Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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Urban Agriculture and Smart Cities: The Integration of Controlled Environment Agriculture, Community Gardens, and Public Health Policies
2026Evelyn Seilhe Guerreiro, Márcio Luis Valença Araújo, Adilson Oliveira de Almirante, Eduardo Oliveira Teles, Aloísio Santos Nascimento Filho, Hugo Saba Pereira Cardoso · Journal of Bioengineering, Technologies and Health · Brazil
This study analyzed the integration of Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA), community gardens, and public health policies, using case studies from Brazilian cities such as Salvador, Recife, São Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro. CEA contributes to enhanced productivity in small spaces with reduced water and input consumption, while community gardens strengthen social cohesion, mental health, and local food supply. However, challenges remain regarding high implementation costs, regulatory gaps, and lack of institutional support.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyEconomicsClimate changeDESAFIOS E POTENCIALIDADES DA AGRICULTURA URBANA PARA A SEGURANÇA ALIMENTAR NA RMB
2026Maria de Nazareth Oliveira Maciel, Daniel Pereira Pinheiro, Luann Yago Oliveira Maciel · Veredas do Direito Direito Ambiental e Desenvolvimento Sustentável · Brazil
This study analyzed the contributions and challenges of urban agriculture for food security in three municipalities of the Belém Metropolitan Region, Brazil. Using multivariate factor analysis with 120 producers from November 2023 to February 2024, findings indicated urban agriculture ensures food security and reduces food scarcity concerns. However, the activity lacks public policy incentives for seed acquisition and land titling, hindering its advancement.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsWelfareClimate changeMapeamento de legislações de Agricultura Urbana e Periurbana no Brasil
2026Elisa Carvalho Lauer, Jaqueline Lima Liskoski, Kelliane Da Consolação Fuscaldi · Revista Campo-Território · Brazil
This study mapped and analyzed urban and peri-urban agriculture (AUP) legislation across municipal, state, and federal levels in Brazil, identifying 217 municipal laws in 113 municipalities, 33 state laws, and federal frameworks. The research systematized normative content into twelve thematic categories, showing AUP's integration into food security, urban sustainability, and income generation agendas. While a qualitatively consistent normative basis exists, gaps persist regarding conceptual definition, area guarantees, water access, financing, and credit. It is necessary to expand and harmonize regulations across all three spheres to consolidate AUP as a structural strategy for sustainable cities.
Governance failurePolicyFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsBelo Horizonte’s Right-to-Food Model
2026Hoyoon Jung · The International Journal of Social Sustainability in Economic Social and Cultural Context · Brazil (Belo Horizonte)
This study analyzes Belo Horizonte, Brazil's right-to-food model, which has reduced hunger and promoted social equity through integrated food policies like subsidized food programs and urban agriculture. Despite its successes, the model faces challenges in policy sustainability, financial constraints, and political continuity, and the study notes limitations including reliance on secondary data.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justicePolicyHealthEconomicsThe spaces in between: an actor network analysis of alternative food systems in Latin America and the Caribbean
2025Gonzalo Lizarralde, Sara Latorre, Neidy Clavijo, Benjamín Herazo, Manuel Pérez, Kevin Gould, Myriam Paredes, Elsa Monsalve, Nicolás Ordoñez, Roberto Burdiles, Claudio Araneda, Lisa Bornstein, Ricardo Dueñez, Adriana Patricia López Valencia, Oswaldo López, Andrés Olivera, Pedro Tex Martinez, Gloria Artze · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · Latin America and the Caribbean
This study investigated the emergence, legitimization, and survival of alternative food systems in low-income settlements across Latin America and the Caribbean. Researchers conducted 340 interviews and 312 questionnaires, following 18 bottom-up initiatives related to food production, distribution, transformation, and consumption in urban and peri-urban areas of Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, and Chile. Empirical results demonstrated the inadequacy of existing regulations and policies to comprehend the dynamic resistance occurring in the "in between" spaces of both identities and urban structure.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityEconomicsPolicyTransformation of Agrarian Land in the Urban Periphery: Dispossession, Legalization and Dispute in Cuautlancingo, Puebla
2025José Arturo Méndez Espinoza, Martín Neri-Suárez, Karen Italia Ruiz-López · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Mexico (Puebla)
A case study in Cuautlancingo, Puebla, Mexico, revealed an adverse context for the reproduction of peri-urban family farming. Urban expansion, neoliberal policies, and real-estate speculation have displaced traditional agricultural practices and fostered land-tenure changes. Between 2005 and 2021, over 40% of agricultural areas were lost due to industrial and housing growth. The study concludes that without effective protection and territorial planning, peri-urban agriculture in Cuautlancingo is at risk of disappearing under urban and industrial pressures, with implications for local food security.
