Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
2530 results(80 / 102)
Organic in Cape Town - fresh food security revolution : organic farmers
2014Carol Posthumus · SABI Magazine - Tydskrif · South Africa (Cape Town)
Abalimi Bezekhaya, a community-supported agricultural organization in Cape Town, operates a network of approximately 5000 small-scale organic farmers across various areas of the Cape Flats. The organization views the city as a farm, contributing to fresh food security.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceOrganic cycleReversing food desertification: examining urban farming in Louisville, Chicago and Detroit
2014Nadra Hashim · Local Environment · United States
This study examines the early stages of the urban farming movement in Louisville, Kentucky, considering its relation to land use, segregation policies, obesity, and food security. While the urban farm movement is largely a success in New York, it is suggested that in Louisville, Chicago, and Detroit, where trans-fat bans did not succeed, the urban farm movement may be the primary means of addressing malnutrition in the form of obesity.
Food sovereignty & justiceHealthPolicyCommunitySome evidence from the geographical analysis of agri-urban fringes and farm-city interactions. A French perspective
2014Yvon Le · · France
This lecture focuses on five geographical questions concerning the rural-urban interface. It was shown that major food industries are not necessarily located in main cities, leading to a frequent disconnection between agricultural and regional centralities, and that the disconnection between cities and agricultural surroundings is challenged by farmers through short food supply chains. Access to the countryside by city dwellers is a major issue for social interaction, and urban agriculture opens new opportunities for urban planning.
Urban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justicePolicyCommunityPOPULAÇÃO-AMBIENTE. DESENVOLVIMENTO E AGRICULTURA URBANA NUM MUNICIPIO DE HAVANA, CUBA
2014Gilberto Javier Cabrera Trimñio · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Cuba (Havana)
In Cuba, urban agriculture is viewed as a movement to produce food in available urban spaces using local resources under sustainable ecological principles. While large cities like Havana cannot achieve food self-sufficiency, implementing agricultural programs there can foster an understanding of the population-environment-development relationship, which is crucial for public policies addressing environmental vulnerability and climate change impacts.
Food sovereignty & justicePolicyClimate changeCommunitySocial Science, Public Policy, and Amnesty for Chickens
2014Merrill Eisenberg · Practicing Anthropology · United States (Arizona)
This paper describes efforts in Pima County, Arizona, to develop local policies supporting urban agriculture in Tucson. An applied anthropologist, collaborating with grassroots citizen groups and local government policymakers, guided these efforts. The study highlights how applied social science concepts and methods informed the policy development process and facilitated citizen participation in shaping urban agriculture policy.
PolicyCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceWastewater Treatment Project for Palma Soriano, Cuba: Assessment of Cultural and Ecological Conditions
2014Daniela Peña Corvillon · Kobra (Universitätsbibliothek Kassel) · Cuba
The Palma Project in Palma Soriano, Cuba, is an experiment using cultural identity to address ecological degradation. It employs environmental, social, and urban analyses to develop a master plan for wastewater treatment, reforestation, urban agriculture, and public space utilization along the Cauto River. The project aims to improve quality of life, provide potable water, restore the riparian zone, and create new food production opportunities.
CommunityOrganic cycleFood sovereignty & justiceFood Science Education Publications and Websites
2014Jim Bird · Journal of Food Science Education · Global
This column aims to highlight innovative publications and websites in food science education and allied topics. An article featured discusses garden-based service-learning projects (Fairmount Community Garden, North Side Garden Survey, Como Community Garden) that aim for food justice, better undergraduate education, and strengthened campus-community ties. It also briefly mentions a qualitative case study conducted at four schools, evaluating the effects of free school meal interventions on pupils' learning over 20 weeks.
Food educationCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceCity Farmer: Adventures in Urban Food Growing
2014Michael Classens · UnderCurrents Journal of Critical Environmental Studies · Global
This is a review of Lorraine Johnson's book "City Farmer: Adventures in Urban Food Growing" by Michael Classens. Johnson argues that small-scale 'city farmers' are the vanguard of an emerging transformation of the contemporary food system, despite urban farming being more prefigurative than productive in aggregate. The book reveals the potential in interstitial urban spaces for food production and urges a reimagining of our relationship to cities as farms.
DIYCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changeLegal and Policy Framework Affecting the Development of Urban Agriculture Market in Eldoret Municipality, Kenya
2014H.W. Kamwele, George Mark Onyango, George G. Wagah, Maria Nyström · Chalmers Publication Library (Chalmers University of Technology) · Kenya
This paper examines the legal and policy framework affecting urban agriculture development in Eldoret Municipality, Kenya, through a case study involving interviews with government officials and review of various acts and bylaws. It found that while national legislation allows for urban agriculture, there is no specific policy for it, and Eldoret Municipality tolerates the practice despite its illegality. The study concludes that the awareness of urban farming's importance has not translated into formal recognition in bylaws and ordinances.
