Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
2116 results(32 / 85)
BANGKOK’S URBAN SPRAWL: LAND FRAGMENTATION AND CHANGES OF PERI-URBAN VEGETABLE PRODUCTION AREAS IN THAWI WATTHANA DISTRICT
2022Alisara Menakanit, Vudipong Davivongs, Prapassara NAKA, Nath PICHAKUM · Journal of Urban and Regional Analysis · Thailand (Bangkok)
This study investigated land use changes and landscape fragmentation in prime vegetable production areas within Thawi Watthana district, Bangkok, Thailand. A GIS database was used to analyze land use proportions, changes in vegetable production areas, and land configurations from 1976 to 2015. The results showed that vegetable production areas decreased at a rate of 20.38 ha/y, despite the district being designated as an agricultural area in Bangkok's land use planning policies. Fragmentation of the vegetable production matrix increased due to expanded road networks and contiguous roadside urban development.
Limited or null effectPeri-urban agriculturePolicyEconomicsValuing the Benefits and Enhancing Access: Community and Allotment Gardens in Urban Melbourne, Australia
2022Aisling Bailey, Jonathan Kingsley · Land · Australia (Melbourne)
This qualitative study explored perceptions of benefits and challenges in six urban community and allotment gardens in Melbourne, Australia, through semi-structured interviews with 23 participants. Findings identified perceived benefits and demographic patterns, but also highlighted challenges to participation due to insecurity around ongoing land access. The gardens were perceived to contribute to social and environmental wellbeing.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyHealthEconomicsPotensi dan Strategi Pengembangan Usaha Tani Perkotaan dalam Meningkatkan Akses Pangan yang Berkelanjutan di Kecamatan Gunung Putri, Kabupaten Bogor
2022Nia Kurniawati Hidayat, Ahyar Ismail, Hastuti Hastuti, Fitria Dewi Raswatie · Jurnal Ilmu Pertanian Indonesia · Indonesia (Bogor)
An urban farming program was initiated in Gunung Putri District, Bogor Regency, and qualitative descriptive methods, Likert scale, and SWOT analysis were used to identify development strategies, analyze public perceptions, and formulate strategies. While urban farming showed potential across technical, social, institutional, commercial, financial, and environmental aspects, obstacles included respondents' time, usable land, capital, supportive institutions, and limited marketing information. The most significant weakness identified was product marketing.
Limited or null effectCommunityPolicyEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceSource Apportionment of Heavy Metal Contamination in Urban-Agricultural-Aquacultural Soils near the Bohai Bay Coast, Using Land-Use Classification and Google Satellite Tracing
2022Ling Zeng, Shan Jiang, Linhai Jing, Yuan Xue · Remote Sensing · China
Heavy metal concentrations of Cd, As, Pb, Cu, Cr, and Hg were investigated in 86 soil samples from Jinzhou near China's Bohai Bay coast. The study showed that Cu and As contaminations in parts of this area were over the natural level but not polluted, while Cr contamination was omnipresent over the natural level and reached polluted levels in some parts. As and Cu contamination were linked to agricultural planting and aquacultural activities, and Cr contamination was potentially due to vehicle emissions and steel manufacturing or geochemical factories.
Contamination & food safetyHealthImpacts of hailstorm on urban agriculture in Northern of Maputo City and Matola (Mozambique) - An analysis from a climate change perspective
2022Bernardino Bernardo, Elisa Eda Nhambire, Alice Castigo Binda Freia, Octávio Manuel de Jesus, José Júlio Júnior Guambe, Zacarias Alexandre Ombe, Gustavo Sobrinho Dgedge · Cadernos de Geografia · Mozambique (Maputo)
This mixed-method study analyzed the impacts of hailstorms on urban horticulture in northern Maputo City and Matola, Mozambique, following a storm on June 1, 2021. The study found total and partial destruction of ready-to-cut vegetables, including cabbage, lettuce, and onions, across all production areas. This resulted in heavy financial losses for farmers and a significant increase in vegetable prices in local markets.
Environmental trade-offsClimate changeEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceAgricultura urbana en barbecho. Concepciones en la planificación urbana chilena
2022Ana Zazo Moratalla, Alejandro Orellana-McBride, Claudia Cerda-Inostroza · · Chile
A study investigated how Chilean urban planning has conceived productive agriculture within urban limits, analyzing the evolution of territorial planning instruments in five Chilean cases. While agriculture was once conceived as an urban use, changes in Chilean legislation have led to this activity being conceived as transitory and in fallow, inevitably transforming into other more profitable urban uses.
Governance failurePolicyUrban–rural linkageEconomicsGreen City or Urban Countryside?
2022Imen Bendjemila, Salah Chaouche · Prostor : znanstveni časopis za arhitekturu i urbanizam · Algeria
This study investigated urban growth and urbanization in N'Gaous, Algeria, over the last 60 years, using an analytical approach and Geographic Information Systems to assess the agronomic potential of soils. It found that N'Gaous experienced significant urban sprawl, with its land area expanding over ten times and population increasing more than six times, leading to serious issues for peri-urban orchards. The study quantified and monitored the agricultural potential consumed by construction, highlighting the negative impact of urban expansion on agricultural land.
Environmental trade-offsPeri-urban agricultureUrban–rural linkageEconomicsPolicyCharacterization of Wastewater Irrigated Soils of District Kota of Rajasthan
2022Subhash Aswal, Harshal Purohit, P. K. Gupta, K. K. Yadav, Laxman Jat, Shipra Jaiswal, R. A. Kaushik · International Journal of Plant & Soil Science · India (Kota)
A quarterly survey in Kota district, Rajasthan, India, characterized wastewater-irrigated soils by comparing them with tube well water-irrigated soils from ten urban sites. The study found decreased sand content, pH, and dehydrogenase activity, while porosity, EC, BOD, COD, OC, available-NPK, SO4, Cl, and heavy metals (Mn, Fe, Zn, Cu, Ni, Cd, Pb, Cr) increased. Some parameters exceeded Indian standard permission limits, indicating contamination, with highest values observed in summer.
Contamination & food safetyHealthPeri-urban agricultureFeminism and the Urban Practice: Three Lines of Analysis
2022Larissa Siqueira Chaves, Giovanna Simokado Magalhães, Soraya Nór · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Brazil
This article reflected on the potential of feminism in urban development as a practice of counter-hegemonic architectures. Through a cartography of central Florianópolis, it was shown that only ten streets in the city center were named after women, revealing that patriarchal patterns are fixed in the territory. Women in urban agriculture are presented as individual and collective body-territories that construct a counter-hegemonic praxis in urban spaces and social movements, politically building alternatives that foster care, reproduction of life, reconnection with nature, protection of popular traditions, as well as gender issues and the right to the city.
Equity & displacementCommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyWelfareAgricultura urbana, relações e desenvolvimento: um olhar sobre Maputo, Moçambique
2022Axel Prestes Dürrnagel, Matias Siueia Júnior, Simone Prestes Dürrnagel · Boletim GeoÁfrica · Mozambique
In Maputo, Mozambique's capital, urban agriculture is at a critical point, with accelerated urban growth and climate change impacts increasingly compromising agricultural spaces. A qualitative case study focusing on farmer associations in the urban district of KaMavota indicated that horizontal relationships among farmers enable information sharing and social capital creation. Conversely, vertical relationships between farmers and the government primarily promote knowledge exchange and competencies related to agricultural extension and land rights allocation.
Governance failureCommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyClimate changeExpelled from the garden? Understanding the dynamics of green gentrification in Vancouver, British Columbia
2022Daniel Sax, Lorien Nesbitt, Shannon Hagerman · Environment and Planning E Nature and Space · Canada (Vancouver)
A case study of an urban farm in Vancouver, Canada, facing displacement due to redevelopment, revealed that urban residents engaged in urban greening can be both implicated in and impacted by green gentrification processes. The study highlighted the power dynamics farm members navigate to preserve land access and found that the farm's identity was co-opted by development agents as a branding tool. This research contributes to understanding the limitations of development processes in accounting for green gentrification risks.
