Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
2530 results(75 / 102)
Appropriating a People’s Movement: The Relationship Between Community Gardens and Gentrification in New York City | Appropriating a People’s Movement: The Relationship Between Community Gardens and Gentrification in New York City
2016Lal, Prita · Academic Commons (Stony Brook University) · United States (New York City)
This dissertation studies the relationship between community gardens and gentrification in New York City. It argues that low-income people's efforts in revitalizing their blighted neighborhoods by building community gardens in the 1970s and 1980s contributed to gentrification in the 1990s and beyond. The research points out that real estate developers preyed on people's efforts, and the people subsidized the city's revitalization. It concludes that while gardeners did not cause gentrification, their efforts played a significant role in the process, and stronger policy protections for gardens are needed as city policies permitted gentrification.
Equity & displacementCommunityPolicyEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceThe Food Justice Portrait Project
2016Ruth Cary · Reflections A Journal of Community-Engaged Writing and Rhetoric · United States (Chester)
The Food Justice Portrait Project at Widener University involves first-year writing students creating portraits of community leaders engaged in food access and urban farming in Chester, PA. This collaborative community writing project aims for reciprocity, archiving biographies and institutional histories, and challenging the charity model of addressing community needs by supporting community agency.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceWelfareLocal food security initiatives: systemic limitations in Vancouver, Canada
2016Alfred Wong, Alan Hallsworth · Kobra (Universitätsbibliothek Kassel) · Canada (Vancouver)
This paper examines urban/community gardening in Vancouver, Canada, from the perspective of basic farming realities such as growing season and land availability. It was found that securing low-cost land within dense urban limits, insufficient ambient temperature and water supply during the growing season, and contemporary societal structures pose significant obstacles to community gardening producing affordable food. Overcoming these fundamental hurdles carries significant negative environmental and economic consequences.
Economic viabilityCommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changeBases Para La Reestructuración Del Programa De Agricultura Urbana Y Periurbana Agroecológica En Bogotá D.C., Con Base Los Lineamientos Dados En El Acuerdo 605 Del 27 De Agosto De 2015
2016Rada Betancourt, Bibian Andrea · · Colombia (Bogotá)
This document, based on an action research methodology, aims to provide informative, conceptual, and methodological bases for formulating an agroecological urban and peri-urban agriculture (AUPA) program in Bogotá. It describes the context of urban and peri-urban agriculture in the capital district, projects its future in Bogotá, and formulates foundational principles based on previously obtained results.
PolicyUrban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceAnchors in a Globalizing World [Book review]
2016Kimberley Curtis · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · Global
This book review covers Steven McFadden's "Awakening Community Intelligence," presenting his argument for the exponential expansion of Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs). McFadden believes CSAs have the potential to become "community cornerstones" and function as a "network of light-giving impulses" through digital networking, addressing 21st-century challenges.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceAgricultura urbana como alternativa de seguridad alimentaria y nutricional : familias de la UPZ Marruecos, localidad Rafael Uribe Uribe, Bogotá
2016Monroy Quevedo, Katherin Mayerli · · Colombia (Bogotá)
A mixed-methods study in UPZ Marruecos, Rafael Uribe Uribe Locality, Bogotá, Colombia, investigated the impact of urban agriculture on the food and nutritional security of participating families. Based on interviews and surveys with 10 participants, urban agriculture was found to contribute to families' food and nutritional security by increasing the availability of safe food and improving physical access. Participants perceived higher consumption of vegetables, fruits, tubers, cereals, and legumes, leading to greater dietary diversity.
Food sovereignty & justiceHealthCommunityWelfareElderlyVeganic farming at the Montreal Vegan Festival
2016Stéphane Stéphane · · Canada
Stephane Groleau gave a talk on Urban Vegan Agriculture at the Montreal Vegan Festival on November 6, 2016. The event also featured an information booth on veganic agriculture. The talk highlighted that growing food in cities without animal exploitation is possible, despite urban agriculture often relying on such practices.
DIYFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityCommunity garden: A bridging program between formal and informal learning
2016Ranjan Datta · Cogent Education · Global
Community garden activities play a significant role in bridging formal and informal learning, especially in urban children's science and environmental education, by promoting relational methods that integrate food security, social interactions, community development, environmental activism, and cultural integration. An auto-ethnographic study revealed that community garden-based practices adhere to forms of agency such as embracing diversity, sharing power, and trust building as part of everyday learning.
CommunityFood educationHealthFood sovereignty & justiceEfficient City Farming
2016Stefan Hebold, Andrea Frömel · edoc Publication server (Humboldt University of Berlin) · Global
This study aimed to address the lack of scientific documentation on the forms and effects of urban agriculture by investigating the health of urban-produced plant-based foods. Raised beds were established at urban, peri-urban, and rural locations, planted with identical species, and compared with the yields from an ECF container farm hydroponic system. Yields were compared between the hydroponic system and raised beds, while raised beds were compared among themselves based on heavy metal accumulation.
EconomicsClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityThe Utopian Idea of Urban Agriculture - Growing Politics in the Urban Area
2016Ida Åberg · · Global
This abstract introduces urban agriculture (UA) as a potential solution to the challenges of feeding rapidly growing cities sustainably and addressing unsustainability and poverty.
PolicyClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceTowards a Human Right to Food: Implications for Urban Growing in Baltimore City, Maryland
2016Becky Lundberg Witt · FLASH - Fordham Law Archive of Scholarship & History (Fordham University) · United States (Baltimore City)
This article argues that property law in Baltimore City, Maryland, creates a significant barrier to urban growing by prioritizing the right to exclude others from vacant and abandoned land. Thousands of fallow lots remain inaccessible to neighbors for community benefit due to property ownership laws, which can neglect the human rights of the poorest citizens. The paper examines how the universal right to adequate food might legally support urban farming and gardening.
Governance failurePolicyFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityUrban AgriCulture and Food Systems Dynamics: Urban Gardening and Urban Farming of the Bonn-Rhein-Sieg region, Germany
2016Darya Hirsch, Christian H. Meyer, Johannes Klement, Martin Hamer, Wiltrud Terlau, Hirsch, Darya, Meyer, Christian, Klement, Johannes, Hamer, Martin, Terlau, Wiltrud · Publication Server of Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences (Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences) · Germany
This paper presents an empirical case study on Urban AgriCulture initiatives in the Bonn-Rhein-Sieg region of Germany. It states that Urban AgriCulture is a niche movement with the potential to contribute significantly to urban development and constitute a pillar of urban quality of life.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsHealthAgricultural Heritage Systems: A Bridge between Urban and Rural Development
2016Yuanyuan Shi, Min Qingwen, Lu He, Fuller Anthony M · Journal of Resources and Ecology · China
This paper proposes "Agricultural Heritage Systems" as an entry point to balance urban and rural development in China, addressing threats posed by rapid urbanization. It focuses on public dietary change, agricultural industry development, institutional guarantees, ecological restoration, and cultural tourism in urban and peri-urban agricultural heritage sites, establishing a development model that balances urbanization and urban-supported agriculture. The paper argues this approach can preserve traditional culture, maintain organic farming, leverage landscape tourism, and utilize urban funds and technology to support rural enterprises.
Urban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justicePolicyBiodiversityUrban agriculture: why "one size fits all" approached don't work
2016Charlotte Prové, Joost Dessein, Michiel De Krom · Ghent University Academic Bibliography (Ghent University) · Belgium; Poland
A study evaluating urban agriculture in Belgium and Poland argues that current governance approaches fail to reflect the importance of local context. The authors found that considering city-specific factors is crucial for urban agriculture to reach its full potential. They recommend a broader policymaking strategy that acknowledges benefits beyond food production.
Governance failurePolicyEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityClimate changeCaracterización de diferentes métodos de establecimiento y producción de agricultura urbana, bajo la sostenibilidad y seguridad alimentaria para la población vulnerable de Altos de Cazucá, municipio de Soacha: Informe de avance de investigación
2016Paredes Guzmán, Germán Ricardo · · Colombia (Bogotá)
This project aims to describe different methods of establishing and producing urban agriculture, focusing on sustainability and food security for the vulnerable population of Altos de Cazucá, Soacha municipality, Colombia. This population is affected by forced displacement due to armed conflict, resulting in increased poverty and malnutrition, with a chronic malnutrition rate of 30% in children compared to the national average of 8%. The project proposes to apply participatory action research methodologies and techniques to develop an urban production model that addresses these issues.
Food sovereignty & justiceWelfareCommunityHealthIntroduction Context and commonality: Women in agriculture worldwide
2016Manase Kudzai Chiweshe, Kudzai MacMillan Muzanago · · Zimbabwe (Harare)
This exploratory study analyzed the emergence of sack potato farming as an alternative empowerment platform for urban women in Zimbabwe, using qualitative methodologies and secondary literature. It found that sack potato production, which gained prominence in Zimbabwe in 2013, can increase food security and income for urban households and promotes micro-economic enterprises among urban women.
Food sovereignty & justiceWelfareCommunityEconomicsFarmers' place identity and decision-making in a changing peri-urban environment: a case study of Wollondilly Shire Council
2016Laure‐Elise Ruoso, R. Plant, Brent Jacobs, Pierre Maurel · · Australia (Western Sydney)
This study, based on in-depth interviews with farmers in peri-urban Sydney, Australia, examines how changes in these areas impact farmers' place identity and decision-making. It analyzes how increasing urban development, land subdivision, rising land values, and environmental regulations threaten farming activities. The findings indicate that these factors influence farmers' practices, business management, and decisions to continue or relocate peri-urban farming.
