Research & reports

Julie L. Self, Amanda Wyatt, Aimee Webb Girard · The FASEB Journal · United States (Atlanta)

This research characterized community gardens (CGs) in two urban counties in Atlanta, Georgia, through semi-structured interviews with diverse garden leaders. The study identified primary barriers to creating and sustaining CGs as leadership constraints, reliable access to natural resources, and unclear regulations. It also found that CGs foster access to fresh food, knowledge, and community connections, with benefits varying by community.

Mary Margaret Fischer · OpenSIUC (Southern Illinois University Carbondale) · United States

This study evaluated commercial and vermicompost-blended green roof media for annual herb production in shallow modular trays on a university roof in Southern Illinois, Carbondale, during two experiments in 2011. The commercially available media generally produced more significant results for shoot growth parameters in sweet basil, Thai basil, and parsley. Partial shade also showed significant effects on shoot-to-root ratio in the first experiment, while most basil variables were insignificant in the second.

Anthony Sutton · DigitalCommons (California Polytechnic State University) · United States (Maine)

This ethnographic communication research supported the Micmac Farms in Presque Isle, Maine, which were established to address food security and community health issues like obesity and diabetes. The study, conducted over three months in summer 2011, identified that administrative power structures, economic constraints, and operational planning issues threatened the farm's efforts to achieve greater economic and food security. The analysis revealed that economic behaviors dominated the data, with grants for the farm centering on economics due to historical farming discourse and business focus.

Wyatt · Civil War Book Review · United States

This finance bill (S12RS SGFB No. 5) aims to allocate $1,256.50 from the Student Senate General Contingency Account to fund the materials for the installation of sustainable edible landscaping on campus.

Silvana Maria Ribeiro, Elaine de Azevedo, Maria Cecília Focesi Pelicioni, Cláudia Maria Bógus, Isabel Maria Teixeira Bicudo Pereira · Revista Brasileira em Promoção da saúde · Brazil

This documentary research reflected on agroecological urban agriculture in relation to health promotion and food and nutritional security, involving local communities. Data synthesis, based on reports, field activity records, participant testimonies, and project coordination interviews, revealed that agroecological urban agriculture contributed to community leadership, popular participation, and the development of food and environmental awareness among social actors. Conclusions identified relevant aspects aligned with health promotion principles, including strengthening intersectorality, local empowerment, individual and collective agency, creating healthy environments, and community mobilization.

Cristina Connolly, H. Allen Klaiber, Connolly, Cristina, Klaiber, H. Allen · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · United States

This study evaluated consumers' willingness to pay for organic certification programs using price and attribute data from 188 CSA farms in Ohio and Pennsylvania. A semi-log hedonic analysis revealed a willingness to pay approximately 9% more for organic branding compared to natural, translating to an additional $48 per summer season share. However, no premium was found for competing certification programs.

Barb Bergman · Educational Media Reviews Online · United States (Baltimore)

The film "Cafeteria Man" follows Tony Geraci, Food and Nutrition Director for Baltimore schools, as he works to improve school lunch quality. It highlights how local fresh foods benefit students and farmers, and how school gardens provide learning opportunities for students in urban neighborhoods. The film also touches on obstacles to improved school lunch, including schools not receiving purchased fresh produce.

Ana Carolina Vinholi, Pedro Martins · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Brazil (Itajaí)

This article investigates urban agriculture practices in Itajaí/SC, Brazil, to identify their potentials and obstacles for territorial development. Using participant observation and semi-structured interviews, the study concludes that urban agriculture is an expanding phenomenon closely linked to rural exodus. It also serves as a space for the conservation of traditional knowledge.

Ana Carolina Paiva Rodrigues · VII CONNEPI - Congresso Norte Nordeste de Pesquisa e Inovação · Brazil (Natal)

In the Gramorezinho region of Natal-RN, Brazil, an exploratory study analyzed the socioeconomic and productive characteristics of urban and peri-urban agriculture. The methodology involved examining farmers' socioeconomic profiles, adopted production systems, and commercialization methods for key vegetable species. The study concluded that the legitimization of urban and peri-urban agriculture in Natal-RN is flawed, not only concerning municipal legislation but also regarding the guarantee of support and technical assistance for agricultural activities.

Samantha R. Lester · Digital Commons - DU (University of Denver) · United States (Denver)

This qualitative study evaluated the local food movement in the Highlands neighborhood of Denver, Colorado, through interviews with community members, restaurant owners, garden members, and organizers. The local food movement was present through various outlets, including a farmer's market, community gardens, and local food stores. Motivations for participation primarily included building community, a growing population able to support local food, and a broader network of people and organizations.

Sarah A. Moore, Morgan Apicella, Sallie A. Marston, Moses Thompson · Children Youth and Environments · United States (Tucson)

An ongoing project in Tucson, Arizona, provides university interns to K-12 schools to build and maintain school gardens and facilitate learning about the environment and sustainability. Based on experiences at Manzo Elementary, a project school in a low-income, mixed-race neighborhood, the program evaluates the effectiveness of school gardens as a tool for experiential learning and describes obstacles encountered and overcome.

Geralyn A. Nolan, Amy McFarland, Jayne M. Zajicek, Tina M. Waliczek · HortTechnology · United States

Research was conducted with 141 minority elementary school children in a primarily Hispanic region of Texas to investigate whether gardening combined with a curriculum on nutrition could benefit them. After comparing pre- and posttest scores, it was concluded that gardening and nutritional instruction had a positive effect on students' nutritional knowledge, fruit and vegetable preference, and snack choices.

Philip R. McNab · Florida public health review · United States

This article discusses the need to alter school food environments in the United States, where children consume too much fast food and insufficient fruits and vegetables, contributing to rising overweight rates. It suggests school gardens as a multifaceted approach to address this issue. The article emphasizes that strong, effective leadership, following John Kotter's eight steps, is crucial for schools to overcome obstacles and implement changes that improve public health.

Germano Laurentino da Cunha, Adriana Celi Alves Martins, Maria José Araújo Wanderley, Raunira da Costa Araújo, Terezinha Domiciano Dantas Martins, Francisca Alexandre de Lima · Cadernos de Agroecologia · Brazil (Solânea)

This project aimed to establish organic vegetable gardens in public elementary and high schools in Solânea, Paraíba, Brazil. Funded by CNPq, the initiative involved installing 14 garden beds with various vegetables in each participating school. Students received mini-courses on organic vegetable production, and participated in making compost and biofertilizers. The target audience demonstrated receptiveness and support for the work.

Julie L. Self, Becky Handforth, Janelle Hartman, Corey McAuliffe, Elizabeth Noznesky, Rebecca J. Schwei, Laura Whitaker, Amanda Wyatt, Amy Girard · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United States

A student-driven, community-engaged learning course was developed to enhance student understanding of complex food system determinants and food choices. The course, guided by the socio-ecological model, involved students collaborating with faculty and community partners to define its objectives and curriculum. It featured student-led modules on food preferences, agriculture systems, food access, and agricultural policy, alongside community-engaged research projects that examined food distribution models in metro Atlanta and identified strategies to improve access to healthy food in low-income areas.

Harry L. Watson · Southern cultures · United States

This text discusses the evolution of food culture in the American South, from World War I-era calls for local food conservation to modern locavore movements. It highlights the current popularity of local food traditions and farmer's markets, while also raising concerns about the health impacts of large-scale industries like North Carolina's hog farming. Historically, the South was known for nutritional diseases alongside its traditional recipes.

Shuyi Lu, Mostafa Oraei, Aaron Sangha, Kingson Wong · cIRcle (University of British Columbia) · Canada

This project outlines the components of a rainwater harvesting (RWH) system and five filtration methods, then analyzes two North American RWH projects. It concludes with a triple-bottom line analysis and recommendations for implementing an RWH system in the new Student Union Building (SUB) at the University of British Columbia, which aims for LEED Platinum Certification by 2014. The RWH system is intended to significantly lower water consumption by collecting, filtering, and storing rainwater for uses like irrigating a rooftop garden and flushing toilets.

Jennifer E. Reeves · OhioLink ETD Center (Ohio Library and Information Network) · United States (Cleveland, Ohio)

This two-year study in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, investigated urban soil health via nematode food web analysis and crop productivity via tomato fruit yield in urban gardens. Market gardens showed significantly more soil organic matter, nitrogen pools, and nematode presence than community gardens in both 2011 and 2012. However, despite these differences, there was no significant difference in the total yield of tomatoes per square meter between market and community garden types in either year. Gardens with raised beds had significantly more soil moisture content and soil organic matter than those with flat beds.

W. H. Butler · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United States

The reintroduction of livestock into urban areas in the United States creates tensions regarding public health and the urban-rural divide. This paper analyzes municipal codes to identify how communities regulate urban livestock through prohibitions of certain animals, zoning, site-level restrictions, and management requirements. The analysis demonstrates that while no two municipalities approach the urban livestock question identically, each seeks to place limits on raising livestock in urban areas using a combination of regulatory land use tools.

Shuowei Qin · TigerPrints (Clemson University) · United States

This research explores the concept of "food landscape," which integrates edible plants into landscapes under a new ecological paradigm to address issues of food transportation energy consumption and land degradation. Through an intensive literature review, the study discusses the origin, rationale, and benefits of food landscape, drawing upon the new ecological paradigm and edible landscape concepts. The findings will be applied to Johns de la Howe School, also incorporating the concept of therapeutic gardens to develop design principles for successful food landscape implementation.

Carolin Mees, Edie Stone · · United States (New York City)

In New York City, community gardens were established by resident groups in the 1970s, contributing to recreation, food security, and sustainable urban development. Their number has fluctuated over the past 30 years, with approximately 600 gardens existing today, over 300 of which are on public land. Recently, in response to climate change and economic crisis, elements like beehives and rainwater harvesting have been legalized and used to maximize food production and conserve water. This chapter will use qualitative data analysis, secondary literature discussion, and participant observation to evaluate the employment and function of these garden components and how the city's community gardens contribute to a sustainable city.

Sarah Leonard · Dissent · United States

This article explores the perilous state of food and food politics in America and a wide range of responses on the Left. It describes how the existing farm bill led to a policy disaster, the relationship between Reagan-era deregulation and the obesity epidemic, and the labor exploitation endemic to the elite dining experience. The study reveals challenges in governance within the American food system and its socioeconomic impacts.

Corey McAuliffe, Laura Whitaker, Aimee Webb Girard · The FASEB Journal · United States (Georgia)

Interviews with farmers' market managers, farmers, CSA managers, and a cooperative market manager in DeKalb County, Georgia, assessed challenges in local food accessibility. Qualitative data revealed significant financial barriers to production, prohibitive policies, and limitations in marketing and distribution systems. Environmental factors also limited the accessibility of local foods through farmers' markets and CSAs.

Jodi L. Sangster, Andrew Nelson, Shannon L. Bartelt‐Hunt · International Journal for Service Learning in Engineering Humanitarian Engineering and Social Entrepreneurship · United States (Omaha)

Soil and vegetable samples were collected from a community garden in Omaha, Nebraska, which had known soil lead contamination. Total lead content was evaluated using atomic absorption spectroscopy, revealing lead concentrations in soil ranging from 4 to 574 ppm, with an average of 128.4 ppm in growing beds and 31.5 ppm in OmaGro compost. Lead was also present in vegetable samples at or below 16.25 ppm.

Lacy Weinblatt, Sarah Najdek · · United States (Oregon)

The Oregon State University research project "Producing for the Future" involved low-income youth, adult partners, and researchers collaborating to design and plant a community garden and develop a microenterprise to market produce. The project aimed to compare participants' knowledge and attitudes regarding local food resources, gardening, organic eating, and healthy lifestyles before and after their involvement. This study used data to analyze changes among participants pre and post-experience, but specific findings are not reported.