Equity & displacementCommunityPolicyEconomicsHealthReview of “How Green Became Good. Urbanized Nature and the Making of Cities and Citizens”
2022Fiona Greenland · Social Forces · Germany (Ruhr valley)
This review of "How Green Became Good" by Hillary Angelo examines why urban greening became a public good, challenging conventional accounts. Tracing urban greening in Germany's Ruhr valley, Angelo argues that greening constructs not only physical spaces but also social imaginaries, where nature as a public good is mutually constitutive with economic production needs, rather than being in opposition. The work shifts the understanding of urbanized nature from inherently contentious politics to a socio-cultural process of urban modernization.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyEconomicsTowards defining agricultural projects in towns: METH-EXPAU®, a multi-phase method
2022Giulia Giacchè, Véronique Saint-Gès, Yoann Durrieu, Mélanie Collé, Christine Aubry · Territoire en mouvement · France
A multi-phase method, METH-EXPAU®, is proposed for defining urban agriculture (UA) projects, aiming to help landowners select appropriate UA forms based on territorial characteristics. Applied to three case studies in France—Montrouge, a priority district in Lille, and a new district in Bordeaux—the method revealed its potential and shortcomings. It demonstrated how structural, technical, and social characteristics of spaces and agents can rule out certain UA forms that do not correspond to the territory's current needs.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyPeri-urban agricultureChange is inevitable, but is gentrification?
2022Megan Marshall · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · Global
"A Recipe for Gentrification" is an edited volume exploring the complex relationship between intent and impact at the intersection of alternative food systems and urban development. The book aims to unpack how food systems can both drive and resist gentrification. It shows that well-intentioned efforts to increase food access in a neighborhood can be an early initiator of gentrification, and urban agriculture and public green spaces are frequently co-opted for development efforts.
Equity & displacementEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityThe Pandemic Boom of Urban Agriculture: Challenging the Role of Resiliency in Transforming our Future Urban (Food) Systems
2022Angie Sassano, Christopher Mayes, Yin Paradies · Urban Policy and Research · Australia
In Australia, COVID-19 accelerated reliance on resiliency for post-pandemic urban recovery. This study examined the use of resilience in urban agriculture proposals for cities after COVID-19, drawing on critical literature. It argues that the current pandemic conditions for urban agriculture risk perpetuating urban colonial governmentality. The paper calls for a rethinking of urban agriculture for future cities by radically disrupting the foundational colonial logics of urban spatiality.
Equity & displacementPolicyCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceLegacy Lead in Urban Garden Soils: Communicating Risk and Limiting Exposure
2022Anna Paltseva, Zhongqi Cheng, Murray B. McBride, Maha Deeb, Sara Perl Egendorf, Peter M. Groffman · Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution · Global
This synthesis paper summarizes current scientific knowledge on lead (Pb) contamination in urban garden soils and provides clear recommendations for assessing actual health risks and limiting exposure. Urban garden soils often contain elevated levels of Pb, mainly from legacy sources, which is a main barrier for urban gardening. Amendments are noted as unreliable for treating contaminated soils to reduce risk, as they do not always make contaminants less harmful.
Contamination & food safetyHealthOrganic cycleCommunitySTRATEGI PENINGKATAN MUTU PERTANIAN PERKOTAAN UNTUK KETAHANAN PANGAN DI PROVINSI BALI
2022Putu Adi Wiratenaya, Ni Nyoman Yuliarmi · Jurnal Penjaminan Mutu · Indonesia (Bali)
This research investigated strategies to improve urban agriculture quality for food security in Bali Province, Indonesia, using a literature study method. The findings revealed that urban farming in Bali faces many obstacles, including the absence of regulations on urban farming, the lack of an institution to protect urban farming communities, and ineffective marketing methods. Government support is needed for the agricultural sector.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justicePolicyEconomicsCommunityThe Future of Food
2022Amy Trauger · · Global
The contemporary industrial food system is problematic, producing diverse foods for a small elite and replicating past labor injustices rooted in colonialism. Urban agriculture is a growing global trend and is expected to be the future of food production. The future of food will also diversify what we eat, including aquaponic tilapia, sprouts, algae, fungus and yeast-derived foods, and imitation meats.
Equity & displacementFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageEconomicsBalancing urban agriculture with sustaining ecosystem services
2022Monika Egerer, Brenda B. Lin · CABI Reviews · Global
This review evaluated ecosystem services (ES) within urban agriculture (UA) systems and the trade-offs between these services. Urban agriculture provides many benefits and environmental services such as food provision, social cohesion, and climate regulation. However, it was shown that management decisions can create trade-offs between ecosystem services, where an increase in one service may potentially reduce the system's ability to provide another service at a desired level.
Environmental trade-offsBiodiversityClimate changeCommunityOrganic cycleUrbanization-environment conundrum: an invitation to sustainable development in Saudi Arabian cities
2022Abdulaziz I. Almulhim, Patrick Brandful Cobbinah · International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ecology · Saudi Arabia
This article reviews literature on urbanization and its implications for the urban environment in Global South cities, discussing eight implications of the urbanization-environmental conundrum with cases from Saudi Arabian cities. Findings indicate that the sustainable development agenda in Saudi Arabian cities is skewed towards socio-economic development with limited focus on environmental issues. This situation is threatening the sustainability of rapidly urbanizing cities.
