Research & reports

Luiza Vigne Bennedetti, Paulo Antônio de Almeida Sinisgalli, Maurí­cio Lamano Ferreira, Fabiano Lemes de Oliveira · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · Global

Following the PRISMA protocol, a 2023 systematic review evaluated 26 studies on the interplay between urban agriculture (UA) and sustainability surveyed on Web of Science. While UA is increasingly recognized as an action to promote urban sustainability and inform public health policy for urban populations, the review confirms that its implementation still presents challenges in countries across both the Global North and Global South. The review identified numerous key challenges to UA adoption, including air and soil contamination, availability of green areas, layout of urban infrastructure, and food distribution, among others. Given the many socio-economic and environmental contextual factors involved — especially when comparing Global North and Global South realities — the review concludes there is a need to develop a model adaptable to these different contexts. It further concludes that the concept of sustainability lacks a universal understanding, and that one of the most important remaining gaps is addressing social issues in relation to environmental ones.

Mahir Yazar, Ece Baykal Fide, İrem Daloğlu Çetinkaya · Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning · Turkey

A 2023 study of climate policies in nine cities in Turkey examined how vulnerable groups and individuals are identified and how land-use policy is developed to address the identified vulnerabilities and climate justice concerns, using policy content analysis and expert interviews. The analysis found critical relationships between identified vulnerable groups, responsive land-use policy and climate justice. While social-aid municipalism-related vulnerabilities dominated districts' climate policies, nature-based solutions (NBS) — especially green infrastructure and urban agriculture — emerged as the dominant climate adaptation approach. However, the way urban vulnerabilities are prioritized in the climate and sustainability plans places less emphasis on intersectionality and infrastructure-related vulnerabilities, and tokenism of justice occurs in the policy documents: the plans do not incorporate vulnerable communities into land-use planning. The study concludes that the complexity of responsive land-use policy requires greater awareness of how to practically support vulnerable communities.

Jesús Sanz Abad, Sara Sama Acedo, Gaël Carrero Gros · · Spain

Case studies of two cooperative enterprises (in finance and forestry) and one new urban commons — community gardens in Madrid — all located in Spain, were analyzed using ethnographic methods within the field of solidarity economy and commons. The analysis found tensions between the initiatives' economically and politically "transformative" aspirations and the reality of operating in a market-driven capitalist environment, alliances and tensions arising from interactions with established institutions, and dilemmas or conflicts between maintaining ideological coherence and extending the initiatives' social base.

Lukas Egli, Judith Rüschhoff, Joerg A. Priess · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · Global

A systematic review of quantitative empirical research on the sustainability effects of community-supported agriculture (CSA) covered 39 studies. Fewer than 30% of the studies assessed ecological sustainability aspects, but where CSA farms were compared to reference systems, they mostly performed better on resource use efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions. Most studies assessed social aspects; many showed that CSA still fails to reach low-income households, so members do not represent the average population, while CSA membership was associated with improved health and sustainability behavior. Economic variables were assessed in more than half of the studies, but knowledge of CSA's relative economic performance remains scarce, though early studies indicate high economic viability. The review calls for more research on ecological aspects specifically, comparisons across farming and marketing systems, and integration of knowledge from theses and practical sources in multiple languages.

Habtamu Serbessa, Teferee Mekonnen, Meskerem Abi · Journal of Developing Country Studies · Ethiopia

A questionnaire survey and focus group discussions with small-scale vegetable producers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia used probability sampling, descriptive statistics, correlation and multinomial logistic regression, plus SWOT and force field analysis. Producers held positive perceptions of vegetable production and most intended to continue, but limited access to land, pests and diseases, and water shortages were identified as the main challenges. Regression results showed land size, gender, age and housing type as the most significant factors determining vegetable production.

Nancy Harlet Esquivel-Marín, Leticia Myriam Sagarnaga Villegas, Octavio T. Barrera-Perales, Juan Antonio Lugo Machado, José María Salas González · Acta Universitatis Sapientiae Agriculture and Environment · Europe

This bibliometric review analyzes the systemic structure of multifunctional agriculture (MFA) and its relationship to sustainability, based on a sample of 432 documents published on the Web of Science platform. Using Bibliometrix and VOSviewer to map scientific collaboration networks, the review identified the authors, journals, and countries shaping the current knowledge structure and four thematic clusters: (a) MFA and sustainability, (b) ecosystem services and biodiversity, (c) European public policies, and (d) governance and urban agriculture. It concludes that, despite an increase in publication rates, research remains concentrated in Europe with few collaborative networks across disciplines, indicating that SDG 17 (partnerships) is not being achieved.

