Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
429 results(10 / 18)
Almost there: On the importance of a comprehensive entrepreneurial ecosystem for developing sustainable urban food forest enterprises
2022Arnim Wiek, Stefanie Albrecht · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems · United States (Phoenix)
A multiyear transdisciplinary project in Phoenix, United States, analyzed the development of a sustainable urban food forest enterprise. The project built a coalition of supporters, secured a suitable site, codeveloped a vision and action plan, and fundraised a major start-up donation. However, research findings indicate that despite achieving success factors to some extent, an underdeveloped sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystem jeopardizes long-term success and multiplication efforts.
Governance failureCommunityEconomicsClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceThe Adaptation of Export-Scale Urban Farmers Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic in Bandung Metropolitan
2022Kinanti Safitri, Oekan S. Abdoellah, Budhi Gunawan, Parikesit Parikesit, Yusep Suparman, Akhmad Mubarak, Margareth Pardede · The Qualitative Report · Indonesia (Bandung)
This mixed-method study, involving 107 export-scale urban farmers in the Bandung metropolitan area, Indonesia, investigated their adaptation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Farmers prioritized commercial agriculture and adapted through market access, agricultural management, and financial resource strengthening. However, some adaptation methods were not environmentally friendly, as farmers increased reliance on synthetic inputs and used cold storage on open land, leading to intensive, non-environmentally friendly agricultural practices.
Environmental trade-offsEconomicsClimate changeUrban–rural linkageRisk of Waterborne Parasitic Infection among Vegetables Producers in the City of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso: An Attempt to Quantify Them Using the Quantitative Microbiological Risk Assessment Method
2022Noëllie W. Kpoda, Hamidatu S. Darimani, Adama Ouéda, Idrissa Ouédraogo, Gustave B. Kabré · Agricultural Sciences · Burkina Faso (Ouagadougou)
This study evaluated the risk of parasitic infection among vegetable producers in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, who use polluted water, employing a quantitative microbiological risk assessment method. Protozoa and helminths from 9 species were detected in irrigation water, with Ancylostoma sp. eggs being common and severe across all water types. Contamination risk was higher for groups using raw wastewater than for those using well water, and halved for those using treated wastewater; however, regardless of water type, gardeners had an approximate 9.83 × 10−1 pppy probability of Ancylostoma sp. infection.
Contamination & food safetyHealthClimate changeImpacts of urban sprawl in the Administrative Region of Ribeirão Preto (Brazil) and measures to restore improved landscapes
2022Laís Caroline Marianno de Olivera, Gislaine Costa de Mendonça, Renata Cristina Araújo Costa, Regina Aparecida Leite de Camargo, Luís Filipe Sanches Fernandes, Fernando António Leal Pacheco, Teresa Cristina Tarlé Pissarra · Land Use Policy · Brazil
This study investigated the impacts of 35 years of urban expansion in Brazil's Administrative Region of Ribeirão Preto, linking it to agricultural land loss and environmental consequences. Using Landsat images and GIS, the research found rural area losses exceeding 350 km2, with equivalent production and economic losses of approximately 1.1 Mton/year and 230 MR$/year. Significant environmental impacts included the destruction of over 9100 km of natural watercourses, nearly 630 km2 of Permanent Preservation Areas, and the occupation of Guarani Aquifer recharge areas with impermeable surfaces, affecting approximately 7000 headwaters.
Environmental trade-offsUrban–rural linkageEconomicsClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceInvestment priorities for research and innovation in urban agri-food systems: Toward more resilient cities in the Global South
2022Gordon Prain, Dávid Simon, Jess Halliday, Pay Drechsel · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · Global South
Urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) in the Global South faces challenges such as limited recognition, land conversion, and water pollution, which threaten its potential for urban resilience. Innovations in urban governance are required to integrate food systems into urban planning through food mapping and multisectoral platforms.
Governance failurePolicyEconomicsClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceMarket Pressure Based on International Food Standards in Export-Scale Urban Farming: Political Ecology Perspective
2022Kinanti Safirtri, Oekan S. Abdoellah, Budhi Gunawan, Yusep Suparman, Parikesit Parikesit · The Qualitative Report · Indonesia
A qualitative study with 27 export-scale urban farmers in Bandung Metropolitan investigated market pressures to meet international food standards. While intended to encourage environmentally friendly practices, farmers interpreted the implementation of international food standards as an administrative formality for export requirements, rather than a critical reflection on environmental problems from intensive agricultural practices. Consequently, market pressure from international food standards was found to be paradoxical and ineffective in fostering farmers' environmental responsibility.
