Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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Critical findings
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PERCEPTIONS ON URBAN-BASED GARDENING IN THE CITY OF ISABELA, BASILAN, PHILIPPINES
2026Bendijo, S.A., Rebuza, A.O., Pedillon, J.M., Amilbahar, G.V., Tabal, E.P. · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · Philippines
This study in Isabela City, Philippines, explored community perceptions of urban gardening (UG). While awareness was linked to food security and sustainability, and perceived benefits included health, cost savings, and social cohesion, the adoption of UG was hindered by a lack of interest and resource constraints. Preferred UG forms like rooftop gardens and specific vegetables indicated aspirations for cost savings and nutrient content, but obstacles remain.
Economic viabilityCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceHealthEconomicsExploring the economic viability and marketability of aeroponics systems: An urban agriculture study in Navotas City
2026Hanna Kye Pohanes, Samantha Andrea Farinas, Maricar Cangayao, Jasmin Mae dela Peña, Chinie King Ho, Jonalyn Palconit, Jholan Hazel Tabance, Divina Gracia Cabaddu, Ryan dela Peña · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Philippines (Navotas City)
This qualitative study in Navotas City explored the economic viability and marketability of aeroponics systems in urban agriculture. Findings indicate aeroponics requires high initial investment and faces challenges such as produce failing to meet specific weight standards for sale, high energy consumption, and high setup costs. While offering benefits like efficient resource use and high yields, further improvements in system efficiency and operational methods are needed for it to become a viable and scalable business model.
Economic viabilityDigital agricultureEconomicsClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceTransforming the capitalist food regime: A historical materialist perspective on community-supported agriculture
2026Bernd Bonfert · Capital & Class · Global
This article analyzes the transformative potential of Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) through a historical materialist lens. CSA is found to be potentially capable of decommodifying and democratizing food production, de-alienating labor and socio-ecological relations, enhancing environmental sustainability, addressing social inequalities, and scaling effectively. However, these potential achievements face significant limitations and mutual trade-offs that individual CSAs likely cannot resolve, requiring collaboration at scale.
Economic viabilityCSA & TeikeiCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsAdvancing urban horticulture through vertical farming: A global review of technologies and sustainability
2026Khushal Balram Muradi, V Siva Teja, Harshavardhan Mohan Totawar, Laxmi PS, Choudhari Balaji Keshavrao, Yogesh V Wayal, N Sravya, Jagmal P Khatana, Sruthi T, Deshmukh Sarita Babarao · International Journal of Advanced Biochemistry Research · Global
This study conducted a global review of vertical farming technologies and sustainability. Vertical farming shows significant savings in land and water consumption compared to traditional agriculture, yielding high production and quality for leafy greens, herbs, and some fruiting species. However, high energy demand remains a significant barrier to its sustainability and economic feasibility. Key research gaps include crop improvement for controlled settings, energy-efficient system design, renewable energy integration, and standardized frameworks for sustainability evaluation.
Economic viabilityDigital agricultureClimate changeEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceIntegrating vertical and urban farming into sustainable food systems: a comprehensive review
2026Thulisekari Prasanna, Guda Bhargavi, Murugesan Mohana Keerthi · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · Global
This comprehensive review synthesizes literature on vertical and urban agriculture within sustainable food systems, identifying production models and technical advancements. Empirical evidence indicates these systems can improve water/land-use efficiency, yield stability, and reduce post-harvest losses. However, significant challenges persist, including high capital and energy prices, inadequate crop diversification, technical complexities, and regulatory constraints, impacting their economic viability.
Economic viabilityUrban–rural linkagePeri-urban agricultureClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicyDigital agricultureAssessing the Potential of Rooftop and Wall-Based Urban Agriculture for Food Security Enhancement in Gasabo District, City of Kigali, Rwanda
2025Florien Misago, Isaac Nzayisenga, Henri Jacques Ngirinshuti, Leon De Pere Irakoze, Richard Mind’je · East African Journal of Agriculture and Biotechnology · Rwanda (Kigali)
This study evaluated the potential of rooftop and wall-based urban agriculture to enhance food security in Gasabo District, Kigali, Rwanda. It used GIS and remote sensing to map suitable spaces and assessed 400 household heads using the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS). Findings showed that 41.5% of households experienced moderate to severe food insecurity, and approximately 32% of rooftops and walls were structurally appropriate for urban agriculture. While 57.8% of households expressed willingness to adopt rooftop or wall gardening, 67.4% cited structural and financial constraints.
Economic viabilityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicySoilless Agricultural Systems: Opportunities, Challenges, and Applications for Enhancing Horticultural Resilience to Climate Change and Urbanization
2025Imran Ali Lakhiar, Haofang Yan, Tabinda Naz Syed, Chuan Zhang, Sher Ali Shaikh, Md Rakibuzzaman, Rahim Bux Vistro · Horticulturae · Global
A systematic review of soilless farming (SLF) systems globally identified their role in enhancing horticultural resilience in urban and peri-urban settings. SLF offers advantages like water conservation and increased yield, but faces significant challenges. High setup costs, substantial energy demands, and the requirement for specialized technical expertise continue to limit its widespread adoption.
Economic viabilityClimate changeUrban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceDigital agricultureMathematical Optimization of Vertical Farm Locations Advancing Sustainable Agriculture in Saudi Arabia
2025Amjad Aljuhani, Rahaf Baghdadi, Wafaa Alzahrani, Deemah Aljuhani · · Saudi Arabia
This study examined the feasibility of vertical farming in Saudi Arabia, using mathematical optimization to identify optimal locations. A mixed-integer linear programming model, developed with AIMMS software, incorporated infrastructure compatibility, water availability, and energy consumption. Results identified seven optimal locations across five cities—Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Tabuk, and Khamis Mushait—ensuring efficient lettuce production at minimized costs. However, challenges such as high energy requirements and initial investment costs persist.
Economic viabilityDigital agricultureEconomicsClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceA Grounded Theory on Consumer Perception of Urban Farming’s Role in Enhancing Supply Chain Resilience
2025Rui Fu, N.Sureshkumar PP Narayanan, Umahdevi Jayamani, Li Lian Chew, Fadhlur Rahim Azmi, Veera Pandiyan Kaliani Sundram · Malaysian journal of consumer and family economics/Malaysian Journal of Consumer and Family Economics · Malaysia
This qualitative study used grounded theory methodology, collecting data from in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with 25 Malaysian consumers, to explore perceptions of urban farming's role in supply chain resilience. Consumers generally view urban farming as a vital strategy for resilience, influenced by environmental and social impacts, trust in local food, and community empowerment. However, significant barriers to widespread adoption include concerns about scalability and cost-effectiveness.
Economic viabilityEconomicsCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceExploring Behavioural Determinants of B40 Participation in Smart Urban Farming
2025· International Journal of Business and Technology Management · Malaysia
This systematic literature review explored behavioral determinants affecting the B40 income group's participation in Smart Urban Farming (SUF) in Malaysia. The review found that B40 farmers face difficulties sustaining SUF projects due to limited financial literacy, poor management, and dependence on external support. A conceptual framework was developed, identifying key behavioral determinants across perceived support and incentives, internal factors, and external factors.
Economic viabilityCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceWelfareEconomicsSmart Irrigation Systems Using AI to Optimize Water Usage
2025Belghachi Mohammed · Advances in environmental engineering and green technologies book series · Global
Smart irrigation systems, integrating AI, machine learning, sensors, and IoT, aim to revolutionize agricultural water management by optimizing water usage tailored to crop needs and environmental conditions. While these systems offer benefits such as water conservation and improved yields, their implementation faces significant challenges including high costs, the need for technical expertise, data management complexities, and connectivity issues. Future prospects focus on advanced AI models, better sensors, renewable energy, and policy support to enhance the effectiveness and accessibility of these systems.
Economic viabilityDigital agricultureClimate changeEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceInternet of Things-Based Smart Precision Farming in Soilless Agriculture: Opportunities and Challenges for Global Food Security
2025Monica Dutta, Deepali Gupta, Sumegh Tharewal, Deepam Goyal, Jasminder Kaur Sandhu, Manjit Kaur, Ahmad Ali AlZubi, Jazem Mutared Alanazi · IEEE Access · Global
This comprehensive study, utilizing bibliometric and comparative analysis, explored the opportunities and challenges of IoT-based soilless agriculture for global food security. While these advanced farming methods offer benefits like increased productivity and resource conservation, they also face significant challenges including high initial investment, technological dependency, and energy consumption. The research highlights current trends and research gaps in this field.
Economic viabilityDigital agricultureFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPOSITIVE EFFECTS OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE IN BUILDINGS ON URBAN SUSTAINABILITY
2025R Mohammadzadeh · Proceedings of International Structural Engineering and Construction · Global
This qualitative secondary study, based on a structured literature review, examined the role of green infrastructure (GI) integrated into buildings for urban sustainability. Findings indicate that GI supports climate change adaptation, improves air quality, promotes urban biodiversity, and enables energy-efficient design. However, the paper also recognizes limitations related to cost, maintenance, and structural requirements for implementing building-based GI.
Economic viabilityClimate changeBiodiversityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsUrban Agriculture in Mogadishu: Opportunities and Constraints
2025Yasin Mohamed Ibrahim · Turkish Journal of Agriculture - Food Science and Technology · Somalia (Mogadishu)
A study in Mogadishu, Somalia, used snowball sampling to assess constraints and opportunities for urban horticulture. It found that temperature, wind, pests, diseases, and limited irrigation water significantly restrict production, particularly for open-field farmers who face high irrigation demands, pest infestations, and low-quality yields unattractive to buyers. While greenhouses offer some protection, plastic greenhouses specifically suffer from inadequate gutter height and poor ventilation, requiring farmers to use primitive methods to combat extreme temperatures.
Economic viabilityPeri-urban agricultureClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceGrass-roots Innovation for Justice in Urban Food Provisioning
2025Lídia Cabral, Ronald Ranta, Suleyman M. Demi, Ísis Domingues, Julian May, Claire Néel, Grace Nkomo, Luciana Marques Vieira, Marie Walser · · Global
An international research collaboration examined grass-roots food provisioning innovations in five urban locations across the UK, Canada, France, Brazil, and South Africa. These initiatives, which include social supermarkets and school gardens, faced challenges such as dependence on surplus food, logistical problems, funding limitations, and the need for ongoing volunteer support. The study found that these innovations struggle with economic viability due to funding and volunteer reliance.
Economic viabilityFood sovereignty & justiceWelfareCommunityEconomicsEconomic 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 agricultureHarnessing 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 & justiceEconomicsPolicyRealising 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 agricultureUrban farming with rooftop greenhouses: A systematic literature review
2023Annie Drottberger, Yizhi Zhang, Jean Wan Hong Yong, Marie-Claude Dubois · Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews · Global
This systematic literature review, based on 45 articles, examined the benefits and challenges of rooftop greenhouse technology. While benefits include optimized land use, increased profitability, good yields, and resource efficiency, the review identified significant challenges. These challenges include additional investment and operational costs, limited availability of flat roofs, and various regulations, which hinder the widespread adoption of rooftop greenhouses.
Economic viabilityClimate changeEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceDigital agricultureConstraint and autonomy in the Swiss “local contract farming” movement
2023Jérémie Forney, Julien Vuilleumier, Marion Fresia · · Switzerland
This study on the local contract farming (LCF) movement in Switzerland is based on an ethnography of three LCF networks. The research focuses on the contract that formalizes the "promise of difference" and the redefinition of food quality and value. It acknowledges both the potential for transformation of LCF ventures and their clear limitations, aiming to foster discussions beyond simple statements of success or failure.
Economic viabilityCSA & TeikeiCommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceResilience processes and positioning of agroecological farmers in an urban horticultural fair in northwest Patagonia
2023Ana H. Ladio, Melisa Longo, Soledad Molares · Ethnobotany Research and Applications · Argentina (San Carlos de Bariloche)
This qualitative study analyzed the resilience processes of agroecological farmers at the Free Fair of Family Farmers from Nahuel Huapi in San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina. The fair's main resilience principles include high agrobiodiversity, learning and connectivity, cooperation, and adaptive systemic thinking. However, the economic and cultural viability of this fair is uncertain due to the drastic socio-environmental changes experienced in the region.
Economic viabilityCommunityBiodiversityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsControlled Environment Agriculture and Its Ability to Mitigate Food Insecurity
2023Aubrey Lynn Garcia, M.A.C. Griffith, George Paul Buss, Xiusheng Yang, John L. Griffis, Sarah E. Bauer, Ankit Singh · Agricultural Sciences · Global
This review investigates Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) as a potential solution for food security, discussing its rationale, growth factors, and technologies. While indoor farming systems like vertical farming enhance urban access to food, the cost of CEA remains high, though it is decreasing due to technological advances.
Economic viabilityDigital agricultureFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsFood sovereignty and peri-urban horticulture
2023Benjamin Felix Richardson · · New Zealand (Auckland)
Auckland's urban sprawl threatens to significantly raise the price of fresh fruits and vegetables across the country, worsening chronic food security issues. Food production has become detached from the food security and food sovereignty of Aotearoa's people. The severity of this issue is driving calls for reform, and a conflict exists between humanity's agricultural subsistence and the destabilizing demands of financial extraction, where crucial productive hubs can be lost permanently.
Economic viabilityFood sovereignty & justicePeri-urban agricultureEconomicsUrban–rural linkageUrban agriculture and farmers’ willingness to pay for treated wastewater: Insights from vegetable producers in the greater Accra metropolis of Ghana
2023Abdulai Adams, Samuel Sekyi, Irrshad Kaseeram · Cogent Food & Agriculture · Ghana (Accra)
This study analyzed the efficiency performance and willingness to pay (WTP) for treated wastewater among 214 urban vegetable producers in the greater Accra metropolis of Ghana. Using data envelopment analysis (DEA) and logistic regression models, results showed that the current production system is technically inefficient, with 33% more output possible from existing resources. The mean amount farmers were willing to pay for treated wastewater delivered to their farms was GH¢66.7 per month.
Economic viabilityEconomicsClimate changeFood sovereignty & justice