Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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Critical findings
2275 results(1 / 91)
O 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 linkageImpact of gardening and nutrition support provided to women in refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh
2026Liz Ignowski, Pepijn Schreinemachers, Md Maniruzzaman, Regine Kopplow, Nasir Md. Uddin, Mercy Mwambi · Food Policy · Bangladesh (Cox’s Bazar)
A cluster-randomized controlled trial with 1050 pregnant and lactating women in refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, evaluated a home garden and nutrition program. The intervention increased garden adoption by 17 percentage points and households sourcing produce from their gardens by 57 percentage points. It also improved nutrition knowledge by 23 percentage points and reduced household food insecurity by 66%, leading to one additional serving of fruit per week, but no significant increase in vegetable intake.
HealthFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityModeling 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 & justiceBiodiversityPolicyPolíticas 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 agriculturePemberdayaan Masyarakat Melalui Inovasi Produk Cocopeat Sebagai Media Tanam Unggul Untuk Urban Farming Dalam Peningkatan Perekonomian Kabupaten Mamuju
2026Srifatmawati Ahmad, Sudarman Sudarman, Ridwan Ridwan · Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat Tjut Nyak Dhien · Indonesia
In Sumare Village, Mamuju Regency, Indonesia, a community program was implemented to support farmer groups relying on traditional methods and facing high fertilizer costs and scarce seeds. The program aims to create new household and urban farming business units based on cocopeat, fostering additional income, informal employment, and strengthening food security. A coconut husk grinding machine for cocopeat production and a multifunctional grass chopper were introduced, contributing to environmental pollution reduction and providing an alternative growing medium.
DIYCommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceUrban 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 & justicePolicyEconomicsIntegrating agriculture into European urban landscapes matters: A systematic assessment
2026Stepan Svintsov, Prajal Pradhan, Taylor Smith, Diego Rybski · Sustainable Cities and Society · Europe
A systematic evaluation in 2018 assessed the potential for low-tech, open-air, soil-based urban vegetable production across 840 cities in 30 European countries. The study used geospatial, demographic, and climate data under three land-use intensity scenarios. It estimated that 4551–7586 km² of urban land could yield 11.8–19.8 million tons of vegetables annually, roughly one-third of reported production, revealing substantial opportunities but also structural limits due to spatial variation.
Food sovereignty & justiceClimate changeEconomicsPolicyEnvisioning Sustainable Futures of Localism: The Environmental Imagination of Local Currency Activists in Monnaie Léman and the Brixton Pound
2026Marlena Rycombel · Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Münster · Europe
This article explored how local currency activists in Monnaie Léman and the Brixton Pound envision sustainable futures centered on localism. Based on 19 interviews and ethnographic fieldwork in Brixton and Geneva, local currencies were examined as payments limited to specific areas. Activists promote ethical consumption, short supply chains, environmental awareness, economic education, and strong local communities in the short term. Long-term visions focus on localized economies, food sourced from community gardens, and green, compact, community-oriented small towns with well-developed pedestrian and cycling infrastructure.
CommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justicePemberdayaan Masyarakat Dalam Penggunaan Artificial Intelligence Aktivitas Urban Farming Di Kelurahan Semanan, Provinsi DKI Jakarta
2026Jatayu Hadi Prakoso, Bayquni Bayquni, Indriati Yulistiani, Aurin Katerina Herlin, Nadhira Nadhira, Aulia Sahara, Alfiansyah Alfiansyah, Doni Romdoni, Steafian Lie · KOMUNITA Jurnal Pengabdian dan Pemberdayaan Masyarakat · Indonesia (Jakarta)
A community service program in Semanan Urban Village, DKI Jakarta, aimed to enhance residents' capacity for AI-based urban farming to strengthen food security, digital literacy, and community empowerment. Activities included socialization, training, technology implementation, mentoring, and evaluation. The program successfully improved community knowledge and technical skills in urban agriculture through AI technologies like soil sensors and automated irrigation, increased digital literacy, and strengthened program sustainability through continuous mentoring and community building.
