Research & reports

Giovanni Attili · IRIS Research product catalog (Sapienza University of Rome) · Italy (Rome)

This study focused on community gardens in Rome, Italy, which largely result from informal appropriation practices. While these gardens can enhance environmental and social quality of life, they require institutional support and present a crucial challenge for urban planning. The study highlights the need to explore tensions between social practices and institutional powers, and questions how public policy can legitimize these self-guiding societal expressions.

Jorge Cotter, Maria J. Cotter, Pedro Oliveira, Pedro Cunha, Jorge Polónia · Journal of Hypertension · Portugal

A 6-month study in northern Portugal evaluated the impact of three interventions on salt intake and blood pressure in 155 children aged 10-12. Interventions included a control, theoretical lessons on high salt intake, and theoretical lessons combined with practical school garden activities (planting, collecting herbs for salt substitution). Only the practical group showed a significant reduction in salt intake (1.1 g/day), with 50.9% of children reducing intake by at least 1g/day, suggesting that combined theoretical and practical education is more effective.

Catalina Freixas, Pablo Moyano Fernandez · Suburban Sustainability · United States (St. Louis)

This paper examines the role of eco-urbanism in St. Louis, a shrinking city experiencing population loss and economic decline since the 1950s. It reviews the implementation and benefits of three eco-urbanism strategies: community gardens, greenways, and urban forests. The study identifies social, ecological, and economic benefits, and suggests further adoption of eco-urbanism ideology and improved implementation strategies by the municipal government.

Terry B DelValle, Lisa B Gaskalla, Joan B Kyle · · United States (Duval County)

Duval County Extension, in collaboration with partners, offered "Gardening for Grades" workshops to 71 teachers and school volunteers in Duval County, USA, to support school garden initiatives. Participants engaged in activities linking science, math, and literature to gardening, and received materials to start school gardens. Follow-up surveys indicated 12,214 sq ft of garden area was added, benefiting 2,292 students, with 92.9% of students exposed to new foods and 64.3% showing improved eating habits and increased physical activity.

Lauren Workman · Scholar Commons (University of South Carolina) · United States

This qualitative ethnographic study, conducted over eighteen months, explored the social processes of community engagement in an urban community garden. Data from field notes and in-depth interviews identified neighborhood leadership, a community-academic partnership, and the physical garden space as facilitators of engagement. The garden fostered social interactions, provided a safe gathering space, and served as a tool for neighborhood leaders to advocate for social and economic development.

Laura Knapp, Jodi L. Sangster, Shannon L. Bartelt‐Hunt · International Journal for Service Learning in Engineering Humanitarian Engineering and Social Entrepreneurship · United States (Omaha NE)

This study investigated the influence of lead hyperaccumulating plants on lead uptake by vegetables in an urban community garden in Omaha, NE, a region with significant lead contamination. Tomatoes, carrots, and amaranth were grown alongside sunflowers and mustard greens (hyperaccumulators) in lead-contaminated soil. Data showed higher lead concentrations in the hyperaccumulators and suggested that their presence might have impacted the amount of lead available to surrounding vegetation. Previous work at the garden detected lead in produce, indicating a potential exposure pathway for humans.

Sara A. Quandt, Janae Dupuis, Caitlin A. Fish, Ralph B. D’Agostino · Preventing Chronic Disease · United States

This randomized, controlled feasibility study evaluated the feasibility of a Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) intervention in an underresourced urban community in the United States. Fifty low-income women with children participated, with the intervention group (25 participants) receiving fresh produce and educational sessions for 16 weeks. A significant increase in household fruit and vegetable inventory was observed in the intervention group, but increases in consumption were not significant. Challenges included transportation and work schedules, yet most participants expressed interest in continued participation.

Dominique Rossi Breetzke, Christina Breed · Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir kunsgeskiedenis · South Africa (Pretoria)

This paper explores using abandoned urban land for allotment community gardening in Sunnyside, Pretoria, South Africa, through a case study along the Walker Spruit. It tests the hypothesis of increasing food security and social capital through urban ecology design. Findings suggest that allotment culture and permaculture can reconnect people with urban nature, proposing a design concept to unite neighborhoods and provide social and biophysical services sustainably.

Ruud Abma, U. Kirchholtes, J.E. Jansma, M.P. Vijn · Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) · Europe

Urban agriculture is a subject of societal interest, seen as a promising contributor to sustainable urban development. It offers alternatives for agricultural professionals, accessible locations for urban residents to relax and learn, and often improves the physical and social environment of neighborhoods.