Governance failureEconomicsPolicyClimate changeThe combined application of nitrogen and biochar reduced microbial carbon limitation in irrigated soils of West African urban horticulture
2022Anne-Louise Fritz, Ramia Jannoura, René Beuschel, Christoph Steiner, Andreas Buerkert, Rainer Georg Joergensen · Chemical and Biological Technologies in Agriculture · Africa
This 2-year study in semi-arid Ouagadougou and sub-humid Tamale, West Africa, measured the effects of biochar and N fertilization on soil microbial biomass carbon, fungal ergosterol, and functional diversity. Sole biochar addition did not affect soil chemical or biological properties, but biochar with N fertilization increased microbial respiratory response. N fertilization decreased soil pH by 1.1 units in both cities, and a pH of 4.7 led to reduced microbial biomass carbon and ergosterol contents in Tamale. An N fertilizer-induced decline in soil pH below 5 should be avoided, as it decreased microbial biomass carbon and microbial functional diversity.
Environmental trade-offsOrganic cycleClimate changePeri-urban agricultureAdapting peri-urban agriculture to climate change in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe: A qualitative assessment
2021Thulani Dube, Saziso Sibanda, Phibion Chiwara · Cogent Social Sciences · Zimbabwe (Bulawayo)
This study investigated farmers' perceived effects of climate change on peri-urban agriculture in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, and their adaptation methods. Using a sample of thirty peri-urban plots, findings revealed that farmers perceived significant climatic changes negatively impacting their farming activities, including reduced precipitation, increased atmospheric temperature, and diminishing borehole yields. Adaptation methods included repeated planting, watering plants at night, renting animal space in other farms with more water sources, and purchasing supplementary feed for livestock.
Environmental trade-offsPeri-urban agricultureClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceNature-Based Solutions for Agriculture in Circular Cities: Challenges, Gaps, and Opportunities
2021Alba Canet-Martí, Rocío Pineda‐Martos, Ranka Junge, Katrin Bohn, Teresa A. Paço, Cecília Delgado, Gitana Alenčikienė, Siv Lene Gangenes Skar, Gösta F. M. Baganz · Water · Global
This paper examines nature-based solutions (NBS) for urban agriculture (UA) in circular cities, focusing on input/output streams. It identifies that the understanding of I/O streams for different NBS is insufficient to fully leverage their potential for strengthening circularity in UA. The study pinpoints gaps that hinder UA's development as an opportunity within the Circular City framework, emphasizing the need for a broader understanding of food-related urban streams.
Limited or null effectOrganic cycleClimate changeAssessing Agri-Food Start-Ups Sustainability in Peri-Urban Agriculture Context
2021Ambrogio Zanzi, Valentina Vaglia, Roberto Spigarolo, Stefano Bocchi · Land · Italy (Milan)
This study assessed the sustainability of eight agri-food start-ups in a peri-urban area of Milan, Italy, using the FAO's Sustainability Assessment of Food and Agriculture systems (SAFA) framework. The application of SAFA indicators revealed positive aspects but also some limitations typical of unstructured enterprises.
Economic viabilityPeri-urban agricultureEconomicsPolicyCommunityClimate changeMonitoring the contribution of urban agriculture to urban sustainability: an indicator-based framework
2021Carlos Tapia, Linda Randall, Shinan Wang, Luciane Aguiar Borges · Sustainable Cities and Society · Denmark (Aarhus)
This study presents a novel indicator-based evaluation framework for urban agriculture, tested in Fællesgartneriet Brabrand, a community garden in Aarhus, Denmark. The framework aims to capture the contribution of gardening practices to urban sustainability, acknowledging that urban agriculture may also have social and environmental externalities depending on prevalent farming practices.
Environmental trade-offsCommunityHealthPolicyClimate changeEnvironmental and social life cycle assessment of growing media for urban rooftop farming
2021Susana Toboso‐Chavero, Cristina Madrid‐López, Gara Villalba, Xavier Gabarrell, Arne Björn Hückstädt, Matthias Finkbeiner, Annekatrin Lehmann · The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment · Global
A comprehensive environmental and social life cycle assessment of perlite, peat, and coir growing media, imported to Spain from Turkey, Germany, and the Philippines respectively, was conducted for urban rooftop farming. Environmentally, coir had the lowest burden, while perlite had the highest impacts due to mining and transport. Socially, peat performed best, but coir showed the worst scores in community infrastructure and human rights, and perlite performed lowest in health and safety.
Equity & displacementDigital agricultureClimate changeEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceServiços e Desserviços Ambientais Associados à Agricultura Urbana e Periurbana no Município de São Paulo
2021Bruno do Nascimento Macedo, Fernanda Nogueira Comas, Amarílis Lucia Casteli Figueiredo Gallardo · Journal of Urban Technology and Sustainability · Brazil (São Paulo)
This study discussed the main environmental services and disservices associated with urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) in São Paulo, Brazil, using a systematic literature review and spatial analysis. It identified 12 environmental services and 5 disservices, mapping 197 UPA initiatives. The research concluded that UPA has the potential to offer environmental benefits, but can also exert negative pressures on the environment, including in areas that should be protected.
Environmental trade-offsUrban–rural linkageClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicyReasons and Remedies to the Dying Plant Walls
2021Hayley Q McGough · DigitalCommons - CalPoly (California State Polytechnic University) · Global
This paper investigates why plant façades on buildings frequently die, preventing them from fully realizing benefits like urban heat island reduction and improved air quality. Through interviews with landscape architects, it examines factors for maintaining plant façades and assesses if new approaches, such as earlier integration of landscape architects or biocurtains, can address the high mortality rates. The study highlights that these plant façades often fail, leading to waste and unfulfilled potential.
Limited or null effectClimate changeBiodiversityEconomicsDIYPollution in rainwater harvesting: A challenge for sustainability and resilience of urban agriculture
2021Yang Deng · Journal of Hazardous Materials Letters · Global
While rainwater harvesting (RWH) is considered a sustainable irrigation method for urban agriculture, contaminants in rainwater pose challenges to RWH practices due to potential threats to crop, soil, and human health. Based on literature data, principal pollutants such as particles, toxic metals like cadmium, copper, and zinc, synthetic organic chemicals like agrochemicals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and waterborne pathogens were identified as likely exceeding irrigation quality criteria. This study identifies challenges, knowledge gaps, and research needs for RWH irrigation, offering a basis for technical strategies.
Contamination & food safetyHealthClimate changeOrganic cycleDevelopment potentials and sustainability challenges of peri-urban farming in the metropolis of Rabat (Morocco)
2021Fatiha Hakimi · Journal of Analytical Science & Technology · Morocco (Rabat)
This study assessed the practices, roles, and challenges of peri-urban farming in the metropolis of Rabat, Morocco, surveying 50 respondents. Peri-urban agriculture is a multifunctional activity contributing to job creation, income generation, food supply, and environmental beautification. However, it faces several constraints, including precarious and costly labor, absence of regulating laws, lack of training and technical supervision for peri-urban farmers, and water resource shortages.
Environmental trade-offsPeri-urban agricultureEconomicsClimate changePolicySTACKED
2021Luuk Graamans · Architecture and the Built Environment · Global
This research investigated the potential and limitations of plant factories (vertical farming) for urban food production. The STACKED method was developed to assess plant factory performance across multiple scales, from leaf to facility to city, analyzing resource requirements including energy, electricity, water, CO2, and land area use for fresh vegetable production. The study found that while plant factories feature extensive climate control, their necessity, effectiveness, and efficiency remain questionable, and their effects on the urban energy balance were also assessed.
Economic viabilityDigital agricultureClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsEstimación de producción hortícola afectada por granizo (Córdoba, Enero 2021)
2021Claudia Marani, A. Lighezzolo, C. Bisio, Beatriz Giobellina, Diego Pons · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Argentina
This report, part of the SAT-CV-CBA Project, aims to inform provincial authorities and the community about the estimation of horticultural areas affected by extreme weather events in Córdoba, Argentina, at the end of January 2021. It estimates the number of farms, crop losses based on vulnerability, and storm intensity. The information is expected to be useful for supporting affected producers.
