Research & reports

Jae-Youl Lee · 서울도시연구 · South Korea (Seoul)

This ethnographic study examined urban agriculture practices at Nodeul Urban Agriculture Park in Seoul from March to September 2014, using participant observation and in-depth interviews. The research found that cultivation practices generate a virtuous cycle of affective agricultural production and emotional accomplishments, which are associated with practical achievements and socially conscious consumption. Emerging ethics, including rural concerns, also interact with this production-emotion cycle.

David J. Bettez · · United States (Kentucky)

During World War I, President Woodrow Wilson appointed Herbert Hoover as head of the US Food Administration to promote food conservation and increase production. In Kentucky, Fred Sackett served as federal food administrator, implementing programs like “meatless” and “wheatless” days, encouraging housewives to use substitutes and children to grow school gardens. The federal government also established a Fuel Administration, headed in Kentucky by Wiley Bryan, who encouraged fuel conservation and increased production, and attempted to ensure equitable coal distribution during the 1917-1918 winter shortage.

Aurora Minna Poó Rubio, Aurora Poó Rubio, Esmeralda Soto Carrasquel · Repositorio Institucional Zaloamati (Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana) · Mexico

This study examines the integration of garden-orchards into public spaces in Oaxaca de Juarez, Oaxaca, from the perspective of landscape as the insertion of aesthetic and utilitarian green areas in growing and changing cities. It argues that sustainable green areas like urban gardens enhance social and spatial integration, improving socio-economic aspects. The research aims to understand how implementing garden-orchards in public spaces generates or rehabilitates urban environments and their potential as green infrastructure.

Nancy F. Sonti, Lindsay K. Campbell, Michelle Johnson, Sarita Daftary-Steel · Journal of Experiential Education · United States (New York City)

Long-term impacts of an urban farming youth internship were evaluated in Brooklyn, New York. Alumni surveyed 1 to 9 years after program completion were enrolled in college or graduate school at higher rates than their peers and reported connections to the environment and healthy eating. Participants reported learning job skills through the internship, including farming practices, time and money management, teamwork, and public speaking.

Davide Fassi, Laura Galluzzo, Annalinda De Rosa · Virtual Community of Pathological Anatomy (University of Castilla La Mancha) · Italy (Milan)

This paper discusses social innovation-based experiments developed within the "campUS" research project at Politecnico di Milano. Focusing on urban agriculture, it examined the design strategy, methodologies, and social innovation impact of two experiments conducted in a nursery school and a middle school in Milan. These experiments are positioned as a step towards infrastructuring, a more open-ended long-term process where diverse stakeholders can innovate together.

Tina Marie Waliczek, Jayne M. Zajicek · · United States

This paper outlines urbanization, theories explaining nature's influence on humans, the definition of traditional and urban horticulture, human issues in horticulture, benefits of plants to urban communities, and urban horticulture programs.

Daniel R. George, Monica Manglani, Kaitlin Minnehan, Alexander Chacon, Alexandra I. Gundersen, Cheryl Dellasega, Jennifer L. Kraschnewski · American Journal of Health Education · United States

A program at Penn State Medical Center's farmers' market and community garden integrated medical student mentors with nutritional education for four families with overweight/obese children. Two families completed all visits, spending an average of 32 minutes per visit, with expenditures of $40.68, and reporting one weekly produce item unused. The program was found feasible and beneficial for participating families, students, and vendors.

Valerie Calberry, Ingrid E. Lofgren, Lori F. Pivarnik · Journal of Media Literacy Education · Global

The Food Safety and School Garden Program (FSSGP) developed a curriculum integrating food safety into school garden activities for elementary students. A two-lesson intervention with 194 students in grades 1-5 showed an increase in correct responses on a 10-question test from 5.6 to 8.1 (P < .001). Most students rated activities as satisfactory or better and communicated learned topics to their parents.

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.

Angie Vasquez, Nancy E. Sherwood, Nicole Larson, Mary Story · Public Health Nutrition · United States

This quasi-experimental study in Minnesota investigated employer-based Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) as a health promotion intervention, involving 324 CSA participants and a matched control group. Participants reported increased vegetables in the household, more frequent family meals, and decreased eating out, along with increased produce consumption. However, health assessment data showed no significant changes in dietary intake, health status, or BMI.

Laisa Stefani da Silva Neves, Juliana Pereira Casemiro, Thalita Magdalena dos Santos, Cláudia Valéria Cardim da Silva · 12º Congresso Internacional da Rede Unida · Brazil (Rio de Janeiro)

This qualitative study, conducted with Community Health Agents and a Residents' Association in a Rio de Janeiro metropolitan municipality, presents an experience of implementing a community garden as an urban agriculture strategy for promoting adequate and healthy food (PAAS). The area lacked markets for fruits and vegetables, making healthy eating difficult. Through home visits and discussions, the revitalization of a community garden was identified, enabling poor urban families to produce for self-consumption, strengthen community organization, and generate income.

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.

Ivana Cristina Lovo, Alain Santandreu, José Divino Lopes Filho · Raízes Revista de Ciências Sociais e Econômicas · Brazil (Belo Horizonte)

In Belo Horizonte, the "Productive Garden" project, launched in 2008, promoted urban agriculture and food security. From 2009 to 2011, it integrated into the "From Seed to Table" program, encouraging urban farmers to sell vegetables to the institutional school meal market. Based on action research, the project enhanced farmers' technical and organizational capacity, resulting in public schools procuring vegetables from "Productive Garden," an experience that remains active. This experience demonstrated that urban agriculture is economically viable and contributes to food security.

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.

곽혜란, 김명길 · 한국실과교육학회 학술대회논문집 · South Korea

This study developed an 18-session school-based urban agriculture program for first-grade elementary school students, integrated with their curriculum, and investigated its impact on students' emotional intelligence. After applying the program, the experimental group showed a statistically significant increase in emotional intelligence scores compared to pre-tests, with positive effects observed across all five sub-domains. These findings suggest that urban agriculture education based on integrated subjects has a positive effect on improving elementary school students' emotional intelligence.

Rashawn Ray, Dana R. Fisher, Carley Fisher-Maltese · Du Bois Review Social Science Research on Race · United States (Washington, DC)

This study analyzed quantitative data on fifth graders' math, reading, and science standardized test scores in Washington, D.C., to investigate how school gardens help close the achievement gap. It compared academic performance between students in traditional schools and garden-based learning schools, and examined whether the presence of a school garden reduces race and social class disparities in academic achievement. Findings showed that the presence of a school garden is associated with higher test scores in reading and science, and this association persisted even when controlling for students' race and class composition.

Amanda Rees, Bert Melix, Chuck Lawson, Cory Hart · CSU ePress (Columbus State University) · United States (Columbus, Georgia)

During the 2016-2017 academic year, a professor and student from Columbus State University collected data from community garden sites in Columbus/Phenix City. This project involved the creation of a GIS digital map, which was then used to develop a quad-fold map for distribution at Georgia Organics events. Georgia Organics provided a mini-grant for the project.

Laura Castrejon Violante · Open Collections · Canada (Vancouver)

This paper proposes the concept of an "agricultural road" in Vancouver, reshaping a low-transit street into a multipurpose space for urban agriculture. Defined as a pedestrian-oriented area, it would offer plots for growing food while also achieving sustainable urban development outcomes like social inclusion, recreational space, and greening the urban landscape. The agricultural road aims to reconnect urban life with food by providing a space for growing edible plants and fostering discussion and education.

Boong Hoon Eom, Eun Jin Jang · Journal of people, plants, and environment · South Korea (Daegu)

This study investigated Daegu citizens' awareness of urban agriculture through a questionnaire administered to 328 residents from May 9-25, 2015. The cognition level of urban agriculture was found to be very low, though experienced groups reported high satisfaction and future participation intentions were very high. Motivations included 'Hobby and leisure activities' and 'Safe food production', while perceived effects included 'Safe agricultural products' and 'Change in dietary life'. Preferred types of urban agriculture included 'Rooftop garden' and 'Learning/education type home garden'.

John Dzubak, Angela Shaw, Catherine Strohbehn, Linda Naeve · Journal of Extension · United States

Two 1-hour food safety curricula were developed in the United States to educate K–12 students, university farm researchers, and workers on good agricultural practices for produce grown in school gardens and university farms. The validated curricula included video modules, activities, lesson plans, quizzes, and manuals. Piloting results indicated that participants increased their food safety knowledge after engaging with these curricula.

Rob Moquin, Alan P. Diduck, A. John Sinclair, Iain J. Davidson‐Hunt · Canadian Food Studies / La Revue canadienne des études sur l alimentation · Canada

This research documented participants' experiences of community-building through community gardening in Kenora, Ontario, Canada, using Photovoice with twelve participants, follow-up interviews, and participant observation. Findings revealed a relational perspective of community gardening and the importance of sharing and learning, but also identified barriers to social capital and ecological citizenship. Future initiatives must address colonial and racial barriers to collaboration and ensure accessible garden locations.

Subhashni Raj, Samina Raja, Bree-Ana Dukes · Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition · United States

This study examined the influence of urban agriculture (UA) programming on fruit and vegetable consumption among urban youth in Buffalo, New York. Results indicated that while youth were willing to try new foods, other food behaviors did not change. The study found that UA programming is beneficial but not sufficient to engender healthy eating behavior in youth, with fruit and vegetable consumption also associated with gender and neighborhood median household income.

Youjin Jang, 곽혜란 · 한국실과교육학회지 · South Korea

This study analyzed the agricultural content of the 2015 revised elementary practical arts curriculum in South Korea, comparing it with the 2009 curriculum, focusing on goals, content systems, achievement standards, and learning elements in the agriculture and life science domain. It found that while learning elements in the agricultural domain did not significantly change, the 2015 curriculum emphasized sustainable agriculture, particularly eco-friendly future agriculture and agricultural experiences in daily life, centered on the core concept of sustainability. The study suggests that future agricultural education should incorporate multi-dimensional sustainable agriculture, such as urban agriculture, local food, and eco-friendly agricultural certification, into new textbooks.

Natalie Louise Kincy, Nicholas E. Fuhrman, Maria Navarro, D. A. Knauft · Applied Environmental Education & Communication · Global

This study analyzed elementary teachers' attitudes, school norms, perceived behavioral control, and intent regarding the use of school gardens in their curriculum, using a quantitative survey based on the theory of planned behavior. In current teaching situations, 77% of teachers' intent to use school gardens was explained by positive school norms and teachers who garden in their personal time. It was suggested that school gardens are more likely to succeed if teachers who garden personally can mentor others and promote positive norms and attitudes.

Yeon Seon Kim, Sin Ae Park · Journal of people, plants, and environment · Global

This study investigated the effectiveness of a horticultural activity program for mothers to improve mother-child relationships, involving 60 mothers with children aged 4-7 years. The experimental group (n=30) attended six weekly 90-minute sessions, while the control group (n=30) did not. After the program, the experimental group showed statistically significant improvements in parenting stress, self-esteem, and parenting efficacy, but no significant difference was found in emotional empathy.