Research & reports

Temi Indriati Miranda, Nurlia Listiani, Nugroho Purwono, Dwiyanti Kusumaningrum, Nirma Yossa, Diah Setiari Suhodo · Journal of Urban Management · Indonesia (Jakarta)

This study examines how informal actors along Jakarta's East Flood Canal (KBT), Indonesia, perceive and adapt to unclear governance conditions, based on two months of ethnographic fieldwork including 15 semi-structured interviews and field observations. It finds that informal practices such as street vending and urban farming are crucial to livelihoods and the urban ecosystem, creating green space, supporting food security and strengthening local identity, but that these actors constantly face eviction threats and exclusion from government support and protection due to inconsistent law enforcement, while still showing resilience through adaptive strategies and social innovation such as optimizing spatial use and building community networks.

Shahida Mohd Sharif, Izyan Ayuni Mohamad Selamat, Norsidah Ujang · Springer Link (Chiba Institute of Technology) · Malaysia

This study used a hermeneutic phenomenological approach supported by field observations to examine the lived experiences of long-term gardeners at the PPR Intan Baiduri public housing estate in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, exploring how grassroots gardening supports resilience, health and informal governance. It found that gardening provides retirees and low-income residents with routine, emotional wellbeing and opportunities for informal economic participation, that community gardens function as micro-level bioresource systems by repurposing reserve land, composting household waste and drawing on institutional collaborations with agencies such as DBKL and TNB, and that participants collectively organize planting cycles and maintain shared infrastructure while navigating labor constraints and fluctuating participation.

Tinashe P. Kanosvamhira · Geo Geography and Environment · South Africa

This study examines how community gardens in Cape Town's marginalised Cape Flats area enact spatial justice through everyday practices, drawing on Henri Lefebvre's social production of space and its spatial triad -- perceived, conceived and lived space. Based on semi-structured interviews with representatives of 34 community gardens and state actors, supplemented by documentary analysis of planning and policy frameworks, it finds that gardeners physically transform neglected land into perceived spaces of cultivation despite insecure tenure and limited infrastructure (water access, soil quality), negotiate and subvert top-down planning by repurposing school grounds and municipal reserves as conceived space, and sustain memory and identity as lived space through crops, seed exchanges and collective action -- while persistent challenges of tenure precarity, resource scarcity and competing land-use pressures threaten each garden's longevity.

Affan Khoerul Pratama, Niken Kusuma Dewi, Ardhian Oktawidyaman, Afia Mansyoorah Nurjaman, Bintang Restu Darmawan, Dimas Arifil Akbar, Die Bhakti Wardoyo Putro · An-Nizam · Indonesia

A community service program in Cepokosari hamlet, Bantul, Indonesia, provided technical training and intensive mentoring to members of the Family Welfare Movement (PKK) on growing eggplants and chili peppers using repurposed used water gallon containers as vertical-gardening planting media, aiming to reduce plastic waste while promoting household food security and economic improvement. The results show that using used water gallons as planting media enhanced plant productivity, yielding enough produce for household consumption with a surplus sold for supplementary income for participating families.

Ximena Guadalupe Culebro Cervera · Ciencia Latina Revista Científica Multidisciplinar · Mexico

Quintana Roo, Mexico, depends on imported food for more than 60% of state consumption, creating structural vulnerability for the local economy, ingredient freshness, and food autonomy. Using a qualitative, critical-interpretive documentary approach, this review analyzed 27 academic, institutional, and community sources to examine how local initiatives — urban gardens, resilient Maya agriculture, and food cooperatives — contribute to self-consumption, the recovery of traditional knowledge, fair trade, and access to fresh ingredients. These practices help preserve endemic species such as criollo maize, chaya, and achiote, and the review states that such strategies need to be integrated into territorial public policy.

Mohamed Lamine Dramé, Abdoulaye DIAWARA, Hamadoun GARBA, Bonkana MAIGA, Hamadoun SYLLA, Yacin Guirre OSMAN, Ntcughunene Rokissi Ondombe, Soumaila DIARRA, Bakary DIARRA, Akory Ag Iknane, Fatou Diawara · Asian Food Science Journal · Mali

A study analyzed food security, dietary diversity and their socio-demographic determinants among households in Bamako, Mali, between 2018 and 2022. Using National Food Security and Nutrition Survey (ENSAN) data on 5,792 households, it applied descriptive statistics, bivariate analysis and multivariable logistic regression, with Household Dietary Diversity Scores (HDDS), Food Consumption Scores (FCS) and wealth quintiles as primary predictors. Household diets were cereal-based (99.3%) and largely lacking protein-rich foods such as eggs (20.1%) and legumes (36.7%). The prevalence of food security fell significantly, from 64.5% in 2018 to 59.2% in 2022 (p<0.01). Urban residence and higher education were strong positive predictors of food security (AOR 1.8, 95% CI 1.4-2.3, and AOR 2.1, CI 1.7-2.6, respectively), while households in the lowest wealth quintile (AOR 0.4, CI 0.3-0.6) and polygamous households (AOR 0.7, CI 0.5-0.9) showed significantly lower food security. The study concludes that Bamako's food insecurity stemmed from economic instability and educational disparities despite a degree of dietary diversity.

Kelsey Ryan-Simkins · Local Environment · United States (Ohio)

This study used multilevel negative binomial regression to examine the relationship between urban agriculture site locations and sociodemographic and neighbourhood environmental characteristics at the census tract level in Ohio, USA. Findings challenge the idea that urban agriculture is placed in areas with low food access, raising questions about the food-access rhetoric used to promote urban agriculture, a movement critiqued for often being led by upper-class, urban elites, and contribute to debates about the roles of race and gentrification in urban agriculture.

Márliton Santos, Martele Brito Santos, Josilene Martins Inez · REVISTA PONTO DE VISTA · Global

A systematic review following the PRISMA protocol, covering articles published between 2014 and 2024 in the CAPES and SciELO databases, analyzed the effect of school-based urban agriculture projects on students' emotional health. The review found that participation in school gardens was associated with a significant reduction in stress and anxiety levels and promoted the development of social skills. Pedagogical practices linked to urban agriculture were reported to foster a collaborative environment and improve emotional well-being, and the presence of green areas in schools was also found beneficial for academic performance and mental health.

Byamungu Lincoln Zabuloni, Maxwell Mudhara, Joyce Chitja · Food and Energy Security · South Africa

A study assessing the impact of home- and community-garden programs on household food security status in uMzumbe Local Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, using random and purposive sampling to survey 223 respondents with a structured questionnaire and a Tobit regression model to examine determinants. Total income (p<0.001), extension services (p<0.01), credit access (p<0.05), age, farm size (p<0.01) and education level (p<0.05) positively affected food security status, while household size (p<0.001), home gardens (p<0.01) and community gardens (p<0.01) negatively affected it. The study concludes that implementing home and community garden programs alone was not enough to improve households' food security status in uMzumbe Municipality.

Zuzana Strculová · Revue of Social Sevices / Revue sociálnych služieb · Europe

An article framing community gardens as spaces where people from different social groups meet to co-create and share space, arguing they function not only as ecological or urban projects but as effective tools for social work — particularly in community building, social inclusion and strengthening intergenerational ties. While community gardens often emerge as grassroots civic initiatives, their operation involves a range of actors: local residents, social workers, educators, non-profit organizations, city governments and even businesses — a diversity that, the article argues, is why gardens can be understood as "microworlds of collaboration." Drawing on foreign examples of good practice, it illustrates how community gardens can serve as effective tools in inclusive, environmental and participatory social work.

Tatenda Sukulao, Ansley Nonsikelelo Tshugulu, Noel Garikai Muridzo, Mziwandile Sobantu · Discover Food · Africa

A study analyzing food-insecurity coping strategies among community members in Ward 10, Mudzi District, a rural area of north-eastern Zimbabwe. Using an African Centred Research Methodology, data were collected from a purposive sample of 10 participants and analyzed through advanced manual analysis. The study found that planting drought-resistant crops, community gardens, seeking piece jobs, selling valuable assets, and borrowing money and food were the coping strategies employed by community members.

Medardo Wilfredo Blanco Villacorta, Marcelo Tarqui Delgado, Gladys Jhovanna Challco Challco · Sapiens Studies Journal · Bolivia

This study evaluates the sustainability of urban agriculture in the Municipality of El Alto, Bolivia, in the context of urban poverty among migrants marked by limited access to housing, basic services, education, health and employment, and low income, alongside an observed rise in nutritional food insecurity. Using a mixed qualitative and quantitative approach, the research found that the activity is led mainly by women aged 26 to 65 (average age 46) in households averaging five members, who typically have secondary education or less, limiting job opportunities and leading them to combine domestic work with urban production for income. Immigration has driven the expansion of urban agriculture by drawing on prior knowledge; many families have more than 10 years of experience and manage gardens of 3 to 50 m2, using solar tents and agroecological methods, with most having access to drinking water and some collecting rainwater, and sales taking place at local fairs generating additional income. However, sustainability indices show that these production systems have very low or unsustainable levels across their economic, environmental and social dimensions, indicating a need for strategies to strengthen their long-term viability.

Danya Carroll, Lynn Mad Plume, Nicole Redvers · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United States

This scoping review maps the existing literature on food access in American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities in the United States onto the Social Ecological Model (SEM). A systematic search of PubMed, CINAHL, SocIndex, Academic Search Premier, ERIC and Google Scholar covered publications from 1988 to 2023, followed by deductive content analysis through the SEM lens using qualitative software; 14 articles met the inclusion criteria. Interventions most frequently targeted the "intrapersonal" and "community" SEM levels, while the "institutional" and "public policy" levels were least targeted, with intervention formats including support for community and school gardens, seed provision, traditional foods at school, family and community events, and meal provision. The review found that valuable research has been conducted on AI/AN food access interventions, many spanning multiple SEM levels, and it points to the importance of leveraging strengths such as culturally aligned programs and traditional foods, calling for further collaboration between AI/AN communities and researchers to develop more informed, multi-level interventions.

Djarwatiningsih Pongki Soedjarwo, Hadi Suhardjono, Agus Sulistyono, Yonny Koentjoro, Makhziah · Jurnal Aplikasi Sains dan Teknologi Agrisevika · Indonesia (Surabaya)

A community-engagement project in the Kosagrha housing complex, RW 04, Medokan Ayu-Rungkut ward, Surabaya, Indonesia, that converted neglected public/social land (fasum/fasos), previously overgrown with scrub, into productive urban farming plots. The Participatory Action with Training and Demonstration (PAW-TD) method involved residents in every stage — site identification, theoretical and practical training, and collaborative demonstration-plot setup. Two idle land sites were successfully transformed into productive gardens, with notable capacity gains for the "Kosagrha Lestari" farmer group in cultivation technique, composting, and pest control. Reported outcomes include strengthened household food security, economic value from savings and group treasury funds generated by harvest surpluses, and improved social cohesion and neighborhood aesthetics.

Mayowa R. Opeagbe, MPH, B.Tech, B.Tech Feranmi R. Olawoore, B.Tech Stephen O Ayankoso · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Nigeria

A mixed-methods study combining an extensive literature review with a structured survey of 120 respondents across major Nigerian urban areas, assessing demographic factors, farming practices, the effects of urban agriculture (UA) on food security and the environment, and the challenges limiting its practice. 58.3% of respondents practiced urban farming, primarily through container and backyard gardening. About 62.5% reported increased access to fresh produce. The most cited environmental advantages were reduced waste (54.2%) and improved air quality. Limiting factors included limited space (50.0%), expensive inputs (45.8%), inadequate access to water (37.5%), and low levels of institutional support. 83.3% of respondents were willing to see UA incorporated into urban planning, and 75.0% favored UA in school programs. The paper describes UA in Nigeria as partially unexploited due to weak policy attention and a lack of infrastructural base, and recommends that policymakers integrate UA into urbanization, land and resource access, and institutional and educational support.

