The Socio-Cultural Benefits of Urban Agriculture: A Review of the Literature

Rositsa T. Ilieva, Nevin Cohen, Maggie Israel, Kathrin Specht, Runrid Fox-Kämper, Agnès Fargue-Lelièvre, Lidia Poniży, Victoria Schoen, Silvio Caputo, Caitlin K. Kirby, Benjamin Goldstein, Joshua P. Newell and Chris Blythe
Additional contact information
Rositsa T. Ilieva: CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute, The City University of New York, New York, NY 10027, USA
Nevin Cohen: CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute, The City University of New York, New York, NY 10027, USA
Maggie Israel: CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute, The City University of New York, New York, NY 10027, USA
Kathrin Specht: ILS Research Institute for Regional and Urban Development, 44135 Dortmund, Germany
Runrid Fox-Kämper: ILS Research Institute for Regional and Urban Development, 44135 Dortmund, Germany
Agnès Fargue-Lelièvre: AgroParisTech UMR SAD-APT, INRA–AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, 75005 Paris, France
Lidia Poniży: Department of Integrated Geography, Faculty of Human Geography and Planning, Adam Mickiewicz University, 61-680 Poznan, Poland
Victoria Schoen: Centre for Agriculture, Food and Environmental Management (CAFEM) Research, School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, College Lane, Hatfield AL10 9AB, Hertfordshire, UK
Silvio Caputo: Kent School of Architecture and Planning, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NR, UK
Caitlin K. Kirby: College of Natural Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
Benjamin Goldstein: Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC H9X 3V9, Canada
Joshua P. Newell: School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
Chris Blythe: Birmingham Open Spaces Forum, Birmingham B14 7TQ, UK

Land, 2022, vol. 11, issue 5, 1-21

Abstract: Despite extensive literature on the socio-cultural services of urban open spaces, the role of food-producing spaces has not received sufficient attention. This hampers advocacy for preserving and growing urban agricultural activities, often dismissed on justifications that their contributions to overall food supply are negligible. To understand how the social benefits of urban agriculture have been measured, we conducted a systematic review of 272 peer-reviewed publications, which drew on insights from urban agriculture sites in 57 different countries. Through content analysis, we investigated socio-cultural benefits in four spheres: engaged and cohesive communities, health and well-being, economic opportunities, and education. The analysis revealed growth in research on the social impacts of gardens and farms, with most studies measuring the effects on community cohesion and engagement, followed by increased availability and consumption of fruits and vegetables associated with reduced food insecurity and better health. Fewer studies assessed the impact of urban farming on educational and economic outcomes. Quantifying the multiple ways in which urban agriculture provides benefits to people will empower planners and the private sector to justify future investments. These findings are also informative for research theorizing cities as socio-ecological systems and broader efforts to measure the benefits of urban agriculture, in its many forms.

Keywords: urban agriculture; socio-cultural benefits; social services; metrics; indicators; assessment; literature review (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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