Research & reports

Eric Vaz, Marco Paìnho, Peter Nijkamp · European Planning Studies · Europe

This paper presents a spatial analysis integrating agricultural land use data inventories for Portugal with CORINE Land Cover data to assess change in the Algarve region. By overlaying the appropriation of agricultural land for urban use with population and urban data, it focuses on the consequences of specific regulations for the dynamics of land-use change. An integrated assessment of agricultural land loss found that agricultural land was being undermined by the consequences of urban sprawl. Building on this finding, the paper reviews existing decrees supporting sustainable development in the region, provides a qualitative assessment of future roles based on ethical values and economic efficiency, and offers a framework for policymakers regarding trends in the urban/agricultural dichotomy.

Jonathan Crush · · Global

This article argues that cities of the Global South are experiencing a deepening crisis of food inaccessibility, marked by growing food poverty, hunger and malnutrition, lack of dietary diversity, child wasting and stunting, increased vulnerability to infectious and chronic disease, and a growing obesity epidemic. It states that this urban crisis remains largely invisible to the policy and research communities concerned with global food security, noting that there was more research and policy debate on urban food insecurity in the 1990s, when the Global South was less urbanized than today, and that concern with urban food security has since been displaced by the new international food security agenda and its pervasive anti-urban bias. It observes that the only aspect of urban food security currently commanding significant attention is urban agriculture, which it describes as widely, but improbably, seen as the key to achieving food security in cities of the Global South.

Joann Lo · Journal of Critical Thought and Praxis · United States

A first-hand essay by the executive director of the Food Chain Workers Alliance (FCWA) in the United States argues that despite growing interest in sustainable food production and systems — including community gardens, urban agriculture and "slow" food — the broader food movement has not fully integrated the voices and leadership of the workers who bring food from farm to table. It states that food workers, numbering almost 20 million in the U.S. alone, face multiple injustices including low wages, lack of benefits and dangerous working conditions that intersect with the sustainable-food movement's own concerns about food insecurity and access to healthy, affordable food, and recounts the FCWA's history and work from the author's own position.

Jennifer Vansteenkiste · Development in Practice · Global

This paper examines the social and gender politics of a women's urban garden project in Cap Haïtien, Haiti, supported by the International Organisation for Migration. The study finds that the development process created an unmonitored symbolic space in which society's normalized gender processes were reproduced, importing broader social inequalities that in turn prevented the project from meeting the women's practical and strategic goals. It discusses how an ecohealth approach, as an alternative design framework, could make this symbolic space visible for critical engagement and analysis by participants.

Achamyeleh Gashu Adam · African review of economics and finance · Ethiopia

In Ethiopia, all land is state-owned and granted to residents only as a holding right, with separate systems for rural and urban areas. Focusing on peri-urban agricultural land under growing pressure from urbanisation, this desk-review study analyzed existing survey research together with property-rights literature, theory, and current land-rights laws and policies. It found that new recipients of peri-urban land under the urban land-lease system obtain better and more extensive bundles of land rights than the indigenous, local peri-urban landholders who previously held that land.

Y. Saleh, Amul M. Badr, F. El Banna, A. Shahata · Science World Journal · Nigeria

Using a combination of remote sensing and GIS, this study assessed the rate of agricultural land-use change in the Kaduna metropolis, Nigeria, between 1980 and 2012, classifying and comparing four satellite images (Landsat MSS 1980, Landsat TM 1990, Landsat ETM+ 2005, and Nigeria Sat X 2012). The study found a significant reduction in agricultural land and continued disappearance of farmland over the period, which it links to loss of livelihoods, reduced food supply, and increased poverty. It states that this has raised concerns about the sustainability of urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) production in the study area, with small-scale farmers the most affected.

Leandro Pessoa Lucena, Francisco José Kliemann Neto, Fernanda Mariano Massuia, Leonardo Donizete Fanti · RAI revista de administração e inovação · Canada

Against the backdrop of demographic projections that global population will reach 9.4 billion within the next 50 years, requiring an additional area of fertile land roughly the size of Brazil that does not exist on the planet, this study evaluated the economic viability of a Canadian vertical farm model as a sustainable urban-rural food production alternative. Using the NCIC method via a participant-observer approach, the study reported the model as economically viable and sustainable, as well as innovative in flattening production chains.

Ande O.T, Adetunji A. M, Akinpelu M. E, Senjobi B.A · Journals & Books Hosting (International Knowledge Sharing Platform) · Nigeria