Governance failurePolicyClimate changeUrban–rural linkageDevelopment of a Process for Domestic Wastewater Treatment Using Moringa oleifera for Pathogens and Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Inhibition under Tropical Conditions
2022Nini Sané, Malick Mbengué, Amandine Laffite, Serge Stoll, John Poté, Philippe Le Coustumer · Water · Global
This study developed a wastewater treatment plant prototype coupled with Moringa oleifera seeds to reduce fecal indicator bacteria and antibiotic-resistant bacteria in domestic wastewater. The prototype alone reduced bacteria by 99.34%. The addition of Moringa oleifera seeds achieved high removal rates for E. coli (36.6–78.8%), fecal coliform (28.3–84.6%), Vibrio cholera (35.3–95.6%), and total flora (32.1–92.4%). For antibiotic-resistant bacteria, removal rates were up to 98% for E. coli and fecal coliform, 100% for Vibrio cholera, and 91.96% for total flora.
Contamination & food safetyHealthOrganic cycleSpace Matters: Barriers and Enablers for Embedding Urban Circularity Practices in the Brussels Capital Region
2022Giulia Caterina Verga, Ahmed Z. Khan · Frontiers in Built Environment · Belgium (Brussels)
This study examined spatial factors fostering or hampering the embedding of urban circularity practices (UCPs) in the Brussels Capital Region (BCR) through a literature review and case-study research. It showed that access to spaces and land emerges as one of the most recurrent barriers to embedding UCPs. Beyond real estate prices, frictions in political agendas where the need for housing, productive spaces, urban agriculture land, and green-blue infrastructures compete for the same limited space also contribute to this issue.
Governance failurePolicyEconomicsUrban–rural linkagePEMBERDAYAAN PETERNAK LEBAH TRIGONA PADA KELOMPOK USAHA A BEE HONEY DI GAMPONG ALUE AWE KECAMATAN MUARA DUA
2022Mohd Zulkifli Muhammad, Mohd Zulkifli Muhammad, Reza Putra, Abdul Rahman, Ridho Hafis, Faizar Rianda · JURNAL HURRIAH Jurnal Evaluasi Pendidikan dan Penelitian · Indonesia
The A Bee Honey group in Gampong Alue Awe, Muara Dua subdistrict, implemented a pilot program for Trigona honey bee cultivation from August to November 2022. Despite its potential as an income source, honey supply does not consistently meet demand, and a lack of understanding regarding cultivation and economics reduces consumer interest. The community also does not fully comprehend the advantages and potential of trigona bee cultivation. Training was provided to educate the community on its potential as an alternative income source, resulting in five family heads joining the program.
Economic viabilityCommunityEconomicsFood educationPollinatorsPotensi dan Kendala Pengembangan Urban Farming di Sempadan Rel Kereta Api Kelurahan Bangetayu Wetan Kecamatan Genuk Kota Semarang
2022Ro'fatul Maulaa, Niken Kusumarini, Dian Triastari Armanda · BIOLOGICA SAMUDRA · Indonesia (Semarang)
The potential and constraints of urban farming development on the railroad border in Bangetayu Wetan Village, Genuk District, Semarang City, Indonesia, were investigated through observation, interviews, and documentation. The approximately 1 to 2-hectare area cultivated crops such as corn, cassava, and sugarcane, with yield predictions sufficient to meet food needs. However, the presence of pests, diseases, and weeds were identified as constraints, indicating challenges for urban farming development.
Limited or null effectCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceBiodiversityHealthTransforming the Use of Agricultural Premises under Urbanization Pressures: A Story from a Second-Tier Post-Socialist City
2022Petr Klusáček, Stanislav Martinát, Klára Charvátová, Josef Navrátil · Land · Europe
This study investigated the drivers of de-agrarianization in post-socialist cities, using Brno, Czech Republic, as a case study through qualitative interviews. It found procedural issues in preserving architectural heritage during the redevelopment of a former Cistercian monastery site, often resulting in only fragments being preserved. The research also demonstrated a decline in the use of urban agricultural properties, which are rapidly transformed into new urban environments under intense urbanization pressures.
Governance failureUrban–rural linkagePolicyEconomicsClimate change