Research & reports

Luz Dary Agudelo, María Fernanda Sanabria, Deivis Suárez Rivero · Journal of research in engineering sciences. · Colombia (Bogotá)

This research investigated the growth and productivity of peas (Pisum sativum L.) with the application of organic fertilizers in urban agriculture conditions in Bogotá, Colombia. The experiment was conducted in two Community Integrated Units of Urban Agriculture (UICAU), "SOS" and "Sceptre Grow." Variables such as stem length, stem thickness, number of true leaves, and productivity were evaluated. The study found that Super Soup biofertilizer at a 1/10 vv dilution yielded the best stem length in villages, while a 1/30 vv dilution and the "Growth Center" UICAU showed better results for the number of leaves and overall productivity.

Emma Björkqvist · · Sweden

This study investigated the prevalence of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA, "andelsjordbruk" in Swedish) in Sweden and the motivations, drivers, and goals behind decisions to start them. Based on interviews with four CSA farmers in Sweden, it showed that they share several common motives, goals, and values in their respective operations. The study concluded that CSA appears to be part of a new social movement contributing to self-sufficiency and locally produced food.

Hana Cadzow, Tony Binns · Development in Practice · Sierra Leone

In Freetown, Sierra Leone, government and NGOs have encouraged urban farmers to form farming associations to receive advice and inputs. This study is based on field research that investigated the experiences of members in six different farming associations. It suggests that little information currently exists regarding the functioning of these associations or how their effectiveness might be improved.

Martin Palacios, Minkyu Park · · Global

This work aimed to identify key factors determining the spatial and physical appearance of urban agriculture. It also discussed ways to encourage the acceptance of urban agriculture in public open spaces and the broader urban landscape.

· Apple Academic Press eBooks · Australia (Perth)

This study conducted a sustainable water management trial in Butler, Perth, Western Australia, for urban irrigation. The trial system incorporated features like untreated fit-for-purpose groundwater, drip irrigation, and soil enhancement, comparing outcomes against controlled areas. The study found that fit-for-purpose irrigation combined with water-sensitive land management could achieve significant water savings and irrigation efficiency for urban agriculture. While untreated groundwater quality can be an issue, the research indicated it can be managed with innovative irrigation techniques.

Greg Keeffe · Research Portal (Queen's University Belfast) · Global

This paper proposes a "Hardware-Software-Interface" model to understand urban agriculture, which differs from conventional agriculture in technology, crop choice, and market approach. "Hardware" refers to the technological components, including aquaponics or soil-based methods, adapted for small scales and potentially polluted soils. "Software" represents the ecological elements that produce crops, influenced by factors like permaculture or local market demands.

Csaba Bende, Gyula Nagy · Belvedere Meridionale · Hungary

This study investigated the organizational and operational schematics of two community gardens, Megálló and Makkosház, in Szeged, Hungary, comparing them to Western practices. Empirical data was collected through interviews with gardeners and coordinators in October 2014, and January and March 2015. Results indicated that Szeged's community gardens differ considerably from average American community gardens but share common features with European ones. Both gardens were found to be top-down directed and controlled, which contrasts with American and European practices.

Emma Stigson · · Sweden

A qualitative study investigating the development of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in Sweden utilized literature reviews, interviews, participant observations, and digital media tracking. The findings indicate that CSA is relatively new in Sweden but is becoming more common, with the number of farms increasing over the past 3-4 years and now spread across the country. CSA contributes to ecological, economic, and social sustainable development in Swedish rural areas.

هالة فالح احمد · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Iraq

A field study in Iraq investigated the role and importance of school gardens within educational institutions. The research found that school gardens eliminate desertification, moderate weather, and bring happiness to students and teachers, while their neglect obstructs the teaching process. The study recommends organizing teacher courses on school environment and health, and conducting periodic cleaning and repair campaigns for school gardens and buildings.

Ellen van Holstein · Environment and Planning A Economy and Space · Australia (Sydney)

Empirical research at three community gardens in Sydney, Australia, examined property practices such as transplanting, plotting, and fencing. The study found that community gardeners create overlapping understandings of common and private property, driven by contradictory motivations for community inclusion and personal interest protection. Feelings of ownership, while contributing to belonging, also legitimize defensive and exclusive spatial claims within these gardens.

Piers H.G. Stephens · Oxford University Press eBooks · Global

This chapter applies the author's work on property rights justification to community gardens, criticizing the Lockean private property justification. It argues that legitimate property ownership derives from "belonging," a felt bond of lived experience, which can conflict with Lockean "possession." The chapter concludes that the Lockean orientation combined with technocratic politics reduces contemporary life, making connection to nature uncommon, and that community garden practices offer practical alternatives.

Michele Lobo · Geographical Review · Australia (Darwin)

This paper examines public spaces in Darwin, Australia, where the visibility of Aboriginal people and migrants often generates fear and anxiety. Focusing on a drop-in open-air café-community garden-op shop, the study argues that playful events and spontaneous multisensory encounters involving humans, non-humans, and material things can animate these spaces. It suggests that the vibrancy of matter and non-human life forms can inform how diverse cities are co-inhabited, challenging social cohesion policies centered on integration into a dominant white majority culture.

Marie Wellner, Ludwig Theuvsen · · Global

This paper provides an overview of the current state of research on Alternative Food Networks (ALN) and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) through a literature analysis. It aims to clearly define the research area by differentiating individual ALNs and presents the core elements of the CSA concept in the context of regional marketing.

Gundula Proksch · · Global

This chapter investigates various approaches to community involvement in urban agriculture, demonstrating how communities and interest groups can be instrumental in creating and operating urban agricultural projects. Urban agriculture has the potential to reestablish lost connections between food production and consumption and restore social, economic, and cultural ties. Community-initiated urban agricultural programs are essential in reducing the divide between producers and consumers.

Claudia Patricia Osorio Doncel · INGENIO · Colombia (Palmira)

At the "Fundacion Hogar Divino Nino" in Palmira, Colombia, educational and practical workshops are provided for underprivileged youth. A boy named 'El Doc de la granja', who attended the foundation, enjoyed planting and cultivating various green species, including beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, chard, cilantro, bell peppers, and some medicinal and aromatic plants. These crops were used to feed all the children at the foundation.

Viktoria Timpka · · Global

The purpose of this study is to highlight different aspects, resistances, and negotiations in urban farming. It also aims to explore how this activity relates to the urban environment. The study draws on related material.

Hardiyanto Hardiyanto, Constancio C. de Guzman · Indonesian Journal of Agricultural Science · Philippines (Metro Manila)

This study investigated the levels and distribution of lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) in white cabbage, soil, and irrigation water from urban agricultural sites in Las Piñas and Parañaque, Metro Manila, Philippines. Field areas were divided into three sections based on distance from the main road (0, 25, and 50 m), and metal contents were measured by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry. The average Pb content (1.09 µg g-1 dry weight) in white cabbage was highest immediately beside the main road, with a similar trend in soil. A negative relationship was found between distance from the main road and Pb and Cd contents in white cabbage and soil. While overall concentrations of Pb and Cd in white cabbage, soil, and irrigation water were within acceptable limits, further study on heavy metal contamination in crops, especially those grown along main roads, was suggested.

Madeleine Bonow, Maria Normark · · Sweden (Stockholm)

This paper discusses the renewed interest in urban agriculture (UA) in the global North as a method to re-localize food systems by shortening food supply chains. The abstract is truncated and provides no further details on the study's findings or methods.

Alessandra Silva Araújo · URBANA Revista Eletrônica do Centro Interdisciplinar de Estudos sobre a Cidade · Portugal

This research compared factors leading to community garden initiatives in Porto, Portugal, and Belo Horizonte, Brazil, focusing on the influence of urban planning processes. It found differences in how urban planning in both cities incorporates urban agriculture practices. The connections between urban agriculture and urban planning, facilitated by environmental planning practices, were found to be incipient, hindering planning's goal of catalyzing a sustainable city.

Chiara Casazza, Stefano Pianigiani · Civil Engineering and Urban Planning An International Journal (CiVEJ) · Global

Urban agriculture is a complex phenomenon that responds to the common need for sustainable cities in environmental, economic, social, and institutional terms. It encompasses various approaches and intervention typologies, from low-tech to high-tech solutions like community gardens and vertical farms. This field characterizes cities at different scales, including territory, town, neighborhood, building, and house, addressing diverse user exigencies and requirements.

Nayla Naoufal · VertigO · Global

This article examines global citizen movements related to socio-ecological issues, including urban agriculture development, by analyzing the evolution of their demands. It explores environmental justice, popular ecology, and their theoretical foundations, identifying a relevant framework for contemporary mobilizations. The study also analyzes the concept of ecocitizenship, finding that a participatory and critical form of ecocitizenship particularly contributes to environmental justice.

Monika Egerer, Peter Bichier, Stacy M. Philpott · Annals of the Entomological Society of America · Global

This study identified landscape and local habitat factors influencing lady beetle abundance and species richness in urban community gardens. Assessing 19 gardens over two years, it found that the amount of natural area surrounding gardens at 3 km was the strongest correlate of abundance and species richness. Gardens embedded in more urban landscapes had higher lady beetle abundance and richness, suggesting that urban landscape quality and local habitat management may interact to shape lady beetle communities within gardens.

Noëllie W. Kpoda, Mariam Sou Dakouré, Boubacar Savadogo, Amadou H. Maïga, Jean-Noël Poda, G.B. Kabre · Journal of Water and Environment Technology · Burkina Faso (Ouagadougou)

This study in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, compared the parasitological characteristics of wastewater at a treatment plant's inlet and outlet, and in an open channel conveying treated wastewater to a garden site. Non-viable parasite cysts or eggs were found at the treatment plant, but viable parasite cysts and eggs were detected in the open channel. An epidemiological study demonstrated that open defecation by highly infected individuals within the garden site caused recontamination of the treated wastewater.

Sook Mee Lee, In Ho Kim · Journal of people, plants, and environment · Global

This study aimed to establish principles for community garden space planning to improve the self-support capability of vulnerable groups. Considering the circumstances of homeless individuals, 13 universal design principles were applied, integrating concepts of healing gardens and urban agriculture. The principles include maximally efficient space division for various programs, privacy-protected spaces, rest areas for strengthening resilience and health, pleasant spaces with plants, easily accessible and safe spaces, and easy maintenance and sustainability. For the ultimate goal of financial self-support, spaces for developing acquired skills and engaging in productive activities were also included in the principles.

C. Paizinho, M. de F. Ferreiro · Repositório do ISCTE-IUL · Portugal (Lisbon)

This study identified solidarity economy practices in three urban gardens in Lisbon, Portugal: Vale de Chelas, Alta de Lisboa, and Horta do Baldio. Using quantitative and qualitative methods, including surveys of 42 users and interviews with 3 stakeholders, 31 out of 35 evaluated practices were identified, with 7 being "very relevant" and 4 "relevant." Key practices included organic production, contributions to social cohesion and health, knowledge sharing, reciprocity, and democratic decision-making, while 20 practices were considered "less relevant."