Ibadan metropolis, Nigeria, home to about 6 million people, has raised growing concern over lowland soils in its periurban area, where much of the industrial waste transported by the River Ona is deposited; these soils are used for dry-season farming and contribute to food security. This study aimed to characterize periurban lowland soils around Ibadan and determine their vulnerability to industrial pollution, using a 50m x 50m grid with surface samples taken at 50m intervals, plus representative profile pits described using the USDA method, and particle-size and chemical analyses (phosphorus, nitrogen, exchangeable cations Ca/Mg/Na/K, manganese, and heavy metals including lead, copper, zinc, chromium, iron, and cadmium). Results showed the floodplain's surface soil was fertile, with high nitrogen (0.35 cmol/kg), phosphorus (51.25 cmol/kg), and potassium (0.61 cmol/kg), and phosphorus levels ranging from very high to toxic, between 28.99 and 87.70 ppm. Average heavy metal concentrations were lead 34.30 mg/kg, zinc 171.20 mg/kg, iron 83.97 mg/kg, copper 19.11 mg/kg, manganese 31.10 mg/kg, chromium 0.69 mg/kg, and cadmium 0.3 mg/kg. Predicted soil-to-plant heavy metal transfer coefficients (Pb 35-343; Cr 0.46-4.6; Zn 171-1712; Cu 19-191; Fe 83-840; Mn 31-281; Cd 0.1-10) indicated crops grown in the area could contain toxic levels of these metals; however, high yields and healthy plant condition observed in the field, together with farmer interviews, suggested that the high phosphorus level (28.99-87 ppm) may have inhibited uptake of some metals such as lead, zinc, and copper.

Da Wang · · China (Beijing)

This study evaluates and analyzes urban agriculture in Beijing by focusing on the relationships among its subsystems and their relative influence. Results show that the comprehensive evaluation index of urban agriculture has risen steadily with a positive trend, but that the comparative advantages of both the population subsystem and the social subsystem have weakened, due to the loss of agricultural labor force and the urban-rural income gap. Meanwhile, the function of the environment and resource subsystems has strengthened, promoting a shift in Beijing's urban agricultural mode from one led by the economic subsystem toward one led jointly by the environment and economic subsystems. Given increasing pressure on environment and resources, the study concludes Beijing needs to build an ecological urban agriculture system and move away from an industrial development approach.

Oliver Moore, Olive McCarthy, Noreen Byrne, Michael Ward · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · Europe

This paper examines one of the earliest and most prominent community supported agriculture (CSA) initiatives in Ireland, focusing on its organizational restructuring under productivity pressure. CSA is built on sharing risk and reward, and some uncertainty is treated as acceptable, but in this case the realized risk of insufficient produce, once pushed to its limits, became in fact unacceptable to members. The process by which this member-owned and member-operated CSA critically self-assessed and restructured after this shortfall is termed "reflexive resilience" — a description of an initiative that had to acknowledge a real produce shortfall and rebuild, not merely one that anticipated shocks in the abstract.

Michela Felicetti · Advanced engineering forum · Italy

A paper examining whether the food hub concept can be applied to the Piana di Sibari area of Calabria, Italy, designated a Quality Agrifood District (DAQ) under regional law. After identifying features of the food hub concept within the area's largest cooperative, the paper argues that this arrangement represents an opportunity for small farmers to access conventional food supply chains from which they would otherwise be excluded. It frames food hubs as a hybrid of alternative and conventional food networks and, notably, as a way to address the economic viability problem faced by local food initiatives such as community-supported agriculture (CSA)—that is, the paper's premise is that CSA-type local food initiatives struggle to be economically viable on their own.

C.F.A. van Wesenbeeck, Valentijn Venus, M.A. Keyzer, B. Wesselman, D. Asare Kye · · Africa

This study examined two tomato production areas in Burkina Faso with potential for counter-seasonal production aimed at Ghanaian urban markets, identifying the main obstacles to developing a horticultural supply chain: the monopsony power of Ghanaian traders and insufficient road quality causing high mechanical-damage losses in transport. Using a spatial-temporal simulation model to assess transport effects on tomato quality, the study found refrigerated transport is not a necessary condition for successful trade, since climate conditions alone do not severely harm quality, and concluded that regional diversification of exports offers Burkina Faso producers the best opportunities for improving their position in the chain, given the persistent trader monopsony and infrastructure constraints.

Kim Jin-Won, Yong-Man Yu, Na Won-Seok, Baljii Enkhjargar, Choi In-Wook, Youn Young-Nam, Young-Ha Lee Young-Ha · Horticultural Science and Technology · South Korea

In Seoul, South Korea, 260 samples of Chinese cabbage and lettuce were collected from four urban community gardens and six roof gardens between September and October 2012 and assessed quantitatively and qualitatively for microbiological and parasitological contamination. Mean total aerobic bacteria counts were 6.1±0.8 log CFU/g (range 5.4±0.6-7.1±0.8) and mean coliform counts were 4.0±0.7 log CFU/g (range 2.3±0.6-6.1±0.9), with coliforms detected in 59.6% of the 260 samples. There was no significant difference in contamination levels between cabbage and lettuce, but produce from community gardens showed higher levels than that from roof gardens (p>0.05). E. coli was isolated from 3.1% of vegetables at a level of 1.5±0.2 log CFU/g. Among foodborne pathogens, Staphylococcus aureus was detected in 1.5% of samples, while Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes and E. coli O157:H7 were not detected in any sample. Unidentified parasite eggs were also found in two cabbage samples (0.8% of the total). The results indicate bacteriological contamination is present in produce grown through urban farming in Seoul, and the study calls for efforts to reduce biological contamination during cultivation.

