Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
639 results(1 / 26)
A landscape of opportunity? Vacant land, community gardens, and neoliberal green fixes in San Diego
2026Pascale Joassart-Marcelli · Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space · United States (San Diego)
Drawing on city planning documents, spatial data, and original fieldwork (site audits, surveys, interviews), this paper critically examines the political ecology of land access for urban agriculture in San Diego. It argues the city's "opportunity narrative" around vacant land obscures structural inequities, functioning as a neoliberal "green fix" that shifts responsibility for food access onto marginalized communities while treating land as a speculative commodity, and calls for a land justice framework centered on equity, secure tenure, and community self-determination.
PolicyCommunityComparing controlled-environment-urban agriculture to conventional agriculture across Canada
2026· Agronomy for Sustainable Development · Canada
A life-cycle assessment of controlled-environment urban lettuce found climate-change impacts ranging from 0.8 to 25 times those of conventional lettuce because of high energy demand; in carbon-intensive grids such as Alberta, per-kilogram emissions exceeded conventional agriculture.
PolicyEconomicsO direito à cidade sustentável e a agricultura urbana como estratégia para reduzir desigualdades climáticas
2026Luiz Guilherme Luz Cardoso, Solange Teles da Silva · Revista Brasileira de Direito Urbanístico | RBDU · Brazil
This study investigated how Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture (AUP) can address climate inequalities as an extension of the fundamental right to a sustainable city, given Brazil's accelerated urbanization and worsening heat islands in peripheral areas. Using a hypothetical-deductive method and documentary and content analysis of institutional, journalistic, and academic data from 2000 to 2026, the study analyzed AUP practices' contribution to mitigating thermal and socioeconomic asymmetries. Results indicate that AUP restores land use value, fills normative gaps in master plans, and establishes itself as a vector for democratic governance, food sovereignty, and intergenerational urban sustainability.
Climate changePolicyFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkagePolíticas alimentares, agricultura familiar e justiça climática na Amazônia rumo à COP30
2026Jaqueline Lopes Pereira, Bárbara Lellis de Sá Frizo, Denise Miguel Teixeira Roberto, Gabriela Rigote, Clara Ribeiro Camargo, Fabrício Muriana, Gabriela Mariano Mendonça, Maurício Alcântara, Roberta Moraes Curan, Dirce Maria Lobo Marchioni, Aline Martins de Carvalho · Revista de Saúde Pública · Brazil (Belém)
This study analyzed the sustainability of the food system in the Belém Metropolitan Region, Brazil, focusing on public institutional purchasing policies in 2022. Municipalities allocated 31 million reais to the National School Feeding Program, with 43.5% from family farming, exceeding the legal target. The Food Acquisition Program saw the Abril Vermelho settlement sell 28 tons of food, prioritizing permanent crops and agro-ecological practices.
PolicyEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changePeri-urban agricultureHarvesting Hope
2026Mya O. Price · · United States
This chapter traces the historical dispossession of Black farmers from enslavement through Jim Crow, discriminatory federal policy, and contemporary land loss. It synthesizes historical analysis, policy critique, and community-based case studies to show how Black farmers are reclaiming land, rebuilding local food systems, and advancing food sovereignty through cooperatives, urban agriculture, and advocacy.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkageThe Local Food System and Its Potential for Empowering Black Farmers and Growers
2026Mya O. Price · · United States
This chapter examines how local food systems can empower Black farmers and growers through direct-to-consumer and community-based markets, analyzing tools like farmers’ markets and urban agriculture. While case examples show Black-led initiatives, persistent barriers include limited capital, discriminatory pricing and lending, bureaucratic gaps, and uneven USDA support despite civil rights settlements. The study details these challenges.
Equity & displacementCommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justicePolicy“Regain the park from the Bad People”. Symbolic boundaries and urban exclusion in Ecatepec
2026Miguel Ángel Monteverde-Ávalos · Alteridades · Mexico (Ecatepec)
An ethnography of a dispute over a small community garden in a working-class neighborhood in Ecatepec, Mexico, revealed that internal socialization processes establish thresholds of respectability, leading to classifications that reproduce differential access to public space. The study found that these classifications result in the unequal distribution of spatial resources and contribute to the reproduction of an exclusionary urban order.
Equity & displacementCommunityPolicyHealthWhen Business as Usual Fails: The Case of Urban Agriculture in Detroit
2026Jocelyn M. Leitzinger, Robert David · · United States (Detroit)
A case study of Detroit's urban agriculture market indicates that "business-as-usual" development strategies, which prioritize large-scale investment projects, often fail to achieve their economic development potential. These strategies are noted to potentially exacerbate social or environmental issues, particularly within "moral markets" led by Black activists. The paper explores the mechanisms of such failures and offers recommendations for policymakers and entrepreneurs.
Economic viabilityCommunityEconomicsPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceInsurgent Geographies and the Problem of Violence: Lessons From Seattle's Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone
2026Alexei Anisin · Peace & Change · United States (Seattle)
This study analyzed the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ) in Seattle, which emerged in June 2020 and lasted 24 days, functioning as an urban hub for mutual aid and urban farming. The research, using randomly sampled Fire Department reports, found that CHAZ had significantly higher emergency response rates and incident variability compared to adjacent areas. The zone was dismantled due to outbreaks of violence, including five shootings, two deaths, sexual assaults, and arson, indicating a failure to address communal safety.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyHealthENTRE O DISCURSO E A PRÁTICA
2026Alan da Silva Vinhaes, Tamires Regina Rocha · Revista Tocantinense de Geografia · Brazil (Jundiaí)
This article analyzes the Urban Garden Program in Jundiaí, Brazil, to understand the contradictions between institutional discourse, normative framework, and observed territorial practice. Despite a favorable legal framework, the program's effectiveness is limited by low territorial coverage, a reduced number of active gardens, and reliance on punctual initiatives. The study concludes that long-term public policies with continuous institutional support are needed for urban agriculture to become a permanent component of urban planning.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justicePolicyCommunityA University–School Partnership Model for Sustainability Teacher Training: Integrating School Gardens into Basic Education
2026Yadeneyro 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.
Governance failureFood educationCommunityPolicyRiverbend Ranch Mixed-Use Development Project
2026Anthony James Sousa · DigitalCommons - CalPoly (California State Polytechnic University) · United States (California)
This senior project proposes a mixed-use development in Visalia, California, aiming to increase housing density and incorporate urban agricultural uses. The project includes site analysis, site plan development, and a literature review on urban agriculture's role in planning. It seeks to set a precedent for future development in Visalia by reconnecting urban and rural relationships.
Urban–rural linkagePolicyCommunityDynamics of urban greening in public squares: sustainable planning and the provision of ecosystem services in urban centers
2026Jéssica de Oliveira, Micael Silva de Freitas, Frederico Augusto Guimarães Guilherme, Jonathan Souza Oliveira, Laura Beatriz Oliveira, E. V. E. J. Amaral, Eder Marcos da Silva, Wendy Carniello Ferreira, Anderson Ribeiro Diniz, Carlos Rogério Andrade, Deivid Lopes Machado · Urban Ecosystems · Brazil (Jataí)
The temporal dynamics of urban greening in public squares in Jataí, Goiás state, Brazil, were evaluated through two surveys in 2010 and 2024. A complete floristic census of 14 public squares found no difference in total abundance but a significant increase in species richness from 79 to 121. However, urban greening management prioritized exotic and deciduous species, detrimentally affecting ecosystem attributes essential for sustainable planning, such as permanent shading and the valuation of regional flora.
BiodiversityClimate changePolicySystemic operative framework to support the integration of urban agriculture and socio-ecological resilience in informal settlements: A dynamic urban metabolism approach to food security
2026Alejandra Acevedo-De-los-Ríos, Anna Dyson, Damien Claeys, Úrsula Cárdenas‐Mamani · Ecological Modelling · Peru (Lima)
This study developed a four-stage diagnostic-to-simulation framework to integrate urban agriculture (UA) and socio-ecological resilience in informal settlements, calibrated for Ciudad de Gosen, Lima, Peru (6300 inhabitants). Simulation results indicate that rooftop and unbuilt-land cultivation can meet household vegetable and fruit demand, biodigestion can supply 17–52% of energy needs, and greywater reuse can sustain approximately 77% of irrigation. Governance reforms and land tenure security were identified as primary accelerators for UA adoption and improved food security.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityPolicyClimate changeUrban agriculture as regenerative infrastructure on a university campus in Brazil: challenges, opportunities and design requirements
2026Anelise 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.
Governance failurePolicyFood educationCommunityUrban–rural linkageThe potential roles of vertical urban agriculture to promote the right to food in Brazil
2026Felipe Jardim, Eduardo Alberto Manjarrés Trelles, Caren Freitas de Lima · Revista de Direito da Cidade · Brazil
This study investigated the role of vertical urban agriculture in promoting the right to food in Brazil, considering the food system crisis as a problem affecting the right to the city. An inductive method with a qualitative approach, including literature review, documental research, and case studies from Japan, Singapore, Germany, the USA, and Brazil, revealed that vertical urban agriculture has "cons" when appropriated as a profitable system with restricted access products, and "pros" such as occupying vacant urban land and being produced by or supporting poor families.
Equity & displacementFood sovereignty & justicePolicyEconomicsDigital agricultureValerie Dumser
2026Valerie 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.
CommunityFood educationPolicyAttributes of Thriving School Gardens in the US
2026Jennifer 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.
