Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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Critical findings
3623 results(99 / 145)
Who engages in urban and peri-urban agriculture in the condensed urban slums of Bangladesh?
2017Haruka Yamashita, Akira Ishida · Journal of Development and Agricultural Economics · Bangladesh
This study identified factors affecting urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) decision-making among poor urban slum dwellers in Bangladesh, using a logit regression model with secondary household data. In Jessore, households with more family members (without children under five), some savings, owned or rent-free housing, and 1-60 days of waterlogging were more likely to engage in UPA. In Tongi, households with owned or rent-free housing, longer residency, less than four months of waterlogging, or reliance on neighbors were more likely to engage in UPA. The findings indicate that UPA engagement factors vary across urban settings.
Urban–rural linkageWelfareEconomicsThe case for citizen science in urban agriculture research
2017Georgia Pollard, Philip Roetman, James Ward · Kobra (Universitätsbibliothek Kassel) · Australia (South Australia)
While urban agriculture is seen as a sustainable approach to improving food security, there is a significant knowledge gap regarding the financial accessibility of urban food production for all households. If urban agriculture remains primarily a middle-class discretionary activity, its role in city-wide food security improvement will be limited. This paper demonstrates that citizen science offers an effective approach to investigate the inputs (labor, costs, water use) and outputs (produce yields, value) of urban food gardens, using the Edible Gardens project in South Australia as an example.
Equity & displacementFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsCommunityHealthDIYUrban parks, gardens and greenspace
2017Jason Byrne · · Global
Research on urban greenspace, including parks, gardens, and green infrastructure, consistently demonstrates that marginalized and vulnerable communities have less access to these areas. This chapter overviews environmental injustice research on urban greenspace, examining debates and challenges for researchers and policymakers, and highlighting issues like climate injustice and food insecurity related to environmental inequality.
Equity & displacementCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changeHealthEffect of Urban Agriculture Experience Program on the Mental Health of the Elderly
2017Hyun‐Kyung Kang, Seung Jun Back · Journal of people, plants, and environment · Global
This study investigated the effect of an urban agriculture experience program on the mental health of seniors over 65, comparing a group participating for over six months with a control group. Using t-tests on stress and depression indices, and physiological disparity, the experiment group showed statistically significantly lower stress scores related to loneliness and health, and much lower depression levels than the control group. Autonomic nervous system analysis also indicated lower stress and normal pulse diversity for the experiment group, suggesting urban agriculture stabilizes sympathetic nerves and activates parasympathetic nerves, increasing stress resistance.
HealthElderlyFood educationCommunityTecnología y resolución de conflictos socio-espaciales: la agricultura urbana como alternativa al desarrollismo
2017Elżbieta Ura, J Guerra Pedroza, M Torrealba Febres-Cordero, G Buenaño Alviarez · Revista Educación Superior y Sociedad (ESS) · Venezuela (Region de los Valles del Tuy)
This research in Venezuela's Valles del Tuy region addresses socio-spatial conflicts arising from unplanned territorial occupation, despite the region's historical agricultural use. It proposes urban agriculture as an alternative to developmentalism. An action plan was designed using urban agriculture as the primary alternative to developmentalism in the Valles del Tuy region, aiming to establish foundations for socio-ecological system balance guided by the philosophy of 'buen vivir'.
PolicyCommunityUrban–rural linkageUrban Agriculture Spaces in Built Environment
2017Rawaa Fawzi Naom, Fatima fouad Yaseen · Iraqi Journal of Architecture and Planning · Global
This research explores the concept of urban agriculture within sustainable urban trends, driven by limited green areas, population growth, and neglect of urban landscapes. Through a literature review and analytical study of urban agriculture projects, the study identified contextual linking as a main characteristic and social and cultural uses as the most important functions of urban agriculture spaces. The findings led to the development of a theoretical model for urban agriculture in city landscapes.
CommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkageConcentration of Potentially Toxic Elements in Various Berries Grown in Allotment Gardens of Rīga City, Latvia Section B Natural, exact, and applied sciences =
2017Zane Vincēviča–Gaile, Dāvis Varakājs · · Latvia
This study aimed to determine the concentration of potentially toxic elements (Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, Zn) in berries grown in allotment gardens in Rīga city, Latvia. Samples of raspberries, strawberries, red currants, black currants, gooseberries, and cherries were analyzed using atomic absorption spectroscopy. The results showed significant variability of element concentration among the berry species, with mean concentrations for Ni at 0.54 mg/kg, Pb at 0.20 mg/kg, Cr at 0.10 mg/kg, and Cd at 0.03 mg/kg.
Contamination & food safetyHealthSistemas alimentarios sostenibles. Potencial de la agricultura urbana para pequeños empresarios del cantón Machala
2017Dra. C. Andreína Inés González Ordóñez, MSc. David Zaldumbide, MSc. Javier Solano · · Ecuador (Machala)
This research analyzes the potential of urban agriculture for small entrepreneurs in Canton Machala, El Oro Province, Ecuador, using a documentary review of related literature. Urban agriculture is identified as having economic, social, and environmental benefits, including improved food and nutrition, reduced ecological footprint, and strengthened social fabric. Its implementation can enhance living conditions by providing healthy food, additional income, and improved environmental quality.
EconomicsCommunityHealthClimate changeThe Ellstorp Lot: An Undefined Urban Landscape
2017Maria Finn · · Sweden (Malmö)
Malmö’s Lot 30:40, a former allotment garden area, has been in a state of decay since the 1990s, largely unmanaged by its owner, Jernhusen AB. This site is used by city residents for recreation, though temporary encampments by homeless people are not permitted. The area is described as an undefined urban space, existing in a fluid state that defies conventional descriptions and offers a disordered yet resilient environment.
CommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkageA systemic methodology to characterize peri-urban agriculture for a better integration of agricultural stakes in urban planning
2017Esther Sanz Sanz, Claude Napoléone, Bernard Hubert, Aruna Popuri · · Global
Existing urban planning documents inadequately consider the specificities of peri-urban agriculture as an economic activity requiring arrangements not always adapted to an urban vision of agricultural spaces. This paper proposes a systemic methodology to characterize peri-urban agricultural spatial units, aiming to provide an inventory of peri-urban agricultural areas tailored to urban planning practitioners' constraints. The approach seeks to focus public action on areas where it is most likely to be efficient within a territorial project.
Governance failurePeri-urban agriculturePolicyEconomicsFlowers
2017Dan McKanan · · Global
Rudolf Steiner's economic teachings and "threefolding" social theory influenced the development of green banking and community-supported agriculture (CSA) starting in the 1970s. Steiner advocated for "fraternal" cooperation within the economic sphere, inspiring cooperative enterprises and later contributing to social entrepreneurship and B-corps. This philosophy also led biodynamic farmers to establish CSAs, where consumers share farm costs and risks.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsCommunityUrban farming and its importance for environmental sustainability
2017Mohd. Ramzi Mohd. Hussain, Norul Hafizah Yusoff, Izawati Tukiman · · Global
This paper aims to discuss the literature framework of the growing demand for urban farming activities within the city environment and how they benefit the concept of environmental sustainability. It describes the advantages of urban farming activities from environmental, economic, and social perspectives that contribute to urban sustainability, evaluating the benefits and potential of implementing urban farming within limited urban spaces.
CommunityClimate changeEconomicsUrban–rural linkageUrban households' engagement in agriculture: implications for household food security in Ghana's medium sized cities
2017Hayford Mensah Ayerakwa · Geographical Research · Ghana
This paper descriptively analyzed the contribution of household engagement in agriculture to urban food security in Techiman and Tamale, Ghana, using household data. The study found that nearly half (43%) of urban residents participate in food production, primarily for consumption and surplus sale. For households engaged in both urban and rural agriculture, agricultural income was the highest, contributing 43% of total cash income in Techiman and 33% in Tamale.
