Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
11393 results(78 / 456)
Green Roof Systems within the Framework of a Circular Economy: A Scoping Review
2024· Recycling · Global
A scoping review of 68 open-access articles from 24 countries (2012–2022) mapping the reuse and recycling of alternative materials in green roof structures within a circular economy framework.
DIYOrganic cycleAssessment of Low-Cost and Higher-End Soil Moisture Sensors across Various Moisture Ranges and Soil Textures
2024· Sensors · Global
Compares the accuracy of low-cost versus higher-end soil moisture sensors across various moisture ranges and soil textures, showing that adding an ADS1115 converter improves the error of low-cost sensors.
DIYEconomics"Not everyone has the privilege to have good food": promoting positive youth development and social justice values in school gardens
2024· Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences · USA
A study examining how school gardens can promote positive youth development and social justice values among participating youth.
Food educationCommunityWelfareSchool garden and instructional interventions foster children's interest in nature
2024Kong · People and Nature · Global
A study examining how a school garden combined with instructional interventions fosters children's interest in nature.
Food educationBiodiversityLong-term effects of a school-based experiential nutrition education intervention
2024· Health Education Journal · Global
A study of the long-term effects of a school-based experiential nutrition education intervention that incorporates hands-on experiences such as farm visits and cooking workshops.
Food educationHealthRole of Gardening in Mental Health, Food Security, and Economic Well-Being in Resettled Refugees: A Mixed Methods Study
2024Gangamma R., Walia B., Minkoff-Zern L., Tor S. · Journal of Patient Experience · United States
A mixed-methods study examining the role of gardening in the mental health, food security, and economic well-being of resettled refugees.
WelfareHealthCommunityGathering a bountiful harvest: the impacts of cultural ecosystem service experiences on management practices and agrobiodiversity in urban community gardens
2024· Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems · Global
Investigates how cultural ecosystem service experiences in urban community gardens relate to management practices and agrobiodiversity, finding experiences vary among gardeners and correlate with local ecological knowledge.
CommunityBiodiversityFood educationUrban Agriculture: Exploring Its Potential, Challenges, and Socio-Economic Impacts
2024· Journal of Scientific Research and Reports · Global
Comprehensive analysis of urban agriculture's potential, challenges, and socio-economic impacts. Examines successful citizen-driven models and barriers to scaling.
CommunityWelfareFood educationOrganic cycleThe impact of a community garden on children and their families' eating habits
2024· Food Education Research · Multiple
Empirical study examining how community garden participation impacts children's food education and eating habits. Analyzes spillover effects on family food choices.
Food educationWelfareCommunityUrban food waste for soil amendment? Analysis of waste-based compost for urban agriculture in Rosario, Argentina
2024· Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · South America
Study examining the use of urban food waste compost in urban agriculture in Rosario, Argentina. Analyzes waste-to-resource conversion and organic cycling potential.
Organic cycleFood lossCompostDIYRooftop gardening complexities in the Global South: Motivations, practices, and politics
2024Turner · Geographical Research · Global South
Explores motivations, practices, and political contexts of rooftop gardening in the Global South, examining how socioeconomic conditions and policy environments shape urban agricultural initiatives.
CommunityPolicyFood from urban agriculture has carbon footprint six times larger than conventional produce
2024· PhysOrg (Research Report) · Multi-regional (France, Germany, Poland, UK, USA)
International citizen science study recruiting farmers and gardeners at urban agriculture sites in France, Germany, Poland, UK, and USA. Participants recorded daily diary entries of inputs and harvests. Found that urban farms may have higher carbon footprints due to intensive inputs, suggesting need for optimization of composting and organic waste utilization to reduce environmental impact.
Organic cycleFood educationSustainable Urban Agriculture: Unlocking the Potential of Home Gardens in Low-Income Communities
2024· The Professional Geographer · North America
Explores how home gardens in low-income communities unlock potential for urban sustainability. Analyzes interconnections between food access and environmental sustainability.
Food educationWelfareOrganic cycleAnalyzing the divergence and development of business models for urban farming
2024de Jong · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems · Global
Examines how urban farms' business models transition over time, incorporating long-term sustainability into core strategies. Analyzes progression from startup to enterprise settings.
