Research & reports

Celso Donizete Locatel, Francisco Fransualdo de Azevedo · Revistes Científiques de la University of Barcelona (University of Barcelona) · Brazil

A study of Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, analyzing the practice of intra-urban agriculture and the municipal government's response to it. It states that agriculture within the urban fabric is not hard to identify, yet municipal legislation does not formally recognize the practice, despite its significant importance to hundreds of families in peripheral areas; most people involved in the activity have no voice or participation in urban planning and management. The study aims to analyze the importance of urban agriculture for farming families' income and to examine the extent to which the municipal government has factored this phenomenon into territorial decision-making in Natal.

Jessica Mackie, Yuting Ma, Connie Ma, Sanna Maladwala, Sarah Makepeace, Stella Lukman, Angelo Maliksi · cIRcle (University of British Columbia) · Canada

This is a student project report produced through the University of British Columbia's SEEDS program. The available text consists only of a disclaimer stating that UBC SEEDS reports share student findings, opinions, conclusions and recommendations, that such reports are not official UBC documents, and that they may not reflect the current status of the activities described.

Stephanie Co · Open Scholarship Institutional Repository (Washington University in St. Louis) · United States

This piece on urban agriculture and its role in transforming socioeconomic status and food security among refugee communities in the United States was published in the Washington University Undergraduate Research Digest (WUURD) in 2010, under mentor Peter Benson.

Sarah Rabkin · eScholarship (California Digital Library) · United States (California)

A profile of Pie Ranch, a farm on a coastal hillside in southern San Mateo County, California, between Santa Cruz and San Francisco. Jered Lawson and Nancy Vail, together with San Francisco-based Karen Heisler, established this non-profit working farm in 2002 as a place for city youth to learn about food. It produces nearly everything needed to make pie — pumpkins, berries, tree fruits, eggs, milk, butter, honey, and wheat. Students and teachers from urban high schools make monthly farm visits throughout the school year, experiencing hands-on learning about soil, compost, weather, the cycle of planting, tending and harvesting crops, the challenges and rewards of group work, and cooking and eating from-scratch meals. Pie Ranch also offers year-long apprenticeships, summer internships, monthly work parties and barn dances, and various educational and cultural events, sells produce at a roadside stand on coastal Route 1, and works with the Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) to protect the historic Steele dairy lands. Lawson is described as a UC Santa Cruz community studies graduate and former apprentice at the university's Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems (CASFS), who spent a summer during college at Live Power Community Farm in Covelo, Mendocino County. The text is cut off mid-sentence during this biographical description.

Danielle Nipper · D-Scholarship@Pitt (University of Pittsburgh) · United States

A methods paper (D-Scholarship@Pitt, University of Pittsburgh, 2010) proposes applying the Sustainability Assessment Modeling (SAM) framework—which quantifies stakeholder values, perceptions, and economic and environmental costs—to develop an assessment tool for community garden longevity and sustainability, motivated by evidence that community gardens often struggle with discontinuation. The paper reviews SAM-related literature and its methods, strengths and limitations, and proposes a participatory assessment process using indicators of organizational strengths, weaknesses, and success such as longevity, without presenting empirical test results of the tool itself.

Rocha C., Lessa I. · International Planning Studies 14(4):389-400 · Brazil

Describes the distinct food security governance developed by Belo Horizonte (2.5 million people), marked by comprehensive programs, urban/rural focus, flexibility, and commitment to social justice and equitable food access.

Colla S.R., Willis E., Packer L. · Cities and the Environment (CATE), 2(1):4 · Canada (Toronto area)

A foundational study comparing bee diversity and abundance on green roofs and ground-level sites near Toronto. With suitable plants and management, green roofs can host bee communities comparable to ground habitats, discussing implications for urban pollinator conservation and rooftop agriculture.

Arce B., Prain G., Maldonado L. · Women Feeding Cities: Mainstreaming Gender in Urban Agriculture and Food Security (Practical Action Publishing), Chapter 13 · Peru (Lima)

Examines land tenure insecurity and gender constraints among periurban farmers in Carapongo, Lima, showing that women's time burdens limit participation in horticulture field schools. Based on a baseline survey of 125 producers conducted through the CGIAR Urban Harvest initiative.

· Journal of Community Practice · USA

A case study of a community gardening/conservation program analyzing the individual, social, and community-level benefits generated through participation in the program's activities.

