Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
1914 results(75 / 77)
Growing Healthy Children: Can Gardening Improve Fruit and Vegetable Attitudes in Minority Children?
2004Geralyn Nolan, Jayne M. Zajicek · HortScience · United States
This research investigated whether gardening supplemented with nutritional curriculum could improve fruit and vegetable attitudes in minority children in Texas elementary schools. Children completed pre- and post-tests evaluating attitudes, snack preferences, and nutritional knowledge. Statistically significant positive differences were found in all three variables after the gardening and nutritional instruction.
Food educationHealthCommunity여성농업인센터 운영사업의 사회적 편익 추정
2004최윤지, 김경미, 강경하, 이진영 · · South Korea
This study calculated the economic effects of Women-Farmer's Centers in South Korea, which provide services like childcare, after-school learning, education, and counseling. Based on the business plans of 14 centers, the total economic income effect was estimated at 2,784 million won. The services contributed to the ease and quality of life for women farmers and generated economic benefits for the community and country.
EconomicsCommunityFood educationWelfareDesigning a Children's Garden for Experiential Learning in the South Carolina Botanical Garden
2004Robert F. Polomski, Carri Carver Wallace, Mary Haque, Lisa K. Wagner, James E. Arnold, Amy D. Craddock, Christian Maloney Cicimurri, Lisa D. Chancellor · HortScience · United States (South Carolina)
An interdisciplinary team designed a 2.5-acre Children's Garden for experiential learning at the South Carolina Botanical Garden. The plans include 13 outdoor theme gardens, such as a "Dinosaur Dig" and a "Food for Thought Garden." A design class of 15 students contributed 2,000 hours to the project, producing 30 drawing boards of research, analysis, and design proposals presented in Fall 2003.
Food educationCommunityAgricultura urbana e segurança alimentar em Belo Horizonte: cultivando uma cidade sustentável
2004Daniela Adil Oliveira de Almeida · Organic Eprints (International Centre for Research in Organic Food Systems, and Research Institute of Organic Agriculture) · Brazil (Belo Horizonte)
This article focuses on the "Project for Training Local Development Agents in Food and Nutritional Security and Urban Agriculture," which began in 2003 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
Food educationFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityWhat's for dinner?Organizing around food access issues in Los Angeles.
2004Prebus, Olivia · Occidental College Scholar (Occidental College) · United States (Los Angeles)
This work addresses the gross inequity of food access in low-income neighborhoods of Los Angeles, such as MacArthur Park, where grocery stores are scarce. The author's internship at the Center for Food and Justice involved projects like a Community Food Assessment and organizing a community garden, all focused on empowering communities to tackle complex food access issues. The abstract highlights the severe problem of limited healthy food options leading to simultaneous obesity and malnutrition.
Equity & displacementCommunityFood educationHealthWelfareSmall-scale Urban Agriculture in Havana and the Reproduction of the 'New Man' in Contemporary Cuba
2003Premat A. · European Review of Latin American and Caribbean Studies · Cuba (Havana)
Based on ethnographic fieldwork in Havana (1999-2001), this article examines urban garden parcelas as sites revealing tensions between private and public domains, finding that revolutionary values around food security and community persisted in post-Soviet Cuba despite assumptions of growing individualism.
CommunityPolicyFood educationWelfareHome gardening in urban poor communities of the Philippines
2003Miura S., Kunii O., Wakai S. · International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition · Philippines (Davao City)
A structured survey of 152 mothers in two poor urban communities in Davao City examined home gardening and dietary diversity, finding limited but notable impact of garden produce on micronutrient intake. The study assessed a community-based approach promoting home gardening to address iron and vitamin A deficiencies.
CommunityHealthWelfareFood educationCommunity Gardens: Lessons Learned From California Healthy Cities and Communities
2003Joan M. Twiss, Joy Dickinson, Shirley Duma, Tanya Kleinman, Heather Paulsen, Liz Rilveria · American Journal of Public Health · United States (California)
Community gardens enhance nutrition, physical activity, and social capital, promoting public health and quality of life. The California Healthy Cities and Communities (CHCC) program funded successful community gardens in several cities, which incorporated local leadership, volunteers, and skill-building. These initiatives led to policies for land and water use, improved produce access, and strengthened community building skills.
