Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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Critical findings
258 results(3 / 11)
PRODUÇÃO DE HORTALIÇAS ORGÂNICAS: PROTAGONISMO FEMININO E SUSTENTABILIDADE NA VILA GALVÃO, CASA NOVA - BA
2025Suzana Márcia Souza dos Santos, Clecia Simone Gonçalves Rosa Pacheco · Editora Científica Digital eBooks · Brazil
This study analyzed the experience of the Vila Galvão Women Workers' Benevolent Association in Casa Nova, Bahia, Brazil, which produces organic vegetables in urban and peri-urban contexts. The study aimed to characterize the productive, commercial, and sociocultural aspects related to organic vegetable production and commercialization, identifying main marketing channels and understanding difficulties faced by producers. It concluded that organic production, combined with collective organization and the strengthening of the solidarity economy, represents a viable alternative for a more just, sustainable, and female-led rural development model.
Economic viabilityCommunityPeri-urban agricultureOrganic cycleEconomicsPolicyEconomic and Environmental Tradeoffs in Cultivating Short Food Supply Chains With Urban Indoor Agriculture
2025Joseph Seong, H. Christopher Peterson, Simone Valle de Souza · Agribusiness · Global
This study evaluated the economic and environmental sustainability potential of urban indoor agriculture (IA) using a multi-objective optimization model (IA-MOO) integrating a bioeconomic model for lettuce production. Results indicated that earnings before taxes (EBT) and energy use efficiency (EUE) are generally not conflicting objectives, except for a short production schedule frame.
Economic viabilityEconomicsClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceDigital agricultureOpportunities and challenges for strawberry cultivation in urban food production systems
2024Aikaterini Kouloumprouka Zacharaki, James Monaghan, Jennifer R. Bromley, Laura H. Vickers · Plants People Planet · Global
This review identifies challenges for strawberry cultivation in urban production systems, noting that new urban farmers often lack the specialist knowledge of commercial growers. Common bottlenecks include plant physiology, pathogen management, choice of propagation material, fertigation, pollination, and environmental requirements. This knowledge gap appears to result in the abandonment of strawberries as a crop of choice in urban systems.
Economic viabilityDIYEconomicsFood educationClimate changeAnalisis Dinamika Organisasi pada PT Tanikota Agribudaya Edulestari
2024Debora Sihombing, Yayat Sukayat · MIMBAR AGRIBISNIS Jurnal Pemikiran Masyarakat Ilmiah Berwawasan Agribisnis · Indonesia
PT Tanikota Agribudaya Edulestari, an urban agriculture company, has not yet achieved profitability despite business diversification and technology application. This qualitative study analyzed elements of organizational dynamics to identify obstacles faced by the company in its business operations. Results showed that 22 out of 32 sub-variables did not align with organizational dynamics indicators, including organizational goals, member orientation, task-activity balance, conflict resolution, coordination, decision-making, and member participation, indicating that the company's organizational dynamics still face challenges in business operations.
Economic viabilityEconomicsUrban–rural linkageCommunityVanguard Visions of Vertical Farming: Envisaging and Contesting an Emerging Food Production System
2024Mascha Gugganig · Science Technology & Human Values · Global
This paper explores the arguments and internal disagreements among experts popularizing vertical farming (VF), an emerging urban food production system. While VF is promoted for its space efficiency and independence from weather, it faces debates regarding its unsustainability and high energy costs for producing a limited range of perishable foods. Findings indicate that disagreements among vanguards reveal that VF is seen as one of many solutions, not the sole answer.
Economic viabilityDigital agricultureClimate changeEconomicsA Smart Hydroponics System for Sustainable Agriculture
2024Supriya Jaiswal, Gopal Rawat, Chetan B. Khadse, Sohit Sharma · BENTHAM SCIENCE PUBLISHERS eBooks · India
Hydroponic farming, adopted in urban India to meet food demands, faces shortcomings including higher initial costs, complex nutrient discharge, and energy requirements for microclimatic conditions and skilled labor. To address these issues, a smart hydroponic farming architecture is discussed, aiming to reduce human intervention and water wastage using wireless sensor networks and IoT.
Economic viabilityDigital agricultureUrban–rural linkageEconomicsHarnessing nature-based solutions for economic recovery: A systematic review
2024Alexandre Chausson, Alison Smith, Ryne Zen-Zhi Reger, Brian O’Callaghan, Yadira Mori-Clement, Florencia Zapata, Nathalie Seddon · PLOS Climate · Global
This systematic review analyzed 66 reviews on the economic impact of nature-based solutions (NbS). Most reviews showed positive outcomes for income and employment, but those with critical appraisal of underlying studies reported more mixed outcomes. These results were influenced by factors such as the balance between short-term and long-term gains, market conditions, regional effects, reliance on subsidies, and discrepancies between expected and actual economic benefits. NbS delivered equal or better economic outcomes compared to alternatives and provided broader benefits like food security and flood protection, but improved monitoring of economic, social, and ecological outcomes and the development of comprehensive accounting systems are needed.
Economic viabilityEconomicsClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceJoining the ideational and the material: transforming food systems toward radical food democracy
2024Stephen Leitheiser, Rubén Vezzoni · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · Global
This paper presents a conceptualization of radical food democracy (RFD), linking diverse economies with diverse citizenship. Diverse economies scholarship, while valuable for theorizing alternative food networks (AFNs), has been criticized for essentializing the autonomy of alternative economic practices, risking the confusion of emancipatory social change with market-embedded products and the displacement of negative impacts. The paper argues that realizing RFD requires both experimenting with new economic practices that create food economies alternative to capital accumulation and cultivating new political subjects capable of universalizing these struggles.
Economic viabilityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicyPromising Nature-Based Solutions to Support Climate Adaptation of Arizona’s Local Food Entrepreneurs and Optimize One Health
2024Yevheniia Varyvoda, Taylor Ann Foerster, Joona Mikkola, Matthew M. Mars · Sustainability · United States (Arizona)
This multi-method study in Southern Arizona, USA, explored the adoption of nature-based solutions (NbS) by local food entrepreneurs (LFEs) for climate adaptation. The findings revealed that existing NbS were primarily introduced through learning-by-doing practices, which were constrained by economic and technological resource limitations. Priority adaptation pathways identified for NbS included funding, financing, and knowledge co-creation, with LFEs likely to adopt NbS based on their ability to address climate issues and generate revenue.
Economic viabilityClimate changeEconomicsHealthCommunityMapping the Dynamics of the Vertical Farm: A Biopolitical Epistemology of Valuation
2024Hayley Birss · Social Epistemology · Canada
This study examines Infarm's vertical farming practice, a venture capital-backed solution for climate change mitigation, by mapping its actor-network. The analysis reveals that Infarm's vertical farming and its climate change mitigation logics are shaped by venture capital and its biopolitical epistemology of valuation. This framework conceptualizes life, biology, and climate in terms of political economy, indicating that economic viability is a primary driver.
Economic viabilityDigital agricultureEconomicsPolicyDeterminants of the commercialization of urban agricultural products in Bogotá: A case study of the Mhuysqa indigenous cabildo of Bosa
2024Diana Carolina Martínez Quiroga, Juan Carlos Barrientos Fuentes, Cristian Fernando Camargo Muñoz · Agronomía Colombiana · Colombia (Bogotá)
This research identified and analyzed determinants of urban agricultural product commercialization, using the Mhuysqa indigenous community of Bosa, Bogotá, as a case study. Data were collected through documentary research, garden observations, surveys of 33 gardeners, and interviews with four experts. Results show that urban agriculture in the cabildo is multifunctional, but the surplus available for sale is low, at less than 30%. Key determinants for commercialization include establishing and fulfilling objectives, supply volume/quality/frequency, technical production capacities, product presentation, collection/transport costs, payment methods, and having fixed buyers.
Economic viabilityEconomicsCommunityPengembangan Urban Farming di Kota Surabaya dengan Inovasi Bisnis : Model BMC (Business Model Canvas)
2024Nuriah Yuliati, Eko Nurhadi, Dita Atasa, Stevi Putri Afdolvina Baik · Jurnal Ilmiah Manajemen Agribisnis · Indonesia (Surabaya)
This qualitative study analyzed urban farming business innovation in Surabaya, Indonesia, using the Business Model Canvas (BMC) model across five Women Farming Groups (KWT) and Farmer Groups (Poktan). Findings showed that KWT Guyub Rukun had the lowest revenue, while Poktan Serpis had the highest. The study concluded that low revenue was due to income solely from crop sales and having only one main partner, indicating a limitation in revenue streams for some groups.
Economic viabilityCommunityEconomicsUrban–rural linkageRealising the potential of urban agriculture in Kingston, Jamaica
2024Sonia Gatchair · · Jamaica (Kingston)
In Kingston, Jamaica's largest urban space, systematic efforts to stimulate the adoption of commercially viable urban agriculture have lagged. This study examines the facilitators and impediments to commercially viable urban agriculture, arguing that knowledge transfer and the adoption of innovative, technology-driven approaches to farming, financing, and marketing are needed for success.
Economic viabilityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justicePolicyDigital agricultureEconomic hurdles, social gains: unveiling the true motivations behind urban farming
2024Adi Nugraha, Raphaël Paut, Ari Ganjar Herdiansah, Susanti Withaningsih, Parikesit Parikesit, Oekan S. Abdoellah · Cogent Food & Agriculture · Indonesia (Bandung)
This study examined the social and economic feasibility of urban farming in Bandung, Indonesia, from the viewpoint of actors, using observations, semi-structured, and in-depth interviews with key informants including urban farmers, community leaders, traders, and government representatives. The findings indicated that urban farming in Bandung is not economically motivated because the practices are not economically profitable for the actors. Instead, social factors such as social collectivity and personal aspirations were found to have propelled the continuity of the urban farming movement.
Economic viabilityEconomicsCommunityPolicyPerceived resilience of community supported agriculture in Germany
2024Anna Rosman, Joseph MacPherson, Marie Arndt, Katharina Helming · Agricultural Systems · Germany
This study investigated the impact of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) structures on farm resilience among CSA farmers in Germany. A mixed methodology was applied, combining a case study with one CSA farmer and a survey of CSA farmers across Germany. The findings indicated that CSA provides mechanisms for improving farm resilience through increased income security, risk protection, market independence, and satisfaction. CSA farmers demonstrated a high level of perceived resilience compared to non-CSA farmers.
Economic viabilityCSA & TeikeiCommunityEconomicsA GIS-based assessment of flood impact on agricultural farm activities along river Dilimi, JOS north local government area of Plateau state
2024Epsar Philip Kopteer, Olakunle Rufus Oladosu, Samuel Adeyemi Samson, Jasini Ali Alwadood, Olaide Monsur Aderoju, Bose Adetutu Ogwurike, Michael Nnaemeka Ihenacho, James Adah John, Philip Okoh Amodu, Nkechinyere Gift Nwagwu, Chikodili Evans Ezurike, Kamila Abba Tukur, Augustine Abah Odeh, Sumaiyat Abdullahi Kpanja, Halimat Ifedolapo Oriola, Vivian Ibrahim, Udya Aniya, Elizabeth Rizga Jackson, Kikelomo Oluwabukola Adebo · World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews · Nigeria (Jos)
This study investigated the economic impact of urban flooding on agricultural activities along the Dilimi River in Jos North LGA, Plateau State, Nigeria, using a 2021 satellite image and GIS analysis. The study found that loss of farmland, hunger and starvation, loss of properties, and high incidence of poverty were perceived as serious economic impacts of floods on farmers. Agricultural land use covered 2.82% of the study area.
Economic viabilityClimate changeEconomicsFood sovereignty & justicePengembangan Pemasaran Digital Berbasis Media Sosial Instagram Untuk Meningkatkan Daya Jual Hasil Produksi Pada Kelompok Tani Urban Farming “Keputih Bersemi” Kelurahan Keputih, Kecamatan Sukolilo, Kota Surabaya
2024Brilliant Adam Ramadhani, Shalahuddin Fathan, Jessica Putri Margaretta, Putri Wahyu Pebrianti, Ika Sari Tondang, Nuriah Yuliati · Kegiatan Positif Jurnal Hasil Karya Pengabdian Masyarakat · Indonesia (Surabaya)
The Urban Farming Group "Keputih Bersemi" in Keputih, Surabaya, faces challenges in optimally selling and distributing its produce, such as pak choi and lettuce, due to conventional marketing methods. The majority of group members are elderly and unfamiliar with technology, limiting sales and distribution. The abstract suggests that digital marketing via Instagram and WhatsApp could increase visibility and sales.
Economic viabilityCommunityEconomicsElderlyDigital agricultureStrategi Pemberdayaan Wanita Tani Penyangga Ketahanan Pangan Perkotaan Melalui Program Pekarangan Pangan Lestari
2024Dilla Aldilla, Andi Nuddin, Yusriadi, Suherman · Open MIND · Indonesia
This 2024 research focused on developing Women Farmer Groups (KWT) through the Sustainable Food Farms (P2L) program in Parepare City, Indonesia. An analysis identified weaknesses including a lack of fulfillment of market demands and internal group conflicts. Strategies proposed included selecting short-harvest crops, forming partnerships, and increasing group awareness of program outcomes to address these challenges.
Economic viabilityFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityPolicyEconomicsFarm-to-Table Initiatives in Restaurant Food Production: Benefits, Challenges, and Consumer Perceptions
2024Dr.M.K. Ganesh · International Journal for Multidimensional Research Perspectives · Global
This mixed-methods study examined the farm-to-table movement in restaurant food production, identifying benefits like enhanced food freshness and local economic support. However, it also found significant challenges including higher costs, seasonal variability, and complex supply chain logistics. Consumer perceptions were generally positive, but the study emphasized the need for increased consumer education and policy support to overcome barriers.
