Research & reports

QianYing Chen, Pengyu Chen, Guangwei Liu · Food and Energy Security · China

This study, using China's 2007 sulfur dioxide emission trading as a starting point, reveals the relationship between Sulfur Dioxide Emissions Trading (SDE) and agricultural productivity. The analysis found that SDE can suppress agricultural productivity, and it has a greater negative impact on cotton-growing, non-rice-producing, and non-fruit-producing areas. Furthermore, SDE inhibits local urban agricultural productivity while promoting agricultural productivity in neighboring cities.

Hao Yang, Zijin Wang, Yueming Hu, Zhengxi Tan, Runyan Zou, L. Wang, Xiaoyun Mao · International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability · China (Guangdong)

A study in Guangdong Province, China, coupled a Bayesian belief network with density peaks clustering to analyze agricultural land resources. The research identified significant synergies between food production function and other functions, but also a trade-off with food cleanliness. Consequently, Guangdong agricultural land was zoned into five functional zones.

Strayker Ali Muda, Heripan Heripan, Fitra Gustiar · Springer Link (Chiba Institute of Technology) · Indonesia (Palembang)

This systematic review examined strategies, trade-offs, and synergies of climate-smart urban agriculture relevant to Palembang City, Indonesia. A total of 400 records were identified from Google Scholar and Scopus, with 352 unique records screened. While urban agriculture showed five key contributions, including strengthening food security, several critical trade-offs were identified, such as land scarcity, energy and water requirements, soil contamination risks, technological costs, and policy fragmentation. The review emphasizes that urban agriculture should be part of a broader transformation of urban food systems, not a stand-alone solution.

Tri Astuti, Hasddin Hasddin, Asrul Asrul, J Jasman, Muh. Yani Balaka, Haydir Haydir, Alfian Ishak, Muhamad Idham Handa, Villa Evadelvia Ginal Sambari, Eva Safitri Maladeni · European Journal of Sustainable Development Research · Indonesia (Kendari City)

This study quantitatively investigated the contribution of urban farming to economic growth and environmental sustainability in Kendari City, Indonesia. Urban farming is the third-highest contributor to the city's gross domestic regional product, accounting for 10.66% of total economic output, yet the sector's overall growth fluctuates, and its direct economic impact is underreported. In terms of environmental performance, Kendari's energy consumption and CO₂ emissions exceeded Asian Green City Index thresholds, categorizing the city as "below average" in sustainability.

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).

Rahul B. Hiremath, Sheelratan S. Bansode · Practice, progress, and proficiency in sustainability · India

This book chapter examines the use of treated urban wastewater to support agricultural resilience in Indian cities amid rapid urbanization that strains water supplies for farming. Using an interdisciplinary approach, it evaluates current practices, policy frameworks and stakeholder engagement to assess the practicality and efficiency of incorporating treated wastewater into urban agricultural systems, addressing both the potential benefits and the difficulties involved rather than reporting a specific measured outcome.

Li Jiacheng · Eco-Business / Dialogue Earth · China

China's mandatory waste-sorting policy, launched in Shanghai in 2019, improved diversion and recycling but created a new problem: overbuilt waste-to-energy incineration capacity. Shanghai diverted 54% of its waste (6.46 million tonnes) in 2021, up from 21% in 2018, while the number of national incinerators grew from 130 in 2011 to 927 by 2023, pushing 2022 national overcapacity to 100.99%.

Kinanti Safitri, Oekan S. Abdoellah, Budhi Gunawan, Parikesit Parikesit, Yusep Suparman, Akhmad Mubarak, Margareth Pardede · The Qualitative Report · Indonesia (Bandung)

This mixed-method study, involving 107 export-scale urban farmers in the Bandung metropolitan area, Indonesia, investigated their adaptation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Farmers prioritized commercial agriculture and adapted through market access, agricultural management, and financial resource strengthening. However, some adaptation methods were not environmentally friendly, as farmers increased reliance on synthetic inputs and used cold storage on open land, leading to intensive, non-environmentally friendly agricultural practices.

Pu Xu, Shanwei Li, Xiaona Yang, Yufeng Li · Journal of Environmental and Public Health · China

Agricultural statistical data from Shanghai for 1998-2019 were analyzed using an Environmental Kuznets Curve and a VAR model to examine the relationship between urban agricultural nonpoint source pollution (UANSP) and rural residents' income growth. An inverted "N"-shaped curve linked plastic film application intensity to per capita disposable income, while fertilizer and pesticide application intensity showed a linear negative relationship with income. Nonpoint source pollution emissions declined as income rose, and while reducing this pollution supported short-term income gains for rural residents, it had a negative effect on their long-term income growth.