Governance failurePolicyFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsS'intégrer pour se pérenniser : pratiques d'agriculteurs urbains dans trois villes du Sud
2014Ophélie Robineau, Julia Tichit, Thomas Maillard · Espaces et sociétés · Global
This study examines the socio-spatial integration of urban agriculture in three Southern cities, despite its limited consideration in urban planning policies. In Bobo-Dioulasso (Burkina Faso), farmers secure access to productive resources through social relations. In Metro Manila (Philippines), local actor networks ensure the sustainability of practices. In Saint-Louis (Senegal), farmers' self-initiated organizations enable them to assert their interests with urban authorities, highlighting the challenge of urban agriculture not being adequately integrated into planning policies.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsFood Co‐ops and the Paradox of Exclusivity
2014Andrew Zitcer · Antipode · United States (Philadelphia)
This article explored the paradox of exclusivity in consumer food cooperatives in the United States, focusing on two food co-ops in Philadelphia, PA. The study found that exclusivity manifests in the co-ops' sales, business practices, and marketing, inadvertently excluding certain practices and people. This paradox hinders co-ops from fully realizing their transformative social and economic potential.
Equity & displacementCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsTowards urban food sovereignty: the trials and tribulations of community-based aquaponics enterprises in Milwaukee and Melbourne
2014Julia Laidlaw, Liam Magee · Local Environment · Global
This paper explores stakeholder experiences of community-based urban aquaponics enterprises in Milwaukee and Melbourne using a comparative case study methodology and in-depth interviews. It aims to understand the internal and external factors impacting their success or failure. The study highlights challenges in establishing these enterprises.
Economic viabilityFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityEconomicsLocal Food Futures and Healthy Communities: Role of Sustainable Practices
2014Dilip Ghosh, Debasis Bagchi, Tetsuya Konishi · · Global
This study highlights the importance of local food movements and urban agriculture, citing Havana, Cuba, as an example of self-reliance achieved through food growing in urban spaces. In 1999, allotment gardens in London produced 232,000 tons of fruits and vegetables, supplying 18% of the population's daily intake. Urban food growing spaces encompass diverse typologies, varying in their production potential and health contributions.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityHealthUrban–rural linkageA Framework For Vacant City-Owned Land To Be Utilised For Urban Agriculture: The Case Of Cape Town, South Africa
2014P. S. Van Staden, Maléne Campbell · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · South Africa (Cape Town)
This study proposes a framework for utilizing vacant City of Cape Town-owned land for urban agriculture to improve low-income families' livelihoods. The new City of Cape Town zoning scheme now includes urban agriculture zoning, which town planners view optimistically as it offers income-generating opportunities. Empirical data from questionnaires with a farming community in Philippi demonstrated that urban agriculture is viable in Cape Town, even for household-only production. A usufruct agreement is proposed as the lease method for urban agriculture.
PolicyEconomicsCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEmergence and Effects of Urban Agriculture in Cuba
2014Janice Argaillot · Espaces et sociétés · Cuba
This article analyzes the development of urban agriculture in Cuba. Driven by crises from the USSR collapse and US blockade, Cuba developed an internationally recognized agricultural model. The study explores the causes of urban agriculture's emergence in Cuba, its various forms, and its repercussions on citizens' social and cultural life.
Food sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicyCommunityShopping Versus Growing: Food Acquisition Habits of Dutch Urban Gardeners
2014E.J. Veen, P.H.M. Derkzen, A.J. de Visser · Food and Foodways · Netherlands
This article compares food acquisition habits among participants in four Dutch urban food-growing initiatives: two allotments and two Alternative Food Networks (AFNs). Allotment gardeners integrate gardening into daily routines and easily use harvests, while AFN members, who primarily engage in shopping, struggle to regularly consume urban-grown food due to competition with supermarkets. The study concludes that involvement in shopping versus growing significantly impacts urban-grown food consumption, indicating a limited effect of motivations to change the food system when confronted with everyday routines.
Limited or null effectCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomics9 Food Safety Concerns Encourage Urban Organic Farming
2014Cunwang Cheng, Yan Shi · · China
A 2012 plasticizer scandal in China's liquor industry, which caused significant market value losses, highlighted food safety concerns. This context encourages urban organic farming, a multi-functional system that combines organic and urban agriculture. Urban organic farming shortens traditional industrial chains and is driven by the urban middle class, aligning with modern agricultural development.
