Research & reports

Kate Lohrey, Patricia Talarczyk · Journal of Student Research · Global

An experiment over six weeks investigated the impact of traffic noise pollution on plant growth in urban community gardens. Plants exposed to traffic noise showed significantly reduced average height (65.6 mm vs 104.2 mm) and weight (0.85 g vs 1.31 g) compared to those in natural noise conditions. The study found a statistically significant deteriorating effect of traffic noise on plant growth.

Pastory Salvatory Thomas, Wilbard Kombe, Aldo Lupala · Current Urban Studies · Tanzania (Arusha)

This study examined factors characterizing changes in the nature and value of urban agriculture in Arusha City, Tanzania, a rapidly urbanizing city, through in-depth interviews with 60 respondents in Daraja Mbili and Lemala wards. Findings revealed that limited access to ideal urban agriculture areas leads some farmers to acquire small plots in unlawful areas, restricting livestock numbers and crop types, and reducing their ability to meet food needs. While uncontrolled agricultural practices accelerate environmental degradation and pollution, they also support the livelihoods of needy farmers; however, the study concluded that urban agriculture cannot thrive without adequate access to agricultural land and a strong institutional framework.

Luuk 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.

Shwan Mohammed, P. K. Nyade, Mohamad Abdulhamid, I. O. A. Hodgson · Water Science · Ghana (Accra)

This study assessed urban water quality parameters of the Nima Creek in Southeastern Accra, Ghana, sampling water from six locations. The results showed high enrichment of nutrients (ammonia, nitrate, phosphate) and elevated levels of BOD, COD, and grease at sites receiving solid and liquid wastes. Physicochemical parameters like conductivity, TSS, and TDS also exhibited elevated values, indicating significant contamination that poses challenges for sustainable urban agriculture.

Luciano Majolo, Deibson Teixeira da Costa, Camila Firmino de Azevêdo · Editora Científica Digital eBooks · Global

This study analyzed the application of fresh coffee grounds as a substrate for arugula seed germination, using concentrations of 0% to 25%. All evaluated characteristics, including emergence percentage, seedling length, and mass, showed a decreasing variation with increasing coffee grounds. Fresh coffee grounds applied directly as fertilizer proved inefficient for arugula in the tested quantities.

Claudia 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.

Ana Mélice Dias, Teresa Marat-Mendes · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Portugal (Lisbon)

This paper investigated the impact of municipal planning instruments on urban agriculture in Lisbon and its surrounding territory, Portugal. It concluded that current planning regulations in Lisbon’s Greater Area are specifically focused on morphological solutions that give preference to urban agriculture uses related to leisure and aesthetic solutions, to the detriment of design solutions that tackle economic growth or ecological diversity.

Sandra Patricia Montenegro Gómez, Yulian Adalberto Sepúlveda Casadiego · Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia eBooks · Colombia

This paper contextualizes relevant experiences and technical tools for implementing urban and peri-urban agroecological orchards in Colombia. It notes that urban and peri-urban agriculture can alleviate food insecurity and create jobs, but currently, Colombia lacks government policies to support these processes. The study aims to transfer knowledge on crops to communities to strengthen food security through vegetable production.

Mkwela Hawa · Journal of Geography and Regional Planning · Tanzania

This study used a qualitative approach to examine land injustices faced by urban farmers in Mbweni-Mpiji, a sub-urban area of Dar es Salaam City, Tanzania. Findings indicated that farmers experience constant pressure from land insecurity, inferior land rights, informal land access, stiff competition from other land users, degrading land quality, and a continuous decrease in agricultural land size. These factors negatively impact the daily livelihoods, including food security, social status, and income, of those entirely dependent on urban farming.

Cecília Delgado · RPER · Portugal

This article examines the potential for urban agriculture practices to foster food policy formulation and implementation in Portugal. An inquiry involving 16 local municipalities identified constraints and opportunities for local initiatives. The study argues that Portuguese civil society's relative fragility, compared to other countries, may explain the lack of local public food policies, despite confirming national and local opportunities.

Benjamin 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.

Nazir Muhammad Abdullahi, Ernest Chukwusoro IGWE, Munir Abba Dandago, Naima Umar · FUDMA Journal of Sciences · Global

This review discusses heavy metal contamination in food crops, identifying wastewater irrigation, agrochemical abuse, contaminated fields, atmospheric deposition, and unethical mining as primary sources. Agricultural soil in urban and peri-urban areas is heavily contaminated due to anthropogenic activities, with wastewater irrigation intensifying this contamination. Heavy metals are transferred to food crops during production and subsequently to humans upon consumption, posing a detrimental risk.

Reni Nurjasmi · Jurnal Ilmiah Respati · Global

This review examines the potential of urban agriculture by the elderly to support food security. While urban agriculture could produce 180 million tons of food globally per year, representing 10% of total global food production, it is currently insufficient to meet urban food needs, with urban food supply still heavily reliant on rural areas and imports. With an increasing urban elderly population, empowering seniors through urban agriculture technologies like vertical farming is proposed as an opportunity for food security.

Martin MASSOUANGUI-KIFOUALA · International journal of innovation and applied studies · Republic of Congo (Pointe-Noire)

This article analyzed precipitation data in Pointe-Noire, Republic of Congo, using agronomic criteria and frequencies to understand rainy season behavior for agricultural planning. The study found that Pointe-Noire has a bimodal rainfall regime, allowing for two cultivation periods annually. However, the rainy seasons are very random, with increasingly late starts, early endings, and shortening durations over the years.

