Urban Garden Resources
Many people today are finding themselves in situations where they need to produce food in what is considered unconventional agriculture conditions. Whether it be due to the restrictions of limited space, such is the case for those living in cities or challenges of work with community gardens, schools, or orphanages seeking self-sufficiency, ECHO offers resources to support the farming endeavors of those with little to no land. With solutions ranging from urban gardening on rooftops to growing food in feed-sacks and tires, these techniques show how farming can be done even with limited land and resources. Through the use of local and readily available resources these options can be easily accessible and cost effective ways of supplementing food and income for those facing the challenges of urban and community gardening.
Please note that the links listed below may lead to additional resources which have not yet been added to this collection.
Click here to access Conversations about Urban Gardening
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2018-11-20 Most hunger and malnutrition around the world is not usually caused by a lack of food, although that may be changing. From the point of view of the hungry family, the cause is usually a lack of income sufficient to purchase the food. Anyone with enough income will be able to obtain food, except...
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1990-08-19 INTRODUCTION TO OUR SPECIAL EXPANDED ISSUE. One of ECHO's purposes is to help people grow food under difficult conditions. You are not likely to encounter a soil worse for gardening than a cement slab. Neither will you find such large areas of unused growing space in full sun and near prime...
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This group pageexists so that individuals involved in UrbanGardens around the world can connect. We encourage you to share the challenges you face in your endeavors, discuss lessons and techniques learned through your experiences, and share your story!
- Home gardens are found in many humid and sub-humid parts of the world. They are sometimes called backyard or kitchen gardens. These gardens have an established tradition and offer great potential for improving household food security and alleviating micronutrient deficiencies. Gardening can...
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2010-05-03 This video is a description of the Urban Garden landscape at the ECHO Global Farm in North Fort Myers, FL. Dr. Motis describes in detail the methods used and decisions made in its design. This video is split into multiple parts: Part 2:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ax9uqV_mbY Part 3:...
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Key Resource1996-01-01 What can a family do if the national unemployment rate is over 50%, wages are a dollar or two a day, prices of food are increasing and may at times be even higher than in the USA, they have neither savings nor credit and there is no governmental safety net? For many, an option of last resort is...
- Also available in:
- Español
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1996-04-19 Tires make handy containers for gardening.
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2016-01-25 When trying to find affordable planting containers in the developing world, organizations and workers all over have promoted the use of a readily-available waste resource: tires. Over the years, many have asked whether or not tires contain harmful chemicals that could potentially be taken up by...
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By Abdoulaye Seck The Microgardening technology is mainly based on 1 or 0.5 m2 wood tables and therefore, can be installed everywhere. Land is an issue in peri-urban/urban and even in some rural areas. The technology can be installed everywhere in household compounds (even in terraces and...
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1983-06-19 I first read of this method of gardening in Organic Gardening magazine where it was referred to as permanent mulch gardening. My reaction was that there must be something wrong with anything so easy or everyone would be using it. But our garden has performed so exceptionally well with so little...
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This resource generously provided for publication by Global Service Corps. Over the last two years keyhole gardens have been promoted in different communities throughout different programmes in African countries. They are popular and productive across vastly different environments and cultures....
- 2008-01-20 The district of Mafeteng was selected for a pilot project carried out between November 2004 and May 2008 to support food and nutrition security and livelihoods of vulnerable HIV-affected communities, in particular orphans and vulnerable children (OVC). This initiative was supported under the...
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2010-09-01 A case study on the introduction of the microgardening technology in The Gambia (West Africa)
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2014-07-01 In Haiti, a Yard Garden program is helping families and individuals to make real change in the area surrounding their homes. The results, described and pictured in some photos below, can be impressive! Mark Hare with MPP describes the program as follows: “The Yard Garden program is not about...
- Also available in:
- Español
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This presentation on the creation and use of Wading Pool Gardens is taught by Dr. Martin Price Adobe Flash Player is required.
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2010-04-01 This article is from ECHO Asia Note #5 Across Asia, small institutions such as children's homes play an essentialrole in caring for orphans and other young people at risk. Likewise, hostels (i.e., boarding facilities) provide disadvantaged students with safe places tostay in order to further...
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2008-01-01 Low cost, low technology, lightweight methods to produce food on rooftops and other locations above the ground.
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2004-07-01 Training in tire gardening was done with women in Mauritania. After the training, each woman was given several small packets of seeds and encouraged to start a garden. When we arrived in Kiffa, the only vegetable gardens that could be found were in an ancient riverbed (known as a Wadi) northwest...
- Also available in:
- Español
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2015-02-04
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We pilot innovative approaches to greening refugee camps and communities by building capacity, monitoring effectiveness, disseminating good practice and sharing knowledge. We aim to stimulate research, influence policy and advocate for the importance of gardens in forced displacement. In all our...
