Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
3274 results(99 / 131)
Urban Food Corridors - Cultivating Sustainable Cities
2014Becky L. Jacobs · eYLS (Yale Law School) · United States (Detroit)
Detroit, Michigan, has become a leader in urban agriculture, with an estimated 1500 to 2000 gardens supported by individuals and businesses, including the Cadillac Urban Gardens. Various organizations and public-private coalitions promote sustainable local agriculture in the city. Knoxville, Tennessee, proposed creating an "urban food corridor" in 2012 to improve food access, health, and stimulate economic development by connecting land, farming, processing, distribution, sale, and composting.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyA green garden on red clay: creating a new urban common as a form of political gardening in Cologne, Germany
2014Alexander Follmann, Valérie Viehoff · Local Environment · Germany
This paper investigates NeuLand, a community garden created in March 2012 on a brownfield site in Cologne, Germany. It assesses NeuLand as typical of a new form of political engagement 2.0, focusing on local problems and direct actions, and its potential to offer a blueprint for alternative urban futures and new ways for citizens to claim their "right to the city." The study links the NeuLand experiment to broader discussions on alternative socio-ecological futures, extending beyond analyses of urban gardening solely for sustainable food production or community cohesion.
CommunityPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceStudy on the Relationship and Spatial-Temporal Characteristics of Interactive Coupling between Urbanization and Urban Agriculture Function
2014Feng Hai-jia · · China (Xi'an)
This study analyzed the interactive coupling relationship and spatio-temporal characteristics between urbanization and urban agriculture function in Xi'an metropolitan zone, China, using correlation and coupling models. Based on data from 2000 to 2011, the correlation degree of factors was above 0.6, indicating a close relationship, with urban economy impacting urban agriculture and urban agriculture influencing urbanization. The coupling degree ranged from 0.6 to 0.85, showing a trend towards higher-level coordination, but significant spatial differentiation was observed, with the northwest area having a lower coupling degree than the southeast.
Urban–rural linkageEconomicsPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceProyectos de Investigación europeos y congresos internacionales sobre agricultura urbana y periurbana
2014H. Renting · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Europe
This contribution highlights a growing research interest in urban and peri-urban agriculture and related public policies, particularly within Europe and internationally. It presents major European research projects and relevant recent international conferences focusing on urban and peri-urban agriculture. The paper outlines proposed debate topics and analytical approaches used in these initiatives.
PolicyPeri-urban agricultureFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changeIs Growing Food Within the City Sustainable? Urban Agriculture in Montpellier (France)
2014Pascale Scheromm, Coline Perrin, Christophe‐Toussaint Soulard · Espaces et sociétés · France (Montpellier)
A study of urban agriculture in Montpellier, France, utilized policy analysis, spatial analysis, and an analysis of urban agricultural actors' practices and representations. The research revealed a great diversity in urban agriculture and a gap between its perception in urban policy and its spatial realities. Traditional agriculture is declining despite occupying more land, while new forms like gardens and agriparks are emerging, fostering interactions between public actors and citizens.
PolicyCommunityUrban–rural linkageClimate changeThe Potential of Urban Agriculture in Montréal: A Quantitative Assessment
2014Daniel Haberman, Laura A. Gillies, Aryeh Canter, Valentine Rinner, Laetitia Pancrazi, Federico Martellozzo · ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information · Canada
This study used multiple land use scenarios to assess different spaces in Montréal, including residential gardens, industrial rooftops, and vacant land, that could be allocated to vegetable production. Results indicated that implementing hydroponics on industrial rooftops could easily satisfy Montréal's vegetable demand, though these operations are generally costly. Utilizing only vacant space also has the potential to meet the city's demand with lower operating costs.
Economic viabilityEconomicsPolicyUrban–rural linkageContentious Territorial Alliances: Coalition Politics and Struggles over Urban Development in Pikine, Senegal
2014Nicole C. List · EchoGéo · Senegal (Pikine)
Based on fieldwork in Pikine, a rapidly urbanized city in Senegal's Dakar region, two interconnected conflict cases concerning the development of urban agricultural land for middle-class and elite housing were analyzed. The analysis indicates that public and private actors, including producers, traditional authorities, real estate developers, and local/central government officials, are abandoning old forms of governance in favor of "territorial alliances" to promote their own urban development projects. These alliances lead to new relationships between local/central government members and civil society, impacting urban Senegal's land registry, property rights, and public infrastructure.
Governance failurePolicyEconomicsCommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicy Statement 20137: Improving Health and Wellness through Access to Nature — American Public Health Association
2014Louise Chawla · Children Youth and Environments · United States
In 2013, the American Public Health Association issued a policy statement on "Improving Health and Wellness through Access to Nature." The statement reviews extensive evidence that contact with nature is a health-promoting experience in itself. Access to green spaces is associated with lower rates of heart disease, stroke, obesity, stress, and depression, as well as improved endocrine and immune system function, with low-income groups showing particularly significant benefits in reducing health disparities.
PolicyHealthCommunity도시농업 활성화를 위한 도시농업조례 항목별 중요도와 참여 만족도 및 지속가능성의 관계 분석 :서울시 도시농업 참여자를 중심으로
2014Eun Young Choi, 정윤남, 김세용 · 한국도시설계학회지 도시설계 · South Korea (Seoul)
This study in Seoul, South Korea, examined the relationship between the importance of urban agriculture ordinance items, participation satisfaction, and sustainability among urban agriculture participants. Findings show that participants' sustained engagement involves conscious stages, and they prioritize educational and direct support for individuals over indirect government support. The study also identified a difference in perception regarding the importance of ordinance items between experts and participants.
PolicyCommunityFood educationStudy of Improving the Biotope Area Ratio System for Urban Agriculture Vitalization - Focus on Daylight Condition Analysis-
2014Gunwon Lee, Yunnam Jeong, Byunghak Min, Seiyong Kim · Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society · South Korea
This study investigated improving South Korea's Biotope Area Ratio system for urban agriculture vitalization. The research found that the existing Biotope Area Ratio indicators, which only consider soil depth and permeability, have limitations in managing plant growth for urban agriculture. Focusing on daylight conditions as a critical factor, the study concluded that the current Biotope Area Ratio indicators are insufficient for adequately addressing plant growth in urban agriculture.
Governance failurePolicyClimate changeAlternative Food Projects, Localization and Neoliberal Urban Development
2014Pascale Joassart‐Marcelli, Fernando J. Bosco · Métropoles · United States (California)
This article explores the growth of local food practices in urban southern California, focusing on farmers' markets. While alternative food initiatives like farmers' markets are often seen as resistance to capitalist pressures, this research provides evidence that they have become increasingly popular among affluent and white urban residents. This finding challenges the claim that local food fosters democracy and justice, indicating that these initiatives can reproduce neoliberal urban agendas and reshape cities along lines of race and class.
Equity & displacementCommunityPolicyEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceAn Approach to Assessing Multicity Implementation of Healthful Food Access Policy, Systems, and Environmental Changes
2014Laura Oliven Silberfarb, Sonja Savre, Gayle Geber · Preventing Chronic Disease · United States (Hennepin County)
Hennepin County assessed the extent to which 41 cities were engaged in making policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) changes to increase residents' access to healthful food. Results revealed that some cities, particularly those with higher resident demand for healthful food, are making nationally recommended PSE changes, such as sponsoring farmers markets. However, cities moved more slowly to make changes in areas with perceived negative cost consequences or lesser public demand, such as parks and recreation vending.
Economic viabilityPolicyHealthCommunityEconomicsUrban agriculture in Vila Nova de Gaia: the nurturing symbiosis
2014Isabel Martinho da Silva · Journal of Landscape Architecture · Portugal (Vila Nova de Gaia)
In Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal, an urban agriculture policy was introduced in 2012 with the launch of the Municipal Network of Urban Allotment Gardens. This program views urban agriculture as an opportunity to meet the demand for such spaces within the urban area, solve maintenance problems for municipal lands, and improve the environmental, aesthetic, and social quality of the landscape. This paper presents and discusses the network's capacity to promote urban agriculture despite the economic crisis and to change landscape 'ownership'.
PolicyCommunityEconomicsBringing Food Back Home: Revitalizing the Postindustrial American City Through State and Local Policies Promoting Urban Agriculture
2014Elizabeth Berg · Scholars' Bank (University of Oregon) · United States
State and local policies promoting urban agriculture contribute to revitalizing postindustrial American cities. Urban food systems encompass aspects of producing, processing, marketing, distributing, and consuming food, providing a multiplicity of benefits and services for local residents. These benefits include improved access to outdoor recreation, economic vitality, health and wellbeing, landscape beautification, and environmental restoration.
PolicyEconomicsHealthCommunityBeyond Gardening: A New Approach to HCI and Urban Agriculture
2014Tad Hirsch · The MIT Press eBooks · Global
This chapter explores a new approach to Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and urban agriculture. It includes sections on understanding urban agriculture, moving from urban form to urban experience, from cultivation to food provisioning, an expanded definition, a framework, and a case study of Sunroot Gardens.
Digital agricultureCommunityPolicyDiverse perceptions of the future of agriculture on the Hanoi periphery
2014Tô Thi Thu Ha, Paule Moustier, Nguyễn Thị Tân Lộc · Agritrop (Cirad) · Vietnam (Hanoi)
A 2009 survey in Hanoi, Vietnam, involving 47 agricultural households, 14 cooperative heads, 83 non-agricultural households, and 13 public officials, appraised perceptions of peri-urban agriculture. Farmers and agricultural officials were more optimistic about urban agriculture's future than non-farm residents. While most respondents believed agriculture should be maintained for food and employment, residents showed little desire to be involved in urban planning decisions, suggesting that the potential extinction of peri-urban agriculture might not elicit a strong reaction until it is too late.
Peri-urban agricultureCommunityPolicyEconomicsA Probe on Urban Agriculture-Oriented Ecological City
2014Tong Zhou, Tao Zhao · Applied Mechanics and Materials · Global
This article introduced the connotation and function of urban agriculture, analyzing the relationship between its development and ecological city construction. It concluded that the development of urban agriculture is conducive to eco-city construction and an inevitable choice for it.
Urban–rural linkagePolicyClimate changeMarketing of Urban Agriculture Produce in Three Municipalities in Tanzania: Opportunities and Challenges
2014Kizito K. Mwajombe · · Tanzania
This study investigated urban agriculture (UA) produce marketing in three Tanzanian municipalities. Findings showed UA farmers lacked pre-arranged contracts with buyers, limiting their marketing, and faced problems including poor packaging, bylaws, taxes, and difficulty meeting consumer preferences. Farmers also lacked direct links to retail and consumer units like supermarkets.
Economic viabilityEconomicsPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceEarth under the Nails: : The Extraordinary Return to the Land
2014· Hart Publishing eBooks · United Kingdom (England and Wales)
This paper explores the phenomenon of people in England and Wales returning to the land for various food-growing projects, including over 1,000 community gardens and 82 school farms. It examines the legal frameworks regulating these diverse projects and finds that the legal framework is fragmented, poorly signposted, and often absent, with projects sometimes depending entirely on landowner goodwill. The study concludes that there is little coherency in the law regarding these initiatives.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceSystem Variable Analysis on Development Stages of Urban Agriculture in Large Cities
2014Min Zhang, LU Feng-jun, MIAO, Runlian, Yan Jin, ZHANG, Min, LU, Fengjun, MIAO, Runlian, JIN, Yan · · China
This paper used a system variable analysis method to establish an urban agricultural development system with six functional variables in China. It summarized the characteristics of different development stages and analyzed the reasons for these characteristics, focusing on cost, efficiency, connection, and risk. The study provided recommendations for promoting China's urban agricultural development based on stage development rules.
EconomicsPolicyCommunityUrban–rural linkageメトロマニラ郊外部を対象とした有機性廃棄物の地域内循環実現可能性
2014Yuki Sampei, Yuji Hara, Akinobu Murakami, Armando M. Palijon, Kazuaki Tsuchiya, Makoto Yokohari · Institutional Repositories DataBase (IRDB) · Philippines
This study assessed the nitrogen supply-demand balance in compost and vegetable production on vacant lots in subdivisions and barangays in Quezon City, Metro Manila, using GIS. It found that nearly half of the subdivisions experienced nitrogen oversupply, while others faced shortages. Although cooperation among subdivisions within a barangay could improve nitrogen balance, the current centralized composting facilities were deemed insufficient to support a continuous compost recycling system due to their distribution patterns. The study concluded that current barangay-based policies on organic waste management and urban agriculture need greater flexibility and attention to inter-subdivision coordination across barangay boundaries.
Governance failureCompostOrganic cyclePolicyPeri-urban agricultureThe politics and technologies of urban waste
2014Jonathan Crush · · Global
Cities in the global South face a deepening crisis of food inaccessibility, characterized by food poverty, hunger, and malnutrition. This urban crisis is largely invisible to policy and research communities, with less attention given to urban food security than in the 1990s. Urban agriculture is the only aspect of urban food security receiving significant attention, though it is improbably seen as the key to achieving food security in these cities.
Equity & displacementFood sovereignty & justicePolicyEconomicsWelfareLos huertos urbanos de Andalucía se encontrarán para formar una red
2014Veguita de Graná · · Spain (Andalusia)
Urban gardens from Andalusia will meet in Bujalance, Cordoba, with the objective of forming a network. Manuel Cala, President of GRAECO, provides information about this event and also introduces other agricultural, livestock, and environmental activities taking place in Bujalance.
CommunityPolicyIntegrating Public Health And Community Development To Tackle Neighborhood Distress And Promote Well-Being
2014Manuel Pastor, Rachel Morello‐Frosch · Health Affairs · United States (California)
This article reviews shifts in community development, highlighting programs that integrate community development, public health, and civic engagement to address neighborhood distress and promote well-being. Examples include Sacramento, California's Building Healthy Communities program, which promoted community gardens and bike paths, and San Francisco, California's Sunnydale-Velasco housing revitalization initiative, which is transforming a public housing site into a mixed-income community. These cases illustrate the importance of interdisciplinary approaches for economic mobility, democratic participation, and community health.
CommunityHealthPolicyEvaluation of Urban Forestry and Housing Patterns in Awka Metropolis of Anambra State, Nigeria
2014H. C. Agada, E. A. Obienusi, Emma E. Ezenwaji · Journal of environment and earth science · Nigeria
This study evaluated urban forestry and housing patterns in Awka metropolis, Anambra State, Nigeria, over a ten-year period (2001-2010). Analysis of land use data using linear regression and correlation coefficients confirmed a significant correlation between housing patterns (urbanization) and the distribution of trees (forestry). The least square regression results indicated that the rate of forest displacement is a direct consequence of increasing structural development in the study area.
Environmental trade-offsUrban–rural linkageClimate changePolicy