Research & reports

Kasaka Kizito, Okumu Mukulu, Sserunkuma Ndegeyi · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Uganda

This mixed-methods study investigated the effectiveness of community gardens in reducing obesity among 200 Senegalese adolescents aged 15-18 in Uganda. Initial analysis suggests that community gardens significantly reduced the proportion of adolescents with obesity by 30%, indicating a positive impact on dietary habits and physical activity levels. While these preliminary findings are promising, further longitudinal studies are needed.

Olufunke Cofie, Adeoluwa Olugbenga, Philip Amoah · Urban Agriculture Magazine · Nigeria; Ghana

This study introduces human urine as an alternative fertilizer source for urban agriculture, presenting case studies from Nigeria and Ghana. It suggests that proper collection and use of human urine can improve urban environmental sanitation and reduce crop production costs. The approach integrates agriculture, environment, and sanitation sectors.

Shahzad Kouser, Mr. Abedullah, Abdus Samie · The Pakistan Development Review · Pakistan (Faisalabad)

This study, conducted in 2006 with 200 farmers in two peri-urban villages of Faisalabad, Pakistan, estimated the economic values of negative health externalities from wastewater use in cauliflower production. While wastewater use appeared profitable without considering externalities, factoring in health costs strongly discouraged its use. The health externalities for a three-month cauliflower crop on 741 acres amounted to Rs 3.2 million, and for 5,283 acres of vegetables cultivated with wastewater in Faisalabad, the annual total was Rs 90.7 million. The findings indicate a significant economic loss due to wastewater use, suggesting that installing a water treatment plant is a viable option to minimize these external effects.

Minna Mikkola, Bent Egberg Mikkelsen, Gun Roos · · Global

These Proceedings compile preliminary empirical research, Master's theses, projects on implementing organic school meals and school gardens, and educational visions for future food education for sustainability. Published halfway through the iPOPY project, this report presents some of the outcomes achieved and outlines ongoing work towards more sustainable food systems.

Abena Boampongwa, Esi Amagatso, Efua Asarekwai · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Ghana

This study in urban Ghana used a mixed-methods approach, including surveys, focus groups, and observational studies over one year, to assess the impact of community gardens. It found that community gardens significantly increased (p<0.05) the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables among community members, improving dietary diversity and reducing reliance on processed foods. The findings suggest community gardens can enhance food security and public health outcomes in urban settings, especially with integrated educational programs.

Mayra Puente Isidrón · Revista Ciencia y Tecnología El Higo · Cuba

This paper describes the development and impacts of urban agriculture, specifically "organopónicos," in Cuba. It highlights how this approach utilizes local productive potential and available labor to significantly increase agricultural products for the population. The impacts include contributions to human nutrition, providing vitamins, minerals, and plant/animal protein, and fostering new dietary habits based on societal possibilities.

Y. A. Iyaka, SE Kakulu · African Research Review · Nigeria

This study determined the levels of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) in soil samples collected from cultivated farmlands near abandoned industrial sites in Minna and Bida, Niger State, Nigeria, using flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Concentrations ranged from 12-89 mg Cu kg-1 and 2.8-41 mg Zn kg-1 for Minna, and 2.4-6.5 mg Cu kg-1 and 0.57-36 mg Zn kg-1 for Bida. Apparent accumulation of Cu was found in Minna cultivated farmlands, with a mean Cu content of 24 ± 22 ppm, which was almost five times that of the control soils. Other mean values were similar to soil background averages.

Justin Stoler, John R. Weeks, Arthur Getis, Allan G. Hill · American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene · Ghana (Accra)

A 2003 study in Accra, Ghana, surveyed 3,164 women to examine the relationship between self-reported malaria and proximity to urban agriculture (UA). The odds of self-reported malaria were significantly higher for women living within 1 km of UA compared to those living near an irrigation source, with the association disappearing beyond this distance. Malaria prevalence was often elevated in communities within 1 km of UA, even with more favorable socioeconomic characteristics.

