Research & reports

H. Tayal Neeraj · · Global

This chapter explores the potential of home gardening, as part of urban agriculture, to contribute to human health through improved nutrition. While home gardens can provide nutrient-dense foods, the potential health impact of soil contamination must be addressed, as urbanized soils tend to have elevated levels of heavy metals and other toxins.

Govinda Prasad Devkota, Sheri Lee Bastien, Petter D. Jenssen, Manoj K. Pandey, Bhimsen Devkota, Shyam Krishna Maharjan · International Education Studies · Nepal

This Participatory Action Research study in Nepal investigated five teachers' perceptions of using urine diversion dry toilets (UDDTs) and human urine as fertilizer in school gardens. Few teachers accepted human urine as fertilizer, considering it impure and expressing unwillingness to use it on crops. Teachers disliked UDDTs due to perceived bad odor and uncomfortable sitting positions, especially for females, and felt urine as fertilizer was unnecessary.

Adrián H. Hearn, Thaís Mauad, Chris Williams, Luís Fernando Amato‐Lourenço, Guilherme Reis Ranieri · Journal of Urbanism International Research on Placemaking and Urban Sustainability · Australia (Melbourne)

This article analyzed the phenomenon of urban agriculture promotion by real estate developers and community associations in Melbourne and São Paulo. Developers of upmarket condominiums advertise urban agriculture as a purchasable commodity, but the gentrifying effects of these developments deepen rather than alleviate social and environmental ills. In contrast, community projects in four case studies emphasized urban agriculture's ability to confront the long-term neglect of land, employment, and environment.

Gülşah KURU, Esra DEMİR ÖZTÜRK, Furkan Atmaca · İlköğretim Online · Global

A study using semi-structured interviews with 30 primary school teachers and 12 school managers revealed opinions on the evaluation of primary school gardens. The majority of participants believed their school gardens were inadequate, citing examples such as a lack of playgrounds, insufficient green areas, and the use of gardens as car parks.

Mr. Isaiah ACQUAH, Dr.Sc. Joseph Ato FORSON, Dr.Sc. Theresa Yaaba BAAH-ENNUMH · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Ghana

This qualitative exploratory study in Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Ghana, investigated the effect of urban growth and concretization on urban farming households' livelihoods and food security. The study, using interviews and spatial imagery, found that urban farms face challenges due to inadequate land use planning and support, leading to a loss of farmlands. Significant challenges identified include limited farming space, limited resources, continuous increase in buildings, and inadequate education for urban farmers.

Pepijn Schreinemachers, Ray-Yu Yang, Dhruba Raj Bhattarai, Bal Bdr, Mamounata Sandaogo Ouedraogo · · Global

Three cluster randomized controlled trials in Bhutan, Nepal, and Burkina Faso evaluated school garden programs. The interventions significantly improved children's knowledge about food and agriculture in all three countries, and awareness and preferences for fruits and vegetables in Bhutan and Nepal. However, these improvements did not lead to an increase in the frequency or variety of fruit and vegetable consumption in any of the countries.

Zeinab Abd Elkader, Ahmed Haroun · Fayoum University Journal of Engineering · Egypt

The legislative and executive challenges of roof gardens in new cities in Egypt were clarified. Theoretical studies, including an applied study in Sheikh Zayed City, were presented. The research suggests that while roof gardens offer environmental, social, and economic benefits, challenges exist for their widespread application.

Lexi Earl, Pat Thomson · · Global

This chapter considers the challenges faced by school gardens. School gardens often have tenuous links with subjects other than health, nutrition, geography, or science, and practical challenges exist in their establishment and maintenance. Key issues of teacher learning, management of resources, and school identity and ethos are also highlighted regarding school change. The chapter concludes with unanswered questions about the prospects for school gardening, particularly whether and how school gardens might be part of an educational solution to the questions posed by the pandemic and climate collapse.

Ana Mélice Dias, Teresa Marat-Mendes · Portuguese National Funding Agency for Science, Research and Technology (RCAAP Project by FCT) · Portugal (Lisbon)

In Lisbon's Greater Area, Portugal, the morphological impact of municipal planning instruments (Municipal Master Plans) on urban agriculture was investigated. It was concluded that current planning regulations prioritize leisure and aesthetic solutions for urban agriculture uses, rather than design solutions that address economic growth or ecological diversity.

