Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
3241 results(89 / 130)
Urban AgriCulture and Food Systems Dynamics: Urban Gardening and Urban Farming of the Bonn-Rhein-Sieg region, Germany
2016Darya Hirsch, Christian H. Meyer, Johannes Klement, Martin Hamer, Wiltrud Terlau, Hirsch, Darya, Meyer, Christian, Klement, Johannes, Hamer, Martin, Terlau, Wiltrud · Publication Server of Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences (Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences) · Germany
This paper presents an empirical case study on Urban AgriCulture initiatives in the Bonn-Rhein-Sieg region of Germany. It states that Urban AgriCulture is a niche movement with the potential to contribute significantly to urban development and constitute a pillar of urban quality of life.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsHealthUrban agriculture: why "one size fits all" approached don't work
2016Charlotte Prové, Joost Dessein, Michiel De Krom · Ghent University Academic Bibliography (Ghent University) · Belgium; Poland
A study evaluating urban agriculture in Belgium and Poland argues that current governance approaches fail to reflect the importance of local context. The authors found that considering city-specific factors is crucial for urban agriculture to reach its full potential. They recommend a broader policymaking strategy that acknowledges benefits beyond food production.
Governance failurePolicyEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityClimate changeEffects of CAP Reform on Peri-urban Agricultural Area in Umbrian Valley (Central Italy)
2016· · Italy
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) document from 2004 recognized the strategic value of peri-urban agriculture, describing these areas as complex territories with important economic, environmental, and social roles. The document also noted that peri-urban areas may include less favored areas, entitling local farmers to additional indemnity for natural or environmental limitations.
Peri-urban agriculturePolicyEconomicsUrban–rural linkageIntroduction Context and commonality: Women in agriculture worldwide
2016Manase Kudzai Chiweshe, Kudzai MacMillan Muzanago · · Zimbabwe (Harare)
This exploratory study analyzed the emergence of sack potato farming as an alternative empowerment platform for urban women in Zimbabwe, using qualitative methodologies and secondary literature. It found that sack potato production, which gained prominence in Zimbabwe in 2013, can increase food security and income for urban households and promotes micro-economic enterprises among urban women.
Food sovereignty & justiceWelfareCommunityEconomicsHistoric Landscape vs. Urban Commodity?: The Case of Yedikule Urban Gardens, Istanbul
2016Elifnaz Durusoy · MEGARON / Yıldız Technical University Faculty of Architecture E-Journal · Turkey (Istanbul)
The Yedikule Urban Gardens in Istanbul were studied as an example where cultural conservation and social inclusion have been challenged by economic development due to the growth of urban development. This study emphasizes both destruction and development within the context of physical, natural, economic, and social change. It demonstrates the hardships faced when attempting to sustain urban gardens during periods of urban growth.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyEconomicsFarmers' place identity and decision-making in a changing peri-urban environment: a case study of Wollondilly Shire Council
2016Laure‐Elise Ruoso, R. Plant, Brent Jacobs, Pierre Maurel · · Australia (Western Sydney)
This study, based on in-depth interviews with farmers in peri-urban Sydney, Australia, examines how changes in these areas impact farmers' place identity and decision-making. It analyzes how increasing urban development, land subdivision, rising land values, and environmental regulations threaten farming activities. The findings indicate that these factors influence farmers' practices, business management, and decisions to continue or relocate peri-urban farming.
Economic viabilityPeri-urban agricultureFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicy在来品種の顕在化プロセスと展開課題
2015山口 創 · 食資源教育研究センター報告（CEIS Papers）, 29: 83-88 · Japan
Through interview surveys of three cases (Komoike-dainagon bean, Harima-o garlic, Himeji-ebiimo taro), this paper analyzes the process by which local varieties become recognized regional resources and the challenges of their development.
Heirloom & landraceCommunityEconomicsBiodiversityAn environmental and economic life cycle assessment of rooftop greenhouse (RTG) implementation in Barcelona, Spain
2015Sanyé-Mengual E., Oliver-Solà J., Montero J. I., Rieradevall J. · The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 20:350-366 · Spain
Applies life cycle assessment and life cycle costing to rooftop greenhouse implementation in Barcelona, analyzing from greenhouse structure to final product and comparing with conventional industrial greenhouses to evaluate this new form of urban agriculture.
EconomicsFarming in and on urban buildings: Present practice and specific novelties of Zero-Acreage Farming (ZFarming)
2015Thomaier S., Specht K., Henckel D., Dierich A., Siebert R., Freisinger U. B., Sawicka M. · Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 30(1):43-54 · Global
Survey of 73 zero-acreage (building-based) farms across four continents, analyzing innovative technologies, supply patterns, and business networks of commercial hydroponic and aquaponic urban farming.
EconomicsOrganic cycleA systematic review of urban agriculture and food security impacts in low-income countries
2015Poulsen M. N., McNab P. R., Clayton M. L., Neff R. A. · Food Policy 55:131-146 · Global
Synthesizing 35 peer-reviewed studies from 1980-2013, this review finds urban agriculture in low-income countries can improve food availability and dietary diversity, especially benefiting women, though income gains are not always sufficient to ensure household food security.
WelfareHealthEconomics'Quiet Food Sovereignty' as Food Sovereignty without a Movement? Insights from Post-socialist Russia
2015Visser O., Mamonova N., Spoor M., Nikulin A. · Globalizations · Russia
Introduces the concept of 'quiet food sovereignty' to describe how Russian smallholders practise dispersed, muted, bottom-up food autonomy in the absence of organised rural social movements.
