Research & reports

Alisa Sahavacharin, Fa Likitswat, Kim Irvine, Lihoun Teang · Land · Thailand (Pathum Thani)

This study assessed the potential of peri-urban areas for sustainable development, focusing on a pandan farming community in Pathum Thani, Thailand, using the Community-Based Resilience Analysis (CoBRA) approach. The community identified COVID-19, water quality, and solid waste as their primary disruptive challenges. The study concluded that the community was moderately resilient to hazards, and COVID-19 was the primary disrupting event over the past 10 years.

Engelbertus Nggalu Bali, Cornelia Theresia Asamal, Vanida Mundiarti · Early Childhood Education Development and Studies (ECEDS) · Indonesia

This descriptive qualitative study observed the transformation of a campus teaching program strengthening the Pancasila student profile in early childhood education in Alor Regency, Indonesia. Data was collected through observations and interviews with 3 principals and 1 teacher in 4 driving schools. The study found that challenges included media limitations, unstable electricity and network conditions, and teachers' understanding of modules and assessments.

Anubhav Pradhan · South Asia Research · India

This article analyzes the recalibration of justice for agrarian communities along the Yamuna in Delhi. Following a 2015 ban on edible crop farming by India's apex environmental court, the Delhi Development Authority has conducted multiple demolition drives for nearly a decade to evict farmers and clear land for redevelopment. The ongoing contentions involving farmers, planning agencies, and the judiciary in this region are symptomatic of the erosion of social justice in urbanizing India.

Elza D’Cruz · Landscape Research · India

This study examines the disappearance of a historic urban agriculture landscape in Bangalore, India, between the 1950s and 1970s, a period of post-independence urban planning, drawing on urban planning documents, government files and oral histories recorded with the Vahnikula Kshatriya, a traditional urban agriculture practitioner community. It finds that colonial frameworks embedded in post-independence urban development plans not only displaced urban agriculture but continue to affect it, and argues for changing how urban planning in formerly colonised places approaches urban agriculture.

Aji Saputra, Oekan S. Abdoellah, Gemilang Lara Utama · Local Environment · Indonesia

A commentary on the current state of urban agriculture implementation in large Indonesian cities, the initiatives underway and the mechanisms for pursuing stated goals. It identifies land scarcity, inadequate urban agricultural infrastructure, financial constraints, and regulatory and administrative problems as the major obstacles to implementation. It also states that urban agriculture improves quality of urban life by providing fresh, healthy food and fostering community engagement, and cites Singapore, New York and Ghana as examples showing the importance of policy support, innovation and community involvement.

Norbertus Citra Irawan, Suswadi Suswadi, Mahananto Mahananto, Agung Prasetyo · Jurnal Ilmiah Hijau Cendekia · Indonesia (Surakarta)

This study investigated changes in the urban farming community in Surakarta, Indonesia, using the AIDP model analysis approach, surveying 50 community members. Results showed varying success rates across strategy stages; evaluation strategies like partnerships with local traders and financial institutions, vertical land use, and open dialogue performed poorly. Furthermore, improving financial literacy and sustainable waste management systems were unsuccessful, and agricultural product brand promotion and innovative institutional models also performed poorly.

Xin Mai, Yueli Xu, Yungang Liu · Annals of the American Association of Geographers · China (Shanghai)

This study investigated the emergence and development of two flagship community garden cases in Shanghai, China, initiated in 2016. Observations revealed that a nonprofit organization, not local citizens or municipal government, proactively advanced community garden production and participation. The community garden phenomenon was found to reify an alternative subjectivity, emphasizing social organizations as a state "flanking mechanism" for extraeconomic urban governance objectives.

Lia Sekti Chrisnawati · Jurnal Ecolab · Indonesia

A literature review on the issue of agricultural land conversion to non-agricultural uses in Bekasi Regency, Indonesia, identified its direct impacts. The study noted reduced rice production, loss of fertile agricultural land, loss of investment in irrigation infrastructure, landscape damage, increased river and groundwater pollution, occurrence of natural disasters like floods and droughts, and a lack of water absorption areas. These findings indicate the need for policies and programs supporting sustainable urban planning.

Kyunghun Min, Jisoo Ahn, Eunseok Lee · Journal of people, plants, and environment · South Korea

This study analyzed exemplary cases from the US and Canada to identify factors for the active use of rooftop greenhouses (RTGs) in Korea. Despite international interest in RTGs for carbon neutrality and food security, their implementation in Korea is limited by a lack of relevant legal bases and policies. Essential factors for stable RTG operation include long-term support, initial capital, differentiated distribution, and a review of laws and regulations, highlighting the need for legal and policy frameworks.

