayashi, Theodore Radovich, Brooke E. Moreno · HortTechnology · United States (Hawaii)
The Department of Tropical Plant and Soil Sciences at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa developed and modified curricula to educate students on environmental sustainability. New programs like Organic Food Crop Production and Sustainable and Organic Farm Training were introduced, and existing courses were updated. These curricula aimed to engage students and promote self-learning through theory, practicum, farm visits, and activities, covering topics such as urban agriculture and organic food production from a tropical perspective.
Food educationOrganic cycleDIYThe Revenue of Garden City—General Observations on its Expenditure
2010Ebenezer Howard · Cambridge University Press eBooks · United Kingdom (London)
This paper presents two quotes: one from G. J. Shaw-Lefevre (1891) criticizing London's chaotic, unplanned urban growth and lack of unified design, and another from The Echo (1890) advocating for attaching half-an-acre of land to public elementary schools for school gardens to teach horticulture and food physiology. Shaw-Lefevre noted that the city developed without considering convenience or aesthetics.
PolicyFood educationOutpost 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 educationOral 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 educationDIYCultivation of Entrepreneurial Horticultural Talents for Urban Agriculture
2010Luo Yu-wei · Journal of Jinling Institute of Technology · Global
This paper discusses the role of entrepreneurial horticultural talent training in urban agriculture, asserting that urban agricultural development depends on such talents. It outlines steps for training entrepreneurial gardening talents, including developing entrepreneurial awareness, providing entrepreneurship education, and strengthening practical teaching. The paper concludes that the horticulture education system for training entrepreneurial talents should be improved in accordance with urban agricultural development.
Food educationEconomicsBaltimore 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 educationHealthOral 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 educationBeth 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 cycleCelebrity Chef Richard Corrigan visits Letterkenny Community Gardens
2010cdoyle · · Ireland
Celebrity Chef Richard Corrigan visited the Letterkenny Community Gardens in Donegal, Ireland, during the County Enterprise Board’s ‘Enterprise Week’. He emphasized the importance of community involvement in growing healthy food and cultivating native, indigenous varieties.
CommunityFood educationHeirloom & landraceEating Right Now: Tasting Alternative Food Systems
2010Noah Zerbe · · Global
Failures in the mainstream industrialized food system have increased interest in alternative food systems. These alternatives include urban agriculture, community supported farms, school and community gardens, and fair trade. Despite their diversity, these emergent systems share a common vision for food provision based on social and environmental justice.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceCSA & TeikeiFood education녹색성장의 화두, 도시농업 활성화
2010금성근 · BDI 정책포커스 · South Korea (Busan)
This policy focus paper states that urban agriculture in Busan, South Korea, is in its initial stages and requires significant activation efforts from local governments. It identifies key roles for local governments in promotion, resource discovery, program support, organizational networking, and policy development. To activate urban agriculture in Busan, the paper recommends establishing institutional and policy support, strengthening education, providing experiential opportunities, fostering partnerships among public, private, and academic sectors, and linking with local industries for regional revitalization.
PolicyFood educationCommunityEngagement, 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 educationHealthEconomics