Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
2091 results(82 / 84)
Rural life in the city: the chalet garden in Denmark
2003Amy Damin, James Palmer · · Denmark (Copenhagen)
This paper investigates the history and social life of allotment gardens with small cottages in Denmark, which offer a partial rural lifestyle in urban areas. These gardens allow urbanites to coexist with nature for several months annually through temporary living and plant cultivation. The study specifically examines the Sano garden near Copenhagen.
CommunityUrban–rural linkageA novel living agricultural concept in urban communities: Family Business Garden
2003Thilak T. Ranasinghe · International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ecology · Sri Lanka
Through experience in the Western Province of Sri Lanka, the "Family Business Garden" concept justifies the necessity of urban agriculture amidst limited urban infrastructure, environmental conditions, and socio-economic situations. This concept, by properly mixing environmental and commercial agricultural concerns, not only addresses family food requirements but also opens the way to produce for markets under liberalized economies by promoting agro-entrepreneurship and social capital development in urban communities.
CommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceWelfareUrban Agriculture in Dakar's Slums: Community Gardens and Educational Outcomes
2003Mariama Diop, Aminata Sow, Ibrahima Ndiaye · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Senegal (Dakar)
This research in Dakar's slums used a mixed-methods approach to study the link between community gardens and educational outcomes among school children. A preliminary analysis indicated that students participating in community gardens showed a 15% improvement in reading comprehension scores compared to non-participants. While further statistical testing is needed, the findings suggest a positive correlation between urban agriculture and educational outcomes for low-income children.
CommunityFood educationWelfareHealth第I編 グリーン・コミュニティ・ツーリズム
2003Jitsuo Saito · Institutional Repositories DataBase (IRDB) · Global
This article explores the concept of green community tourism for urban citizens, discussing the ambivalence towards community and the role of green money in fostering green prosumerism. It suggests that green tourism can build communities that integrate both market and non-market economies, strengthening relationships between urban and rural communities and supporting Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). The article also references the Japanese Organic Certification Rule announced in 2000.
CommunityOrganic cycleEconomicsGrowing Awareness in Paraguay: School Gardens Give Children the Tools to Prosper
2003Darcy Varney · Children Youth and Environments · Paraguay
In the summer of 2000, Plan International introduced vegetable gardening to 48 rural primary schools in Paraguay's southern provinces. This program aimed to improve children's health through nutrition and equip them with skills to share with their parents. Plan provided seeds, tools, fencing materials, and technical support to help children and community members build gardens.
Food educationCommunityUrban–rural linkageOperation G.R.U.B.: Gardens Replace Urban Blight - An Ecological Alternative for Addressing the Health, Socio Economic, and Environmental Needs of At-Risk Communities
2003Neil S. Brantley · San José State University ScholarWorks (San Jose State University) · Global
This research project aims to provide a framework of relevant information for developing sustainable urban agriculture systems as a tool to improve the quality of life for the urban poor. Two different infrastructure contexts are presented, with the intent of relating the applicability of urban agriculture initiatives to enhancing destitute urban communities in both developed and developing worlds, referencing successful case studies. Urban agriculture is beginning to be recognized by the world community as one viable urban development option.
WelfareCommunityHealthEconomicsUrban–rural linkageA GIS-based Decision Support System for Neighbourhood Greening
2003Todd A. Randall, Cameron J. Churchill, Brian W. Baetz · Environment and Planning B Planning and Design · Global
A prototype decision support tool, coded as an ArcView GIS extension, is described for managing existing green spaces and establishing new ones in suburban neighborhoods. It suggests techniques like naturalization of parks and increased street foliage, and allows modeling and evaluating future scenarios for sustainable community development. The tool's applications are discussed to illustrate benefits of neighborhood greening strategies.
CommunityBiodiversityPolicyLearning our way towards a sustainable agri-food system Three cases from Sweden: Stockholm Farmers market, Ramsjö Community Supported Agriculture and Järna Initiative for Local Production
2003Steffen Adler, Stephanie Fung, G. Huber, Lee Hoon Young · Organic Eprints (International Centre for Research in Organic Food Systems, and Research Institute of Organic Agriculture) · Sweden
Case studies were conducted on three alternative producer-consumer links in Sweden: Stockholm Farmers Market, Ramsjö Community Supported Agriculture, and Järna Initiative for Local Production. An adapted SWOT analysis identified key strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and constraints from multiple perspectives including producers, consumers, the organization, environment, and society. The research assessed how these links might affect surrounding ecosystems and social aspects of the agri-food system, and identified six components contributing to agri-food system development.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justice13The city and the country
2003Derek Wall · · Global
The Green movement has historically been defined by ruralism, concerned not just with environmental quality but with promoting a way of life close to the land, with calls for radical land reform by figures like John Ball and Fergus O’Connor. Modern remnants of this "back to the land" campaign include allotments and city farms, often situated in depressed urban areas.
