Research & reports

Marianne E. Krasny, Keith G. Tidball · Cities and the Environment · Global

This paper discusses community gardens as heterogeneous environments that integrate environmental restoration, community activism, social interactions, cultural expression, and food security. They provide a context for learning that addresses multiple societal goals, including fostering a scientifically literate populace, practicing environmental stewardship, and participating in civic life. Using preliminary evidence from the Garden Mosaics intergenerational education program, the study suggests the potential for community gardens to foster multiple types of learning.

Veronica Gaylie · · Global

This book chronicles the establishment of a campus learning garden involving student teachers and environmental education students. Despite starting with no funding, the project resulted in a transformation of attitudes towards nature, community, and the learning process. The book examines this process through metaphors of the garden as environment, community, and transformation, bridging theory and practice for ecology-centered teaching.

Amy Cutter‐Mackenzie · ePublications@SCU (Southern Cross University) · Australia

An Australian environmental education non-profit implemented the "Multicultural Schools Gardens" program in disadvantaged schools, using food gardening to teach culture, English as a Second Language, and environment. A combined methods research approach, including student self-research, interviews, and observations, was used to assess learning experiences. At one culturally diverse school with many migrant and refugee families, the program fostered a strong sense of belonging among students and provided opportunities for English language learning and environmental connection.

Alexandra Evans, Liqa Raschid-Sally, Olufunke Cofie · · Global

This chapter presents three case studies in which multi-stakeholder processes were used to improve wastewater management for urban agriculture. Although differences were observed, there were several cross-cutting lessons. A critical factor is the starting point, including an agreed definition of the problem to be addressed, negotiated goals, and a management structure acceptable to all stakeholders. When multi-stakeholder processes are externally initiated, it is essential that project priorities are commensurate with local priorities.

Alec Thornton · Development in Practice · Fiji

This article examines the impact of Fiji's squatter-resettlement scheme on the livelihoods of 'farming squatters' engaged in urban agriculture. Interviews with key informants and squatter residents revealed contrasting attitudes and approaches, indicating that the scheme threatens these livelihoods. The article suggests a more participatory process to address the needs of 'farming squatters'.

袁新华 · 环境 · Global

Amidst the trend of sustainable development, various environmentally friendly lifestyle attempts have spontaneously emerged worldwide. Examples include neighbors sharing laundry rooms and gardens to reduce resource consumption, exchanging old refrigerators for food or pianos via radio programs, and transforming abandoned land into community gardens. People who enjoy these sharing and collaborative behaviors are called "Pīn Kè".

Vicente Araguas · Revista de libros · New Zealand

This kaupapa Māori research explored the motivations and role of Māori community gardens (māra) in health promotion in Aotearoa New Zealand, interviewing seven māra initiative leaders. Findings indicate māra development is driven by a desire to empower Māori collectives and reconnect them with ancestral lands. Māra foster community development, intergenerational connection, and the practice of Māori language and cultural heritage, contributing to social cohesion and collective efficacy.

Karin Ahrné, Jan Bengtsson, Thomas Elmqvist · PLoS ONE · Sweden (Stockholm)

This study investigated bumble bees in allotment gardens along an urbanization gradient from inner Stockholm to rural areas. Findings showed that bumble bee diversity decreased with increasing urbanization, from approximately eight species in rural areas to five to six species in urban allotment gardens. Higher variability in the abundance of certain species in the most urban areas suggested a potentially weaker reliability of the pollination ecosystem service in areas strongly influenced by human activity.

Anna Griffiths · Eureka street · Global

This article presents the events and decision-making processes that occurred during a community apricot jam-making session. It suggests that Niccolo Machiavelli would have found the complex politics, emotions, and diverse personalities in the community garden challenging, observing alternating forms of governance such as benign dictatorship, bureaucracy, and popular democracy.

Jessica Veenstra, Daniel Dembe, Jude Nsamba, Lisa Marie Wasko, C. Lee Burras, Gail R. Nonnecke, Orum Boniface, Simon Downie, Rachael Cox · Soil Survey Horizons · Uganda

Soil surveying was conducted in the summer of 2006 and 2007 at Namasagali Primary School in Uganda, covering approximately 95 acres (38 hectares) for a school garden program. Researchers identified soils using observations and teachers' indigenous knowledge, described pedons, and measured depth, color, roots, pores, pH, electrical conductivity, texture, structure, slope, and aspect. The survey produced a map with seven polypedons, which was shared with teachers and local farmers.

Alain Santandreu, Alberto Gómez Perazzoli, R. Terrile, Mariana Ponce · · Uruguay (Montevideo)

Urban agriculture has become a permanent activity in Rosario, Argentina, and Montevideo, Uruguay. While important for feeding cities during crises, it is currently promoted by civil society and local governments to enhance social inclusion and employment for urban farmers, particularly the poor. This transforms challenging situations into new opportunities within the urban landscape.

Pernilla Ouis, Ebba Lisberg Jensen · Malmö University Publications (Malmö University) · Sweden (Malmö)

This article examines the cultural parallelism between biological and cultural diversity as manifested in allotment garden areas in Malmö, Sweden, from a historical perspective. Using empirical data from interviews with allotment gardeners of different ethnic origins across Malmö, it shows how people bring their old plants and exchange varieties and species. This practice is argued to sometimes enhance contact and integration, and other times symbolize difference, contact with the country of origin, or ethnic identity.

