Research & reports

Sarah Presogna · ScholarlyCommons (University of Pennsylvania) · United States (Philadelphia)

The Morris Arboretum is incorporating two new Green Roofs to demonstrate sustainable and functional stormwater management. The author designed an aesthetically pleasing rooftop garden, informed by visits to other local green roofs, which will mitigate stormwater runoff and showcase native and water-wise plants suitable for the Philadelphia area.

Benjamin Amundson, Janbaaz Ghani, Patricia Szeto, Joseph Shen, Nanette Ho, XiaoLin Shi, Xiu-Ming Tang, Leslie Brugger, Tracy Burnett, Hilda Wang · cIRcle (University of British Columbia) · Canada

This document is a student project/report from UBC SEEDS, presenting a business proposal for a new rooftop garden. It contains student findings, opinions, conclusions, and recommendations. The report does not reflect the official status of activities at UBC.

David Baker Architects · · United States (San Francisco)

Armstrong Place Senior Housing is located in San Francisco's Bayview District, providing 116 affordable apartments for seniors. The complex includes a community garden space in the central courtyard, 9,000 square feet of commercial space, community services, and retail shops. Additionally, twenty-three apartments are reserved for formerly homeless seniors participating in San Francisco's Direct Access to Housing Program.

Wuyang Hu, Marvin T. Batte, Timothy A. Woods, Stanley C. Ernst, Hu, Wuyang, Batte, Marvin T., Woods, Timothy A., Ernst, Stanley C. · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · United States

This study used survey data from two US states to answer two questions: what is the maximum distance food can travel and still be considered "local" by consumers, and is "local" equally important across food categories. The research found that consumers' accepted food travel distance may be much shorter than generally believed. Additionally, there is significant variation in the importance consumers attach to "being local" for different food categories, and these differences are related to consumer characteristics.

Francisco Javier Morales Martín · Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) · Peru (Lima)

This doctoral thesis proposes a new local development planning model based on social capital, applied to urban agriculture projects in the suburbs of developing countries. The model aims to identify critical initial social capital, generate new social capital, and maintain it over time through conversion into quantifiable physical capital. This approach ensures the model's sustainability, viewing urban agriculture as a means for local progress rather than an end in itself.

Sarah Rabkin · eScholarship (California Digital Library) · United States (California)

This is a biographical account of horticulturalist Beth Benjamin, based on an interview conducted on June 30, 2009. Benjamin joined Alan Chadwick's garden at UC Santa Cruz in 1967 and later co-founded Camp Joy Gardens in Santa Cruz County in the early 1970s. By 2009, Camp Joy Gardens was a thriving non-profit educational organization offering apprenticeships, educational programs, and a community supported agriculture program.

Scott Bernhard · Innovations Technology Governance Globalization · United States (New Orleans)

The Tulane City Center (TCC) in New Orleans supports architecture faculty and students who collaborate with local nonprofits to provide design and "visioning" assistance to underserved neighborhoods. Since its establishment after Hurricane Katrina, TCC has worked on dozens of projects, including six ecologically sound single-family houses, several green markets with urban agriculture facilities, and over 50 other initiatives. These projects incorporate extensive community input and are often constructed by students, providing them with hands-on experience in progressive design and new construction technologies.

Pablo Torres Lima, Alfonso Chávez-Muñoz, Gerardo Ávila-Jiménez, Sergio Contreras-Prado · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Mexico (Mexico City)

This article analyzes the principal components of a planning process that promotes the development of agricultural production zones in Xochimilco-Tlahuac, Mexico City. The experience was conceptualized in 2008 with the integration of data obtained through fieldwork, interviews, ethnographic techniques, and geomatics. The study highlights the critical need for district or metropolitan authorities to support urban agriculture to address various city development issues and concludes that re-assessing socio-territorial organization in the study region is also necessary to achieve an integrated, habitable, and sustainable city.

Clayton County, Eldrin Bell, Wole Ralph, Gail B. Hambrick, Sonna Singleton, Michael L. Edmondson · · United States

This event marks the unveiling of a community garden in conjunction with Flat Shoals Park Football Spirit Night, kicking off the park's official football league season. The fun-filled family evening includes food, music, games, and a pep rally.

Sarah Rabkin · · United States (California)

Juan Pablo Perez founded J&P Organics, a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program in California, in 2006, which now serves approximately 300 subscribers. The enterprise offers flexible subscription options, including home delivery and varied order frequencies, and sells produce to restaurants and farmers' markets. Perez's success is attributed to his entrepreneurial skills and mentorship from the Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association (ALBA).

Michelle P. Corrigan · OhioLink ETD Center (Ohio Library and Information Network) · United States (Baltimore, Athens)

Food insecurity and food-related health concerns are growing in the United States, leading to increased engagement with food systems through community food security approaches like community gardening. In-depth interviews and field observations in Baltimore, Maryland, and Athens, Ohio, examined the challenges of community gardening and the extent of people's involvement in the food system. While community gardens contribute to engagement, additional assistance such as education, policy, and funding is needed to enhance food security.

Kevin C. Matteson, Gail Langellotto · Insect Conservation and Diversity · United States (New York City)

The ability of adding 70 plants of seven native wildflower species over two years to augment beneficial insect richness, including bees, butterflies, and predatory wasps, was assessed in New York City community gardens. Bayesian analyses failed to find a strong influence of the native plant additions on beneficial insect richness, even after correcting for prior floral abundance. Butterflies and megachilid bees were found to heavily utilize introduced ornamental and crop flowers in these gardens, even when native flowers were present.