Urban–rural linkageCommunityPolicyAgriculture in the City: A Key to Sustainability in Havana, Cuba
2003María Caridad Cruz, Roberto Sánchez Medina · · Cuba (Havana)
This book details a three-year research project by a multidisciplinary team of 15 professionals on the history and current state of urban agriculture in Havana, Cuba. The project assessed the long-term potential of integrating urban agriculture into Havana's social economies and city-wide environmental management programs. The findings are relevant for authorities considering how to transition emergency food production into sustained support for urban agriculture, aiming for food self-reliance and environmental improvement.
EconomicsClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityIntegrating Community Into the Classroom: Community Gardening, Community Involvement, and Project-Based Learning
2002Regina Day Langhout, Julian Rappaport, Doretha Simmons · Urban Education · Global
This article discusses the tensions faced in facilitating the relationship between teachers and community members while working on a community garden project. The authors adopt an ecological model for effective classroom-community collaboration and discuss how this process unfolded in the current setting. The evaluation includes a discussion of common and disparate goals of teachers and community members and how differences are navigated in the current milieu.
CommunityFood educationParticipatory Approaches to Program Development and Engaging Youth in Research: The Case of an Inter-Generational Urban Community Gardening Program
2002Marianne E. Krasny, Rebekah Doyle · Journal of Extension · Global
This study applied participatory models to an inter-generational program aimed at having youth document ethnic gardening practices in urban community gardens. Outcomes for educators included professional development and the opportunity to expand programs to urban audiences, while youth learned about gardening, developed positive relationships with elders, and enhanced academic skills. Developing relationships with youth was an important outcome for gardeners.
CommunityFood educationElderlyWelfareThe Impact of School Garden Programmes on Adolescent Nutrition in Ghanaian Schools Contextualized within Democratic Republic of Congo Settings
2002Mandima Bangala, Kamitombo Mbwata, Tshibangu Minko · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Ghana
This study investigated the impact of school garden programs on adolescent nutrition in Ghanaian schools using a mixed-methods approach with surveys, qualitative interviews, and linear regression analysis. A significant positive correlation was found between the number of school garden programs and improved adolescent dietary diversity. The findings suggest these programs can enhance nutritional outcomes, particularly dietary diversity, among participants.
Food educationHealthCommunityUrban agriculture and sustainable urban systems: a benefits assessment of the garden movement in Havana, Cuba
2002Patrick Henn, John Henning · International Journal of Environment and Sustainable Development · Cuba (Havana)
This paper argues for an extended assessment of the total economic value of urban agriculture (UA), encompassing social, environmental, and economic benefits, to inform optimal decisions on its role in urban sustainability. It presents results from a contingent valuation study on the value of popular gardens in Havana, Cuba. The abstract notes that despite significant benefits, UA remains marginalized in urban planning.
EconomicsCommunityClimate changePolicyInventaire des espèces végétales mises en culture dans les parcelles en milieu urbain. Cas de la commune de Limete-Kinshasa- R.D. Congo
2002E. Makumbelo, L. Lukoki, Sj. Paulus, J., N. Luyindula · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa)
A survey conducted in 201 plots within the Limete commune of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, inventoried nineteen cultivated vegetable species and 764 plants from 18 fruit-tree species. Mangifera indica was identified as the most planted tree species, while Ipomoae batatas was the most frequently cultivated vegetable species.
BiodiversityCommunityClimate changeOrganic cycleTraining and Supporting Volunteer Mentors for Juvenile Offenders in Urban Gardening
2002Joseph H. Konen · Journal of Extension · Global
This article summarizes three years of experience in training and supporting volunteer mentors who work with juvenile offenders in an urban gardening program. It details the program parameters and describes the methods used for selecting, orienting, and training these volunteers.
Food educationWelfareCommunityChanges in Official Attitudes Towards Urban Agriculture in Accra
2002Kwaku Obosu-Mensah · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Ghana (Accra)
This paper examines the initial negative attitudes of officials towards urban agriculture in Accra, Ghana, and the factors that led to a shift towards more positive support. It notes that officials began encouraging urban agriculture after recognizing its importance and due to external compelling factors. The study emphasizes that official attitudes are crucial for the profitability of urban agriculture.
PolicyCommunityAssessing food security in the Monteverde Zone: a multi-method approach
2002Jennifer Andia, Emilie Davis, Rebecca Klein, Elisabeth Wirsing · Digital Commons - University of South Florida (University of South Florida) · Costa Rica
A multi-method study assessed food security and perceptions of nutrition in the Monteverde Zone, Costa Rica, using anthropometric assessment, semi-structured interviews with mothers, 67 Radimer/Cornell Scales, and a focus group. Food insecurity, particularly Adult Food Insecurity, was prevalent across all communities. Despite high nutritional knowledge, a lack of quality nutrition was observed due to economic limitations. The focus group positively received the idea of a community garden as a solution for better quality and more affordable produce.
CommunityHealthFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsTurning municipal waste into compost: the case of Accra.
2001I. Etuah-Jackson, W. P. Klaassen, J. A. Awuye · CABI Publishing eBooks · Ghana (Accra)
This paper reports on solid waste management in Accra, Ghana, examining the experiences of two compost plants, Teshie-Nungua and Ashiedu Keteke (AKCPP), with urban waste composting. It also describes the urban farming systems in Accra and identifies current and potential users of the produced compost.
CompostOrganic cycleCommunityUrban Agriculture in Mwanza, Tanzania
2001Karen Flynn · Africa · Tanzania
This article compares urban farmers in Mwanza, Tanzania, with those in Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Ghana. In Mwanza, urban agriculturalists are increasingly not among the poorest, often being middle and upper-class males with access to scarce land and inputs, similar to Ghana. They differ from farmers in Kenya and Zambia in terms of gender, socio-economic class, and motivations. Many of Mwanza's wealthier males continue to face enough job/income insecurity to choose to plant crops to support themselves and their household in lean times.
EconomicsCommunityUrban–rural linkageWelfareUrban harvest: cities, food, activism and the third sector
2001Robyn Lynn · ResearchOnline at James Cook University (James Cook University) · Global
This paper highlights the significance of urban food production, which has been historically neglected despite its potential to address issues of globalization, urbanization, and environmental degradation. It explores the relationship between cities, food production, and activism, noting a growing local food movement that resists global food discourses. The paper aims to identify issues within urban food production activism and its organizational aspects.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityClimate changePolicyUrban agriculture, a project for Tunis
2001Moez Bouraoui, Pierre Donadieu, André Fleury · Cahiers Agricultures · Tunisia (Tunis)
In Tunis, the concept of public green spaces has not evolved much, and the risk of continuous urbanization is real, making agriculture not inherently sustainable between dynamic urbanization poles. However, new attitudes are emerging, with environmental concerns influencing public planning policies, and residential forms, recreational/cultural practices associated with agriculture, and new citizen interest in rural areas are appearing. These developments may signal the beginning of a new planning policy and the advent of urban agriculture in Tunis.
PolicyUrban–rural linkageCommunityWie beeinflusst die persönliche Betroffenheit die Einstellung gegenüber Füchsen in der Stadt
2001Fabio Bontadina, Pascale Contesse, Sandra Gloor · DORA WSL (Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research) · Switzerland (Zurich)
This study analyzed attitudes towards urban foxes in Switzerland using a nationwide survey and questionnaires for households and allotment gardeners in Zurich. While 60% of Swiss respondents were against urban foxes, only 40% in Zurich were; however, 70% of gardeners opposed them, with 55% reporting damage caused by foxes, which negatively correlated with fox acceptance.
Environmental trade-offsCommunityBiodiversityDiagnóstico específico en huertos urbanos del suroeste de ciudad de La Habana. Evaluación de sus características sociodemográficas, ambientales, tecnología aplicada y agroecosistema
2001Raúl Ortíz, Celia Patricia Vera, Antonio Leyva · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Cuba
A diagnostic study was conducted on the conditions of urban gardens, their producers, and families in 20 gardens across five localities in the "Boyeros" and "Arroyo Naranjo" municipalities of Havana, Cuba, between December 1998 and March 1999. While the garden agroecosystems showed satisfactory biodiversity, general knowledge of biological technologies in sustainable urban agriculture remained relatively low. None of the surveyed plot owners consciously knew or used vermiculture, pisciculture, biofertilizers, biopesticides, or biostimulants, and almost half did not consciously use crop rotation.
Limited or null effectCommunityBiodiversityOrganic cycleFood educationCommunity-Supported Agriculture: A Sustainable Alternative to Industrial Agriculture?
2000Cynthia A. Cone, Andrea Myhre · Human Organization · Global
A five-year study of eight Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms examined farm members' perceptions and behavior, including motivations for membership and women's roles. The study raises questions about the long-term sustainability of CSA, citing tension between farmers' lifestyles and needs, and shareholders' constraints and competing values.
Economic viabilityCSA & TeikeiFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsCommunity