Research & reports

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.

Guillermo Olivera, Kenia Zavaleta · Repositorio Digital Institucional de la Universidad de Buenos Aires (Universidad de Buenos Aires) · Mexico

This study argues that urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA), along with intra-urban open spaces, constitutes a "second best" land use for 21st-century cities pursuing sustainable growth aligned with the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals — whether through FAO's Greener Cities Strategy, which promotes garden-based UPA against poverty and food insecurity, or through UPA absorbed by city expansion, much of it commercial in nature. Based on analysis of official statistics and fieldwork in the Ejido Tejalpa in Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico, the study finds that UPA persists there due to its historical trajectory and access to water and land, existing in commercial form rather than as urban gardens, but not without problems. Its main threat is identified as excessive urbanization and generational change among producers, and its main challenge as achieving greater involvement of urban governments through land management and urban planning, following the experience of other countries where agriculture is given more weight in metropolitan planning.

Achamyeleh Gashu Adam · IntechOpen eBooks · Ethiopia

A case-study and desk-review analysis of how new urban built-up properties form in the transitional peri-urban areas of Ethiopia. These areas are described as sites of intense competition between agricultural and non-agricultural land use, where rural agricultural land rights are vanishing. The study finds that both formal and informal actors play a significant role in converting peri-urban agricultural land into non-agricultural urban built-up property, and that these properties result from land-use conversion through both formal and informal channels.

Abraham Verghese, Rakshitha Mouly · Pest Management in Horticultural Ecosystems · India

A report documenting the giant African snail (Achatina fulica) in urban and terrace gardens in Bengaluru, India (12°57'N, 77°38'E, 965 MSL) over a six-month observation period, in peri-urban horticulture. Its occurrence in Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore) was first reported in 1979, more than a century after two specimens were introduced into a garden in Calcutta (Kolkata) by William Henry Benson in 1847, after which it is assumed to have spread across India and much of Asia; the paper cites the genetic closeness of current snail populations to the original Kolkata specimens as evidence for this spread.

Andrea Colantoni, Gianluca Egidi, Giovanni Quaranta, R. D’Alessandro, Sabato Vinci, Rosario Turco, Luca Salvati · Land · Europe

Using statistical data analysis and a literature review covering 1961-2017, a regional study in Greece examined the relationship between wildfire frequency/extent and the decline of nomadic livestock (mainly sheep and goats), comparing Attica — the peri-urban region that includes the capital Athens — with the rest of the country. Attica showed a markedly faster decline in nomadic livestock than the rest of Greece, a decline associated with higher wildfire risk in that region. The findings indicate that nomadic livestock grazing helps prevent fuel (biomass) accumulation in forests and unmanaged natural land, contributing to sustainable management of peri-urban land.

Małgorzata Ćwieląg‐Drabek, Agata Piekut, Klaudia Gut, Mateusz Grabowski · Scientific Reports · Europe

A study of family allotment gardens (FAGs) in Silesia Province, one of the most polluted regions in Poland, analyzed 219 soil samples and 64 edible plant samples to link the geochemical disturbance caused by past mining and smelting activity to consumer exposure to toxic and carcinogenic metallic trace elements. Contents of these elements in topsoil were spatially diverse and depended primarily on the location of industrial pollution sources. Average cadmium (0.52 mg/kg fresh weight) and lead (0.57 mg/kg fresh weight) content in vegetables exceeded maximum permissible concentrations under European quality standards. A human health risk assessment based on three dietary exposure scenarios found that, in every scenario, potatoes — a staple of the Polish diet — carried the highest average daily dose for all three elements. The study concludes that consuming vegetables grown in Silesia Province's family allotment gardens may pose a significant health risk to consumers.

Delphine Manka’abusi, Désiré Jean‐Pascal Lompo, Christoph Steiner, Mariko Ingold, Edmund Kyei Akoto-Danso, Steffen Werner, Volker Häring, George Nyarko, Bernd Marschner, Andreas Buerkert · Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science · Sub-Saharan Africa

To quantify carbon and nitrogen losses in urban and peri-urban agriculture soils in West Africa, this study measured CO2-C, N2O-N, and NH3-N fluxes from irrigated fields in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, and Tamale, Ghana, under different fertilization and (waste)water regimes. Compared with unamended controls, fertilizer application increased average cumulative CO2-C emissions by 103% over eight cropping cycles in Ouagadougou and by 42% over seven cropping cycles in Tamale. Total emissions across all cropping cycles reached 14 t C/ha in Ouagadougou — 73% of the carbon applied as organic fertilizer over two years at that site — and 9 t C/ha in Tamale. Fertilizer application increased N2O-N emissions in Ouagadougou by 37-360% across cropping cycles and NH3-N losses by an average of 670%, but had no significant effect on N2O-N losses in Tamale. Wastewater irrigation did not significantly raise CO2-C emissions in Ouagadougou, but in Tamale CO2-C emissions were 71% higher on wastewater plots (1.6 t C/ha) than on controls (0.9 t C/ha); wastewater had no significant effect on N2O-N or NH3-N emissions at either site. Biochar did not affect N2O-N or NH3-N losses but could help reduce CO2-C emissions from urban garden soils.