Stefan Dongus, Dickson Nyika, Khadija Kannady, Deo Mtasiwa, Hassan Mshinda, Laura Gosoniu, Axel Drescher, Ulrike Fillinger, Marcel Tanner, Gerry F. Killeen, Márcia C. Castro · Geospatial health · Tanzania (Dar es Salaam)

A cross-sectional survey in urban Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, investigated the influence of agricultural and geographical features on Anopheles larvae presence. The study found that agricultural areas, covering over 5% of the 16.8 km2 study area, had a 1.7 times higher proportion of habitats containing Anopheles larvae compared to other areas. However, breeding sites originating from urban agriculture accounted for less than a fifth of all malaria vector breeding sites in the city.

Lei Yan-hua · · Australia

This paper discusses the state of therapeutic horticulture in Australia, describing the field as largely project-driven with little government or philanthropic funding to sustain long-term growth. It notes that recent initiatives in community gardens, school and children's gardens, and horticultural therapy services have expanded the scope of activity and, while still small compared with many other countries, are high-profile, community-led, and have secured significant government funding. However, the paper states that this needs to be balanced against numerous barriers facing the sector: insufficient research, limited organization and representation, few education and training opportunities, and a lack of outreach and community services.

Abdullah Al-Khater · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Africa

In Libyan cities, a six-month comparative study assigned older women to either a community gardening intervention group or a control group, collecting data through surveys, interviews and observations by trained researchers to assess food security. The intervention group showed a 20% increase in homegrown vegetable consumption compared to baseline levels.

Nigel L. Webb, Harrison Kasumba · Africanus Journal of Development Studies · South Africa

In Ezibeleni near Queenstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa, a sustainable-development framework was used to gather empirical findings on vegetable crop cultivation, covering duration of crop consumption, the value of produce to households, environmental benefits, and social/psychological benefits. Both the scale of cultivation and the benefits obtained were found to be modest, reinforcing prior studies that focused on the actual practice of urban agriculture rather than its hypothetical potential.

Bianca Ambrose‐Oji · · Sub-Saharan Africa

This book chapter reviews the role of urban and peri-urban agriculture in food security across sub-Saharan African cities and peri-urban areas, focusing on how the production and collection of indigenous vegetables along the rural-urban continuum contributes to it. Drawing on literature from geography, agriculture, ethnobotany and rural sociology, it defines urban agriculture and the spaces where indigenous vegetables are produced and collected, and closes with a typology for understanding the range of spaces involved in indigenous vegetable production and harvest, without presenting new empirical data.

Catherine Sands, Lee Reed, Krista Harper, Maggie Shar · Practicing Anthropology · United States

In spring 2008, a grassroots organization called Fertile Ground conducted a participatory Photovoice evaluation of its school garden program with fifth-grade students at Williamsburg Elementary School in rural western Massachusetts, United States. Photovoice places cameras in participants' hands so they document and discuss their own concerns and perspectives. The project aimed to capture what students, after six years of hands-on garden programming, understood about food, nutrition, and community food systems, and their impressions of leadership, fellowship, and care for land and community. The article outlines the evaluation's context and design but does not report specific quantitative findings.

Abha Singh, Salahuddin Mohd. · National Geographical Journal of India · India

In-depth field research around the Iglas sewage pumping station on the Aligarh-Mathura road in Aligarh, India, surveyed 41 farming households and some consumers across five peri-urban villages — Bhojpura, Hari Narayan ki Sarai, Hajipur Chohata, Kheri Khwaja Buddha and Daurala Nirpal — that had used urban wastewater for irrigation for many years. Farmers and vegetable sellers reported suffering from ailments including diarrhoeal disease, typhoid fever, hookworm, amoebiasis and skin infections, yet their primary concern was securing enough water to sustain crop productivity and income, while consumers were more focused on getting a fresh, steady supply of vegetables than on the health risk.

Alaimo K., Packnett E., Miles R. A., Kruger D. J. · Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior 40(2):94-101 · United States

Cross-sectional phone survey of 766 adults in Flint, Michigan. Households participating in community gardens were far more likely (32% vs 18%) to consume fruits and vegetables at least five times daily.

