Research & reports

Phil. Caleb Mireri · African Journal of Agricultural Research · Kenya (Kisumu)

This study surveyed 194 urban farmers in Kisumu municipality, Kenya, to assess urban agriculture's role in income, employment, and food supply. It found that most urban farmers and their employees receive very low income, with a mean monthly income of US$135 (US$0.64 per person per day), which is below the acceptable one dollar a day per person. Urban agriculture primarily supplements food requirements for the urban poor and provides income for a few commercial farmers.

Andrew Butt · Economic Papers A journal of applied economics and policy · Australia

This article reviews changes in farm output and structure in peri-urban regions around Australia's cities. It concludes that farming in these regions is changing differently from other agricultural regions, with productivity centered on a few high-value activities. The majority of peri-urban farming, while potentially providing landscape services, is unable to adjust to changing productivity regimes, creating vulnerabilities for these farming systems.

Lindsey Sarann Hallock · · Global

This paper examines the rise of vertical farms, arguing that they advance the corporate food regime and promote urban elite consumption. It differentiates vertical farms as local food projects that reproduce the capitalist industrial system rather than challenging it, facilitated by devalued built environments and labor surplus in neoliberal cities. The study concludes that these farms reproduce troubling trends in the corporate food regime, signifying capital's ability to standardize food cultivation and incorporate it into factory-like production systems.

Atănăsoaie George Sebastian · Annals - Economy Series · Global

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms are an alternative to conventional agriculture but face numerous policy issues related to product, price, distribution, and promotion. A literature review indicated that farmers need to offer more flexible basket content in terms of quantity and product type, and consumers require information on product preparation and preservation. To offset the negative impact of high prices, measures such as cost reduction, flexible payment rescheduling, and compensation for financial resource deficits are necessary.

WU De-hu · Anhui nongye kexue · China (Zhengzhou)

This study elaborated on the significance of developing characteristic agriculture in China's Central Economic Zone, using Zhengzhou urban agriculture as an example. It identified existing problems in urban agriculture development, including understanding deviation, extensive development, market confusion, short industrial chains, low specialization, and harsh environments. The research proposed countermeasures such as strengthening government macro-control, perfecting compensation mechanisms, and promoting scientific innovation and industrialization.

Catherine Closson · · Belgium (Brussels)

A study assessed the job creation potential of urban agriculture in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium. Etterbeek residents are struggling to transition from theory to practice. While professional integration has not yet been achieved, the social dynamic around the vegetable gardens is proving effective.

Corey James Majeika, Raymond P Stockwell, Shawn A Czerniak · Digital WPI · Global

This study conducted 13 in-depth interviews with farmers to assess their perceptions of Freight Farms, a company growing leafy greens and basil in adapted shipping containers. Most farmers doubted the economic feasibility of Freight Farms, questioned its technologies, and noted the lack of organic certification.

Philani Moyo · Journal of Human Ecology · Zimbabwe

This study qualitatively examined the role and contribution of urban agriculture to household food security, employment creation, and income generation among low-income working-class and urban poor households in Bulawayo townships, Zimbabwe. It was found that urban food production significantly contributes to household food access and security, improving dietary diversity and nutritional intake. However, the potential of urban agriculture is constrained by factors including land tenure insecurity, erratic water access, small plot sizes, inadequate capital for optimizing plot productivity, and ambivalent application of urban land-use laws.

Michael R. Hoadley · Illinois Digital Environment for Access to Learning and Scholarship (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) · Global

A talk by Michael Hoadley, founder of Chicago firm Fewzion, discussed challenges in vertical farming and controlled environment agriculture. The presentation emphasized the importance of framing discussions within the context of economically self-sustainable models, free of dependence on policy subsidy and philanthropy. This highlights concerns about policymakers' over-zealous view of urban agriculture as a panacea for social ills.

Roseline J. Akinlade, Olubunmi Lawrence Balogun, Adekemi A. Obisesan, Akinlade, Roseline J., Balogun, Olubunmi L., Obisesan, Adekemi A. · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · Nigeria

This study analyzed the determinants of commercialization among 230 urban vegetable farmers in Oyo and Lagos states, southwest Nigeria, using primary survey data and a Tobit model. It found that farmers' participation in domestic and regional markets remains low due to various constraints, notably poor market access. The average farm size was 0.05ha, and the average market participation index was 0.73. Factors influencing commercialization included age, farm size, association membership, education, distance to market, and input costs. The study concluded that social capital significantly affects market participation, and recommended proactive support from governments and NGOs to facilitate farmer organizations and market linkages.

이행우, 김용성, 이재일 · · South Korea

This study noted that vertical farms face problems with economic viability and a lack of resident awareness. It derived types of vertical farms applicable to residential spaces and inferred assessment items for a questionnaire survey to develop u-services. Based on issues from the survey, u-services needed in vertical farm buildings were proposed, including u-notification of crop conditions, remote/automatic control u-services, harvest information u-service, recipe information u-service, indoor air quality monitoring u-service, indoor environment adjusting u-service, and farm environment control u-service.

Ishani Shrestha · · Global

This thesis examined the economic viability of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms globally. The study found that current share prices of CSA farms do not reflect all production costs, suggesting that CSA might not be an economically viable approach to sustainable agriculture if current pricing strategies continue. A Contingent Valuation survey indicated potential for CSA farms to raise share prices without losing sales and for the U.S. government to benefit from subsidizing sustainable agriculture.

