Research & reports

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

7 results

• Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment of Urban Wastewater Reuse: Successes, Persistent Pitfalls, and a Practical Path Forward

  2026

  Eleonora Santos, Zeeshan Arshad · Sustainability · Global

  This critical narrative review synthesized evidence from 25 peer-reviewed studies on Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) applications in urban municipal wastewater reuse. While positive outcomes were reported under specific conditions like low-carbon energy grids and short transport distances, persistent methodological pitfalls were identified. These include weak pillar integration, an underdeveloped social dimension, inconsistent system boundaries, and insufficient consideration of absolute sustainability.

  Methodological critiqueClimate changeOrganic cyclePolicy
  Read source →DOI: 10.3390/su18147291

• 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

• Urban Agriculture or Agriculture in Urban Space? A Systematic Review of Concepts, Characteristics and Typologies

  2025

  Joyce dos Santos Saraiva, Caio Cézar Ferreira de Souza, Maria Lúcia Bahia Lopes, Helena Lúcia Zagury Tourinho, Marcos Antônio Souza dos Santos · Revista de Gestão Social e Ambiental · Global

  This study, using a systematic literature review with the PRISMA method, investigated whether distinctions between urban and rural agriculture justify "urban agriculture" as a specific category. The analysis revealed a lack of consensus among authors, with a predominant understanding that there are not two distinct types of agriculture, but rather the same activity carried out in different spaces, which questions the validity of the term "urban agriculture."

  Methodological critiqueUrban–rural linkagePolicy
  Read source →DOI: 10.24857/rgsa.v19n5-050

• 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

• Local foods systems and community economic development

  2020

  Steven C. Deller, David Lamie, Maureen Stickel · · Global

  This review provides a critical analysis of current research on local and regional food networks, including urban farming projects. It reveals that many presumptions of the local food movement remain largely untested, and much of the current research lacks strong theoretical grounding and quantitative rigor. The review emphasizes the importance for practitioners to distinguish between objective, research-based information and speculative, advocacy-oriented analysis.

  Methodological critiqueEconomicsPolicyCSA & TeikeiFood sovereignty & justice
  Read source →DOI: 10.4324/9781003016151-2

• Farm to School Intensity Levels: A Systematic Review and Proposed Measurement Tool

  2017

  Erin Vernoni, Jessica Price, Shoko Kumagai · · Global

  A systematic review of quantitative peer-reviewed Farm to School (FTS) research found ambiguity and variability in FTS inputs. This makes it difficult to generalize outcomes for policymakers. The study proposes a pre-tested intensity measurement tool to standardize research in this area.

  Methodological critiqueFood educationCommunityPolicyHealth
  Read source →DOI: 10.33423/jabe.v19i11.777

• Applications Potential of Structural Path Analysis in Urban Agriculture: A Literature Review

  2014

  Harry Kasumba, Tabukeli Musigi Ruhiiga · Journal of Human Ecology · Global

  This literature review explored the potential of Structural Path Analysis (SPA) for investigating urban agriculture. The review found that urban agriculture has not yet attracted scholarship using the SPA technique. It also identified that smaller geographical areas often lack applicable databases for SPA, and a critical requirement for SPA is a developed system of continuous record-keeping by participants, which is often absent.

  Methodological critiqueEconomicsPolicy
  Read source →DOI: 10.1080/09709274.2014.11906681