Ambroise Dalecky, Madougou Garba, Abdoulaziz Ibrahim Danzabarma, Jonas Etougbétché, Sylvestre Badou, Henri‐Joël Dossou, Ibrahima Sow, Cheikh Tidiane Niang, Ousmane Diene, Idrissa Diallo, Mohamed Seyidna Ali Saghiri, Mohamed El Hady Sidatt, Frank van Steenbergen, Amadou Bocar Bal, Luwieke Bosma, Gualbert Houémènou, Solimane Ag Atteynine, Karmadine Hima, Gauthier Dobigny, Yonas Meheretu · Environnement Risques Santé · Sub-Saharan Africa

The abstract text provided consists only of acknowledgments—thanking Valérie Golaz (INED-LPED), Marc Egrot (IRD-LPED), and the organizers of the international conference "Implementation of public policies and pesticides in the Souths" (PoPPesCI project, on public policies and pesticides in urban agriculture), held in October 2021 in Bouaké, Côte d'Ivoire, for prompting the article's writing. It contains no actual findings or content about rodent proliferation or synthetic chemical rodenticides despite what the title suggests.

P. Post, H. Hengsdijk · · Global

This study inventoried and characterized food production systems in Rincon, Bonaire, combining literature review and online key-informant interviews with biophysical analysis and calculations of land and water requirements for several production scales, and applying a SWOT analysis to multiple production systems. It found that increasing year-round fruit and vegetable production in Rincon, and Bonaire more broadly, is challenging and may not be feasible without support, given limited and irregular water availability, an unsupportive business environment, and harsh conditions from pests, diseases, and weather; without sufficient support to expand water availability, local agricultural knowledge, and a suitable business environment, neither capital-intensive nor small-scale crop production is likely to improve the availability of healthy food or employment opportunities.

Lorien Nesbitt, Daniel L. Sax, Jessica Quinton, Leila M. Harris, Camilo Ordóñez Barona, Cecil Konijnendijk · Ecology and Society 28(4): art29 · Canada (Metro Vancouver, Greater Toronto Area)

An online survey of 51 urban greening practitioners in Metro Vancouver and the Greater Toronto Area. Most respondents defined green gentrification as the displacement of vulnerable residents caused by new or improved green space that attracts wealthy in-movers and raises property values. The largest group identified greening itself as the main driver of green gentrification, while a minority saw greening as a secondary factor alongside other systemic drivers. Practitioners cited multiple barriers to addressing it - limited institutional capacity, limited access to data and information, policy or mandate restrictions, and a lack of engagement tools - showing a gap between practitioners' concern and what they can act on in their day-to-day work.

Jordan Ashby, Clarissa Libertelli · Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) · United States

Just after NYC announced expansion of mandatory residential organics collection by 2024, the mayor's office eliminated funding for the city's community composting program. The article identifies three failures reflecting national trends: government 'composting' programs that actually rely on anaerobic digestion, centralized processing that concentrates environmental burdens in vulnerable neighborhoods, and mandatory government programs undercutting community composters' viability.

Cole Rosengren · Waste Dive · United States

California's Little Hoover Commission recommended pausing SB 1383, the state's organics recycling law, citing concern the state will miss its 2025 targets, but CalRecycle, industry and environmental advocates strongly opposed the pause, noting roughly $500 million already invested. 445 of 614 jurisdictions now have residential food-waste collection programs, and waste costs rose 20% for residential and 30% for commercial customers.

Li Jiacheng · Eco-Business / Dialogue Earth · China

China's mandatory waste-sorting policy, launched in Shanghai in 2019, improved diversion and recycling but created a new problem: overbuilt waste-to-energy incineration capacity. Shanghai diverted 54% of its waste (6.46 million tonnes) in 2021, up from 21% in 2018, while the number of national incinerators grew from 130 in 2011 to 927 by 2023, pushing 2022 national overcapacity to 100.99%.

Jena Brooker · Planet Detroit (via BridgeDetroit) · United States

Hantz Woodlands, a large-scale tree farm on Detroit's east side, acquired roughly 2,600 parcels and still holds about 2,000. It bought an initial 1,550 parcels for $540,000 and later resold about 10% of its holdings for $9.5 million — nearly nine times its original cost — while paying only $7,035 of the $33,110 it owes in blight-violation fines. Critics note the Detroit Land Bank Authority never reclaimed a single Hantz property despite missed deadlines, even as it repossessed land from ordinary residents who fell behind.

Joshua Newell, Alec Foster, Mariel Borgman, Sara Meerow · Cities · United States (Detroit)

A study in Detroit's Lower Eastside (~15 sq. miles) examined the spatial extent, characteristics, and residents' perceptions of urban gardens using spatial analysis and interviews. Gardens covered less than 1% of vacant land and were often ephemeral. Primary obstacles to scaling up urban agriculture in Detroit include uncertainty over land tenure, environmental pollutants, potential ecosystem disservices, and a lack of government support and capital investment.

Grace Ning Yuan, Gian Powell B. Marquez, Haoran Deng, Anastasiia Iu, Melisa Fabella, Reginald B. Salonga, Fitrio Ashardiono, Joyce A. Cartagena · Heliyon · Global

This review examined urban agriculture (UA) across technology, socio-economy, and policy, noting that supporting UA expansion in cities is challenging due to its poor economic profitability. The study highlighted UA's value beyond profitability, including social, health and well-being, disaster risk reduction, and environmental benefits. It also presented advancements in UA technologies and plant biotechnology as potential solutions for increasing the future profitability of commercial UA.