Laura Lavid · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United States

This article discusses the impact of urban gardening on a city's food system, noting that while it is not the sole solution, it offers significant benefits beyond economics. It cites historical data from World War II, where 20 million victory gardeners produced 44% of fresh vegetables in the United States. Recent studies estimate community gardens can yield $500 to $2,000 worth of produce per family annually, and a Denver study found community gardeners ate significantly more fruits and vegetables than non-gardeners.

Kyle Kessler, Seth Umbenhauer, Alison R. Noble · Journal of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science · United States (Harrisburg)

Eight soil samples were collected from an urban land plot in Harrisburg, PA, to determine concentrations of copper, nickel, zinc, and lead and assess suitability for an urban garden. While copper, nickel, and zinc concentrations were below EPA recommended limits, lead concentrations ranged from 26 ± 1 mg/kg to 402+ mg/kg, with some samples exceeding EPA standards for heavy metals in home and vegetable gardens. This indicates potential lead contamination in the soil.

Bruno Henrique Comassetto, Gabriela P. Solalinde Z., João Vicente Rosa de Souza, Marcelo Trevisan, Paulo Ricardo Zilio Abdala, Carlos Alberto Vargas Rossi · Revista de Administração de Empresas · Brazil

A qualitative study with in-depth interviews of urban agriculture specialists and practitioners in nine neighborhoods of a large Brazilian capital explored the meaning of urban agriculture as a consumption phenomenon. The findings indicate a dual motivation for practicing urban agriculture: an extrinsic motivation (example) and an intrinsic motivation (well-being). The practice is linked to concerns for the environment, health, and personal well-being, as well as nostalgic respect and pride for cultural heritage.

Rachel E. Scherr, Rachel Cox, Gail Feenstra, Sheri Zidenberg‐Cherr · California Agriculture · United States (California)

Research indicates that garden-based nutrition education increases fruit and vegetable preferences and consumption in children, and Farm to School programs promote increased consumption of fruits and vegetables and participation in the National School Lunch Program. A survey of UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE) advisors and directors in California reported that all respondents implemented garden-based nutrition education and Farm to School programs, but evaluation occurred much less frequently.

Melvin Delgado · Columbia University Press eBooks · United States

This chapter focuses on community gardening as an intervention aimed at addressing obesity, tracing its history in the United States back to the late nineteenth century as a response to social and economic crises. While community gardens can achieve various social, economic, political, educational, and health-related goals, the chapter also discusses potential pitfalls of community gardening. It emphasizes a social justice perspective for community gardens, particularly regarding community inclusion and participatory democracy.

Chris Zimmerman · Soil Horizons · United States

A narrative article profiling the work of soil scientist Samantha Langley-Turnbaugh of the University of Southern Maine, investigating lead contamination in urban soils in Portland, Maine. It traces the concern to the Great Fire of 1866, whose lead paint ash was spread across the city and used as landfill to extend the Portland peninsula, compounded by the city's historical ties to lead-producing industries. The article states that, across US cities generally, lead paint and leaded gasoline are the primary sources of soil lead contamination, and that this contamination is becoming a concern as urban gardening expands.

Ines Vlahović, Ksenija Karlović · Agronomski glasnik ·

A survey conducted from May to August 2011 examined the frequency of poisonous and allergenic plant species at nine educational institutions in the town of Samobor, Croatia — three kindergartens, four elementary schools, one high school and one library. The survey identified 15 poisonous plant species, represented by 182 specimens, and 17 allergenic plant species, represented by 129 specimens.

David DyckFehderau, Nicholas L. Holt, Geoff D.C. Ball, Noreen D. Willows · PubMed · Canada

A study in Alexander First Nation, central Alberta, Canada, used asset mapping with children to understand how community factors shape the lifestyle behaviors of First Nations children living on reserve, who are estimated to be 4.5 times more likely to be obese than Canadian children generally. Participants were a convenience sample of two high school students working at the local health centre and seven grade six children, who used maps, photographs and a town tour to identify 25 activity- or food-related places and spaces. Breakfast, lunch and snack foods (such as chocolate bars and potato crisps) were obtained at school, food and snacks at cultural gatherings, and snacks at the local store, with healthy food choices found to be limited; only two locations beyond the town site were identified for physical activity, and youth recommended building a leisure centre, selling healthier food at the local store, and developing a community garden and berry farm.

Melvin Delgado · · Global

Only the table of contents is available for this book, which is structured in two parts: the first covering a social justice framework, the extent of the national obesity crisis, health, lack of access to healthy foods, limited places and spaces for physical exercise, food industry practices, and challenges in measuring overweight and obesity; the second covering community-led health promotion approaches, including health promotion, youth-focused interventions, community garden interventions, community-based food initiatives, and implications for social work practice and research.

Ashley S. Harms, DeAnn Presley, Ganga M. Hettiarachchi, Stephen Thien · Journal of Extension · United States

As participation in urban agriculture grows across the United States, potential soil contaminants in urban environments present challenges. A study assessed the educational needs of urban gardeners and farmers throughout the US regarding soil contamination. The results indicate that urban gardeners and farmers need and want information and guidance on best management practices for safely growing food crops on mildly contaminated urban soils.

Renee Raiden Boyer, Ben Chapman · VTechWorks (Virginia Tech) · United States

This practical guide outlines recommended agricultural practices for food safety in school and community gardens, covering topics such as food safety, site selection, pesticides and fertilizers, handwashing, water and irrigation, composting, garden design and animals, sanitation and tools, a sample community garden layout, an FAQ, and a glossary.

Susan L. Johnson · Planning for higher education · United States

This article discusses urban agriculture on the campus of the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in the United States, centered on the MUSC Urban Farm. Against a backdrop of rising chronic disease and obesity, it describes community gardens as improving nutritional status and increasing physical activity, community engagement, safety and local economic strength while providing environmental benefits, citing a study by Zick et al. (2013) in the American Journal of Public Health that found community garden participants had a significantly lower body mass index (BMI) than non-participants. The MUSC Urban Farm is presented as a living classroom where students, faculty, staff and the community explore the connection between food and health.

Evaristo Mwaba Kapungwe · Open Journal of Metal · Africa

Water, soil, and crop samples were analyzed by atomic absorption spectrometry for lead, copper, cobalt, nickel, and chromium at two peri-urban wastewater-irrigation farming sites in Zambia: New Farm Extension in Mufulira Town, Copperbelt Province, and Chilumba Gardens in Kafue Town, Lusaka Province. Heavy metal levels in wastewater, soil, and food crops exceeded acceptable limits at both sites, confirming contamination and a potential human health risk from consuming the crops grown there.

김희수, 강현경, 백승준 · · South Korea

Against the backdrop of expanding rooftop greening projects amid Seoul's rapid urban development, this study examined usage patterns and customer satisfaction and preferences at rooftop gardens of three hotels in Seoul and Incheon, South Korea. Satisfaction analysis found that C Hotel and P Hotel, both located in downtown Seoul, scored lower than H Hotel in Incheon on the number and variety of plants. Preference analysis showed that an ideal green space was expected to host cultural and community events, provide space and opportunities for physical exercise, and serve multiple other purposes.

Jacqueline M. Swank, David E. Swank · Journal of school counseling · United States

Addressing the challenge school counselors face in delivering a comprehensive, developmental school counseling program to large numbers of students, this paper (2013, United States) presents a creative use of a garden program to foster student development through integration with the natural environment. It describes activities and metaphors tied to five garden stages within the program — planning, preparing, planting, maintaining, and harvesting — identifies which American School Counselor Association (ASCA, 2004) student standards each garden activity addresses, and discusses the implications and practical considerations for school counselors.

Ruth Stewart, Marcel Korth, Laurenz Langer, Shannon Rafferty, Natalie Rebelo Da Silva, Carina van Rooyen · Environmental Evidence · Global

This is a systematic review protocol — not a completed review — that sets out methods for identifying, appraising and synthesizing evidence on how urban agriculture programs affect food security and nutrition in low- and middle-income countries. It notes urban agriculture is widely promoted as providing the urban poor with food and income while improving the urban environment, but also carries potential disadvantages: use of wastewater can contaminate produce, intensive irrigation can spread malaria and water-borne disease and strain limited water supplies, and soil erosion and intensive fertilizer/pesticide use can pose health risks and environmental damage. Despite the current policy drive to promote urban agriculture, the paper states that the evidence base for its benefits and harms is not well understood. As a protocol, it reports planned search, screening, bias-appraisal and synthesis methods rather than results.