Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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1031 results(9 / 42)
Chicago's urban food networks: Mapping the future of a thriving metropolitan foodshed
2024Gundula Proksch, George Lee · · United States
Based on data from the Chicago Urban Agriculture Mapping Project, this study used GIS mapping to investigate urban agriculture typologies and their distribution in the Chicago metropolitan area. It showed that small-scale non-profit gardens are integrated closely with communities, while commercial controlled environment agriculture (CEA) operations utilize existing infrastructure and buildings in commercial and industrial corridors. Both types of urban agriculture serve different needs, providing various benefits to the urban population, from social services to fresh food production and economic development.
CommunityFood educationPolicyWelfareUrban–rural linkageIndependence of housewives through hydroponic urban farming as an effort to improve family economy
2024Ainun Mardiana, Nurdiana Nurdiana, Tuti Supatminingsih, Inanna Inanna, Muhammad Hasan · Journal of Agrosociology and Sustainability · Indonesia (Makassar)
This qualitative study investigated the potential of hydroponic urban farming for empowering housewives and increasing family economic income within the Women Farmers Group (KWT) of Anggrek, Bara-Baraya District, Makassar City, Indonesia. Based on in-depth interviews with three housewives and one government official, the findings indicate that hydroponic urban farming has a significant positive impact on the independence and economic income of families. The study concludes that this practice significantly enhances women's economic self-reliance.
EconomicsCommunityWelfareMotivations for Urban Agriculture Policies: Evidence from Norway’s Largest Urban Areas
2024Inger‐Lise Saglie · The Geojournal library · Norway
This study investigated the motivations for urban agriculture policies in Oslo, Bergen, and Trondheim, Norway, identifying five categories of motivations. These include urban "green" development, food production and alternative food systems, provision of social meeting places and community building, municipal welfare services (work training, integration, health promotion, knowledge sharing), and active citizenship and co-creation of city development. While motivations were similar across cities, their emphasis varied.
PolicyCommunityBiodiversityWelfareConteúdos atuais do circuito inferior da economia urbana
2024Marcos Xavier · Boletim Campineiro de Geografia · Brazil (São Paulo)
This article aims to present peripheral urban agriculture in the outskirts of São Paulo, Brazil, as an element of the lower circuit of the urban economy. These agricultural activities, carried out by the city's poor, exhibit forms of organization and methods of practice specific to the urban context and participate in the dispute over the appropriation and use of urban space.
Peri-urban agricultureEconomicsCommunityWelfareMeningkatkan Semangat Komunitas Wanita Tani Melalui Revitalisasi Kebun Bibit Desa Karangmulyo
2024Alif Khair An Nassaj, Muhammad Luqman Hakim, Hanna Zharifa Marmu’asyifa, Liya Tsanyyatul Khishol, Andre Alfiansyah, Muhammad Afiq · Solusi Bersama · Indonesia
In Karangmulyo Village, Indonesia, the COVID-19 pandemic led to a decline in the quality and productivity of community gardens and parks. A village nursery revitalization program aimed to overcome these negative impacts, restore land function, and boost the morale of women farmer communities through infrastructure improvements, adaptive crop planting, sustainable agricultural techniques, and community involvement. However, this abstract does not report on the specific effects of this program, such as the improvement of overall community welfare or the ensured sustainability of the village environment.
Limited or null effectCommunityWelfareClimate changeWhich Households Raise Livestock in Urban and Peri-Urban Areas of Eight Developing Asian Countries?
2024Sayaka Ushimaru, Rintaro Iwata, Eka Rastiyanto Amrullah, Arini Wahyu Utami, Akira Ishida · Agriculture · Asia
This study used Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data to identify which households raise livestock in urban and peri-urban areas of eight developing Asian countries. Results show that at least 10% of households keep livestock, with over 30% in four countries practicing urban and peri-urban livestock farming (UPLF). Poultry is the most common livestock, and poorer families are more likely to raise livestock, suggesting UPLF can improve food and nutritional security for low-income households.
Peri-urban agricultureFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsWelfareCultivating Change: Empowering Communities Among Elderly Through Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Smart Urban Farming
2024Nasreen Khan, Anusuyah Subbarao, Shereen Khan, Aysa Siddika · Journal of Human Earth and Future · Malaysia
This research investigated whether the adoption of smart urban farming (SUF) enhances the social and economic well-being (SEW) of senior citizens, involving 130 elderly participants from Klang Valley, Malaysia. Survey data was analyzed using SPSS. The study revealed that while Social Entrepreneurship alone may not be enough to encourage elderly adoption of SUF, combining it with social innovation significantly increases adoption. It also indicated that SUF adoption enhances the elderly's SEW.
