Research & reports

Leitgeb F., Schneider S., Vogl C.R. · Agriculture and Human Values · Cuba (Havana)

Using semi-structured interviews with 15 urban farmers in Havana, this study examines how Cuba's 2008 land reform and 2011 Lineamientos policy created conditions for food sovereignty while generating new marketing opportunities, though reducing subsidies raised consumer prices.

Elena T. Carbone, Gloria T. DiFulvio, Toni Susi, Jerusha Nelson-Peterman, Joan Lowbridge-Sisley, Jessica Collins · International Quarterly of Community Health Education · United States (Springfield, MA)

This evaluation examined an urban Farm-to-Preschool and Families program in Springfield, Massachusetts, aiming to identify factors that facilitate its adoption and to offer guidelines for successful implementation of such programs more generally. Using classroom observations of preschoolers, teacher and food-service interviews, and administrator surveys, the findings suggest that a strong programmatic infrastructure, administrative support, and external support from families are important to sustaining the program.

Carolyn 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.

Victoria Egli, Melody Oliver, El‐Shadan Tautolo · Preventive Medicine Reports · New Zealand (Auckland)

From April to August 2015, a model illustrating the many wellbeing benefits of community garden participation was developed based on a global, critical literature review. This model grouped the benefits into factors influencing the nutritional health environment and factors influencing the social environment. In October 2015, the model was presented to a diverse group of community members in the Tāmaki region of Auckland, New Zealand, to test its comprehension and gather feedback.

Jens A. Geißler, Tim Schümann · · Germany

The Bad Oldesloe City Library developed a new event series, "Harvest Your City," focused on urban gardening. This series aimed to impart knowledge on food cultivation in urban spaces, encourage environmental responsibility, address the origin of food, and promote collective action. Traditional event elements like lectures and exhibitions were combined with a seed exchange and an analog makerspace for building insect hotels, successfully establishing the library as an active learning space.

David J. Bettez · · United States

During wartime, the Kentucky Division of the Women’s Committee of the Council of National Defense guided women's efforts, supporting activities like the Red Cross and Liberty Bond campaigns, and pursuing initiatives in child health, schooling, and recreation. Children were also expected to contribute, mainly by cultivating school gardens and promoting the purchase of War Savings Stamps.

Tina Marie Waliczek, Jayne M. Zajicek · · Global

This document presents sections such as the history of school gardens and gardens for education, the need for youth gardens, ways to garden with youth, and the benefits of gardening with youth. No specific research content or findings are provided.

Josselin Rouhier · · Europe

Shared gardens are a powerful support for social connection, enabling collective activities and participatory consultations that foster exchanges and interactions among various stakeholders. They serve as a meeting point for administrations, developers, associations, and residents. Shared gardens are presented as an example of sustainable development, promoting intergenerational communication and socio-professional diversity within urban natural spaces.

Malin Gustafsson, Matilda Olsson · · Netherlands (Schiedam)

This thesis focuses on a design proposal for a multifunctional foodscape in a peri-urban area on the city edge of Schiedam, in the Metropolitan Region of Rotterdam-The Hague, Netherlands. The proposal includes food production, education, and recreation, aiming to transform peri-urban areas into multifunctional zones and exemplify their role as transition zones between urban and rural landscapes. An empirical pre-study was conducted, focusing on urban farming in Rotterdam, dairy farming in Midden-Delfland, and greenhouse horticulture in Westland.

Blake Baldwin, Kathleen Koenig, Andries Van der Bent · The Science Teacher · United States

This article describes a partnership between an urban, Midwestern STEM high school, a local university's Engineers Without Borders (EWB) chapter, and a nonprofit organization. In spring 2014, an engineering design unit was developed for high school juniors in a Principles of Engineering course to update compost bins for a community garden. The unit integrated science content with engineering practices, aiming to help students understand conservation, learn the science behind composting, and design effective compost bins to meet the client's needs.

niversity Ouaga I Prof Joseph KI-ZERBO, Burkina Faso, Adama Hilou, Issaka Ouédraogo, PAED Sombié, Samson Guenné, Dramane Paré, Mariguetou Compaore · African Journal of Food Agriculture Nutrition and Development · Africa

A field survey in the Ouagadougou region of Burkina Faso examined the socio-economic, food consumption, and conservation aspects of leafy vegetables, specifically amaranth species. Leafy vegetables are cultivated under both rain-fed and irrigated conditions in villages and city gardens, with amaranth species being the most cultivated and marketed, showing potential for commercialization. Ninety-four percent of interviewed people use leafy amaranth in sauce, and there is a growing trend to use introduced amaranth species, which poses a threat to biodiversity.

Amy Stambach · Cambridge Journal of Education · Africa

This paper examines students' food perspectives across three East African contexts: a university in Kigali, Rwanda; a school garden and canteen in Nairobi, Kenya; and a fast-food restaurant in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. It contrasts these perspectives with the work of the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) in these countries. The study suggests that WFP could engage with food more complexly by building upon students' existing astute and complex food perspectives.

Irama Flores · Razón y Palabra · Venezuela

This work reflects on the relationship between media communication and the promotion of urban agriculture, and the creation of a new agricultural culture in Venezuelan cities. The essay focuses on the rescue of values rooted in planting, against a backdrop where reduced production of staple items and black market premium sales, coupled with high inflation, violate food access. It also considers how urban dwellers with an oil culture are now motivated to use their yards or residential areas as nurseries to grow their own food to ensure food security during scarcity.