Do-Eun Kim, Gwang-Ryul Son, Ga-Hyoun Yu, Yong-Hoon Son · Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture · South Korea (Seoul)

This study aimed to identify participation constraints perceived by school community members in urban farming activities using hydroponics and understand the structural relationships of variables influencing decision-making. Participation constraints were categorized into intrinsic, interpersonal, and structural factors. Hypothesis model verification results showed that interpersonal constraints significantly influenced participants' willingness to participate and their expected behavior.

Mahyuddiin · KnE Social Sciences · Indonesia (Makassar)

This qualitative study analyzed the network structure of sustainable urban farming development policies in Makassar City, Indonesia, using observations, interviews, and documentation with stakeholders. The findings indicate that the network structure is not fully effective due to erratic, uneven, and unclear contact between actors, and a lack of binding written agreements in the trust dimension. However, information sharing and resource exchange dimensions are progressing well.

Agnes Naipospos, Raia Azzura · Journal of Sustainable Development and Regulatory Issues (JSDERI) · Indonesia

Indonesia faces a reduction in vegetable supply due to rapid urban development, and urban farming can be a solution to meet food needs, reduce household expenses, and increase farmer income. Using a normative juridical approach, this study indicates that Indonesia needs an urban farming program, but its current implementation is not optimal. Therefore, the Indonesia Masterplan for Future Urban Farming (IM-for-FUF) is introduced as an innovation expected to better support the implementation of the green economy.

Saerom Ahn, Gyeong Mi Gi, Sonya N. Martin · Asia-Pacific Science Education · South Korea

This study examined specific structures that both afford and limit practices of environmental learning and community building in an urban community garden in South Korea. The analysis illustrated the importance of understanding the dynamic relationship between gardening practices and supporting structures. The research identified how structures can provide and also restrict learning opportunities and community building within the community garden setting.

Imelda Cahiles, Ricardo Bullecer · ACADEME University of Bohol Graduate School and Professional Studies · Asia

A study assessing the implementation of the Gulayan sa Paaralan Program (GPP) in schools in Lila District, Bohol, Philippines, revealed that the overall program implementation was less implemented. While roles and responsibilities at the school level and the establishment and maintenance of school gardens were implemented to a moderate extent, capability building, program monitoring, sustainability mechanisms, and program evaluation were less implemented. Respondents generally perceived the program as moderately beneficial and reported that implementation-related problems were less serious.

Asa Roast · International Journal of Urban and Regional Research · China

An ethnographic study in Chongqing, Southwest China, examined informal peri-urban agriculture on undeveloped land created by state-led expansion since the early 2000s. This "empty land" is informally used by displaced peasants and migrant workers for agriculture. The study reveals that these spaces are ambiguously positioned outside urban governance and are under threat of rapid enclosure within urban accumulation regimes.

Raktima Ghosh · · India (Kolkata)

This study examined the roles and emergent risks of urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) in the Kolkata Metropolitan Area, India, using a mixed-method approach combining empirical findings and geospatial techniques. Field observations and land use land cover (LULC) mapping validated land conversion patterns and the spatial shrinkage of UPA in the Kolkata metropolis. The study revealed current socioecological changes and governance patterns in the context of UPA, indicating that UPA faces multiple challenges arising from land-use transformations, privatization of lands, and changing social equations in the city.

Can Wu, Xiaoma Li, Yuqing Tian, Ziniu Deng, Xiaoying Yu, Shenglan Wu, Di Shu, Yulin Peng, Feipeng Sheng, Dexin Gan · Agronomy · China (Changsha)

This study investigated the impact of perceived ecosystem services (ES) and disservices (EDS) on behavioral intention towards urban community gardens (UCGs) among 1142 residents in Changsha, China. While government decision-makers often refuse UCGs, residents' attitudes, perceived behavioral control, and subjective norms positively impacted their behavioral intention towards UCGs. Perceived ES had a direct positive impact on behavioral intention, whereas perceived EDS had a direct negative impact.