Fa Likitswat, Alisa Sahavacharin · Journal of Architectural/Planning Research and Studies (JARS) · Thailand (Bangkok)

This research analyzed landscape transformations, specifically agricultural landscape structures and functions, in eight selected sites in the urban fringe of Bangkok from 1952 to 2018. The study found that the significant loss of agricultural landscape in Bangkok's peri-urban areas resulted in the loss of seasonal water retention areas, productive landscapes, and urban wildlife habitats. It concludes there is a research gap regarding the lack of policies and practices to promote ecosystem services linked to preserving peri-urban agriculture in Bangkok.

Amy Lawton, Nicky Morrison · Land Use Policy · Australia (Greater Western Sydney)

This study examines the drivers of peri-urban agricultural land loss in Greater Western Sydney, Australia, with a focus on the role of government agencies. It found that competing housing priorities and private market interests continue to take precedence over protecting agricultural land. The research indicates that this trend will persist unless the current pro-urbanization narrative and associated political priorities are altered.

Imen Bendjemila, Salah Chaouche · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Algeria

Urban sprawl in N'Gaous, Algeria, expanded its land area by over ten times (from 33.7 to 379.7 hectares) and its population by over six times (from 4,887 to 33,515 persons) over 60 years. This rapid growth creates significant issues, particularly for peri-urban orchards, which are the primary economic activity. The study used an analytical approach with Geographic Information Systems to assess the agronomic potential of soils and quantify agricultural land consumed by construction, aiming to achieve an optimal agri-urban balance rather than merely avoiding urban expansion.

Janet Music, Lisa Mullins, Sylvain Charlebois, Charlotte Large, Kydra Mayhew · Humanities and Social Sciences Communications · Canada

This study compared 19 municipal urban home food gardening programs in Canada in 2020, which provided free gardening supplies and instructions. It found a complicated relationship between municipalities, gardening programs, and food security, and determined that gardening somewhat alleviated social and emotional challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic. However, municipalities are limited in their policy capacities to adequately address food insecurity in Canada.

Graham Slater, Robert G. Unzueta, Clayton Pierce · · Global

This chapter argues that much scholarly literature on school gardens is based on problematic assumptions or ignores histories of violence and dispossession. Without an ecocritical approach, school gardens risk replicating systems of domination, extraction, exploitation, and human supremacy. The authors propose integrating theoretical reflection into emancipatory action within a historical materialist framework to address colonization, land dispossession, labor exploitation, and anthropocentrism.

Betty Mntambo · Huria Journal of the Open University of Tanzania · Tanzania (Morogoro Municipality)

This study examined land tenure security in urban agriculture among 69 male and female vegetable farmers in Morogoro Municipality, Tanzania, using snowball sampling and a cross-sectional design. Findings revealed that farmers access land informally by renting from legal landowners, with social relationships determining tenure security. Land tenure insecurity negatively affects vegetable cultivation and generates uncertainty and animosity between farmers and landlords.

Melissa Anna Murphy, Peter E. Parker, Margot Hermus · Local Environment · Global

This article aims to unpack how urban settings, organizational forms, and municipal enabling affect urban gardening (UG) practices towards inclusion in public space. It draws on urban commons theory and research on inclusion in public space to understand multi-faceted UG governance and its exclusionary aspects. A comparative analysis of UG initiatives in three Northern European municipalities explores both municipal enabling and the co-production of inclusive public space.

Catherine Campbell, Jorge Ruiz‐Menjivar, Alia DeLong · HortTechnology · United States (Florida)

This research characterized commercial urban agriculture (CUA) operations in Florida, United States, and explored urban farmers' perceptions of needs, barriers, and opportunities for CUA development. A cluster analysis identified three distinct groups of urban farmers with differing perceptions of barriers, opportunities, and informational needs. The study notes that the U.S. Department of Agriculture Census of Agriculture does not report data on CUA operations, limiting knowledge about their status, including barriers to business operations and profitability.

Ayobami Abayomi Popoola, Bolanle Wahab, Hangwelani Hope Magidimisha, Lovemore Chipungu · CSID Journal of Infrastructure Development · Nigeria (Ibadan)

This mixed-methods study in Ibadan, Nigeria, surveyed 236 urban farmers across five local government areas to determine patterns of integrating urban farming into city infrastructure development. Findings indicated that old age limited farmers' travel distance and farm produce theft was detected, highlighting challenges in current urban farming practices and infrastructure.

Jianyun Nie, Akira Kiminami, Hironori Yagi · Sustainability · China (Shanghai)

This study analyzed the sustainability status of 22 urban leisure farms in Shanghai using the IDEA method. Farms' average sustainability scores were 25.72 on the agroecological scale, 32.5 on the socioterritorial scale, and 46.5 on the economic scale. This analysis revealed that while urban leisure agriculture in Shanghai has high sustainability at the economic scale, its overall sustainability was low, indicating a need for further strengthening.