Economic viabilityPeri-urban agricultureFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicyContributing to food security in urban areas: differences between urban agriculture and peri-urban agriculture in the Global North
2015Ina Opitz, Regine Berges, Annette Piorr, Thomas Krikser · Agriculture and Human Values · Global
An extensive literature review systematically analyzed urban and peri-urban agriculture in the Global North, comparing their spatial, ecological, and socio-economic characteristics. The study found that urban and peri-urban agriculture differ in most characteristics and in their ability to meet urban food needs. Urban agriculture primarily meets household-level food needs, while peri-urban agriculture provides larger quantities and broader distribution pathways, indicating distinct roles in food security. Both forms of agriculture face similar threats from urbanization pressures.
Food sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageEconomicsPolicyLinking food and land systems for sustainable peri-urban agriculture in Bangkok Metropolitan Region
2015Kazuaki Tsuchiya, Yuji Hara, Danai Thaitakoo · Landscape and Urban Planning · Thailand (Bangkok)
This 2015 study in peri-urban Bangkok, Thailand, used field interviews and GIS analysis to examine food-related behaviors and land use changes. It found that traditional wet markets remained important hubs, but there was little connection between farmers and nearby wet markets in the same district. This lack of connection constricted positive feedback between producers and consumers in peri-urban areas.
Peri-urban agricultureFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsBetween Boundaries: From Commoning and Guerrilla Gardening to Community Land Trust Development in Liverpool
2015Matthew Thompson · Antipode · United Kingdom (Liverpool)
This paper explores the community land trust (CLT) model as an institutional solution to urban decline, focusing on a case study in Granby, Liverpool, England. The Granby CLT campaign aims to collectively acquire empty homes, with guerrilla gardening playing a role in gaining political trust and financial support. The study discusses the CLT model's potential for democratic stewardship and the contradictions that may undermine its political legitimacy.
CommunityPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceUrban agriculture in the transition to low carbon cities through urban greening
2015Mary J. Thornbush · AIMS environmental science · Global
This review paper examines global trends in urban agriculture as a climate change mitigation and adaptation approach. It presents urban agriculture as a land-use solution that enhances food security, sequesters carbon, and offers rural services within cities. The review discusses physical and human factors influencing urban agriculture adoption, integrating a social-ecological perspective.
Climate changeFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityPolicyGreen infrastructure as life support: urban nature and climate change
2015Sheryn D. Pitman, Christopher B. Daniels, Martin Edward Ely · Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia · Australia
A literature review conducted between 2012 and 2014 for the South Australian Green Infrastructure Project established the diverse benefits of Green Infrastructure. These benefits include temperature modification, improved human health, enhanced community liveability, effective water management, increased economic prosperity, biodiversity conservation, and extensive urban food production. The paper primarily focuses on Green Infrastructure's contribution to climate adaptation and protection.
Climate changeHealthBiodiversityFood sovereignty & justiceSowing Resilience and Contestation in Times of Crises: The Case of Urban Gardening Movements in Barcelona
2015Marta Camps‐Calvet, Johannes Langemeyer, Laura Calvet‐Mir, Erik Gómez‐Baggethun, Hug March · Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona) · Spain (Barcelona)
This research examined the role of urban gardens in building community resilience and articulating resistance in Barcelona, Spain, based on data from 27 urban gardening initiatives (13 self-governed, 14 public). Results showed that urban gardens contribute to resilience by fostering social and ecological diversity, transmitting local ecological knowledge, and creating opportunities for collective action and self-organization.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceBiodiversityFood educationThe contribution of urban agriculture to food security of individual urban farmers in Yeka Sub City, Addis Ababa
2015Firehiwot Mezgabu, Degefa Tolossa · Ethiopian journal of development research · Ethiopia (Addis Ababa)
A 2015 study in Yeka Sub City, Addis Ababa, assessed the contribution of urban agriculture to the food security of 86 households. Findings showed that 74.4% of the households were food-secure, while 24.4% and 1.2% were mildly and severely food-insecure, respectively. Urban agriculture contributed to one-third of household income and played a significant role in improving food security and income, but lack of farmland and water were identified as major challenges.
Food sovereignty & justiceEconomicsCommunityEvaluación de la producción de papa criolla solanum phureja clon paisa en contenedores de polietileno de alta densidad bajo el marco de agricultura urbana
2015Daniel Andrés Vega Castro · Luna Azul · Colombia
A 2015 descriptive study in Colombia evaluated the production of criolla potato Solanum phureja 'Paisa' clone in an urban context. High-density polyethylene double-bottom containers and agroecological production techniques, including fertilization based on organic matter, minerals, and microorganisms, were used. Results showed an average production of 528.36 g/plant for S. phureja in containers, indicating a viable alternative compared to average production in Colombia and the department of Cundinamarca.
DIYFood sovereignty & justice