Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
8 results
Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment of Urban Wastewater Reuse: Successes, Persistent Pitfalls, and a Practical Path Forward
2026Eleonora 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 cyclePolicyBeyond the Plot: Systematic Literature Review of Landscape Approach and Systems Thinking Towards Sustainable Urban Agriculture and Farming
2026Pooja 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 changeBiodiversityPolicyEnvironmental performance and methodological challenges of Rooftop Greenhouses: An introductory paper
2026Yizhi Zhang · · Global
This report systematically reviews the environmental performance of rooftop greenhouses, focusing on life cycle assessment (LCA) approaches. The review found that existing studies are limited, often case-specific, and use diverse methodologies, hindering comparisons. Environmental performance is highly context-dependent and influenced by methodological assumptions, with conventional LCA often failing to capture dynamic interactions between greenhouse operations, crop growth, and host buildings, leading to an incomplete representation of environmental performance.
Methodological critiqueClimate changeEconomicsDigital agricultureEvaluation Methodologies for Circular Economy in Municipal Composting and Urban Agriculture: a Literature Review with Focus on Latin America
2025Sofía Aguado, Helena Cotler, Marta Astier, Alejandro Padilla‐Rivera · Circular Economy and Sustainability · Latin America
This literature review examined methodologies applicable to municipal composting systems linked to urban agricultural production, with a specific focus on the Latin American context. It revealed a lack of structured methodologies to assess the circularity of municipal organic waste management systems and their connection with urban agriculture, particularly in heterogeneous contexts like Latin American cities, despite numerous existing evaluation methods. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is commonly used but often prioritizes environmental impacts, neglecting social, economic, and circularity dimensions.
Methodological critiqueCompostOrganic cycleEconomicsClimate changeUrban and peri-urban agriculture under climate change: A review on carbon emissions and sequestration
2024Abdulhakeem Al-Qubati, Lulu Zhang, Matthias Forkel · Sustainable Cities and Society · Global
This 2024 global review examined 96 studies focusing on methods for estimating carbon sequestration (CS) and emissions in urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA). The review found significant research gaps: most studies were in the global north, research in the global south is lacking, and there are fewer studies on CS compared to GHG emissions. Additionally, few studies jointly assessed water and carbon cycles, and spatiotemporal analysis, modeling, and remote sensing for GHG emissions are underutilized.
Methodological critiqueClimate changeUrban–rural linkageUnderstanding Multiple Ecosystem Services of Urban Agriculture Across Scales
2023Jiangxiao 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 cyclePolicyCommunityHydrogel Application in Urban Farming: Potentials and Limitations—A Review
2022Swarna Devi Palanivelu, Nur Amira Zainul Armir, Amalia Zulkifli, Ainul Hafiza Abdul Hair, Kushairi Mohd Salleh, Keith Lindsey, Muhamad Hafiz Che Othman, Sarani Zakaria · Polymers · Global
This review discusses the potentials and limitations of hydrogel in urban agriculture. While hydrogel has been introduced in urban agriculture over the past few decades, its application is still being explored regarding hydrogel types, structure, physical and chemical properties, changes due to external factors, and suitability for different plant species. The study presents the current state of knowledge on hydrogel production methods, characteristics, advantages, and limitations.
Methodological critiqueDigital agricultureClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceOn the sustainability of aquaponics
2016Bettina König, Ranka Junge, András Bittsánszky, Morris Villarroel, Tamás Kőmíves · Ecocycles · Global
A literature review was conducted on the social, environmental, and economic impacts of aquaponics. The technology has potential applications in various settings, including commercial or community-based urban food production, industrial-scale production, small-scale farming, and educational systems. However, it is concluded that due to the complexity within markets, value chains, communities, infrastructure, and policy settings, further research and data acquisition are needed to fully assess all sustainability aspects.
Methodological critiqueDigital agricultureEconomicsClimate changeCommunity