Food sovereignty & justiceOrganic cycleEconomicsHealthContribución desde Cuba a la actualización de los términos campesinado, agricultura urbana y soberanía alimentaria
2014Angelina Herrera Sorzano · Veredas: Revista del Pensamiento Sociológico · Cuba
This article from Cuba addresses the terms "rural peasantry," "urban agriculture," and "food sovereignty" from a Cuban perspective. It aims to update knowledge on these concepts, which are considered basic pillars of rural development and food needs satisfaction in Latin American and Caribbean rural development.
Food sovereignty & justicePolicyUrban–rural linkageSoluções tecnológicas e inovação: a Embrapa no ano internacional da agricultura familiar.
2014EMBRAPA. · infoteca-e (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation) · Brazil
This publication focuses on technological solutions and innovation to strengthen family farming in Brazil. Embrapa's research benefits family agriculture and traditional Brazilian populations, introducing technologies for sustainable agricultural systems, improved basic sanitation, adoption of sustainable techniques, successful organic colored cotton harvests, and increased harvest opportunities in dryland farming through underground dams. It also highlights the implementation of irrigation systems in community gardens and the enrichment of rural diets with traditional vegetables.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceTeacher and Administrator Perceptions of School Gardens in Cape Town, South Africa
2014Hannah Rich, Nicole M. Ardoin · Children Youth and Environments · South Africa (Cape Town)
This study used narrative interviews to explore how teachers and school administrators in low-income schools in Cape Town, South Africa, perceive their school gardens. Interviewees emphasized that despite requiring substantial resource inputs like funding, labor, and training, school gardens offer significant benefits for students, including expanded environmental awareness, food growing skills, and understanding the interconnectedness of environmental, economic, and food systems. The data ultimately converged on the primary theme of the garden's importance for greater self-sufficiency for both students and staff.
Food educationCommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceFood Security and Productivity of Urban Food Crop Farming Households in Southern Nigeria
2014Otu W. Ibok, Idiong C. Idiong, Nsikan Edet Bassey, Ekaette S. Udoh · Agricultural Science · Nigeria
This study investigated the effect of urban food crop farming household productivity on household food security in Cross River State, Southern Nigeria. Data was collected from 217 urban food crop farmers using a two-stage sampling technique and analyzed with food security index, food insecurity/surplus gap index, head count index, productivity index, and logistic regression. Results showed that 53.5% of households were food insecure, while 46.5% were food secure. Logistic regression revealed that urban farming household productivity had a significant positive effect on household food security status.
Food sovereignty & justiceEconomicsWelfare明确目标 把握重点 全面提升农业现代化水平
2014程春建 · 杭州（周刊） · China (Hangzhou)
In 2014, Hangzhou, China, outlined five main tasks for developing modern agriculture, aiming to build "three strong cities" (ecological quality agriculture, efficient facility agriculture, modern urban agriculture) and "five million" urban supply bases. Key tasks included ensuring effective supply, with grain planting area exceeding 2.33 million mu and total output over 930,000 tons, and increasing the self-sufficiency rate of "vegetable basket" agricultural products in the main urban area to over 58%. Another task was to increase production and income, targeting a 2% increase in total output value and an 11% increase in farmers' income.
PolicyEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceGetting back into shape
2014Hillary J. Shaw · · United Kingdom (Birmingham)
This chapter describes four stages by which people have become divorced from the origins of human food: industrialization, globalization, supermarketization, and dromology. Ashram Acres, established in 1981 in Birmingham, England, exemplifies many merits of urban agriculture, aiming to utilize the agricultural expertise of local migrants from South Asia, the Caribbean, and Ireland.
HealthCommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyTo Integrate is to Survive: Urban Agricultural Practices in Three Southern Towns
2014Ophélie Robineau, Julia Tichit, Thomas Maillard · · Burkina Faso (Bobo-Dioulasso)
This study examines the socio-spatial integration of urban agriculture in three southern cities: Bobo-Dioulasso (Burkina Faso), Metro Manila (Philippines), and Saint-Louis (Senegal). It highlights different integration modes resulting from urban farmers’ practices. In Bobo-Dioulasso, farmers establish social relationships to ensure access to productive resources; in Metro Manila, the appropriation of practices and networks of actors at the local level guarantees sustainability; and in Saint-Louis, farmer-initiated organizations assert their interests with urban authorities.
CommunityPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceThe potential of aquaponics for food production in the cities of the future
2014Ranka Junge, Andreas Graber · Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften digital collection (Zurich University of Applied Sciences) · Global
This paper discusses the need for practical tools and a stronger scientific base for sustainable urban farming, noting that visionary schemes often lack current practical application with available technologies. It identifies requirements for urban food production, including high quality, safety, and cost-effectiveness, and suggests innovations in planting, pest control, irrigation, and integration with existing building infrastructures. Aquaponics is presented as having the potential to contribute to all these aspects.
Limited or null effectDigital agricultureEconomicsClimate changeFood sovereignty & justice