Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
3623 results(89 / 145)
Who Cares? The Importance of Emotional Connections with Nature to Ensure Food Security and Wellbeing in Cities
2018Kora Uhlmann, Brenda B. Lin, Helen Ross · Sustainability · Global
This paper reviews existing literature on foodscape and biophilia to highlight the need for inter-disciplinary research combining urban agriculture and food literacy. The review suggests that emotional connection with nature benefits human wellbeing and predicts pro-environmental behaviors, and that urban agriculture can improve wellbeing and food security if the next generation has this connection and necessary life skills.
HealthFood educationFood sovereignty & justiceUrban Agriculture in Bogotá’s informal settlements
2018Jaime Hernández García, Sandra Caquimbo-Salazar · · Colombia (Bogotá)
In Bogotá, Colombia, over 50% of the city has developed through informal practices, with approximately four million people residing in areas of urban or housing informality. This chapter explores the transformation and appropriation of urban spaces in the barrios through urban agriculture initiatives, using examples of food growing spaces in Bogotá. It discusses agricultural practices in the city's informal settlements, highlighting social characteristics and spatial particulars, and advocates for open spaces as potential productive landscapes where spatial transformations can contribute to social, cultural, and nutritional practices.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceWelfareUrban–rural linkageHealthThe Components of Social Dimension for Community Gardens in Housing Residential
2018Shafa Marzidah Abdullah Ayeop, Halmi Zainol, Nur Huzeima Mohd Hussain · Environment-Behaviour Proceedings Journal · Global
Community gardens are spaces for cultivating vegetables and fruits in urban neighborhoods, offering various social benefits. This paper aims to enhance understanding of the relationship between the social dimension and community gardens. It analyzes established references from previous articles and theses to identify social dimension elements of sustainable development and explore the benefits of community garden implementation for the social dimension.
CommunityHealthAgriculture urbaine à Ziguinchor (Sénégal) : des pratiques d’autoconsommation favorables à l’essor de filières d’approvisionnement urbaines durables
2018Sécou Omar Diédhiou, Oumar Sy, Christine Margétic · Espace populations sociétés · Senegal (Ziguinchor)
A study in Ziguinchor, Senegal, surveyed 248 farmers and 130 vegetable vendors in 2016 and 2017 to examine the role of urban agriculture. Urban expansion has led to shrinking agricultural land and land-use conflicts, while increasing food demand. Women play a central role from production to commercialization, farming in multiple locations for self-consumption and income, but the sustainability of these practices requires integration into proactive urban development policies.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsUrban–rural linkagePolicyFrom field to plate: discussion on transfer of metals in food chain
2018Zane Vincēviča–Gaile, William Hogland, Māra Stapkēviča, Juris Burlakovs · Linnaeus Eco-Tech · Latvia
This study investigates the transfer of metallic elements in the soil-plant segment of the food chain through laboratory and field experiments. It also includes a quantitative analysis of food samples from Latvia, including fruits and vegetables from Riga city allotment gardens, to identify element composition and potential contamination risks from urban pollution. Results of experiments and analyses revealed the influence of factors such as seasonality, botanical origin, site-specific factors, agricultural practice, and food processing on element transfer.
Contamination & food safetyHealthCommunityUnder the Microscope – Answer
2018Trevor A Lambkin · Metamorphosis Australia magazine of the Butterfly & Other Invertebrates Club · Australia
This article discusses native bees, noting their weak jaws result in a tickle-like bite and that indigenous peoples globally have extracted their honey for various uses. Research into native bees for crop pollination began in 1984, leading to the development of hive propagation techniques by 1987. The keeping of native bees, particularly the subtropical Carbonaria species, has since gained popularity among various groups including schools and community gardens.
PollinatorsBiodiversityCommunityRedes alimentares alternativas e potencialidade ao desenvolvimento do capital social
2018Ronaldo Tavares de Souza, Eduardo de Lima Caldas · Estudos Sociedade e Agricultura · Global
Based on a systematic review of 45 articles, this study examined how alternative food networks can foster social capital development. The review identified five types of networks: own production, basket schemes, direct sales, community supported agriculture, and solidarity purchase groups. Reflection on observed examples indicated that groups formed by consumers showed the greatest potential for social capital development, followed by producer-started groups, basket schemes, and finally, production for self-consumption.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsCommunity Garden Programme: The Volunteers’ Satisfaction
2018Leelanayagi Ramalingam, Juwaidah Sharifuddin, Zainal Abidin Mohamed, Fazlin Ali · International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences · Malaysia
This paper aimed to identify volunteer satisfaction with the Community Garden Programme in Malaysia. A survey of 375 volunteers, using items adapted from Omoto and Snyder (1995), indicated that the majority were satisfied. Elderly males were found to be significantly satisfied with the program.
CommunityWelfareElderlyPlaying with mud- becoming stuck, becoming free? … The negotiation of gendered/class identities when learning outdoors
2018Katherine Mycock · Children s Geographies · Global
This paper explores how mud is used to form gendered and class-based identities among children aged 3–11 years old during outdoor learning. Ethnographic fieldwork was conducted in a school garden and two forest schools during the 2014–2015 school year. The research found that mud kitchens and waterproofs partly governed experiences by creating separations between bodies and mud, though children's encounters sometimes exceeded pedagogical functions, leading to resistances.
Food educationCommunityHealthSustainability at SIT: a Look at the Past, a Plan for the Future
2018Taliesin Haugh · School for International Training Digital Collections (School for International Training) · Global
This paper outlines a 5-year plan for the School for International Training (SIT) to enhance sustainability praxis, building on its 2018 student-led community garden project. The plan aims for SIT to become an experiential ecology center, collaborating with local NGOs and hosting permaculture programs, to address climate change and contribute to sustainable development.
CommunityFood educationClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceFood, landscape, and urban design
2018Susan Parham, Jacques Abelman · · Global
This chapter explores urban design in developed countries, viewing food as a critical social, economic, and cultural factor influencing and being influenced by urban space design. It broadly defines food spaces to include diverse settings like streetscapes, markets, restaurants, urban gardens, and peri-urban farming. The authors suggest that food-conscious urban design is central to sustainable urban space.
CommunityPeri-urban agriculturePolicyPROMOTE LOCAL AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS USING E-COMMUNITY SUPPORTED SYSTEM
2018Amit Salunke, Ms. Shradha Shinde, Ms. Aishwarya Tone · International Journal for Research in Applied Science and Engineering Technology · Global
A web and Android e-Community Supported Agriculture (e-CSA) system was developed using the software development life cycle. A survey on the impact of local agricultural products through this application indicated benefits for both customers and farmers. Customers gain fair prices, fresh organic products, and access to rare items, while farmers can increase sales, minimize loss, and improve transportation control, contributing to local economic growth.
CSA & TeikeiDigital agricultureEconomicsCommunityPromoting Effective Language Development In English Language Learners Through A School Garden-Based Curriculum
2018Krista Steffen · Digital Commons - Hamline (Hamline University) · Global
This project aimed to design a language-focused curriculum for English Language Learner (ELL) students, delivered through hands-on learning in a school garden. By synthesizing research on ELL, science, and outdoor education, eight best practices were identified to guide the curriculum's development. Findings indicated that garden-based education can effectively promote language development and improve student academics for ELLs when these strategies are applied.
Food educationCommunityContribution of Integrated Urban Agriculture to Household Income: A Case of Kinondoni Municipality, Tanzania
2018Kelvin Victor, Fatihiya Ally Massawe, Anna Sikira · Journal of Agricultural Sciences – Sri Lanka · Tanzania
In Kinondoni Municipality, Tanzania, a study assessed the types of integrated urban agriculture (IUA) practiced, livelihood strategies adopted, and IUA's contribution to household income. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 132 respondents, showing IUA to be the most prioritized livelihood strategy. 98.5% of farmers concentrated on crop-livestock integration, and the average annual income from IUA was 2,295,288 TSH (1093$), sufficient for a six-member household above the monetary food poverty line. This study focused solely on the income livelihood indicator, not considering other benefits like food security or social inclusion.
EconomicsUrban–rural linkageCommunityAllotments and community gardens
2018Claire Nettle, David Crouch · · Global
This chapter focuses on the growth and development of allotments in Britain and the community gardens in Australia, North America, and Britain that evolved from them. It provides a brief overview of the history of allotments in Britain and community gardens in North America, Britain, and Australia, then explores their particular landscapes and the roles that landscape professionals can play in their development.
CommunityPolicyWellbeing in school gardens – the case of the Gardens for Bellies food and environmental education program
2018Pernille Malberg Dyg, Karen Wistoft · Environmental Education Research · Denmark
An exploratory multiple case study in Denmark examined the "Gardens for Bellies" school garden program and its role in student wellbeing. The study indicated that the program promotes student wellbeing through positive emotions from being outdoors and positive social interactions, which seemed to affect self-esteem. While the majority of students experienced wellbeing, it is not documented whether these effects influence long-term wellbeing or planetary care, and not all students thrived in the garden's open space.
Food educationHealthCommunityAdaptation of Urban Vegetable Farmers to Urban Change in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area
2018Michael Tuffour · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · Ghana
This study in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area, Ghana, investigated how urban vegetable farmers adapt to rapid urban change, using a mixed-methods approach including a survey of 251 farmers. Institutional actors promote urban agriculture through training, logistics, and land provision, but the changing urban environment hinders their support. Institutions providing land often lack official agreements with farmers and sometimes abuse them, despite being a significant support source.
Urban–rural linkagePolicyEconomicsUrban food security and multi-spatial livelihoods in Ghana’s medium sized cities: does food transfer matter?
2018Hayford Mensah Ayerakwa · International Development Planning Review · Ghana
A study using data from two medium-sized cities in Ghana analyzed the importance and determinants of food transfers received from urban or rural households. It examined whether participation in agriculture reduces a household's likelihood of receiving food transfers, showing that households participating in urban agriculture had a lower chance of receiving food transfers from other urban dwellers. Female-headed households and aging household heads had an increased likelihood of receiving food transfers, with grains and tubers being the most commonly received food groups, typically from rural and urban relatives.
Food sovereignty & justiceEconomicsWelfareUrban–rural linkageBecoming Garden
2018Kelsey Wapenaar, Aideen DeSchutter · Journal of Childhood Studies · Global
This paper consists of a series of moments evolving from an inquiry with a community garden plot, involving children's, educators', and families' experimentations and processes of "coming to know" the garden. Through this inquiry, it was found that a community garden is open to a plurality of possibilities. This entangled process of coming to know engages the imaginary and involves layers of touching, hearing, seeing, drawing, talking, writing, and storying the garden.
CommunityFood educationDIYA Handbook for Beginning and Veteran Garden Organizers
2018Renee Raiden Boyer, Ben Chapman · VTechWorks (Virginia Tech) · Global
This handbook outlines recommended agricultural practices for food safety in school and community gardens. Topics include food safety, site selection, pesticides and fertilizers, handwashing, water and irrigation, composting, garden design and animals, sanitation, and tools.
Food educationCommunityCompostOrganic cyclePerception of Community Residents on Supporting Urban Agriculture in Malaysian City: Case Study at Bukit Mertajam
2018Pushpawani Ramaloo, Choong-Yeun Liong, Chamhuri Siwar, Anizan Isahak · · Malaysia
In the Taman Desa Damai community of Bukit Mertajam City, Penang State, Malaysia, in-depth interviews and observations were conducted with 15 community residents to investigate the influences of urban agriculture on social, economic, and environmental benefits. The study found that while community farming is significant in realizing the potential of the residential community, it faces obstacles to long-term sustainability.
Economic viabilityCommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceCommunal garden and the liminal city
2018Torange Khonsari · · Global
This paper discusses community gardens as highly regarded assets by citizens and local authorities, negotiating a space between the informal arena of everyday life and the formal regulated realm of the state, constructing a liminal space where civic action takes place, using Abbey Gardens as a case study. It outlines power relations, relations between the formal state and informal everyday life of a garden, and its subsequent agency towards its role in the formation of liminal civic places in neighborhoods.
CommunityPolicyEconomic Crisis and Peri-Urban Agriculture: A Socio-Environmental Vision
2018Luca Salvati, Silvia Pili · Journal of Sociological Research · Greece (Athens)
This study proposes an approach to understand new food production strategies in fragmented peri-urban landscapes, focusing on local primary sector actors. A preliminary survey in the Athens metropolitan region, Greece, aims to identify trends in peri-urban farming and their implications for farmers and citizens, considering urban sprawl and land-use conflicts.
Peri-urban agricultureEconomicsPolicyUrban–rural linkageGardens, cities and people - How to assess urban gardening
2018J Dostalík, Radoslava Krylová, Vojtěch Pelikán, Lucie Sovová, Zbyněk Ulčák · · Global
This paper presents a methodological tool designed to standardize the assessment of gardening sites and offer a user-friendly approach for evaluating diverse urban gardening areas. This multidisciplinary methodology assesses territory from three perspectives: urban gardening in urban planning, the social benefits of gardening communities and economic aspects including food security contributions, and the environmental aspects of gardening sites, such as their support for biodiversity.
CommunityEconomicsBiodiversityPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceDimensions of urban agriculture
2018Joshua Zeunert · · Global
This chapter examines urban agriculture (UA) through six dimensions: spatial, economic, social, environmental, practical, and intellectual. It highlights UA's financial returns, production volumes, sustainability benefits, and social value. The chapter concludes that a clearer understanding of UA's value within governance, academia, and communities is imperative to overcome regulatory barriers.
Governance failureEconomicsCommunityPolicyClimate change