Limited or null effectClimate changePeri-urban agricultureCommunity„da draußen weiter horrorvideo“
2021Friederike Reents · Publication Server of the Catholic University Eichstätt-Ingolstadt (Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt) · Germany
This paper analyzes Thomas Kling’s poem „geschrebertes idyll, für mike feser“ as an "allotment garden idyll" within 'new nature poetry'. While Kling skillfully engages with the idyll genre and offers ecological, social, medial, and historical critique, the study finds that he presents a decidedly patriarchal self-image, which contemporary readers would likely find less acceptable.
Equity & displacementCommunityPolicyClimate changeSDG Implementation through Technology? Governing Food-Water-Technology Nexus Challenges in Urban Agriculture
2021Sandra Schwindenhammer, Denise Gonglach · Politics and Governance · Germany
This qualitative and participatory case study in Germany examined the governance implications of an emerging technology in urban agriculture that connects wastewater treatment and agricultural production for urban hydroponics. The analysis found that while this technology has the potential to facilitate SDG implementation, it simultaneously creates new sector interlinkages between water and food, leading to policy demands that necessitate more integrated policymaking.
Governance failureDigital agriculturePolicyClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceVisions of Ecotopia
2021Meredith Gaglio · · United States
The "Ecotopia" concept, promoting ecologically and socially responsible American Appropriate Technology (AT), included innovative urban planning like rooftop gardens. However, the expansion and contraction of the intranational Ecotopian network built by former Rainmakers in the mid-to-late 1970s revealed a crisis of purpose within RAIN and signaled a crisis within the AT Movement itself.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceCan urban agriculture be used to improve green infrastructure and social well-being? The urban garden in the Ponticelli neighbourhood of Naples
2021Fabio Amato, Lucia Simonetti · Journal of urban regeneration and renewal · Italy (Naples)
This paper focuses on the social urban garden in the Ponticelli neighborhood on the eastern outskirts of Naples, Italy, an area facing significant social and cultural problems including high unemployment and crime rates. The urban garden demonstrates how social cohesion can be built through urban agriculture and contribute to sustainability. However, the initiative risks remaining isolated and providing limited benefit to regional environmental sustainability efforts if not framed within an overall metropolitan strategy.
Limited or null effectCommunityHealthClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceA green new deal for agriculture: for, within, or against capitalism?
2021Benjamin Selwyn · The Journal of Peasant Studies · Global
This article argues that a Green New Deal (GND) for agriculture must actively combat environmental degradation, social inequality, and labor exploitation, rather than merely aiming to restart capitalist economies. It identifies key areas for discussion and political action, including the reorientation of state subsidies, workers' rights, agrarian reform, the decommodification of food, agroecology, urban agriculture, new technologies, and rewilding.
Governance failurePolicyClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsImpact of landscape dynamics and intensities on the ecological land of major cities in Ethiopia
2021Mekonnen Amberber Degefu, Mekuria Argaw, Gudina Legese Feyisa, Sileshi Degefa · ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS RESEARCH · Ethiopia
This study characterized and compared the Spatio-temporal responses of ecological land to urban landscape dynamics in Bahir Dar, Addis Ababa, Adama, and Hawassa cities in Ethiopia for the last three decades (1990–2020). Three sets of Landsat satellite images, field observations, and urban land indexes were used to produce landscape maps and geo-spatial data analysis. Results showed that in all cities, ecological land had changed intensely regarding its quantity and spatial pattern, and the substantial expansion of built-up ecosystems was manifested at the cost of ecological land.
Environmental trade-offsUrban–rural linkageClimate changePolicyUrban wastewater for agriculture : farmers’ perspectives from peri-urban Bengaluru
2021Seema Purushothaman, Sheetal Patil, Raghvendra S. Vanjari, A. R. Shwetha · · India (Bengaluru)
A participatory assessment in Byramangala, Bengaluru, explored farmers' perspectives on using wastewater (domestic sewage with industrial effluents) for irrigation. The study found that farmers were adapting to a heavily polluted environment, which resulted in restricted crop choices, lower produce prices, health impacts, and socio-cultural consequences. Despite concerns about water quality, farmers prioritized health-imparting agriculture and were keen to continue farming, but their preference for treated wastewater was overshadowed by its potential diversion for urban use.
Contamination & food safetyPeri-urban agricultureHealthClimate changeEconomics