Gabe Arif Ditama Sinaga, Yani Kurniawan, Ayuni Kusumawati · Jurnal Ilmu Sosial dan Humaniora · Indonesia (Malang)

This reflective study, conducted with 30 informants in Malang City, Indonesia, investigated factors driving urban farming success during the COVID-19 pandemic. Previous research identified external constraints, such as minimal government intervention, and internal issues, like low public enthusiasm. However, this study found that during the pandemic, urban farming conditions, public enthusiasm, and government intervention increased. The research also correlated communal society and local cultural elements with urban farming activities, suggesting optimal practice when implemented at a community scale and linked to local culture.

Zihao Chen, Lin Guo, Zilong Zhang · Highlights in Science Engineering and Technology · China (Shenzhen)

As urbanization accelerates in China, urban green space is becoming increasingly insufficient. This study analyzed Shenzhen's current three-dimensional greening policies and compared them with those of advanced foreign cities. The findings revealed three problems in Shenzhen's policies: a small scope of application, a lack of planning elements, and a low degree of compulsion. The paper proposes improvement solutions and optimization suggestions based on the governance experiences of other cities to address these shortcomings.

Putu Adi Wiratenaya, Ni Nyoman Yuliarmi · Jurnal Penjaminan Mutu · Indonesia (Bali)

This research investigated strategies to improve urban agriculture quality for food security in Bali Province, Indonesia, using a literature study method. The findings revealed that urban farming in Bali faces many obstacles, including the absence of regulations on urban farming, the lack of an institution to protect urban farming communities, and ineffective marketing methods. Government support is needed for the agricultural sector.

Alesandros Glaros, Geoff Luehr, Zhenzhong Si, Steffanie Scott · Land · China

An exploratory study investigated the manifestation of urban agriculture within the context of Ecological Civilization (EC) in four Chinese cities, through four months of on-site interviews and surveys with urban agriculture practitioners. The study found that capital-intensive and peri-urban approaches to urban agriculture are favored under EC, while small-scale intra-urban initiatives are actively discouraged in policy and risk overlooking grassroots efforts and local residents' needs.

Kinanti Safirtri, Oekan S. Abdoellah, Budhi Gunawan, Yusep Suparman, Parikesit Parikesit · The Qualitative Report · Indonesia

A qualitative study with 27 export-scale urban farmers in Bandung Metropolitan investigated market pressures to meet international food standards. While intended to encourage environmentally friendly practices, farmers interpreted the implementation of international food standards as an administrative formality for export requirements, rather than a critical reflection on environmental problems from intensive agricultural practices. Consequently, market pressure from international food standards was found to be paradoxical and ineffective in fostering farmers' environmental responsibility.

Ferdi Gultom, Sugeng P. Harianto · Jurnal Analisa Sosiologi · Indonesia

Using dependency theory, this literature study analyzes the decline of the agricultural sector in urban Indonesia, arguing that the government's focus on industrial-sector development, mediated through a central state-satellite relationship, has drawn in the modern sector at agriculture's expense, manifested in widespread conversion of urban agricultural land. Drawing on news sources and journals and analyzing data with the Miles and Huberman model, the study finds that the urban agricultural sector is fading as farmland is increasingly converted to industry, infrastructure and settlements, and that farmer regeneration has declined due to reduced interest in becoming a farmer.

Rahmad Hendra, Firdaus Firdaus, Samariadi Samariadi · UNIFIKASI Jurnal Ilmu Hukum · Indonesia

A descriptive qualitative study of land disputes between oil palm plantation companies and Indigenous communities in Bencah Kelubi and Subarak villages, Kampar Regency, Indonesia. In Subarak, the plantation investor applied the Free, Prior and Informed Consent principle (locally PADIATAPA) before investing and built a garden for the Indigenous community. By contrast, the other company covered in the study failed to honor its commitment to build community gardens and disregarded the PADIATAPA principle. The study concludes that applying PADIATAPA at the outset could substantially reduce conflict between plantation companies and Indigenous people.

Elly Rasmikayati, Anton Eisa Putra, Bobby Rachmat Saefudin · MIMBAR AGRIBISNIS Jurnal Pemikiran Masyarakat Ilmiah Berwawasan Agribisnis · Indonesia (Bandung City)

This study used descriptive statistics to examine urban farming-based TOGA plant cultivation activities and their obstacles in Rancabolang Village, Bandung City. The program has not run optimally, with cultivation activities not reaching the production stage for economic use, as most harvests are only for PKK group members and harvesting is not routine. Key obstacles include limited land and seed needs for cultivation, unscheduled harvesting, small production for marketing, and low member participation and irregular meetings for organization.