Research & reports

Matt Ratto, Megan Boler · · Global

A book (global scope) argues that DIY today describes more than self-taught carpentry, as social media enables DIY citizens to organize and protest in new ways—such as Egypt's Twitter revolution of 2011—and to repurpose corporate content or create counter-narratives. Examining the diverse forms of political participation that have emerged in recent years, contributors describe DIY citizens ranging across activist fan blogging and video production to knitting and the creation of community gardens, covering DIY activism, DIY making in learning/culture/hacking/the arts, DIY and design, and DIY and media.

Ávila Martínez, Yury Carolina · · Global

The Women Entrepreneurs Marie Poussepin Foundation is a non-profit organization that promotes entrepreneur training in both product and service lines, currently supporting women through courses and workshops to develop as entrepreneurs in the urban agriculture and ecological art lines (2014). This project focused on creating a cost structure that would be easy to understand, complete and workable for both the foundation and the women entrepreneurs, addressing a latent and visible need, since it had been unclear how much value vegetable production actually generated.

이숙미, Kim In Ho · · Global

Aiming to develop approaches for enhancing the self-support capability of vulnerable groups, this study analyzed foreign cases in which urban agriculture activities were used for self-support. The analysis classified urban agriculture activities into four types depending on participants' level of self-support capability and employment status: a healing type that helps mind and body recover through engagement, a self-consumption type that supports healthy eating and cuts food expenses, a social-relation type built around interaction with the community, and an occupation type providing jobs and income through production activities.

Jennifer Vansteenkiste · Development in Practice · Global

This paper examines the social and gender politics of a women's urban garden project in Cap Haïtien, Haiti, supported by the International Organisation for Migration. The study finds that the development process created an unmonitored symbolic space in which society's normalized gender processes were reproduced, importing broader social inequalities that in turn prevented the project from meeting the women's practical and strategic goals. It discusses how an ecohealth approach, as an alternative design framework, could make this symbolic space visible for critical engagement and analysis by participants.

Christine Aubry, Jean-Noël Consalès, Leïla Kebir, Bernard Barraqué · Espaces et sociétés · Global

This joint interview with Christine Aubry and Jean-Noel Consales addresses debates around the resurgence of urban agriculture in cities of the Global North, where public, private, associative and entrepreneurial initiatives are spreading. It notes broad enthusiasm about the range of services urban agriculture provides, food as well as social and environmental roles, alongside dissenting views that dismiss non-professional agriculture as peripheral to meeting citizens' food needs, a passing fad, or urban leisure rather than real agriculture. The interviewees point to the great variety of urban agriculture forms as a breeding ground for innovation and a possible sign of major transformation in the agricultural world.

Lucía Ferreira Fernández, Walter Alejandro Muiño, Pablo Valentín Ermini · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Argentina

In two peripheral neighborhoods of Santa Rosa, La Pampa province, Argentina — Zona Norte and Villa Germinal — a 2014 ethnobotanical and agroecological study examined home gardeners' knowledge, uses and meanings attached to arvenses, spontaneous plant species growing alongside cultivated crops. Using ethnobotanical data-collection tools, researchers collected and identified 57 species; roughly half of informants said they remove these plants without using them, while the rest use them mainly as fertilizer for their gardens or feed for domestic animals. Published literature cited medicinal preparation as the most frequent use, and Cynodon dactylon ("gramilla"), the species appearing most often in the gardens, was also regarded by informants as a "pest."

Karen Hobday, Jacqueline Ramke, Rènée du Toit, Sara Pereira · Health Education Journal · Timor-Leste

An intervention under the Healthy Eyes in Schools Project, delivered across four primary schools in Aileu District, Timor-Leste, was evaluated using a descriptive mixed-methods design combining questionnaires and interviews. Local teachers received training and resources to deliver nine lessons on eye health; in two schools this was paired with the creation of school gardens and improvements to water and sanitation. Students in classes 5 and 6 took part: 384 students aged 10-17 (median 12) completed the baseline survey and 237 completed a follow-up. The intervention was associated with improved eye health knowledge and some attitudes and practices, but attitudes about the capabilities of blind children and adults did not change. Teachers' attitudes and support from principals and an international NGO appeared key to successful implementation, while limited coverage of eye health in the existing curriculum, limited parent participation, and limited access to healthy food may have constrained the intervention's effectiveness.

US Yannick, BL Louis, KL Antoine, AB Lukangila, MK Matthieu, KM Nathan, MKL Jerry, MM Mpundu, KL Nyembo · Journal of Applied Biosciences · Colombia

In Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, researchers analyzed the fertilizing value of different types of biowaste used in urban market gardening through principal component analysis of grower profiles, chi-square analysis of practices, and physico-chemical analysis of the waste materials. Most market gardeners were married women over 18 without land title; half the biowaste used was purchased chicken manure (with some pig manure), applied raw and buried in the soil, and while 33% of growers expected spreading it to increase productivity and improve soil physico-chemical properties, 48.3% expected it to improve vegetable growth appearance and boost yield.

T. A. Russo, Katherine Alfredo, Joshua Fisher · Water · Global

This review assesses sustainable water management (SWM) across three sectors — urban, agricultural, and natural systems — addressing four questions: how SWM is defined and evaluated, the challenges associated with sustainable development in each sector, where the greatest potential for improvement lies in urban and agricultural water management, and what role a country's development status plays in SWM practices. Methods for evaluating water management range from simple indicator approaches to integration of multiple models, depending on problem complexity and investigator resources. The review's two key findings and recommendations are: (1) all forms of water must be treated as usable and reusable resources, and (2) increasing agricultural crop water production efficiency represents the largest opportunity for reducing total water consumption, needed to meet global food security requirements. It states that the level of regional development should not dictate sustainability objectives, though local infrastructure conditions and financial capabilities should inform the details of water system design and evaluation.

Muhammad Bello Ibrahim, Nobaya Ahmad · Universiti Putra Malaysia Institutional Repository (Universiti Putra Malaysia) · Global

This review paper examines the concept and role of peri-urban agriculture (PUA) as a contributor to solving urban food crises in developing countries. It reviews the historical development and current state of PUA across different parts of the world in relation to rising urban vegetable demand, noting that agricultural communities engaged in PUA make multifunctional contributions to national economies. As approaches to PUA vary by country, the paper argues it is the community's role to identify the functions that benefit local people most, and discusses how PUA, through community and rural development, can boost urban food supply and serve as an income-generating option for farmers in developing countries.

William Gustave · Issue Lab (Candid) · Haiti

An Oxfam Effectiveness Review (2013/14 series), conducted in February–March 2014, assessing how well a small-scale urban farming project in Port-au-Prince, Haiti met Oxfam's own accountability standards. The project operated in three urban districts within Carrefour Feuilles, one of Port-au-Prince's most densely populated areas and one severely affected by the 2010 earthquake, which killed many residents and destroyed most inhabitants' income sources; it aimed to improve food security for vulnerable households there. The review examined accountability to partners and communities along three dimensions—transparency, feedback/listening, and participation—and also asked about partnership practices, staff attitudes, and satisfaction with the project's usefulness and use of funds.

Rubén D. Piacentini, Laura Bracalenti, Graciela Marisa Salum, Erik Zimmermann, Lattuca, Ricardo Abel Terriles, S. Bartolomé, Mario Vega, L. Tosello, Néstor Di Leo, Susana R. Feldman, Alejandra Coronel · Americanae (AECID Library) · Colombia

With the world's urban population now exceeding its rural population, this report frames urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) as a strategy relevant not only to feeding people but also to mitigating climate change. In the city of Rosario, Argentina, supported by the RUAF Foundation and the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN), a detailed study was underway to monitor the urban heat island effect, reductions in food transportation, and the impact of green infrastructure on flooding. The abstract describes the scope of this ongoing study rather than reporting specific measured results.

Saverio Miccoli, Fabrizio Finucci, Rocco Murro · Sustainability · Global

Focused on cities such as Detroit, Seattle, San Francisco, London, and Paris that have undergone regeneration since the 2007 economic crisis, this paper proposes planning methods for an organized, multifunctional "agro-urban system" incorporating urban agriculture (UA). It presents a "deliberative monetary appraisal" methodology combining economic valuation based on hypothetical scenarios with direct, inclusive, dialogic approaches, offering an overview of UA's characteristics and problems, methodological elements for planning an agro-urban system, and guidelines for a deliberative appraisal procedure; the paper does not report an empirical application of the method.

Meanwhile Foundation · Meanwhile Foundation (UK) · Global

The 'meanwhile lease' lets landlords grant short-term use to voluntary groups while keeping ownership and the right to recover the site; an intermediary provides standard contracts and insurance to make interim use legal and smooth.

Pautasso M., Aistara G., Barnaud A., Caillon S., Clouvel P., Coomes O.T. · Agronomy for Sustainable Development · Global

Reviews concepts, methods, and challenges for understanding farmer seed exchange networks, central to conserving landraces and sustaining agrobiodiversity through informal social and ecological seed systems worldwide.

Matejowsky T. · Locale: The Australasian-Pacific Journal of Regional Food Studies · Philippines (Urdaneta City, Pangasinan)

This ethnographic case study examines Urdaneta City's backyard and community gardening program launched in 2009 to address food insecurity and household self-sufficiency in a provincial Philippine city. It analyzes the interplay between municipal government objectives and citizens' subsistence and economic needs.

Sotamenou J., Parrot L. · International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability · Cameroon (Yaoundé, Bafoussam)

A survey of 242 urban farmers in Yaoundé and Bafoussam found that 36% adopted compost (alone or mixed with inorganic fertilizers), with compost uptake driven by fertilizer expenditure, vegetable production scale, land ownership, and farm distance. The study provides policy insights for sustainable soil management in Cameroonian urban agriculture.

Sarah James · Geographical Research · Australia (Sydney)

This paper examined the failure of Sydney's 'green zones' farmland protection policies, which were abandoned due to protests. The failure was attributed to a lack of consultation with Sydney's diverse small-scale farmers, rather than a rejection of farmland protection itself. Farmer interviews suggested that a bottom-up policy-making approach would have been more successful in maintaining farming in peri-urban areas.

Soraya Pourjavid, Hassan Sadighi, Hossein Shabanali Fami · RePEc: Research Papers in Economics · Iran (Tehran)

This study identified constraints affecting urban agriculture in Tehran, Iran, by surveying 320 city dwellers across 22 municipal districts. The most important constraints identified were "high start-up costs" and "lack of knowledge among managers and authorities." Factor analysis revealed seven factors explaining 67.36% of the variance, including financial-economic and technical aspects.

Kirstie Cadger, Thembela Kepe · Development in Practice · Botswana

Challenges facing community garden initiatives among the San of Botswana were analyzed through semi-structured interviews and participant observation in two San communities. The study found that the failure of the gardens related to how the San are treated and how they view their situation as destitute people. Forced resettlement, historical livelihood disruption, and government and NGO policies of development through welfare neglecting genuine empowerment were concluded to be responsible for the limited success of the community gardens.

Wakuru Magigi · Journal of Environmental Protection · Tanzania (Dar es Salaam)

This paper explores Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, demonstrating that urban agriculture provides urban ecosystem services and contributes to environmental sustainability. The study highlights the interconnections of environmental justice, urban ecosystem services, and climate change, which influence land governance and productivity. It suggests that with increasing population, a clear spatial land use planning and management strategy is required to enhance food systems and urban environmental sustainability in rapidly urbanizing cities.

邰杰, 汤洪泉, 曹晋, 陆韡 · Acta Scientiarum Naturalium Universitatis Sunyatseni · Global

This study interpreted the guiding principles, development strategies, and design methods of urban agriculture landscapes outside China, drawing from conceptual definitions, international practices, and case insights. The analysis aims to provide a reference for open space planning and green infrastructure construction during China's rapid urbanization. It concludes that urban agriculture holds significant potential across various aspects, including urban ecology and form, food security and supply, natural education, and job opportunities.

Richard Blaustein · BioScience · Global

This article discusses how cities globally are revitalizing urban biodiversity through various efforts, including watershed restoration, green infrastructure, and reintroducing native species. It highlights the concept of "biophilic cities" by Timothy Beatley, which integrates nature into urban design for social and health benefits. The Cities for Life Summit in October 2012, attended by over 500 people including mayors, further boosted urban biodiversity initiatives by showcasing the Cities and Biodiversity Outlook report.

Alyssa M Boyle · Scholarship @ Claremont (The Claremont Colleges) · Global

This thesis discusses the importance of school gardens, highlighting the industrialized food system and "Nature Deficit Disorder" in children as two environmental and societal problems. School gardens are presented as an effective tool to address these issues. A how-to manual for implementing such projects in schools and sample lesson plans for use with the garden across the curriculum are also provided.

Bertram C. Bruce, Naomi Bloch · Education and Culture · Global

This paper develops a philosophical basis for community inquiry, drawing from pragmatist theory. It applies this framework to a case study of community inquiry within an urban agriculture project. The example demonstrates how learning can occur both inside and outside school settings, fostering a stronger connection between education and community life.