Research & reports

Kadima Muamba Donatien, Kabaubabo Kalombo Jean- Jacques, Mavula Kikwe Alexis, Kako Gbolo Etienne · International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology (IJISRT) · Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa)

Peri-urban agriculture in the Democratic Republic of Congo heavily relies on natural rainfall, leading to yield decreases of up to 50% and a lengthening of the crop cycle from 21 to 45 days during the dry season. This study proposes the design and implementation of an autonomous IoT-based irrigation system to optimize water use at Green Village, Kinshasa. The proposed solution aims to enable real-time adaptive irrigation, reducing water loss and stabilizing production.

Khumalo N. Z., Sibanda M., Mdoda L. · Frontiers in Nutrition · 南アフリカ・エテクウィニ市（ダーバン）

A multi-stage sample of 412 small-scale urban crop farmers in eThekwini municipality, South Africa, with a conditional mixed process model relating a composite index of climate-smart agriculture adoption (agroforestry, conservation agriculture, crop diversification, rotation, cover crops, drought-tolerant crops, mulching, organic manure, wetland use, soil conservation) to farm income and a wealth index. Adoption was positively associated with both, but the authors state the estimated income association is "relatively modest" and should be read with caution. Several socio-economic variables showed counterintuitive associations, and because existing agricultural training showed a weak association with income-enhancing adoption, the authors call for context-specific, outcome-oriented training and extension rather than more of the same.

Caroline Merheb, Joshua S. Caplan, Pralad Phuyal, Jordan Macknick, Nicholas C. Davatzes, Sujith Ravi · npj Urban Sustainability · Global

This study evaluated ground-based agrivoltaics in an urban context. It demonstrated that while early-season yields may decline due to light reduction in temperate climates, productivity rebounds during periods of extreme heat, extending harvest windows and enhancing crop resilience.

Sustiyana Sustiyana, Teguh Soedarto · Jurnal Agrosains Karya Kreatif dan Inovatif · Indonesia (Pamekasan)

This study aimed to analyze the influence of access to organic waste, training and education on waste management, government policy support, environmental and social awareness, and business opportunities on income and environmental preservation in sustainable urban farming in Pamekasan. Conducted at Roemah Maggot Nusantara, which uses Black Soldier Fly maggots for organic waste management, the study used multiple linear regression analysis. Results showed that all independent variables simultaneously had a significant effect on income and environmental preservation. However, partially, only environmental and social awareness had a significant effect, while access to organic waste, training and education, government policy support, and business opportunities did not show a significant effect.

Rui Ling, Sarah N. Strack, Anne Abbott, Haley Schneider, Aryn McLaren · Health Promotion Practice · Global

This qualitative study explored facilitators and barriers to implementing an electronic redemption system in a Healthy Food Incentive (HFI) program among farmers' markets, farm stands, and community-supported agriculture. Semi-structured interviews with HFI staff identified six facilitators and ten barriers, including a cumbersome registration process, technological difficulties, the risk of losing customers, and insufficient capacity. The evaluation highlighted the necessity of localizing technology dissemination.

Kinga Kimic, Magdalena Błaszczyk · Sustainability · Poland (Warsaw)

This study identified and assessed vegetable cultivation projects submitted to the Warsaw Participatory Budget (WPB) between 2015 and 2023. The research classified projects into six types and evaluated them across social, functional, ecological, and economic dimensions. The results showed that vegetable-related projects in the WPB were decidedly niche, with only 101 initiatives submitted and 31 implemented, primarily focusing on education for children rather than direct food access.

Natalie Meyer, Simona Trandafir · Journal of Environmental Economics and Policy · United States (Rhode Island)

A choice-based survey of over 600 US residents from Rhode Island examined preferences and perceived value for green rooftop (GR) space allocations for agriculture, solar energy, and recreation. Latent class modeling revealed that Class 1, representing 20% of respondents, was generally unsupportive of GR installation and expressed disutility towards GR space allocation for solar energy. Both classes uniformly favored allocating GR space for agriculture production and showed a positive willingness to pay for this feature.

Gang Wang · Agricultural History · China (Shanghai)

This historical analysis of Shanghai's vegetable supply system examines the limitations of peri-urban agriculture. In the early 1950s, Shanghai relied on distant rural areas for vegetables, shifting to suburban production in 1958 after rural sources were cut off. Efforts to sustain this suburban-centric system faced challenges, and government attempts to phase out the planned economy in the 1980s had limited effect. By the early 1990s, the suburban-centric system was abandoned, leading to a return to nonlocal vegetable predominance.

Isabela Thomas Mkude · TANZANIA JOURNAL OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY · Tanzania (Dar es Salaam)

In Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, the utilization of faecal sludge derived compost (FSDC) by urban farmers remains limited due to farmers' prejudice and hesitance. This study investigated factors influencing FSDC acceptance through a cross-sectional survey of 76 urban farmers. Results indicated that garden location in communal areas, income generation as the primary farming purpose, and accessibility of soil inputs were significantly associated with FSDC acceptance. Farmers' awareness and experience also played important roles.

