Research & reports

Yiming Shao, Zhugen Wang, Zhiwei Zhou, Haojing Chen, Yuanlong Cui, Zhenghuan Zhou · Sustainability · Global

Vertical farming faces challenges such as high energy consumption, costs, and a lack of social acceptance. This study investigated public acceptance of micro-vertical farming using a deconstructed theory of planned behavior model. Results showed that the overall mean of public behavioral intentions to use vertical farming was 3.9, which is above neutral (3.00) but less than positive (4.00).

Claudia Vaderna, Robert Home, Paola Migliorini, D. Roep · Humanities and Social Sciences Communications · Switzerland

This study explored the main challenges faced by eight Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) initiatives in Switzerland and the pathways used to address them. It was shown that while organizers often have enthusiastic ideas, generating sufficient income for a fair producer salary is difficult, posing a challenge to long-term existence. The members' perspective (254 responses) indicated a divergence between organizers' expectations and members' more pragmatic approach.

Helen Toxopeus, Friedemann Polzin · Journal of Environmental Management · Global

A systematic review of academic literature identified key barriers and strategies for financing urban nature-based solutions (NBS), including urban agriculture. Two overarching barriers were found: a lack of coordination between private and public financiers, and difficulties in integrating NBS benefits into valuation and accounting methods. The review concluded that an integrated accounting and valuation framework for NBS is currently lacking, and strategies often focus on encouraging co-financing from private beneficiaries.

Luuk Graamans · Architecture and the Built Environment · Global

This research investigated the potential and limitations of plant factories (vertical farming) for urban food production. The STACKED method was developed to assess plant factory performance across multiple scales, from leaf to facility to city, analyzing resource requirements including energy, electricity, water, CO2, and land area use for fresh vegetable production. The study found that while plant factories feature extensive climate control, their necessity, effectiveness, and efficiency remain questionable, and their effects on the urban energy balance were also assessed.

Ana Mélice Dias, Teresa Marat-Mendes · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Portugal (Lisbon)

This paper investigated the impact of municipal planning instruments on urban agriculture in Lisbon and its surrounding territory, Portugal. It concluded that current planning regulations in Lisbon’s Greater Area are specifically focused on morphological solutions that give preference to urban agriculture uses related to leisure and aesthetic solutions, to the detriment of design solutions that tackle economic growth or ecological diversity.

Stephanie Jilcott Pitts, Leah C. Volpe, Marilyn Sitaker, Emily H. Belarmino, Amari Sealey, Weiwei Wang, Florence Becot, Jared T. McGuirt, Alice S. Ammerman, Karla L. Hanson, Jane Kolodinsky, Rebecca A. Seguin‐Fowler · Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems · Global

This study interviewed 24 CSA farmers and 20 full-pay CSA members about their perceptions and experiences with cost-offset Community-Supported Agriculture (CO-CSA) models and specific cost-offset mechanisms, to understand the potential of CO-CSA for low-income households. Both farmers and members prioritized ensuring access to healthy food regardless of income level and generally favored member donations for funding CO-CSA. However, a commonly mentioned barrier was the potential time burden on CSA farmers for administering cost-offset programs, raising questions about economic viability.

Stefanie Albrecht, Arnim Wiek · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · Global

This study compiled evidence from over 200 food forests worldwide, with detailed insights from 14 exemplary food forests in Europe, North America, and South America, gained through site visits and interviews. Findings indicate that most food forests perform well on social-cultural and environmental criteria, such as building capacity, providing food, enhancing biodiversity, and regenerating soil. However, for broader impact, food forests need to enhance their economic viability, as they currently show a deficit in this area.

Nur Surayya Mohd Saudi, Mohd Nor Yahaya, Muzafar Shah Habibullah, Baharom Abdul Hamid, Muhammad Amirul Azlan, Mohd Haizam Mohd Saudi · Turkish Online Journal of Qualitative Inquiry · Malaysia

A study on Malaysia's Movement Control Order (MCO) noted the extension may effectively contain the pandemic's spread but is expected to have a devastating impact on food security, and proposed urban farming as a means of generating household income and food security for the low-income B40 group. Econometric modeling of the effect of lockdown measures and COVID-19 on selected vegetable prices found that not all vegetables reacted uniformly to lockdown measures; price increases were associated with reduced household purchases and income, denying people access to food security. While the substitutability of vegetables allowed some switching to cheaper options, the study states that higher food prices themselves deny people access to food security.