Governance failurePeri-urban agriculturePolicyEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceDeliberative methods for cultural ecosystem services
2025Luna Khirfan · · Canada (Waterloo)
This chapter introduces three deliberative methods for cultural ecosystem services, based on empirical experimentation. One method, a conventional charrette, sought to understand and overcome barriers to community gardening at four community gardens in the Region of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The study identified barriers to community gardening.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyEconomicsProfile of Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture in Rio de Janeiro State: Case Study
2025Letícia Englete de Mello, Dirlane de Fátima do Carmo, Daiane Cecchin, Leonardo da Silva Hamacher, Marcel Carvalho Abreu, R. M. Anjos, Mariana Vezzone · Revista de Gestão Social e Ambiental · Brazil (Rio de Janeiro)
This study investigated the profile of 159 urban and peri-urban agricultural producers across 29 municipalities in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, using quantitative interviews and statistical analysis. Producers were predominantly men over 50 with limited education, cultivating small plots with organic methods but receiving little technical support. Key challenges identified were a lack of assistance and resources, and urban agriculture's potential is hindered by the absence of effective public policies.
Governance failurePeri-urban agriculturePolicyCommunityEconomicsImpulsores e inhibidores de la agricultura urbana a partir de una aproximación diacrónica desde 1821 hasta 2023: el caso de Xalapa (Veracruz, México)
2025Juan Camilo Fontalvo-Buelvas, María Teresa Pulido Silva, Miguel Ángel Escalona Aguilar, Raúl Romero Ramírez · Memorias · Mexico (Xalapa)
This diachronic study analyzed the drivers and inhibitors of urban agriculture in Xalapa, Mexico, through a historical tracing from 1821 to 2023. Drivers included rural immigration, academia, and government programs, while inhibitors were identified as diversification of trades, ejido laws, remittances, health policies, and food markets.
Governance failurePolicyEconomicsCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageUrban Gardening in Latin America and Panama: A New Strategy for Conservation
2025Belma Soto-Fernández, Lurys Bourdett-Stanziola · Asian Journal of Agricultural and Horticultural Research · Latin America
A documentary review on the importance of urban gardening in Latin America revealed that urban gardening, when approached through the lens of agrobiodiversity, has become a key strategy for safe food production and environmental sustainability. However, it was found that several Latin American countries lack clear and established laws to regulate this activity. Preliminary evidence of rotavirus was detected in fresh vegetables from an urban garden in Panama, indicating that urban gardens can become infection foci capable of causing diseases of public health and veterinary importance.
Governance failureCommunityBiodiversityFood sovereignty & justiceHealthEconomicsPolicyUrban Agriculture Embedded in a Food Systems Approach: The Baltimore Story
2024Sarah Buzogany, Abby Cocke, Holly Freishtat, Yeeli Mui, Mariya Strauss, Sylvia Kelly · Urban agriculture · United States (Baltimore)
Baltimore, United States, has developed urban agriculture policies over the last decade, integrating them into a food systems approach to sustainability. Policy development covered zoning, permitting, land leasing, and soil regulations. However, challenges were encountered regarding staffing, funding, resident engagement, and differing city agency priorities, especially concerning land access. The experience highlights the importance of mainstreaming food policy into urban planning.
Governance failurePolicyCommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceA profile of urban agricultural growers, organizations, their needs, and challenges in the Northeastern United States
2024Matthew L. Richardson, John Taylor, Megan J. Thompson, Anusuya Rangarajan, Mamatha Hanumappa, Neith G. Little · PLoS ONE · United States (Northeastern United States)
This online survey of 394 urban growers, primarily in the Northeastern United States, profiled growers and assessed urban agriculture's state, identifying needs and challenges. Most growers were white (non-Hispanic), under 45, well-educated but without agriculture degrees. Urban agriculture was dominated by small non-profits and home/community gardens. A critical finding is that urban growers face diverse barriers, with the most common being land availability and long-term access in urban areas, and many reported low revenue or operating at a net loss.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyEconomicsUrban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceEcosystem services of urban agriculture and prospects for scaling up production: A study of Detroit
2022Joshua Newell, Alec Foster, Mariel Borgman, Sara Meerow · Cities · United States (Detroit)
A study in Detroit's Lower Eastside (~15 sq. miles) examined the spatial extent, characteristics, and residents' perceptions of urban gardens using spatial analysis and interviews. Gardens covered less than 1% of vacant land and were often ephemeral. Primary obstacles to scaling up urban agriculture in Detroit include uncertainty over land tenure, environmental pollutants, potential ecosystem disservices, and a lack of government support and capital investment.