PolicyCommunityEconomicsWelfareFamily Urban Agriculture in Russia: Lessons and Prospects
2015Boukharaeva L.M., Marloie M. · Springer (Urban Agriculture Series) · Russia
A Springer monograph documenting research since 1999 on urban gardening collectives in Russia, analysing the social, cultural, and food-security roles of family urban agriculture and its prospects.
CommunityEconomicsFood educationWelfareFood securitization and urban agriculture in Hanoi (Vietnam)
2015Pulliat G. · Articulo – Journal of Urban Research · Vietnam (Hanoi)
Based on qualitative fieldwork with underprivileged households in Hanoi, this paper argues that small-scale urban and peri-urban agriculture provides affordable, safe, and diverse food for low-income residents, while current urbanization policies generate spatial injustice by restricting access to agricultural land.
HealthPolicyEconomicsCommunityThe effect of women's home gardens on vegetable production and consumption in Bangladesh
2015Schreinemachers P., Patalagsa M.A., Islam M.R., Uddin M.N., Ahmad S., Biswas S.C., Ahmed M.T., Yang R.Y., Hanson P., Begum S., Takagi C. · Food Security · Bangladesh
A study of 582 poor rural Bangladeshi women found home garden training increased per-capita vegetable production by 86% and significantly improved dietary diversity and nutrient supply including iron (+284%) and vitamin A (+189%).
HealthFood educationEconomicsWhat Can Urban Gardening Really Do About Gentrification? A Case-Study of Three San Francisco Community Gardens
2015Guillaume Marche · European journal of American studies · United States (San Francisco)
This contribution examines three significantly different community garden projects in San Francisco to ask whether urban gardening leans toward empowering a neighborhood's current residents or toward their displacement amid the city's gentrification, housing shortage, and rising real-estate prices. It questions whether garden projects can have any impact on large-scale socioeconomic phenomena such as the city's changing demographics, and whether they are even intended to address gentrification.
CommunityPolicyEconomicsZero-Acreage Farming in the City of Berlin: An Aggregated Stakeholder Perspective on Potential Benefits and Challenges
2015· Sustainability · Germany (Berlin)
Analyzes benefits and challenges of Zero-Acreage Farming (building-integrated agriculture such as rooftop gardens and greenhouses) in Berlin from an aggregated multi-stakeholder perspective, identifying rooftop greenhouses as the most promising model.
EconomicsPolicyCommunityDesign, fabrication and performance evaluation of solar dryer for banana
2015Hegde V.N., Hosur V.S., Rathod S.K., Harsoor P.A., Narayana K.B. · Energy, Sustainability and Society · India
Designs and fabricates an indirect, active-type, low-cost solar dryer from locally available, biodegradable materials. Evaluates drying characteristics and quality using banana, a crop with high post-harvest losses in India.
DIYFood lossEconomicsDesign and Construction of an Inexpensive Homemade Plant Growth Chamber
2015· PLOS ONE · Global
Describes the design and construction of an inexpensive homemade plant growth chamber built from low-cost materials as an accessible alternative to costly commercial units for controlled indoor plant growth.
DIYEconomicsAn Automated System for Monitoring Soil Moisture and Controlling Irrigation Using Low-cost Open-source Microcontrollers
2015· HortTechnology · Global
An automated irrigation controller built from open-source Arduino boards, capacitance soil-moisture sensors and solenoid valves that logs volumetric water content and triggers irrigation by threshold; inexpensive and suited to home gardens, greenhouses and nurseries.
DIYEconomicsThe Unattainable Trifecta of Urban Agriculture
2015Daftary-Steel S., Herrera H., Porter C. M. · Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development · USA
A reflective essay arguing that the expectation that urban agriculture can simultaneously provide affordable food, job training, and generate profit without sustained outside funding is a myth, criticizing the assumption of financial self-sufficiency.
EconomicsCommunityCommercial aquaponics production and profitability: Findings from an international survey
2015Love D. C., Fry J. P., Li X. · Aquaculture · Global
An international survey of 257 commercial aquaponics operations found only 31% were profitable in the prior 12 months, with many relying on non-food income such as classes, tours, and equipment sales, documenting weak commercial profitability.
EconomicsUrban agriculture and food security: A critique based on an assessment of urban land constraints
2015Badami M., Ramankutty N. · Global Food Security · Global
Assessing the urban land needed to grow the urban poor's daily vegetables, the authors conclude urban agriculture can make only a limited contribution to food security in low-income countries where need is greatest, and argue its benefits are often overstated.
PolicyEconomicsUrban vegetable for food security in cities. A review
2015Eigenbrod C., Gruda N. · Agronomy for Sustainable Development · Global
Reviewing urban vegetable production for food security, the authors note that high land prices and urban pollution constrain urban horticulture, indicating that despite opening new cultivation sites, such limits make it difficult for urban agriculture to fully meet cities' food demand.
EconomicsPolicyProfitability and Sustainability of Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture
2015FAO · Food and Agriculture Organization · Global (Africa and other regions)
FAO report on profitability and sustainability of urban and peri-urban agriculture systems. Case analyses across regions examine economic viability, environmental conservation, and food security contributions. Includes policy recommendations for smallholder-based local food systems.
EconomicsContributing to food security in urban areas: differences between urban agriculture and peri-urban agriculture in the Global North
2015Ina Opitz, Regine Berges, Annette Piorr, Thomas Krikser · Agriculture and Human Values · Global
An extensive literature review systematically analyzed urban and peri-urban agriculture in the Global North, comparing their spatial, ecological, and socio-economic characteristics. The study found that urban and peri-urban agriculture differ in most characteristics and in their ability to meet urban food needs. Urban agriculture primarily meets household-level food needs, while peri-urban agriculture provides larger quantities and broader distribution pathways, indicating distinct roles in food security. Both forms of agriculture face similar threats from urbanization pressures.
Food sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageEconomicsPolicy