Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
7626 results(80 / 306)
Racism in paradise: Being migrants in urban agriculture in Aotearoa New Zealand
2023Marcela Palomino‐Schalscha, Maria Teresa Braga Bizarria, Isabella Sánchez‐Bolívar · New Zealand Geographer · New Zealand
This collective autoethnography project explored the experiences of Latin American migrant women of color joining urban agriculture (UA) in Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand. The research revealed that while UA spaces offer community-building opportunities, they can also reproduce exclusionary practices, particularly towards minority groups. The study highlights experiences of racial oppression within UA settings.
Equity & displacementCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceThings that endure: Community gardens and the post-work imaginary
2023Abigail Schoneboom, Daniel Mallo, Armelle Tardiveau · Journal of Classical Sociology · United Kingdom
This sensory ethnographic study, using pinhole photography, explored how time is experienced by unemployed volunteers at a community garden in the north-east of England. It found that the garden's ability to provide meaningful time is rooted in its food-growing and composting cycles, as well as enduring elements like mature trees and volunteer-made structures. The study argues that urban community gardens offer an "elongated present" that fulfills individuals and sustains community and nature.
CommunityWelfareOrganic cycleHealthRecipes for Resistance
2023Claudia J. Ford · · United States
This essay provides a critical historiography of Black women's roles in the food justice movement, using storytelling and historical analysis to amplify their voices. It highlights figures such as Leah Chase, the women of Rise and Root Farm, Barbara Norman, and Edith Floyd, who established Growing Joy Community Gardens. The author positions these Black women as advocates for community food justice and creators of community healing spaces, moving beyond individual healthy lifestyle improvements.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityHealthWelfareCommunity agroecology. Basis for food resilience in the face of extreme events
2023Luis L. Vázquez · Journal of Applied Biotechnology & Bioengineering · Cuba
This study analyzed Cuba's transition towards decentralized and diversified agriculture, driven by peasant family farming and urban agriculture movements in response to the economic crisis since the 1990s. It found that agroecology has become popular in human settlements, facilitating population participation in small-area production systems such as intensive and organoponic gardens. These systems enable communities to obtain over 40 fresh products for local consumption.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changePRAGMATIC ARCHITECTURE IN SETIABUDI VERTICAL HOUSING DESIGN IN SOUTH JAKARTA, BASED ON URBAN FARMING
2023A Ryan, Karya Widyawati, Fery Mulya Pratama · Lakar Jurnal Arsitektur · Indonesia (Jakarta)
In DKI Jakarta, Indonesia, a population of 10.64 million in 2021, increasing by 0.38% since 2021, has led to limited residential land. The DKI Jakarta government promotes vertical housing as a solution to this issue. This vertical housing development incorporates urban farming concepts to maintain food security and foster economic and social values within the province.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityPolicySTRATEGI PENGEMBANGAN PERTANIAN PERKOTAAN DI KECAMATAN BANJARSARI KOTA SURAKARTA
2023Nurita Miftakhul Janah, Erlyna Wida Riptanti, Wiwit Rahayu · Sebatik · Indonesia (Surakarta)
In Banjarsari District, Surakarta City, 35 farmer groups practice urban agriculture, but only 9 of them are active. This study was conducted to identify internal and external factors and determine alternative and priority development strategies. Results from IFE, EFE, IE, SWOT, and QSPM matrix analyses showed that the main strength was innovation in various processed products, while the main weakness was a lack of courage to take risks. The prioritized urban agriculture development strategy identified was marketing products online through marketplaces and social media.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsSocio-environmental diagnosis of community urban gardens in the General Pueyrredon district
2023Jaime Del Río, Victoria Noelia Cabral, María Victoria Sordini · Salud Ciencia y Tecnología - Serie de Conferencias · Argentina