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Key Resource 1994-01-01 Amazon.com Description Filled with marketing and business management basics and diverse examples that entertain and enlighten. Case studies show how successful metrofarmers possess the vision and persistence to prosper. Bob Hoftetter, New Farm Magazine There is a tremendous amount of useful...
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Key Resource 1996-12-01 Amazon.com Description The number of people living in cities will more than double in by the year 2033. At the same time it is clear that past incentives to keep the developing World's people in rural areas have not worked. This text presents a picture of the urban agriculture of Asia, Africa and...
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Key Resource 1994-10-01 This book examines urban agriculture in East Africa and proves that it is a safe, clean, and secure method to feed the world's struggling urban residents. It also collapses the myth that urban agriculture is practiced only by the poor and unemployed.
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Key Resource 2007-01-01 Urban agriculture is a dynamic concept that comprises a variety of livelihood systems ranging from subsistance production and processing at the household level to more commercial agriculture. This FAO document explores contriutions of UA and UPA (peri-urban) to soiclal, economic and ecological...
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1990-08-19 INTRODUCTION TO OUR SPECIAL EXPANDED ISSUE. One of ECHO's purposes is to help people grow food under difficult conditions. You are not likely to encounter a soil worse for gardening than a cement slab. Neither will you find such large areas of unused growing space in full sun and near prime...
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2008-07-20 For 25 years, ECHO has promoted several methods for growing vegetables above ground, particularly methods well suited to urban settings on rooftops, concrete slabs, or in areas where gardens may benefit from being out of the ground
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This site has been running continuously since 1994 with its hundreds of pages of urban agriculture information.
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INUAg.org is an up-to-date, organized and searchable resource for individuals, communities and organizations interested in urban agriculture. We are striving to be comprehensive in geography, sector, topic, growing methods, business models, policy and other topics as urban agriculture grows.
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2017-11-14 This session is based on the speaker's research into homegardens in two low-income areas of Fort Myers, FL. A summary of relevant scientific literature will be presented, followed by the research results. These results include a list of plant species, and descriptions of homegarden structure,...
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Abstract,Acta Horticulturae1189, 2017 Urban agriculture is increasingly popular for social and economic benefits. However, edible crops grown in cities can be contaminated by airborne pollutants, thus leading to serious health risks. Therefore, a better understanding of contamination risks of...
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Ugandans are finding creative solutions to the growing challenges of urbanisation. Urban farms in Kampala, Uganda, make the most of their limited space. When Martin Agaba realised his urban farm had run out of space, he decided the solution was not to expand outwards but upwards. “We realised we...
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Abstract, Spore, 2019 April Feeding the world's growing population – two-thirds of whom will live in urban areas by 2050 – calls for agricultural innovation to facilitate food production in ever smaller spaces, especially in cities. With cities expanding and climate change placing greater...
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The rapid growth of cities in the developing world is placing enormous demands on urban food supply systems. Agriculture – including horticulture, livestock, fisheries, forestry, and fodder and milk production – is increasingly spreading to towns and cities. Urban agriculture provides fresh food,...
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2009-09-02 This book provides a comprehensive synthesis of current knowledge of the potential and challenges associated with the multiple roles, use, management and livelihood contributions of indigenous vegetables in urban agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa. There has been growing research and policy effort...
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The goal of this study was to gather and review materials written about food production in Third World cities in order to find commonalities between different cities, problems and bottlenecks, and successes.
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2006-01-01 This book gives a comprehensive overview of urban and peri-urban vegetable farming in Ghana's major cities with a special focus on 'wastewater' use. It ends with recommendations on how in a low-income country like Ghana, health risks for consumers could be effectively reduced, while...
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Abstract, BMC Public Health, 2019 Background There has been an increasing interest in urban agriculture (UA) practice and research in recent years. Scholars have already reported numerous beneficial and potential adverse impacts of UA on health-related outcomes. This scoping review aims to...
- Abstract, Horticulturae, 2016 A wicking bed (WB) is a plant driven system where plants receive water through capillary rise from a self-contained coarse material-filled subsoil reservoir. WBs have been widely promoted as a water-efficient irrigation solution for small-scale and urban food...
- Abstract, Sustainability, 2018 In Africa, many urban farmers apply cropping systems from rural backgrounds into their urban setting. This paper explores the possibility that “upgrading” cropping systems in African cities could boost economic empowerment for impoverished urban farmers. To these...
- Abstract,International Journal of Applied Agricultural Sciences, 2018 In urban centers today, Controlled Environment Agriculture is being proposed as a potential alternative to conventional agriculture using hydroponic methods in controlled spaces as a means to increase local food production and...
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A least toxic approach to raising food in urban gardens based on the authors' experiences in Berkeley, CA. Authors are both entomologists noted for organic least toxic pest control who specialized in gardening in small spaces with deep mulches made by composting and transplanting and methods for...
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