Kevin C. Matteson, Gail Langellotto · Cities and the Environment · United States (New York City)

In 2005, a study compiled a list of crop plants in 19 New York City community gardens, classifying them by bee pollination dependence. Using mark-recapture methods, the abundance of the common eastern bumble bee (Bombus impatiens) was estimated. Wild populations of B. impatiens were found to be abundant in New York City community gardens, where it is the most prevalent native bee species and visits various crop flowers.

M.R. Gorham, Tina M. Waliczek, Amy Snelgrove, Jayne M. Zajicek · HortTechnology · United States (Houston)

A pilot study in Houston, Texas, investigated the impact of 11 established community gardens on property crime numbers using 2005 crime data. Statistical comparisons between community garden areas and randomly selected city areas showed no statistically significant differences in the mean number of crime occurrences. The presence of a community garden was not found to be a predictor of a lower crime rate for a neighborhood.

Bruno Martins Dala Paula, Ivana Cristina Lovo, José Delázaro Filho · Urban Agriculture Magazine · Brazil (Belo Horizonte)

This project in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, involved seven households sharing a community garden. Participating families collected household organic waste, with five families collecting 5 kg every 8-10 days. From March 25 to September 25, a total of 420 kg of organic waste was collected and used for collective compost production, which was then distributed to all garden members.

Emma Schroeder, Julie Schneider · · United States (Eagle Heights)

Julie Schneider's 2009 interview discusses her five years at the Eagle Heights Community Garden. She described vegetables grown, organic gardening, rules and restrictions, and tensions with the university, as well as changes in the community gardens since the early 1990s. This interview was conducted for a Master's thesis on the Eagle Heights Community Gardens.

Mirane dos Santos Costa, Marivaine da Silva Brasil, Alberto Feiden, Adalgiza Inês Campolim · · Brazil/Bolivia

An exploratory study was conducted in the border cities of Corumbá, Brazil, and Puerto Quijarro/Puerto Suarez, Bolivia, to investigate the socioeconomic profile of Brazilian and Bolivian sellers of leafy vegetables at street fairs and their relations with urban farmers. The study aimed to identify the origin, production system of leafy vegetables, and the socioeconomic characteristics of these fair sellers and farmers, with preliminary results presented.

Wendy Heiger‐Bernays, Alexa Fraser, Vaughn R. Burns, Kerry Diskin, David Pierotti, K Merchant-Borna, Michael D. McClean, Daniel J. Brabander, H. Patricia Hynes · PubMed · United States

A study characterized urban community garden soils contaminated by timbers, specifically finding elevated levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from railroad ties and arsenic from chromated copper arsenate (CCA) treated lumber. Researchers determined the extent of contamination, designed a remediation plan, and assessed the safety of adding city compost as a soil amendment in Boston community gardens. Recommendations for healthful gardening practices were also provided.

Vikram Bhatt, Leila Marie Farah, Nik Luka, Jeanne M. Wolfe · Open House International · Canada (Montréal)

The "Edible Campus" project, launched in Montréal in spring 2007, was an action-research initiative aimed at transforming underutilized urban spaces into productive areas. It involved citizens in creating green community spaces by incorporating productive container growing on a concrete-covered part of McGill University's downtown campus. This project investigated how to enhance urban food security through increased urban food production and demonstrated how "edible landscapes" can be integrated into urban spaces.

Samireille Silvano Messias, Ednaldo Michellon, Marcos Rogério da Silva Alves dos Santos, Camila Pereira Croge, Juliano Tait Vareschini, Fernande Antunes Fernandes · REVISTA BRASILEIRA DE AGROECOLOGIA · Brazil (Maringá)

In Maringá, Paraná, the growing need for urban and peri-urban agriculture led to the establishment of the Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture Reference Center (CERAUP) by Maringá State University, in partnership with municipal governments and funded by the Ministry of Social Development and Fight Against Hunger. This project aims to enable the region's most vulnerable families to produce healthy food without pesticides and earn extra income by selling surplus produce. This initiative facilitates food re-education and capacity building for direct beneficiaries and the entire population around these urban agriculture spaces.

James C. Anderson, Eun‐Young Kim · Journal of Agricultural Education · United States (Chicago)

This descriptive study investigated leadership development perceptions and preferences among 284 students in a comprehensive urban agriculture program at Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences. Students reported limited involvement in school or community organizations, learning leadership primarily through sports, work, and FFA. They preferred leadership activities to be organized, fun, interactive, and provide real-world application, with training occurring in school, national workshops, or international experiences.

Éric Duchemin, Fabien Wegmuller, Anne-Marie Legault · Field Actions Science Reports · Canada (Montreal)

This article discusses urban agriculture (UA) initiatives undertaken in Montreal, Canada, for over 30 years, specifically the City-managed Community Gardening Program and six collective gardens managed by community organizations. These UA initiatives have fostered vegetable production and a socialization and education environment, contributing to individual and collective social development in economically disadvantaged districts. The various approaches achieve their established objectives and serve as multi-dimensional tools for the social development of disadvantaged populations.

Clara Irazábal, Anita Punja · Journal of Urban Affairs · United States (Los Angeles)

This qualitative case study analyzes the destruction of the 14-acre South Central Farm in Los Angeles in July 2006, arguing it was a landscape of resistance against discriminatory legal and planning practices. The study contends that environmental justice and planning ethics provided a substantive rationale for the city to prevent its dismantling. This case highlights a failure in governance to protect community gardens threatened by dismantlement in capitalist societies.

Colleen O’Holleran · School for International Training Digital Collections (School for International Training) · United States (Boulder, Colorado)

A study in Boulder, Colorado, interviewed thirteen community gardeners to understand their motivations for participation. Gardeners were found to come from diverse backgrounds and participate for various reasons, including the desire to be outdoors, curiosity, resource sharing, a closer connection with food, self-reliance, health commitment, and pride. Despite challenges, gardeners overcome them due to their commitment to cultivating their plots.

Rachel Chadderdon, Laura Colangelo, Joel Heeres, Brian Lipinski, Rachel Steel · · United States

This project assessed how the Ypsilanti-based nonprofit Growing Hope could best utilize its recently acquired Growing Hope Center to promote garden-related social enterprise activities. Through literature review, surveys of urban agriculture nonprofits and Ypsilanti residents, and a survey of Washtenaw County food businesses, sufficient community demand for a market gardener training program and willingness of local businesses to purchase produce were identified. The research led to the formulation of two models, the Food Security Model and the High Production Model, and a recommendation for Growing Hope to form an Ypsilanti Food Policy Council.

Luciana Morais de Freitas · REVISTA BRASILEIRA DE AGROECOLOGIA · Brazil

This project in the Federal District and surrounding areas of Brazil aimed to improve and expand food production and promote agroecological practices in settlements and pre-settlements. Implemented in partnership with MDS and Via Campesina, the urban and peri-urban agriculture initiative has enhanced production conditions in these settlements. It also strengthens the productive chain by training producers in agroecological practices.

A. D. Jones, Jennie Popp · Discovery The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural Food and Life Sciences · United States

This research aims to develop enterprise budgets for sustainable school gardens as part of a service learning program at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville (UAF). These budgets are used to evaluate the costs and returns of producing crops that meet three criteria: minimal negative environmental impact, just-in-time production for school needs, and financial solvency. The research focuses on developing enterprise budgets for four crops—chili peppers, cabbage, corn, and tomatoes—and an interactive Excel® budgeting tool to evaluate revenues and expenses.

David M Ahronian, Kelly R Ashton, Erin G Bassett, Maxwell A Cohen, Victor J Czulak, Gregory S Dunbar, Brendan T Farragher, Jonathan L Gorman, Peter L Guy, Timothy J Iles, Piyawut Inthasorn, Travis A Johnson, Jonathan B. Koch, Justin J Kronewitter, Zachary B Livingston, Matthew Morano, Brian Mulvehill, Kevin Murphy, Sean P O'Connell, Peter W. Stephens, Christopher Tourigny, Bryce P White, Timothy E Young · ScholarWorks@UMassAmherst (University of Massachusetts Amherst) · United States (Springfield)

This work explores a service learning strategy within an Urban Design Studio at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, focused on envisioning Springfield's North End. The project aimed to stimulate conversation, develop green design strategies, improve services, and foster cultural engagement to enhance the community's vibrancy and quality of life. It proposes that improved physical, cultural, and social connectivity is key to achieving these goals, and identified six sustainable learning and planning principles, including urban agriculture and education for healthy living.