Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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PEMBELAJARAN DARI PENDAMPINGAN PEMANFAATAN RAIN GARDEN DAN ECO-ENZYME UNTUK AGROSILVOFISHERY DAN PEKARANGAN PANGAN LESTARI
2024Fitta Setiajiati · Cannarium · Indonesia
A community outreach and mentoring program in Kelurahan Mulyaharja, Bogor City, Indonesia, ran from September to October 2021 with members of the KWT Ciharashas women farmers group. After surveys and discussions with local officials, tourism managers and farmer groups, the team introduced rain garden installation and eco-enzyme production as low-cost urban farming methods, building a demonstration plot on farmer-group land. Residents who had not previously heard of rain gardens or eco-enzymes engaged enthusiastically, and the activity produced more optimal land use along with improvements in aesthetics and environmental health.
CommunityOrganic cycleSeeds of change: fostering nutritional education through school kitchen gardens
2024Maira Mubashir, Romaina Iqbal, Sabahat Naz · Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association · Asia
A commentary in the Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association argues that 82% of adolescents are at risk of non-communicable diseases due to physical inactivity and low fruit and vegetable intake, citing a Karachi study in which schoolchildren's consumption of discretionary foods exceeded their vegetable intake. The piece presents school kitchen gardens as a strategy to promote dietary diversification and vegetable consumption, describing them as an interactive platform where children plant, tend, and harvest produce while learning about vegetable types, growth, and nutritional value, and cites a prior systematic review reporting improved children's knowledge of food, nutrition, gardening, and science.
Food educationHealthCommunityCharacteristics of urban milkweed gardens that influence monarch butterfly egg abundance
2024Karen R. Klinger, Aster F. Hasle, Karen S. Oberhauser · Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution · United States (New York City)
Working with community scientists in the Chicago metropolitan area, researchers monitored monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) eggs and caterpillars on milkweed patches in yards and community gardens. Peak egg counts per patch ranged from zero to 170 across observation years; patch age and the presence of common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) affected whether eggs were present, and patches with the highest egg counts tended to have A. syriaca, more milkweed plants, and greater diversity of blooming nectar plants.
PollinatorsBiodiversityCommunityThe limits of right-sizing: analyzing social housing strategies in French shrinking cities
2024A. Fanny, António Ferreira, Paulo Conceição · Urban Geography · France
This paper analyzes social housing strategies grounded in "right-sizing"—including demolishing vacant housing, consolidating urban development, and converting vacant land into community gardens—in two shrinking French cities, Le Creusot and Montluçon. The analysis found that while both cities implement some quantitative adjustment of housing supply to demand, their actual strategies are considerably more complex, combining multiple synergistic lines of action, and the paper highlights that right-sizing as an analytical concept remains constrained by austerity principles.
CommunityPolicyAgricultura urbana agroecológica na construção de paisagens produtivas
2024Antônio Pampana · Revista VérticeFIB · Brazil
This review essay traces the history of urban agriculture in Brazil—from backyard cultivation of Portuguese origin, through its post-industrial decline, to worsened food insecurity during the Covid-19 crisis—and argues that agroecological urban agriculture (AUA) can combine sustainable management with social benefits, increased biodiversity, and diversified food production including unconventional food plants (PANCs). It cites the green infrastructure project in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain, and the Oriente corridors project in metropolitan Medellín, Colombia, as examples of AUA in strategic green-infrastructure planning, while noting that AUA remains largely absent from urban public policy.
Organic cycleCommunityOptimalisasi Sistem Penjualan dan Penyimpanan Produk Pasca Panen Urban Farming di Kabupaten Gresik
2024Natasha Putri Adetya, Maulin Masyito Putri · Sustainability and Social Impact · Indonesia
Addressing the high temperatures characteristic of urban planting conditions in Gresik Regency, Indonesia, this paper proposes optimizing post-harvest sales and storage systems for urban farming products through three measures: planting and harvest scheduling by crop type and duration, cold storage to slow quality degradation and extend shelf life, and a sales and distribution application. It identifies as a problem that most current sales of urban farming products depend on direct sales to the surrounding community and are considered ineffective, and proposes that these three measures would let farmers reach customers beyond Gresik.
EconomicsCommunityPeri-urban agricultureA agricultura urbana e suas faces: caracterização a partir de um estudo comparativo multicasos em Curitiba
2024Edson Fonseca de Oliveira, René Eugênio Seifert, Thiago Cavalcante Nascimento, Luan Matheus Pedrozo Kolachnek · Revista de Economia e Sociologia Rural · Brazil
A qualitative, descriptive-exploratory multicase comparative study of Curitiba, Brazil, characterized three modes of urban agriculture organization based on Feniman's (2014) typology: Assisted, Vernacular, and Politicized. The Assisted mode was technically driven and dependent on government assistance, favoring production of market-value species, with formalized social structures that limited internal and external social integration and less use of unconventional production technologies. The Vernacular mode had an informal, affective structure valuing ancestral knowledge and traditional practices anchored in strong family ties. The Politicized mode expressed participants' desire to make urban agriculture integrative, alternative, sovereign, autonomous, and innovative, but showed limitations in building a stable communal life.
CommunityPolicyFood educationPengembangan Inovasi Smart Aeroponik sebagai Upaya Efisiensi Urban Farming Produktif Ramah Energi
2024Raditya Ahmad Rifandi, Rizal Ichsan Syah Putra, Nunung Eni Elawati, Dwi Nur Yuliyani, Dafa Anwarul Fahmi · Cakrawala Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat Global · Indonesia
A community outreach project implemented a "smart aeroponic" system — using sensor technology and automatic control — at several urban locations in Indonesia and trained local communities in its operation and maintenance. Evaluation found the system increased energy efficiency by up to 70% compared with Deep Flow Technique (DFT) hydroponics, saving 29.02 kWh for mustard greens cultivation and 41.00 kWh for lettuce cultivation.
Digital agricultureCommunityClimate changeEconomicsFasilitasi Rencana Aksi Perintisan Wisata Kuliner Berbasis Urban Farming di Pinggir Kali Code, Yogyakarta
2024B. Hari Saptaning Tyas, Condrodewi Puspitasari, Fadjarini Sulistyowati, Widati Widati · JMM - Jurnal Masyarakat Merdeka · Indonesia
A community outreach activity in RT 13 and RT 14 of Kampung Surokarsan, along the Code River in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, facilitated the launch of an urban-farming-based culinary tourism village. Building on a pre-masterplan drafted in 2023 activities, the project socialized the plan, facilitated village deliberation to formulate an action plan, and conducted capacity-building training for residents. Participants included a tourism awareness group, village officials, RT 13/14 leaders, local farmer groups, and resident representatives; questionnaire responses indicated participants found the training beneficial and expressed intent to develop the culinary village concept together with nearby water tourism, and a WhatsApp group was formed for ongoing communication.
CommunityEconomicsFood educationThe School Garden As A Tool in the Teaching-Learning Process of Environmental Education in A Riverside Community on The Bank of The Iguaçu River
2024Pamela Eduarda Lopes dos Santos Rezena, Luciana Boemer Cesar Pereira, Mariana Ranchuka dos Santos, Anelize Queiroz Amaral, Geisiane dos Santos de Souza · Revista de Gestão Social e Ambiental · Brazil
At a public elementary school (Foz do Chopim Municipal School) in the riverside community of Foz do Chopim, in the municipality of Cruzeiro do Iguaçu, Paraná, Brazil, a university extension workshop run jointly by the Sala +Verde and Hortas projects built a school garden to teach environmental education themes including care for the environment, the society-nature relationship, sustainable societies and food sovereignty. The workshop produced a sense of belonging and care for the garden space among participating students and gave them practical information to take home.
Food educationCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceSistem Pendukung Keputusan Cerdas untuk Pemilihan Jenis Tanaman Pertanian Kota
2024Jeri Ramadhan, Irman Hermadi, Imas Sukaesih Sitanggang · EDUMATIC Jurnal Pendidikan Informatika · Indonesia (Jakarta)
A study developed a decision support system for selecting urban farming crop types for Jakarta's Balkot Farm program, using the Simple Additive Weighting (SAW) method. It followed an SDLC prototyping methodology (communication, quick plan, quick design modeling, prototype construction, and deployment/delivery with feedback), with data collected through interviews and literature review. The result was a web application with menus for alternatives, criteria, subcriteria, rating match and results; black box testing and user acceptance testing confirmed the system correctly displayed menus matching land criteria according to stakeholder needs.
Digital agricultureCommunityLouisiana Agriculture Magazine, Fall 2024
2024· Civil War Book Review · United States
A Fall 2024 magazine issue profiling research activity at the LSU AgCenter covers researcher Erin Oberhaus's work collecting data to inform Louisiana horse owners about medication use, a water quality specialist's study of whether noneconomic water bodies including agricultural ponds could help generate electricity, results from soybean studies, and success stories from the AgCenter's farm-to-school program involving school gardens across the state.
Food educationCommunityGeospatial characteristics of allotment garden provision in Tokyo
2023Kishimoto K., Yan W. · Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems (Cambridge), 38:e54 · Japan
Quantitatively classifies roughly 430 registered allotment gardens in Tokyo by number of plots, plot size, price, contract duration, and facilities, mapping their spatial distribution and providers. Most allotments were founded after 2000 and are owned by local governments, yet demand for plots exceeds supply across much of the metropolis.
PolicyCommunityEconomicsIdentifying Key Benefits and Characteristics of Community Gardening for Vulnerable Populations: A Systematic Review
2023Tracey D., Gray T., Sweeting J., Kingsley J., Bailey A., Pettitt P. · Health & Social Care in the Community (Wiley/Hindawi), 2023:5570089 · Global
The first systematic review to summarize the benefits of community gardening for vulnerable populations such as low-socioeconomic-status and culturally diverse groups. Analyzing 33 studies, it finds social connection, health, education, and nutrition to be the most frequently reported benefits, supporting social inclusion and welfare.
WelfareCommunityHealthFood educationPotential Policy and Community Implications of Equitable Organic Waste, Compost, and Urban Agricultural Systems in the United States
2023Hall S.M., Tikku V., Heiger-Bernays W.J. · Environmental Health Perspectives, 131(11):115001 · Global
Examines equity and safety in urban organic-waste cycling through a case study of waste-to-compost activities and legislation in four US cities. It warns that contaminants such as pesticides, lead, and PFAS and inconsistent regulation can worsen racial inequities in access to urban farmland and safe compost, and recommends justice-oriented policy with multilingual education and proper waste disposal.
CompostOrganic cyclePolicyFood lossCommunityGrowing Community: Factors of Inclusion for Refugee and Immigrant Urban Gardeners
2023Goralnik L., Radonic L., Garcia Polanco V., Hammon A. · Land, 12(1):68 · United States
A qualitative study of a food-bank-run community garden in Lansing, Michigan, examining what fosters inclusion for refugee and immigrant gardeners. It shows how garden management practices promote inclusion that builds social capital, an outcome important for refugee and immigrant wellbeing.
CommunityWelfarePolicyCommunity composting strategies for biowaste treatment: methodology, bulking agent and compost quality
2023Alves, D., Villar, I., Mato, S. · Environmental Science and Pollution Research (Springer), 31(7):9873-9885 · Spain / Europe
A study comparing methodology, bulking agents, and compost quality across community composting centres (CCC) and community gardens used by local governments to treat biowaste. It shows how population density and the presence of green areas determine the siting of decentralized local composting infrastructure.
CompostOrganic cyclePolicyCommunityAssessing five decades of garden bee studies
2023Bell N.C.S., Ascher J.S., Hayes J.J.-M., Langellotto G.A. · Frontiers in Sustainable Cities, 5:1102360 · Global
A systematic review covering roughly five decades of bee research in urban and community gardens, analyzing 227 publications through early 2022. It clarifies the potential of gardens to support diverse bee communities, the role of citizen-tended green spaces in pollinator conservation, and existing research gaps, pointing toward future directions for urban pollinator conservation and participatory monitoring.
BiodiversityCommunityPolicy地域再生計画「食都神戸の推進（食文化の創造による都市ブランドの再構築）」
2023神戸市 · 内閣府地方創生推進事務局（地域再生計画認定） · Japan
A regionally certified revitalization plan that Kobe City submitted to the Cabinet Office. Building on the Gastropolis Kobe 2020 vision, it sets KPI targets for local-food consumption, exchange population, new farmers and food-business startups through programs such as EAT LOCAL KOBE, farmers markets, citizen and tourist farm experiences, and student-farmer product development.
PolicyEconomicsCommunityUrban agriculture in walkable neighborhoods bore fruit for health and food system resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic
2023Iida A., Yamazaki T., Hino K., Yokohari M. · npj Urban Sustainability 3:4 · Japan
Focusing on Tokyo, the study quantitatively verified how access to local food through urban agriculture relates to residents' subjective well-being, physical activity, and food-security concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic. It showed that walkable-distance urban agriculture supported community health and food-system resilience.
HealthCommunityPolicy生産緑地地区の買い取りによる都市農地の保全・継承に関する研究
2023Nakajima Y., Akita N. · 都市計画論文集 58(3):767-773 · Japan
Addressing urban farmland repositioned from 'land to be converted to housing' to 'land that should exist' under the 2015 Urban Agriculture Promotion Plan, the study examines how municipalities should strategically position productive green areas and operate the purchase-request system to preserve them, using Setagaya Ward—an early adopter of such purchases—as a case study.
PolicyEconomicsCommunityグリーンインフラ推進戦略2023
2023国土交通省 · 国土交通省（令和5年9月策定） · Japan
The core strategy of Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism aiming to mainstream and 'build in' green infrastructure across all sectors with the public and private sectors working in tandem. It sets out seven perspectives—collaboration, community, technology, evaluation, finance, global and digital—and positions a broad range of spaces, including urban farmland and everyday greenery, as multifunctional green social infrastructure for stormwater management, disaster risk reduction, biodiversity, health and community.
PolicyBiodiversityCommunityHealthBioactive and nutritional compounds in fruits of pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) landraces conserved among indigenous communities from Mexico
2023García-Vásquez R., Vera-Guzmán A.M., Carrillo-Rodríguez J.C., Pérez-Ochoa M.L., Aquino-Bolaños E.N., Alba-Jiménez J.E., Chávez-Servia J.L. · AIMS Agriculture and Food 8(3):832-850 · Mexico
Compared phenolics, vitamin C, carotenoids, capsaicinoids, and antioxidant activity in Oaxacan Huacle and De Agua pepper landraces versus commercial Jalapeño. Landraces showed higher flavonoid and carotenoid contents, underscoring indigenous germplasm value.
Heirloom & landraceBiodiversityHealthCommunityEffects of a community gardening intervention on diet, physical activity, and anthropometry outcomes in the USA (CAPS): an observer-blind, randomised controlled trial
2023Litt J. S., Alaimo K., Harrall K. K., Hamman R. F., Hébert J. R., Hurley T. G., Leiferman J. A., Li K., Villalobos A., Coringrato E., Courtney J. B., Payton M., Glueck D. H. · The Lancet Planetary Health 7(1):e23-e32 · United States
Observer-blind RCT among Denver community-garden waitlist adults. The gardening intervention significantly increased fiber intake and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, and reduced perceived stress and anxiety compared with controls.
HealthCommunityCommunity Gardening Increases Vegetable Intake and Seasonal Eating From Baseline to Harvest: Results from a Mixed Methods Randomized Controlled Trial
2023Alaimo K., Beavers A. W., Coringrato E., Lacy K., Ma W., Hurley T. G., Hébert J. R. · Current Developments in Nutrition 7(5):100077 · United States
Mixed-methods analysis of an RCT showing community gardeners increased vegetable intake from baseline to harvest, an effect mediated by greater seasonal eating of locally available produce.
HealthCommunity