Yves Cabannes, Isabel María Raposo · City · Europe

This paper conducted a comparative analysis of peri-urban agriculture in Lisbon and London to assess its contribution to migrant social inclusion and urban biodiversity. The study found that social inclusion patterns are city-specific; for example, Cape Verdean urban farming communities in Lisbon strengthen community bonds but do not necessarily lead to better integration into wider Portuguese society. Migrant urban farmers contribute to broadening biodiversity, primarily in Lisbon and to a lesser extent in London.

Ryan E. Galt · Economic Geography · United States (California)

A study of 54 Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms in California's Central Valley used qualitative and quantitative data to explain farmers' earnings. An ordinary least squares regression analysis revealed that farmers' age, number of employees, and CSA type strongly influence earnings. The study found that the moral economy of CSA often results in self-exploitation due to farmers' strong sense of obligation to members, despite allowing for economic rents.

David Adams, Michael Hardman · Urban Studies · United Kingdom

This paper uses ethnographic data from 'F Troop', a guerrilla gardening group in an English midland city, to re-examine urban guerrilla gardening practices. It argues that these practices may not be as "resistant" or "celebratory" as often suggested in existing literature. The study highlights that the social backgrounds and motivations of participants, along with their relationships with other users of the space, are important but largely unacknowledged aspects of guerrilla gardening.

Rebecca Kessler · Environmental Health Perspectives · Global

As interest in urban agriculture grows, researchers are working to manage the risks of contaminated urban soils. The focus is on maximizing the benefits of urban gardening while minimizing the potential hazards associated with soil contamination.

Sam E. Wortman, Sarah Taylor Lovell · Journal of Environmental Quality · United States

This review paper characterized the limited state of scientific knowledge regarding abiotic environmental factors threatening the growth of urban agriculture in the United States. It identified challenges influencing urban cropping systems, including soil contamination and remediation, atmospheric pollutants and altered climatic conditions, and water management, sources, and safety. The development of a science-based approach in these areas is noted as essential for the economic and environmental sustainability of urban agriculture.

Zakir Hussain, Markus Hanisch · Journal of Environmental Planning and Management · India

This paper describes the adaptation of agricultural management practices in the urban periphery of Hyderabad, India, due to structural changes. Based on 120 farmer interviews, the study found that increasing costs for agricultural inputs like labor and land motivated farmers to intensify water, machine, and chemical use, which created problematic environmental impacts. Farmers also adapted by resorting to part-time farming and organizing efforts to share family labor.

Sarah James · Geographical Research · Australia (Sydney)

This paper examined the failure of Sydney's 'green zones' farmland protection policies, which were abandoned due to protests. The failure was attributed to a lack of consultation with Sydney's diverse small-scale farmers, rather than a rejection of farmland protection itself. Farmer interviews suggested that a bottom-up policy-making approach would have been more successful in maintaining farming in peri-urban areas.

Soraya Pourjavid, Hassan Sadighi, Hossein Shabanali Fami · RePEc: Research Papers in Economics · Iran (Tehran)

This study identified constraints affecting urban agriculture in Tehran, Iran, by surveying 320 city dwellers across 22 municipal districts. The most important constraints identified were "high start-up costs" and "lack of knowledge among managers and authorities." Factor analysis revealed seven factors explaining 67.36% of the variance, including financial-economic and technical aspects.

Lijie He · · China

This article analyzes the current situation and problems of urban agricultural development in small towns of China. It identifies severe problems hindering progress, including decreasing agricultural land, severe waste of land resources, serious agricultural pollution, low quality and income of agricultural labor, limited transport capacity, insufficient funding, and a lack of related policies and regulations.

Kirstie Cadger, Thembela Kepe · Development in Practice · Botswana

Challenges facing community garden initiatives among the San of Botswana were analyzed through semi-structured interviews and participant observation in two San communities. The study found that the failure of the gardens related to how the San are treated and how they view their situation as destitute people. Forced resettlement, historical livelihood disruption, and government and NGO policies of development through welfare neglecting genuine empowerment were concluded to be responsible for the limited success of the community gardens.

Robert Garey Stewart, Marcel Korth, Laurenz Langer, Shannon Rafferty, N Rebelo Da Silva · · Global

This paper is a protocol for a systematic review on the impacts of urban agriculture programs on food security and nutrition in low and middle-income countries. It notes potential disadvantages of urban agriculture, including contamination, spread of diseases, depletion of water supplies, soil erosion, and health risks from pesticides. The review aims to identify, appraise, and synthesize evidence on these impacts comprehensively and transparently, given that the existing evidence-base is not well understood.

N E Etim, J J Dukiya · International Journal of Advanced Remote Sensing and GIS · Nigeria (Abuja)

A study in the Kuje area council of Abuja, Nigeria, used questionnaires and multi-temporal satellite images from 1975–2010 to assess urban encroachment on agricultural lands. It found that urban encroachment into agricultural lands is occurring at an alarming rate of 15.7 km² annually, resulting in a total loss of 509 km² of agricultural land to urbanization over 35 years.