Valentina Plaka, Constantina Skanavis · International Journal of Innovation and Sustainable Development · Greece

A survey of 27 Greek schools with high interest in environmental education programs investigated the perceived value and feasibility of school gardens. Teachers in schools with gardens confirmed that participating students gained benefits and showed strong environmental consciousness. Interviewed teachers stressed that school gardens are feasible educational tools for promoting positive behavioral results and enforcing environmental knowledge. Teachers in schools without gardens cited lack of in-service training and funding as their main difficulties.

Alexandros Stavrianos · British Journal of Special Education · Global

This article argues for a strong link between inclusive pedagogy and environmental education, suggesting that environmental programs can promote inclusion. Transforming schoolyards into school gardens is presented as an example. Outdoor education experiences are proposed to facilitate positive development of self-esteem, peer socialization, teacher-student relationships, and a positive attitude towards school.

Herwina · · Indonesia (Bandung)

An action research study on applying a garden-based learning strategy was conducted from April 18 to May 12, 2016, with Group B1 kindergarten children at Kartika XIX-I Kindergarten in Bandung, Indonesia. The study addressed the underdeveloped naturalist intelligence of the children, observing improvements in how they treated plants and maintained the cleanliness of the school environment. The results demonstrated that this strategy was effective in enhancing the children's naturalist intelligence.

Elin Karud · · Sweden (Malmö)

This thesis project resulted in Malmököket, a vibrant food center in the Nyhamnen district of Malmö, Sweden. The facility includes a People’s Kitchen and Diner, a wine bar, urban farming facilities, and food markets. The project aims to create a space for people to gather around food, fostering cooperative and social living, and promoting democracy and fellowship.

Sarah Selmer, Keri Duncan Valentine, Melissa J. Luna, Sarah Rummel, James Rye · Australian primary mathematics classroom/Australian primary mathematics classroom (Online) · Australia

This article describes students' mathematical journey as they design their own garden beds, using Garden Based Learning (GBL) as an integrated mathematics and science unit. Students engaged in practical learning while exploring the concepts of area and perimeter.

Ranjan Datta, Rebecca English · · Global

This auto-ethnographic study explores the role of community garden activities in bridging formal and informal learning for urban children's science and environmental education. Based on five years of community garden activities, the author found that these practices promote relational learning methods and adhere to forms of agency such as embracing diversity, sharing power, and trust building. The study offers insights for environmental educators aiming to incorporate ethnic diversity and engage children in research leading to community action.

Anita Evans, Nalini Ranjit, Deanna M. Hoelscher, Christine Jovanovic, Michael López, Andrew M. McIntosh, Marcia G. Ory, Lisa Whittlesey, Lisako McKyer, A. Kirk, Caitlin A. Smith, Catherine Walton, Natalia I. Heredia, Judith L. Warren · BMC Public Health · United States (Texas)

The Texas Grow! Eat! Go! (TGEG) study is a five-year factorial group randomized controlled trial involving 28 schools, assessing the impact of gardening, nutrition, and physical activity interventions on low-income elementary students. Baseline data from 1369 students and 1206 parents, primarily Hispanic and African American, showed that students did not meet national guidelines for vegetable consumption or physical activity. At baseline, no statistical differences were observed among the four treatment groups.

Lorena Meneses Medina · Universitas Científica · Colombia

An urban children's garden was created between July and December 2015 at the Fundación Hogar el Divino Niño (FHDN) in Colombia, which feeds approximately 100 vulnerable children daily. Led by Nelson Enrique Casas Leal, the project aimed to build an organic farm with the support of children and youth interested in urban agriculture production practices. The garden cultivated tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, lettuce, cilantro, squash, oregano, thyme, and medicinal plants, and became a life and survival option for the participating children and their families.

Haryani Haron, Natrah Abdullah · · Malaysia

This paper examines the real practices of experience sharing for community engagement within community gardening in Malaysia. A comparative study of two community types found that experience sharing helps communities become engaged. Furthermore, communities engaged more effectively with the advancement of information technology.

Alexandra Grace Lancey · · United States (Florida)

This ethnographic study in Pinellas County, Florida, investigated school gardening efforts at Title I elementary schools, focusing on an organization that installs gardens in "failing" schools. The research found that strict public school standards and neoliberal education reform paradoxically prevent teachers and administrators from fully utilizing school gardens for nutrition education. This limits their effectiveness in discussing nutrition, healthy eating, and local food, as the focus shifts to state-regulated education standards, revealing significant infrastructural challenges.

Annalisa Metta · Iris (Roma Tre University) · Global

This publication compiles insights from 50 architects, landscape architects, designers, and environmental leaders on sustainability, sustainable design, urbanism, and architecture. Through articles, interviews, and project presentations, they promote good practices and share visions on projects like gardens and community gardens from a sustainability perspective. The work advocates for a complementary convergence of bottom-up practices and traditional design, suggesting design should involve negotiation with places, elements, and people.

Mary Ellen Mitchell-Rosen · NSUWorks (Nova Southeastern University) · United States

This participatory action research study in Broward County, Florida, investigated the experiences of geriatric populations and individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities participating in a garden project with health professions students. The project aimed to address obesity, autism, mental health, and elderly services by providing healthy nutrition interventions and group garden activities. Data collection via focus group interviews is complete, and analysis is ongoing, but stakeholders have reported positive changes in nutritional choices and improved mental status among clients.