Camille Dumat · Aspects in Mining & Mineral Science · Global

This paper discusses the negative environmental and health impacts of mining, such as air and soil pollution, despite its socio-economic benefits. It highlights that urban agriculture, particularly in areas near former mining sites, faces challenges regarding soil quality and the production of unpolluted vegetables due to public concerns about contamination.

Ahmed Khadra · IGI Global eBooks · Global

This chapter examines the health effects of climate change, specifically focusing on the global issue of fecal peril caused by intestinal parasites. It suggests that water shortages, driven by climate change, increase pressure on water resources, leading to greater use of urban wastewater for irrigation in urban agriculture. Unsafe management and inappropriate wastewater use are likely to exacerbate the transmission of infectious diseases, including those caused by intestinal protozoa and helminths.

Boglarka Z. Gulyas, Jill L. Edmondson · Sustainability · Global North

A systematic review of literature on urban agriculture (UA) in the Global North identified factors determining its success in enhancing city resilience and challenges limiting it. UA's success in increasing city resilience was defined as dependent on five factors: institutional and public support, a sufficient knowledge base, communication and collaboration among actors, and resourcefulness in efficient space and resource use. However, comprehensive assessments of UA's potential are still lacking, suggesting challenges in its effective implementation.

Stephanie Jilcott Pitts, Leah C. Volpe, Marilyn Sitaker, Emily H. Belarmino, Amari Sealey, Weiwei Wang, Florence Becot, Jared T. McGuirt, Alice S. Ammerman, Karla L. Hanson, Jane Kolodinsky, Rebecca A. Seguin‐Fowler · Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems · Global

This study interviewed 24 CSA farmers and 20 full-pay CSA members about their perceptions and experiences with cost-offset Community-Supported Agriculture (CO-CSA) models and specific cost-offset mechanisms, to understand the potential of CO-CSA for low-income households. Both farmers and members prioritized ensuring access to healthy food regardless of income level and generally favored member donations for funding CO-CSA. However, a commonly mentioned barrier was the potential time burden on CSA farmers for administering cost-offset programs, raising questions about economic viability.

Francis Mwanza, Erick Komba, Dominic Kambarage · International Journal of Microbiology · Tanzania (Dar es Salaam)

This study in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, investigated the occurrence, antimicrobial resistance, and genetic relatedness of E. coli isolates from 156 samples of manure, vegetables, and fish. Of these, 36 samples (23.1%) were positive for E. coli, yielding 48 isolates. A significant finding was that 25 (52.1%) of these isolates were resistant to at least one antimicrobial agent, and 12 (48.0%) showed multidrug resistance, indicating a potential microbial health risk to humans through contamination.

Salvatore Engel‐Di Mauro, George M. Martin · · Global

This chapter examines urban cultivation across diverse global contexts, finding that global South cities often experience declining food production due to displacement by financiers and landowners. It notes that urban cultivation is frequently associated with unacknowledged pollution problems, and its overall ecological impacts are not necessarily positive. Furthermore, urban food production, with the exception of Cuba, does little to reduce social inequality and can sometimes exacerbate it.

GM Saifur Rahman, Tahmina Akter · Bangladesh Journal of Zoology · Bangladesh

An entomological study in September 2019 examined 100 houses across five areas of Gazipur City Corporation, Bangladesh, to identify dengue vector breeding grounds. Both Aedes vectors were found in all areas, with Aedes aegypti being dominant. Rooftop gardens and under-construction sites were identified as the most important breeding sites, and the study found a comparatively higher number of Ae. aegypti breeding, indicating a potential for a major outbreak.

Salvatore Engel‐Di Mauro, George Martin · · Global

This chapter examines the global relationship between food growing and capitalism over 500 years, identifying three profit-seeking formats: mercantilism, industrialism, and global financialization. It argues that capitalism has led to a de-industrialization of cities and a commodification of agricultural products by corporate megafarms, contributing to green gentrification in urban redevelopment. This has incited a food resistance trend, leading to the emergence of community gardens and farms.

Stefanie Albrecht, Arnim Wiek · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · Global

This study compiled evidence from over 200 food forests worldwide, with detailed insights from 14 exemplary food forests in Europe, North America, and South America, gained through site visits and interviews. Findings indicate that most food forests perform well on social-cultural and environmental criteria, such as building capacity, providing food, enhancing biodiversity, and regenerating soil. However, for broader impact, food forests need to enhance their economic viability, as they currently show a deficit in this area.

Salvatore Engel‐Di Mauro, George Martin · · Global

Claims that urban food production raises food security and creates a more just society are questionable and contradicted by data from the Global North. Urban land is insufficient, sunlight is often inadequate, and soil pollution is widespread. Technological attempts like vertical and rooftop farming have limited feasibility, may worsen environmental and social problems, and do not address major food sources, access, or waste. Furthermore, urban gardens are increasingly linked with socially devastating gentrification.

Ana Poštek, Ivica Kisić, Marija Cerjak, Luka Brezinščak · Journal of Central European Agriculture · Croatia

This paper analyzes various social aspects of urban agriculture and presents examples from Croatia where social benefits are the primary purpose. Urban agriculture can have social effects such as fostering activism, gender equality, social cohesion and inclusion, education, and cultural heritage preservation. However, policymakers struggle to implement urban agriculture within city planning.