N. K. Fidelis, M. K. Winnie, W. K. Joyce, K. Juliana, Kotey Ashie Daniel, M. Scholastica, Mbijjiwe Jacob Kathure Catherine · Journal of Engineering in Agriculture and the Environment · Africa

In Nairobi, Kenya, stratified random sampling, field surveys and questionnaires were used to identify existing water sources and wastewater treatment systems and their reuse status, in an investigation of the potential for eco-friendly urban and peri-urban agriculture (EcoUPA). Of the 300 respondents interviewed, only 66 (22%) reused wastewater, and only 54 of those reused it for crop production. Ninety-eight respondents (33%) wanted information on wastewater treatment systems allowing reuse, and 124 (41%) were willing to pay for a new system. The findings indicate that limited urban water sources constrain the spread of urban and peri-urban agriculture.

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.

Joseph Richmond Fianko, Mavis Korankye · West African Journal of Applied Ecology · Ghana

A study assessed the environmental and health impact of urban and peri-urban irrigated agriculture in Ghana by analyzing the physico-chemical and microbiological characteristics of irrigation water in the Greater Accra Region, calculating a comprehensive pollution index (CPI) and sodium adsorption ratio (SAR). Water samples used for informal irrigation contained significant microbial loads: total coliform ranged from 25×10² to 1209×10² cfu/100ml and E. coli from 2×10² to 651×10² cfu/100ml, with a mean total coliform level (517.917×10² cfu/100ml) far exceeding the recommended maximum guideline values of 5,000 and 1,000 cfu/100ml for irrigation water. CPI values ranged from 0.16 to 0.43 (average 0.27), indicating moderate pollution; about 42% of samples were classified as sodic waters, and SAR values of 3.42 to 24.75 meant nearly all samples exceeded the threshold (SAR > 4) associated with reduced water infiltration and soil permeability problems. The water is described as under persistent pollution pressure from expanding human activity, posing high risks to the health of the environment, farmers, traders, and consumers.

Anna Margenat, Víctor Matamoros, Sergi Dı́ez, Núria Cañameras, Jordi Comas, Josep M. Bayona · Environment International · Spain (Barcelona)

A study assessed 16 trace elements and 33 organic microcontaminants in lettuce, tomato, cauliflower, and broad beans from peri-urban farms near Barcelona, Spain, and a rural site. Concentrations ranged from non-detectable to 17.4 mg/kg for trace elements and non-detectable to 256 μg/kg for organic microcontaminants, with tomatoes showing the highest levels. Risk assessment indicated a low human health risk from consuming these vegetables in the peri-urban area, comparable to the rural site.

· Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences (J Anim Plant Sci ) ISSN 2071 – 7024 · Africa

A study in Port-Bouët, Abidjan, examined market gardeners' phytosanitary practices and pesticide residue incidence on lettuce. It found that 39.6% of pesticides used were not recommended for market gardening, 86.84% of gardeners did not protect themselves during application, and 80.26% did not observe pre-harvest intervals. Consequently, 93.33% of lettuce samples did not comply with Codex Alimentarius and EU standards due to high pesticide residue contamination.

Cosmos C. Alamanjo, Abimbola O. Adepoju, H. Martin, R.N. Baines · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Nigeria (Jos)

This mixed-methods study investigated farmers' perceptions, willingness, and capacity to use household sewage sludge as organic resources for peri-urban agriculture around Jos, Nigeria. Farmers were found to use a complex mix of fertilizers and were keen to utilize household sewage sludge for soil fertility, though constrained by accessibility. A critical finding was that household sewage sludge observed in the field is heterogeneous due to its proximity to urban refuse disposal, raising concerns for possible cross-contamination of pollutants and indicating a lack of extension guidance.

Maurice Dasylva, Ngor Ndour, Bienvenu Sambou, Sara Danielle Dieng · European Scientific Journal ESJ · Senegal (Ziguinchor)

In Ziguinchor, Senegal, the peri-urban rice farming system contributes to food security but is ignored by decision-makers and suffers from urbanization and physicochemical changes in rice field soils. An agronomic diagnosis, based on 180 yield squares (1/4m side) installed in 4 peri-urban valleys, showed average yields of 4.79 ± 0.35 t.ha-1. However, urbanization, silting, acidification, and progressive salinization of soils are the main limiting factors for this production system.

Camille Dumat, Antoine Pierart, Muhammad Shahid, Sana Khalid · · Global

Urban agriculture, while a strategy for sustainable food production, faces a serious threat from natural and anthropogenic pollution sources in urban and peri-urban environments. These sources release hazardous organic and inorganic contaminants, leading to a high likelihood of human exposure. Consumption of vegetables grown on polluted urban soils or those that have intercepted metal-rich atmospheric particles represents a potential route of pollutant exposure and human health hazard.

