Research & reports

Katie Schofield, Jacqueline Fanta, William Kolong Pioth, Alissa Cook, Samuel Owuor, Cherie Enns · Youth · Kenya

This youth-led study, involving 40 South Sudanese urban refugees (aged 19-32) in Kenya, mapped food supply chains and identified barriers to procuring, growing, and selling food. Findings indicate that improving the quality of life and food security for refugee youth is complex. Without education and improved livelihoods, including urban agricultural opportunities, their health and wellbeing will continue to be negatively affected.

Imran Ali Lakhiar, Haofang Yan, Tabinda Naz Syed, Chuan Zhang, Sher Ali Shaikh, Md Rakibuzzaman, Rahim Bux Vistro · Horticulturae · Global

A systematic review of soilless farming (SLF) systems globally identified their role in enhancing horticultural resilience in urban and peri-urban settings. SLF offers advantages like water conservation and increased yield, but faces significant challenges. High setup costs, substantial energy demands, and the requirement for specialized technical expertise continue to limit its widespread adoption.

Arild Eriksen, Deni Ruggeri, Esben Slaatrem Titland · · Norway (Oslo)

This essay examines urban agriculture from the perspective of an architect and urban farmer/beekeeper practicing bottom-up, participatory design in Oslo. Critical dimensions of urban agriculture in public space include private and corporate claims on these landscapes, and its current aesthetics of impermanence are critiqued. The essay questions the notion that the joy and freedom urban agriculture brings to a community should be built upon and enriched by future development and policy.

Much Faisal Syaputra · Jurnal Administrasi dan Kebijakan Publik · Indonesia (Makassar City)

This qualitative case study critically examined the governance structure of Makassar City's Lorong Wisata program, which integrates urban farming for food self-sufficiency. The study found a fragmented governance network dominated by the municipal government's vertical authority, with weak cross-sectoral collaboration, particularly with universities and private actors. Institutional fragility was evident due to the absence of functional task forces, leading to symbolic rather than substantive coordination.

Assyifa Fauzia, Evi Frimawaty, Hadi Susilo Arifin · RISALAH KEBIJAKAN PERTANIAN DAN LINGKUNGAN Rumusan Kajian Strategis Bidang Pertanian dan Lingkungan · Indonesia (Jakarta)

This study aimed to provide recommendations for community-based urban agriculture sustainability in Cempaka Putih District, Central Jakarta, facing challenges like limited land and environmental changes. Using SWOT analysis and FGDs with stakeholders, the findings indicate that strategies can be implemented through agricultural technology and strengthened collaboration. However, the study implies that supporting policies, incentives, investment facilitation, and continuous infrastructure and assistance are currently lacking for implementation.

Kejela Gnamura, Michael Akwasi Antwi, Abenet Belete · Research of Economic and Financial Problems · Ethiopia (Addis Ababa)

This mixed-methods study in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, compared 446 households (223 displaced and 223 non-displaced) to investigate the effects of urbanization-induced displacement on economic capital and food security. Evicted households showed a 72.7% lower likelihood of achieving economic capital security and 93.4% reduced odds of maintaining food security compared to non-evicted households, indicating significant negative differences.

Md. Ashikuzzaman, Mohammad Shahidul Hasan Swapan, Atiq Zaman, Yongze Song · Sustainability · Bangladesh (Dhaka)

This study explored the connection between organizational rational choice in urban rooftop farm (URF) policy development and social innovation, using a literature review and a case study of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Despite the rising popularity of URFs in Dhaka, existing policies and strategies were found to lack clarity and governing mechanisms are absent. The findings suggest that a participatory and co-productive approach, involving community members, local governments, and NGOs, is optimal for URF policy formulation and successful governance.

Christina Frendo · Urban Geography · Canada (Montréal)

This study analyzed how urban agriculture contributes to green gentrification in Montréal. Based on interviews with planners, developers, and community actors, and discourse analysis of municipal policy documents, it showed that ecological initiatives are prioritized over housing, and sustainability fixes reconcile progressive rhetoric with growth imperatives, leading to policy trade-offs that undermine housing affordability. These findings reveal how progressive governments reproduce structural injustices through their ecological transition agendas within the context of a housing crisis.

Marisol Silva-Vera, María de Jesús Jiménez González, Laura Varela Almanza · JÓVENES EN LA CIENCIA · Mexico

A quasi-experimental study in Mexico with 21 adults over 65 evaluated a community urban garden intervention for nutritional status. Participants showed increased nutrition knowledge, a 47.7% rise in vegetable intake, and a 23.8% increase in physical activity. However, anthropometric variables did not show significant differences, indicating limited impact on physical measurements despite positive changes in knowledge and habits.

Xiang Zhou, Nan Wang, Jiaying Shi, Michael Hensel · Humanities and Social Sciences Communications · China (Nanjing)

A study of urban foraging behavior in Nanjing's central urban area, China, revealed significant enthusiasm among residents, linking personal childhood experiences to their foraging motivations. However, environmental pollution was identified as a critical barrier to these activities.

Juliane Forßmann, Simon Goebel · Zeitschrift für Flüchtlingsforschung · Germany

An urban gardening project in a residential facility for up to 230 refugees in Germany aims to counteract precarious living conditions. While the garden offers a low-threshold space for knowledge exchange on resource-saving cultivation, biodiversity, and health promotion, this paper also reflects on the project's limits.

Rita de Cássia Lisboa Ribeiro, Cecília Rocha, Andhressa Araújo Fagundes · Urban Planning · Brazil

An integrative literature review investigated the potential of Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) to promote food security in Brazil. CSA can ensure a decent income for family farmers, reducing social vulnerability, and shows significant potential for promoting food sustainability due to its strong influence from agroecology. However, CSA faces a significant limitation in the elitization of this movement, reflecting historical social inequalities where only a relatively small portion of the population can afford healthier food.

I Putu Gede Didik Widiarta, Dinar Anindyasari, Taufan Purwokusumaning Daru · Jurnal Ekonomi Pertanian dan Agribisnis · Indonesia (Bontang City)

This quantitative study surveyed 220 urban farming respondents in Bontang City, Indonesia, to analyze consumer behavior in adopting livestock waste as organic fertilizer for household agriculture. While knowledge (β=0.58; p<0.01) and environmental impact perception (β=0.47; p<0.05) significantly influenced adoption, major barriers included negative perceptions of livestock waste odor (62%) and limited access to processing technology (45%). These findings highlight significant challenges to the widespread adoption of organic fertilizers from livestock waste in urban areas.

Francis Mwaijande · African Journal of Empirical Research · Tanzania

This study, using a mixed-methods approach with 600 respondents from urban and peri-urban farmers and agri-food supply chain producers in Tanzania, confirmed urban agriculture's contribution to food availability, accessibility, stability, and utilization. However, it found that urban agriculture is not well-integrated into urban food and poverty reduction policies in Tanzania and is practiced without legitimate policy and legal frameworks. This policy gap indicates an inadequate policy enabling environment for urban agriculture to enhance food security.

Amjad Aljuhani, Rahaf Baghdadi, Wafaa Alzahrani, Deemah Aljuhani · · Saudi Arabia

This study examined the feasibility of vertical farming in Saudi Arabia, using mathematical optimization to identify optimal locations. A mixed-integer linear programming model, developed with AIMMS software, incorporated infrastructure compatibility, water availability, and energy consumption. Results identified seven optimal locations across five cities—Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Tabuk, and Khamis Mushait—ensuring efficient lettuce production at minimized costs. However, challenges such as high energy requirements and initial investment costs persist.

Zhongxue Zhou, Fangze Zhao, Bingjie Song · Ecological Indicators · China

This study proposed the concept of agricultural comprehensive ecological effects (ACEE), developed an evaluation framework, and applied it to the Xi'an metropolitan zone, China. A key finding was the observed decrease in the comprehensive ecological effects of agriculture when transitioning from grain planting to urban agriculture due to unsuitable agricultural practices in urbanizing areas. This decline occurs because modern agricultural practices in urbanizing areas are ecologically detrimental compared with natural ecosystems.

James Mbugua · African Journal of Climate Change and Resource Sustainability · Global

Biochar is presented as a promising nature-based solution for urban resilience, applicable in soil remediation, stormwater management, and carbon sequestration within green infrastructure. However, its widespread adoption faces significant barriers, including inconsistent feedstock supply, high production costs, limited public awareness, and a lack of standardized quality and safety regulations. The study also identifies a critical need for policies that integrate biochar into urban planning frameworks and incentivize its production and application.

Rico Yanuar Ardiansyah, Hamidah Hendrarini, Wahyu Santoso · Jurnal Ilmiah Sosio Agribis · Indonesia (Surabaya)

A study in Surabaya City, Indonesia, analyzed community participation in urban farming among 50 respondents from three farmer groups from April to June 2025, using Importance Performance Analysis. While urban farming performed optimally in ecological, socio-cultural, educational & tourism, and health aspects, the economic aspect showed the lowest performance and largest gap. This indicates a need for strengthening outcome management, market access, and community economic empowerment to optimize economic contributions.

Paula Marques Crelier, Manoel Jerônimo Moreira Cruz, Danusia Ferreira Lima · Seven Editora eBooks · Global

A controlled laboratory experiment cultivated BRS Leila lettuce (L. sativa) in samples contaminated with lithium carbonate (Li₂CO₃) at concentrations of 150 and 200 mol/L. The study found that lithium correlates with other alkaline and alkaline earth elements in the leaves and roots of the lettuce. This indicates a contamination pathway where lithium is absorbed by the plant.

Limachi Pérez, Vicente · Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences (University of Skopje) · Bolivia (Cochabamba)

This study examined the influences of family, school, and sociodigital networks on environmental awareness among secondary school students in urban and rural Cochabamba, Bolivia. Data from three schools showed students' environmental concerns varied by region, and the internet was their primary information source. Despite isolated initiatives like school gardens, schools did not effectively integrate environmental education into the curriculum, limiting its formative impact.

Firdavs Berdikulov, Iroda Orifjonova, Bekhzod Eshboev, Jumanazar Xolmurzayev, Bakhtiyor Abdusayitov · Springer Link (Chiba Institute of Technology) · Uzbekistan (Samarkand)

This study examined agricultural growth in Samarkand, Uzbekistan's peri-urban regions from 2000 to 2024, using government data and predictive modeling. It found that urban populations surged while arable land declined, and the vegetable surplus, though currently meeting demand, began shrinking around 2015, suggesting a tipping point toward shortages. The research indicates that without proactive measures like smarter land allocation and advanced irrigation, Samarkand risks a structural food deficit within a decade.

Alifia Nur’ Annisa, Reo Sambodo · JIGA Journal Innovation in Green Agriculture · Indonesia (Yogyakarta City)

A quantitative survey study in Gondokusuman District, Yogyakarta City, Indonesia, conducted in 2025, analyzed the feasibility of urban farming and its contribution to household income using census sampling. The analysis, including R/C and B/C ratios, found that urban farming had an R/C ratio of 0.49 and a B/C ratio of -0.51. These results indicate that urban farming has not been effective in increasing household income, primarily serving as a supporting activity for household consumption, though it provides indirect benefits by fulfilling food needs and reducing expenditures.

Liu Xinyun, Zhao Jianya, Zhang Yanglan, Wang Shu · Rural and regional development · China (Guangdong)

A study using 2017–2022 panel data in Guangdong Province, China, investigated urban agriculture's (UA) contribution to food self-sufficiency in highly urbanized regions. By categorizing cities by urbanization rate and analyzing spatial-temporal patterns in grain, vegetable, and fruit self-sufficiency, findings showed critically low grain self-sufficiency in high-degree urbanized cities. Despite incremental gains in UA productivity, urban yields for grains and vegetables lagged behind non-urban areas, indicating a limited contribution.

Marvin Joseph F. Montefrio, Nathalie Dagmang · The Journal of Peasant Studies · Philippines (Metro Manila)

This article examines two cases of radical urban agriculture in Metro Manila, Philippines, where urban poor communities strive for food sovereignty and assert rights over contested urban lands. It highlights that the spatiality of material constraints in cities acts as a mediating factor, influencing the formation of rural-urban alliances and the sustainability of urban resistance efforts. The study reveals challenges in establishing and maintaining these alliances due to urban material limitations.

· The MIT Press eBooks · Brazil (Rio de Janeiro), China (Beijing)

This account describes the challenges in building support for Rio de Janeiro's Hortas Cariocas urban farming initiative in 2016. Negotiations among environmental protection officers, education officials, and school administrators generated "fiery discussions" regarding garden placement, teacher training, and incentives. The presence of a foreign professor was used to strengthen arguments for urban farming's benefits.