This undergraduate thesis conducted a socio-environmental diagnosis of community urban horticulture spaces in the General Pueyrredon district, Buenos Aires province, Argentina. The diagnosis identified their current situation, main limits, and potentialities, and characterized and geographically located different projects. This facilitated understanding how these experiences relate to urban social dynamics.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceOrganic cycleCultivating an Alternative Subjectivity Beyond Neoliberalism: Community Gardens in Urban China
2023Xin Mai, Yueli Xu, Yungang Liu · Annals of the American Association of Geographers · China (Shanghai)
This study investigated the emergence and development of two flagship community garden cases in Shanghai, China, initiated in 2016. Observations revealed that a nonprofit organization, not local citizens or municipal government, proactively advanced community garden production and participation. The community garden phenomenon was found to reify an alternative subjectivity, emphasizing social organizations as a state "flanking mechanism" for extraeconomic urban governance objectives.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyFood sovereignty & justicePROCESOS DE AGRICULTURA URBANA Y AUTOGESTIÓN COMUNITARIA PARA EL DESARROLLO DE HUERTAS CASERAS EN EL MUNICIPIO FRONTERIZO DE CÚCUTA
2023Juan Pablo Robayo, Jemay Mosquera Téllez · limentech Ciencia y Tecnología Alimentaria · Colombia (Cúcuta)
A descriptive and interpretive qualitative study in Cúcuta, Colombia, documented the implementation of home gardens aimed at self-management and community empowerment. The research involved families in the Rudesindo Soto, La Pastora, and Belén neighborhoods, utilizing semi-structured interviews, field work, and documentary analysis in collaboration with the Catholic Church. Findings indicated that participants experienced advantages and benefits in terms of self-management, cooperation, and community empowerment, leading to the formulation of a public policy proposal to support home gardens at the municipal level.
CommunityDIYFood sovereignty & justicePolicyEvidence on how urban gardens help citizens and cities to enhance sustainable development. Review and bibliometric analysis
2023Alexandra Ribeiro, Lívia Madureira, Raquel Carvalho · Landscape and Urban Planning · Global
This paper conducted a bibliometric analysis of published research on urban gardens, using Vosviewer software and the Web of Science database. The analysis identified four research clusters: 'Citizens' (people, lifestyle, community), 'Drivers' (motivations, purposes, benefits), 'Cities' (contribution to urban sustainability, hindered by lack of policy recognition), and 'Soil' (sustainability shortcomings due to soil contamination on vacant land). The study concluded that urban garden research is directly related to sustainable development, but the issue receives little importance, with most studies being case studies and economic pressure affecting sustainability.
CommunityClimate changePolicyEconomicsHubungan Karakteristik, Kompetensi, dan Motivasi Dengan Kinerja Penyuluh Pertanian Di Dinas Ketahanan Pangan dan Pertanian Kota Malang Jawa Timur
2023Hendro Prasetyo, Monica Permatasari, Faridha Hanim · AGRIEKSTENSIA · Indonesia (Malang)
This quantitative descriptive study in Malang City, Indonesia, used Rank Spearman correlation analysis to examine the relationship between agricultural extension workers' characteristics, competence, motivation, and performance. The findings indicated that extension workers were moderately competent, motivated, and performed at a moderately optimal level. Age, length of service, competence in program planning, implementation, and evaluation, and achievement needs were significantly related to performance. Education, training, professional development competence, and affiliation needs were not found to be related to performance.
PolicyCommunityTeachers and students use of systems thinking about their participation in school environmental clubs
2023Richard Beach · Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy · Global
This study analyzed the perceptions of three English teachers and three students participating in two high school environmental clubs, using a critical inquiry systems thinking framework. Interviews explored their views on the purposes, outcomes, norms, and beliefs of energy/transportation, agriculture/food production, and economic systems impacting climate change. Teachers and students critiqued these systems for leading to negative climate change outcomes and engaged in sustainability practices like planting school gardens and supporting recycling/composting.