Food sovereignty & justiceWelfareEconomicsPeri-urban agricultureMoving dirt: soil, lead, and the dynamic spatial politics of urban gardening
2017Bethany B. Cutts, Jonathan London, Shaina Meiners, Kirsten Schwarz, Mary L. Cadenasso · Local Environment · Global
This paper applies a dynamic spatial politics framework to interpret a 30-year conflict over an urban garden in Sacramento, California. It examines how urban gardens, often idealized, are also sites of conflict due to competing visions of "soil" versus "dirt." The study highlights that contaminants like lead in the soil contribute to this instability, reframing fertile soil as dangerous dirt, and influencing the garden's transformation from a countercultural space to a gentrified amenity.
Contamination & food safetyCommunityHealthPolicyAgriculture urbaine et souveraineté alimentaire à Genève (Suisse), machines à consentement ou moteurs d’hybridation du référentiel agricole dominant ?
2017Rémi Schweizer, Cyril Mumenthaler · VertigO · Switzerland (Genève)
This case study in Geneva, Switzerland, examined the integration of urban agriculture and food sovereignty into public policy, focusing on the regional brand Genève Région - Terre Avenir (GRTA). The analysis, based on a cognitive approach, highlighted compromises and imbalances among actor communities with divergent value systems. Ultimately, the study demonstrated the difficulty in challenging the dominant agricultural framework.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justicePolicyCommunityAssessing the sustainability of vegetable production practices in northern Ghana
2017Eileen Bogweh Nchanji, Imogen Bellwood‐Howard, Nikolaus Schareika, Takemore Chagomoka, Johannes Schlesinger, D. Rodríguez Torres Axel, Glaser Rüdiger · International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability · Ghana (Tamale)
An ethnographic study in Tamale, Northern Ghana, assessed the sustainability of urban vegetable production between 2008 and 2014. While urbanization increased cultivation of profitable vegetables like cabbage, the practice involved irrigation with grey and wastewater and high pesticide use, posing health and environmental hazards. Industrial growth reduced open space urban agriculture by 8.7%, leading farmers to use interstitial spaces and peri-urban fringes, indicating a dynamic but not yet sustainable production system.
Contamination & food safetyHealthEconomicsClimate changePolicyOrganic cycleImplementación de agricultura urbana y siembra de micro jardines para afianzar la conciencia ambiental y a su vez generar estrategias comunicativas a través de los procesos de arte de la tierra en el Gimnasio Real de Colombia con niños y niñas del grado tercero de primaria
2017Villarraga Cordoba, María Fernanda · · Colombia
This 8-month project at Gimnasio Real de Colombia implemented urban agriculture and micro-garden planting with third-grade primary students. The aim was to strengthen environmental awareness and generate communication strategies through "Earth Art" processes, including pre-ritual games and performance actions. The report details the process and results of this pedagogical work.
Food educationCommunity6 DOES A ‘LIVING LAB’ CHANGE IT ALL? ABOUT INTERETHNIC ENCOUNTERS IN SUPER-DIVERSE NEIGHBOURHOODS IN VIENNA
2017Julia Dahlvik, Yvonne Franz, Myrte Hoekstra, Josef Kohlbacher · ISR-Forschungsberichte · Austria (Vienna)
The effects of urban living labs and "unplanned" meeting spaces on interethnic contacts were investigated using semi-structured interviews and participant observations in three urban living labs in Vienna: the neighborhood center in Gumpendorf, the neighborhood space "Herbststraße 15," and the urban gardening project "Matznergarten." Comparative analysis showed that the success of an initiative depends on the number of participants, its continuity, and the degree of interethnic encounter. A mixing of non-Austrian and Austrian participants was observed in relatively few initiatives, linked to both ethnic and socioeconomic exclusion mechanisms.
CommunityAcompañamiento al proyecto ambiental escolar “guardianes de la naturaleza “
2017Pulido Barbosa, Cindy Gillary · · Global
This report details the results of the "Guardians of Nature" environmental project, which aimed to raise student awareness of environmental care through building a school garden and making compost. The project utilized recycled materials like plastic bottles for planting various vegetables and provided workshops to the entire educational community on environmental topics. This initiative led to changes in students' cognitive and procedural skills, fostering critical reflection and problem-solving, culminating in the successful construction and maintenance of a school garden.
Food educationCommunityCompostDIYPropuesta de agricultura urbana aplicada a un jardín infantil ubicado en el barrio Santa Bárbara (La Candelaria-Bogotá D.C.)
2017Daniela Artunduaga Arboleda, Laura Michelle Bayona Ruiz, Juan Camilo Gómez, Laura Marcela González Vargas, Lady Jhoana Leiton Peña, María Fernanda Pardo Pachón, Daniela Alejandra Quintero Bautista, Möritz Velásquez Riaño · Revista de Tecnología · Colombia (Bogotá)
This descriptive study in a kindergarten in Santa Bárbara, Bogotá, addressed food security for 14 children, who received 16,693.6 g of vegetables/month, significantly less than the FAO-recommended 42,000 g. To mitigate this deficit, urban agriculture workshops were held for parents. The implemented proposal covered 65% of the vegetable supply deficit, equivalent to cultivating 140 plants, and 100% of participants showed interest in continuing the project.
Food educationCommunityFood sovereignty & justicePARTISIPASI PELAKU URBAN FARMING DALAM MEMANFAATKAN LAHAN KOSONG
2017Praptiningsih Gamawati Adinurani · · Global
Massive urbanization without adequate human resources support will cause problems, including the provision of food. Urban farming activities by urban communities, utilizing yards or abandoned land, can address food needs. Increased knowledge and skills of urban farming practitioners can be achieved through counseling, discussion, and training in various agricultural techniques such as verticulture, hydroponics, and polybag systems. After participating in training, urban agriculture practitioners can produce vegetables and fruits for their consumption and for sale, produce seeds and fertilizer, and model various farming practices.
CommunityFood educationDIYEconomicsROLES OF COMMUNITY TOWARDS URBAN FARMING ACTIVITIES
2017Norul Hafizah Yusoff, Mohd. Ramzi Mohd. Hussain, Izawati Tukiman · PLANNING MALAYSIA · Malaysia
This paper reviews and analyzes the importance of a framework for urban farming activities within cities, describing the community's role in achieving environmental, economic, and social sustainability. It evaluates the benefits and potential of urban farming in limited urban spaces, noting its contribution to improving quality of life and addressing food shortage crises. The paper concludes that the community's role is crucial for implementing urban farming activities in urbanized areas.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsClimate changeDefining and theorizing global urban agriculture.
2017Antoinette WinklerPrins · CABI eBooks · Global
This chapter provides definitions and theoretical framing for urban agriculture (UA). Research on UA has evolved beyond describing food production systems to its role in creating spaces of community, resistance, and empowerment. UA serves as a means for those not central to the city's function to claim a right to the city, and it is a rich field for interdisciplinary inquiry into urban sustainability.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyClimate changeThe underestimated power effects of the discourses and practices of the food justice movement
2017Éric Darier · · Global
This chapter reviews Michel Foucault's contribution in the context of environmental effects of biopolitical disasters and presents three Foucaultian approaches. It then illustrates three specific components of the food justice movement: Via Campesina, urban agriculture, and Slow Food. The food justice movement exemplifies the theoretical lenses of power/knowledge, resistance, and ethics from the three Foucaultian perspectives.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunitySeeding Social Capital? Urban Community Gardening and Social Capital
2017Søren Christensen · Civil Engineering and Architecture · Global
This meta-analysis of literature published between 2000 and 2016 examined urban community gardens' capacity to generate social capital. It found that several studies confirm urban community gardens create both bonding and bridging social capital, with indications of linking social capital. The analysis suggests future research should use mixed methods, including qualitative approaches focusing on activity meanings and documenting sociodemographic compositions, to further understand how these gardens foster social capital.
CommunityHealth