Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
3241 results(79 / 130)
Urban and peri-urban family-based pig-keeping in Cambodia: Characteristics, management and perceived benefits and constraints
2017Gunilla Ström, Agnes Andersson Djurfeldt, Sofia Boqvist, Ann Albihn, Sorn Sokerya, Sokun San, Holl Davun, Ulf Magnusson · PLOS ONE · Cambodia (Phnom Penh)
A cross-sectional survey of 204 pig-keeping households (from 267 initially identified) in urban and peri-urban Phnom Penh, Cambodia, using structured questionnaires in November–December 2014 and February 2015. Typical holdings were 5–15 pigs, all households kept pigs for sale, and more than 60% reported pig income as one of the household's main sources of revenue. The constraints named most often were low prices for slaughter pigs (54%), expensive feed (53%) and disease outbreaks (50%), with lower-socioeconomic-status households significantly more affected by disease (P=0.025). Notably, no household raised food-safety or zoonotic-transmission concerns, despite these being the standard international worry about urban livestock keeping.
EconomicsOrganic cycle体験農園運営における民間企業の補助実態
2017三橋友美, 寺田徹, 横張真 · ランドスケープ研究 · Japan
A 2017 study of 62 Japanese 'experience farms' (taiken nouen) classifying operating structures by how far private companies are involved (Landscape Research Japan 80(5), pp. 647–650). In 48 farms the company mainly manages the plot and assists participants; in 4 the company leads operations and directs participants' activities; in 10 the farmer leads and the company only provides support. Corporate assistance widens the set of farm households able to open an experience farm, but the intensity of involvement varies with each site's physical and social conditions. The authors highlight the farmer-led, company-supported type as previously undocumented and potentially valuable for developing self-directed operators. Profit and loss and survival rates are not covered.
EconomicsCommunityGreening U.S. legacy cities: urban agriculture as a strategy for reclaiming vacant land
2017Fanny Carlet, Joseph Schilling, Megan Heckert · Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems · United States
This article investigates the current state of research and practice regarding urban agriculture as a strategy for regenerating shrinking U.S. cities. It examines how repurposing vacant land for food production can address urban blight and food insecurity. The study highlights key findings and provides observations for public officials and practitioners on leveraging this research to enhance urban agriculture for vacant land treatment.
CommunityPolicyEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceAchieving Resilience through Water Recycling in Peri-Urban Agriculture
2017Roger Attwater, Chris Derry · Water · Australia
This paper presents a case study in Western Sydney, Australia, examining the role of water recycling for agricultural use within the peri-urban water cycle. It identifies and discusses aspects that enhance resilience, such as water resource security, avoidance of wastewater discharges, enhanced landscape ecology, and provision of ecosystem services. The study also considers environmental risk management, local agricultural products, social values, livelihood opportunities, and the industrial ecology of recycled organics.
Peri-urban agricultureOrganic cycleClimate changeEconomicsThe multifunctionality of urban farming: perceived benefits for neighbourhood improvement
2017Melissa N. Poulsen, Roni Neff, Peter J. Winch · Local Environment · United States (Baltimore)
This qualitative case study in Baltimore, Maryland, explored community perceptions of how urban farms benefit neighborhoods. Interviews with residents, neighborhood leaders, and urban farmers in three residential neighborhoods revealed that benefits stemmed from the creation of public projects, physical improvement of degraded spaces, local food production, and new businesses. These changes led to perceived benefits such as increased social connectedness, a transformed physical landscape, improved neighborhood reputation, and enhanced access to fresh produce, demonstrating the importance of a multifunctional paradigm beyond traditional economic indicators.
CommunityHealthFood educationEconomicsPeri-urban agriculture in Barcelona: outlining landscape dynamics vis à vis socio-environmental functions
2017Pere Serra, David Saurı́, Luca Salvati · Landscape Research · Spain (Barcelona)
A quantitative approach was proposed to analyze peri-urban agriculture (PUA) dynamics in the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona, profiling farm types and related landscape structures. Results indicated that PUA is based on five typologies with varying territorial values, reflecting diverse economic relevance, socio-environmental weight, and landscape prominence. A conservation strategy is proposed to preserve the residual PUA landscape by promoting a polycentric functional network of farming with natural vegetation.