Food educationCommunityClimate changeOrganic cycleUrban farming for the community in Arga Jaya Housing, Kalinegoro, Magelang Regency
2023Sumarno Adi Subrata, Hamisa Juniar Latesa, Salma Inas Rafida, Muhammad Wildan Alfarisi, Fitri Fitri, Citra Delima Sakinadya · Community Empowerment · Indonesia
An urban farming program was implemented in Kalinegoro Village RW III, Magelang Regency, Indonesia, with the PKK team and housing residents. The program aimed to address potential food shortages during the Covid-19 pandemic. Participants showed enthusiasm, leading to the creation of a park incorporating urban farming practices. The initiative is expected to serve as a solution for food security during the pandemic.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceWelfareLa trama de la agricultura urbana: trayectoria de vida de un militante local (Rosario, Argentina)
2023Licia María Lilli · kult-ur revista interdisciplinària sobre la cultura de la ciutat · Argentina (Rosario)
This study reflects on sustainable food systems through the biographical narrative of Antonio Lattuca, a key figure in urban agriculture development in Rosario, Argentina. Based on a semi-structured interview, the research focuses on his activism in establishing urban gardens and institutionalizing collective strategies within the municipal government since the 1990s, including the Urban Agriculture Program. Rosario has over 34 years of urban agroecological experiences addressing urbanization, poverty, and exclusion.
CommunityPolicyWelfareFood sovereignty & justiceAquaponics and Urban Farming Solutions in the US: A Comprehensive Review - Assessing the Viability, Benefits, and Challenges of Integrating Fish and Plant Farming in Urban Settings
2023Olasumbo Olagoke-Komolafe, Joshua Oyeboade · International Journal of Multidisciplinary Futuristic Development · United States
This study comprehensively reviewed the viability, benefits, and challenges of urban aquaponics systems in the United States. Through a systematic literature review and content analysis, significant environmental benefits were identified, while economically, long-term benefits potentially outweigh initial setup costs. Challenges such as technical complexities, financial barriers, and the need for specialized knowledge are also notable.
Economic viabilityDigital agricultureEconomicsCommunityFood educationSocial and Community Benefits and Limitations of Urban Agriculture
2023Alicia Papanek, Catherine Campbell, Hannah Wooten · EDIS · Global
This publication, authored by Alicia Papanek, Catherine G. Campbell, and Hannah Wooten and published in January 2023 by the UF/IFAS Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, provides an overview of urban food production. It discusses the benefits of urban agriculture alongside potential challenges that can limit the success of these operations, including economic viability.
Economic viabilityCommunityHealthEconomicsGrowing in relation with the land: Experiential learning of Root and Regenerate Urban Farms
2023Chelsea Rozanski, Michael C. Gavin · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · Canada (Calgary)
This reflective essay documented the cultivation process of a production urban farm in Calgary, Canada, through a collaboration between the University of Calgary, Root and Regenerate Urban Farms, and the Young Agrarians. Over one growing season (May-September 2021), approximately 7,000 lbs (3,175 kg) of 48 vegetable varieties were harvested from nine urban spaces totaling 0.26 acres. Produce was distributed to shareholders, market customers, chefs, and cooperatives, with 765 lbs (347 kg) donated to food security initiatives. The paper discusses the benefits and limitations of Small Plot Intensive Farming and urban land-sharing strategies.
CommunityCSA & TeikeiOrganic cycleFood sovereignty & justiceOrganizing Tensions in Community-Supported Agriculture
2023Megan K. Schraedley · · Global
This chapter examines Sweet Water Farm, a Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm, through a participant's perspective, analyzing organizing practices by highlighting three tensions. These include the tension between community creation and customer management, issues of inclusion and exclusion from CSAs, and the challenge of transforming capitalist economic structures while operating within them. The study reveals that while CSAs offer potential for addressing equity in the food system, questions persist regarding their long-term adoption by diverse communities as an alternative to conventional agriculture.
Equity & displacementCSA & TeikeiCommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceFood Herstories and Everyday Life in Times of Crisis. Women’s Experiences in Food Production, Distribution and Consumption
2023Magdalena Popławska · Przegląd Kulturoznawczy · Global
This article analyzes women's experiences in household food production, distribution, and consumption as responses to daily life challenges, integrating food studies, historical sociology, and gender studies. Based on a literature review, including oral histories and autobiographical accounts of urban and rural women, the study demonstrates that women's food-related stories explore alternatives to scarcity economies and mass production. These alternatives, found in kitchens, farm fields, or allotment gardens, embody values like mutual assistance, trust, and reciprocity, and can be interpreted as creativity, resourcefulness, power relations, and resistance during everyday crises.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsFarming under Urban Pressure: Business Models and Success Factors of Peri-Urban Farms
2023Wojciech Sroka, Piotr Sulewski, Jarosław Mikołajczyk, Karol Król · Agriculture · Poland
This study, based on a survey of economically successful peri-urban farms in Poland, identified success factors and major barriers to their development. The research shows a considerable convergence in business solutions in recent years, particularly in customer relationships and channels. According to respondents, the success of peri-urban farms is primarily determined by three groups of factors: motivation, diligence, and creativity; high quality of products and services; and cultivating deep bonds with customers. While farm managers indicated relatively few internal problems, urban pressure was considered the most significant external barrier to development.