CommunityHealthFood educationPolicyImpact Evaluation of School Garden Programmes on Nutrition Knowledge Among Secondary School Teachers in Kigali, Rwanda: Academic Performance Outcomes
2003Kabuye Umugeshiwu · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Rwanda
This comparative study evaluated the impact of school garden programs on nutrition knowledge among secondary school teachers in Kigali, Rwanda. A mixed-methods research strategy, including quantitative surveys (n=120) and qualitative interviews (n=6), was employed. Results showed an average improvement of 35% in teachers' nutrition knowledge post-intervention, indicating that school garden programs significantly enhance teachers' nutrition knowledge, correlating positively with improved academic performance among students.
Food educationHealthLesson study : the school garden as an integrating context for science and language learning
2003Karen L. Nordstrom · Digital Commons - CSUMB (California State University, Monterey Bay) · United States
This research investigated the impact of collaborative, reflective teaching practice on teacher professional development in science education. The MBSP/LASERS Summer School Academy implemented lesson study, integrating hands-on, inquiry-based learning and English language acquisition within the context of a school garden. Qualitative data analyses identified emergent themes from teacher and student interviews, focus groups, and written reflection, measuring the effectiveness of lesson study on teacher professional development and student perceptions of garden-based learning.
Food educationCommunityUrban Agriculture in Dakar's Slums: Community Gardens and Educational Outcomes
2003Mariama Diop, Aminata Sow, Ibrahima Ndiaye · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Senegal (Dakar)
This research in Dakar's slums used a mixed-methods approach to study the link between community gardens and educational outcomes among school children. A preliminary analysis indicated that students participating in community gardens showed a 15% improvement in reading comprehension scores compared to non-participants. While further statistical testing is needed, the findings suggest a positive correlation between urban agriculture and educational outcomes for low-income children.
CommunityFood educationWelfareHealthGrowing Awareness in Paraguay: School Gardens Give Children the Tools to Prosper
2003Darcy Varney · Children Youth and Environments · Paraguay
In the summer of 2000, Plan International introduced vegetable gardening to 48 rural primary schools in Paraguay's southern provinces. This program aimed to improve children's health through nutrition and equip them with skills to share with their parents. Plan provided seeds, tools, fencing materials, and technical support to help children and community members build gardens.
Food educationCommunityUrban–rural linkageAgricultural management in association with urban residents in the Metropolis of Tokyo
2003Takashi Watanabe, Makoto Yokohari, Ryuto Matsuzawa · Journal of the City Planning Institute of Japan · Japan (Tokyo)
This study clarified farmers' responses to agricultural activities involving urban residents in Tokyo. The findings showed that over half of the farmers engaged in agricultural activities in cooperation with urban residents, and those enthusiastic about such activities tended to excel in farm management. Furthermore, municipalities within the target area were categorized into three types based on the proportion of farmers conducting agricultural activities with urban residents.
CommunityHealthFood educationOrganic cycleBuilding Houses, Building Lives
2003Lorie Hammond · Mind Culture and Activity · United States (California)
This article uses a narrative format to describe situations in which Mienh immigrant families from a Southeast Asian hill tribe adapt to technological and cultural change within a California elementary school sponsoring a family literacy, school-community garden, and house building project. It argues that adjustments can be creative and empowering if schools incorporate community "funds of knowledge" into their instructional plan. Projects such as gardening and house building provide rich contexts for intercultural dialogues.
CommunityFood educationWelfareIntegrating Community Into the Classroom: Community Gardening, Community Involvement, and Project-Based Learning
2002Regina Day Langhout, Julian Rappaport, Doretha Simmons · Urban Education · Global
This article discusses the tensions faced in facilitating the relationship between teachers and community members while working on a community garden project. The authors adopt an ecological model for effective classroom-community collaboration and discuss how this process unfolded in the current setting. The evaluation includes a discussion of common and disparate goals of teachers and community members and how differences are navigated in the current milieu.
CommunityFood educationParticipatory Approaches to Program Development and Engaging Youth in Research: The Case of an Inter-Generational Urban Community Gardening Program
2002Marianne E. Krasny, Rebekah Doyle · Journal of Extension · Global
This study applied participatory models to an inter-generational program aimed at having youth document ethnic gardening practices in urban community gardens. Outcomes for educators included professional development and the opportunity to expand programs to urban audiences, while youth learned about gardening, developed positive relationships with elders, and enhanced academic skills. Developing relationships with youth was an important outcome for gardeners.