Nicolás A. Mari, Nicolás A. Mari, Beatriz Giobellina, Beatriz Giobellina, Alejandro Benítez, Alejandro Benítez, Victoria Marinelli, Victoria Marinelli, Victoria Marinelli · Journal of Agronomy Research · Argentina (Córdoba)

A study mapped and quantified urban growth and land use in Córdoba, Argentina's Green Belt. Using remote sensing and GIS, it evaluated urban growth between 1974 and 2014 and land use in peri-urban and rural areas in 2015. The study revealed a 46.5% urban area growth over nearly 40 years, alongside an increase in farm plot size, indicating land ownership concentration and a reduced number of producers. This transformation highlights a conflict between peri-urban horticulture, industrial agriculture, and urban development.

L.C. Obuseng · Botswana Journal of Agriculture and Applied Sciences · Botswana (Gaborone)

This review highlights the potential for heavy metal accumulation in soil and crops from urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) around Gaborone, Botswana, due to the intensive use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, wastewater, sludges, and industrial effluents. A literature review showed that fertilizers contain heavy metals, and the use of treated or untreated sewage water by UPA farmers can lead to heavy metal accumulation in soil and crops, posing a danger to human health. Information on heavy metal accumulation in soils is limited in Botswana, despite high agrochemical use in UPA vegetable production.

Guadalupe Del Ángel-Lozano, Martha Elena Nava-Tablada · Tropical and Subtropical Agroecosystems · Mexico (Xalapa)

This study analyzed technical-productive and socioeconomic limitations to urban agriculture adoption among members of the Network of Urban and Periurban Agriculture (RAUP) in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico. Researchers applied 25 questionnaires to active members and 10 to non-practicing participants. Both groups of RAUP participants identified socioeconomic factors, such as lack of space and limited free time due to urban lifestyles, as the main constraints, while technical-productive limitations were not considered relevant.

María Carolina Feito, Sofía Boza, Santiago Peredo · Repositorio Digital Institucional de la Universidad de Buenos Aires (Universidad de Buenos Aires) · Argentina

This study focused on the reality of Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture (AUPU) in Latin America, comparing cases in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area and the Santiago Metropolitan Region. Both cities form complex territories strongly related to their periphery, but the debate regarding AUPU's future development model remains open, reflected in contradictions even in public policies. The strong link between family farming and AUPU further complicates the situation due to the intrinsic limitations of family farming.

Glenda Maria Braga Abud, Maria Lúcia Bahia Lopes, Rosália do Socorro da Silva Corrêa, Ruth Helena Cristo Almeida · Revista em Agronegócio e Meio Ambiente · Brazil (Benevides)

A descriptive survey was conducted with 25 producers in Benevides municipality, Pará State, Brazil, to analyze the contribution of flower and ornamental plant production to local development. The activity was found to be essentially subsistence-based, with low articulation among producers and technological and productive limitations. These aspects resulted in a restricted capacity to contribute to development in the studied municipality.

Carme Melo Escrihuela · International Journal of Sustainable Development and Planning · Spain (Valencia)

The evolution in the preservation, management, and planning of l'Horta de València, a historical Mediterranean huerta in Valencia, Spain, was assessed. It is argued that negative changes and impacts in l'Horta are not simply the outcome of global dynamics but result from the region's planning trajectory and landscape management approach. This approach has been shaped by a lack of territorial and supra-municipal perspective and the primacy of culture, identity, and heritage aspects over the landscape's productive dimension.

Stephan Pauleit, Didit Okta Pribadi, Hany Abo El Wafa · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Indonesia (Jakarta)

The continued existence of agriculture in and near urban areas, such as in Jakarta and Addis Ababa, is an important means to strengthen city resilience. However, its importance is still poorly, or at best intermittently, acknowledged by politicians and urban planners, who are inspired by visions of "modern" cities where agriculture is considered a negligible activity.

Stephan Barthel, Christian Isendahl, Benjamin N. Vis, Axel Drescher, Daniel Evans, Arjan van Timmeren · The Anthropocene Review · Global

Global urbanization and food production are in direct competition for land. Displacing crop production from urban and peri-urban land due to soil quality issues will demand a substantially larger proportion of the Earth’s terrestrial land surface than the area lost to urban encroachment. This risks triggering distancing effects, unfair social-ecological teleconnections, and amplifying effects within the Earth System, potentially leading to food riots in cities of the Global South. The paper identifies multi-level leverage points, specifically an advisory global policy aligned with regional policies enabling robust common property rights for bottom-up actors in urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA), to navigate urban expansion away from fertile croplands.

Delphine Bernadette Ouédraogo, Delwendé Innocent Kiba, Zacharia Gnankambary, Sheick K. Sangaré, Diakouba Sirima, Hassan Bismarck Nacro, Michel Papaoba Sédogo · Journal of Agricultural Science · Burkina Faso (Ouagadougou)

This study investigated cropping practices and their drivers in 133 peri-urban farms near Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Soil sample analysis revealed that monoculture led to low soil organic carbon, while polyculture led to low soil available potassium. The socio-economic conditions of the farms explained up to 60% of the variability in cropping practices.

A Noussia · Research Open (London South Bank University) · Brazil

This paper discusses urban agriculture on city peripheries within a scenario of urban expansion, focusing on the Guaratiba neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro. It argues that the city's urban expansion process does not invest in the inclusion of urban agriculture activities within the area's socio-environmental dynamics.