Research & reports

Jemma Hawkins, Jenny Mercer, Katie Thirlaway, Deborah A. Clayton · Ecopsychology · United Kingdom (Wales)

This study investigated the perceived health and well-being benefits of allotment gardening for community-dwelling older adults in Wales, UK, with a focus on stress recovery. Using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis, the study found that participants valued both the active "doing" of gardening and the passive "being" at the allotment site. These aspects were reported to provide a wide range of benefits to their health and well-being, including links to stress reduction.

Mansur Usman Dawaki, Abubakar U. Dikko, S. S. Noma, Umar Aliyu · Food and Energy Security · Nigeria

This study evaluated pollution risks to food security from urban agriculture in Kano, Nigeria, by sampling soil, water, and lettuce from two wastewater-irrigated sites (Challawa, Jakara) and a control site (Watari). Results showed all sites were contaminated with Cu, and the domestic wastewater site was slightly polluted with Pb and excessively polluted with Cd and Cr. Metal levels in irrigation waters exceeded recommended thresholds, and plants at the domestic wastewater site accumulated metal concentrations (Pb=26.21 mg/kg, Cd=1.03 mg/kg, Cr=28.63 mg/kg, Cu=2.66 mg/kg) that exceeded allowable limits in vegetables, indicating a human ingestion risk.

Mucig Charlotte · · France

A survey on rainwater harvesting in community gardens in France indicates that while this practice has been ongoing for years, it is poorly documented and faces challenges in adapting to new French regulations. The findings highlight public health issues for both garden users and consumers of fruits and vegetables, as well as environmental and operational concerns.

Fabiana Naiman, Juan José Calzetta · V Congreso Internacional de Investigación y Práctica Profesional en Psicología XX Jornadas de Investigación Noveno Encuentro de Investigadores en Psicología del MERCOSUR · Argentina

This study is based on a University Extension Program titled "The Urban Orchard: A Tool for Inclusion of Children and Adolescents," conducted under the UBANEX Programme 2012/2013 by the University of Buenos Aires. The program aimed to develop children's and adolescents' ability to generate and produce a self-managed urban garden. Program implementation showed that the urban orchard produced positive effects at both inter- and intra-subjective levels, fostering curiosity, creativity, responsibility, self-confidence, self-esteem, self-criticism, teamwork, and the quality of links between subjects.

Angie Dazé · VIUSpace (Vancouver Island University Library) · United Kingdom

This research project, conducted as part of a Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies, aimed to understand what people value about community gardens. It involved a series of interviews with volunteers at Brockwell Park Community Greenhouses in South London, using an Appreciative Inquiry approach to explore their experiences. The study focuses on the garden as an educational and social resource, run primarily by volunteers.

Chinedu Okafor, Uchenna Alex Anyaegbunam · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Nigeria

This mixed-methods study assessed the impact of school garden projects on the nutritional status of adolescents in Nigeria. Surveys, interviews, and observational studies were used to evaluate changes in dietary habits and health indicators among participants. The study found a significant 30% increase in daily vegetable intake among participating students compared to baseline data, indicating improved nutritional practices.

Mekonnen Getahun, Yihenew G. Selassie · Journal of Agricultural Science · Ethiopia

A study investigated the extent of contamination of soil, water, and vegetables from wastewater used for irrigation in urban agriculture in Bahir Dar and Kombolcha, Ethiopia. Soil, water, and vegetable samples were collected and analyzed. While heavy metal concentrations in soil were within permissible levels, wastewater samples showed high nitrate and phosphate levels, and boron concentrations in Borkena River and Lake Tana exceeded permissible limits for irrigation. Wastewater drained to Lake Tana exhibited high turbidity and very high BOD, and lettuce and Swiss chard accumulated higher levels of iron, manganese, and zinc.

Teferi Daba Lemma, M. S. A. Rao · · Ethiopia

This study assessed the social and environmental sustainability of urban and periurban agriculture (UPA) in selected towns of Ethiopia, using primary data from 280 households via questionnaires and interviews. The findings indicate that the environmental and health aspects of UPA sustainability are compromised by extensive use of chemical inputs. Furthermore, UPA is inclined to be unsustainable from a social and political perspective.

Hee Soo Kim, Hyun‐Kyung Kang, Seung Jun Back · Journal of people, plants, and environment · South Korea (Seoul)

This research analyzed user satisfaction and preferences for hotel rooftop gardens in Seoul and Incheon, South Korea, to propose renovation plans. Customer satisfaction analysis showed that C Hotel and P Hotel in downtown Seoul had lower satisfaction regarding plant numbers and variety compared to H Hotel in Incheon. User preferences indicated a desire for multi-functional green spaces that host cultural and community events and offer physical exercise opportunities.

Li Fei · Beijing Linye Daxue xuebao · China (Beijing)

This paper analyzes the connotation and principles of humanized design for residential community gardens, using Beijing Langqinyuan Community in Xicheng District as an example. It explains the application of humanized design concepts to aspects such as road networks, waterscapes, public spaces, leisure facilities, lighting, identification, and planting within a residential community garden. The study also discusses the expression methods of humanized design.

Dlamini Magagula, Khathi Khumalo, Nombuyisilwe Sithole, Kgosiwe Maseko · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · South Africa (Cape Town)

This study in Cape Town, South Africa, investigated the impact of community gardens on food security among the urban poor using mixed methods, including ten years of household food expenditure surveys. Participating households showed an average 20% increase in fresh produce consumption compared to non-participants, directly impacting nutrition levels. The review concluded that community gardening projects can enhance food security and quality of life, but further research is needed on best practices, scalability, long-term sustainability, and the impact of diverse crop cultivation.

Teri Burgess‐Champoux · SOPHIA (St. Catherine University) · United States

Teri Burgess-Champoux received a $1,000 grant to explore perceptions, barriers, and strategies for intergenerational community garden experiences involving preschool-aged children and their families. The goal is to enhance vegetable liking, increase intake, and improve home availability, guiding future research in this area.

Charles E. Hess · HortScience · United States

Reflecting on horticultural science over the past 60 years, it is evident that it is in a period of great opportunity. Recognition of the role of fruits and vegetables in a healthful diet has led to food for health initiatives that encourage diets rich in horticultural crops. The 'locavore movement' fosters the popularity of purchasing locally, spurring increased interest in farmers' markets and urban gardening. Internationally, the idea of peri-urban gardening recognizes the value of horticultural crops in improving nutrition and income on relatively small areas of land in developing nations.

Rudy Dunlap, Justin Harmon, Gerard T. Kyle · Leisure/Loisir · United States (Austin)

This study explored the interplay of meanings and sentiments ascribed to place by participants of an urban garden project in Austin, Texas. It investigated how participants' feelings toward a given garden plot, neighborhood, city, and the Central Texas region were shaped or affected by their participation. Findings showed that participation shaped place meanings and sentiment through two principal processes: a sense of connection to garden plots via produce and physical transformation, and a sense of connection and identification with the community via links to other participants in Urban Patchwork activities.

Leslie Gray, Patricia Guzmán, K. Michelle Glowa, Ann Drevno · Local Environment · United States (California)

This article examines La Mesa Verde, a home-gardening program in San Jose, California, to assess if home gardens offer similar financial, health, and community benefits as community gardens. The research explores the potential of home gardens to foster broader social change, cultural preservation, and self-determination, especially for recent immigrants.

Vittori Antisari, Livia; Dipartimento Di Scienze E Tecnologie Agroambientali, University Of Bologna, Bologna, Serena Carbone, Ferronato, Chiara; Dipartimento Di Scienze E Tecnologie Agroambientali, University Of Bologna, Bologna, Simoni, Andrea; Dipartimento Di Scienze E Tecnologie Agroambientali, University Of Bologna, Bologna, Vianello, Gilmo; Dipartimento Di Scienze E Tecnologie Agroambientali, University Of Bologna, Bologna · Archivio istituzionale della ricerca (Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna) · Italy (Bologna)

Concentrations of heavy metals (Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, V, Zn) were determined in topsoil, plants, and moss tissues in the suburban area of Bologna, Italy, due to an urban waste incinerator and other atmospheric emission sources. No correlation was found between metal content and the incinerator plant's distance. The pollution load index (PLI) for soil and moss indicated low environmental pollution, but the highest values in sites downwind of the incinerator and in a craft area indicated moderate pollution.

Kibassa, Kimaro, Shemdoe · Scientific Research and Essays · Tanzania (Dar es Salaam)

A study assessing heavy metal concentrations in soils from selected urban agriculture areas in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, found that zinc, chromium, cadmium, lead, and copper levels in all six investigated sites were within the Tanzania Bureau of Standards permissible limits. The highest values for copper, zinc, and lead were observed in Tazara Mchichani, potentially indicating pollution from surrounding manufacturing industries. Flooding did not appear to influence the distribution of these heavy metals.

Isabelle Anguelovski · City and Community · Spain (Barcelona), United States (Boston), Cuba

The role of place attachment in environmental mobilization among local activists improving degraded spaces, such as urban farms and community gardens, was investigated in three marginalized neighborhoods in Barcelona, Spain; Boston, USA; and Havana, Cuba. Activists in all three locations used environmental projects to express grief over community loss, fear of erasure, and emotional connection to their neighborhoods. They aimed to construct "safe havens" and remake places for residents to address environmental trauma.

Nhamo Makhuwa · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Mozambique

A 2013 study presented a theoretical framework underpinning the impact of school gardens on nutrition and academic outcomes in developing countries like Mozambique, where school gardens are recognized as a potential intervention. This framework, built upon existing literature on environmental education, agriculture-based interventions, and their impact on nutritional status and cognitive development, emphasized the need for further empirical research to validate these insights and inform policy recommendations for integrating school gardens into educational curricula.

Getting Together Killybegs (MHI) · · Ireland (Donegal Town)

The Donegal Garden G.N.O.M.E.S is a community garden group in Donegal Town, Ireland, that organically grows fruit and vegetables. The group meets weekly on Thursdays from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM at the Bluestack Foundation building. It is partly funded by Donegal Local Development and partners with Mental Health Ireland.

Prem José Vazhacharickal, Martina Předotová, D. Chandrasekharam, Sharit K. Bhowmik, Buerkert, Andreas · Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development in the Tropics and Subtropics (University of Kassel) · India (Mumbai)

A study surveyed 38 railway gardeners to characterize urban and peri-urban agricultural production along railway tracks in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Irrigation water contained nutrients but also heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, and mercury, and pathogens like Escherichia coli. Heavy metal levels exceeded critical thresholds in surface soils for chromium, nickel, and strontium, and in produce for lead, cadmium, and strontium.

Kelly Donati, Christopher Taylor, Craig J. Pearson · · Australia (Melbourne)

Australian policy initiatives address threats to food production from climate change and petrochemical dependency, as well as socio-economic disadvantage. In Victoria, natural disasters like droughts, bushfires, and floods have increased food costs for low-income households. This case study explores farmers markets and community gardens in Melbourne as potential localized food systems, collecting data between 2009 and 2010 using GIS-based land use descriptions and interviews with local producers.

K.G. Rosin, Ravinder Kaur, Sushma Singh, Prabhat Kumar Singh, Digvijay Dubey · Procedia Environmental Sciences · India

A study was conducted in peri-urban agricultural sites around Faridabad, Haryana, India, to assess groundwater contamination and the contribution of salt/trace metal-laden irrigation waters. Mean EC, Cl, and F concentrations in root zone leachates were found to be far beyond permissible limits, and some trace metals posed a threat to deep percolating waters. However, due to existing cropping patterns and deeper water table depths, the groundwaters were not yet vulnerable to these salts/trace metals, and the presence of salts in the groundwaters was primarily geogenic.

Fernando Richter · Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) · Global

This article examines the current boom in urban agriculture, noting a shift from its historical function of food production to a focus on recreational and leisure activities. It suggests that symbolic dynamics associated with new-ruralism, consumption, and a nostalgic search for authenticity converge in this phenomenon. The study proposes that Leisure Studies offer a valuable perspective for understanding the complexity of urban agriculture as a leisure experience.

Cathleen D. Zick, Ken R. Smith, Lori Kowaleski‐Jones, Claire Uno, Brittany J. Merrill · American Journal of Public Health · United States

This study in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, examined the association between community gardening and healthy body weight, comparing BMI data from 198 gardeners to control groups of neighbors, siblings, and spouses. Both women and men community gardeners had significantly lower BMIs than their neighbors, with estimated reductions of -1.84 for women and -2.36 for men. Gardeners also showed lower odds of being overweight or obese compared to their neighbors.