Baptiste Grard, Nastaran Manouchehri, Christine Aubry, Nathalie Frascaria‐Lacoste, Claire Chenu · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · Global

A five-year experimental trial quantified the food production potential, soil fertility, and potential contamination of Technosols created from urban wastes for rooftop edible production. The cropping system showed promising results for food production and maintained high fertility. However, a concern was identified regarding the trace metal content of certain edible crops, specifically zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu), although most trace metal levels were below existing norms.

Joycelyn K. Quansah, Cesar L. Escalante, Angela Parry‐Hanson Kunadu, Firibu Kwesi Saalia, Jinru Chen · Agriculture · Ghana (Accra)

A survey was conducted among 102 urban leafy green vegetable farmers from 12 farming areas in Accra, Ghana, to determine agricultural practices and their association with microbial safety of vegetables produced. It was observed that 70% of farmers used water from waste drains for irrigation, 99% used incompletely composted manure, 96% harvested with bare hands, and over 60% disagreed that polluted irrigation water can contaminate vegetables or make consumers sick. Vegetables cultivated by farmers with no formal education, less food safety knowledge, and those who disagreed about contaminated water causing illness were associated with higher fecal coliform and Enterococcus sp. counts.

Michael Deflorian · Social movement studies · Global

This article examines the volatile participation of critical creatives in collective alternative everyday practices (CAEPs) like community gardens, which often involves irregular engagement and adherence to unsustainable consumer lifestyles. Drawing on Late-Modern Subject Theory, it argues that participants attempt to embody an idealized Self but fail persistently due to structural constraints and personal liberties in late-modern society. This results in "refigurations" of utopia that are bound to fail, highlighting a governance challenge in sustaining engagement.

Pauline Marsh, Suzanne Mallick, Emily J. Flies, Penelope Jones, Sue Pearson, Iain S. Koolhof, Jason Byrne, Dave Kendal · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · Global

This study assessed the socio-spatial context of a proposed Campus Community Garden (CCG) at a student university accommodation site. It explored perceptions of the space and the proposed garden through interviews, focus groups, a survey with diverse university and community stakeholders, visual observations, and public life surveying. Results confirmed known problems associated with an underutilized site and identified unknown barriers, including socially disconnected stakeholders and community distrust of the university.

Salvatore Engel‐Di Mauro · Journal of Environmental Quality · Global

This review examines atmospheric sources of trace element (TE) contamination in cultivated urban areas (CUAs), noting that these sources are understudied and poorly understood despite extensive research on TE contamination in CUAs. Existing research often assesses atmospheric deposition indirectly or lacks controls for other TE contaminants, and shows little engagement with atmospheric sciences methodological guidelines, which reduces confidence in current findings. The review suggests combining atmospheric science techniques with existing robust methodologies for TE contamination studies in CUAs.

Catalina Cruz-Piedrahita, Caroline Howe, Audrey de Nazelle · Global Transitions · Global

This scoping review analyzed 138 papers to develop a conceptual framework on the impacts of urban horticulture (UH) on public health in the Global North. While UH is proposed as a tool for health improvement, the review notes a lack of systematic information on its benefits, barriers, costs, and risks in these regions. The framework visualizes relationships between UH and public health, providing evidence for both positive and negative connections regarding mental health, physical activity, diet, and socialization.

Fanni Bársony · Tér és Társadalom · Hungary

This study examines urban community gardens in Hungary through fieldwork and group interviews. It investigates how these gardens function as urban commons, focusing on community characteristics, resource relationships, and sharing practices. The research concludes that for urban commons, it is insufficient to focus solely on the shared resource and access conditions; the commons must be examined in relation to the operating community.

F. Feldmann, Ute Vogler · Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection · Global

Ten key challenges for plant protection in cities were identified, each belonging to a specific field of action of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in urban horticulture, according to Directive 2009/128/EC. These challenges include appropriate plant selection, microbiome engineering, nutrient recycling, smart digital solutions, diversification of vegetation, avoidance of pesticide side effects on beneficials, biorational efficacy assessment, effective pest diagnosis, efficient outbreak control, and holistic approaches.

Silke Cram, Pilar Fernández, Horacio Carranza, M.C. Gómez Hernández, Claudia Ponce de León, Ana M. Noguez Gálvez · Open Journal of Soil Science · Global

This study evaluated metal inputs, transfer, and translocation in lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) grown in an urban plot during dry and rainy seasons in 2013, using treated wastewater and rainwater respectively. While soil characteristics and metal transfer/translocation factors varied temporally, leading to different metal concentrations in lettuce tissues, the results indicated that the metal concentration in lettuce tissues posed no harm to human health. However, site-specific studies are necessary for urban agriculture management.

Fatiha Hakimi, Mohamed Brech · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Morocco

This study assessed the practices, potentials, and constraints of peri-urban agriculture (PUA) in Rabat Metropolis, Morocco, using field observation, interviews, and surveys with 50 randomly selected farmers. While PUA contributes to economic development, employment, and food supply, the study found significant legal constraints, including the absence of regulating laws and the obligation for some farmers to pay housing taxes. Technical constraints such as insufficient workforce, high labor costs, difficult access to irrigation water, and lack of training also hinder PUA growth.

Maximilian Manderscheid, Valentin Fiala, Bernhard Freyer · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Global

This report D4.3 describes the status quo analysis and documentation of Edible City Solutions (ECS). Over 300 ECS were identified in Berlin and Montevideo, and online research was conducted in Carthage and Lomé, after which a total of 84 ECS were documented in detail using a mixed-method approach (online survey, interviews, workshops, etc.). Most documented ECS take the form of urban gardening and focus on social benefits like providing education and fostering social cohesion, but the report does not detail specific challenges or limitations regarding governance.

Remigio Paradelo, Antía Villada, María Teresa Barral · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · Global

A two-month pot experiment studied heavy metal transference from five metal-rich urban waste composts and a manure vermicompost to lettuce and Italian ryegrass under controlled conditions. Plant concentrations of Zn, Cu, and Cd increased with their concentrations in compost, while no such relation was observed for Pb. The study found that the ratio of element concentration in plant to compost was much higher for Zn, Cd, and Cu than for Pb, indicating lower bioavailability of Pb.

Hayford Mensah Ayerakwa, Fred Mawunyo Dzanku, Daniel Bruce Sarpong · Agricultural and Food Economics · Ghana

Using a sample of 2,004 households in a small and a medium-sized city in Ghana, this study examined urban households' participation in agriculture by disentangling it according to the geography of production — urban versus rural areas — and its implications for food security. The analysis found no evidence that participation in agriculture in general was related to the food security of urban households in this sample. However, urbanites who produced food in both urban and rural areas had better food security in the medium-sized city.

Ada Górna, Krzysztof Górny · Miscellanea Geographica · Cuba

An exploratory, classification-based study combining fieldwork with satellite and aerial imagery analysis characterized urban agriculture across the built-up areas of Havana, Cuba. It found urban gardens distributed unevenly across the city, concentrated in lower-density districts where land was intentionally left between buildings by modernist planners, with organopónico (organoponics) as the most common production technique — but found that the material commonly used to build the bordering walls of these plots is asbestos, posing a significant health threat to both producers and consumers.

Kheir Al‐Kodmany · · Global

A book chapter arguing that cities will need internal food production to meet demand from growing urban populations and to avoid congestion, pollution and unaffordable food prices, and examining vertical farming — using hydroponics, aeroponics and aquaponics — as an approach suited to urban settings where land is limited and expensive. After reviewing these technologies and project prototypes, the chapter closes by stating that economic feasibility, building codes and regulations, and a lack of expertise remain major obstacles to implementing the vertical farm.

Alexey Valerevich Vasilchikov · Eurasian Law Journal · Russia

A study of urban agglomeration development trends in the regions of the Russian Federation, drawing on analyses from various Russian sociological research schools, examines the differentiation between cities — including million-plus cities — competing for natural, demographic, financial, and investment resources. It finds that large agglomerations act as monopolists that in many cases hinder the successful development of medium-sized and especially small Russian cities, further worsening inequality in living standards and quality of life across localities throughout the Russian Federation.