Suzanne C. Ho, Ji Hye Hwang, Teresa Liu, Acy Lo, Grace Shyong · cIRcle (University of British Columbia) · Canada

This record is a disclaimer from UBC SEEDS, stating that the associated document is a student project/report. It clarifies that the content reflects student findings, opinions, conclusions, and recommendations, and is not an official UBC document. Readers are advised that the reports may not reflect the current status of activities at UBC.

Leslie Brugger, Tracy Burnett, Xiu-Ming Tang, Hilda Wang · cIRcle (University of British Columbia) · Canada

This document is a student project/report from UBC SEEDS, sharing findings, opinions, conclusions, and recommendations regarding the New Student Union Building Rooftop Garden. It is not an official UBC document and may not reflect the current status of activities at the university.

Ellen Farmer · eScholarship (California Digital Library) · United States (California)

This oral history details the career of Roberta Jaffe, co-founder of the Life Lab Science Program and the Community Agroecology Network (CAN). Jaffe was involved in the United Farm Workers movement, co-founded Santa Cruz County's first farmers' market in 1976, and established a school garden at Green Acres School, which led to the Life Lab Science Program. In 2001, she co-founded CAN, aiming to support self-sufficiency and sustainable practices in coffee-growing communities in Mexico and Central America.

Shante Morgan · · United States (California)

This record is an archive of blog articles from August 2010 for @CSUN, Volume XV, No. 1. Topics include a dedication ceremony, the online debut of a newspaper, campus events, faculty and staff features, and an article on Community Supported Agriculture providing a healthy alternative for CSUN.

Emma Schroeder, Peter Napoleone, Donna Napoleone · · United States

In a 2010 interview, Donna and Peter Napoleone shared their memories of the Eagle Heights Community Garden in Madison, United States. They recounted their experiences with the community government, growing produce, the garden's configuration, and how their time there influenced their gardening practices after leaving the university. This interview was conducted for a Master's thesis on the Eagle Heights Community Gardens.

Lee‐Anne Milburn, B. A. Vail · Landscape Journal · United States

This research, conducted through a literature review and interviews with community garden leaders across the United States, investigated factors for the long-term sustainability of community gardens. The study found that successful community gardens are often based on four key elements: secured land tenure, sustained interest, community development, and appropriate design. Recommended considerations for their development and administration include design, development, and administration factors.

Sarah Rabkin · eScholarship (California Digital Library) · United States (California)

This article profiles Andy Griffin, who operates Mariquita Farm on twenty-five acres in Watsonville and Hollister, California. Griffin, with roots in California's 1970s organic-farming renaissance, offers insights gleaned from extensive experience in the farming and marketing of organic produce. He was interviewed by Sarah Rabkin on November 6th and December 16th, 2008, sharing trenchant insights into the evolving economics of organic production, distribution, and marketing on both small and large scales.

Éric Duchemin, Fabien Wegmuller, Anne-Marie Legault · VertigO · Canada (Montreal)

A 2010 study on urban agriculture (AU) in Montreal, Canada, examined the city-managed community garden program and six collective gardens managed by community organizations. These AU initiatives, aimed at food security, socialization, and education, were found to serve as significant vegetable production sites and venues for socialization and education, fostering individual and collective social development in neighborhoods with a strong presence of economically disadvantaged populations.

Benjamin Amundson, Janbaaz Ghani, Joseph Shen, Nanette Ho, Patricia Szeto, XiaoLin Shi · cIRcle (University of British Columbia) · Canada

This document is a student project/report from UBC SEEDS, presenting findings, opinions, conclusions, and recommendations related to a new SUB Rooftop Garden. It is not an official document of UBC and may not reflect the current status of activities.

Andrew Flachs · Electronic Green Journal · United States

This paper explores the social and cultural effects of urban gardening in the greater Cleveland area, noting that the social impact of community gardens is less studied than other benefits. The author's fieldwork found that many gardeners combine utilitarian functions with environmentalist ideology, contrary to some authors who claim that gardeners are preoccupied with economic impact, leading to a biased conclusion about motivations. The paper aims to convey the complexity of use, function, and intent in these communal spaces.

Amy Oprean · Human Biology · United States

This abstract introduces Kami Pothukuchi, Ph.D., director of SEED Wayne, a volunteer-based organization at Wayne State University. SEED Wayne focuses on building sustainable food systems on campus and in Detroit communities. The organization conducts research projects to explore Detroit's potential for sustainability in urban agriculture and local food systems.

Hiran Moran Ramon Soriano-Robles · Ateliê Geográfico · Mexico (Mexico City)

In peri-urban agriculture in Mexico City, a traditional multi-cropping agro-ecosystem combining diverse species like maize, beans, and amaranth is preserved. Maize and amaranth are central to productive activities and are part of Mexico City's biological and cultural heritage. The conservation and utilization of this diversity can enhance the genetic potential of native crops, contribute to local agricultural development and sustainability, and potentially offer alternatives for a future global food crisis.

Emma Schroeder, Daniel J. Arp · · United States

In a 2010 interview with Emma Schroeder, Dan Arp recounted his experiences living in Eagle Heights as a graduate student in the late 1970s. Arp shared his recollections of participating in the gardens with fellow Eagle Heights residents, discussing the variety of plants and vegetables grown, organic gardening practices, weeds, pesticides, and irrigation. This interview was conducted for inclusion in a Master's thesis focusing on the Eagle Heights Community Gardens.