Research & reports

Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.

4 results

• Beyond the Plot: Systematic Literature Review of Landscape Approach and Systems Thinking Towards Sustainable Urban Agriculture and Farming

  2026

  Pooja Boddupalli, Steffen Nijhuis, N. M. J. D. Tillie · Sustainability · Global

  This systematic literature review investigated how landscape-based approaches (LbAs) and systems thinking (ST) have been concurrently applied to analyze and design urban agriculture and farming (UAF) initiatives. Screening 92 records, the study identified 12 peer-reviewed articles published between 2015 and 2025, reflecting the nascent state of this interdisciplinary approach. The findings revealed limited integration of spatial analysis with systems thinking across scales in current scholarship.

  Methodological critiqueFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changeBiodiversityPolicy
  Read source →DOI: 10.3390/su18115726

• AGRICULTURA URBANA E ESTÉTICA AMBIENTAL: UM MAPEAMENTO DE AUTORES INSPIRADO POR J. DOUGLAS PORTEOUS.

  2023

  Claudia Rochael Oliveira, Eneida Maria Souza Mendonça · Geografia (Rio Claro) · Global

  This article aimed to map authors discussing environmental aesthetics in urban agriculture research, inspired by Porteous's work. Using a bibliographic survey and visual representations, the study found no publications intersecting urban agriculture and environmental aesthetics. Research on urban agriculture and landscape was notably greater than on urban agriculture and aesthetics, and studies applying aesthetic theory to urban agriculture were very limited, especially in high-tech contexts like vertical farms.

  Methodological critiqueUrban–rural linkageCommunityBiodiversity
  Read source →DOI: 10.5016/geografia.v48i1.17780

• Understanding Multiple Ecosystem Services of Urban Agriculture Across Scales

  2023

  Jiangxiao Qiu, Hui Zhao · EDIS · Global

  This overview identified eight ecosystem services generally attributed to urban agriculture, including food production, microclimate regulation, stormwater retention, and social-cultural values. However, the study found that quantitative evidence for many of these ecosystem services, especially intangible ones, is scarce. It suggests that while urban agriculture could be integral to green infrastructure, further consideration is needed for types, technology, management, and potential tradeoffs.

  Methodological critiqueBiodiversityClimate changeHealthOrganic cyclePolicyCommunity
  Read source →DOI: 10.32473/edis-fr461-2023

• Ecosystem services and land sparing potential of urban and peri-urban agriculture: A review

  2017

  Jennifer Wilhelm, Richard G. Smith · Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems · Global

  This 2017 global review analyzed 320 peer-reviewed papers on urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) published between 2000 and 2014, focusing on UPA's impact on ecosystem services (ES) and land sparing potential. The review found that while UPA research is growing, few studies (n=15) place UPA in the context of ES, and no studies explicitly quantify its land sparing potential. Additionally, few studies (n=19) quantify UPA's production potential, indicating a significant data gap.

  Methodological critiqueUrban–rural linkageBiodiversity
  Read source →DOI: 10.1017/s1742170517000205