Research & reports

A. K. Ahmed, Rasheed Abiodun KURANGA, Oluwadara Latifat ISOLA-MUYIDEEN · International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science · Nigeria (Ilorin)

This study assessed the sustainability of environmental management practices among peri-urban rice farmers in Ilorin, Nigeria, using a sustainability index. It found that many practices were less sustainable, with 69.51% of farmers relying on chemical sprays and 69.85% using chemical fertilizers. The overall Environmental Management Practices Sustainability Index (EMPSI) for all farmers was 0.492, placing them in the moderately sustainable category.

Westone Hamwata, Mwendalubi Hazyondo, Victor Daka, Mbanga Muleba, Nzooma M. Shimaponda-Mataa · BMJ Open · Zambia

A cross-sectional study in urban and periurban areas of Ndola district, Zambia, assessed malaria vector behavior and insecticide resistance. Urban agriculture practices created highly productive mosquito breeding sites like irrigation trenches and garden ponds, where Anopheles funestus s.s and Anopheles gambiae s.s coexisted. Anopheles gambiae s.s showed high resistance to pyrethroids, carbamates, and organochlorines, indicating that urban agricultural practices increase the risk of sustaining malaria transmission year-round.

Peter Nixon, Anu Ramaswami · Environmental Research Letters · United States

This paper quantifies environmental benefits and disbenefits from various vegetable farming localization scenarios across 378 US metropolitan areas. While scenarios found few significant land constraints and revealed net environmental benefits to groundwater overdraft and fertilizer-related PM2.5 emissions in 11%–55% of metros, the model also revealed where relocalization would exacerbate existing environmental vulnerabilities. This indicates potential environmental tradeoffs depending on the location.

· The MIT Press eBooks · Global

This book examines community farms in Latin America, Australia, and China, highlighting tensions between local identities and global transformation. It finds that while industrial expansion in export agribusiness generates macroeconomic benefits, it incurs micro-level costs such as the replacement of peri-urban farms by plantations, loss of biodiversity, and groundwater contamination from pesticides and fertilizers. The study suggests that food system intermediaries are crucial in connecting rural migrants with urban farms and resources.

Javier Rodrigo-Ilarri, Claudia P. Romero-Hernández, Sergio Salazar-Galán, María-Elena Rodrigo-Clavero · Sustainability · Spain (Valencia)

This article analyzes the impact of urban sprawl on the Valencia Plain aquifer system from 1990 to 2018 using the Weighted Environmental Index (WEI). Results show urban surfaces expanded by 70% and rainfed agricultural areas declined by over 59%, leading to a 9.2% reduction in environmental value (WEI decreased from 44.80 to 40.68). These changes threaten ecosystem sustainability and reduce the capacity to deliver ecosystem services.

Yuanchao Hu, Prajal Pradhan, Haoran Zhang, Zhen Wang, Qianyuan Huang, Qiqi Jia, Xihong Lian, Chao Xu, Rui Yang, Yuxi Tian, Zhibang Xu, Limin Jiao, Jürgen P. Kropp · Resources Environment and Sustainability · China

This study constructed a new dataset of urban productive spaces for 124 large Chinese cities to assess the potential of urban agriculture. It found that approximately 30% of urban vegetable demand could be met by utilizing spaces such as rooftops and open areas. However, urban agriculture showed little potential for greenhouse gas emission mitigation, with an average intensity (0.30 kgCO2e/kg) similar to traditional agriculture (0.31 kgCO2e/kg).

Alex Barimah Owusu, Collins Adjei Mensah, Clement Kwang, Gerald Albert Baeribameng Yiran, Ronald Reagan Gyimah, Dominic Edem Hotor, Princella Ofori Darko · International Planning Studies · Ghana

This paper analyzed the replacement of green spaces with brown spaces in Accra, Ghana, from 1991 to 2021 using Landsat satellite images. Brown areas increased from 24.5% in 1991 to 81% in 2021, while green areas decreased from 75.5% to 19% during the same period. The study found a significant reduction in green spaces due to urbanization.

Aprilia Shyntia Dewi, Muchlisiniyati Safeyah · Sinektika Jurnal Arsitektur · United States

This qualitative descriptive study analyzed the application of permaculture design principles through architectural elements at Vertical Harvest Farms, USA, using secondary data. The research found that Vertical Harvest Farms largely incorporates permaculture design principles through architectural elements, such as greenhouse-based materials adapted to local climate and optimal spatial arrangement. However, regarding mass typology, the farm was found to be less compliant with the permaculture design principle of "Design from Pattern to Detail."

F. Xavier Medina, José Antonio Vázquez–Medina, Marco Covarrubias · Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks · Mexico (Mexico City)

This chapter discusses the factors linking food production, social and environmental problems, and future challenges in the chinampas of Xochimilco, a UNESCO World Heritage wetland area in Mexico City's peri-urban zone. It examines strategies implemented by stakeholders and their effects to envision future scenarios for sustainable food systems. The insularity of the chinampas imposes a particular character on agri-food production and the life of inhabitants, highlighting existing social and environmental problems.

Ara Jeong, Dylan S. Connor, Ronald I. Dorn, Yeong Bae Seong · Land · Global

This study modeled the impact of urbanization on soil erosion across global cities using modern erosion data and cosmogenic nuclide 10Be analysis. It found that urbanization accelerated soil erosion by approximately 7–19 times in environments with mean annual precipitation below 1500 mm, and by 23–72 times in wetter urban centers. A century-long expansion of Phoenix, USA, accelerated soil erosion by about 12 times, supporting the urban cycle of soil erosion theory.

Yvon Mwengwe Muhongo, Eric Nice Nshembe Chishungu · Journal of Advanced Psychology · Democratic Republic of Congo

This study investigated the psychological and environmental impacts of climate change and mining degradation in villages surrounding the Mutanda Mining site in Lualaba province, Democratic Republic of Congo, using a mixed-methods approach. Findings reveal that proximity to the mining site is a major determinant of ecological deterioration and psychological distress. Villages within 5 km of the site showed higher environmental degradation, stronger perceptions of climate change, and significantly elevated eco-anxiety and ecological stress levels. Community resilience mechanisms such as social support, community gardens, and local ecological restoration initiatives partially mitigate psychological impacts.

Yanick Borel Kamga Valerie Njitat Tsama* · Journal of Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences (JBES) · Cameroon (Nkongsamba)

This study assessed the impact of untreated waste from the municipal slaughterhouse in Nkongsamba, Cameroon, on vegetation by conducting floristic inventories at upstream, near, and downstream sites. Twenty-five 100 m2 plots were established at each site, revealing a total of 105 species from 79 genera and 41 families. The downstream site exhibited the highest species richness with 81 species, 70 genera, and 35 families, but these results showed a dominance of ruderal taxa and pollution bio-indicators like Commelina benghalensis and Tithonia diversifolia, reflecting ecological disturbance of the plant environment.

Mahacla Odongo, Caleb Mireri, Peter Mwangi · Environmental Technology and Science Journal · Kenya (Nairobi)

The Nairobi River riparian reserve in Kenya has undergone immense land use and land cover changes over the past 20 years due to urban development. A survey of 650 respondents revealed that urban agricultural activities dominated the upper segment at 69%, commercial ventures constituted 79% of the middle segment, and residential usage comprised 89% in the lower segment. These activities caused significant degradation from crop cultivation of river slopes, pollution infiltration, and loss of biodiversity, indicating a severe depletion of the riparian space's functions.

Marcus Robinson, Jacky Bowring, Shannon Davis, Sarah Edwards · Landscape Research · Global

This narrative review explored how urban expansion at the rural-urban fringe drives the loss of productive agricultural land, biodiversity, and ecosystem services. The review examined how these competing interests can be negotiated spatially, emphasizing the role of multifunctional green infrastructure to integrate both food production and ecological function across the urban-rural continuum.

