Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
2539 results(87 / 102)
15201 - Horta Comunitária Vida Nova - Relatos Agroecológicos em Espaços Urbanos
2013Marcos José de Abreu, Renato Barretto Barbosa Trivella, Letícia Oliveira de Melo, gisa Garcia, Alexandre Cordeiro, Óscar José Rover · · Brazil (Santa Catarina)
The Vida Nova community garden, established in 2009 in Jardim Janaina, Biguaçu, Santa Catarina, Brazil, serves women from rural and urban areas facing food and social insecurity. This project aimed to disseminate participatory agroecological methodologies in urban agriculture. It resulted in a 36-page educational booklet and a course, leading to group strengthening, increased community gardens, and diversified cultivation in the neighborhood.
CommunityWelfareFood educationEconomicsIntegrated Pest Management in Urban Ghanaian Gardens: A Three-Year Impact Assessment
2013Chikwendiu Okechukwu, Femi Adekunle, Sunday Nwokolo · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Nigeria
A three-year mixed-methods study in selected urban areas of Nigeria assessed the impact of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) among gardeners. Community members' understanding of IPM principles significantly improved, with 20% initially reporting successful pest management strategies, increasing to 75% over the three years. The findings suggest that sustained education and support are crucial for effective IPM adoption in urban gardening communities.
CommunityFood educationPolicy15122 - Produzindo sementes agroecológicas em uma horta comunitária no campus central da Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina
2013André Ganzarolli Martins, Ana Paula Tridapalli de Almeira · Cadernos de Agroecologia · Brazil
A report on nearly two years of small-scale agroecological seed production through a community garden project on the central campus of the Federal University of Santa Catarina in Florianópolis, Brazil. Seeds were cultivated within small agroecological and agroforestry systems, producing carrots, lettuce, sunflower, beans, green manure crops and others; harvest and storage details are described as crucial steps requiring special attention. The report states that seed production was fundamental to sustaining the plantings and, through donations, supported other urban agriculture and agroecology initiatives.
CommunityOrganic cycleFood educationEvaluation of Insecticidal Activity of Plant Extracts against the Diamondback Moth, Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) on Vegetable Plant
2013I‐Jin Choi, Hyuk-Hyun Kwon, Hanho Lee, Hyoung-Gi Son, Sang-Kil Hong, Jong-Woon Kang, Yu-Soon Park · 한국자원식물학회지 · South Korea
In a South Korean laboratory and field study, ethanol and water extracts of eight plant species were tested for insecticidal activity against diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella) larvae on Korean radish and Korean cabbage using a leaf-disc spray method. Capsicum annuum (chili seed) extract gave the highest activity, 83.3% at 1500 mg/L after 48 hours; in field trials with twelve applications before harvest, Coptis japonica (goldthread) and C. annuum extracts reached control efficacies of 87.4% and 83.7% on Korean radish, and 74.3% and 69.3% (with Chelidonium majus) on Korean cabbage, with no phytotoxic effect on seed germination or seedling growth observed.
Organic cycleFood educationToxic and allergenic plant species in school gardens of the town of Samobor.
2013Ines 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.
Contamination & food safetyFood educationHealthFarms on Campus: Strong Stakeholder Support for an Educational Garden at a Non-Land-Grant University
2013Gina M. Bacigalupi · San José State University ScholarWorks (San Jose State University) · United States (California)
An online survey of more than 400 members of the California State University East Bay Concord Campus community (California, United States), conducted in 2013, measured stakeholder interest and willingness to contribute money, time and labor to a proposed educational farm at this non-land-grant public urban university. Support was high across all stakeholder groups, but students and those holding multiple campus roles reported greater interest than faculty and staff, while administrators reported the lowest likelihood of participating. Younger respondents and women anticipated greater interaction than older or male respondents; by income, middle-income respondents anticipated the largest financial contributions, while both the highest- and lowest-income groups anticipated the smallest contributions.
Food educationCommunityEducación para la sustentabilidad: escuelas agropecuarias de alternancia y organizaciones sociales del área periurbana sur del Gran Buenos Aires
2013Ramón Isidro Cieza, Claudia Cecilia Flores, Lía Nora Tamagno, María Margarita Bonicatto, Natalia Agustina Gargoloff, María Luz Blandi, María J. Lermanó · Americanae (AECID Library) · Argentina (Buenos Aires)
The potential of urban and peri-urban agriculture (AUP) is increasingly recognized in cities across Latin America and the Caribbean, according to this 2013 piece on Argentina, because large quantities of food are produced in urban peripheries.
CommunityFood educationPeri-urban agriculturePolicyAssessing the Educational Needs of Urban Gardeners and Farmers on the Subject of Soil Contamination
2013Ashley 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.