Irmadatus Sholekhah, Dwi Herlindawati, Marjono Marjono, Dibyo Waskito Guntoro · Kumawula Jurnal Pengabdian Kepada Masyarakat · Indonesia

A community-service report on a training program in urban farming marketing strategy for the Wife's Extended Family Association (IKBI) at PTPN I Regional 5, Kebun Kalisanen Kotta Blater, Jember Regency, Indonesia. A preliminary study found that urban farming adopted by the plantation had positively affected household food availability, but surplus fruit and vegetable harvests were not being fully utilized — some were merely shared with neighbors or relatives, while the rest were left to rot and go to waste. The training program, targeting 20 IKBI participants, covered urban farming product processing, branding socialization, and marketing strategy development assistance. Results showed increased understanding and knowledge of urban farming practices — including organic vegetables, hydroponics, horticulture, and potted plants — and improved marketing skills, particularly in digital marketing.

I Wayan Dikse Pancane, Maulana Ari Danuarta, Aan Oka Suryadinatha, Ni Ketut Anjani, Ni Ketut Arniti · Jurnal Abdi Masyarakat Indonesia · Indonesia

A community-service report on cultivating family medicinal plants (TOGA) to improve public health at "Kebun Berdaya" (empowerment garden) in Tonja Ward, North Denpasar, Indonesia, carried out from January 13 to February 28, 2025. Following field observation, situation analysis, and work-program development, TOGA planting was carried out with the Women Farmers Group (KWT) of Tonja Ward as the main partner. The goals were to raise community awareness of TOGA's benefits and to develop Kebun Berdaya as a center for empowerment and greening. The results showed increased community understanding and participation in using TOGA. Constraints identified included limited land and insufficient knowledge about plant types and processing. A continuation program is proposed, involving intensive training and mentoring to maximize TOGA's health and economic benefits.

R. Jaishanker, Akshay Kumar, Mritunjay Pandey · Journal of Rural Development · India

This paper proposes the "Nalanda model," a paradigm linking rural and urban women in India through grow-bag rooftop farming: rural women prepare cow dung cakes that are stacked in grow bags with a sand-dung mixture as potting material, channeled through women's collectives to urban women who fill and sell the bags to urban customers. The paper presents this as a conceptual empowerment and livelihood strategy connecting rural and urban marginalized women rather than reporting field-tested outcomes or measured results.

Elizabeth Opiyo Onyango, Destiny Otoadese, Keji Mori, Nkechinyere Chinedu-Asogwa, Joyce Kiplagat, Binita Jirel · Health & Place · Global

A scoping review of existing literature examined how community gardens are used to address cultural food insecurity among immigrant and refugee communities and the neighborhood transformations that accompany them. It identified physical, social, cultural, environmental, and policy-level changes and benefits spanning nutrition, physical activity, psychological healing, and social connection, but found a lack of comprehensive evidence specifically on Canada regarding how neighborhoods are changing to meet these communities' cultural food needs.

Karen Botes, Christina Breed · Land · South Africa

In the Melusi informal settlement of Tshwane, South Africa, researchers used a mixed-methods approach -- semi-structured questionnaires, focus group interviews, and photo-elicitation, analyzed with SPSS and Atlas.ti -- to examine socio-cultural perceptions of modular living wall systems planted with African vegetables as a way to enhance household food security. Key barriers to urban agriculture identified included high maintenance costs, pest control problems, spatial constraints, exposure to extreme weather, and limited access to water and fertilizer, while the community supported living walls with African vegetable crops for their space-saving and biophilic value, with success depending on low-tech, cost-effective, modular systems built from recycled materials using nutrient-dense, compact crops.