Fuchaka Waswa, Duncan Gichabe, Ruth Kahuthıa-Gathu · Journal of the Kenya National Commission for UNESCO · Kenya (Ruiru)

This study investigated land use changes in Ruiru Sub-County, Kenya, from 1988 to 2024 using GIS. By 2024, agricultural land had decreased by 45.62%, while urban land use increased by 509%, and bare/rocky areas rose by 133% due to abandoned stone mining. The decline in agricultural land leads to reduced industrial crop areas and a shift to leafy vegetables, with an expected increase in agro-chemical use in intensive peri-urban farming.

Abdul Rahim Mohammed Sabtiu, Isaac Amankona Hinne, Isaac Kwame Sraku, Daniel Kodjo Halou, Richard Tettey Doe, Simon K. Attah, Fred Aboagye‐Antwi, Yaw A. Afrane · Malaria Journal · Ghana (Accra)

A study in Accra, Ghana, investigated mosquito larval habitats and their impact on Anopheles gambiae s.l. larvae density, conducting surveys at 15 locations during 2022's dry and rainy seasons. Of 727 potential habitats, 65.34% were positive for Anopheles larvae, with drainage ditches being the most common type. Irrigated urban farming sites showed the highest abundance of An. gambiae s.l. larvae, particularly during the rainy season, indicating that urban farming contributes to increased mosquito breeding habitats.

Emilie E. Ellis, S. Campbell, Jill L. Edmondson · Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences · Global

A large-scale assessment across three cities found up to a 43% reduction in species richness of bees, hoverflies, and nocturnal moths in urban horticultural sites along urbanization gradients. These declines are driven by taxon-specific landscape changes like reduced tree canopy and semi-natural habitat. Moths and hoverflies were particularly sensitive to urbanization compared to bees, indicating a wide range of pollinators are under threat in urban landscapes.

Cristian Granados Martínez, Meyer Guevara-Mora, Eugenia López‐López, José Rincón Ramírez · Water · Colombia

This study evaluated aquatic macroinvertebrate community structure in the Ranchería River, Colombia, across conserved, urban/agricultural, and mining zones during the dry season (January–March 2021). Urban/agricultural zones showed the lowest richness (35 genera) and were characterized by disturbance-tolerant species, particularly Melanoides. Land use types constituted the primary driver of community structure, with a 24.1% pure effect, exceeding physical, chemical, and land cover variables.

Shuang Gan, Wanglin Yan · Applied Geography · Japan

A multi-scale analytical framework examined changing relationships between urban expansion and farmland protection during the transition from population growth to decline, applied to the Odawara region of Japan. Since population decline began in 2010, conflicts between urban expansion and farmland protection have remained concentrated along the urban-agricultural fringe, with farmland loss and fragmentation continuing despite reduced development pressure, and population change was found to indirectly cause paddy field loss via built-up land expansion with a five-year lag. The main driver of farmland loss has shifted from urban development to agriculture-related loss driven by labor shortages and low farming efficiency, and agricultural promotion areas moderately retain paddy fields but offer only limited protection against fragmentation.

Sumit Vij, Vishal Narain · Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews Water · Global

This review addresses a knowledge gap on how peri-urban residents in Asia and Africa adapt to the impacts of urbanization and climate change on water security. As rural-urban boundaries rapidly blur in the global South, peri-urban spaces are characterized by weakening access to water resources, depleting common property institutions and poor civic engagement, and the review presents the persistent marginalization of peri-urban residents from a water security perspective, while also showing that they do develop adaptation measures. Existing literature is found to focus primarily on (1) increased vulnerability of peri-urban agriculture and allied sectors, (2) barriers and enablers to water-security-related adaptation planning, and (3) justice in peri-urban areas, and the review calls for further study of emerging cooperation and collective action that could reduce conflicts between peri-urban and urban inhabitants and improve water security.