CommunityFood educationElderlyWelfareOn Basic Characteristics and Function Exploitation of Urban Agriculture
2002LI Ya-hong · Nongye xiandaihua yanjiu · Global
This paper describes urban agriculture as a modern agricultural industry shaped by metropolitan regions and socio-economic circumstances. Its main characteristics include a perfect market system, aggregated production patterns, industrialized management, high-tech production, and the harmonization of three agricultural benefits. Beyond commodity production, urban agriculture should also offer direct and indirect multifunctions such as ecological construction, leisure tourism, cultural education, export, and demonstration.
Urban–rural linkageEconomicsFood educationClimate changeUsing Agriculture as the Foundation for an Extension Nutrition Education Program
2002L. Hughes · Journal of Extension · United States
Rutgers Cooperative Extension developed "From Our Farms," a nutrition and agriculture education program for children aged 3-8 in the United States. This initiative promotes improved nutrition and consumption of locally grown foods through family-based activities offered via local libraries.
CSA & TeikeiFood educationCommunityThe Impact of School Garden Programmes on Adolescent Nutrition in Ghanaian Schools Contextualized within Democratic Republic of Congo Settings
2002Mandima Bangala, Kamitombo Mbwata, Tshibangu Minko · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Ghana
This study investigated the impact of school garden programs on adolescent nutrition in Ghanaian schools using a mixed-methods approach with surveys, qualitative interviews, and linear regression analysis. A significant positive correlation was found between the number of school garden programs and improved adolescent dietary diversity. The findings suggest these programs can enhance nutritional outcomes, particularly dietary diversity, among participants.
Food educationHealthCommunityTraining and Supporting Volunteer Mentors for Juvenile Offenders in Urban Gardening
2002Joseph H. Konen · Journal of Extension · Global
This article summarizes three years of experience in training and supporting volunteer mentors who work with juvenile offenders in an urban gardening program. It details the program parameters and describes the methods used for selecting, orienting, and training these volunteers.
Food educationWelfareCommunityUrban Youth Engagement with Community Gardening Initiatives in South African Cities: A Mixed Methods Impact Study on Empowerment Levels
2002Mpho Tshepiso Khumalo, Nomsie Makhubela · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · South Africa
This mixed-methods study investigated urban youth engagement in community gardening initiatives in six South African cities, using surveys, ethnographic observations, structured interviews, focus groups, and participant observation. Participants reported a significant 34% increase in self-reported empowerment levels after engaging in these initiatives. The findings suggest community gardens can be effective for youth empowerment, but further research on long-term effects and scalability is needed.
CommunityFood educationWelfarePolicyPeople, Land and Sustainability: Community Gardens and the Social Dimension of Sustainable Development
2001John Ferris, Carol Norman, Joe Sempik · Social Policy and Administration · USA
This article reports on research and experience from the USA regarding community gardens and their role in the social dimension of sustainable development. It explores how the use of urban green spaces for gardens links to health, education, community development, and food security. The article concludes that using urban open spaces for parks and gardens is closely associated with environmental justice and equity.
CommunityHealthFood educationFood sovereignty & justiceWelfareExperience of World Vision Ethiopia Micronutrient Program in Promoting the Production of Vitamin A–Rich Foods
2001Haile Meskel Balcha · Food and Nutrition Bulletin · Ethiopia
World Vision Ethiopia launched a Micronutrient Program in October 1998 to improve the micronutrient status of mothers and children, promoting vitamin A–rich food production. By 1999, 11,708 backyard gardens, 275 school gardens, and 77 community gardens were developed, contributing to household food security and income. The program found that vitamin A–rich vegetable production was well accepted, sustainable, and cost-effective, but faced challenges with the availability and cost of imported seeds.
Food educationWelfareCommunityHealthBridging the Gap: Connecting School and Community with Service Learning
2001Sarah Edwards · The English Journal · United States
This article describes how the author's eighth-grade language arts inquiry-based instruction evolved into student-based community learning. Students brought the community to school with an art exhibit on tolerance, volunteered at a nearby elementary school, created community gardens to fulfill a neighborhood need, and established a new desert habitat community park, connecting the school and neighborhood.
CommunityFood educationSchool Gardens: Raising Environmental Awareness in Children.
2001Shira Brynjegard · Dominican Scholar (Dominican University of California) · United States
This study explored the reasons for gardens and natural spaces on school campuses and their effects on students. Blending case studies, observational data, and personal experience, it discussed the impacts of a garden on participating students, using the balance of administrative, teacher, parent, and student involvement to determine lasting effects on student attitudes toward environmental concerns. Evidence of increased environmental awareness in students was discussed.
Food educationCommunity