Governance failureCommunityBiodiversityPolicyEconomicsClimate changeHealthA agricultura urbana e os circuitos curtos de comercialização de alimentos: estudo da Cidade de Álvares Machado - SP
2022Rosangela Hespanhol, Antônio Nivaldo Hespanhol · Revista de Tecnologia & Gestão Sustentável · Brazil
A case study of urban agriculture in Álvares Machado, Brazil, identified challenges including difficulties in accessing land and water for irrigation, the absence of official technical assistance services, and a lack of public policies at national, state, and municipal levels. Despite these difficulties, urban farmers are responsible for a significant portion of leafy greens and legumes production, establishing direct relationships between producers and consumers through markets and street stalls.
Governance failureCommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justicePeri-urban agricultureContradictions in the collective practice of urban agriculture: a Bourdieusian analysis
2022Ana Clara Aparecida Alves de Souza, Fernando Dias Lopes · Cadernos EBAPE BR · Brazil (Porto Alegre)
This article analyzes an urban collective garden, Horta da Formiga, in Porto Alegre, Brazil, through a two-year participatory investigation using Pierre Bourdieu’s framework. The study found that the more protagonists of Horta da Formiga align with capitals considered legitimate by the state, the more they can reconcile contradictions in this field. However, despite individual agency, participants face structured conditions that do not allow for more organic and diverse forms of contradiction reconciliation.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyEconomicsA AGRICULTURA URBANA E AS RELAÇÕES COM AS INSTITUIÇÕES LOCAIS: OS CASOS DE BELÉM-PA E PORTO ALEGRE-RS (2011-2014): THE URBAN AGRICULTURE AND RELATIONS WITH LOCAL INSTITUTIONS: THE CASE OF BELÉM-PA AND PORTO ALEGRE-RS (2011-2014)
2022Elvis Albert Robe Wandscheer, Rosa Maria Vieira Medeiros · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Brazil
This study investigated the interrelations between urban agriculture and local institutions in Belém-PA and Porto Alegre-RS, Brazil. In both municipalities, actions were observed that were implemented temporarily but lacked continuity. Porto Alegre showed more commercial channels derived from previously established institutional relations, while Belém presented several elements without alternative solutions for problems related to high temperatures and navigation distances.
Governance failurePolicyEconomicsClimate changeIdentifying Urban Agriculture Needs and Challenges for the Implementation of Green Labeling in Xochimilco, Mexico
2022Denise Arroyo-Lambaer, Luís Zambrano, Miguel Rivas, Diana Laura Vázquez-Mendoza, Fernanda Figueroa, Martha B. Puente-Uribe, Ana Cecilia Espinosa‐García, Marco A. Tapia-Palacios, Marisa Mazari-Hiríart, Daniel A. Revollo-Fernández, Alaíde Jiménez-Serna, Marco Covarrubias, Carlos Sumano · Frontiers in Sustainable Cities · Mexico (Mexico City)
This study investigated the needs and commercialization challenges of chinampa producers in Xochimilco, Mexico City, to assess the potential of a green label. The analysis, based on a literature review and producers' mental model analysis, found that unresolved issues like commercialization problems, consumers' unwillingness to pay fair prices, soil degradation, and poor irrigation water quality persist. These issues make it difficult for most producers to bear certification costs, indicating that implementing a green label would likely fail to deliver its intended benefits.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicyClimate changeAlmost there: On the importance of a comprehensive entrepreneurial ecosystem for developing sustainable urban food forest enterprises
2022Arnim Wiek, Stefanie Albrecht · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems · United States (Phoenix)
A multiyear transdisciplinary project in Phoenix, United States, analyzed the development of a sustainable urban food forest enterprise. The project built a coalition of supporters, secured a suitable site, codeveloped a vision and action plan, and fundraised a major start-up donation. However, research findings indicate that despite achieving success factors to some extent, an underdeveloped sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystem jeopardizes long-term success and multiplication efforts.
Governance failureCommunityEconomicsClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceConflict and oppositions in the development of peri‐urban agriculture: The case of the Greater São Paulo region
2022André Torre, Brenno Fonseca · Sociologia Ruralis · Brazil (São Paulo)
A study on the development of peri-urban agriculture in the São Paulo Metropolitan Region, Brazil, was conducted based on expert interviews, analysis of the regional daily press, and local information sites and blogs. It was found that territorial opposition between different land uses is one of the main factors preventing food production in urban and peri-urban areas. The study investigated local conflicts, their location, their link to agriculture, the consumption of agricultural soils, and the typology of opponents and supporters of this activity.
Governance failurePeri-urban agriculturePolicyUrban–rural linkageEconomicsEmpreendedorismo e riscos da criminalidade na agricultura urbana: o caso do bairro Curuçambá, Região Metropolitana de Belém
2022Paulo Silvano Magno Fróes-Júnior, Fabrício Khoury Rebello, Marcos Antônio Souza dos Santos, Cyntia Meireles Martins, Maria Lúcia Bahia Lopes, João Paulo Borges de Loureiro · Conjecturas · Brazil (Belém)
This study interviewed 63 urban farmers in Curuçambá, Belém Metropolitan Region, Brazil, analyzing business management and entrepreneurial skills amidst urbanization and crime risks. It found that 98.41% of businesses are family-managed, but 52.38% have little management experience, with 76.19% never keeping financial records and 81.71% never seeking technical assistance. A significant 33.33% of farmers rated criminality as "very high" severity, indicating that a lack of public safety severely limits commercial performance and investment in urban agriculture.
Governance failureEconomicsCommunityWelfareFood sovereignty & justicecooperativismo como elemento de fortalecimento da agricultura urbana e periurbana
2022Rafael Lima Oliveira, Gabrielly Dos Santos Lima Oliveira, José Raimundo Oliveira Lima · P2P E INOVAÇÃO · Brazil
This study investigated the role of cooperativism as an element for strengthening urban and peri-urban agriculture (AUP) in Brazil. Findings revealed that the absence of public policies and credit availability are limiting factors for AUP. Increased production and product outflow are also difficulties faced by these farmers, which could potentially be resolved through cooperation.
Governance failureCommunityEconomicsPolicyFood sovereignty & justicePeri-urban agricultureUrban Farming in Atlanta, Georgia: The Seed of Neoliberal Contestation or Hybridized Compromise?
2022Julia R Bryant · Digital Archive @ GSU · United States (Atlanta)
This paper explores how urban farming in Atlanta, Georgia, shows evidence of neoliberal shaping and retooling. Through qualitative analysis, including a case study, interviews with farmers, participant observation, and archival data collection, it examines how the city and the farm are understood from the perspective of the farmer to understand the degree to which these contestations are resisting neoliberalism. The research suggests that while urban farming can provide spaces for contestation to neoliberalism, scholars should more fully consider the hybridized nature in which urban farmers understand their work.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicyCommunityMobilizing ‘impermaculture’: Temporary urban agriculture and the sustainability fix
2022Eugene McCann, Nathan McClintock, Christiana Miewald · Environment and Planning E Nature and Space · United States (Portland, Oregon)
This paper introduces "impermaculture," a model of urban agriculture where farmers in cities like Portland, Oregon, embrace the impermanence of their operations, viewing the potential for displacement by higher-value developments as an intended modus operandi. This approach, utilizing portable growing systems, is presented as a means of stabilizing the "sustainability fix" in neoliberal cities. The study suggests that this 'impermaculture by design' shores up and temporally rescales the sustainability fix, providing stability to urban agriculture initiatives despite their temporary nature.
Governance failurePolicyCommunityEconomicsO reflexo da ausência de políticas de incentivo à agricultura urbana orgânica: um estudo de caso em duas cidades no Brasil
2020Larissa Maas, Rosane Malvestiti, Leila Amaral Gontijo · Cadernos de Saúde Pública · Brazil
This study assessed the main difficulties faced by seven urban organic farmers in two Brazilian cities without policies encouraging urban farming, through semi-structured interviews conducted from July to December 2018. The research revealed challenges such as a lack of trained labor, inadequate machinery and equipment for small areas, and insufficient financing, indicating that the absence of policies hinders the development of urban organic farming.
Governance failurePolicyEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityUne ferme urbaine multifonctionnelle : maîtrise foncière publique pour un projet d’agriculture innovant à Rovéréaz, Lausanne.
2020Françoise Jarrige, Cyril Mumenthaler, Joëlle Salomon Cavin · IRIS · Switzerland (Lausanne)
This chapter described and analyzed the implementation of a new agricultural project on a domain in Lausanne, Switzerland. The innovative process was built through confrontation between stakeholder strategies, with negotiations and adjustments. It appeared that powerful economic and legal constraints limited some expected innovations, particularly regarding land contracts. Ultimately, the anticipated multifunctional agricultural project was implemented through three coordinated structures: an association, a cooperative, and an agricultural enterprise.
Governance failurePolicyEconomicsCommunity