Research & reports

Cory Whitney, Thi Thu Giang Luu, Johannes Kopton, Eike Luedeling · Humanities and Social Sciences Communications · Vietnam

This study developed a decision analysis framework to optimize school garden interventions in Vietnamese public and private schools, evaluating their effects on child health, biodiversity, and economic outcomes across five investment scenarios. Results show that passive gardens consistently offer greater biodiversity and health benefits, whereas STEM gardens encounter financial and operational barriers, especially in public schools. The findings highlight significant financial constraints in public schools compared to private ones, revealing critical trade-offs among economic, biodiversity, and health outcomes.

Bendijo, S.A., Rebuza, A.O., Pedillon, J.M., Amilbahar, G.V., Tabal, E.P. · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · Philippines

This study in Isabela City, Philippines, explored community perceptions of urban gardening (UG). While awareness was linked to food security and sustainability, and perceived benefits included health, cost savings, and social cohesion, the adoption of UG was hindered by a lack of interest and resource constraints. Preferred UG forms like rooftop gardens and specific vegetables indicated aspirations for cost savings and nutrient content, but obstacles remain.

Hanna Kye Pohanes, Samantha Andrea Farinas, Maricar Cangayao, Jasmin Mae dela Peña, Chinie King Ho, Jonalyn Palconit, Jholan Hazel Tabance, Divina Gracia Cabaddu, Ryan dela Peña · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Philippines (Navotas City)

This qualitative study in Navotas City explored the economic viability and marketability of aeroponics systems in urban agriculture. Findings indicate aeroponics requires high initial investment and faces challenges such as produce failing to meet specific weight standards for sale, high energy consumption, and high setup costs. While offering benefits like efficient resource use and high yields, further improvements in system efficiency and operational methods are needed for it to become a viable and scalable business model.

Carlos Luiz Vieira · · Brazil

This study analyzes protected cultivation and hydroponics in Brazil as technologies enabling full control of environmental variables and eliminating dependence on climate seasonality. These technologies demonstrate 80-95% reductions in water consumption, 300-500% increases in productivity compared to open fields, and complete elimination of agrochemical residues. However, the study also points out implementation challenges for these technologies, concluding they are fundamental for food security in contexts of accelerated urbanization, water scarcity, and global climate change.

Bernd Bonfert · Capital & Class · Global

This article analyzes the transformative potential of Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) through a historical materialist lens. CSA is found to be potentially capable of decommodifying and democratizing food production, de-alienating labor and socio-ecological relations, enhancing environmental sustainability, addressing social inequalities, and scaling effectively. However, these potential achievements face significant limitations and mutual trade-offs that individual CSAs likely cannot resolve, requiring collaboration at scale.

Jocelyn M. Leitzinger, Robert David · · United States (Detroit)

A case study of Detroit's urban agriculture market indicates that "business-as-usual" development strategies, which prioritize large-scale investment projects, often fail to achieve their economic development potential. These strategies are noted to potentially exacerbate social or environmental issues, particularly within "moral markets" led by Black activists. The paper explores the mechanisms of such failures and offers recommendations for policymakers and entrepreneurs.

Khushal Balram Muradi, V Siva Teja, Harshavardhan Mohan Totawar, Laxmi PS, Choudhari Balaji Keshavrao, Yogesh V Wayal, N Sravya, Jagmal P Khatana, Sruthi T, Deshmukh Sarita Babarao · International Journal of Advanced Biochemistry Research · Global

This study conducted a global review of vertical farming technologies and sustainability. Vertical farming shows significant savings in land and water consumption compared to traditional agriculture, yielding high production and quality for leafy greens, herbs, and some fruiting species. However, high energy demand remains a significant barrier to its sustainability and economic feasibility. Key research gaps include crop improvement for controlled settings, energy-efficient system design, renewable energy integration, and standardized frameworks for sustainability evaluation.

Thulisekari Prasanna, Guda Bhargavi, Murugesan Mohana Keerthi · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · Global

This comprehensive review synthesizes literature on vertical and urban agriculture within sustainable food systems, identifying production models and technical advancements. Empirical evidence indicates these systems can improve water/land-use efficiency, yield stability, and reduce post-harvest losses. However, significant challenges persist, including high capital and energy prices, inadequate crop diversification, technical complexities, and regulatory constraints, impacting their economic viability.

Sasha Pesci, Ryan E. Galt · Agriculture and Human Values · United States (California)

This paper, based on 28 semi-structured interviews with direct market farmers in California, explores their experiences with market digitalization. It finds that while some farmers perceive online tools as eroding social and environmental connections, others view them as supportive of these connections, highlighting tensions in market digitalization for Alternative Food Networks.

Kpade O. L. Hounkpatin, Amadou Keïta, Jérôme Tondoh, Djéneba Djamila Traoré, Nouroudine Morou Hamadou, Aymar Y. Bossa, Yacouba Yira, Jean Hounkpè, Traoré Hortense Kagambèga, Olayemi Ursula Gaba, Djigbo Félicien Badou, Sarah Konaré · Water · Burkina Faso (Ouagadougou)

This study in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, investigated factors leading to the abandonment of sprinkler irrigation systems and the impact of irrigation water variability on vegetable yields at two market gardening sites. Over 80% of 50 surveyed farmers stopped using sprinkler systems within two years due to equipment failures and lack of support. Variability in manual water application was linked to crop productivity variability, with uneven application identified as a major constraint at one site.

Ivan Adidharma Riswandaputra, Nugroho Trisnu Brata · Jurnal Ekologi Masyarakat dan Sains · Indonesia (Semarang)

This study in Semarang City, Indonesia, analyzed the utilization of hydroponic systems by urban farmers engaged in commercial cultivation. Hydroponics serves as an adaptive strategy to address land scarcity, enhancing spatial efficiency, increasing cultivated plant numbers, and improving crop quality. However, implementing hydroponic systems faces challenges including relatively high initial investment costs, the need for meticulous and consistent maintenance, and consumer markets that differ from conventional agriculture.

R.M. MATHOBELA, O.C. Chikwanha, C.L.F. Katiyatiya, A.H. Molotsi, M.C. Marufu, P.E. Strydom, C. Mapiye · Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir landbouvoorligting/South African journal of agricultural extension · South Africa

A survey of 160 pig farmers in five suburbs of the Cape Metropole District, South Africa, analyzed the impact of socio-economic factors on marketing practices and challenges. Key challenges included slow pig growth rates (54% of respondents), scarcity of production inputs (25%), and difficulty finding marketing information (20%). The study found that women, older farmers, and those with less experience or education were more likely to face challenges and fail to adopt sustainable marketing practices.

Unang, Tedi Hartoyo · Indonesian Journal of Advanced Research · Indonesia (Bekasi City)

This study used a descriptive quantitative approach to examine how agricultural extension contributes to institutional development in KWT Sahabat Sampah, a women-led urban farming group in Bekasi City, Indonesia. Data were collected from all 35 members via structured questionnaires, field observation, and interviews with the extension agent. Results indicated that extension support was consistently rated high across six dimensions, especially facilitation, and institutional development indicators were strong, but economic sustainability remained constrained. A significant association (ρ = 0.678, p < 0.01) was found between extension intensity and institutional development.

Fahmi Alamil Huda, Paramita Wisnuwardhani · BESIRU Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat · Indonesia

This community service program addressed the critical constraint of limited marketing capability affecting small-scale organic hydroponic enterprises in Maospati, Magetan, Indonesia. Using a Participatory Action Research approach, the Urban Farming+ empowerment model improved the partner's marketing capability, strengthened product quality management, and facilitated initial business linkages. The study indicates that despite adequate production capacity, limited marketing remains a significant challenge for these enterprises.

