Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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1140 results(1 / 46)
Urban–rural linkage: an ecosystem governance perspective
2026IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management · IUCN · Global
Rethinks ecosystem governance across urban and rural landscapes, offering practical local and regional solutions and linking them to the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.
BiodiversityPolicyDeveloping a Success Index for Urban Agriculture Implementation to Strengthen Food Security in Egypt
2026Ashraf M., Hussain H.R. · Journal of Contemporary Urban Affairs · Egypt
Develops a success index for urban agriculture in Egypt, identifying distinct success factors for commercial farms (location, capital, licensing) versus household gardens (knowledge, community support). Concludes urban farming complements conventional agriculture by activating underused urban spaces, reducing food miles, and creating micro-enterprise opportunities.
Food educationCommunityEconomicsPolicyTaming the green gentrification cycle? Evidence from street greening in Vienna
2026· Urban Geography · Austria (Vienna)
Mixed-method analysis (1991–2021) of Vienna street-tree greening and its link to tenure commodification and exclusionary displacement, showing greening drives a gentrification cycle except where housing is heavily decommodified—pinpointing when greening policy backfires.
PolicyWelfareThey sprout everywhere: Urban agriculture experimentations in Metro Manila
2026Montefrio, Marvin Joseph F., Saguin, Kristian Karlo · Journal of Applied Social Science · Philippines
Analysis of diverse experimental urban agriculture projects in Metro Manila. Examines citizen-driven innovative farming experiments and their contribution to urban food security.
CommunityPolicyA systematic review of green gentrification and mental health
2026Catherine D. Brown, Alessandro Rigolon, Piper Zdrodowski, Amber L. Pearson · Health & Place · Global
A systematic review of 16 articles linking green gentrification — rising costs and resident turnover following green space investment — to mental health. Four negative pathways recur: financial stress and housing insecurity from rising housing costs, loss of sense of community as the population changes, exclusion of long-standing residents from the new green space itself, and anxiety about exposure to historical contamination. The review also records benefits, including opportunities for relaxation and improved aesthetics. Because the included studies are largely cross-sectional, the authors state that longitudinal designs are needed before causal claims can be made.
HealthCommunityPolicyModeling Non-State Actor Interactions in Inclusive Urban Ecology: The Role of Community Gardens in Sustainable City Development
2026Indra Jaya Wiranata, Khairunnisa Simbolon · Global and Policy Journal of International Relations · Global
This research examines the role of community gardens, supported by non-governmental groups, in addressing urban issues like environmental damage and food insecurity. The study analyzed urban agriculture programs in Singapore, Rosario, Seoul, Seville, and Yogyakarta, finding that community gardens boost biodiversity, improve air quality, support food sovereignty, and create inclusive public spaces. It concludes that community gardens are socio-ecological infrastructures that strengthen urban resilience and promote justice, especially in tropical cities with year-round growing seasons.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceBiodiversityPolicyUrban agriculture and the Water–Energy–Food Nexus for sustainable and resilient cities
2026Erick Paul Mena-Barragán, Lucía Toledo, Javier Cuestas-Caza, Oswaldo Viteri-Salazar · Frontiers in Sustainability · Global
This systematic review of 43 peer-reviewed articles (2003–2026) examines how the Water–Energy–Food (WEF) Nexus is conceptualized and operationalized in urban agriculture literature. It identifies four thematic domains and three modes of WEF Nexus integration: conceptual-strategic, operational-partial, and operational-systematic. The review finds heterogeneous forms of integration, from strategic framing to partial or, less frequently, fully systemic assessments of water, energy, and food relations.
Climate changeFood sovereignty & justicePolicyEconomicsUrban liveability, health and wellbeing are intricately linked to large, quality, biodiverse green spaces, not densification
2026Charlie M. Shackleton, Nanamhla Gwedla, Jessica P. R. Thorn · Frontiers in Sustainable Cities · Global
This article discusses the long-standing debate on whether cities can be both dense and green, noting that some cities have achieved both. It questions whether densification is the sole driver of declines in urban green space and proposes deepening the debate by considering eight other dimensions of urban greening. The article also mentions compact urban greening forms like vertical gardens and green roofs, but states that most are poor surrogates for large, connected, biodiverse green spaces.
BiodiversityHealthPolicyWhose fruits, whose labour? Negotiating community and care-work in urban orchards and food forests
2026Anastasia Luise Gramatakos, Catherine Phillips, Andrea Rawluk · Local Environment · Australia (Melbourne)
This ethnographic fieldwork, conducted across three community-led urban food forest sites in Naarm/Melbourne, examined the everyday labors, relations, and tensions involved in caring for urban food-producing trees. The study found that participants grapple with significant tensions, particularly in open-access sites lacking fences, gates, or formal membership, highlighting the evolving and imperfect nature of commoning practices rather than a fixed ideal.
Governance failureCommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyIntegrating vertical farming with vertical housing in hot-arid contexts: a socio-spatial, technical, and VR-based design strategy in the UAE
2026Khaled Galal Ahmed, Neveen Hamza, Alaa Omar Kordi, Omar Sherzad M. Shareef, Alaa Badawi, Aliaa Safwat, Nicolas Monje Mejia · Frontiers in Sustainable Cities · United Arab Emirates
This study investigated integrating vertical farming into Emirati vertical public housing in Sharjah, UAE, to reinterpret traditional outdoor living spaces. Researchers developed three vertical farming scenarios and evaluated them with 30 Emirati prospective users (aged 20–23) via immersive virtual reality and semi-structured interviews. Findings indicated that user acceptance was influenced by socio-spatial, cultural, and practical factors, with the Mixed Vertical Farming scenario receiving the strongest support.
CommunityDigital agriculturePolicyTerritorializing food systems through pedagogical broadening: the case of Voll Farm
2026Beste Sabir, Heidi Vinge, Adam Calo · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · Norway (Trondheim)
This paper examines how Voll Farm, a municipally supported green urban competence center in Trondheim, Norway, adopted pedagogical broadening strategies to operationalize territorialized food policies. Based on 18 months of qualitative fieldwork, the findings indicate that multifunctional farms can facilitate knowledge exchange and praxis-based learning between grassroots initiatives and policy landscapes, fostering civic empowerment and system awareness. Voll Farm's practices, such as community-supported agriculture and school gardening, make sustainable food production visible and inform municipal urban agriculture strategies.
Food educationPolicyCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceTOMAT in advance
2026Nele Buyst · Environmental Philosophy · Global
This article conceptually analyzes TOMAT, a community garden project organized by an educational institution, arguing for it as an "infrastructure of reciprocity." It focuses on how TOMAT enacts the (eco)feminist concept of "interdependency" and challenges the dominant relation to land as property, replacing it with a relation of belonging.
CommunityFood educationPolicyUrban Farming Initiatives in the United Arab Emirates:
2026Anamika Mishra, Rim Meziani, Ayah Alkhatib, Sara Ayman Laila · International Review for Spatial Planning and Sustainable Development · United Arab Emirates
This paper reviews the current state of urban farming initiatives in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to initiate a discussion on urban farming spatial practices in Gulf cities. It classifies global farming initiatives into four categories and documents UAE's institutional and policy frameworks for food security. The study analyzes a database of UAE farming initiatives using this classification, identifying trends and opportunities for integrating urban farming into the city.
PolicyFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityFood Sharing in Lisbon
2026Jennifer Lyons, Anna Davies · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Portugal (Lisbon)
This report, part of the CULTIVATE project, assesses the sustainability impacts of Food Sharing Initiatives (FSIs) in Lisbon. It combines insights from CULTIVATE's Food Sharing Map with sustainability impact assessment (SIA) data submitted by FSIs, estimating impacts across social, environmental, economic, and governance pillars. The report notes that the presented indicators are a subset of total impacts and estimations will become more accurate as more FSIs submit SIA data.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicyPrefigurative politics
2026Emma Paisley · Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks · Global
This chapter explores prefigurative politics as a transformative framework in food studies, focusing on enacting future societal values in present-day activism and pedagogy. It examines how grassroots initiatives like agroecology, food sovereignty, and community supported agriculture embody principles of equity, sustainability, and cooperation, challenging dominant capitalist food systems.
