Research & reports

Manuela Alves da Cunha, Ryzia de Cássia Vieira Cardoso · Ambiente & sociedade · Brazil (Salvador)

A descriptive study was conducted to highlight the contribution of urban gardens to promoting Food and Nutrition Security and sustainable development in Salvador, Brazil. Data collected from urban garden farmers in the city showed that the gardens have been promoting work and generating income for families, contributing to food supply and security. In addition to producing fresh vegetables for the local population, the activity contributes to ecosystem balance and sustainability.

Joshua Arnold · Processes · United States (California)

A survey of 29 urban farms in the San Francisco Bay Area from 2014 to 2017 examined on-farm spatial composition, management practices, and estimated productivity. Findings showed a large proportion of farm area dedicated to infrastructure and underutilized potential production space. All surveyed farms adopted diverse agroecological practices, and measured farms were productive with estimated seasonal yields of 7.14 kg/square meter, comparable to actual yields at two farms.

Elizandra Flávia Araujo, Marcos Paulo Fuck · Cadernos de Ciência & Tecnologia · Brazil (Curitiba)

This study aimed to identify and characterize different categories of urban agriculture practitioners in Curitiba. A descriptive study using bibliographic and documentary analysis found that urban agriculture activities are concentrated in peripheral areas of the city, with most participants having a monthly family income of up to two minimum wages. Despite a wide range of actors engaging in these practices, their visibility and inclusion in the political agenda occur asymmetrically.

Yadira Méndez–Lemus, António Vieyra, Lorena Poncela, Beatriz de la Tejera, Cinthia Ruiz-López · Frontiers in Sustainable Cities · Mexico

A paper examining the interactions between peripheralization, vulnerabilities of agricultural livelihoods, and local collective agency in creating new capabilities in intermediate Mexican cities, based on a study in Tarímbaro municipality, part of the intermediate city of Morelia. The unit of analysis was the ejido, a form of social land tenure granted to landless peasants in 1917 after the Mexican Revolution and one of the most important forms of social organization in rural Mexico; about half of Mexican territory comprises more than 30,000 community-based land tenures, mainly ejidos, and a high proportion of land now occupied by urban centres was formerly ejido land. The study used the example of 15 ejidos notably affected by the expansion of Morelia, conducting semi-structured interviews with each ejido's president in 2015, followed by a survey of 61 individuals from 11 of the 15 ejidos. The peripheralization of Morelia was found to have produced inequalities in the adjacent municipality of Tarímbaro, with differential vulnerabilities in peri-urban agricultural livelihoods found among the participating ejidos; not all ejidos succeeded in addressing vulnerabilities linked to the urbanization of agricultural land, but those that achieved some success shared characteristics that reinforced common values and motivations toward shared goals for sustaining local livelihoods. The paper highlights the importance of functional rural organizations in regulating access to, and distribution of, resources in the peripheries of intermediate cities.

J. Dominique Gumirakiza, Autumn Milliner · Journal of Agricultural Science · United States

Using data from 172 consumers responding to a 2020 mail survey in the Southcentral Kentucky region, USA, a study applied Multinomial and Ordered Logit models to analyze farmers market attendance and likelihood of participating in a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. Relative probabilities for 'never attend,' 'attend occasionally,' and 'attend frequently' were 55%, 29%, and 16% respectively, with male consumers, rural residents, primary shoppers, and those with a 2-year associate degree less likely to attend farmers markets, while more educated consumers and those satisfied with prior market experiences attended more frequently. Consumers interested in using an app to purchase fresh produce were more likely to attend farmers markets and join CSA programs, while rural residents were less likely to join a CSA program.

K.L. Hanson, W. Wang, J. McGuirt, A. Ammerman, M.M. Severs, E.H. Morgan, S.B.J. Pitts, R.A. Seguin, F. Becot, M. Sitaker, J. Kolodinsky · UNC Libraries · United States

Semi-structured interviews with 20 CSA (community-supported agriculture) members and 24 CSA farmers across four US states, plus a modified choice experiment completed by members, examined the product, place, price and promotion (4P) factors behind member satisfaction and farm competitiveness in 2022. Both members and farmers were driven by personal, social, environmental and economic motivations. Members favored high-quality staple vegetables such as lettuce and green beans, ideally organically grown, and valued trust and personal connection with the farmer as an added benefit of CSA participation. Pick-up time and location mattered greatly, prompting farmers to offer convenient sites or enriched pick-up experiences. Small price changes appeared unlikely to affect participation among current members. Social networks and word-of-mouth were effective for marketing but may limit farms' ability to reach more diverse populations.

Osmar Manoel Nunes, Shirley Grazieli da Silva Nascimento, Mariana Rockenbach de Ávila, Luciellen de Lourdes Silveira Vieira, Criziane Flores Pamplona · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Brazil

This case study analyzes the socioeconomic conditions of two peri-urban family farms producing organic lettuce in Dom Pedrito, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil — regarded as among the region's leading farmers — with gardens in the Rincão da Figura and São Gregório areas. Using case-study methods, researchers conducted in-depth interviews with the farmers and on-site visits, analyzing the data through Textual Discourse Analysis. Production relied exclusively on family labor with minimal use of chemical inputs, characterized as a transitional stage toward organic production; output was sold at the weekly Friday municipal market and supplied to three additional small stores in the city. The study concludes that, despite strong competition from large distribution networks, lettuce production and sale remained profitable, constituting an alternative source of income and job creation in family farming.

Paulo Silvano Magno Fróes Júnior, Fabrício Khoury Rebello, Cyntia Meireles Martins, Maria Lúcia Bahia Lopes, Caio Cézar Ferreira de Souza, Joyce dos Santos Saraiva, João Paulo Borges de Loureiro, Antônia do Socorro Aleixo Barbosa, Geany Cleide Carvalho Martins, Janayna Galvão de Araújo, Marcos Antônio Souza dos Santos · Journal of Agricultural Studies · Brazil

This study characterized agricultural production systems under urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) in the Curuçambá neighborhood of the Metropolitan Region of Belém (RMB), Brazilian Amazon, identifying the main techniques, crops, and animals raised, and estimating production's contribution to family consumption on a complementary, exploratory basis. Data came from interviews with 63 residents (52.50% of the neighborhood's population), two weeks of food-consumption monitoring for six producer families, and georeferencing using Google Satellite imagery. Farmers came mainly from northeastern Pará (57.14%), with others from Maranhão (9.52%), Ceará (9.52%), and Paraíba (1.59%); urban agriculture in the region was established through the migration of rural residents to Amazonian cities. Most farmers had completed elementary school II (69.84%) and had an average monthly income of one to two minimum wages (50.79%). Agricultural production occurred in roughly 111 residences in the neighborhood, based on horticulture and small livestock keeping, across six production systems -- common beds (71.43%), suspended beds (12.70%), fruticulture (6.35%), agroforestry yards (3.17%), hydroponics (4.76%), and aquaponics (1.59%) -- directed toward supplying RMB markets. On average, 30.89% of farmers' income covered family consumption, and the opportunity cost of consumption for the five main crops grown (jambu, lettuce, coriander, chicory, and cariru) was estimated at R$79.88 monthly, 8.37% of the minimum wage at the time.

Kent Kovacs, Grant West, David J. Nowak, Robert G. Haight · Ecological Economics 197: 107424 · United States

A meta-analysis of 21 hedonic property-value studies and 157 unique observations estimates the elasticity of US home values with respect to tree cover. Finds a larger elasticity for off-property than on-property tree cover, suggesting home values rise more when the tree cover is not something the owner has to maintain. Reports that the elasticity in neighborhoods with more than 25 percent tree cover (0.013) is four times that in neighborhoods with 0-10 percent cover (0.003), meaning the effect is non-linear across coverage levels.

