Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
3701 results(87 / 149)
Hybrid governance tensions fuelling self-reflexivity in Alternative Food Networks: the case of the Brussels GASAP (solidarity purchasing groups for peasant agriculture)
2018Manganelli A., Moulaert F. · Local Environment · Belgium (Brussels)
Applies a Hybrid Governance Approach to the Brussels GASAP solidarity purchasing network, identifying three phases in its development and demonstrating how organizational, resource, and institutional tensions drive self-reflexivity and scaling dynamics in Alternative Food Networks.
CommunityPolicyEconomicsUrban Gardens in Greece: A New Way of Living in the City
2018Haniotou H., Dalipi E. · In: Glatron S., Granchamp L. (eds) The Urban Garden City: Shaping the City with Gardens Through History. Springer, Cham, pp. 245–268 · Greece
The chapter surveys the proliferation of urban community gardens across Greek metropolitan areas, situating their emergence in the context of economic crisis and examining their effects on urban residents' livelihoods and relationship to green space.
CommunityPolicyWelfareEconomicsMapping the Agrodiversity in Bogotá – the Platform Mapeo AgroEcoBogotá
2018Pinilla K., Hoinle B., Mahecha-Groot A., Cepeda J. · International Journal of Design & Nature and Ecodynamics · Colombia (Bogotá)
This paper presents AgroEcoBogotá, an open counter-mapping platform that cartographically documented 47 urban agroecological initiatives in Bogotá to promote visibility of the local agroecology movement and foster solidarity networks between urban and peri-urban food producers.
CommunityBiodiversityFood educationIs urban agriculture urban green space? A comparison of policy arrangements for urban green space and urban agriculture in Santiago de Chile
2018Contesse M., van Vliet B.J.M., Lenhart J. · Land Use Policy · Chile (Santiago)
This study used the policy arrangement approach to compare urban green space planning and urban agriculture policies in Santiago, finding that urban agriculture can complement (but not replace) parks as green space, provided that policy mechanisms clarify stakeholder roles and benefits.
PolicyCommunityBiodiversityIs community management of resources by urban households, feasible? Lessons from community gardens in Gweru, Zimbabwe
2018Mwakiwa E., Maparara T., Tatsvarei S., Muzamhindo N. · Urban Forestry & Urban Greening · Zimbabwe (Gweru)
This study used econometric methods to analyze participation factors in NGO-introduced community gardens in Gweru, Zimbabwe, finding that food-insecure households with strong social capital were most likely to engage in community resource management, while tenure insecurity and water access were key barriers to sustained participation.
CommunityFood educationEconomicsWelfareVermicomposting of different organic materials using the epigeic earthworm Eisenia foetida
2018· International Journal of Recycling of Organic Waste in Agriculture · Global
Evaluates the efficiency of the epigeic earthworm Eisenia foetida in vermicomposting different organic substrates, including kitchen waste.
DIYCompostOrganic cycleA Semi-Systematic Review of Capillary Irrigation: The Benefits, Limitations, and Opportunities
2018· Horticulturae · Global
Reviews capillary irrigation systems such as capillary wicks, noting higher yields and lower water use than conventional irrigation, no runoff, and economical installation and operation.
DIYRole of Urban Agriculture in a Secure, Healthy, and Sustainable Food System
2018· BioScience · Global
Comprehensive analysis of urban agriculture's role in achieving secure, healthy, and sustainable food systems. Examines how citizen-driven agriculture can transform food systems.
Food educationWelfareBiodiversityCommunityEffects of Horticultural Therapy on Asian Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial
2018· International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · Singapore
A waitlist-control randomized controlled trial recruiting 59 older adults (29 horticultural therapy, 30 waitlist control) to investigate improvements in mental well-being and modulation of biomarker levels.
ElderlyHealthReducing food's environmental impacts through producers and consumers
2018Poore J., Nemecek T. · Science · Global
A meta-analysis of about 38,000 farms shows food's environmental impacts are dominated by production while transport contributes only a small share, weakening the food-miles rationale and casting doubt on transport-reduction as urban agriculture's climate justification.
PolicyEconomicsEffects of Water Quality and Post-Harvest Handling on Microbiological Contamination of Lettuce at Urban and Peri-Urban Locations of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
2018· Foods · Burkina Faso (Ouagadougou)
Lettuce from urban and peri-urban gardens in Ouagadougou was contaminated with E. coli, coliforms, and Salmonella, with 60% of irrigation water failing WHO safety standards, indicating a microbial food-safety risk.