Wellbrock Wanja, Daniela Ludin, Ludwig Lisa N, Kristina Muhlfeld, Wolfgang Gerstlberger · Journal of Applied and Physical Sciences · Global

This paper examines whether Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a solution to the dilemma of farmers needing to operate both economically and sustainably. Through an expert interview and a survey of members, the study identifies problems in the realization of a CSA and provides possible solutions.

Sandesh Thapa, Rakshya Bhandari, Anjal Nainabasti · Ecofeminism and Climate Change · Nepal

A random sampling survey in Dhulikhel, Kavrepalanchok district, Nepal, found that while all respondents perceived rooftop farming as beneficial, many could not practice it due to constraints like fear of roof damage. Practicing farmers also faced difficulties managing rooftop gardens due to a lack of proper knowledge and reliance on non-recyclable planting materials.

Kheir Al‐Kodmany · · Global

A book chapter arguing that cities will need internal food production to meet demand from growing urban populations and to avoid congestion, pollution and unaffordable food prices, and examining vertical farming — using hydroponics, aeroponics and aquaponics — as an approach suited to urban settings where land is limited and expensive. After reviewing these technologies and project prototypes, the chapter closes by stating that economic feasibility, building codes and regulations, and a lack of expertise remain major obstacles to implementing the vertical farm.

Celina Gómez, Christopher J. Currey, Ryan W. Dickson, Hye‐Ji Kim, Ricardo Hernández, Nadia Sabeh, Rosa E. Raudales, Robin G. Brumfield, Angela Shaw, Adam K. Wilke, Roberto G. López, Stephanie E. Burnett · HortScience · Global

This review discusses the application of controlled environment agriculture (CEA) techniques to urban agriculture (UA), driven by increased market demand for local produce. While CEA offers opportunities for year-round production and resource-use efficiency, significant challenges remain due to the high costs of production in urban settings. The review emphasizes that for urban growers to benefit, studies evaluating CEA for commercial food production must consider economic viability.

Jha Ritesh Kumar, Bhattarai Natasha, KC Suraj, Shrestha Arjun Kumar, Kadariya Manahar · Malaysian Journal of Sustainable Agricultural · Nepal

This research inspected existing practices and obstacles in rooftop farming in Nagdhungha and Birauta, Nepal. Two practitioners were interviewed and 60 non-practitioners were surveyed. Results show that rooftop farming can benefit the environment by reducing atmospheric carbon and assist urban areas by reducing stormwater management costs, with a high willingness to practice rooftop farming among urban dwellers.

Martin Stuchtey, Tilmann Vahle · OpenEdition (OpenEdition) · Global

This paper discusses different types of urban agriculture (UA) to assess its potential for future food production. Conventional open-air farming is found to be rarely commercially viable for meaningful food production, though it offers community, educational, psychological, and environmental benefits. High-yielding Controlled Environment Farming (CEF), while potentially contributing substantially to food output, is highly capital and knowledge-intensive and likely to develop at city fringes due to economic considerations.

Milagros de la Caridad Mata Varela, Johana Meza Salvatierra, Ana Yilian Santana Mata · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Global

This research evaluated investment project management in urban agriculture through its life cycle, applying eighteen indicators and a management index. The study concluded that an agroecological farm development project exhibited economic inefficiency during its first two years of operation due to an imbalance between income and expenses, preventing high management values.

Michael Osei Asibey, Mohammed Abubakari, Charles Peprah · Cogent Food & Agriculture · Ghana

This paper investigated how urban farmers in Ejisu-Juaben Municipality, Ghana, cope with input and crop price fluctuations. Data from 380 respondents identified four major factors influencing input price volatility (oil prices, exchange rates, cocoa producer prices, and inflation), but farmers had no coping strategies for these. Crop price fluctuations were influenced by natural and demand/supply factors, and farmers coped by adding value to crops and diversifying income sources, among others. However, shifting to cocoa cultivation and farming in flood plains was shown to have adverse environmental and ecological implications.

Edgar Ortiz-Mena, Jairo Ricardo Mora-Delgado · Revista de Ciencias Sociales · Colombia (Sonsón)

This hermeneutic study analyzed the Urban Agriculture Program in Sonsón, Colombia, which aims to improve the living conditions of violence victims. Through in-depth interviews and participant observation with 40 elderly beneficiaries over two months, it was found that while 40% improved their diet through broiler chicken training, beneficiaries perceived that the taught production techniques were time-consuming and did not lead to short-term cost reduction or income increase. The study concludes by recognizing the perceptions and adaptation strategies of families facing change.

S. Alan Walters, Karen Stoelzle Midden · Agriculture · Global

Vegetable production on green roofs faces multiple challenges, resulting in minimal current activity despite its potential for urban agricultural sustainability. While intensive green roof systems are considered suitable for vegetable production, extensive systems with shallow-rooted crops like lettuce, kale, and radish show the greatest potential for sustained productivity due to building weight restrictions. Deeper-root crops like tomatoes require constant monitoring of fertility and moisture. Green roofs are not presented as a total solution for urban food provision.

Robert McDougall, Paul Kristiansen, Romina Rader · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · Australia

This study evaluated small-scale urban agriculture systems in Australia using economic and emergy (embodied energy) analyses. While these systems used land efficiently, they were relatively inefficient in their use of material and labor resources. Benefit-to-cost ratios demonstrated that, on average, the gardens ran at a financial loss, and emergy transformity was one to three orders of magnitude greater than many conventional rural farms. Only 14.66% of all inputs were considered "renewable," resulting in a moderate mean environmental loading ratio (ELR) of 5.82.

Khadija Benis, Rukaia Gashgari, Adnan Alsaati, Christoph Reinhart · DSpace@MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) · Saudi Arabia (Riyadh)

The Urban Foodprints (UF) methodology was applied to assess the environmental sustainability of high-yield urban agriculture in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, focusing on tomatoes. While urban production in high-yield greenhouses could reduce Global Warming Potential by 9% and water savings were significant, the energy needs of these greenhouses were considerably higher than the baseline. This indicates a trade-off where environmental benefits are partially offset by increased energy consumption.

Georgia Pollard, James Ward, Philip Roetman · Sustainability · Australia (South Australia)

This paper explores the economic sustainability of home food gardens in South Australia using new data from the Edible Gardens project online survey. While saving money is a top motivation for many respondents, the study notes that it remains to be seen whether current gardening practices actually support this aspiration. The paper concludes that more work is needed to measure the full costs of different gardens to better predict their financial accessibility and economic sustainability.

Annie Svensson · · Sweden

This research investigated the economic sustainability of 14 Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms in Sweden through interviews. The study found that Swedish CSA farms had difficulties covering labor costs and suffered from inefficiency, indicating weak economic sustainability. The study did not identify specific approaches or business models that were more conducive to higher profitability.

Pushpawani Ramaloo, Choong-Yeun Liong, Chamhuri Siwar, Anizan Isahak · · Malaysia

In the Taman Desa Damai community of Bukit Mertajam City, Penang State, Malaysia, in-depth interviews and observations were conducted with 15 community residents to investigate the influences of urban agriculture on social, economic, and environmental benefits. The study found that while community farming is significant in realizing the potential of the residential community, it faces obstacles to long-term sustainability.

Cuthbert Majoni, Deliwe Tembachako, Anyway Katanha · RePEc: Research Papers in Economics · Zimbabwe

This study was conducted in Bindura urban area, Zimbabwe, to evaluate the viability of urban quail farming, interviewing 40 urban quail farmers selected via snowball sampling and 10 key informants using semi-structured guides. Key challenges highlighted included inadequate housing facilities, insufficient space, theft, predation, inadequate knowledge, market price fluctuations, inability to access credit, and misconceptions in urban agriculture policies. Despite these challenges, urban quail farming showed potential to boost family income and reduce poverty to some extent.

Fatemeh Kalantari, Osman Mohd Tahir, Raheleh Akbari Joni, Ezaz Fatemi · Journal of Landscape Ecology · Global

This paper critically reviews 60 published documents on vertical farming — cultivating plants and livestock on vertically inclined surfaces such as skyscrapers in land-scarce urban areas — assessing it against environmental, social, and economic dimensions of sustainability, and notes that published critical reviews on the topic remain scarce. Economic viability is named as one of the challenges considered alongside environmental and social factors, but the abstract does not present specific cost, revenue, or failure data to support this; it concludes, without citing supporting figures, that vertical farming can be "potentially beneficial" for food production, quality, safety, and food security.