Research & reports

Jun‐Hong Chen, Zhifeng Gao, Lisha Zhang, Chen, Junhong, Gao, Zhifeng, Zhang, Lisha · 2018 Annual Meeting, February 2-6, 2018, Jacksonville, Florida · United States

This study applied quantitative methods to identify barriers that prohibit CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) participation or factors affecting unsubscribe from CSA membership. Based on 780 responses collected from a national consumer survey, only 6% of the total sample were current CSA members. The top two reasons for unsubscribing from CSA membership were preferring farmer's markets and not cooking at home. On the other hand, the top two important factors for participation in CSA were supporting local and family farms.

Mohammad Rondhi, Pravitasari Anjar Pratiwi, Vivi Trisna Handini, Aryo Fajar Sunartomo, Subhan Arif Budiman · Land · Indonesia (East Java)

This paper investigated the inter-relationship between land economic value and agricultural land conversion (ALC) in East Java, Indonesia. It calculated the land economic value for agricultural and non-agricultural (housing) uses in two areas: a peri-urban agricultural area facing rapid urbanization and a rural agricultural area with zero ALC. Results showed that agricultural land yielded a higher economic benefit in rural areas, whereas in urban areas, housing yielded a value seven times higher than agricultural land.

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.

Ubokudom E. Okon, Kesit Nkeme, Ubon Asuquo Essien, Chukwuemeka Chiebonam Onyia · American Journal of Business and Management · Nigeria

This study assessed the economic vulnerability of 289 urban farm households in three states of South-south Nigeria using vulnerability index analysis. The results indicated a high level of economic vulnerability among urban farmers, primarily caused by lack of access to formal credit, lack of land, low asset value, and low farm income. Households entirely dependent on farm income were 66% more likely to be vulnerable to economic shocks.

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.

Pascale Scheromm, Christophe‐Toussaint Soulard · Geographical Research · France

This paper provides a spatial analysis of agriculture in three mid-sized French cities, focusing on professional farms. It confirms the existence of significant agricultural spaces within cities and the persistence of field-based, market-oriented agriculture. Key determinants in the observed dynamics include the cities' geographies, the impact of land speculation and urbanization on farmers, and the resistance and adaptation processes implemented by some farmers.

Hok Bun Ku, Yan Hairong · · China

China's food-security crisis, caused by unsustainable development, has diminished the country's farmland through large-scale land acquisitions, ecological restoration projects, agricultural structural adjustments, natural disasters, and pollution, among other factors. This chapter argues that local producers and consumers are not passively waiting for government policy changes but, organized by green social workers, are actively searching for alternatives to achieve self-sufficiency and food security through a new initiative called the "rural–urban alliance." Framed within the social economy perspective advocated by green social work as a way to rethink economic development and consider alternatives to capitalism, the rural–urban alliance and community-supported agriculture (CSA) are positioned as a potential new route for China's sustainable development that could change the pathway of economic development forms that cause inequality and undermine livelihoods. This is a proposed, forward-looking argument, however; the abstract does not report empirical evidence that CSA or the rural–urban alliance have actually mitigated the food-security crisis.

Abiodun Olusola Omotayo, Ijatuyi Enioluwa Jonathan, Olorunfemi Oluwasogo David, Agboola Peter Temitope · Acta Universitatis Danubius. OEconomica · South Africa

A structured-questionnaire survey of urban agricultural households in Limpopo Province, South Africa, analyzed food security using descriptive and inferential statistics. Respondents were predominantly male with an average age of 46, mainly relying on public tap water, and households had an average monthly income of R2,668.75 against average monthly food spending of R1,284.75 — food costs consuming nearly half of household income. The study suggested interest-free credit for small-scale farmers to improve access to risk-management technologies.

HENKE Roberto, VANNI Francesco · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Italy

This 2017 article analyzed the role of peri-urban agriculture in Italy through a comparative study of seven metropolitan areas, using micro-data from the sixth Italian agriculture census. It identified six typologies of market-oriented farms. The study found that a significant share of farms in Italian urban poles are passively absorbed by urban expansion, indicating a challenge to their economic viability. However, the most reactive farms are diversifying and supplying social and economic services.

Michelle Glowa · · United States (San Francisco)

In the San Francisco region, highly competitive land markets increasingly force landowners to use properties for purposes other than gardening, despite the popularity of urban agriculture. This situation compels gardeners to develop strategies to gain and maintain land access, linking gardening to broader land politics and urban design. The chapter explores how gardeners influence space production and property institutions.

Abdullah, Abdullah, Gufran Darma Dirawan, Nurlita Pertiwi · Eprints (Universitas Negeri Makassar) · Indonesia (Makassar)

A study analyzing the sustainability level of urban farming in Makassar City, Indonesia, found that the overall urban farming sustainability index was 48.52%, indicating a "less sustainable" status. The ecological dimension was rated 42.66% as "less sustainable," while the economic dimension was 50.69% as "fairly sustainable."

肇 石原, Hajime ISHIHARA · Institutional Repositories DataBase (IRDB) · Japan

This study examined changes in urban agriculture in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan, since 1990, finding a weakening of the agricultural management base. While the decline in productive green space and full-time farmers was limited, engagement in agriculture-related businesses, excluding direct sales, was not widespread. The preservation of productive green spaces in some cities remains a challenge for future land use planning.

Denes Dantas Vieira, Reimilde Gomes da Silva Amorim · EXTRAMUROS - Revista de Extensão da Univasf · Brazil (Juazeiro)

This study aimed to investigate the dilemmas of the social trajectory of the Povo Unido community garden in Juazeiro/BA, Brazil, located on the banks of the São Francisco River. This garden is known for its organic vegetable production and as one of the first groups focused on overcoming poverty and combating hunger in Brazil's semi-arid northeast. The research contributes to reflection based on social organization and organic food production.

Nerea Morán Alonso, Ícaro Obeso Muñiz, Agustín Hernández Aja, Felipe Fernández García · Moravian Geographical Reports · Spain

This paper analyzed the evolution of peri-urban agriculture in Spain's Madrid and Oviedo metropolitan areas to identify revitalization opportunities. Using aerial images and cartographic bases, the study found that peri-urban agriculture has suffered from urban occupation and internal changes in crops and agricultural uses, experiencing a process of decline. Innovative initiatives are explored as potential revitalization opportunities.

Stephanie Stephanie Kartika Lestari · · Europe

A case study of two urban farming organizations in the Netherlands developed a set of indicators to assess factors hampering the diffusion of radical innovation. Urban farming is characterized here as a radical innovation aiming for fresh and sustainable food supply in urban areas that has yet to achieve large-scale diffusion, and the study proposes a non-static conceptual model that lets commercial firms rationally assess barriers to diffusion and revisit their niche strategies as internal and external conditions change.

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.

A. Husni Malian, Masdjidin Siregar · Forum penelitian Agro Ekonomi · Indonesia

This paper discusses the dwindling role of peri-urban agriculture in Indonesia due to urban development policies favoring manufacturing and service sectors. The economic crisis and policy changes had different effects on farmers of leafy vegetables, orchids, and ornamental plants. Increased fertilizer prices and wage rates, coupled with decreased demand for orchids and ornamental plants in 1999, reduced farmers' income. Conversely, increased demand for leafy vegetables led to more intensive land use, neglecting health and environmental concerns.

Rusida Rusida · Plano Madani : Jurnal Perencanaan Wilayah dan Kota · Indonesia (Belopa)

A study in the urban area of Belopa, Indonesia, assessed the potential for urban agriculture, identifying suitable land for various crop types and key commodities. However, the research found that extensive housing development, particularly on the outskirts, and limited land availability mean not all land can be developed for urban agriculture. Urban agriculture supports food security, and public and government perceptions influence future land plans.

S. J. Ibitoye, U Shaibu, Firdaus Sale, Oroka Frank · International Journal of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences · Nigeria (Kogi State)

This study assessed the influence of urban agriculture on household income in Kogi State, Nigeria, using data from 120 urban farmers. Urban agriculture was found to increase household income at a 90% confidence level. However, urban farmers faced significant constraints including inadequate capital (M=2.9), poor extension services (M=2.4), and high labor costs (M=2.2).

G. A. Abu, A. Soom, Abu, Godwin Anjeinu, Soom, Aondonenge · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · Nigeria

This study examined factors affecting food security in 180 rural and urban farming households in Benue State, Nigeria, using structured questionnaires. It found that 53.3% of rural and 62.2% of urban households were food secure based on calorie intake. Key constraints to food security included lack of access to credit, inadequate land, poverty, soil infertility, and storage/processing problems.

Sandy Smith‐Nonini · Anthropology in Action · United States

This article discusses lessons learned from Eco-Cycle, a social enterprise supporting sustainability education in central North Carolina, U.S.A., since 2011. Eco-Cycle faced the challenge that many social justice-oriented green initiatives emulating urban agriculture models are grant-dependent in early years and achieve economic sustainability with difficulty. However, this non-profit co-op of upcycler crafters and vintage vendors grew from the production and marketing of upcycled rain barrels, pursuing economic sustainability through a social enterprise approach.

Sara L. Lyons · DigitalCommons (California Polytechnic State University) · United States

The University of Maine Black Bear Food Guild is an entirely student-run Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) operation that offers student learning and work opportunities. Despite providing various benefits, the Black Bear Food Guild requires financial support to expand its program and ensure its sustained success, indicating a critical need for funding to maintain its future viability.

Diana Mincytė, Karin Dobernig · Environment and Planning A Economy and Space · North America

This article examines manual work in urban farming within alternative food networks in the Northeastern United States, based on ethnographic fieldwork and 40 interviews. The analysis reveals that while manual work counters alienation, it also reproduces consumer society institutions and reinforces neoliberal values like productivity and self-improvement. Urban farms function as "experiential production" sites, where the farming experience is continuously commodified despite re-embedding in community and environment.

Alfred Wong, Alan Hallsworth · Kobra (Universitätsbibliothek Kassel) · Canada (Vancouver)

This paper examines urban/community gardening in Vancouver, Canada, from the perspective of basic farming realities such as growing season and land availability. It was found that securing low-cost land within dense urban limits, insufficient ambient temperature and water supply during the growing season, and contemporary societal structures pose significant obstacles to community gardening producing affordable food. Overcoming these fundamental hurdles carries significant negative environmental and economic consequences.

Joshua Zeunert · UNSWorks (University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia) · Australia

Urban public green spaces typically require external budgets for maintenance, with most projects costing municipal authorities more money than they generate, making them economically unproductive. For instance, the Adelaide Parklands annually costs AU$9 million for maintenance while generating less than AU$1 million in income. Maintenance spending on public green spaces in the USA, UK, and Australia has been declining, a trend accelerated since the 2008 global financial crisis.