Rifda Nazhifa, Rani Andriani Budi Kusumo · MIMBAR AGRIBISNIS Jurnal Pemikiran Masyarakat Ilmiah Berwawasan Agribisnis · Indonesia (Bandung)

This qualitative case study analyzed the sustainability of hydroponic vegetable farming at Griya Hijau Hidroponik in Bandung City. The findings indicate that the business demonstrates social and ecological sustainability, with strong community partnerships and environmentally friendly practices. However, its economic sustainability shows limited profitability despite stable operations and a positive Return on Investment.

Novitha Sarika, Fitria Naimatu Sadiyah, Ina Fitria Ismarlin · JAKT Jurnal Agroteknologi dan Kehutanan Tropika · Indonesia (Yogyakarta)

The Sumber Rejeki Farmer Group in Yogyakarta City, Indonesia, has developed a dried Javanese chili processing business in an urban farming area but faces challenges in managing the business independently. This qualitative descriptive study, using Logical Framework Analysis (LFA), revealed that the main problem faced by the group is a low level of independence in business management, caused by dependence on middlemen, lack of standard production SOPs, weak institutional management, limited ability to independently determine product selling prices, and insufficient understanding of business legality. Proposed optimization efforts include developing production SOPs, digital marketing training, structured division of member tasks, and assistance with obtaining business registration and household industry food production permits.

Jonas Sohn, Juliane Dziumla, Atiqah Fairuz Salleh, George Xydis · Sustainability Nexus Forum · Global

This study evaluated vertical farming (VF) through the resource nexus (RN) lens, emphasizing the interdependencies among energy, water, land, and materials. While VF offers advantages such as space efficiency, water conservation, and climate resilience, it was found to entail high energy demands, material dependencies, and economic feasibility challenges. An overview of these synergies and constraints helps identify mitigation strategies like circular water systems and hybrid renewable energy solutions.

Yang Hua, Yong Xu, Kan ZHOU, Jie FAN · 资源科学 · China

This study analyzed the spatiotemporal patterns of supply and demand for seven major agricultural products in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (Jing-Jin-Ji) region from 2015 to 2022. It found that the region faces a dual risk of agricultural product supply-demand imbalance and spatial mismatch, with an overall surplus but local shortages. Specifically, Beijing and Tianjin generally lack self-sufficiency in agricultural products. The research proposes an integrated layout plan for high-quality agricultural bases to address these imbalances and ensure regional food security.

Resa Ramadhan, Fatimah Azzahra, Syifa Fauziah · JURNAL ILMIAH MAHASISWA AGROINFO GALUH · Indonesia

A quantitative study of Karangmukti Village, Bungursari District, Purwakarta Regency, Indonesia, analyzing the influence of livelihood capital on the livelihood resilience of farming households. The village has been undergoing agricultural land conversion: the agricultural land area was about 206 hectares before the change, roughly 30 hectares were converted in 2025 (mainly for industrial and residential development), leaving about 176 hectares, and further conversion is planned for 2026-2027, which may further reduce the amount of productive agricultural land. Samples of farming households were drawn using the Slovin formula and cluster sampling, with data collected via questionnaires, interviews, observation and documentation, and analyzed using quantitative descriptive analysis and Smart-PLS. The results show that livelihood capital among farming households was at a moderate level, with natural capital as the most dominant component, and livelihood resilience was also categorized as moderate; livelihood capital was found to have a statistically significant positive influence on livelihood resilience.

Akhil S Anand, Hannes Pravida, Fredrik Fossan-Waage, Tormod Skorpe Skjolden, Giulia Robbiani, Younes Zahraoui, Emil Wolff Anthony, Jayaprakash Rajasekharan, Sissel Torre, Knut Asbjørn Solhaug, Sebastien Gros · Frontiers in Horticulture · Global

A paper on vertical farming — a controlled-environment agriculture system — examines its potential integration with energy markets. It states that vertical farming's economic viability is constrained by high capital and operational costs, a substantial share of which is energy expenditure, and explores how vertical farms could participate in day-ahead, balancing, and flexibility energy markets by adjusting lighting and climate-control energy use in response to market signals, potentially reducing costs and generating additional revenue. It identifies gaps in understanding of plant responses to variable lighting as a critical barrier to implementation and illustrates these integration challenges through small-scale laboratory experiments.