Vidjinnagni Vinasse Ametooyona Azagoun, Kossi Komi, Djigbo Félicien Badou, Expédit Vissin, Komi Sélom Klassou · Geographies · Africa

Drawing on socio-economic, techno-agronomic, and perceptual data collected from 369 growers in the Grand Nokoué region of Benin, this study combined multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) with ascending hierarchical analysis (AHA), confirmed by K-means partitioning, to identify profiles of climatic vulnerability among urban market gardeners. Three distinct vulnerability groups were identified, differing in socioeconomic, technical, and territorial characteristics and in their exposure to flooding, drought, and dry spells. The most vulnerable farmers were disproportionately young women with low incomes, limited access to land, and reliance on manual irrigation in flood-prone areas. The findings point to an uneven distribution of adaptive capacity and a need for public policies tailored to strengthen the resilience of small-scale, low-income, and land-insecure urban farmers who are exposed to these climate-related risks.

Johanna Bock, Márcio Zamboni Neske, Martin Krauß, Andrea Dombrowski, Jörg Oehlmann · Environmental Sciences Europe · Europe

Focusing on small water bodies in private urban gardens, this study examined whether chemical pollution limits insect diversity, given that gardens make up a significant share of urban green area and can serve as important habitats and stepping stones for insects, while pesticides, fertilizers and chemical run-off from building materials can strongly affect habitat quality and insect biodiversity. Garden pond toxicity was assessed using in vitro and in vivo methods and chemical screening. Of 17 ponds examined, only one water sample and one sediment sample were found non-toxic in a bioluminescence assay with Aliivibrio fischeri. Enhanced dioxin-like activity was measured in seven water and ten sediment samples using a reporter gene assay with Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and most water extracts showed mutagenic potential in the Ames fluctuation assay (Salmonella typhimurium strains YG1041 and YG1042), while most sediment extracts were not mutagenic. Increased larval mortality of Chironomus riparius occurred in five water-sediment systems built from pond samples, correlating positively with in vitro water toxicity and with concentrations of benzothiazole derivatives measured by LC-HRMS, likely originating from EPDM rubber pond liners. Substance composition differed significantly between house and allotment gardens, with higher concentrations measured in allotment ponds. The study concludes that chemical pollution in private urban gardens may have been underestimated to date, and that pond toxicity can severely affect insect populations, warranting further study.

Krishna R. Reddy, Jaqueline Rojas Robles, Suzane A. V. Carneiro, Banuchandra Nagaraja · Journal of Environmental Engineering and Science · United States (Chicago)

Using an existing hydroponics system in Chicago as a case study, this life cycle assessment (environmental impact via SimaPro, social and economic sustainability via a semi-quantitative approach) compared a hypothetical scaled hydroponics system against a scaled community garden serving the same number of users in the same area. The results show hydroponics systems present greater sustainability challenges than community gardens overall, though a hydroponics system incorporating LED lights was found to be more sustainable than the community garden; the authors call for future research to more accurately assess the differences between the two models.

Kelley AT, Boger R · EcoHealth · 米国・ニューヨーク市ブルックリン

A survey of mosquito larval abundance and genera across 22 community gardens in Brooklyn, New York. The authors frame these gardens as social spaces providing food sovereignty to many New Yorkers, while the arrival of Aedes albopictus and the longtime presence of Culex pipiens make socialising in them more dangerous — Ae. albopictus is associated with dengue, Zika and chikungunya, and Cx. pipiens is a longstanding West Nile virus vector. Because both breed in human-made plastic containers, knowing their preferred container types and locations can inform gardeners' best management practices. Non-purposeful container types and lower total volumes of water were significant predictors of higher mosquito densities, though these variables did not predict egg-laying preference.

Ricard Segura, Johannes Langemeyer, Alba Badía, Sergi Ventura, Jaime Vila-Traver, Gara Villalba · The Science of The Total Environment · Spain (Barcelona)

A study in the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona, Spain, investigated the impacts of peri-urban agricultural expansion on the food-water-climate nexus using urban metabolism and atmospheric-biosphere models across four land-use scenarios. While expansion increased food production and irrigation water requirements, replacing natural non-forested and forest areas for peri-urban agriculture was predicted to reduce net ecosystem productivity by up to 18.5% and total carbon stocks by 3.3%. Irrigated peri-urban agriculture potentially reduced near-surface temperatures by 0.7°C, though reductions in the densest urban areas were minimal.