Instituto Escolhas · 100 Políticas (Instituto Escolhas) · Brazil

A case study of Belo Horizonte's urban agriculture policy. Under Municipal Law No. 10,255/2011, three types of production units — school-based, public-facility-based, and community-cooperative — operate a combined 182 units producing about 3.82 tons of food per month. The program's annual municipal budget is roughly R$2 million, of which R$1.5 million is allocated to the community-cooperative units.

Instituto Escolhas · 100 Políticas (Instituto Escolhas) · Brazil

A policy analysis of Rio de Janeiro's Hortas Cariocas program, launched in 2006. It comprises 56 gardens — 27 school-based and 29 community-based — across 25.3 hectares, employing 276 people (191 in schools, 85 in communities). In the first half of 2022 the gardens produced about 35 tons of food; in June alone, 7.2 tons were produced (3.1 tons sold, 4.1 tons donated), with roughly R$150,000 per month paid from the municipal treasury as stipends.

Rendón Schneir E. · e-Agronegocios, Vol. 7, No. 2 · Peru (Lima)

Analyzes short horticultural value chains (cadenas cortas) in Lima, showing that removing intermediaries improves farmer incomes and strengthens urban food security, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Catherine Sanders, Casandra Cox, Leslie Edgar, Donna Graham, Amanda Philyaw Perez · Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development · United States (Arkansas)

This qualitative study conducted in-depth interviews with 16 urban farmers in Northwest and Central Arkansas to assess their needs and their interactions with the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service. Needs were highly individualized by operation size, years in operation, and mission, but common needs included market pricing, co-ops, and equipment access; participants viewed Extension positively but noted it lacked resources specific to small-scale, sustainable farming.

Marilyn Sitaker, Mackenzie McCall, Weiwei Wang, Mia Vaccaro, Jane Kolodinsky, Alice Ammerman, Stephanie Jilcott Pitts, Karla Hanson, Diane Smith, Rebecca Seguin-Fowler · Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development · United States

Using a qualitative approach, this study describes the organizational models and best practices of five well-established nonprofit cost-offset community-supported agriculture (CO-CSA) programs in the US, which aim to increase low-income households' access to fresh produce while helping CSA farms grow. Administration took several forms—direct subsidies to member farms, acting as an aggregator/packer/distributor, or sourcing from an in-house incubator or food hub—funded through government grants, donations, and fundraising, with dedicated staff and community partnerships identified as key success factors.

Russomanno J., Jabson Tree J. · Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development · USA

A PRISMA-guided systematic review of how sense of community (belonging) at farmers markets shapes customer engagement, and how markets relate to food access for low-income shoppers.

Miranda Gómez, Omar, Aguilar-Gómez, Carlos Rubén · Revistes Científiques de la University of Barcelona (University of Barcelona) · Mexico

This article proposes a methodological route for data analysis using Google applications to study urban agriculture (AU) in Mexico during the COVID-19 pandemic. Information was collected from Facebook groups dedicated to AU in various Mexican states. Findings indicate that AU in Mexico offers social benefits, while the use of these technological tools for social research presents both advantages and disadvantages.

Bruno do Nascimento Macedo, Fernanda Nogueira Comas, Amarílis Lucia Casteli Figueiredo Gallardo · Journal of Urban Technology and Sustainability · Brazil (São Paulo)

This study discussed the main environmental services and disservices associated with urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) in São Paulo, Brazil, using a systematic literature review and spatial analysis. It identified 12 environmental services and 5 disservices, mapping 197 UPA initiatives. The research concluded that UPA has the potential to offer environmental benefits, but can also exert negative pressures on the environment, including in areas that should be protected.

Moisés Savian, Pedro Boff, Mari Inês Caríssimi Boff · Research Society and Development · Brazil

This study analyzed the contribution of urban agriculture to sustainable development in Brazilian cities and communities by reviewing 40 scientific articles published between 2009 and 2019. The findings indicate that urban agriculture is practiced across all regions of Brazil, exhibits diverse multifunctional characteristics, plays a significant role in maintaining agrobiodiversity, and supports food and nutritional security. It also contributes to economic, social, and ecological aspects of cities, potentially benefiting urban spaces, promoting health, and aiding educational processes.

Christine Costello, Zeynab Oveysi, Bayram Dündar, Ronald G. McGarvey · Environmental Science & Technology · United States (Chicago)

This study used optimization techniques to assess the land area and radius needed around Chicago, Illinois, to meet nutritional needs. It found that no mix of food items could satisfy vitamin D, B12, and calcium needs within a 650 km radius. While urban agriculture reduced the required radius by 10-15 km, significant nutrient fortification or supplementation was still necessary to localize the food system.

André Ruoppolo Biazoti, Vitória Oliveira Pereira de Souza Leão, Rafael Junqueira Buralli, Thaís Mauad · Estudos Avançados · Brazil (São Paulo)

Agricultural production and distribution in São Paulo, Brazil, were evaluated using official databases and seven semi-structured interviews with farmers conducted between 2018 and 2020. The findings indicate growth in agricultural practices and access to a wide variety of commercialization channels within the municipality. The opening of new markets, the development of public policies, and public recognition were essential for this growth.

Jessica Cuevas-Castilleja, Armando Martínez-Luz, Marcelo Adán López-Arzate, Itzel Arlette Ramírez-García, Gustavo Mora‐Aguilera, Norma Ávila-Alistac · Revista mexicana de fitopatología(en línea)/Revista mexicana de fitopatología · Mexico (Mexico City)

This study investigated the impact of COVID-19 on productive activities and the level of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) application among 108 urban agriculture farmers and extensionists in six areas of Mexico City. A digital survey in 2020 revealed that the sanitary emergency reduced extension services, though they continued with digital technologies. During the peak of COVID-19, 14% of farmers declined to sow the summer-fall season, and up to 75% reported 20% losses due to the epidemic. The main pest control strategies were mechanical (67%) and chemical (52%), indicating an intuitive understanding of IPM benefits despite farmers being unaware of its principles.

Michael H. Carriere, David Schalliol · · United States

This chapter presents a case study of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, exploring a counter-history of placemaking rooted in the city's "Rust Belt" context. It argues that urban agriculture in Milwaukee has become a globally influential hub, demonstrating that for its practitioners, it is about fostering community and new forms of urban redevelopment, beyond just food production. The study highlights how this overlooked history informs a new approach to creative placemaking.

Cecilia M. Tsu · Amerasia Journal · United States

This article examines community gardens established for refugees from Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos in the United States during the 1980s. It argues that refugee gardeners perceived a significant disconnect between their rural lives in Southeast Asia and the role of vegetable growing in the U.S., despite advocates emphasizing continuity with their past. The gardens provided a measure of economic empowerment, but highlighted the disjuncture in their resettlement experience.

Elizabeth Chaparro y Peredo · Encartes · Mexico (Guadalajara)

This study investigates alternative economic practices that emerged in response to structural crises, aiming to satisfy needs outside conventional markets, using Guadalajara, Mexico, as an example. By mapping actors in the city's alternative economies, a network of spaces promoting practices such as alternative markets, consumption cooperatives, community gardens, and bartering clubs was identified. These practices aim to foster community and autonomy, recovering social relations, the environment, and public health.

Elijalma Augusto Beserra, Vivianni Marques Leite dos Santos, Eva Mônica Sarmento da Silva, Lúcia Marisy Souza Ribeiro de Oliveira, Hesler Piedade Caffé Filho · ID on line REVISTA DE PSICOLOGIA · Brazil

This descriptive, qualitative, and quantitative research, conducted from September to December 2021, investigated how the community garden of the Coelho Atikum Jurema Community in Brazil was affected by Covid-19. The study identified a series of adversities faced by the community in adapting to the market changes resulting from Covid-19 social interaction rules. These rules directly impacted the community's marketing techniques, posing challenges to economic viability.