Economic viabilityPeri-urban agricultureEconomicsCommunityA one-sided love affair? On the potential for a coalition between degrowth and community-supported agriculture in Germany
2023Julia Spanier, Leonie Guerrero Lara, Giuseppe Feola · Agriculture and Human Values · Germany
This article systematically analyzes the potential for a coalition between Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) and degrowth movements in Germany, drawing on social movement theories. It finds that the ideologies and political strategies of the two movements are not aligned, with CSA focusing practically on smallholder agriculture and degrowth abstractly on the growth-dependent economy. Scarce resources, differing internal organization, and CSA's lack of knowledge about degrowth are obstacles, though existing social ties and initial ideological alignment with sufficiency-oriented degrowth are noted.
CSA & TeikeiFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsCommunityPeningkatan kemandirian dan ketahanan pangan masyarakat perempuan melalui urban gardening Kelompok Wanita Tani (KWT) “Ijo Royo-Royo” Tambakaji Ngaliyan Kota Semarang
2023Siti Hasanah, Mustika Widowati, Sri Hardiningsih, Vita Arumsari · KACANEGARA Jurnal Pengabdian pada Masyarakat · Indonesia (Semarang)
This community service project targeted women in the "Ijo Royo-Royo" Women Farmers Group in Tambakaji, Semarang City, Indonesia, addressing their limited experience in utilizing narrow home yards for planting and lack of skills in waste management. The project provided assistance in creating urban gardens for daily food independence, managing plastic waste for vertical planting, and processing vegetable and fruit waste into healthy drinks and organic fertilizer. The aim was to increase the economic value and benefits of urban backyard farming.
DIYCompostFood educationWelfareCommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceAnalysis of Importance of and Satisfaction with the Values and Major Achievements of Urban Agriculture
2023Yumin Park, Yong-Wook Shin · Journal of people, plants, and environment · Global
This study conducted an importance-performance analysis (IPA) on the values and major achievements of urban agriculture, analyzing 104 responses from experts involved in urban agricultural policies. It found that both importance and satisfaction were highest for health functions, followed by social-cultural, environmental-ecological, and economic functions. Awareness of health functions was high, while economic functions were low, suggesting a need for strengthening.
PolicyHealthEconomicsCommunityBiodiversityAn analytical framework to measure the social return of community-supported agriculture
2023Marco Medici, Maurizio Canavari, Alessandra Castellini · Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems · Global
This study designed and applied a cost-benefit analysis based on the Social Return on Investment (SROI) to five Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) initiatives, addressing the lack of objective sustainability indicators. CSAs are local food supply chains characterized by member volunteer commitment, reduction of synthetic inputs in food production, and shortening of the supply chain. Findings revealed that the analyzed CSA case studies demonstrated a limited but positive socio-environmental performance compared to conventional food supply chains, thereby showing they can create real value in terms of social gains and mitigation of environmental impacts.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityEconomicsOrganic cycleGALERI GASTRONOMI INDONESIA SEBAGAI STRATEGI PENGAKTIFAN KEMBALI KAWASAN JALAN JAKSA
2023Patricia Patricia, Irene Syona Darmady · Jurnal Sains Teknologi Urban Perancangan Arsitektur (Stupa) · Indonesia
This paper proposes an architectural strategy, specifically urban acupuncture, to reactivate the degraded tourism identity of Kampung Jaksa, particularly Jaksa Street, in Indonesia. The design results in a gallery building focused on culinary tourism, explaining Indonesian cuisine through interactive and learnable techniques. This design also includes supporting programs such as vertical urban farming and site-responsive building orientation to provide public space.
Digital agricultureCommunityEconomics