Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
7626 results(97 / 306)
Marianella Herrera‐Cuenca · Anales Venezolanos de Nutrición · Venezuela (Caracas)
This study investigated preferred foods and dishes, willingness to grow ingredients, and ideal cooking choices among 18 pregnant and lactating women and community workers in low-income settings in Eastern Caracas, Venezuela, in June 2022. Focus group interviews revealed that traditional Venezuelan complex dishes were absent, replaced by basic or internationally referenced foods accessible to the community. The findings suggest a potential compromise to the culinary memories of future generations.
CommunityWelfareHealthDonald Gray · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Global
A 2022 paper examined the role of school gardens in addressing children and young people's decreasing experiences with natural environments, increasing mental health concerns, and growing worries about global environmental problems. Drawing on three initiatives from an original pilot school garden program, the paper presents evidence that garden-based learning can positively contribute to improved health and wellbeing, learning, and environmental awareness.
Food educationHealthBiodiversityCommunityElisa Appolloni, Giorgio Gianquinto · Frontiers for Young Minds · Global
Rooftop agriculture, a form of urban agriculture where food is grown on buildings, is presented as a solution to urban food insecurity and environmental protection. This practice offers benefits such as reducing urban heat, decreasing urban poverty, fostering socialization, and benefiting buildings. Rooftop agriculture is gaining global popularity due to these advantages.
Food sovereignty & justiceClimate changeHealthCommunityJanet Music, Lisa Mullins, Sylvain Charlebois, Charlotte Large, Kydra Mayhew · Humanities and Social Sciences Communications · Canada
This study compared 19 municipal urban home food gardening programs in Canada in 2020, which provided free gardening supplies and instructions. It found a complicated relationship between municipalities, gardening programs, and food security, and determined that gardening somewhat alleviated social and emotional challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic. However, municipalities are limited in their policy capacities to adequately address food insecurity in Canada.
Governance failurePolicyFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityHealthGraham Slater, Robert G. Unzueta, Clayton Pierce · · Global
This chapter argues that much scholarly literature on school gardens is based on problematic assumptions or ignores histories of violence and dispossession. Without an ecocritical approach, school gardens risk replicating systems of domination, extraction, exploitation, and human supremacy. The authors propose integrating theoretical reflection into emancipatory action within a historical materialist framework to address colonization, land dispossession, labor exploitation, and anthropocentrism.
Equity & displacementFood educationCommunityPolicySaria Lofton, Marjorie Kersten, Nanyombi Lubimbi, Angela Odoms‐Young · Journal of Community Practice · United States
This study used Chaskin’s relational framework to describe community capacity-building efforts to enhance urban agriculture in predominantly Black communities. Strategies identified for community capacity building in urban agriculture included building on existing resources, community engagement, expanding organizational capacity, identifying threats, and identifying ideal solutions. These strategies were identified by urban farmers, gardeners, and advocates to strengthen local control of the food environment through sustainable urban agriculture.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceHealthTapan S. Parikh, Sara Perl Egendorf, Isaiah Murray, Ali Jamali, Bryan Yee, Sammi Lin, Kendra Cooper-Smith, Brendan Parker, Koron Smiley, Jenny Kao‐Kniffin · Frontiers in Sustainable Cities · United States
This study described the development of virtual reality (VR) platforms to support farmer knowledge transfer and innovation in urban agriculture in the U.S. The platform features a VR model of an organic farm in New York City, detailing farm operations and offering opportunities to integrate educational materials and personal narratives. VR has the potential to accelerate innovations in food justice by transcending the physical constraints of traditional agricultural extension.
Food educationCommunityDigital agricultureFood sovereignty & justiceElisabeth Meyer-Renschhausen · Journal of Contemporary Central and Eastern Europe · Global
This article provides a historical overview of small-scale, subsistence farming, primarily by women, spanning two centuries from the early 19th century to the 21st century. It traces the evolution from the loss of commons in Prussia to urban farming in contemporary cities across Europe, America, and Africa. The discussion includes subsistence farming in towns, garden cities, post-war initiatives, and the significant role of unacknowledged family production in Eastern Europe.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyUrban–rural linkageAdelina Court, Aileen Kelly, Michael Hardman · Cogent Social Sciences · United Kingdom (Greater Manchester)
This paper explores the need for innovation in urban green infrastructure, focusing on enabling urban food growing in cities. It reviews current policy tools and presents a case study of a multifunctional forest school in Salford, UK, which enables larger-scale farming in a deprived area. The study, conducted by a multidisciplinary team, also proposes a visual methodology framework for future replication.
CommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceCarmen Carrión · Digital Archive @ GSU · United States
This dissertation explored school gardens as an out-of-classroom setting for students to learn and develop their understanding of scientific inquiry and practices. The study found that school gardens can foster learners' abilities to construct real-life associations with science content through engagement, free exploration, and scientific investigation. This research also created curriculum and assessment tools for use in conjunction with school garden settings.
Food educationCommunityMelissa Anna Murphy, Peter E. Parker, Margot Hermus · Local Environment · Global
This article aims to unpack how urban settings, organizational forms, and municipal enabling affect urban gardening (UG) practices towards inclusion in public space. It draws on urban commons theory and research on inclusion in public space to understand multi-faceted UG governance and its exclusionary aspects. A comparative analysis of UG initiatives in three Northern European municipalities explores both municipal enabling and the co-production of inclusive public space.
Equity & displacementCommunityPolicyHealthAlejandro Castillo Nolte, Sascha Buchholz, Nadja Pernat, Monika Egerer · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · Global
This study investigated diurnal and nocturnal temperature ranges, and daily maximum and minimum temperatures in 18 urban gardens during the peak summer agricultural growing season. It analyzed how temperatures correlated to local land cover factors within the garden, surrounding landscape imperviousness at various spatial scales, and environmental justice indicators of garden neighborhoods. Nocturnal temperature range was negatively correlated to landscape imperviousness, with the relationship decreasing in strength with increasing spatial scale.
Climate changeBiodiversityHealthCommunityCatherine Campbell, Jorge Ruiz‐Menjivar, Alia DeLong · HortTechnology · United States (Florida)
This research characterized commercial urban agriculture (CUA) operations in Florida, United States, and explored urban farmers' perceptions of needs, barriers, and opportunities for CUA development. A cluster analysis identified three distinct groups of urban farmers with differing perceptions of barriers, opportunities, and informational needs. The study notes that the U.S. Department of Agriculture Census of Agriculture does not report data on CUA operations, limiting knowledge about their status, including barriers to business operations and profitability.
Economic viabilityEconomicsPolicyCommunityAvi Friedman · · Canada (Montreal)
This chapter explores how food production can initiate change at the neighborhood level and how using native flora in landscaping decreases water consumption and benefits local biodiversity. The Benny Farm Project in Montreal, Canada, is presented as an example of a highly productive urban agriculture undertaking.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceBiodiversityUrban–rural linkageHadi Ebadi, Zahra Mohebi · Journal of Sustainability Perspectives · Iran (Kermanshah)
This study investigated the implementation of an urban agriculture plan (green garden) at Razi University of Kermanshah, Iran, and its effects on sustainable development. The plan is expected to strengthen social interaction, economic and environmental aspects, and foster a culture aligned with urban agriculture development. The findings are intended for use in planning and agricultural policies.
CommunityEconomicsClimate changePolicyMyeong Suck Jeong, Mina Lee, Chaw Su Lwin, Kwon-Rae Kim · 한국토양비료학회지 · South Korea
This study investigated heavy metal contamination in urban agricultural soils near railway tracks and an industrial complex in Jinju, South Korea, to ensure food safety. While the average heavy metal values did not exceed soil contamination guidelines, some individual soil samples showed concentrations higher than the guidelines. Furthermore, the geoaccumulation index (Igeo) indicated that several soils were contaminated compared to background levels, with Cu, Pb, Zn, and Sb showing the highest contamination. Long-term monitoring of urban vegetable garden soils is recommended.
Contamination & food safetyHealthCommunityOrganic cycleMosammat Rowshan Ara · Khulna University Studies · Bangladesh (Khulna City)
This study surveyed 361 household heads in Khulna City, Bangladesh, to assess the contribution of urban agriculture to the sustainable livelihoods of low-income people. Agricultural activities observed included vegetable cultivation, livestock rearing, aquaculture, crop cultivation, and innovative gardening. The Index of Agriculture for Sustainable Livelihood (IASL) showed that landowners engaged in more sustainable activities, with sustainability increasing by 0.218 units per decimal of land, and male respondents contributed more to agricultural activities than females. The findings suggest agriculture can help fulfill basic needs for low-income urban residents.
CommunityWelfareEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceJonathan Hobson, Brian K. Payne, Kabba Haroun Bangura, Richard Hester · Contemporary Justice Review · Sierra Leone
This paper examines the concept of "spaces" where restorative services develop, conceptualized as social, political, physical, and economic. In Kenema City, Sierra Leone, an urban agriculture scheme fills a post-conflict and post-Ebola "space" by diverting young people from harmful activities and reintegrating them into society. This is presented as one of three international case studies illustrating how these types of "spaces" influence the development, provision, and expansion capacities of restorative services.
WelfareCommunityHealthJoan Casanelles‐Abella, Simone Fontana, Bertrand Fournier, David Frey, Marco Moretti · Ecological Applications · Switzerland (Zurich)
This study in 23 urban gardens in Zurich, Switzerland, examined feeding niche partitioning between wild bees and honeybees. Researchers found that feeding niche partitioning increased with wild bee species richness and in sites with lower landscape-scale resource availability, which also had lower honeybee abundances. However, beekeeping intensity at local and landscape scales did not directly influence community feeding niche partitioning or wild bee species richness, suggesting direct competition for resources was not a main driver for the wild bee community.
Environmental trade-offsBiodiversityPollinatorsCommunityBernd Bonfert · Sustainability · Wales
This paper investigated local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) networks in Wales and Germany using semi-structured interviews and observations. It found that local collaboration enables CSAs to integrate supply chains, engage communities, and participate in food councils. However, the study also revealed competitive tensions between neighboring CSAs, which presents a previously unknown challenge to CSA's potential scalability.
Economic viabilityCSA & TeikeiCommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceCarmen Cantuarias-Villessuzanne, Mathilde Vignau · Nouvelles perspectives en sciences sociales · Global
This paper aims to analyze urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) projects in France through the notion of environmental capital. Interest in UPA has grown in Western countries since the late 19th century, and this study seeks to clarify its economic models and ultimately formalize a new mapping of contemporary UPA projects in France.
CommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceJulie Cornfield, Harmonii Odinga, Jaleh Kermani, Katherine P. Theall, M. Pia Chaparro · American Journal of Health Promotion · United States (New Orleans)
An environmental assessment of 10 community gardens and interviews with 20 community members and administrators in New Orleans, Louisiana, explored factors affecting garden use. Gardens scored high in design and cleanliness but low in accessibility and information availability. While community members perceived gardens could increase fresh food access, administrators believed gardens could not produce enough food for community-wide impact, emphasizing social benefits instead.
Limited or null effectCommunityHealthFood educationWelfareStephani Rangga Larasati · Jurnal Atma Inovasia · Indonesia
The group service program 52 Period 79 identified Pulutan Village's potential in agricultural, processing industry, and natural tourism aspects, alongside a pocketbook program on cassava chips production and distribution. The program's outcomes, including e-books and videos, align with the village's mission to foster a competitive, advanced, independent, and prosperous society. This initiative aims to enhance citizen productivity, broaden insights, and support resident welfare through urban farming, agritourism, and processed food innovations.
CommunityWelfareFood educationJulio C. Zambrano-Gutiérrez, Laura Silvia Valente de Macedo, Marc Eric Barda Picavet, José A. Puppim de Oliveira · Environmental Management · Brazil (Florianópolis)
This study used pattern matching to contrast identity theory with original data from 7 individuals participating in waste management and urban agriculture collaboration in Florianópolis, Brazil. Findings showed that as the collaboration evolved, individual participants in municipal government transitioned between roles, affecting their influence based on "integrator" or "segmenter" styles. The success of the collaboration after institutionalization depended on individual transition style and the power of municipal agents to influence it.
CommunityPolicyCommunityIngrid Jahrl, Olivier Ejderyan, Joëlle Salomon Cavin · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · Switzerland
An analysis of policy documents in the Swiss cities of Lausanne and Zurich confirmed that community gardens better accommodate the tensions created by compact and green city discourses compared to other types of food gardening. Policies are oriented towards favoring community gardening through four frames, citing their modest, flexible, and multifunctional design, their role as a new benchmark, fostering diversity, and their cost-efficient management with active citizen participation.
CommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkage