Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
458 results(8 / 19)
Environmental horticulture for domestic and community gardens—An integrated and applied research approach
2023M.B. Gush, Tijana Blanuša, Lauriane Suyin Chalmin‐Pui, A. Griffiths, Elisabeth K. Larsen, Raghavendra Prasad, Marc Redmile‐Gordon, Chloe Sutcliffe · Plants People Planet · Global
This article presents an integrated and applied research approach to environmental horticulture from The Royal Horticultural Society. It emphasizes the importance of domestic and community gardens in the context of global environmental threats and discusses four primary research focus areas. These areas include responding to climate change, using plants for environmental regulation, sustainable resource management, and gardening for human health and wellbeing.
CommunityBiodiversityClimate changeDIYThe impact of planting scenarios on agricultural productivity and thermal comfort in urban agriculture land (case study: Tabriz, Iran)
2023Akbar Rahimi, zahra nobar · Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution · Iran (Tabriz)
This study examined the effect of native plant-crop combinations on micrometeorological conditions and thermal comfort on urban agricultural land in Tabriz, Iran. Through ENVI-MET model simulations validated with field data, seven scenarios were identified. The findings showed that edible functions of deciduous plants increased with canopy height and diameter, improving thermal comfort in high-temperature conditions, and concluded that adopting this planting form would rejuvenate abandoned agricultural fields.
Climate changeBiodiversityUrban–rural linkageUnique landscape features and significance of former allotment gardens in the protection of the visual landscape
2023Kinga Albicz, Nóra Hubayné Horváth · 4D Tájépítészeti és Kertművészeti Folyóirat · Hungary
This study explores the landscape significance and unique features of former allotment gardens in Hungary, focusing on their vineyard origins and role in visual landscape protection. Using geographic information methods, the analysis revealed that a significant portion of allotment garden areas have a vineyard past. These areas contain unique landscape features at a density almost five times higher than the national average, with one-third of the country's vine and fruit production features concentrated there.
CommunityUrban–rural linkageBiodiversityNature-Based Solutions as Building Blocks for the Transition towards Sustainable Climate-Resilient Food Systems
2023Saskia Keesstra, J.A. Veraart, A. Verhagen, Saskia Visser, Marit E. Kragt, Vincent Linderhof, Wilfred Appelman, Jolanda van den Berg, Ayodeji O. Deolu‐Ajayi, Annemarie Groot · Sustainability · Global
This paper examines the role of nature-based solutions (NBS) in the transition towards sustainable, climate-resilient food systems. A conceptual framework was developed to assess NBS contributions, evaluating three types: intrinsic NBS utilizing existing ecosystems, hybrid NBS managing and adapting ecosystems, and inspired NBS consisting of newly constructed ecosystems. Inspired NBS, in particular, are shown to increase opportunities for achieving sustainable development in food systems, facilitating the transition and contributing to reaching SDGs by 2030.
Climate changeFood sovereignty & justiceBiodiversityStudy on soil quality in different functional zones of Sofia region
2023Elena Todorova, Miglena Zhiyanski · One Ecosystem · Bulgaria (Sofia)
This study examined urban soil conditions and their potential for regulating ecosystem services in different functional zones of Sofia, Bulgaria. Data from 30 experimental plots (0-10 cm soil layer) were analyzed for heavy metal concentrations (Cu, Zn, Pb, Fe) and soil quality indicators (pH, CEC, total carbon, total nitrogen). The results showed differences in the capacity of green, industrial, residential, and urban agriculture zones to regulate and maintain soil quality, informing mitigation measures for soil protection and restoration.
Organic cycleBiodiversityPeri-urban agricultureSpatio-temporal Analysis of the Changes in Rooftop Gardening in Dhaka Metropolitan Area
2023Asib Ahmed, Nazmun Nahar, Md. Shamim Hossain, Md. Shams Shahriar · Social Science Review · Bangladesh (Dhaka)
This study identified spatio-temporal changes in rooftop gardening (RTG) practices in the Dhaka Metropolitan Area (DMA) between 2016 and 2021, using digitized Google Earth images. The DMA experienced a moderate 15% increase in RTG during this period, with the western part having a larger RTG area than the eastern part. Planned residential areas showed higher RTG areas, while most government/non-government buildings had less RTG across 20 zones and the Dhaka Cantonment area.
Climate changeFood sovereignty & justiceBiodiversityPeri-urban agricultureMeanings
2023Amartya Deb · · Global
This chapter examines the multi-layered social construction of "ambivalent landscapes" in wild green spaces, connecting them to concepts like age-value in heritage conservation and guerrilla gardening. It argues that plant-built assemblages offer novel imaginations of urban nature and contribute to environmental justice. The chapter also explains that the isolation of spontaneous nature on buildings from a city's metabolic processes makes it difficult to value as green infrastructure, yet microsites of wild vegetation hold potential for greening resource-scarce neighborhoods.
CommunityBiodiversityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyUrban Vegetation: Anthropogenic Influences, Public Perceptions, and Wildlife Implications
2023Catherine Simpson, Cade Coldren, Ioana A. Coman, Caitlyn E. Cooper, Gad Perry · IntechOpen eBooks · Global
This review focused on urban vegetation, whose importance is growing with expanding urban environments, examining its multiple uses, significance for urban wildlife conservation and sustainability, and media portrayal. Previously, the importance of urban vegetation was often emphasized in narrow literature niches related to horticulture and landscape architecture. This study surveyed diverse uses of urban horticulture and considered the role urban vegetation plays in urban ecosystem services and biodiversity.
BiodiversityCommunityUrban and Peri-Urban Agriculture Sourcebook – From Production to Food Systems
2022FAO, Rikolto, RUAF · Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Rikolto & RUAF · Global
A comprehensive guide co-published by FAO, Rikolto and RUAF for local decision-makers, urban planners and practitioners. It frames urban and peri-urban agriculture from production through to urban food systems and policy, promoting reduced food loss via short supply chains, biodiversity protection, social inclusion, and urban-rural linkages.
PolicyCommunityOrganic cycleFood lossEconomicsBiodiversityEcosystem service delivery by urban agriculture and green infrastructure – a systematic review
2022Evans D.L., Falagán N., Hardman C.A., Kourmpetli S., Liu L., Mead B.R., Davies J.A.C. · Ecosystem Services, 54, 101405 · Global
A systematic review synthesizing 157 peer-reviewed articles that compares which ecosystem services are delivered by different types of urban agriculture and green infrastructure. It finds that community gardens, green spaces and parks deliver the most diverse services, that local climate and air-quality regulation are best provided by green infrastructure alone, and that biological control and genetic-diversity maintenance peak when green infrastructure is combined with urban agriculture.
BiodiversityCommunityHealthEconomicsState of ex situ conservation of landrace groups of 25 major crops
2022Ramirez-Villegas J., Khoury C.K., Achicanoy H.A., Diaz M.V., Mendez A.C., Sosa C.C., Kehel Z., Guarino L., Abberton M. · Nature Plants 8:491-499 · Global
A global gap analysis predicting distributions of over 70 landrace groups across 25 crops, finding a mean 63% represented in genebanks and major collecting gaps in South Asia, the Mediterranean, the Andes and Africa.
Heirloom & landraceBiodiversityPolicyManaging Urban-Rural Linkages for Biodiversity
2022UN-Habitat · UN-Habitat · Global
Frames the role of urban-rural linkages in biodiversity conservation, presenting integrated urban-rural governance through ecological corridors, green belts and farmland protection.
BiodiversityPolicyUrban–Rural Linkages and Ecosystem Restoration
2022UNCCD · UNCCD (UN Convention to Combat Desertification) Working Paper · Global
A policy analysis of how urban expansion cascades into rural land degradation and ecosystem loss, arguing for urban-rural linkage governance to drive land restoration and combat desertification.
BiodiversityPolicyFood democracy and sustainability in France and Chile: Community gardens promote ecological citizenship
2022Biskupovic C., Maurines B., Carmona R., Canteros E. · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · Chile
This qualitative comparative study of community and shared gardens in France and Chile found that small-scale collective gardening fosters human–nonhuman relationships and the transmission of caring practices, thereby promoting ecological citizenship and more sustainable forms of community living.
CommunityFood educationBiodiversityHomegardens as Sustainable Urban Agroforestry Systems to Promote Household Well-Being in Kandy, Sri Lanka
2022Jayakody S.K., Basu M. · Blue-Green Infrastructure Across Asian Countries (Springer Singapore), pp. 223–249 · Sri Lanka (Kandy)
This book chapter examines how traditional homegardens in the Kandy District function as integrated urban agroforestry systems supporting biodiversity conservation, physical exercise, and mental health, while noting that increasing urbanization threatens their long-term sustainability.
BiodiversityHealthCommunityWelfareSeeds of change? Social practices of urban community seed sharing initiatives for just transitions to sustainability
2022· Local Environment · Global
Analyzes urban community seed-sharing and seed-swap initiatives as social practices and how they contribute to just transitions to sustainability.
CommunityHeirloom & landraceBiodiversityUrban Agriculture as an Alternative Source of Food and Water Security in Today’s Sustainable Cities
2022Aleksandra Nowysz, Łukasz Mazur, Magdalena Daria Vaverková, Eugeniusz Koda, Jan Winkler · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · Global
This study explored urban agriculture (UA) as an alternative source of food and water security, employing a mixed-method approach including literature survey, case studies, and comparative analysis. It compared 25 existing projects in the global north, including allotment gardens, community gardens, and urban farms, categorizing UA into architectural-urban, ecological, social, and economic aspects. The analysis concluded that UA fulfills economic, social, and environmental functions, aligning with the concept of sustainable development.
Food sovereignty & justiceClimate changeBiodiversityCommunityMoveable Gardens: Itineraries and Sanctuaries of Memory ed. by Virginia D. Nazarea and Terese V. Gagnon
2022Pierrette Hondagneu‐Sotelo · Journal of Latin American geography · Global
This edited book explores how various displacements lead people to re-engage with plant life, creating meaning and sustaining biodiversity. It examines how gardening, seed saving, and cooking restore social and cultural continuity, connecting past and present. The volume, rooted in anthropology, discusses plant-human engagements in movement ("itineraries") and emplaced efforts of belonging ("sanctuaries").
