Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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Critical findings
90 results(1 / 4)
Urban Microfarms: Hot or Cold Spots for Plants and Soil Biodiversity?
2026Joimel S., Grard B., Chenu C., Auclerc A., Bernard M., Mondy S., Dewulf L., Lelièvre M., El Mekdad F., Vieublé Gonod L. · European Journal of Soil Science · France (Paris)
Study of 12 urban microfarm plots in the Paris region found high intra- and inter-site variability in soil biological properties, with microfarm soils hosting lower bacterial diversity than forests or cultivated soils. Both ground-level and rooftop microfarms were surveyed.
BiodiversityOrganic cycleـ- SUSTAINABLE FEATURES IN EDUCATION: Ecological Retrofitting Of Existing Campuses
2026Manal Emhemed Mu Chalgham, Halil Semih Eryıldız · Al-Farooq Journal of Sciences · Turkey (Istanbul)
This case study focuses on Okan University's Tuzla Campus in Istanbul, which already has sustainable features. The research proposes ecological retrofitting measures like edible landscaping, rainwater harvesting, and waste management to improve environmental performance and create an interactive learning environment. Analysis revealed major weaknesses in underutilized green spaces, inefficient natural ventilation, and lacking water/waste management systems, which the proposed retrofits aim to address.
Food educationCommunityOrganic cycleTrace metal extractability and bioaccessibility in urban soils
2026María Roo, Cecilia Herbón, Juan Pedro Martín‐Sanz, María Teresa Barral, Remigio Paradelo Núñez · Journal of Soils and Sediments · Spain (Santiago de Compostela)
This study analyzed the chemical extractability and bioaccessibility of five trace metals (Pb, Cu, Zn, Ni, Cr) in 55 urban soils from Santiago de Compostela, Spain, across various land uses. The availability of trace metals in these soils was found to be very low. Plant-available and bioaccessible Cu and Zn were higher in urban garden soils compared to other uses, supporting hypotheses that Cu, Pb, and Zn originate from anthropogenic pollution.
Contamination & food safetyHealthOrganic cycleLeveraging circular nutrients to improve the sustainability of peri-urban agriculture
2026Angelica Mendoza Beltrán, Susana Toboso‐Chavero, Juan David Arosemena Polo, Adriana Lucia Romero Lestido, gara villalba · npj Urban Sustainability · Spain (Barcelona)
This study investigates the spatial and temporal effects of nutrient circularity strategies in peri-urban agriculture (peri-UA) using a regionalized life cycle assessment tool, focusing on the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona. It examines how nutrient recovery from municipal waste impacts climate change, eutrophication, resource depletion, and water consumption. The research finds that applying compost with current waste management infrastructure can reduce the carbon footprint of peri-UA areas by up to 85%.
Organic cycleClimate changePeri-urban agricultureFrom factory to community:Integrated design to upcycle waste construction materials from modular building factories for community gardens in West Yorkshire
2026Yun Gao, Nwakaego Onyenokporo, Manas; id_orcid 0000-0003-4791-8583 Murthy, Tamiris; id_orcid 0000-0002-4563-2429 Capellaro Ferreira · Huddersfield Research Portal (University of Huddersfield) · United Kingdom
This paper examines how integrated design supports the effective reuse of waste materials from a modular building factory through the design of a community garden pavilion. Using Whole Lifecycle Assessment, the carbon impacts of three scenarios were evaluated. Results showed that the scenario reusing waste materials (Case 3) achieved an 81% reduction in whole-life carbon emissions, totaling 3,044.99 kgCO₂e, compared to the baseline scenario using new materials (Case 1).
CommunityClimate changeOrganic cycleDesign as a tool for experiential food education: Research into practice through a proximity-based therapeutic garden
2026Anna C. Catania, Carmen Trischitta · Design Studies · Italy
This paper examined the role of design as a catalyst in experiential food education through the Curortò project, a therapeutic garden established within the G. Di Cristina Children's Hospital. Employing a participatory action research methodology, the project involved hospitalized children, healthcare professionals, educators, and local community actors in a collaborative design process. Detailed observation, field diaries, and qualitative interviews provided evidence of significant improvements in children's understanding of seasonal food cycles, resource management, and circular economy principles, accompanied by reduced stress levels and increased operational autonomy.