Isabelle Anguelovski · Urban Agriculture Magazine · Ecuador (Quito)

Marginalized urban communities in Quito, Ecuador, residing in informal settlements or on fragile hillsides, are highly vulnerable to climate change impacts like floods, landslides, droughts, and food scarcity. Many of these communities rely on urban agriculture for sustainable livelihoods and food security.

Eric G. Strauss · Cities and the Environment · Global

This issue of CATE is dedicated to the theme of urban pollinators in relation to community gardens, addressing a gap in knowledge regarding pollinator ecology in urban landscapes. It notes that while pollinators' roles in agricultural systems are well-studied, their impact in community gardens is less understood. Six papers in this issue explore these questions, aiming to provide a foundation for understanding urban pollinators and guiding future research and management.

Hong Xin-xing · · Global

This study analyzed the characteristics of urban agricultural enterprises based on their concept. It also illustrated the significance of the study.

Graciela Ottmann, Eduardo Sevilla Guzmán, Antonio Lattucca · REVISTA BRASILEIRA DE AGROECOLOGIA · Argentina (Rosario)

This paper examines the environmental dimension of agroecological productive experiences, focusing on a specific case in Rosario, Argentina. It demonstrates that by articulating various agroecological experiences into productive networks, these networks gain political content, influencing transformation processes with participatory and popular education. Examples include the Network of "Huerteros/as," the Green Life consumer network, "Huerta" Parks, and Social Agroindustries, which are agroecological actions integrated with Rosario's municipal Urban Agriculture program.

Marielle Dubbeling, Laura Bracalenti, Laura Lagorio · Open House International · Argentina (Rosario)

In Rosario, Argentina, city planners and university staff collaborated with two low-income communities to design and implement a multifunctional neighborhood park, public square, and road reserve for urban agriculture. A step-by-step participatory design process was followed. This participatory design contributed to improving socio-economic and environmental conditions in the city.

Adriana Premat · City & Society · Cuba

This paper, based on ethnographic research in Havana, Cuba, from 1997 to 2007, examines the creation of officially-sanctioned sustainable urban agriculture sites. It highlights the significant role of various non-state actors and interests, often overlooked in scholarly accounts, alongside the state's function. The study offers a refined understanding of the Cuban state's influence and limitations in agricultural development.

Crispen Dirwai, P.M. Makonese, N. Mboto · Figshare · Zimbabwe (Harare)

This study investigated how urban poor (Mabvuku-Tafara) and urban rich (Mabelreign, Marlborough, Westgate) communities in Harare, Zimbabwe, addressed the food crisis between 2005 and 2008. Using a mainly qualitative methodology to compare urban agricultural activities, findings showed that the urban poor engaged in seasonal, often inorganic, less paying off-yard farming, exposed to nature's vagaries. In contrast, the urban rich practiced on-plot perennial, often organic, researched (including soil testing) farming with greenhouses, which yielded better returns.

Kwesi Acheampong, Amoako Mensah, Boatemaa Boateng · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Ghana

A survey conducted from January to March across five favelas in Accra, Ghana, investigated the impact of community gardening workshops on food security. While participants gained knowledge on sustainable gardening techniques, 45% of respondents still lacked access to necessary resources like seeds and tools. The study concluded that workshops improved awareness but further support is needed to address practical implementation barriers.

Antonio Ortega Santos · Historia Contemporánea · Cuba (La Habana)

This article reviews contributions from urban environmental history and examines the potential of productive strategies to transform cities into more sustainable systems. The latter part of the article presents the results of Urban Agriculture in Havana, Cuba. Havana's urban agriculture secured urban food supply levels and the sovereignty of urban agricultural producers, transforming the city into a more socio-environmentally sustainable model as an urgent measure against supply problems for the Cuban economy.

Allyson Holbrook · Figshare · Global

"The Green We Need" project, commissioned by Nursery and Garden Industry Australia (NGIA), identified 171 articles published since 2000 across 75 academic journals. These articles presented new data on the health, quality of life, and social impacts of urban dwellers' access to green space. The research strongly supported a growing body of international studies since 2000 indicating the human need for nearby green spaces for healthy living, physical and social activity, and a direct relationship between proximity to green space and its use for recreation and daily activities.

Abdullah Al-Shahin · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Libya

A cross-sectional survey using structured questionnaires was conducted in four Libyan coastal cities to assess the impact of urban community gardens on food security. Participants reported significant increases in fresh produce consumption, with 72% of those living within five kilometers of their gardens showing increased fruit and vegetable intake. The study suggests urban community gardens positively impact food security by improving access to fruits and vegetables for residents.

Qicheng Lu · Ecological Economy · Global

This paper studies the functions of urban agriculture on the evolution of eco-city as a self-organizational system, based on reviews of conceptions and meaning. It analyzes the synergy effects between developing urban agriculture and constructing eco-city from sharing effective, implementing effective, and synchronizing effective perspectives. The study concludes that a typical synergy relationship exists between developing urban agriculture and constructing eco-city.

Yael Kemelmajer, Laura Cecilia De Luca · · Global

This work, part of the Programme of Food Self-Production, studied the influence of moon phases on horticultural crop productivity in urban vegetable gardens. Adapting agrarian science mechanisms, it incorporated popular knowledge regarding lunar influence on crops. Broccoli and lettuce were planted during crescent and waning moon phases, and differences in productivity were found for both species according to these moments.