CommunityHeirloom & landraceBiodiversityFood sovereignty & justiceThe extinction of experience and (re-)cultivating wellbeing and sustainability through garden-based learning
2022Donald Gray · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Global
A 2022 paper examined the role of school gardens in addressing children and young people's decreasing experiences with natural environments, increasing mental health concerns, and growing worries about global environmental problems. Drawing on three initiatives from an original pilot school garden program, the paper presents evidence that garden-based learning can positively contribute to improved health and wellbeing, learning, and environmental awareness.
Food educationHealthBiodiversityCommunityTemporal Temperature Variation in Urban Gardens Is Mediated by Local and Landscape Land Cover and Is Linked to Environmental Justice
2022Alejandro Castillo Nolte, Sascha Buchholz, Nadja Pernat, Monika Egerer · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · Global
This study investigated diurnal and nocturnal temperature ranges, and daily maximum and minimum temperatures in 18 urban gardens during the peak summer agricultural growing season. It analyzed how temperatures correlated to local land cover factors within the garden, surrounding landscape imperviousness at various spatial scales, and environmental justice indicators of garden neighborhoods. Nocturnal temperature range was negatively correlated to landscape imperviousness, with the relationship decreasing in strength with increasing spatial scale.
Climate changeBiodiversityHealthCommunityLow resource availability drives feeding niche partitioning between wild bees and honeybees in a European city
2022Joan Casanelles‐Abella, Simone Fontana, Bertrand Fournier, David Frey, Marco Moretti · Ecological Applications · Switzerland (Zurich)
This study in 23 urban gardens in Zurich, Switzerland, examined feeding niche partitioning between wild bees and honeybees. Researchers found that feeding niche partitioning increased with wild bee species richness and in sites with lower landscape-scale resource availability, which also had lower honeybee abundances. However, beekeeping intensity at local and landscape scales did not directly influence community feeding niche partitioning or wild bee species richness, suggesting direct competition for resources was not a main driver for the wild bee community.
Environmental trade-offsBiodiversityPollinatorsCommunityGoldilocks’ quarter-hectare urban farm: An agent-based model for improved pollination of community gardens and small-holder farms
2022Alan Dorin, Tim Taylor, Adrian G. Dyer · PLOS Sustainability and Transformation · Global
This study used an agent-based model to explore the impact of insect flower constancy, heterospecific pollen transfer, and crop patch size on pollination in urban farms. It found that highly constant pollinators were most effective in the smallest patches, while less constant insects performed better in intermediate-sized areas. The model identified an optimal "Goldilocks zone" for pollination around 11m x 11m, suggesting that collaborative management to increase single-crop patch size could improve pollination in community farms.
CommunityBiodiversityPollinatorsProspects for the use of apple tree species from the collection of the GBS RAS in landscaping
2022Victоria Kryuchkova, Vitaly Donskih, Yuri Gorbunov, Tatiana Aniskina, О. С. Волкова · АгроЭкоИнфо · Russia (Moscow)
This 2011-2022 study at the MBG RAS laboratory in Moscow, Russia, assessed 20 wild apple tree species for their landscaping potential. While Malus baccata, M. neidzwedzkyana, M. x zumi, M. sargentii, and M. mandshurica were identified as promising for urban conditions, M. ioensis showed low frost resistance and M. fusca and M. sievesii were susceptible to scab infestation, limiting their suitability for urban gardening in Moscow.
Limited or null effectBiodiversityDIYEvaluation of ecosystem services of rooftop gardens in Dhaka, Bangladesh
2022Iffat Jahan Nur, Motaleb Hossain Sarker, Tanıa Hossain, Tasnia Ferdous, Sazedatur Rahman, Benazir Iqbal, Md. Golam Jilani Helal, Md. Forhad Hossain · Current Research in Environmental Sustainability · Bangladesh (Dhaka)
An experimental survey of twenty rooftop gardens in Mohammadpur and Dhanmondi, Dhaka, Bangladesh, examined four categories of ecosystem services using a Rapid Assessment Checklist with 47 indicators. The average score for total ecosystem services was 50 ± 12 out of 100, indicating an intermediate performance. Cultural services scored highest at 60 ± 14, while provisioning services scored lowest at 41 ± 13.
BiodiversityClimate changeCommunityDo Radishes and Carrots Grow in a Bunch? Students’ Knowledge about the Growth of Food Plants and Their Ideas of a School Garden Design
2022Felix Hellinger, Dorothee Benkowitz, Petra Lindemann‐Matthies · Education Sciences · Global
Students' knowledge about the growth of food plants and their ideas for school garden design were investigated among 2107 fifth and sixth graders (mean age 12.3 years). About 40% of students believed carrots and radishes grow in underground bunches, and nearly 50% thought kohlrabi also grows underground. Girls performed better than boys, and increasing age and gardening experience had a positive effect on answers.
Food educationClimate changeBiodiversity