Madlyne Samak · L Homme et la société · France

A long-term study in southeastern France examined the development of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) as an alternative marketing system for fruits and vegetables. The study found that the non-market dimension of CSA appears to have disappeared over time, from its initial form to current basket systems. This change is attributed to the diversification of farmers' sociological profiles and the transformation of marketing conditions for organic local products.

Greg Sharzer · Historical Materialism · Global

This critique examines urban agriculture (UA) in the Global North through the lens of capitalist production, specifically capital centralization and rent. It argues that while UA can occupy market niches, its prospects for replacing large-scale agriculture are limited. The expansion of UA is constrained by rising land values and rent, as evidenced by examples in Detroit, Markham, and Los Angeles.

Corey McAuliffe, Laura Whitaker, Aimee Webb Girard · The FASEB Journal · United States (Georgia)

Interviews with farmers' market managers, farmers, CSA managers, and a cooperative market manager in DeKalb County, Georgia, assessed challenges in local food accessibility. Qualitative data revealed significant financial barriers to production, prohibitive policies, and limitations in marketing and distribution systems. Environmental factors also limited the accessibility of local foods through farmers' markets and CSAs.

A. Yusuf · · Nigeria (Lagos State)

This study assessed the attitudes of 50 women farmers towards urban agriculture in the Somolu local government area of Lagos State, Nigeria. Findings indicated that the women's attitude towards urban agriculture was extremely negative. Statistical analysis revealed a significant relationship between attitude and age, marital status, educational level, years of experience, and access to loans. However, farm size, annual income, access to labor, and access to inputs were statistically insignificant.

Yves Cabannes · Environment and Urbanization · Global

This action research, conducted by local teams in 17 cities across Latin America, Asia, and Africa, investigated how urban farmers finance their activities. The study found that urban farmers primarily rely on their own resources, and a lack of access to financing is a major bottleneck for maintaining and expanding their operations. It also identified gaps between farmers' needs and existing public and private financial practices.

Silvio Caputo · Kent Academic Repository (University of Kent) · United Kingdom

This paper argues for a new role for urban agriculture in developed countries, focusing on environmental, social, and economic benefits. While urban agriculture can contribute to a low-carbon society and food access, it is not currently part of UK government strategies for food security. For urban agriculture to achieve its potential, it needs to become economically viable, requiring research into highly productive methods and business models utilizing local urban resources.

Huang Xue-qun · · China (Tianjin)

This paper analyzed the development status of Tianjin urban fishery, finding it to be in an early stage. Problems identified included a low level of industrial development, an unscientific development mode, and weak innovation capability. The study proposed development paths and measures for industrial transformation and upgrading.

André Viljoen, Katrin Bohn · Architectural Design · Global

This piece by André Viljoen and Katrin Bohn of Bohn&Viljoen Architects juxtaposes the organopónicos, or market gardens, of Cuba — which proliferated after the US trade blockade of the 1990s and the resulting fuel shortages — with more recent food-production experiments in North American cities that draw on the Cuban example. The authors argue that in urban agriculture there is a direct connection between scarcity and abundance, with the threat of food shortages repeatedly acting as an effective trigger for food-growing enterprises, and that produce can be grown even with few or limited resources.

Rachel Carey, Fanny Krumholz, Kena Duignan, Kathy McConell, Jessica L. Browne, Catherine Burns, Mark Lawrence · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · Australia (Victoria)

This policy analysis examined fruit and vegetable production in peri-urban areas of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It highlights that environmental pressures, the loss and cost of peri-urban agricultural land, and a cost-price squeeze due to rising input costs and low farm-gate prices combine to threaten the viability of the Victorian fruit and vegetable industries. These pressures suggest that the availability and affordability of fruit and vegetable supplies cannot be taken for granted.

A. K. Ango, Aliyu Abdullahi, Bello Bunza Abubakar · International Research Journal of Agriculture and Soil Science · Nigeria (Birnin Kebbi)

A study in Birnin Kebbi metropolis, Nigeria, during the 2009/2010 cropping season surveyed 100 urban farmers across 10 districts. The study found that urban farmers cultivate food crops and rear animals, but identified low capital, lack of adequate funds, strict land-use regulations, and lack of agricultural inputs as major problems. Socio-economic status, family size, and education level were significantly related to participation in urban farming.

Bertrand Foe, Salou Zoulkilf · · Benin

A transverse case study conducted from January to June 2011 in Cotonou, Benin, with 50 truck farmers, investigated adaptation strategies for water access in urban agriculture. The study found that increased temperatures and irregular rains reduce available water, making truck farming difficult and painful. Despite increased working time, production decreased by about 50%, indicating a negative economic impact.

Liu Xiang, Na Fu, Liu, Xiang, Fu, Na · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · China

This study analyzed the current situation of rural industrialization in the process of rural-urban integration in Binhai New Area using reference and field research methods. It identified problems such as difficulties in breaking the dual economic structure in urban and rural areas, imbalanced economic development, and inadequate development of the third industry. Countermeasures proposed include optimizing agricultural industrial structure to form an urban agricultural model focusing on facility, park, and high-end agriculture to achieve intensive agricultural growth.

Nyumbaiza Tambwe, Michael Rudolph, Ran Greenstein · Africa · Democratic Republic of Congo (Lubumbashi)

A study was conducted in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo, from November 2004 to March 2005, on 100 farming households that adopted urban agriculture as an alternative livelihood after the collapse of a mining company. Data collected through semi-structured interviews, in-depth questions, and observation revealed that despite practicing urban agriculture, the living conditions of 75% of households declined, and 20% stabilized their living conditions but could not completely alleviate poverty. Only 5% of farmers achieved food security.