Research & reports

Runrid Fox-Kämper · REAL CORP Repository (University of Southampton) · Europe

This paper explores the functions of urban gardening for European cities, with an emphasis on ageing societies. It presents research on living preferences of aged persons in four German cities, indicating the importance of green space access and social functions of urban gardens. The paper also includes a literature review on urban gardening's functions in European cities and initial results from the COST Action on urban allotment gardens.

Beth Perry, ⁄ Walsh, Diana Silver · White Rose Research Online (University of Leeds, The University of Sheffield, University of York) · United Kingdom

This project, conducted from October 2014 to May 2015, focused on the Biospheric Foundation in Blackfriars, East Salford, UK. The Biospheric Foundation was an urban socio-ecological experiment aiming to implement a whole-system approach to urban farming in a deprived area. Its goals included designing interconnected systems, retrofitting a building for ecological research, and raising public awareness of healthy food and ecological systems in urban settings.

Dieneke Schram-Bijkerk, Dirven-van Breemen L, P Otte · Rivm (National Institute for Public Health and the Environment) · Europe

Based on a literature review conducted by the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), this report examines the health and living-environment effects of non-commercial neighborhood vegetable gardens on vacant urban land. It notes that garden work is associated with increased physical activity and consumption of self-grown vegetables and fruit, and indications of reduced stress and increased social contact in the neighborhood, while also stressing the importance of minimizing risks from soil and air pollution. The review identifies measurable indicators for each health effect and recommends using consistent measurement methods to enable international comparison; findings are also used to inform research on allotment gardens in various European countries.

Carly Wood, Jules Pretty, Murray Griffin · Journal of Public Health · United Kingdom

A UK case-control study measured self-esteem, mood, and general health in 136 allotment gardeners before and after a gardening session, and compared them with 133 non-gardener controls. Paired t-tests showed a significant improvement in self-esteem following an allotment session, and one-way ANCOVA showed allotment gardeners had significantly better self-esteem, total mood disturbance, and general health than controls (P<0.001), with less depression and fatigue and more vigour (P<0.0083).

Christian M., Evans C., Cade J. · Public Health Research, Vol. 2, No. 4 (NIHR Journals Library) · United Kingdom

Two randomised controlled trials in London primary schools evaluating the RHS Campaign for School Gardening. They found gardening alone had very little impact on children's fruit and vegetable intake, suggesting it must be combined with nutrition education to change diet.

Christian M.S., Evans C.E.L., Nykjaer C., Hancock N., Cade J.E. · International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity · UK

A randomized controlled trial across 23 schools comparing an RHS-led gardening intervention with a teacher-led one; 641 children completed it, finding little evidence that school gardening alone improves children's fruit and vegetable intake.

Massimiliano Agovino, Antonio Garofalo, Angela Mariani · RIVISTA DI STUDI SULLA SOSTENIBILITA · Italy

This paper assessed and compared the urban environmental quality performance of Italian provinces using the Legambiente Index and the Local Moran Transition Probability Matrix. The results revealed a persistent dualism between Northern and Southern Italy and a lack of positive environmental spillover among neighboring provinces. The study suggests that Southern Italy should prioritize improving sustainable food sourcing for urban development.

Jemma Hawkins, Alexander D. Smith, Karianne Backx, Deborah A. Clayton · Journal of Aging and Physical Activity · United Kingdom (Wales)

To examine the exercise intensity of gardening activity for older adult allotment gardeners in Wales, oxygen consumption and energy expenditure for six gardening tasks were measured via indirect calorimetry. Estimated metabolic equivalent units (METs) were calculated from these measures. The six gardening tasks were classified as low to moderate-high intensity physical activities based on their metabolic values (1.9-5.7 METs).

Hillary J. Shaw · · United Kingdom (Birmingham)

This chapter describes four stages by which people have become divorced from the origins of human food: industrialization, globalization, supermarketization, and dromology. Ashram Acres, established in 1981 in Birmingham, England, exemplifies many merits of urban agriculture, aiming to utilize the agricultural expertise of local migrants from South Asia, the Caribbean, and Ireland.

Barbara Walczak · Ochrona Środowiska i Zasobów Naturalnych · Poland (Zielona Góra)

This paper presents the total and phytoavailable copper content in allotment garden soils in Zielona Góra, Poland. Soil samples from eight garden plots and two neighboring areas showed total copper content ranging from 2.58 to 16.23 mg·kg⁻¹ and phytoavailable copper from 0.2 to 3.85 mg·kg⁻¹. The total copper content met the requirements of relevant Polish directives on heavy metals in soils and soil quality standards.

Edward Duś · Environmental & Socio-economic Studies · Poland

This analysis examines the recreational use of allotment gardens in the industrial Katowice conurbation, Silesia, southern Poland, considering their historical development. Allotment gardens serve as a primary base for recreation for their owners, offering both physical activities and passive leisure. Recreational use is seasonal and varies daily, influenced by weather and available free time, with socio-economic changes impacting utilization methods and types of recreational use.

Marcelo Ortega Romero, Juan Mingot Marcilla, María Jesús García Martínez, Eduardo de Miguel, Miguel Izquierdo‐Díaz, Amaya Gómez · · Spain (Madrid)

This study evaluated the potential health risk from trace elements in urban garden soils in Madrid, Spain. Thirty-six composite soil samples were collected from the top 20 cm of six urban gardens, and concentrations of cobalt, chromium, copper, nickel, lead, and zinc were determined. The findings indicated that urban soils are significantly enriched in trace elements relative to background levels, suggesting a potential health risk.

Veguita de Graná · · Spain (Granada)

This conference addresses the question of whether urban gardens humanize cities. Students will visit the leisure gardens in Granada (Las Huertas). The conference is organized by the Permanent Seminar on Agroecology of the Faculty of Sciences at the University of Granada.

Jemma Hawkins, Jenny Mercer, Katie Thirlaway, Deborah A. Clayton · Ecopsychology · United Kingdom (Wales)

This study investigated the perceived health and well-being benefits of allotment gardening for community-dwelling older adults in Wales, UK, with a focus on stress recovery. Using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis, the study found that participants valued both the active "doing" of gardening and the passive "being" at the allotment site. These aspects were reported to provide a wide range of benefits to their health and well-being, including links to stress reduction.

Mucig Charlotte · · France

A survey on rainwater harvesting in community gardens in France indicates that while this practice has been ongoing for years, it is poorly documented and faces challenges in adapting to new French regulations. The findings highlight public health issues for both garden users and consumers of fruits and vegetables, as well as environmental and operational concerns.

Angie Dazé · VIUSpace (Vancouver Island University Library) · United Kingdom

This research project, conducted as part of a Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies, aimed to understand what people value about community gardens. It involved a series of interviews with volunteers at Brockwell Park Community Greenhouses in South London, using an Appreciative Inquiry approach to explore their experiences. The study focuses on the garden as an educational and social resource, run primarily by volunteers.

Vittori Antisari, Livia; Dipartimento Di Scienze E Tecnologie Agroambientali, University Of Bologna, Bologna, Serena Carbone, Ferronato, Chiara; Dipartimento Di Scienze E Tecnologie Agroambientali, University Of Bologna, Bologna, Simoni, Andrea; Dipartimento Di Scienze E Tecnologie Agroambientali, University Of Bologna, Bologna, Vianello, Gilmo; Dipartimento Di Scienze E Tecnologie Agroambientali, University Of Bologna, Bologna · Archivio istituzionale della ricerca (Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna) · Italy (Bologna)

Concentrations of heavy metals (Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, V, Zn) were determined in topsoil, plants, and moss tissues in the suburban area of Bologna, Italy, due to an urban waste incinerator and other atmospheric emission sources. No correlation was found between metal content and the incinerator plant's distance. The pollution load index (PLI) for soil and moss indicated low environmental pollution, but the highest values in sites downwind of the incinerator and in a craft area indicated moderate pollution.