EconomicsCommunityFood educationUrban Agriculture's 'Invisible' Short Food Value Chain: How Small-scale Farming Contributes to Johannesburg Food Security
2024· Urban Forum · South Africa
Documents how small-scale urban farming through short food value chains in Johannesburg functions as an 'invisible' economy not captured in official statistics. Direct community sales reduce middlemen while improving farmer incomes and local food security. Highlights gaps in statistical and policy frameworks.
EconomicsCommunityFactors Influencing the Adoption of Urban Agriculture and Its Effects on Household Food Security in Southwestern Nigeria
2024· International Journal of Agricultural Economics · Nigeria (Southwestern)
Analyzes the factors driving adoption of urban agriculture among households in southwestern Nigeria and its effect on household food security.
EconomicsWelfareDeveloping Spatial Typology for Urban Agriculture Initiatives to Achieve Food Security in Jordan
2024· GeoJournal of Tourism and Geosites · Jordan
Develops a spatial typology of urban agriculture initiatives aimed at achieving food security in Jordan.
PolicyWelfareFood Security, Food Sovereignty, and Urban Agriculture in Cuba
2024· Latin American Perspectives · Cuba
Discusses urban agriculture in Cuba through the lenses of food security and food sovereignty.
PolicyWelfareCommunityUrban food waste for soil amendment? Analysis and characterisation of waste-based compost for soil fertility management in agroecological horticultural production systems in the city of Rosario, Argentina
2024Terrile R., Martinez N., Brunotto F., Rizzi M., Scarpeci T., Tornaghi C. · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · Rosario, Argentina
Analyses and characterises urban waste-based composts used on two city farms in Rosario, evaluating their use for soil fertility management in agroecological horticultural production.
Food lossCompostOrganic cycleComparing the carbon footprints of urban and conventional agriculture
2024Hawes J., Goldstein B., Newell J. · Nature Cities · Europe and United States
A large-scale life-cycle study using citizen-science data from 73 urban sites in Europe and the US found that food from urban agriculture had a carbon footprint about six times that of conventional farming (roughly 420 vs 70 gCO2e per serving), driven mainly by infrastructure and inputs.
PolicyEconomicsLarge scale study on PFASs levels in fruits, vegetables and soil from allotments and gardens contaminated by atmospheric deposition from a Dutch fluorochemical production plant
2024Pancras T., van Bentum E., de Pagter L., van Hoef M., Hoogenboom R., Berendsen B., van Leeuwen S. · Chemosphere · Netherlands
Fruits and vegetables from allotments contaminated by atmospheric deposition from a fluorochemical plant contained PFASs such as PFOA and GenX, with the highest levels downwind and in brassicas, leafy and root vegetables.
HealthContamination, speciation, and health risk assessment of arsenic in leafy vegetables in Ambagarh Chowki (India)
2024Khute M., Sharma S., Patel K., Pandey P. · Analytical Sciences · India (Chhattisgarh)
Leafy vegetables grown in the polluted Ambagarh Chowki region accumulated high inorganic arsenic, with the arsenic hazard quotient exceeding the safe threshold of 1, indicating a consumption health risk.
HealthHeavy metal contamination in urban roadside vegetables: origins, exposure pathways, and health implications
2024· Discover Environment · Global (review)
A review documenting that urban roadside vegetables accumulate heavy metals such as lead and cadmium, arguing that health risks justify exclusion zones for cultivation away from high-traffic roads.
HealthPolicyAssessment of Heavy Metal Contamination and Health Risks in Snow Cover-Soil Cover-Vegetation System of Urban and Rural Gardens of an Industrial City in Kazakhstan
2024Faurat A., Azhayev G., Shupshibayev K., Akhmetov K., Boribay E., Abylkhassanov T. · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · Kazakhstan (Pavlodar)
In the industrial city of Pavlodar, heavy metals migrated from snow into soil and crops in urban and rural gardens, and the study assessed cancer and non-cancer health risks from eating the potatoes and tomatoes grown there.
HealthBenchmarking energy efficiency in vertical farming: Status and prospects
2024Miserocchi L., Franco A. · Thermal Science and Engineering Progress · Global
The benchmarking review documents that vertical-farm lettuce production currently consumes a very high 10-18 kWh/kg, driven by lighting and climate control, identifying this energy intensity as a key barrier to cost-competitiveness with conventional agriculture.
Economics