Food educationCommunityPolicyEconomicsStrengthening urban resilience in the United States: community preferences for green rooftops integrating agriculture and solar energy
2026Natalie Meyer, Simona Trandafir · Journal of Environmental Economics and Policy · United States (Rhode Island)
A choice-based survey of over 600 US residents from Rhode Island examined preferences and perceived value for green rooftop (GR) space allocations for agriculture, solar energy, and recreation. Latent class modeling revealed that Class 1, representing 20% of respondents, was generally unsupportive of GR installation and expressed disutility towards GR space allocation for solar energy. Both classes uniformly favored allocating GR space for agriculture production and showed a positive willingness to pay for this feature.
Limited or null effectCommunityPolicyEconomicsClimate changeUrban Agriculture and Smart Cities: The Integration of Controlled Environment Agriculture, Community Gardens, and Public Health Policies
2026Evelyn Seilhe Guerreiro, Márcio Luis Valença Araújo, Adilson Oliveira de Almirante, Eduardo Oliveira Teles, Aloísio Santos Nascimento Filho, Hugo Saba Pereira Cardoso · Journal of Bioengineering, Technologies and Health · Brazil
This study analyzed the integration of Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA), community gardens, and public health policies, using case studies from Brazilian cities such as Salvador, Recife, São Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro. CEA contributes to enhanced productivity in small spaces with reduced water and input consumption, while community gardens strengthen social cohesion, mental health, and local food supply. However, challenges remain regarding high implementation costs, regulatory gaps, and lack of institutional support.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyEconomicsClimate changeBraiding Food Systems Co-constructing Indigenous Seed Systems in Northern Ontario for Food Sovereignty, Security, and Climate Adaptation
2026Charlotte Potter, Silvia Sarapura, Camilo Jimenez Gonzalez, Justina Walker-Mohamed, Paul Benalcazer, Biinjitiwaabik Zaagging Anishinaabek, Netmizaaggamig Nishnabeg, Red Rock Indian Band · Rural Review Ontario Rural Planning Development and Policy · Canada (Northern Ontario)
The 'Braiding Food Systems' project, a community-led partnership with three Northern Ontario First Nations, used mixed-methods Participatory Action Research to examine conditions influencing food security and sovereignty. Community members identified structural constraints rooted in colonial governance, contemporary ecological pressures, and local transformation opportunities. This research demonstrates that sustained, community-led collaboration can counterbalance colonial food systems by reorganizing decisions, strengthening access, and enhancing resilience within Indigenous food networks.
Governance failureCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changePolicyMapeamento de legislações de Agricultura Urbana e Periurbana no Brasil
2026Elisa Carvalho Lauer, Jaqueline Lima Liskoski, Kelliane Da Consolação Fuscaldi · Revista Campo-Território · Brazil
This study mapped and analyzed urban and peri-urban agriculture (AUP) legislation across municipal, state, and federal levels in Brazil, identifying 217 municipal laws in 113 municipalities, 33 state laws, and federal frameworks. The research systematized normative content into twelve thematic categories, showing AUP's integration into food security, urban sustainability, and income generation agendas. While a qualitatively consistent normative basis exists, gaps persist regarding conceptual definition, area guarantees, water access, financing, and credit. It is necessary to expand and harmonize regulations across all three spheres to consolidate AUP as a structural strategy for sustainable cities.
Governance failurePolicyFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsContribuição das experiências comunitárias de agricultura urbana para o Bem Viver na cidade do Rio de Janeiro
2026Mayara Grazielle Consentino Ferreira da Silva, Carlos José Saldanha Machado · Revista da ANPEGE · Brazil (Rio de Janeiro)
This study describes and analyzes three community urban agriculture experiences in the West Zone of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from the theoretical perspective of "Bem Viver" (Good Living). Using bibliographic review, participant observation, and semi-structured interviews, the study concludes that collective political action, supported by urban agriculture, enables the creation of a new world based on mutual aid and harmony between humans and nature.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyBelo Horizonte’s Right-to-Food Model
2026Hoyoon Jung · The International Journal of Social Sustainability in Economic Social and Cultural Context · Brazil (Belo Horizonte)
This study analyzes Belo Horizonte, Brazil's right-to-food model, which has reduced hunger and promoted social equity through integrated food policies like subsidized food programs and urban agriculture. Despite its successes, the model faces challenges in policy sustainability, financial constraints, and political continuity, and the study notes limitations including reliance on secondary data.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justicePolicyHealthEconomics(Not) in my backyard: Access to community gardens, neighborhood characteristics, and food deserts
2025Chen H., Wang H., Bora F., Hu Y. · Cities 166:106226 · United States
Analyzes 1,874 community gardens across 24 US cities. Neighborhood race and poverty predict garden presence, but most gardens lie outside designated food deserts, limiting their capacity to address food access gaps.
WelfareCommunityPolicy