Hamidullah Amin, Mansour Helmi · Environmental Science & Sustainable Development · Asia

A study of agricultural land in the Yakatoot area of Kabul, Afghanistan, examining the economic and environmental impacts of land-use change in the capital. It states plainly that, due to rapid population growth, population densification, and the city's inability to enforce its master plan and regulations, a large portion of agricultural land cover has been transformed into unplanned developments, shifting communities from productive societies into consumer and dependent ones. Using a qualitative approach combining field surveys, aerial photographs from Google Earth, and data from CRIDA, the study describes Afghanistan's land laws and identifies the social, economic and environmental impacts of this land-use change, while also reviewing international experience with land-use change and sustainable responses. The authors recommend incorporating urban agriculture practice into Kabul's master plan and other urban initiatives, though this recommendation is presented as the paper's own policy proposal rather than a measured outcome.

Christiane Joi Allen · Libraries and Cultural Resources (University of Calgary) · India (Mumbai)

This study evaluated the environmental, social, and economic benefits of urban agriculture in Mumbai, India, using Life Cycle Assessment and Cost Benefit Analysis. Results indicate that urban agriculture has lower greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption, and water consumption but higher eutrophication potential compared to commercial large-scale agriculture.

Zakir Hussain, Markus Hanisch · Journal of Environmental Planning and Management · India

This paper describes the adaptation of agricultural management practices in the urban periphery of Hyderabad, India, due to structural changes. Based on 120 farmer interviews, the study found that increasing costs for agricultural inputs like labor and land motivated farmers to intensify water, machine, and chemical use, which created problematic environmental impacts. Farmers also adapted by resorting to part-time farming and organizing efforts to share family labor.

QI Airon · · China

A study of Xi'an, China, built indicators for urbanization and urban agriculture development and applied principal component analysis and correlation analysis to examine their interaction mechanism and quantitative coupling relationship. Urbanization was found to promote urban agriculture's commercialization and scale through market effects and information diffusion, but rapid urbanization's rising population and industrial land use also strained land and water resources and degraded soil and the urban ecological environment, constraining urban agricultural development.

Minjae Kong, Kwang-Lai Park, Jin-Kwan Son, Ji-Hoon Shin · Journal of the Korea Society of Environmental Restoration Technology · South Korea (Seoul)

This study investigated the characteristics of rooftop gardens (farms) in 40 areas in Seoul, Korea. Cabbage, lettuce, pepper, and mini-tomatoes were the most preferred vegetables and fruits. Problems observed in rooftop gardens during cultivation included drainage systems, soil management, the cost or quality of planting mats, and diseases and insects.

Mattia Celio, Christopher A. Scott, Mark Giordano · Geographical Journal · India (Hyderabad)

A study in Hyderabad, India, examined urban water capture and its impacts on pre-existing claims, particularly agriculture. Urban water appropriation often leads to conflict with existing water uses. The findings indicate that the magnitude and direction of impacts from urban water transfer on agriculture vary spatially and temporally, depending on location-specific rainfall patterns, existing water infrastructure and institutions, and farmers' adaptive capacities, including recourse to groundwater.

Kenny Lynch · · Indonesia (Jakarta)

This piece reviews the literature on urban agriculture (UA), noting that Bryceson (1993) provides documentary evidence from as early as 1939 of UA's importance during and after the Second World War, and that the UN University's Food Energy Nexus research programme in the mid-1980s prompted researchers to examine agricultural cultivation within city boundaries more seriously. Since then, a significant body of literature has developed around a central debate over whether urban agriculture is beneficial, summarized by Lynch (2002). This summary is described as having two problems: it assumes urban agriculture is a homogenous activity with universally similar impacts, and it is largely viewed from the perspective of a city's population, so urban agriculture tends to be seen as beneficial for food, employment and the environment with little consideration of its impacts on the rural-urban food supply. This led Lynch, Binns and Olofin (2001) to argue that urban agriculture should instead be considered part of the broader urban food supply system.

James M. Wolf, M S van Wijk, X Cheng, Yuanhao Hu, C.A. van Diepen, A.W. Jongbloed, H van Keulen, C H Lu, R.P. Roetter · Environment and Urbanization · China (Beijing)

This paper reviews agricultural production trends in Beijing Municipality and their impact on water quality. Rapid urbanization and agricultural intensification have led to concerns regarding water resource quantity and quality. The agricultural sector, while supplying food, is a major water user and has contributed to significant water supply-demand gaps and high levels of water pollution, particularly from intensive crop, vegetable, and livestock production.