Hedwig Ajeng Grahani · GeoEco · Indonesia

A 2024 systematic survey of 217 urban farming households in Yogyakarta City, Indonesia, used Stata 19 for hypothesis testing and SPSS 27 for descriptive statistics, running a multiple linear regression of net urban farming income against 22 variables covering sociodemographics, farm structure, input management, biotic stress and institutional support (R2 = 0.7448). Eleven variables had a significant effect, with farm size the most favorable factor, followed by financial support, seed subsidies and technical aid; gender and family size also showed positive effects. Crop type correlated negatively with income, and biotic stress — particularly pest type and severity — substantially reduced income, while training and market access were not statistically significant.

Liz Ignowski, John Luis Lagdameo, Liel Gonzalez, Arma Bertuso, Pepijn Schreinemachers · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems 11(1) · Philippines (Quezon City, Metro Manila)

A quantitative survey of 300 urban food producers in Quezon City, one of the 17 cities of Metro Manila, examining who practises urban agriculture, the methods and technologies used, the challenges met and the benefits gained. Production is mainly small-scale and subsistence-oriented, with commercialisation limited except among those with access to agricultural land. Self-produced food does increase access to fruit and vegetables, but participation reflects economic vulnerability rather than food sufficiency, and both scale and commercialisation depend strongly on land access — a structural barrier in dense cities. The authors conclude that urban agriculture in Quezon City acts as a safety net rather than an income source, while also providing enjoyment and stress relief, and that urban food-security policy should be realistic about the limited role of urban food production.

Evangelista et al. · Agronomy for Sustainable Development · Europe

This 8-year case study tracked tomato cultivation in a rooftop greenhouse. Peak yield reached 49 g plant−1 day−1 in the 2023 cycle, but overall yield declined by 31.2% across the 8 years. Best water use efficiency reached 36.8 g/L under reduced irrigation. Solar transmittance dropped from 50.9% in 2015 to 46.4% in 2023 due to polycarbonate degradation, and life-cycle global warming impact rose from a minimum of 0.54 kg CO2eq to 0.94 kg CO2eq in 2023.

James Comtois · Institutional Investor · Global

Signatories to the UN Principles for Responsible Investment grew from 63 institutions with $6.5 trillion under management in 2006 to 2,450 with $80 trillion in 2019. The article reports a research paper by Demirer and Zhang arguing that institutional ESG investing is largely herding driven by fad, reputational concern and fund flows, and has improved neither corporate ESG engagement nor investment performance. At the time of writing, global ESG fund inflows had fallen 50 per cent over the previous year, with a record $12 billion withdrawn in a single quarter.

I Putu Gede Didik Widiarta, Dinar Anindyasari, Taufan Purwokusumaning Daru · Jurnal Ekonomi Pertanian dan Agribisnis · Indonesia (Bontang City)

This quantitative study surveyed 220 urban farming respondents in Bontang City, Indonesia, to analyze consumer behavior in adopting livestock waste as organic fertilizer for household agriculture. While knowledge (β=0.58; p<0.01) and environmental impact perception (β=0.47; p<0.05) significantly influenced adoption, major barriers included negative perceptions of livestock waste odor (62%) and limited access to processing technology (45%). These findings highlight significant challenges to the widespread adoption of organic fertilizers from livestock waste in urban areas.

Juan Diego Torres, Sara R. Jaeger, Patricia Puerta, Amparo Tárrega · Applied Food Research · Spain

This study investigated Spanish consumers' perceptions of five lettuce cultivation systems using explicit and implicit methods with 105 participants. Local/small agriculture was most favorably regarded, while urban community gardens were perceived as less safe for lettuce production. High-tech greenhouses were considered safer but less sustainable, and vertical indoor farming elicited a surprise reaction due to low familiarity.

Yaw Agyeman Boafo, Bob Offei Manteaw, Philip Antwi‐Agyei, Portia Adade-Williams, Nana Ama Browne Klutse, Kofi Asare, Doreen Larkailey Lartey, Bernard Ayittiah · Discover Cities · Ghana

This study assesses future climate risks and sectoral vulnerabilities in Ghana's Cape Coast Metropolis using meteorological data and downscaled climate projections through 2100. Findings indicate significant warming trends and heightened rainfall variability, which render peri-urban agriculture highly susceptible to crop failure, fishery declines, and water scarcity. Informal economic sectors are also at risk from infrastructure damage and income impacts.

Abiola Adebunmi Olarinre · International Journal of Research and Innovation in Applied Science · Nigeria

This research surveyed 240 households in Osogbo, Ile-Ife, and Ilesa cities in Osun State, Nigeria, to analyze urban household food security and coping mechanisms. Findings showed that only 17.9% of households achieved food security, with 39.6% experiencing moderate and 16.3% severe food insecurity. Household income, education, household size, credit access, and food expenditure share significantly influenced food security.

Dailey Fischer, Roberta Romano, Mariana Monteiro Kugler Batista, Mario Prokopiuk, Valério Alécio Turnes, Carlos Alberto Cioce Sampaio · Ambiente & sociedade · Brazil (Curitiba)

An exploratory survey (N=401, n=144) was conducted to assess food waste patterns among consumers involved in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) initiatives in the Central Urban Core of Curitiba, Brazil. The results showed that participation in CSAs does not significantly influence consumer behavior regarding food waste. This indicates a need for sustainable consumption education and context-specific solutions.

Citra Dusun, Magie M. Kapojos, Mervina Rondonuwu, Christine Lomo, Rinny Lontoh, Filan Mandang, Yuannita Aida · Jurnal Pengabdian Ibnu Sina · Indonesia (Manado)

A program in Manado, Indonesia, aimed to enhance food security and self-reliance by promoting chili cultivation in home gardens through socialization, counseling, and seed distribution. While it provided positive economic impacts, the program faced challenges including limited access to agricultural inputs and post-program plant maintenance. Further research and continued mentoring were recommended to evaluate its effectiveness and maximize impact.

Ioana Florea · · Global

This chapter finds that while collective urban gardening projects represent forms of resistance against market-based food systems, the precarization of urban natures, and real-estate dominance, their everyday practices often fail to deliver on these ideals and intentions, generating incomplete, contradictory, or temporary results. It proposes a heuristic frame linking space, time, and class to review prior urban-gardening research from a political-ecology perspective, tracing how space's materiality, time embedded in plant growth, and class differences conditioning gardeners' access to space and time produce these contradictions.

Fadhil Adi Nugraha, Ira Malihatun, Siwi Gayatri, Titik Ekowati, Sumarsono Sumarsono · AGRICOLA · Indonesia

In Semarang City, Indonesia, a survey of 86 farmers from four Women Farmer Groups (KWT) who received the government's Sustainable Food Yard (Pekarangan Pangan Lestari) program — using questionnaire interviews, descriptive analysis, and a literature review — assessed the program's social, economic, and environmental impacts. The social impact was rated "less" (score 31.10%), the economic impact "low" (28.88%), and the environmental impact "very low" (18.60%). The program strengthened social relations among farmers but was not effective in improving farming skills or public health; economically it had potential to contribute to household expenditure but had not optimized income growth or job creation; and its environmental impact remained limited, particularly in preserving biodiversity and reducing chemical use.

Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, Singapore · Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, Singapore · Singapore

On 26 September 2025, Minister Grace Fu replied to a parliamentary question on progress toward the "30 by 30" goal, stating that less than 10% of Singapore's food consumption is currently produced domestically. She called the goal "aspirational," set before COVID-19 under more favourable conditions, while noting locally produced hen eggs exceed 30% and beansprouts exceed 50% of local consumption, and that the alternative protein industry faces high energy costs and insufficient consumer acceptance.

Sreejith Aravindakshan, Hage Aku, Michi Tani · · India

This study investigated factors inducing the emergence, sustenance, and sustainability of urban agriculture using primary data from urban farming households in Kerala and Arunachal Pradesh, India. The research indicates that urban agriculture has provided questionable environmental gains and has not significantly improved urban food security, especially among the poorer sections.

Prajal Pradhan, Daya Raj Subedi, Kshitij Dahal, Yuanchao Hu, Prakriti Gurung, Sijal Pokharel, Sagar Kafle, Biplav Khatri, Sudeeksha Basyal, Monika Gurung, Aruna Joshi · Cell Reports Sustainability · Global

This systematic analysis of 1,450 urban agriculture publications examined its impacts on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It found urban agriculture is linked to all SDGs, with 142 targets showing positive sentiments and 136 showing negative sentiments, with positive sentiments roughly double the negative. The study concludes that urban agriculture does not inherently contribute to sustainability, as its impacts depend on specific practices and require tackling identified hurdles.

Bernard Afiik Akanpabadai Akanbang, Millicent Awialie Akaateba, Prosper Issahaku Korah · Discover Cities · Ghana (Wa)

This exploratory cross-sectional survey in seven rapidly growing neighborhoods in Wa, Ghana, administered 285 questionnaires to residents to understand motivations, challenges, and constraints of home gardening. Results showed 56% of respondents had gardens, primarily motivated by beautification (56.1%) and food production (52.3%). Limited space (49%) and busy schedules (34%) were identified as main barriers. The study found that while garden ownership aligned with the autonomy need, the relationship need, which correlates with environmental motivations, was notably low among residents. This indicates a limited effect of environmental awareness on home gardening motivation in the surveyed population.