Sophie Graefe, Eva Schlecht, Andreas Buerkert · Outlook on Agriculture · Niger (Niamey)

Semi-structured interviews with 130 households in Niamey, Niger, characterized urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) and assessed resource use. The study found high use of livestock manure and indiscriminate use of nutrient-loaded wastewater for irrigation, leading to significant nutrient surpluses in UPA gardens. Initial calculations suggested large gaseous emissions of nitrogenous compounds and and leaching of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium to groundwater.

Eveline Klinkenberg, Philip J. McCall, Michael D. Wilson, Felix P. Amerasinghe, Martin J. Donnelly · Malaria Journal · Ghana

This study investigated the impact of urban agriculture on malaria transmission risk in Accra, Ghana, through larval and adult mosquito surveys. It found that Anopheles spp. and Culex quinquefasciatus outdoor biting rates were three and four times higher, respectively, in areas around agricultural sites compared to areas far from agriculture. The annual Entomological Inoculation Rate (EIR) was also higher in agricultural areas (19.2) than non-agricultural areas (6.6), suggesting that urban agricultural areas may increase malaria transmission risk by providing resting sites for adult mosquitoes.

Julie Ober Allen, Katherine Alaimo, Doris Elam, Elizabeth Perry · Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition · Global

This 2008 qualitative case study examined two neighborhood-based community gardens with youth programs, using participant observation and in-depth interviews with various stakeholders. The study found that these garden programs offered opportunities for constructive activities, community contributions, skill development, and improved nutrition for participating youth. Community gardens promoted developmental assets for youth while enhancing their access to and consumption of healthy foods.

Erastus K. Kang’ethe, Delia Grace, Thomas F. Randolph · East African Medical Journal · East Africa

This study synthesizes current knowledge on urban agriculture (UA) in East Africa, focusing on its human health impact. It identifies UA as an important source of food security, but notes that many zoonotic and food-borne diseases are associated with it, with a lack of evidence on human health impact and management. Major constraints include illegality and limited access to inputs and markets, indicating a need for more research to understand both positive and negative health impacts.

Hester Parr · · Global

This work explores the relationship between mental health and social space, examining various contexts. Chapters cover geographies of difference in mental health, community and citizenship, rural communities, and the therapeutic potential of urban gardening for citizenship and social inclusion. It also discusses artistic spaces and virtual communities in relation to mental health.

Seyed Esmaeil Mahdavian, R. Somashekar · ePrints@Bangalore University (Bangalore University) · India (Bangalore)

A study in Bangalore city, India, showed that urban consumers are at greater risk of purchasing fresh fruits with high levels of heavy metals beyond the legally permissible limits defined by the Indian Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954. These national norms are less strict than international food safety standards.

Andréa Andreis, Graziela Maria Schuh, Rejane Giacomelli Tavares · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Brazil (Novo Hamburgo)

An evaluation of parasite contamination in playground soils at Horta Comunitária Joanna de Angelis in Novo Hamburgo, RS, Brazil, detected rhabditoid larvae in 33% of soil samples. An enteroparasitological survey (n=22) confirmed parasitism in 59.10% of samples. However, it was not possible to establish a correlation between the presence of parasitosis in children and in the soil.

Laure DeMattia, Shannon Lee Denney · The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science · United States

This article reviews community-based programs in the United States aimed at slowing the rate of childhood obesity, which affects one in three children. It examines interventions such as recipe preparation demonstrations, community gardens, and school-based curricula. The article concludes with suggestions for intervention efforts and funding priorities, emphasizing the importance of primary prevention focusing on high-risk populations of low-income overweight women of childbearing years.

Chris Hillbruner, Rebecca Egan · Food and Nutrition Bulletin · Bangladesh (Dinajpur)

A study in Dinajpur, Bangladesh, from 2002 to 2003, investigated the impact of seasonality on food security and nutritional status in approximately 600 low-income urban households. Data collected through surveys and child measurements revealed significantly higher rates of food insecurity, wasting, and inadequate growth during the monsoon season compared to the dry season. While dietary diversity and lost work due to weather were identified as pathways affecting food security, child illness was not found to be a significant mechanism contributing to seasonal nutritional declines.