ElderlyCommunityEconomicsWelfareThe community contributions of urban farms in Singapore
2024Sean Olivia Nicholas, Niki Harré · Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems · Singapore
A review of existing literature and a case study of three urban farms in Singapore were conducted to examine their community contributions. Content analysis of 27 interviews with employees and volunteers revealed that these farms empower participants, generate social capital, provide jobs, involve marginalized groups, and promote pro-environmental behaviors. However, the farms were limited by poor job prospects and lower-than-expected yield.
Economic viabilityCommunityWelfareEconomicsClimate changeEvaluation of the nature based community recovery project - Extended 2023
2024Joanne E. Porter, Megan Simic, Elizabeth Miller, Daria Soldatenko, Luis Hualda · · Australia
This project, commissioned by the Collaborative Evaluation and Research Centre (CERC), explored how nature improved the recovery of remote and rural communities affected by bushfires in East Gippsland, Australia. Data were collected from June to September 2023 through a nature-based community recovery project survey and community interviews. Phase 1 evaluated grant-funded projects, while Phase 2 investigated how broader communities interacted with nature for healing after the 2019-2020 bushfires.
CommunityWelfareFood educationSustainable Parental Resources of Organic Urban Teaching (SPROUT): An Innovation to Upgrade 4Ps Parents’ Livelihood Sustainability
2024Lynch Jun H. Dondriano, Cathy Jane A. Susuban, Michelle C. Estreller, Saddamiya A. Mingkat · International journal of research and scientific innovation · Philippines
This action research study introduces the Sustainable Parental Resources of Organic Urban Teaching (SPROUT) innovation, aimed at upgrading the livelihood sustainability of parents participating in the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) in the Philippines. SPROUT supports parents in growing organic produce for personal consumption and potential income generation through sustainable agriculture practices and urban gardening techniques. This approach has the potential to enhance families' nutritional status, promote environmental stewardship, and encourage a shift towards healthier, sustainable lifestyles.
WelfareFood educationDIYEconomicsPemberdayaan PKK dengan Pemanfaatan Lingkungan Secara Urban Farming untuk Pengembangan Pertanian Perkotaan
2024Fefi Nurdiana Widjayanti, Insan Wijaya, Firlana Rosa, Farah Zahra, Fajar Pamadi · Kontribusi Jurnal Penelitian dan Pengabdian Kepada Masyarakat · Indonesia
This study aimed to empower PKK (Family Welfare Movement) in Indonesia by providing urban farming knowledge and techniques, utilizing yards, narrow lands, and plastic waste to increase family income. Extension, training, and mentoring on static and non-static hydroponic cultivation techniques were conducted, and hydroponic systems such as verticulture using polybags, DFT (Deep Film Technique), floating raft, and verticulture were developed. These activities contributed to improving skills and knowledge in cultivating hydroponic vegetables using plastic waste and increasing income.
CommunityWelfareEconomicsFood educationOrganic cycleCapabilities and Beyond: Towards an Operationalization of Eudaimonic Well-Being in a Public Space Context
2024Beata Sirowy · The Geojournal library · Global
This chapter discusses and operationalizes the concept of eudaimonic well-being in cities, based on Aristotle's view of human flourishing and Martha Nussbaum's capability approach, within the context of public space. It proposes using Nussbaum's ten human capabilities and the consideration of virtues to evaluate how urban agriculture projects can sustain well-being dimensions through spatial/functional and social affordances. The research argues for a clearer distinction between eudaimonic and hedonic well-being in urban studies.
HealthCommunityWelfareGREEN INFORMALITIES AS SOCIALLY JUST ECOLOGICAL INFRASTRUCTURE: Enduring with Dignity at the Edges of Resilient Development in Dhaka
2024Efadul Huq · International Journal of Urban and Regional Research · Bangladesh (Dhaka)
This article argues that in the global South, ecological infrastructure often displaces marginalized urban dwellers by erasing existing informal agricultural practices, or "green informalities." Based on research with urban farmers facing eviction in Dhaka, Bangladesh, it highlights that these green informalities are crucial for understanding grassroots practices and collective power-building. The study advocates for recognizing the political and affective dimensions of informal urban agriculture as a socially just ecological infrastructure that prioritizes justice and dweller agency.
Equity & displacementFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityWelfarePolicyEconomicsHorta comunitária – produção de hortaliças para segurança alimentar de famílias com vulnerabilidade social
2024Ive Mariana Guissoni Arantes, Cícero José Da Silva, Natália Gislene Silva Salvador, Anselmo Afonso Golynski, Ênio Eduardo Basílio, Danilo Silva de Oliveira, Valentine Virginia Matheus, Eduardo Cardoso da Silva Assunção · Caderno Pedagógico · Brazil (Morrinhos-Goiás)
The Horta Comunitária extension project in Morrinhos-Goiás, Brazil, produces vegetables to ensure food security for socially vulnerable families. Managed by teachers, staff, and students from Intituto Federal Goiano Campus – Morrinhos, the project has achieved significant results in training and providing healthy food.
CommunityWelfareFood educationFood sovereignty & justiceOccupant Needs for Neighborhood Outdoor Spaces Based on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs: Evidence from Wuxi, China
2024Jing Zhao, Faziawati Abdul Aziz, Norsidah Ujang · International Journal of Business and Technology Management · China (Wuxi)
This study investigated the correlation between residents' needs and the provision of neighborhood outdoor spaces in Wuxi, China, through the lens of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, using survey data from 372 residents. Findings revealed that residents seek clean and verdant spaces at the physiological level, well-lit and secure spaces for safety, environments like community gardens that encourage interaction for love and belonging, aesthetically appealing spaces that bolster local identity for esteem, and areas providing avenues for personal development, such as neighborhood vegetable gardens, for self-actualization.
CommunityHealthWelfareGreen Informalities as Socially Just Ecological Infrastucture: Enduring with Dignity at the Edges of Resilient Development in Dhaka
2024Huq, Efadul · Smith ScholarWorks (Smith College) · Bangladesh (Dhaka)
Research in Dhaka, Bangladesh, indicates that ecological infrastructure often erases existing informal agricultural practices, leading to the displacement of marginalized urban dwellers. Based on engaged research with a collective of urban farmers facing eviction, this paper argues that green informalities are crucial for understanding grassroots practices and can be appreciated as socially just ecological infrastructure.
Equity & displacementCommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyWelfareINTRODUCTION TO GRASS JELLY CULTIVATION THROUGH THE URBAN FARMING CONCEOT FOR FAMILY WELFARE AND EMPOWERMENT GROUP OF RW IX, GRIYA BHAYANGKARA
2024Puji Lestari Tarigan, Edi Purnomo Sasongko, Haidar Fari Aditya, Wanti Mindari, Ramadhani Mahendra Kusuma, Fitri Wijayanti · Journal of Community Service · Indonesia (Sidoarjo)
This community service activity in RW IX, Griya Bhayangkara, Sidoarjo, East Java, introduced the cultivation of green grass jelly using urban farming methods like polybags and pots to PKK groups. The aim was to highlight the plant's benefits for digestion, blood sugar, and cancer prevention, and its potential for household-scale processing. The activity, which included lectures and practical sessions, resulted in the distribution of grass jelly plants for care and harvesting, with the PKK group finding them interesting and beneficial for various food preparations.
DIYCommunityWelfareFood educationA Systematic Review of Korean Studies on the Health Effects of Care Farming
2024Minah Baek, Eunseo Jeong, Eunjeong Kang · Academy of Urban Health · South Korea
This systematic review analyzed 19 domestic studies on the health effects of care farming in South Korea, noting an increase in research since 2020 across diverse fields. Horticultural therapy was the most common intervention, with insect, forest, and urban gardening showing positive effects on stress, depression, and cognitive and emotional functions. Recommendations included increased attention from healthcare researchers, standardization of practices, and policy support.
HealthWelfareElderlyCommunitySegurança alimentar e nutricional e agricultura urbana
2024Deyvison Lopes de Siqueira, Albér Carlos Alves Santos, Bruno Jesus do Nascimento, Gustavo Henrique Cepolini Ferreira · Revista da ANPEGE · Brazil
This article reviews the role of urban agriculture in improving food and nutritional security for vulnerable populations in Brazil, where 33.1 million people lacked guaranteed daily food in 2022. It highlights urban gardens as an alternative to enhance access to healthy food. The study suggests that maps, data, and strengthened public policies can promote urban gardens as food cultivation spaces in urban and peri-urban areas, forming networks to combat hunger.