CommunityDigital agricultureFood sovereignty & justiceDifferentiated Design Strategies and Sustainable Benefit Evaluation of Urban Agriculture in Urban Residential Areas Based on Cluster Analysis
2026惟科 李, Haotian Zhang, Xiaoying Ding · Sustainability · China (Tianjin)
This study used the K-means clustering algorithm to classify residential areas in Nankai District of Tianjin, China. It proposed differentiated strategies for integrating spatial elements and management mechanisms of urban agriculture in these residential areas and quantitatively assessed the sustainable benefits of updated urban agriculture. The results indicate that differentiated urban agriculture updates in four types of residential areas can significantly improve their sustainable benefits.
Food sovereignty & justiceHealthCommunityPolicyWhose 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 & justicePolicyTerritorializing 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 & justiceHORTA COMUNITARIA RESH
2026Cláudio Yuri Rodrigues da Silva, Danilo de Souza Sobreira Filho, Leonardo de Mendonça · Revista Brasileira de Cannabis · Brazil
The "Horta Terapêutica Integrada a Atividades Sensoriais e Ecopsicologia" project by Brazil's Association for Socio-Historical Reparation (RESH) aims to address structural social and environmental problems such as food insecurity, social exclusion, and the psychosocial impacts of social vulnerability. This project proposes establishing a RESH Community Garden of approximately 150 m² for organic and medicinal food production, aiming to promote food sovereignty, social justice, and a culture of care benefiting mental health. Its methodology is based on agroecological practices, sensory activities, and ecopsychology principles, inspired by the Manguinhos Community Garden's consolidated experience.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceHealthWelfarePengembangan Urban Farming Komunal sebagai Strategi Ketahanan Pangan di Kawasan Metropolitan Surabaya (Lokasi: RW 02 Kelurahan Jepara, Kecamatan Bubutan, Kota Surabaya, Jawa Timur)
2026Shafira Aulia Rosyida Irawan, Anoraga Jatayu, Khanaya Fairuz Shiba, Alyssa Lola Eldiana, Gerriscka Rivandani Putri, Anastasya Fitri Violeta, Indira Ariq Hutomo, M. Aditya Rahman, Alya Shoraya Maharani · Sewagati · Indonesia (Surabaya)
This community service program in RW 02 Jepara Village, Surabaya, Indonesia, addressed limited green space and high food dependency by developing communal urban farming. Through participatory approaches including FGDs, limited-land cultivation training, and educational activities for children, the program utilized yards and narrow spaces with polybags for food crops. It demonstrated the effectiveness of using non-productive spaces, contributing to SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities), and mitigating negative urbanization impacts.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceFood educationUrban Agriculture as a Survival Strategy: Food Security, Inequality, and Community Development in Enugu State, Nigeria
2026Oshaba Patience Chizoba, Chinedu Augustine Igwenagu · Path of Science · Nigeria
A survey of 222 households and interviews in Enugu State, Nigeria, showed that urban agriculture (UA) is a critical coping strategy for food availability. However, UA perpetuates gendered inequalities as a "patriarchal bargain," where women's expanded reproductive labor does not necessarily lead to improved economic empowerment. Furthermore, UA strongly promotes bonding social capital but does not foster bridging social capital with formal institutions, thereby undermining its transformative potential.
Equity & displacementFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityWelfareEconomicsSchool gardens as socio-ecological learning systems: supporting adolescent food security and resilience
2026L. Lue, K. Reis, H. Kanasa, S. Rutherford, C. Desha · Environmental Education Research · Global
A review of 22 studies (2001-2024) across six countries, primarily the US and Canada, examined how high school garden programs support adolescent food security and resilience. Findings indicated contributions across multiple socio-ecological levels, but uneven implementation significantly constrained their overall impact. Specifically, opportunities for shared decision-making were limited, and short-term, inconsistent support for policy, funding, and governance structures restricted long-term effectiveness.
Limited or null effectFood educationHealthCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEnjeux environnementaux de l'introduction prospective de l'intelligence artificielle dans l'agriculture périurbaine de Kinshasa
2026Patrick Lubavu Kyamasa, Pascal Tshisuaka Kalombo, Aimée Mahamba Iyanabita, John Mbuyi Kamuena · European Scientific Journal ESJ · Democratic Republic of the Congo (Kinshasa)
This study examined environmental, technological, and socio-economic determinants influencing the ecological viability of AI integration in Kinshasa's peri-urban agriculture, which faces threats like soil degradation and inadequate infrastructure. A field survey of 411 farmers in the Kimwenza area found 86.13% viewed AI positively despite major structural constraints, including lack of electricity (78.83%) and digital illiteracy (54.99%). The study highlights the current lack of anticipatory public policies to address these constraints for a sustainable digital transformation.