Isabelle Anguelovski · City and Community · Spain (Barcelona), United States (Boston), Cuba

The role of place attachment in environmental mobilization among local activists improving degraded spaces, such as urban farms and community gardens, was investigated in three marginalized neighborhoods in Barcelona, Spain; Boston, USA; and Havana, Cuba. Activists in all three locations used environmental projects to express grief over community loss, fear of erasure, and emotional connection to their neighborhoods. They aimed to construct "safe havens" and remake places for residents to address environmental trauma.

Giovanni Attili · IRIS Research product catalog (Sapienza University of Rome) · Italy (Rome)

This study focused on community gardens in Rome, Italy, which largely result from informal appropriation practices. While these gardens can enhance environmental and social quality of life, they require institutional support and present a crucial challenge for urban planning. The study highlights the need to explore tensions between social practices and institutional powers, and questions how public policy can legitimize these self-guiding societal expressions.

Ruud Abma, U. Kirchholtes, J.E. Jansma, M.P. Vijn · Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) · Europe

Urban agriculture is a subject of societal interest, seen as a promising contributor to sustainable urban development. It offers alternatives for agricultural professionals, accessible locations for urban residents to relax and learn, and often improves the physical and social environment of neighborhoods.

I. Karabozhilova, Barbara Wieland, Silvia Alonso, Laura Salonen, Barbara Häsler · British Poultry Science · United Kingdom (London)

A 2010 questionnaire survey of 30 backyard chicken flock-keepers in the Greater London Urban Area found that while chickens generally had conditions for natural behaviors, most owners did not comply with regulations on catering waste feeding. Disease prevention measures were rare, and a lack of avian and zoonotic disease knowledge among owners was observed, indicating implications for disease control.

Zbigniew Ziembik, Agnieszka Dołhańczuk-Śródka, Grzegorz Kusza · Proceedings of ECOpole · Poland

Soil samples were collected from the former "Piast" cement plant within Opole city borders, Poland, and nearby allotment gardens to study radioisotope activity concentrations. Naturally occurring radioisotopes and artificial Cs were found, with K and Cs showing the biggest radioactivity concentration. No significant differences in radionuclide activities were found between soil samples from the former industrial estate and the allotment gardens.

Anna‐Katarina Schilling, Helmut Hotzel, Ulrich Methner, Lisa D. Sprague, Gernot Schmoock, Hosny El‐Adawy, Ralf Ehricht, Anna-Caroline Wöhr, Michael Erhard, Lutz Geue · Applied and Environmental Microbiology · Germany

This study investigated the presence of zoonotic agents in small ruminants kept on city farms in southern Germany, sampling feces and nasal liquid from 48 animals (28 goats, 20 sheep) across 7 city farms and one activity playground. Findings revealed that 100% of sampled sheep and 89.3% of goats carried Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC). Staphylococcus spp. were detected in 75% of both sheep and goats, and Campylobacter spp. in 25% of sheep and 14.3% of goats. Neither Salmonella spp. nor Coxiella burnetii was found.

Alma Clavin · Local Environment · Europe

This paper reports on the multiple impacts that community garden design may have on the subjective well-being of site users, using the capability approach as a normative framework. Qualitative research conducted in five community garden sites in the UK and Ireland in early 2011 yielded new explanations for both sustainable design and well-being. Two key design aspects, agency and dynamic balance, were found to enhance both the sustainability of the community garden sites and the well-being of site users.

Monica Caggiano · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · France

This brief article discusses the public health role of urban agriculture in urban contexts, where most of the world's population now lives, noting its contribution to food security in developing countries and ecological services everywhere (citing FAO, 2000). It states that the new interest in urban agriculture reflects diverse and multifaceted needs and trends, illustrated by the notable urban agriculture practices found in the densely built city of Paris.