HealthCommunity gardening in Stockholm: participation, driving forces and the role of the municipality
2018Madeleine Bonow, Maria Normark · Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems · Sweden
Research on Stockholm community gardens. Analyzes participation mechanisms, driving forces, and municipal support role. Examines implementation mechanisms for sustainability improvement.
CommunityPolicyFood educationThe Role of Urban Agriculture as a Nature-Based Solution: A Review for Developing a Systemic Assessment Framework
2018Martina Artmann, Katharina Sartison · Sustainability · Global
A systemic literature review of 166 academic articles focusing on the Global North examined urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) as a nature-based solution. The review found that UPA contributes to ten key societal challenges of urbanization, including climate change, food security, and public health, by providing social, economic, and environmental co-benefits. The study developed an integrative assessment framework for evaluating UPA implementation and impact efficiency, which should be tested using edible cities as an example.
CommunityBiodiversityClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceSustainability of Urban Agriculture: Vegetable Production on Green Roofs
2018S. Alan Walters, Karen Stoelzle Midden · Agriculture · Global
Vegetable production on green roofs faces multiple challenges, resulting in minimal current activity despite its potential for urban agricultural sustainability. While intensive green roof systems are considered suitable for vegetable production, extensive systems with shallow-rooted crops like lettuce, kale, and radish show the greatest potential for sustained productivity due to building weight restrictions. Deeper-root crops like tomatoes require constant monitoring of fertility and moisture. Green roofs are not presented as a total solution for urban food provision.
Economic viabilityDIYCommunityClimate changeEconomicsA Global Geospatial Ecosystem Services Estimate of Urban Agriculture
2018Nicholas Clinton, Michelle Stuhlmacher, Albie Miles, Nazli Uludere Aragon, Melissa Wagner, Matei Georgescu, Chris Herwig, Peng Gong · Earth s Future · Global
This study developed a quantitative framework to assess global aggregate ecosystem services from urban agriculture (UA) using global datasets in Google Earth Engine. Existing urban vegetation provides an estimated $33 billion annually in ecosystem services. An intensive UA adoption scenario projects potential annual food production of 100–180 million tonnes, energy savings of 14–15 billion kilowatt hours, nitrogen sequestration of 100,000–170,000 tonnes, and avoided storm water runoff of 45–57 billion cubic meters. Under this intensive scenario, the value of ecosystem services could reach $80–160 billion annually, with significant country-to-country variability.
EconomicsClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceUrban green infrastructure: The role of urban agriculture in city resilience
2018Τhomas Panagopoulos, Ilze Jankovska, Maria Boștenaru Dan · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Global
This article examines the role of urban agriculture as green infrastructure in city resilience, noting its ecological, cultural, social, and socio-economic value. It highlights that municipal intervention is crucial for urban agriculture, providing communal infrastructure and defining rules. The article concludes that urban agriculture, supported by municipal intervention, is instrumental for city resilience by serving as a vital source of food and occupation during crises and aiding adaptation to climate change.
CommunityEconomicsWelfareClimate changeSalutogenic Affordances and Sustainability: Multiple Benefits With Edible Forest Gardens in Urban Green Spaces
2018Jonathan Stoltz, Christina Schäffer · Frontiers in Psychology · Global
This paper explores the salutogenic potential of urban green spaces, proposing edible forest gardens as a concept for urban green space use and management. It argues that including edible forest gardens in urban green spaces (today globally dominated by lawns) could reinforce several affordances of salutogenic importance, such as social cohesion and restoration from psycho-physiological stress and attention fatigue. Increased opportunities for contact with nature and food production processes may also reinforce pro-environmental behaviors in the population.
BiodiversityHealthFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageUrban and Peri-Urban Agriculture as A Pathway to Food Security: A Review Mapping the Use of Food Sovereignty
2018Michelle Tendai. Chihambakwe, Paramu Mafongoya, Obert Jiri · Challenges · Zimbabwe
This review maps the use of food sovereignty principles in urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) in Zimbabwe, addressing its potential for food security. Despite UPA being ingrained in urban households' livelihoods, institutional arrangements governing the practice remain ambivalent. The review underscores that the failure to involve all stakeholders undermines UPA, leading to heightened food insecurity and unsustainable practices.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justicePeri-urban agriculturePolicyEconomicsPeri-urban agriculture in Australia
2018Rachel Carey, Sarah James · · Australia (Sydney, Melbourne)
This chapter examines peri-urban agriculture in Australia, focusing on case studies in Sydney and Melbourne. It explores the pressures on peri-urban fringes, noting that while food needs are increasing due to population growth, the capacity of these areas to meet them is decreasing due to urban sprawl. The research highlights policy and planning options to protect these regions, emphasizing their potential contribution to urban sustainability and resilience amidst climate change and water scarcity.
Peri-urban agriculturePolicyClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceSmall-scale urban agriculture results in high yields but requires judicious management of inputs to achieve sustainability
2018Robert McDougall, Paul Kristiansen, Romina Rader · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · Australia
This study evaluated small-scale urban agriculture systems in Australia using economic and emergy (embodied energy) analyses. While these systems used land efficiently, they were relatively inefficient in their use of material and labor resources. Benefit-to-cost ratios demonstrated that, on average, the gardens ran at a financial loss, and emergy transformity was one to three orders of magnitude greater than many conventional rural farms. Only 14.66% of all inputs were considered "renewable," resulting in a moderate mean environmental loading ratio (ELR) of 5.82.
Economic viabilityEconomicsClimate changeOrganic cyclePeri-urban agricultural land vulnerability due to urban sprawl – a multi-criteria spatially-explicit scenario analysis
2018Suranga Wadduwage · Journal of Land Use Science · Australia (Adelaide)
A multi-criteria spatially-explicit study in the Adelaide metropolitan area, Australia, investigated agricultural land vulnerability to urban sprawl under opposing policy directions. The study showed higher agricultural land vulnerabilities in “Business-As-Usual” and “Accelerated Economic Development” scenarios, extending into rural areas with a leap-frog effect. This confirms the need to sacrifice farmland uses to maintain land supply for urban development under these conditions.
Governance failurePeri-urban agriculturePolicyUrban–rural linkageHow community gardens may contribute to community resilience following an earthquake
2018Naomi Shimpo, Andreas Wesener, Wendy McWilliam · Urban forestry & urban greening · New Zealand (Christchurch)
This paper examines the community benefits provided by an established community garden in Christchurch, New Zealand, following the 2010/2011 Canterbury Earthquakes. Based on surveys and interviews, findings indicate the garden helped gardeners cope with the post-quake situation by serving as a place to de-stress, share experiences, and gain community support. Garden features encouraging social interaction, such as central meeting and communal working areas, reportedly supported disaster recovery.
CommunityHealthClimate changeSUSTRATO BIOFÍSICO PARA AGRICULTURA PROTEGIDA Y URBANA A PARTIR DE COMPOST Y AGREGADOS PROVENIENTES DE LOS RESIDUOS SÓLIDOS URBANOS
2018Universidad Tecnológica Fidel Velázquez, Alfredo Ricardo Pérez Fernández, Mariana Ruiz Morales, Universidad Iberoamericana, María Odette Lobato Calleros, Universidad Iberoamericana, Eloy Pérez Valera, Biosistemas Sustentables, S. A., Promotora de Inversión de Capital Variable, Perla Rodríguez Salinas, Universidad Tecnológica Fidel Velázquez · Revista Internacional de Contaminación Ambiental · Global
This study developed biophysical substrates for protected and urban agriculture by mixing compost from urban solid waste with polystyrene and tepetate. Experimental tests were conducted on roses and tomatoes under four different treatments in a greenhouse, evaluating substrate nutritional properties and productivity. The results indicate that the proposed biophysical substrates possess physical, chemical, and biological properties making them a viable substitute for urban gardening or protected agriculture.
CompostOrganic cycleDIYHUERTOS URBANOS COMO DESARROLLO SOSTENIBLE
2018Doris Laury Beatriz Dzib Moo, Sandra Patricia Dzib Moo, L.E. Gerardo González García · · Venezuela (Falcón)
This proposal introduces urban gardens for Colonia Lindavista in Tabasco, Mexico, aiming to demonstrate the benefits of urban farming. The project, initiated in January 2017 as a pilot, seeks to raise awareness and secure institutional support. It also aims to show how urban gardens can promote daily consumption of organic produce for health benefits and support family economies, thereby increasing the community's resilience.
CommunityClimate changeEconomicsOrganic cycleUna aproximación a la agricultura urbana en el estado Falcón, Venezuela
2018Ángela Castillo, Sandra Leonela López Álvarez · Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) · Venezuela (Falcón)
A study characterized the urban agriculture project in Falcón state, Venezuela, finding it was organized by the CIARA Foundation under the Simón Bolívar National Project. The program is prevalent in 100% of implementing municipalities, with activity ranging from 0.71% to 100%, and 44.44% of the total municipalities showing potential for resuscitation. The Miranda municipality, the state capital, has the most Agricultural Production Units but only 15% activity.
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