Governance failureDigital agricultureClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsUrban Food Security: Instalasi Bottle Aquaponics untuk Mewujudkan Ketahanan Pangan Berkelanjutan
2026Anang Kistyanto, Febrika Yogie Hermanto, Amirusholihin Amirusholihin, Muhammad Fajar Wahyudi Rahman, Restu Eri Adinata · SEMANGGI Jurnal Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat · Global
This study empirically demonstrated an integrative model combining low-cost bottle aquaponics, experiential learning, and educational tourism (eduwisata) as a community-based diffusion platform. Findings revealed that simple, highly replicable systems significantly enhanced food literacy, technical capability, and adoption intention, while eduwisata accelerated diffusion beyond initial participants.
Food educationCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceDigital agricultureWhat’s in the Share?
2026Jocelyn Parot, Stefan Wahlen, Philipp Weckenbrock, Marina Schneider, Andreas Gattinger · Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Münster · France
This paper investigates how Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) initiatives in France navigate tensions between solidarity ideals and market expectations. Analyzing weekly CSA shares from twelve partnerships, including monitoring and producer interviews, the study found that CSA producers adopt hybrid strategies for economic viability and partial decommodification. The CSA share is presented as a material manifestation of this interfield position, stabilizing CSA as a hybrid field within alternative food systems.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityPERCEPTIONS ON URBAN-BASED GARDENING IN THE CITY OF ISABELA, BASILAN, PHILIPPINES
2026Bendijo, S.A., Rebuza, A.O., Pedillon, J.M., Amilbahar, G.V., Tabal, E.P. · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · Philippines
This study in Isabela City, Philippines, explored community perceptions of urban gardening (UG). While awareness was linked to food security and sustainability, and perceived benefits included health, cost savings, and social cohesion, the adoption of UG was hindered by a lack of interest and resource constraints. Preferred UG forms like rooftop gardens and specific vegetables indicated aspirations for cost savings and nutrient content, but obstacles remain.
Economic viabilityCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceHealthEconomicsUrban 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 & justiceCommunityThermal Remote Sensing and ECOSTRESS for Urban Agriculture: A Systematic Review of Cooling Benefits and Water Demand
2026D. T. Gyan, Y. A. Twumasi, Z. H. Ning, E. Dadzie, J. D. Osei, P. M. Loh, K. K. Annan, J. Mensah, S. Dorcoo · 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 systematic review, guided by PRISMA 2020 protocols, examined decades of peer-reviewed studies on thermal remote sensing, focusing on NASA’s ECOSTRESS mission, to evaluate urban agriculture's (UA) cooling benefits and water demand. The review found that UA can lower localized land surface temperature by 1–5°C and that ECOSTRESS-derived evapotranspiration provides robust estimates for optimizing irrigation. However, gaps persist in validation methods, socio-economic integration, and multi-climate assessments.
Climate changeBiodiversityFood sovereignty & justicePersepsi Petani Terhadap Manfaat Urban Farming di Kecamatan Umbulharjo Kota Yogyakarta
2026Eska Stefani, Artita Devi Maharani, Nanang Kusuma Mawardi · AGRIBIOS · Indonesia (Yogyakarta)
In Umbulharjo District, Yogyakarta City, Indonesia, urban farming has been implemented as an alternative to improve food security and economic welfare. However, its implementation faces challenges such as land limitations, lack of access to modern agricultural technology, and low public understanding of its benefits. A descriptive quantitative study using a Likert scale (1-4) found that respondents strongly agreed that urban farming provides social benefits and agreed on its economic and environmental benefits.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityEconomicsPolicySdílení potravin v Brně
2026Jennifer Lyons, Anna Davies · Open MIND · Czech Republic (Brno)
This report assesses the sustainability impacts of Food Sharing Initiatives (FSIs) in Brno, Czech Republic, using CULTIVATE’s Food Sharing Map and Sustainability Impact Assessment (SIA) data submitted by FSIs. The estimations cover environmental, economic, and social sustainability pillars, though the presented indicators are a subset of total impacts. The report notes that impact estimations will become more accurate as more FSIs submit SIA data.
CommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceFood 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 & justiceEconomicsPolicy