Agustin Windianingsih, Mulki Siregar, Estu Mahanani, Aisyah Hikmatur Romadhonah, Nihlah Hariro Romadhona, Urvia Rahmadani, Adinda Putri Salsabila Salvi, Idham Nur Kholiq · Jurnal SOLMA · Indonesia (Jakarta)

This report describes a community-service activity (PKM) conducted by Universitas Islam Jakarta with D'Shafa, a farming community in Jakarta focused on urban agriculture development, aimed at strengthening food security and economic welfare. The activity followed five method stages — education, training, technology application, evaluation, and program sustainability — with the goal of helping the D'Shafa Women Farmers Group (KWT) create value-added processed products. The activity produced value-added products through the use of a vacuum-frying machine for making fruit and vegetable chips, and it broadened KWT D'Shafa members' knowledge of preparing simple and digital financial reports and of digital marketing.

Lori G. Beaman, Ryan T. Cragun, Douglas Ezzy · · Global

This concluding book chapter, drawing on interviews with community gardeners, reviews the themes of equality and substantiality in what community gardeners can tell us about nonreligion. It argues that community gardeners have a deep awareness of their entanglement with other terrestrial beings — humans, animals, insects, and plants — leading them into a distinct form of ethical engagement driven primarily by relationships and practices rather than by intellectual commitment to abstract norms (though these can sometimes be significant, citing Ezzy 2004). Nonreligion is characterized as being less about the absence of religion and more about substantive content — commitments, practices, and relationships — and the chapter argues that the concept of "lifestances" is the best way to conceptualize this substantive content, and that the religion/nonreligion binary must be transcended to understand humans as entangled in a network of terrestrial relationships.

Hanik Endang Nihayati, Retno Indarwati, Elida Ulfiana · Jurnal Masyarakat · Indonesia

Aimed at creating urban green space and food production through urban farming — framed as an innovative strategy for food security amid rapid urbanization — this Indonesian initiative built urban greening through collaboration among community groups, the PKK women's welfare movement, and village (kelurahan) government officials. It was carried out as a five-stage, one-year mentoring program (socialization, trial, implementation, evaluation, and harvest festival) starting in April 2018. The urban farming program, which involved community members, particularly women, was found to improve quality of life by providing access to quality vegetables in the city center and creating a greener environment. The program is described as providing real benefits to the community, the village government, academics, and higher-education institutions, and as needing to be expanded to other regions with active involvement of women to broaden its impact.

B Sreejith, B Maneesh · South Asian Journal of Agricultural Sciences · Global

Set against challenges to social equity, ecological balance, and global food availability from population growth and rapid urbanization, this review paper surveys existing literature linking urban agriculture to multiple Sustainable Development Goals — including poverty eradication, ending hunger, health and well-being, gender equality, economic growth and employment, inclusive urban development, sustainable consumption and production, climate action, land ecosystems, and global partnerships — and discusses policy implications for India. It compiles prior findings associating urban agriculture with locally grown food supply, resource optimization and emissions reduction through urban forestry, rooftop gardens and vertical farming, reduced food miles, and education, skill-building and community participation opportunities including for women and youth. The paper presents no original empirical data of its own.

Gaynell M. Simpson, Wendy Lustbader · Innovation in Aging · Global

This symposium overview highlights cultural assets long relied upon by African American and Latina communities, focused on the formal and informal mutual aid of grandparent caregivers, which it describes as often overlooked or underutilized despite being a vital source of support. It states that historically, underserved grandparents have drawn on mutual aid practices such as neighbors relying on one another, sharing produce from community gardens, exchanging skills and abilities, and standing together with extended families when other societal resources were inaccessible. Four presenters address these themes: Carole Cox presents a virtual empowerment program on skill building, social connection, and empowerment; Nancy Mendoza offers recommendations on how the cultural assets of Latino grandparent caregivers can support their caregiving; Tina Peterson examines mutual aid among African American grandmothers raising grandchildren and how support networks compensate for gaps in formal and informal services; and Gaynell Simpson addresses the need for intergenerational programs and macro-level advocacy to address structural inequalities affecting grandparent caregivers and their families.