Food educationHealthCommunityOrganic cycle“It’s Only Really When I Put My Hands in the Soil That I Feel at Home”
2026Lucy C. Michaels, María Puig de la Bellacasa · Environmental Humanities · United Kingdom
This article explores how soil care practices in urban gardening contribute to a sense of ecological belonging, focusing on diverse communities of urban growers from uprooted and migrant backgrounds in a city of the British East Midlands. Based on interviews and fieldwork, it shows how material, affective, and ethical relations in soil care may offer a distinct opening to more-than-human relations of belonging to/with land. Growers repair and nourish soil, connect to pasts and futures of urban land, and navigate affective and ethical ambivalences, reconfiguring place, identity, and more-than-human community.
CommunityOrganic cycleHealthAgronomic and organizational aspects of Barcelona's community gardens
2025· Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · Spain (Barcelona)
A study analysing both the agronomic and the organisational dimensions of Barcelona's community gardens, examining empirically how citizen-led urban gardens are managed and run.
CommunityFood educationOrganic cycleGlobal Health as Vector for Agroecology in Collective Gardens in Toulouse Region (France)
2025Wilkens J., Mombo S., Dumat C. · Urban Science · France (Toulouse)
Examines 11 years of collective urban gardens in the Toulouse region through the lens of global health—encompassing human well-being, soil health, and interspecies interactions—as a driver of agroecological transitions among gardeners.
CommunityHealthBiodiversityOrganic cycleAgronomic Use of Urban Composts from Decentralized Composting Scenarios: Implications for a Horticultural Crop and Soil Properties
2025Irigoyen I., López M., Orden L., Moral R., Nogués I., Bustamante M.Á. · Agronomy · Europe (urban agriculture focus)
June 2025 study examining how decentralized and community composting are emerging as novel scenarios favoring localized management and valorization of organic waste streams. Supports organic waste reduction at community level and nutrient cycling for urban agriculture fertilization, offering alternatives to centralized composting.
CompostOrganic cycleFood educationUrban Harvesting: Building Resilience Through Circular Agriculture
2025· Sustainability · Barcelona, Spain
A systematic review integrating circular economy principles with urban agriculture to build resilient, low-emission urban food systems, using metropolitan Barcelona as a case, discussing zero-waste strategies including redistribution of surplus food.
Food lossOrganic cycleCommunityClosing the nutrient loop between urban and rural areas: a case study analyzing the technical potential of recycling fertilizers from urban biorefineries
2025Trenkner M., Kiesel A., Bauerle A., Lewandowski I. · Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining · Stuttgart, Germany
Analyses the technical potential of urban biorefinery concepts for recycling plant nutrients from waste streams and wastewater in a German metropolitan region to close the urban-rural nutrient loop.
Organic cycleFood lossPolicyBiochar–Compost blends modulate trace element and nutrient dynamics in rooftop farming systems under Mediterranean conditions
2025Medina Veliu, Hugo López-Romano, Giuseppe Picca, Marco Panettieri, Eduardo Moreno‐Jiménez, Denis Courtier‐Murias, Liliane Jean‐Soro, Johnny Gaspéri, Laura L. de Sosa · Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety · Spain (Madrid)
This study investigated the impact of biochar-amended composts on trace element and nutrient dynamics in rooftop farming systems by cultivating tomatoes, lettuce, and Swiss chard for three years on a Madrid rooftop. Six substrates derived from spent coffee grounds, coffee silverskin, and seaweeds, with and without biochar, were used. Results showed that biochar reduced plant uptake and leaching of trace elements, lowering arsenic uptake by up to 40% in seaweed-based composts. Biochar also improved nutrient retention, reducing phosphorus and nitrogen losses by 40% and 25% respectively.
CompostOrganic cycleHealthFood from urban agriculture has carbon footprint six times larger than conventional produce
2024· PhysOrg (Research Report) · Multi-regional (France, Germany, Poland, UK, USA)
International citizen science study recruiting farmers and gardeners at urban agriculture sites in France, Germany, Poland, UK, and USA. Participants recorded daily diary entries of inputs and harvests. Found that urban farms may have higher carbon footprints due to intensive inputs, suggesting need for optimization of composting and organic waste utilization to reduce environmental impact.
Organic cycleFood educationClosing the nutrient cycle in urban areas: The use of municipal solid waste in peri-urban and urban agriculture
2024Juan David Arosemena Polo, Susana Toboso‐Chavero, Biraj Adhikari, Gara Villalba · Waste Management · Spain (Barcelona)
This research determined the potential of organic municipal solid waste (OMSW) compost to supply nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium (NPK) demand for urban agriculture (UA) and its environmental benefits in the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona, Spain. Using spatial material flow analysis and life cycle assessment, it was found that the current waste management system could substitute 8% of total NPK demand with compost, reduce impacts by up to 39%, and yield 130% savings in global warming. A 2025 scenario could substitute 21% of NPK demand and reduce environmental impacts by up to 1,049%.
Organic cycleCompostPeri-urban agriculturePolicyClimate changeThe Role of Participatory Approaches in Developing Future Perspectives
2024Bart Neuts, Steven Valcke, Clio Lambrechts, Vincent R. Nijs, Jan Van Praet · · Europe
This study describes a participatory inquiry conducted in the summer of 2021 at St Godelina’s Abbey in Bruges, Belgium, where visitors co-created 4,784 scenarios for the heritage site's future development. A panel of 40 experts further explored these scenarios, leading to an architectural design that integrates a community garden, orchard, and other elements. The process is presented as a best practice for citizen participation in redeveloping cultural sites, though limitations include significant data collection and analysis efforts, making it impractical for smaller initiatives.
CommunityFood educationOrganic cycleAn informal and transformative learning environment: The case of ODTÜ Bostan community garden in Turkey
2024Ayşe Kaplan Sarısaltık, Ufuk Sarısaltık · Cleaner and Responsible Consumption · Turkey
This qualitative study explored the role of ODTÜ Bostan, a community garden at the Middle East Technical University in Turkey, in promoting sustainability education, ecology, and food consumption practices. Operating for ten years, the garden not only enhances participants' sustainability competencies but also serves as an educational laboratory, demonstrating the potential of community gardens to address global challenges like climate change and biodiversity loss. The research employed autoethnography, thematic analysis of eight semi-structured interviews, and content analysis of archival data.
CommunityFood educationBiodiversityClimate changeOrganic cycleFostering Citizen-Led Projects Through Multi-level Engagement in Wildemanbuurt, Amsterdam
2024Diana Krabbendam, Emiel Wolf, Bernie Deekens, Rosalie Bak, Hans Krikke · SpringerBriefs in applied sciences and technology · Netherlands (Amsterdam)
This chapter outlined activities for citizen-led projects in the Wildeman neighborhood in Amsterdam. The main challenges identified were a lack of trust and community feeling among inhabitants, a lack of involvement and ownership in neighborhood developments, and fragmented existing community activities and services.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyFood educationOrganic cycleQuantification and valorization of compost derived from urban households’ waste in Bukavu City, Eastern D.R. Congo
2024Géant Basimine Chuma, Jean M. Mondo, Adrien Byamungu Ndeko, Etienne M. Akuzibwe, Espoir Mukengere Bagula, Gustave Nachigera Mushagalusa · Discover Sustainability · Democratic Republic of Congo (Bukavu City)
This study investigated the quantity, composition, and disposal practices of domestic waste in Bukavu City, Eastern D.R. Congo. Findings revealed significant challenges in waste management infrastructure and practices, showing that approximately 5% of waste undergoes composting, while 10% is used as livestock feed, 66% incinerated, and 17% buried. Waste management is primarily handled by children (82%), with very limited involvement from non-governmental organizations.
Governance failureCompostOrganic cycleUrban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceOn the irrelevance of (peat-free) substrates - Qualitative insights into the social practices of hobby gardeners in Germany
2024Holger Braun, Dorothee Apfel, Benedikt Rilling, Carsten Herbes · Cleaner and Responsible Consumption · Germany
A study with 44 hobby gardeners in Germany found that substrates are not a major part of gardeners' social interactions, and price is the dominant purchase criterion for substrates, with sustainability not playing an important role. Although basic knowledge about peat is widespread, purchasing substrates is a utility-driven process with mostly passive information behavior.
Limited or null effectCommunityClimate changeDIYOrganic cycleSoil quality in the urban gardens of Barcelona (Spain)
2024Cosimo Dondini, Xavier Úbeda, Giacomo Certini, Marcos Francos · Journal of Soils and Sediments · Spain (Barcelona)
This study analyzed soils from ten urban gardens in Barcelona, Spain, with a special focus on possible contaminants. Irrigation water was also analyzed, and some of the waters contained a high concentration of salts and nitrites, which are listed as a pollutant. While three tests for heavy metals did not attest to significant pollution, other toxic elements not considered in this study could come from road transport gases or the port of Barcelona. Overall, the soil quality was concluded to be suitable for growing vegetables.
Contamination & food safetyOrganic cycleHealthCommunityCommunity composting strategies for biowaste treatment: methodology, bulking agent and compost quality
2023Alves, D., Villar, I., Mato, S. · Environmental Science and Pollution Research (Springer), 31(7):9873-9885 · Spain / Europe
A study comparing methodology, bulking agents, and compost quality across community composting centres (CCC) and community gardens used by local governments to treat biowaste. It shows how population density and the presence of green areas determine the siting of decentralized local composting infrastructure.
CompostOrganic cyclePolicyCommunityCompost quality of a peri-urban waste composting facility: A case of Mukono municipality, Uganda
2023Kizza-Nkambwe S., Mpewo M., Kasima J. S., Mfuranzima K. · Sustainable Environment · Mukono, Uganda
Assesses compost quality from a waste composting facility in Mukono municipality, central Uganda, analysing physicochemical parameters and heavy metals and arsenic in mature compost.
CompostOrganic cycleSustainability assessment of peri-urban organic horticulture — A case study in the United Kingdom
2023Mustafa Ali, Lenny Koh, Adolf Acquaye, Jonathan R. Leake, Jacob Nickles, Toby P. Evans, Gareth Roberts, Douglas Kemp · The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment · United Kingdom (Sheffield)
This study conducted an integrated environmental and economic assessment of organic peri-urban horticulture using primary data from a farm in Sheffield, UK. A hybrid life cycle assessment (LCA) found that the global warming potential (GWP) for case study tomatoes was 3.53 kg CO2-eq, which was 1.87 times higher than imported Spanish tomatoes. Economic analysis showed that the marginal increase in the prices of tomatoes and courgettes from the case study farm was 4.6 and 5.15 times less than the market prices, leading to the conclusion that the studied production system is economically and environmentally sustainable compared to the existing scenario.
Peri-urban agricultureOrganic cycleEconomicsClimate changeEvaluating the impacts of nutrients recovery from urine wastewater in Building-Integrated Agriculture. A test case study in Amsterdam
2023Michele D’Ostuni, C. Stanghellini, A. Boedijn, Leonardo Zaffi, Giuseppina Pennisi, Francesco Orsini · Sustainable Cities and Society · Netherlands (Amsterdam)
The feasibility of using urine and greywater streams as nutrient solutions in a theoretical model of Building-Integrated Agriculture in Amsterdam was evaluated. Results showed it is feasible to use urine and greywater as nutrient solutions; however, treated urine had higher macronutrient concentrations than literature fertilizer recipes, requiring dilution with increasing amounts of greywater to match N or P concentrations. Consequently, P deficiencies in plants or excessive N concentration were found in the final wastewater-based nutrient solution.
Limited or null effectOrganic cycleDigital agriculture