Plinth · Plinth · United Kingdom

Published 5 April 2026 and updated 14 June 2026. Full cost recovery means funders covering not only a project's direct costs but its proportional share of overheads — rent, finance, IT, HR and chief-executive time. The article works through an example where two of ten staff (20 per cent of capacity) deliver a project, so £28,000 of £140,000 in annual overheads is added to £85,000 of direct costs for a £113,000 budget, and notes that overhead rates of 15–25 per cent are common sector guidance. It argues that accepting grants below true cost is a structural funding problem rather than a budgeting error, with consequences including staff burnout and governance risk, and notes that charity staff earn roughly 7 per cent less per hour than equivalent roles elsewhere in the economy.

Noxolo B.M., Kanosvamhira T.P. · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems · 南アフリカ・ケープタウン（低所得地区）

Surveys and interviews assess whether hydroponics, of interest because dense settlements leave little space, is actually viable in Cape Town's low-income urban areas — deliberately supplementing a literature skewed towards Global North cities. Farmers perceive benefits in improved yields, water conservation and efficient land use, all valuable in a water-scarce, space-constrained city, but high setup costs and limited government support remain significant obstacles. Drawing on urban political ecology, the paper argues these financial and institutional barriers are rooted in historically produced inequality and ongoing capitalist dynamics of urban development. It concludes that while hydroponics has potential as a sustainable alternative, its high costs hinder broader applicability, and it is not yet a viable large-scale route to food security where resources are unequally distributed; supporting actors must first address financial feasibility and local expertise.

Darrow S., Kathi S., Liebe R., Cline L.L., Moss J.Q. · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems · 米国オクラホマ州（農村・都市・近郊）

Oklahoma's specialty crop sector is in decline — vegetable operations fell from 799 in 2007 to 482 in 2022 — yet regional fruit and vegetable producers remain the primary supply foundation for farmers' markets, food hubs and direct retail serving urban and peri-urban communities, so producer viability is itself an urban food access and public health concern as food deserts expand. Five semi-structured focus groups with 29 experienced producers from rural, urban and peri-urban Oklahoma were analysed by open coding thematic analysis in NVivo, with saturation confirmed iteratively and rigour established through member-checking, peer review of codes and field note triangulation. The 180 initial codes were organised into 10 parent codes and three themes: the countercultural philosophy of production, the lack of accessible resources, and industry barriers preventing development — compounding disadvantages at cultural, institutional and structural levels. The authors call for a statewide local food system plan, a growers' association and dedicated local-food-system extension roles.

Florien Misago, Isaac Nzayisenga, Henri Jacques Ngirinshuti, Leon De Pere Irakoze, Richard Mind’je · East African Journal of Agriculture and Biotechnology · Rwanda (Kigali)

This study evaluated the potential of rooftop and wall-based urban agriculture to enhance food security in Gasabo District, Kigali, Rwanda. It used GIS and remote sensing to map suitable spaces and assessed 400 household heads using the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS). Findings showed that 41.5% of households experienced moderate to severe food insecurity, and approximately 32% of rooftops and walls were structurally appropriate for urban agriculture. While 57.8% of households expressed willingness to adopt rooftop or wall gardening, 67.4% cited structural and financial constraints.

Ibnu Akmal Khuluqi, Muhammad Azhari, Rahmawati Munir · TRANSFORM Journal of Tropical Architecture and Sustainable Urban Science · Indonesia (Bontang Baru)

A qualitative case study in Guyub Rukun RT 18, Bontang Baru, Indonesia, investigated the implementation of urban farming. The study found that urban farming improved local food security, strengthened social ties, and was supported by CSR funds. However, it faced challenges such as limited technology and resources, which were overcome through manual adaptation and cross-sector collaboration.