Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
2530 results(71 / 102)
Open Garden: a local organic producer–consumer network in Hungary, going through various levels of system innovation
2017Edina Vadovics, Matthew Hayes · · Hungary
A case study of the Open Garden Foundation, a local organic producer-consumer network in Hungary, was conducted. The foundation developed within a Central Eastern European socioeconomic context not supportive of radical solutions for the agricultural sector and rural communities. The study focused on the development of organic agriculture in Hungary, food consumption trends, opportunities for purchasing local organic products, and people's awareness of organic products. The Open Garden's management transitioned from the not-for-profit to the for-profit sector, while the main actors remained consistent.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceOrganic cycleAnalisis Produksi Microgreens Brassica oleracea Berinovasi Urban Gardening Untuk Peningkatan Mutu Pangan Nasional
2017Vina Febriani, Evy Nasrika, Tri Munasari, Yoan Permatasari, Talitha Widiatningrum · Journal of Creativity Students · Global
This paper introduces "Mba-Gening," an urban gardening innovation for cultivating Brassica oleracea microgreens, as a solution for limited land and the demand for organic food. Microgreens are harvested in 10-14 days and possess up to six times the nutritional value of mature green vegetables. This production is said to meet the demand for organic broccoli and offers a good business opportunity due to a wide market and lack of competitors.
DIYHealthFood sovereignty & justiceFeeding Megacities by Urban Agriculture
2017Rattan Lal · · Global
This chapter describes the nature, properties, restoration, and sustainable management of urban soils to enhance food security and environmental quality. It notes that urban ecosystems are rapidly expanding and changing, with urban soils often classified as Anthropic soils. Drastic human-induced disturbances to urban soils hinder ecosystem functions, but restoration strategies aim to create novel soil types that improve vegetative production, denature pollutants, reduce salinization, and strengthen biogeochemical and biogeophysical cycling.
Urban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceOrganic cycleClimate changeUrbanization, Food Security and Nutrition
2017Marie T. Ruel, James Leo Garrett, Sivan Yosef, Meghan Olivier · · Global
This chapter reviews poverty, food security, and malnutrition in urban versus rural areas, noting a rapid shift of poverty to urban areas and high prevalence of food insecurity and malnutrition among urban dwellers. It highlights alarming rises in urban overweight and obesity, alongside persistent undernutrition. The review identifies critical knowledge gaps regarding factors shaping urban food security and calls for new research and data to inform policies supporting urban agriculture, healthy food access, and income generation to address these challenges.
Food sovereignty & justiceHealthEconomicsUrban–rural linkageLa agricultura urbana como fenómeno de progreso local : experiencias en la ciudad de Bogotá
2017Izquierdo Acosta, Daniel Francisco · · Colombia (Bogotá)
This study examined five urban agriculture experiences in Bogotá, Colombia, focusing on productivity (species richness and market prices), resource use and management (water, energy, land, waste), and human organizational forms. The research aims to make these contexts known to farmers and academia, providing insights for better implementation of urban agriculture.
Food sovereignty & justiceFood educationCommunityEconomicsUnderstanding the organization of sharing economy in agri-food systems: evidence from alternative food networks in Valencia
2017Isabel Miralles, Domenico Dentoni, Stefano Pascucci · Agriculture and Human Values · Spain (Valencia)
This study investigated the organization of sharing economy initiatives in agri-food systems by conducting a comparative case study across 18 alternative food networks (AFNs) in Valencia. It compared AFN organization in terms of leadership, bureaucracy, shared resources, and participants’ engagement, identifying five sharing economy models: consumer groups, commercial community gardens, and network-based, privately owned, and publicly owned self-consumption community gardens. These models displayed notable differences in their origins, participants’ goals, and constraints.
CommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceReview – Cities and Agriculture
2017Aloysius Clemence Mosha · Commonwealth Journal of Local Governance · Global
The book 'Cities and Agriculture' presents experience and evidence on key dimensions of urban food challenges and types of intra- and peri-urban agriculture across 15 chapters. This book illuminated the urban challenge of food provisioning, which has long been overlooked in urban studies, policies, and planning. Neglecting the dynamics and sustainability of food provisioning in scientific research on sustainable urban development is identified as a serious omission, given its significant social and physical impact.
Urban–rural linkagePeri-urban agricultureFood sovereignty & justicePolicyMapping urban agriculture in Portugal: Lessons from practice and their relevance for European post-crisis contexts
2017Cecília Delgado · Moravian Geographical Reports · Portugal
This article analyzes 29 urban agriculture (UA) initiatives in Portugal, finding that UA primarily involves allotment gardens, urban farms, and short food chains, focusing on vegetables and fruit. It predominantly occurs on public and institutional land, championed by municipalities and civil society. UA is a recent metropolitan phenomenon that expanded rapidly after the 2008 economic crisis, organizing activities around food production, processing/distribution, and capacity building.
CommunityEconomicsPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceUrban and peri-urban crop farming in Central Uganda: Characteristics, constraints and opportunities for household food security and income
2017Immaculate Mugisa, Bernard Fungo, S. O. Adur, O. Ssemalulu, A. Molly, Jackie Atim, W. Nakyagaba, T. Kizza, Ruth Kabanyoro, Godfrey Sseruwu, B. Akello · African Journal of Plant Science · Uganda
A household survey of 297 farming households in Kampala, Wakiso, and Masaka districts, Central Uganda, investigated urban and peri-urban crop farming characteristics and trends. Cropping activities contributed an average of 40% to household income, with major crops including vegetables, maize, and bananas. Sixty percent of households practiced irrigation and fertilizer application, and 64% recycled waste, with 75% of those converting kitchen waste into manure.
Food sovereignty & justiceEconomicsCommunityCan urban agriculture become a planning strategy to address social-ecological justice?
2017Javier Fernández Andrés · · Global
The abstract is too short to provide a meaningful summary. It only states that cities grew unprecedentedly in the last century, leading to an urbanized world population, and that agriculture adopted industrial methods.
PolicyCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageCity of Farms
2017Lindsay K. Campbell · Cornell University Press eBooks · United States (New York City)
In New York City, chapter six revealed how civic and public actors working outside PlaNYC iteratively embedded urban agriculture and food policy into municipal planning efforts. Within the void created by city hall’s lack of engagement, other figures in the municipal government seized the opportunity to advance food policy agendas for New York City. The 2011 update to PlaNYC included a brief crosscutting section on food, although it lacked capital funding to fuel the achievement of its stated goals, and was seen by advocates as a symbolic and political achievement.
Governance failurePolicyCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceOrdering urban agriculture: farmers, experts, the state and the collective management of resources in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
2017Gabin Korbéogo · Environment and Urbanization · Burkina Faso (Ouagadougou)
This article explores how land tenure, water flows, and water quality are legally, politically, and socially framed in urban agriculture in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Urban agriculture serves as a revenue source and a socio-political arena involving state representatives, experts, and farmers. Public authorities monitor legal standards for water use and hygiene, while farmers strive for efficient resource use, sometimes challenging official norms. These competing interests lead to conflicts over resource use or rule legitimacy, which are negotiated through institutional or informal bargaining.
Governance failurePolicyEconomicsCommunityHealthFood sovereignty & justiceThe case for citizen science in urban agriculture research
2017Georgia Pollard, Philip Roetman, James Ward · Kobra (Universitätsbibliothek Kassel) · Australia (South Australia)
While urban agriculture is seen as a sustainable approach to improving food security, there is a significant knowledge gap regarding the financial accessibility of urban food production for all households. If urban agriculture remains primarily a middle-class discretionary activity, its role in city-wide food security improvement will be limited. This paper demonstrates that citizen science offers an effective approach to investigate the inputs (labor, costs, water use) and outputs (produce yields, value) of urban food gardens, using the Edible Gardens project in South Australia as an example.
Equity & displacementFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsCommunityHealthDIYUrban parks, gardens and greenspace
2017Jason Byrne · · Global
Research on urban greenspace, including parks, gardens, and green infrastructure, consistently demonstrates that marginalized and vulnerable communities have less access to these areas. This chapter overviews environmental injustice research on urban greenspace, examining debates and challenges for researchers and policymakers, and highlighting issues like climate injustice and food insecurity related to environmental inequality.
Equity & displacementCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changeHealthUrban households' engagement in agriculture: implications for household food security in Ghana's medium sized cities
2017Hayford Mensah Ayerakwa · Geographical Research · Ghana
This paper descriptively analyzed the contribution of household engagement in agriculture to urban food security in Techiman and Tamale, Ghana, using household data. The study found that nearly half (43%) of urban residents participate in food production, primarily for consumption and surplus sale. For households engaged in both urban and rural agriculture, agricultural income was the highest, contributing 43% of total cash income in Techiman and 33% in Tamale.
Food sovereignty & justiceWelfareEconomicsPeri-urban agricultureAgriculture urbaine et souveraineté alimentaire à Genève (Suisse), machines à consentement ou moteurs d’hybridation du référentiel agricole dominant ?
2017Rémi Schweizer, Cyril Mumenthaler · VertigO · Switzerland (Genève)
This case study in Geneva, Switzerland, examined the integration of urban agriculture and food sovereignty into public policy, focusing on the regional brand Genève Région - Terre Avenir (GRTA). The analysis, based on a cognitive approach, highlighted compromises and imbalances among actor communities with divergent value systems. Ultimately, the study demonstrated the difficulty in challenging the dominant agricultural framework.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justicePolicyCommunityRole of agricultural enterprises in food security status of urban farmers in Ikorodu Metropolis, Lagos State, Nigeria
2017C.O. Edeoghon, A.A. Idowu · Ethiopian Journal of Environmental Studies and Management · Nigeria (Lagos State)
This study investigated the role of agricultural enterprises in the food security status of urban farmers in Ikorodu metropolis, Lagos State, Nigeria. A survey of 150 urban farmers, selected using a multistage technique and structured questionnaires, revealed an average food security score of 2.73, indicating food security without hunger. The relationship between food security and agricultural enterprises suggested that fruit, vegetable, and fisheries enterprises tend to move urban farmers towards food secure groups.