Food educationHealthSocioeconomic Disparities in the Provision of School Gardens in Santa Clara County, California
2013Iris T. Stewart, Elizabeth K. Purner, Patricia D. Guzm ́n · Children Youth and Environments · United States (California)
In Santa Clara County (SCC), located at the southern end of the San Francisco Bay Region and marked by high income disparities and an ethnically diverse population, this study used surveys and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to examine links between the presence and use of school gardens and the socioeconomic and ethnic composition of surrounding neighborhoods. Statistical analysis found that school gardens in SCC are more likely to exist in economically stronger and ethnically less-diverse neighborhoods, showing that garden provision is not equitably distributed. School gardens can be maintained with relatively modest resources — a coordinator, planting area, small budget, and school-community support — yet securing these resources can itself be a significant barrier for some schools. Because natural play areas suited to environmental exploration were not typically found at SCC schools, the study suggests school gardens can play an important role in reconnecting children with the natural world.
Equity & displacementFood educationCommunityWelfareFood Safety For School and Community Gardens
2013Renee 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.
Food educationCommunityHealthPolicyCultivating Integration: Urban Farming on a Medical University Campus: The MUSC Urban Farm Is Designed to Be a Living Classroom Where Students, Faculty, Staff, and the Community Come Together to Explore the Connection between Food and Health
2013Susan 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.
Food educationHealthCommunityReview ofThe Holistic Orchard
2013D.G. Williams · Journal of Agricultural & Food Information · Global
A book review of Michael Phillips' "The Holistic Orchard." The reviewer states they grow stone fruit, pears, and small fruit in an urban orchard and have used techniques from the book. The available abstract consists only of this introductory framing; it does not include a substantive assessment of the book's content.
Food educationOrganic cycleEtnobotânica E Uso Medicinal Da Pimenta Malagueta (Capsicum Frutescens L.) Pelos Horticultores E Consumidores Da Horta Comunitária Da Vila Poty, Teresina, Piauí, Brasil / Ethnobotany and Medicinal Use Pepper Chilli (Capsicum frutescens L.) by horticulturi
2013Filipe Ribeiro Cardoso Porto, Jacionira Coêlho Silva · Americanae (AECID Library) · Brazil
This study describes the ethnobotanical practices of horticulturists and consumers surrounding chili pepper (malagueta pepper, Capsicum frutescens L.), cultivated at the Vila Poti municipal community garden in southeastern Teresina, Piauí, Brazil. Information gathered on pepper production reported various purposes and methods of medicinal use of different plant parts, applied for ailments otherwise treated with industrial pharmacological medication. The study characterizes these as traditional knowledge with anthropological elements that go beyond systematized science, functioning as an identity marker of the human-environment relationship in cultural production.
CommunityFood educationStudent Growth within the School Garden: Addressing Personal/Social, Academic, and Career Development.
2013Jacqueline 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.
Food educationHealthCommunityPotatoes on Rooftops: Farming in the City by H. Dyer
2013Sandy Campbell · The Deakin Review of Children s Literature · Canada
This is a review of Hadley Dyer's "Potatoes on Rooftops: Farming in the City" (Annick Press, Toronto, 2012). Although marketed by the publisher for grades 4–7, the reviewer finds the actual reading level higher — Tenth Grade on the Coleman-Liau Index and 9.2 on the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level test. Despite a children's-book design, the content is dense and textbook-like, moving from an introduction on food and the need for urban agriculture through small- and larger-scale urban agriculture examples to related social and political movements, with a glossary, resource list, and index. The Toronto-based author received Ontario Arts Council funding, but the review notes little Canadian content, with the book's apparent market being the United States; it cites international examples including Africa, Japan, and Scotland but says little about the practicalities of urban gardening in Canada, where growing conditions differ sharply by region (e.g., Florida vs. Edmonton). The review rates the book 3 out of 4 stars, recommending it for high school and public libraries and noting it is most useful for teen and adult readers.
DIYCommunityFood educationCharacteristics of China's Urban Agriculture Development Under the Influence of Its Multi-dimensional Cultures
2013DU Shan-sha · Journal of Beijing Union University · China
Starting from the long-standing connection between culture and agriculture, this paper analyzes the basic characteristics of Chinese culture across four dimensions — material culture, behavioral culture, institutional culture and spiritual culture — and examines how this multi-dimensional culture shapes the specific characteristics of urban agriculture during the transition from traditional to modern urban agriculture. The analysis finds that these multi-dimensional cultural influences make China's urban agriculture development characteristics substantially different from those in Western countries.
CommunityPolicyFood educationThe Logic of School Gardens: A Phenomenological Study of Teacher Rationales
2013Simon Jorgenson · Australian Journal of Environmental Education · Australia
A phenomenological study interviewed three Australian primary school teachers — Laura, Meredith, and Clare — to investigate the internal processes behind teachers' rationales for incorporating school gardens into their teaching. Analysis showed that teachers form a strong rationale by reading their own, often idealized, childhood memories against their observations of children today, a rationale reinforced by opportunities the garden itself affords for enacting deep beliefs about teaching and learning and resisting external control. The study also provides evidence that school gardens readily evoke nostalgia, and re-theorizes this nostalgia as part of the "cultural logic" of school gardens.
Food educationCommunityGrowing Community: The Impact of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program on the Social and Learning Environment in Primary Schools
2012Block K., Gibbs L., Staiger P., Gold L., Johnson B., Macfarlane S., Long C., Townsend M. · Health Education & Behavior, 39(4):419-432 · Australia
A mixed-methods evaluation of Australia's Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program. It reported social and learning benefits including increased student engagement, confidence and willingness to try new foods, plus experiential, integrated learning and stronger school-community connections.
Food educationCommunityHealthUrban food production schemes in Ireland 1917–1923
2012Forrest M. · Studies in the History of Gardens & Designed Landscapes · Ireland
This historical study documents the government-sponsored urban food production schemes introduced in Ireland between 1917 and 1923 in response to World War I food shortages, tracing how allotment promotion policies were administered by the Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction and the Local Government Board.
CommunityPolicyFood educationTheorising community gardens as pedagogical sites in the food movement
2012Pierre Walter · Environmental Education Research · United States
This paper argues that community gardens in the North American food movement serve as rich non-school sites for informal adult learning, despite being under-researched in environmental education. It proposes applying theories of public pedagogy and social movement learning from Adult Education to frame the study of learning within these gardens. The paper reviews empirical research on the benefits of community garden participation to illustrate the potential for further research on the link between learning and these benefits.
CommunityFood educationCommunity Supported Agriculture: A Commitment to a Healthier Diet
2012Joseph N. Cohen, S. Gearhart, Elizabeth Garland · Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition · United States (New York City)
A prospective cohort study in New York City investigated whether Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) participation increased fruit and vegetable consumption and home-cooked meals. Among 583 individuals who completed both surveys, CSA members showed a statistically significant increase of 2.2 servings of fruit and vegetables per week and 4.9 home-cooked meals per month compared to non-members. CSA participation was also associated with subjective reports of increased fruit and vegetable consumption.
CSA & TeikeiHealthFood educationSchool gardens: teaching and learning outside the front door
2012Rowena Passy · Education 3-13 · Global
This article reports on two projects investigating school gardens, finding that while they can effectively engage primary children in learning, a divide exists among teachers regarding garden use. The article argues that mixed messages in policy concerning outdoor learning act as a barrier to teachers utilizing school gardens.
Governance failureFood educationPolicyReconceptualising gardening to promote inclusive education for sustainable development
2012Susan B. Johnson · International Journal of Inclusive Education · United Kingdom
This paper argues that a reconceptualized approach to school gardening in the UK could promote inclusive education for sustainable development. It examines the potential for children aged 5-14 to develop ecological knowledge, action competence, and environmental engagement skills through gardening. The paper suggests a curriculum framework and provides a bean crop exemplar, but it does not present empirical findings or results from an implemented program.
Food educationCommunityClimate changeBiodiversityCapacity building in the field of climate change adaptation - first experiences from a rural research and development project in Germany.
2012Eva Foos, Thomas Aenis, Julia Jahnke · GERICS Climate Service Center Germany (University of Oldenburg) · Germany
This paper discusses initial experiences from a German R&D network (INKA BB) developing capacity building programs for climate change adaptation in agriculture and horticulture. It uses two urban agriculture/gardening examples as case studies to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of development processes. The authors advocate for "learning chains" that enable lifelong learning and an action-oriented, participatory approach to foster mutual learning among partners from research and education.
Climate changeFood educationPolicyDeveloping a Space for Children: An Internship with the Mullumbimby Community Garden
2012Eden K Olsen · School for International Training Digital Collections (School for International Training) · Australia
This paper details an internship at the Mullumbimby Community Garden (MCG) in Byron Shire, Australia, focusing on the development of its Children's Garden. The intern spent 152.5 hours over four weeks in late 2012 on tasks including planting, project planning, and designing new structures. The study also examines the broader importance of community gardens and children's spaces, drawing conclusions on environmental education and communication practices based on participant observations and three interviews.
CommunityFood educationDIYFood sovereignty & justice