Food sovereignty & justiceWelfarePolicyGrowing together or growing apart? A study of food donation community garden programming during the COVID-19 pandemic
2024Moses Wanyakha, Nancy Grudens‐Schuck, Ann M. Oberhauser · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United States (Iowa)
This study investigated resilience and vulnerabilities in fresh produce donation partnership programs to food pantries in Iowa during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings revealed a significant decrease in labor hours during the pandemic years of 2020–2021, attributed to government policies and social distancing requirements. Volunteer shortages, donation inconsistency, and exclusionary community practices appeared to be inherent vulnerabilities of volunteer-based food donation programs.
Limited or null effectCommunityWelfareFood lossPolicyOptimasi Program Urban Farming untuk Mengatasi Kerawanan Pangan di Daerah Perkotaan
2024Aulia Adetya · Policy Brief Pertanian Kelautan dan Biosains Tropika · Indonesia
This policy brief discusses urban farming as a strategy to address food insecurity in Indonesian urban areas, which face weakened local food availability and high reliance on external supplies. Urban farming, encompassing integrated farming or agriculture, has been widely adopted across Indonesian cities with diverse objectives. The brief highlights urban farming's potential to strengthen urban food security and emphasizes the need for supportive policies, including limited land use, citizen training, and assessing the impact of such training.
Food sovereignty & justicePolicyFood educationWelfareConstrucción del sujeto colectivo: utilidades sociales de los huertos urbanos comunitarios
2024Lucas López Sosa, Gloria E. Casanova Molina · Revista Temas Sociológicos · Spain (Barcelona), Chile
This ethnographic study conducted in Barcelona and Santiago de Chile comparatively analyzed the social utilities, conflicts, and tensions faced in the daily management of urban community gardens. The study found significant symbolic and practical similarities between the gardens in both cities, despite geographical and cultural differences, highlighting their value as tools for urban and social regeneration.
Governance failureCommunityWelfareImpact of food based intergeneration community intervention
2024Fotini Tsofliou, R. Vijayakumaran, Ashley Wilson, Anthony Mills · Proceedings of The Nutrition Society · United Kingdom (Dorset)
This pilot research, conducted with fourteen adults in disadvantaged areas of Dorset, UK, explored perceptions on the importance and roles of community food garden and kitchen initiatives. Four main themes emerged from the participants' perspectives: tackling food insecurity and sustainability, utilization of climate-friendly and organic food, bridging the intergenerational gap, and promoting a healthy lifestyle.
CommunityHealthFood educationWelfareElderlyThe Practical Ethics of Urban Agriculture in Public Housing
2024Nevin Cohen, Michael H. Stein, Annie Hancock, Alfonso Morales · Urban agriculture · United States
This paper examined two housing authority-led urban agriculture projects in New York City and Denver, Colorado, highlighting their multidimensional benefits such as skill-building and community cohesion. While these projects improved residents' daily experiences, the study noted that social problems persist despite new interactions. The analysis emphasized the need to consider both stated and implicit goals in urban agriculture ethics, acknowledging that attempts to harmonize competing claims are at the root of urban agriculture practices.
Equity & displacementCommunityPolicyHealthWelfareA Culturally Specific Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Program to Improve Diet in Immigrant Communities in Brooklyn, New York
2024Sze Wan Chan, Matthew G. Chin, Rachel Suss, Kiran Yan Kui, Stanley Z. Lam, Elizabeth Dowd, Calliope Bosen, Steve Mei, Kathleen Barth, Michelle Hughes, Stella S. Yi · Health Promotion Practice · United States (New York City)
A community-supported agriculture (CSA) pilot program was implemented for 38 immigrant families in Brooklyn, New York, from June to October 2022 over a 20-week period, providing Chinese-specific produce and nutrition education. Participants reported eating more and a greater variety of vegetables, and had higher vegetable intake measured via skin carotenoid scores. This pilot program may inform the adaptation of nutrition interventions to reduce inequities in chronic diseases in immigrant communities.
CSA & TeikeiHealthCommunityWelfare