Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
8 results
Bioregional food systems and the structures of long-term territorialization processes
2024Alberto Matarán-Ruiz, David Fanfani, Josefa Sánchez Contreras, Miguel Ángel Escalona Aguilar · · Central America; Europe
This chapter examines bioregional food systems and territorialization processes in peri-urban agricultural areas, using three case studies from Central America and Europe. It notes that the historical co-evolutionary relationship between cities and surrounding farmlands weakened in modernity due to the global capitalist market, which reduced food to a commodity. The study highlights current problems while exploring how inherited relationships are being revived to adapt urban bioregions to climate emergency and resource scarcity.
Economic viabilityPeri-urban agricultureUrban–rural linkageClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceFarming under Urban Pressure: Business Models and Success Factors of Peri-Urban Farms
2023Wojciech Sroka, Piotr Sulewski, Jarosław Mikołajczyk, Karol Król · Agriculture · Poland
This study, based on a survey of economically successful peri-urban farms in Poland, identified success factors and major barriers to their development. The research shows a considerable convergence in business solutions in recent years, particularly in customer relationships and channels. According to respondents, the success of peri-urban farms is primarily determined by three groups of factors: motivation, diligence, and creativity; high quality of products and services; and cultivating deep bonds with customers. While farm managers indicated relatively few internal problems, urban pressure was considered the most significant external barrier to development.
Economic viabilityPeri-urban agricultureEconomicsCommunityAssessing Agri-Food Start-Ups Sustainability in Peri-Urban Agriculture Context
2021Ambrogio Zanzi, Valentina Vaglia, Roberto Spigarolo, Stefano Bocchi · Land · Italy (Milan)
This study assessed the sustainability of eight agri-food start-ups in a peri-urban area of Milan, Italy, using the FAO's Sustainability Assessment of Food and Agriculture systems (SAFA) framework. The application of SAFA indicators revealed positive aspects but also some limitations typical of unstructured enterprises.
Economic viabilityPeri-urban agricultureEconomicsPolicyCommunityClimate changePeri-urban agriculture: an analysis of farm typologies in Italy
2017HENKE 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.
Economic viabilityPeri-urban agricultureEconomicsUrban–rural linkageChallenges for the revitalisation of peri-urban agriculture in Spain: Territorial analysis of the Madrid and Oviedo metropolitan areas
2017Nerea 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.
Economic viabilityPeri-urban agriculturePolicyEconomicsCommunityL'agriculture urbaine : de l'échelle territoriale à l'insertion architecturale
2015Amandine Joly · · France
This study characterized and strategically analyzed urban agriculture for the IETI external planning and environment consulting firm in Île-de-France, France. The analysis aimed to help IETI position itself commercially in urban agriculture, identifying both the benefits and the obstacles the firm might encounter. The study also briefly discussed the various scales of urban agriculture's integration into the territory and its advantages for the consulting firm.
Economic viabilityEconomicsPolicyPeri-urban agricultureUncertainty and Territorial Innovations in Peri-urban Agricultural Spaces
2009Lucette Laurens · Journal for Geography · France
This inquiry examines peri-urban agricultural spaces in Languedoc-Roussillon and the Montpellier agglomeration, France, which are characterized by a decline in agricultural activities and abandonment. These spaces are confronted with new, uncertain, and innovative dynamics, appearing as multifunctional spaces that need to be re-invented. The study highlights the paradox of these areas caught between appropriation for different uses and agricultural decline.
Economic viabilityPeri-urban agriculturePolicyUrban–rural linkageL'agriculture face au développement économique : un combat inégal ou des politiques périurbaines à construire
2003N. Bertrand, Nicole Rousier · HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe) · France (Grenoble)
In the Grenoble urban region, agriculture holds relatively minor economic importance despite the region's strong technological development. However, the region's 2000 master plan assigned an essential role to farming. Peri-urban agriculture is a key issue in planning policies, engaging local officials, planners, and farming community representatives, but its economic weight remains low.
Economic viabilityPolicyPeri-urban agricultureEconomics