Peri-urban agricultureUrban–rural linkagePolicyEconomicsLow-income adults’ perceptions of farmers’ markets and community-supported agriculture programmes
2017Elizabeth W. Cotter, Carla Teixeira, Annessa Bontrager, Kasharena Horton, Deyanira Soriano · Public Health Nutrition · United States (Washington, DC)
This study conducted focus groups with 28 adults in three affordable housing communities in Washington, D.C., USA, to understand low-income adults' attitudes towards participating in farmers' markets, community-supported agriculture (CSA), and nutrition education programming. The results revealed that adults living in urban, affordable housing communities desire access to healthy foods but are limited by cost. Programs could have a higher likelihood of success if they accept benefits like SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), are heavily marketed, and incorporate culturally relevant nutrition education components.
Equity & displacementCSA & TeikeiWelfareEconomicsCommunityFood educationPeri-urban agriculture: an analysis of farm typologies in Italy
2017HENKE Roberto, VANNI Francesco · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Italy
This 2017 article analyzed the role of peri-urban agriculture in Italy through a comparative study of seven metropolitan areas, using micro-data from the sixth Italian agriculture census. It identified six typologies of market-oriented farms. The study found that a significant share of farms in Italian urban poles are passively absorbed by urban expansion, indicating a challenge to their economic viability. However, the most reactive farms are diversifying and supplying social and economic services.
Economic viabilityPeri-urban agricultureEconomicsUrban–rural linkageAlternative Approaches to Food: Community Supported Agriculture in Urban China
2017Kees Krul, Peter Ho · Sustainability · China
A study in urban China examined the role of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in addressing food safety and sustainability issues through surveys and interviews with key stakeholders. The CSA model demonstrated an innovative approach to dealing with these issues and future food demands. However, the movement's structural embeddedness is bound by several limitations and contradictions.
CSA & TeikeiFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityEconomicsEveryday urbanism and the everyday state: Negotiating habitat in allotment gardens in Berlin
2017Hanna Hilbrandt · Urban Studies · Germany (Berlin)
This paper investigates the powers at play in informal housing practices and their regulation within Berlin's allotment gardens, where residency is prohibited. It argues that gardeners' ability to remain in these sites depends on their mediation of regulatory practices through relationships with state actors or institutional frameworks. This process highlights the co-construction of order and the establishment of boundaries for inclusion and exclusion.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyEconomicsBeyond the market—New practices of supply in times of crisis: The example community‐supported agriculture
2017Birgit Blättel‐Mink, Moritz Boddenberg, Lenard Gunkel, Sarah Schmitz, Franziska Vaessen · International Journal of Consumer Studies · Germany
This study analyzed Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) in Germany, applying the concept of social innovation. It conducted a standardized survey, semi-structured interviews, and discourse analysis, identifying the crisis discourses to which CSA reacts and the motivations of its members. While CSA exhibits innovative facets such as solidarity, de-commodification, and prosuming, it is not a homogeneous phenomenon, differentiating into sociopolitical, spiritual-communal, and pragmatic-economic types that vary in their expression of social innovation and attitudes towards crises.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceThe Rise of Urban Agriculture
2017James C Padgett · Murray State's Digital Commons (Murray State University) · Global
This paper aimed to highlight the increasing number of communities positively impacted by urban agriculture across the United States, drawing data from case studies in the US and other countries. It argues that urban agriculture is becoming a necessity for cities, offering an opportunity to grow fresh produce locally and address the burdens of current food systems on the environment and economy. While challenges like limited space exist, the paper suggests that underutilized urban spaces can be transformed through urban agriculture.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsContributions of Social Currencies to Alternative Short Food Supply Chains
2017Ana María Rivero Santos · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems · Spain (Asturias)
This research aims to identify the contributions of social currencies to creating short food supply chains. A case study of RASTRU's consumption groups and community supported agriculture (CSA) in Asturias, northwest Spain, and its social currency "Copin," was presented. Through surveys and participant observation, it was evidenced how social currencies generate proximity and trust-based relations between consumers and producers, based on inclusion and fair access to food for people.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceAquaponics in Urban Agriculture: Social Acceptance and Urban Food Planning
2017Georgia Pollard, James Ward, Barbara A Koth · Horticulturae · Australia (Adelaide)
A study in Adelaide, Australia, investigated the social acceptance of aquaponics and its role in urban food planning through focus groups and interviews with urban food opinion leaders and local government officials. Most participants were unfamiliar with aquaponics, and perceived negatives received more attention than benefits. Urban growers' views on overcomplicated urban food planning aligned with mixed policy responses from local government areas towards urban agriculture, indicating a lack of consistent governance.
Governance failureDigital agriculturePolicyCommunityEconomicsCrisis and post-crisis urban gardening initiatives from a Southern European perspective: The case of Barcelona
2017Laura Calvet‐Mir, Hug March · European Urban and Regional Studies · Spain (Barcelona)
In Barcelona, Spain, the characterization and evolution of urban gardening initiatives in the context of the 2007-2008 economic crisis and post-crisis were investigated. Using qualitative methods including participant observation, literature review, and semi-structured interviews, three prominent initiatives (54 gardens by the end of 2016), namely the Network of Municipal Gardens, the Network of Communitarian Gardens, and the Empty Plots Plan, were analyzed. The results show that urban gardens within the city are an expression of different, non-exclusive meanings that explicitly or implicitly mobilize notions of political gardening in a crisis and post-crisis context.
CommunityPolicyEconomics8,000 Landlords, 1 Farm: The Individual and Societal Benefits of Community-Owned Farms
2017Grant J. Bosworth, John Hegarty · Ecopsychology · United Kingdom
This study reviewed the opinions of 419 supporters of a crowd-funded Community-Owned Farm (COF) in the English Midlands, 10 years after its inception. Findings indicated many long-term benefits for supporters, including feelings of empowerment and a sense of belonging to a wider community. The study also offered reasons for optimism regarding wider societal benefits, such as supporters initiating or increasing their involvement with other similar organizations and becoming more locally involved in their own community due to their COF involvement.
CommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceUrban Agriculture: Search for Agricultural Practice in Urbanized Rural Areas
2017Celile Özçiçek Dölekoğlu, Sema Gün · Turkish Journal of Agriculture - Food Science and Technology · Global
Urban agriculture, practiced by 800 million people globally, offers economic, social, and environmental benefits but also carries risks and adverse effects. This study presents developments in urban agriculture in Turkey and worldwide, discussing all aspects of its effects and outcomes.
Limited or null effectUrban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsCommunityClimate changeInvolving Extension in Urban Food Systems: An Example from California
2017Lucy Diekmann, Rob Bennaton, Jessica Schweiger, Cole Smith · Journal of Human Sciences and Extension · United States (California)
This article illustrates how Extension in the San Francisco Bay Area, California, develops urban agriculture programming and engages in food-system-related partnerships. The Extension practice in this metropolitan region aligns with research findings on local food system involvement, focusing on educational opportunities and collaborative work with community and government partners. This case study provides insights for Extension personnel designing urban food system programs.
Food educationCommunityPolicyHealthEconomicsFarm Fresh Foods for Healthy Kids (F3HK): An innovative community supported agriculture intervention to prevent childhood obesity in low-income families and strengthen local agricultural economies
2017Rebecca A. Seguin‐Fowler, Emily H. Morgan, Karla L. Hanson, Alice S. Ammerman, Stephanie Jilcott Pitts, Jane Kolodinsky, Marilyn Sitaker, Florence Becot, Leah M. Connor, Jennifer Garner, Jared T. McGuirt · BMC Public Health · United States
Farm Fresh Foods for Healthy Kids (F3HK) is a community-based, randomized intervention trial designed to assess the impact of subsidized community supported agriculture (CSA) coupled with nutrition education to prevent childhood obesity in low-income families and strengthen local agricultural economies. Conducted in New York, North Carolina, Vermont, and Washington, the study targets low-income families with children aged 2-12 years. Primary outcomes include children's intake of fruits and vegetables, sugar and fat, and diet quality, with data collected over three years.
CSA & TeikeiHealthWelfareEconomicsFood education도시양봉으로 양봉산업의 발전가능성 확보 방안
2017박진 · 한국양봉학회 학술대회 자료집 · Global
This report examines the global rise of urban beekeeping, noting its diverse approaches across countries like the UK, Japan, and Denmark. While South Korea has seen an increase in urban beekeeping since 2012, with government support initiated in 2016, the sector faces significant challenges. Urban beekeeping is still largely viewed as a derivative of conventional beekeeping, and a lack of ordinances or legal frameworks hinders its widespread adoption and recognition of its environmental, social, and economic value.
Governance failureBiodiversityPollinatorsCommunityPolicyEconomicsCommunity Supported Agriculture: Pricing
2017Kenna McMurray, Kelsey Hall, Roslynn Brain · Digital Commons - USU (Utah State University) · United States
This fact sheet assists with financial knowledge and planning for Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) operations. It explains how to develop a budget, price CSA shares using different strategies, and outlines payment options.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsImportancia de los productos agrícolas del grupo hortofrutícola en la alimentación de poblaciones vulnerables
2017Blanca Rosa Restrepo de Peña, José Elvis Sierra Borras, Nubia Esperanza Suárez Suárez · CITAS · Colombia
This descriptive and interpretive study, using Participatory Action Research with 62 randomly sampled families in Loma Linda neighborhood, Soacha, Colombia, investigated urban agriculture's role in addressing food needs and improving family income. The study identified an extremely poor population with an average family income of 252,000 pesos, 49.9% aged 60+, 70% with primary education, and 30% illiteracy. Analysis showed that 50% of basic fruit and vegetable needs could be met through rudimentary but efficient community urban agriculture, leading to the production of family consumption products and commercializable surpluses.
WelfareEconomicsFood educationCommunityUrban Agriculture, Food Justice, and Neoliberal Urbanization
2017Michelle Glowa · · United States (San Francisco)
In the San Francisco region, highly competitive land markets increasingly force landowners to use properties for purposes other than gardening, despite the popularity of urban agriculture. This situation compels gardeners to develop strategies to gain and maintain land access, linking gardening to broader land politics and urban design. The chapter explores how gardeners influence space production and property institutions.
Economic viabilityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyCommunityEconomicsLE MARAICHAGE EN MILIEU URBAIN ET PERIURBAIN : CAS DE LA VILLE DE N’DJAMENA AU TCHAD
2017Alhadj Markhous Nazal, Abdelsalam Tidjani, Yassine Doudoua, Abdourahamane Balla · · Chad (N'Djamena)
This study characterized urban and peri-urban market gardening in N'Djamena, Chad, through a focus group with 92 market gardeners on development constraints and individual surveys of 61 producers on techniques. Producers were mostly men (67.21%) with an average age of 35, operating on administrative reserves (34.43%) and private property (65.57%). While holdings were diversified, leafy greens dominated (47% of products), and many problems were identified as obstacles to the sector's development.
Governance failurePeri-urban agricultureEconomicsCommunityLa agricultura urbana como modelo solidario de producción una experiencia práctica en Cuba
2017Rolando Peguero Pérez, Gisela María Riquenes Despaigne, Adriana de Santiago Aguilar · Revista Plus Economía · Cuba
This research, conducted with agronomy students in El Caney, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, proposes a model for urban agriculture. The model, based on principles of equality, solidarity, and cooperation, is presented as a viable alternative for a solidarity work economy.
CommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justice