Food sovereignty & justiceCSA & TeikeiPolicyFood educationAgrotechnology and Sustainable Agricultural Innovation
2026A. R. (Alin) Adawiah, S. (Sumini) Sumini, R. A. (Rahil) Rifqah, M. (Muhammad) Syafi’ie, S. (Sari) Susanti, P. (Poppy) Khairunnisa, S. Anggraini, S. (Samsul) Bahri, P. A. (Pajri) Yudha, M. (Meli) Roslianti · Neliti · Global
This book provides an overview of agrotechnology and sustainable agricultural innovation, covering topics such as environmentally friendly agricultural production systems, cultivation innovation, post-harvest technology, agricultural mechanization and automation, precision agriculture, biotechnology, organic agriculture, urban farming, climate change adaptation, and policies. It states that the agricultural sector is a vital pillar for providing food and supporting economic, cultural, and environmental sustainability.
Digital agricultureOrganic cycleClimate changePolicyParticipatory Design Model for Community-Based Rooftop Urban Farming
2026Muhammad Mutammam Musthofa, Ronalmanto Ronalmanto, Listhia Dwi Orisavianti, Indrika Dwi Febianti · Jurnal Teknologi Terapan G-Tech · Global
This study proposes an optimized Participatory Design Model for community-based rooftop urban farming to enhance technical sustainability and community ownership. Using a qualitative approach within a Participatory Action Research framework, data from Focus Group Discussions informed a design model emphasizing reduced maintenance and enhanced social utility. Key strategies include selecting simple planting systems, specifically a combination of hydroponic and soil-based media, and incorporating design elements that facilitate community engagement.
CommunityPolicyUrban expansion and food security implications: A three-decade analysis of land use change in Kinondoni district, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (1993-2023)
2026Adili Y. Zella · African Journal of Social Issues · Tanzania
This study analyzed land use and land cover (LULC) changes in Kinondoni District, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, between 1993 and 2023 using multi-temporal Landsat satellite imagery. The analysis revealed that built-up areas expanded by 1,433%, from 124.20 ha in 1993 to 1,905.14 ha in 2023. Concurrently, cultivated land decreased by 96.6%, from 172.90 ha to 5.88 ha, representing a loss of 167.02 ha. The near-complete elimination of cultivated land in Kinondoni District indicates a critical threat to local food production capacity and urban food security.
Environmental trade-offsFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageClimate changePolicyFeeding the city: The role of rural–urban migrants in enhancing food security in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
2026Agnes G. Kapinga, Baraka F. Lenga · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems · Tanzania (Dar es Salaam)
A qualitative case study in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, using semi-structured interviews with 31 migrant farmers and seven key informants, revealed that migrant farmers contribute to urban food security through diverse crop cultivation and livestock keeping, enhancing food production and income generation. However, migrant farmers face major constraints including insecure land tenure, flooding, water scarcity, high input costs, and limited institutional support. City authorities institutionalize the marginalization of migrant farmers by treating urban agriculture as an informal and temporary activity, despite their critical contributions.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityUrban–rural linkagePolicyExtraction of Open Spaces and Identification of Suitable Rooftops for Urban Agriculture: Contribution of Geospatial Technologies for Sustainable Planning
2026Asmaa Moussaoui, Ouijdane Lahyan, Hajar Sbiki, Imane Sebari, Kenza Ait El Kadi · The international archives of the photogrammetry, remote sensing and spatial information sciences/International archives of the photogrammetry, remote sensing and spatial information sciences · Global
This project aimed to extract vacant spaces and rooftops suitable for urban agriculture using geospatial technologies. For vacant space extraction, three classifiers were tested, with the Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier achieving the highest accuracy at 75% precision. For rooftop extraction, object-based classification using SVM, the Footprint Building Extraction-USA deep learning model, and Mapflow's building model were tested, with the latter two achieving F-Factor values above 77%.
PolicyUrban–rural linkageDigital agricultureUrban Agriculture: Setting the Agenda on Plant-pollinator Interactions Among Food Plants, Research Funding, and Policy Actions
2026Willams Oliveira, Marcelo Tabarelli, Leonardo Galetto, Carlos A. Peres, Ariadna Valentina Lopes · Human Ecology · Global
This review provides an overview of published research on plant-pollinator interactions among food plants in urban agriculture worldwide, offering a critical summary of the spatiotemporal distribution of knowledge, urban plant-pollinator profiles, and research funding for urban agriculture and ecosystem services. It highlights the potential of urban agriculture to create pollinator-friendly spaces that support local pollinator conservation and concludes that pollination services are a promising nature-based solution to meet Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
BiodiversityPollinatorsPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changeA scoping review of temperate food forestry research: key themes, methodological considerations and research priorities
2026Anna M. Roodhof, Lieke Moereels, Isabelle van der Zanden, Giulia Bongiorno, Alejandra Hernández Guzmán, Jeroen Kruit, Madelon Lohbeck, Sietze J. Norder, Suzy Rebisz, Bastiaan Rooduijn, Jordy van Eijk, Heitor Mancini Teixeira · Agroforestry Systems · Global
This scoping review aims to facilitate future food forestry research by organizing existing empirical research and research agendas on food forestry in temperate regions. The study integrated fragmented literature, primarily due to inconsistent terminology, around nine key research themes. Overall, three clusters of research gaps were identified, centering on questions pertaining to food production, multifunctionality, and knowledge legitimization processes in food forests.
CommunityPolicyBiodiversityOrganic cycleUsage de pesticides interdits et non homologués en maraîchage périurbain à Kinshasa : cas de Kimwenza et Ndjili Cecomaf
2026Réné Kasende Disashi, Belloty Mundadi Ngeteke, Dorcas Sola Tabitha, Prescilia Mabubu Pembe, Fanny BAKOMBA KIKOBO, Denise OKITO WIKANU, Esther MPIANA MUKANIA, Sarah Kinsona Bombili, Esther Kimpala Karuna, Clément Munganga Kilingwa, Rosie Mubindukila Nzamba · European Scientific Journal ESJ · Congo (Kinshasa)
A study conducted from June 10 to July 20, 2025, in peri-urban market gardens of Kimwenza and Ndjili Cecomaf in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, surveyed 68 market gardeners on the use of prohibited and unauthorized pesticides. The findings revealed an alarming reliance on informal supply channels, with six out of 27 identified pesticides being formally prohibited. Despite 94.3% of gardeners acknowledging risks, only 9.6% used full protective equipment, and 32.7% took no precautions.
Contamination & food safetyPeri-urban agricultureHealthPolicyGreen Movement in Hungary: Endeavors, Achievements and Challenges within a Global Framework
2026Virag Havasi · IntechOpen eBooks · Hungary (Miskolc)
This chapter examines the history of the green movement in Hungary, including its alignment with global environmental trends and domestic political events. A case study of Miskolc revealed a lack of cross-sectoral cooperation and diminished civic mobilization, mirroring national tendencies. Hungarian civil society and green organizations have less financial and social support, and while they adopt social innovations, they do not excel at creating them.
Governance failureCommunityCSA & TeikeiPolicyCommunity nature spaces
2026JD Brown · · Global
Based on experiences from the pandemic, this study highlights the importance of shared nature spaces in urban areas, particularly community gardens. For those without mobility or private nature spaces, these areas provided primary social and health support. Community-led design, land security, infrastructure support, proximity to homes, and time flexibility are identified as essential ingredients for successful community nature spaces.
CommunityHealthPolicy