Food sovereignty & justiceEconomicsUrban–rural linkagePropuesta de agricultura urbana aplicada a un jardín infantil ubicado en el barrio Santa Bárbara (La Candelaria-Bogotá D.C.)
2017Daniela Artunduaga Arboleda, Laura Michelle Bayona Ruiz, Juan Camilo Gómez, Laura Marcela González Vargas, Lady Jhoana Leiton Peña, María Fernanda Pardo Pachón, Daniela Alejandra Quintero Bautista, Möritz Velásquez Riaño · Revista de Tecnología · Colombia (Bogotá)
This descriptive study in a kindergarten in Santa Bárbara, Bogotá, addressed food security for 14 children, who received 16,693.6 g of vegetables/month, significantly less than the FAO-recommended 42,000 g. To mitigate this deficit, urban agriculture workshops were held for parents. The implemented proposal covered 65% of the vegetable supply deficit, equivalent to cultivating 140 plants, and 100% of participants showed interest in continuing the project.
Food educationCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceROLES OF COMMUNITY TOWARDS URBAN FARMING ACTIVITIES
2017Norul Hafizah Yusoff, Mohd. Ramzi Mohd. Hussain, Izawati Tukiman · PLANNING MALAYSIA · Malaysia
This paper reviews and analyzes the importance of a framework for urban farming activities within cities, describing the community's role in achieving environmental, economic, and social sustainability. It evaluates the benefits and potential of urban farming in limited urban spaces, noting its contribution to improving quality of life and addressing food shortage crises. The paper concludes that the community's role is crucial for implementing urban farming activities in urbanized areas.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsClimate changeDefining and theorizing global urban agriculture.
2017Antoinette WinklerPrins · CABI eBooks · Global
This chapter provides definitions and theoretical framing for urban agriculture (UA). Research on UA has evolved beyond describing food production systems to its role in creating spaces of community, resistance, and empowerment. UA serves as a means for those not central to the city's function to claim a right to the city, and it is a rich field for interdisciplinary inquiry into urban sustainability.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyClimate changeThe underestimated power effects of the discourses and practices of the food justice movement
2017Éric Darier · · Global
This chapter reviews Michel Foucault's contribution in the context of environmental effects of biopolitical disasters and presents three Foucaultian approaches. It then illustrates three specific components of the food justice movement: Via Campesina, urban agriculture, and Slow Food. The food justice movement exemplifies the theoretical lenses of power/knowledge, resistance, and ethics from the three Foucaultian perspectives.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityPeri-Urban Food Production and Its Relation to Urban Resilience
2016Eva Olsson, Eva Kerselaers, Lone Søderkvist Kristensen, Jørgen Primdahl, Elke Rogge, Anders Wästfelt · Sustainability · Europe
A study focusing on peri-urban land in Gothenburg (Sweden), Copenhagen (Denmark), and Gent (Belgium) analyzed the relationship between peri-urban food production and urban resilience. It found that arable farming has declined in all three areas since 2000 due to urban expansion and recreational land use changes. While policies for farmland preservation exist, strategies for local food production are not expressed in current planning documents, and competing land uses and high dependence on global food systems reduce peri-urban food production and improvements in urban food security.
Governance failurePeri-urban agriculturePolicyUrban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justicePeri-urban agriculture in Southern Africa: miracle or mirage?
2016Cristina D’Alessandro, Kobena T. Hanson, George Kararach · African Geographical Review · Southern Africa
This paper critically examined existing literature on peri-urban agriculture in Southern Africa, arguing it is a viable livelihood response to feeding urban residents. Despite its potential, the literature indicates that peri-urban agriculture does not play a major role in Southern Africa. The study concluded that a lack of political will and weak or absent policy frameworks, stemming from capacity deficits, hinder its promotion.
Governance failurePeri-urban agricultureFood sovereignty & justicePolicyEconomicsRadical Urban Horticulture for Food Autonomy: Beyond the Community Gardens Experience
2016Pierpaolo Mudu, Alessia Marini · Antipode · Italy
In Italy, the occupation of abandoned urban spaces for "orti urbani" (urban gardens) has increased within the squatting movement over the last 10 years. The city of Rome shows widespread activity in organizing self-managed spaces for growing fruits and vegetables. These initiatives support food autonomous configurations and represent a strategy to re-appropriate and commune urban space.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyDIYUrban agriculture: connecting producers with consumers
2016Carolyn Dimitri, Lydia Oberholtzer, Andy Pressman · British Food Journal · United States
Based on a 2012 national survey of urban farmers in the USA (35 questions), this study analyzed the social missions of urban farms, their extent, and differences and similarities among farms with varying missions. The survey found that food production is an essential mission for all urban farms, and some also have social missions related to food security, education, and community building. Farms with explicit social missions were found to donate a higher share of food and were less likely to own farmland compared to market-oriented farms.
EconomicsCommunityFood educationFood sovereignty & justice