Economic viabilityEconomicsFood miles & supply chainPolicyCommunityEcosophy as a form of protection for the Tapanuli Orangutan (Pongo tapanuliensis) in the Batang Toru Landscape, North Sumatra, Indonesia
2024YUDHA LESMANA, Sambas Basuni, Rinekso Soekmadi · Biodiversitas Journal of Biological Diversity · Indonesia
This qualitative study in the Batang Toru Landscape, North Sumatra, Indonesia, investigated human-orangutan conflict arising from forest clearing for economic development. It found that Tapanuli orangutans migrate to community gardens, leading to crop destruction and decreased economic income for local communities, thus triggering conflict. The study suggests that the concept of ecosophy, integrating intellectual, spiritual, and emotional dimensions, can raise public awareness for orangutan protection, with higher education levels showing more positive results, but highlights the economic viability challenge for communities.
Economic viabilityCommunityBiodiversityEconomicsThe community contributions of urban farms in Singapore
2024Sean Olivia Nicholas, Niki Harré · Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems · Singapore
A review of existing literature and a case study of three urban farms in Singapore were conducted to examine their community contributions. Content analysis of 27 interviews with employees and volunteers revealed that these farms empower participants, generate social capital, provide jobs, involve marginalized groups, and promote pro-environmental behaviors. However, the farms were limited by poor job prospects and lower-than-expected yield.
Economic viabilityCommunityWelfareEconomicsClimate changeLand Market and the “Sendoff” of Peri-Urban Agriculture in Tanzania: An Evolutionary Analysis of Practices and Actors
2024Kelvin Haule, Bupe Kabigi · Ghana Journal of Geography · Tanzania
This study analyzed land markets and their influence on peri-urban agriculture and livelihood strategies in Tanzania. It found that widespread monetary land markets, including formal, informal, speculative, entrepreneurial, and land grabbing forms, are transforming peri-urban agriculture into non-farm activities. These informal changes are causing a “sendoff” of peri-urban agriculture, and if unmanaged, land markets are suggested to become a blight for indigenous people selling land.
Economic viabilityPeri-urban agricultureEconomicsPolicyUnderstanding the emerging phenomenon of food forestry in the Netherlands: An assemblage theory approach
2024Anna M. Roodhof · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · Netherlands
To map and analyze food forestry (FF) in the Netherlands, a survey of 109 participants and interviews with five experts were conducted, identifying 231 food forests established since 2017. The survey data indicates that while FF initiatives are diverse in goals, few focus on profitability. Practitioners are largely homogeneous, consisting of university-educated individuals aged 40 to 60.
Economic viabilityCommunityPolicyEconomicsUrban–rural linkagePemanfaatan Limbah Organik Pertanian Sebagai Media Tanam Pertanian Perkotaan (Urban Farming) Dalam Membangun Kemandirian Pangan di “Kampung Wisata Terpadu” Desa Mulyoagung, Kecamatan Dau, Kabupaten Malang
2024Tri Wahyu Nugroho, Aulia Luqman Aziz, Hery Toiba, Ahmad Imron Rozuli, Suyadi Suyadi · JAPI (Jurnal Akses Pengabdian Indonesia) · Indonesia (Malang)
This community service activity in Mulyoagung Village, Malang, Indonesia, aimed to empower the local economy through urban farming by utilizing organic waste such as cocopeat and polybags as growing media. The program successfully enabled the community to adopt urban farming concepts, proving its effectiveness in addressing shrinking agricultural land and strengthening the local economy. However, it is also noted that sources of materials, human resources, and market access are among the obstacles causing urban farming failures.
Economic viabilityOrganic cycleFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsCommunityMANAJEMEN RISIKO RANTAI PASOK INTERNAL HORTIKULTURA SAWI (Studi Kasus: Buruan SAE “Mang Odedâ€, Kota Bandung, Jawa Barat)
2024Legenda Samuel Pardede, Tomy Perdana, Dhany Esperanza, Endah Djuwendah · Jurnal Agristan · Indonesia (Bandung)
This qualitative case study investigated the internal supply chain risk management for mustard greens (sawi) at the "Buruan SAE Mang Oded" urban farming group in Bandung City, Indonesia. Using the House of Risk method, the study identified 23 risk events and 23 risk agents within the supply chain, with 14 priority risk agents requiring control. The findings indicate significant challenges in managing the internal supply chain, suggesting that the current system faces numerous risks that hinder efficiency and effectiveness.
Economic viabilityCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomics