Research & reports

Jennifer Roedel, Karma Thomas, Zsofia Szendrei · Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems · United States

This study surveyed 74 urban growers to evaluate how grower and farm characteristics influence the implementation of eight common pollinator management strategies and overall farm crop richness. It found that demographic variables had no impact; instead, growers' decisions were shaped most by their sources of educational information and by resource use and accessibility, with online materials appearing more effective than hard-copy formats. The authors conclude that more accessible educational resources are needed for these historically underserved urban growers.

Bree Bode, Sarah Mott, Jacob M. Cutler, Marci Scott · Health Promotion Practice · United States (Michigan)

In Michigan, this project used a community-involved process—listening sessions, brainstorming, and shopper surveys—to build SNAP-Ed nutrition education for community-supported agriculture (CSA) sites that accept SNAP benefits. Key lessons were that educators need autonomy to tailor activities to their local context and that strong relationships between nutrition educators and CSA staff are essential. These lessons informed a resource called the CSA Food Navigator Playbook.

Emmanuel Destenay · Cambridge University Press eBooks · United States

In February 1918, the US Bureau of Education established the United States School Garden Army, an initiative that encouraged children nationwide to engage in local gardening. This program aimed to increase domestic food production, allowing the US to supply food to its allies and other dependent nations. Children participating in the program contributed to food production as unpaid labor, while also learning self-reliance, dietary moderation, and the concept of sacrifice.

Taylor Swenski, Jocelyn Smith Carter, Marjorie Kersten, Elizabeth Berkeley, K. Varner, Howard Rosing · Ecology of Food and Nutrition · United States (Chicago)

The "Grow Your Groceries Home Garden" intervention program, implemented in Chicago, United States in 2022, aimed to improve food access in food-insecure communities. A longitudinal investigation over two annual cycles surveyed 46 participants, complemented by focus groups with 9 participants, to evaluate food access, cost savings, health, and socioemotional outcomes. While results on improved gardening confidence over time emerged non-significant, participants reported increased food access, cost savings, healthier eating, stress reduction, and strengthened relational bonds.

Maria Eduarda Costa Maia, Nathalia Gomes Corrêa, Eder Everton Caldas de Oliveira, Waldenira Mercedes Pereira Torres · Aracê. · Brazil

This article reports on the creation and implementation of a school garden at Dep. Abel Figueiredo Municipal Elementary School in Mocajuba, Pará, Brazil. The project, initiated based on student demands identified through a documentary, involved 9th-grade students, PIBID scholarship recipients, and the school community. The school garden fostered practical learning, student leadership, collaborative work, and improved school meals, with strategies for sustainability including maintenance schedules and irrigation systems.

Maísa Aparecida da Costa · Brazilian Journal of Development · Brazil (Sete Lagoas)

This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge of unconventional food plants (PANC) among high school students' families in a private school in Sete Lagoas, Brazil, and to prepare flour from cansanção (Urera baccifera) leaves and assess its nutritional potential. While 54.1% of participants claimed to know the term PANC, consumption was low, with 62.2% reporting rare intake. Analysis of cansanção flour revealed high levels of protein (25.58 g/100 g), fiber (9.14 g/100 g), and calcium (5185 mg/100 g), highlighting its nutritional value.

Edith Gonzales, Brenda B. Lin, Heidi Liere, Shalene Jha, Stacy M. Philpott · Figshare · United States (California)

An online survey of community gardeners in California, United States, assessed their knowledge of arthropod ecological roles. Gardeners demonstrated high knowledge, correctly classifying 71–83% of arthropod images. Female gardeners more accurately classified pollinators, while those who participated in a Master Gardener program more accurately classified herbivores and natural enemies.

Joonmo Kang, Euijin Jung, Cheryl Holmes, Benjamin Carpenter, Kristin Selby · Journal of Community Practice · United States (Kansas City)

A case study was conducted on New Roots, a farmer training program for resettled refugees and immigrants in Kansas City, USA. The research team participated in the program for a year before interviewing farmers and staff to gain insights into the program's impact. Findings revealed that farmers were drawn to New Roots for its flexibility, perceived benefits for mental well-being, and opportunities for social connection. The program was shown to offer a path to independence and cultivate a sense of community among participants.

Vívian Ariane de Oliveira Costa, Raíssa Aline Pereira, Mariana Azevedo Rabelo, Paula Montenegro Euzébio, Angela Liberali Pinheiro, Gabriella Ribeiro · Revista Brasileira de Educação Ambiental (RevBEA) · Brazil

This article reports on a school garden implemented in Early Childhood Education at Cirandinha School, in partnership with the Poços de Caldas Botanical Garden Foundation, after in-person classes resumed post-COVID-19. Using a qualitative and descriptive approach, the experiment aimed to promote critical environmental education and healthy habits. Results indicated active participation by children, increased autonomy, and environmental awareness, showing the garden as an integrative resource linking school, family, and community.

Yadeneyro de la Cruz Elizondo, Reyna Nirvana Montiel Rodríguez, Rosa María Arias Mota, Nancy Domínguez González, María de los Ángeles Chamorro Zárate · Sustainability · Mexico (Veracruz)

In Veracruz, Mexico, a university-school partnership model for teacher training in integrating school gardens into basic education was evaluated. A mixed-methods design involved a diagnostic survey of 71 teachers and subsequent training workshops for 34 teachers. Results showed high teacher motivation despite limited institutional infrastructure, and training strengthened pedagogical capacities. However, the integration of school gardens into formal curricula remains limited due to structural constraints and insufficient teacher preparation.

Tiare Silvasy · Proceedings of the Florida State Horticultural Society · United States (Florida)

An educational campaign was conducted in Florida to teach people how to grow food in an environmentally friendly way, specifically tailored for edible crops. The campaign covered topics such as efficient irrigation, planting the right variety at the right time, advanced soil building techniques, and integrated pest management strategies. Science-based information was made available online through multiple formats, including EDIS publications, an infographic, blogs, PowerPoint presentations, and YouTube webinar recordings. This campaign reached thousands of people and provided information to encourage environmentally friendly decisions in edible landscapes.

Emilia A. Belciak, Taylor Sinclair Bowman · IntechOpen eBooks · United States (St. Louis)

This chapter presents the Green St. Louis Machine program as a case study of community-centered sustainability education in St. Louis, integrating urban agriculture, food justice, and STEAM learning. The authors conducted a qualitative document analysis of various sustainability frameworks and the program's website. The program uses hands-on cultivation, entrepreneurship, and community engagement to teach students about sustainable systems, ecological resilience, social wellbeing, and economic opportunity.

Anelise Anapolski, Ana Passuello, Miguel Aloysio Sattler · International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education · Brazil

This study investigated urban agriculture (UA) as regenerative infrastructure on a university campus in Brazil, assessing challenges and opportunities before project implementation and proposing design requirements for future projects. Data collected from 120 questionnaires and 9 interviews revealed key challenges including maintenance, stakeholder engagement, risk of discontinuity, and lack of institutional support. The academic setting offers opportunities through integration with teaching, research, and outreach, and the campus community positively associates UA with innovation.

Valerie Dumser, Emma Kudelka · Digital Commons at Illinois Wesleyan University (Illinois Wesleyan University) · United States (Bloomington)

This oral history interview explores the history and evolution of the West Bloomington Revitalization Project (WBRP), co-founder Valerie Dumser's experiences living in and serving the West Side community, and the longstanding partnership between Illinois Wesleyan University and the WBRP. Dumser founded the WBRP Community Garden and has remained actively involved in the organization's growth and development.

Benjamin Marc Kocher, Jacob Anthony Booker · DigitalCommons - CalPoly (California State Polytechnic University) · United States (California)

This senior project planned, designed, and constructed drainage and pedestrian access improvements at City Farms SLO, a nonprofit in San Luis Obispo, California. Prior to construction, the site experienced stormwater pooling and erosion in a central area. The team excavated an 80-foot trench drain, installed a 15-foot corrugated HDPE culvert, built a seven-foot pedestrian bridge, and created a 17-foot gravel pathway. These upgrades effectively mitigated stormwater pooling and erosion while enhancing safe pedestrian access for visitors and program participants.

Jennifer Morrison Daspin, Mariela Jiménez-Rivero, Bonnie Martin, Michele Hockett Cooper, Katie Nikah, Lyndsey Waugh, J. N. Davis · Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior · United States

A cross-sectional survey of 364 US school administrators, teachers, and garden coordinators identified attributes predicting thriving school gardens. Logistic regression analyses showed that each additional subject and grade taught increased the odds to thrive by 21-22%, an annual budget over $1,000 by 42 times, and higher administrative support by 42 times. Administrative support, budget, volunteer support, and garden workdays are integral to garden sustainability.

Isaiah Sawyer, Reginald Andre, Yotam Shanun, Brendan Casal · Journal of International Crisis and Risk Communication Research · United States

This project, in partnership with the UCF Arboretum in the United States, involved activities such as clearing invasive vines, weeding and remulching beds in a community garden, and documenting local biodiversity across campus areas. Participants documented their service work through a culture audit to analyze the project's impact and leadership strategies. These activities contributed to building leadership skills, analytical tools, and a deeper sense of ownership over the campus's natural beauty.

Alexa McLaughlin, Stephanie Ward Chiasson, Jeanne Godin · Canadian Food Studies / La Revue canadienne des études sur l alimentation · Canada (New Brunswick)

This process evaluation assessed the reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance of the New Brunswick School Food Pilot Project (NBSFPP) using the RE-AIM framework in eleven schools across New Brunswick, Canada. While school administrators reported positive impacts on program optimization, student leadership skills, food literacy, and eating behaviors, no significant effect was found on teachers’ perceptions of students’ diet or academic outcomes. Program sustainability was largely dependent on receiving funding.

Michelle A. Fleming, Colleen Saxen, Dusty Columbia Embury · Science and Children · United States

An article examining a practice combining nature-based observation with creative writing in a kindergarten classroom at an urban public school in the United States. Centred on a school garden inhabited by a spider and a squirrel, the activity had kindergarteners record scientific observations of the garden's resident flora and fauna before creatively writing fable stories inspired by those observations. The kindergarteners were reported to be highly engaged, to have improved their scientific understanding, and to have learned to communicate information creatively; the cross-curricular activity is described as deepening students' understanding of how living things survive in the school garden and developing their observation and critical-thinking skills.

Christine Jie Li, John H. Schulz, Sa Tun Bo Bo · Journal of Community Practice · United States

Semi-structured interviews with 18 Burmese refugees in the United States explored their experiences across three types of community-assisted garden programs — individual backyard gardens, personal-use community gardens, and enterprise community-assisted gardens. The interviews produced three broad themes (benefits, challenges, and issues with recruitment and support), with reported benefits including strengthened family relationships, access to culturally relevant and fresh organic vegetables, reduced food budget spending, and improved social relationships, alongside challenges that the study describes as a complex mixture affecting refugees' nutritional, economic and social well-being.

Swayangsiddha Nayak, Lalita Dhal, Sheri Dorn, Julie H. Campbell · Urban forestry & urban greening · United States

A longitudinal qualitative participatory action research study conducted between 2023 and 2024 at a Southeastern U.S. university examined how international students engage with an autonomous, student-led campus community garden, using Berry's Acculturation Theory to explore motivations and the physical, social and psychological barriers they encountered. The study found a cyclical acculturation process in which the garden's autonomy fostered belonging through growing culturally relevant produce and intercultural exchange, while limited institutional support generated uncertainty, mistrust and communication barriers that caused students to oscillate between feelings of integration and separation, eventually prompting self-advocacy and co-leadership structures among the students.

Justina Walker-Mohamed, Stephanie Johnston, Silvia Sarapura, Charlotte Potter, Tristan Cook, Paul Benalcazer, Red Rock Indian Band, Netmizaaggamig Nishnaabeg, Biinjitiwaabik Zaagging Anishinaabek, Niigaaniin (Mamaweswen) · Rural Review Ontario Rural Planning Development and Policy · Canada

This poster presentation describes knowledge translation and transfer (KTT) practices in the Braiding Food Systems (BFS) project, a community-based agri-food research initiative with First Nations in Canada spanning community gardens, seed lodges and youth engagement. The approach centers relationships, mutual and reciprocal learning and sharing, and equal value for diverse forms of knowledge, co-developing place-based KTT strategies and materials, and is intended to open a conversation on community engagement and participation in KTT for Indigenous agri-food and rural research. No specific outcomes or measured results are reported.

Kate Holbrook · Digital Commons - RISD (Rhode Island School of Design) · United States

The American public library, described as a "palace for the people," was established as a free, democratic haven for the public's literary and educational needs, and has since expanded its services beyond book access to include tool rentals, warming centers, postal services, and more. Building on the public library's identity as a democratic commons, this study proposes a physical expansion of the Boston Public Library into Copley Square. Drawing on the library's autonomous architectural language, the proposal extends its social and educational services through the lens of food systems, allowing patrons to take part in the production, processing, and output of urban agriculture.

· Wikipedia · United States

Brooklyn Grange operates 5.6 acres of organic vegetable and honey production across three rooftop farms in New York City, the largest rooftop farm operation in the city. Founded in 2010, it produces about 80,000 pounds of vegetables and roughly 1,500 pounds of honey annually. The founders launched the business with loans, personal savings, and investors, and the Brooklyn Navy Yard farm was partly funded by a $592,730 grant from the NYC DEP Green Infrastructure Grant Program.

· Wikipedia · United States

This Wikipedia article covers the Beacon Food Forest, an urban food forest on public land in Seattle's Beacon Hill neighborhood, described as the largest food forest on public land in the United States. Jacqueline Cramer and Glenn Herlihy proposed the concept in 2009; the project received a $20,000 grant in 2010 and a $100,000 development grant in December 2011, with initial planting of 1.75 acres in September 2012. It added 27 P-Patch garden plots in 2014, expanded by 1.5 acres in 2019, and its Food Forest Collective gained nonprofit status in August 2017.