Research & reports

Bethaney Turner · · Global

This chapter explored human-soil relations in urban home and community gardens through ethnographic fieldwork. While biodiverse soil offers direct health benefits, the presence of contaminated, toxic soils, prevalent in lower socio-economic neighborhoods, was shown to expose inequities in access to safe gardening sites and hinder the realization of potential therapeutic benefits. It argues that the therapeutic benefits of gardens are best realized when humans cultivate attentive relationships with myriad multispecies companions.

Małgorzata Burchard‐Dziubińska · Comparative Economic Research Central and Eastern Europe · Global

This study aimed to gather information on the practical experience of young urban residents using urban horticulture and agriculture products, determine their readiness to practice such production independently in the future, and identify environmental benefits (ecosystem services) related to urban horticulture and agriculture indicated by respondents. A comparative study was conducted with students from 29 countries, including Brazil, China, India, Mexico, Poland, and seven EU countries. The collected data were used to compare approaches to urban horticulture and agriculture and their produce across different countries and cultural backgrounds.

Hanif, Nayudin · UiTM Institutional Repositories (Universiti Teknologi MARA) · Malaysia

An experimental study at the Indonesian School of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia, introduced the "GREEN" urban gardening model to 34 high school students. The model, implemented through Project Based Learning, significantly improved students' knowledge scores from 64.85 to 76.77 and was found to effectively promote biodiversity, food, and learning experiences. Students perceived the model as engaging and user-friendly, contributing to enhanced activities and nutritional intake through fruits and vegetables.

Gizaw Ebissa, Kumelachew Yeshitela, Hayal Desta, Aramde Fetene · Environment Development and Sustainability · Global

This study investigated urban agriculture's (UA) contributions to environmental sustainability (ES) using scholarly search engines. Findings indicate UA contributes to ES by mitigating greenhouse gases, urban heat island effects, and floods, while enhancing biodiversity and promoting agro-tourism. However, challenges such as lack of policy support, exclusion from urban land use planning, and urbanites' behavior towards UA products limit its full benefits.

Lisandra Hernández-Guanche, Yoerlandy Santana Baños, Yusniel Dago-Dueñas, Ramón Hernández Carballo, Armando Del Busto-Concepción · Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Agrícolas · Cuba

This study identified the beneficial entomofauna associated with arboreal species in urban agriculture settings in Pinar del Río, Cuba. Between September 2019 and March 2020, a floristic inventory of arboreal biodiversity was conducted, and samples of bioregulators were collected. Twenty-three arboreal species were inventoried, with 65% being fruit trees. The highest species richness was detected in the orders Diptera, Mesostigmata, Hymenoptera, and Araneae. The most frequent bioregulators were Condylostylus sp., Ocyptamus costatus, and Phytoseiulus sp., while the arboreal species with the highest proportion of associated arthropods were Persea americana, Citrus limon, Morinda citrifolia, and Psidium guajava.

M.B. Gush, Tijana Blanuša, Lauriane Suyin Chalmin‐Pui, A. Griffiths, Elisabeth K. Larsen, Raghavendra Prasad, Marc Redmile‐Gordon, Chloe Sutcliffe · Plants People Planet · Global

This article presents an integrated and applied research approach to environmental horticulture from The Royal Horticultural Society. It emphasizes the importance of domestic and community gardens in the context of global environmental threats and discusses four primary research focus areas. These areas include responding to climate change, using plants for environmental regulation, sustainable resource management, and gardening for human health and wellbeing.

Akbar Rahimi, zahra nobar · Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution · Iran (Tabriz)

This study examined the effect of native plant-crop combinations on micrometeorological conditions and thermal comfort on urban agricultural land in Tabriz, Iran. Through ENVI-MET model simulations validated with field data, seven scenarios were identified. The findings showed that edible functions of deciduous plants increased with canopy height and diameter, improving thermal comfort in high-temperature conditions, and concluded that adopting this planting form would rejuvenate abandoned agricultural fields.

Kinga Albicz, Nóra Hubayné Horváth · 4D Tájépítészeti és Kertművészeti Folyóirat · Hungary

This study explores the landscape significance and unique features of former allotment gardens in Hungary, focusing on their vineyard origins and role in visual landscape protection. Using geographic information methods, the analysis revealed that a significant portion of allotment garden areas have a vineyard past. These areas contain unique landscape features at a density almost five times higher than the national average, with one-third of the country's vine and fruit production features concentrated there.

Saskia Keesstra, J.A. Veraart, A. Verhagen, Saskia Visser, Marit E. Kragt, Vincent Linderhof, Wilfred Appelman, Jolanda van den Berg, Ayodeji O. Deolu‐Ajayi, Annemarie Groot · Sustainability · Global

This paper examines the role of nature-based solutions (NBS) in the transition towards sustainable, climate-resilient food systems. A conceptual framework was developed to assess NBS contributions, evaluating three types: intrinsic NBS utilizing existing ecosystems, hybrid NBS managing and adapting ecosystems, and inspired NBS consisting of newly constructed ecosystems. Inspired NBS, in particular, are shown to increase opportunities for achieving sustainable development in food systems, facilitating the transition and contributing to reaching SDGs by 2030.

Elena Todorova, Miglena Zhiyanski · One Ecosystem · Bulgaria (Sofia)

This study examined urban soil conditions and their potential for regulating ecosystem services in different functional zones of Sofia, Bulgaria. Data from 30 experimental plots (0-10 cm soil layer) were analyzed for heavy metal concentrations (Cu, Zn, Pb, Fe) and soil quality indicators (pH, CEC, total carbon, total nitrogen). The results showed differences in the capacity of green, industrial, residential, and urban agriculture zones to regulate and maintain soil quality, informing mitigation measures for soil protection and restoration.

Asib Ahmed, Nazmun Nahar, Md. Shamim Hossain, Md. Shams Shahriar · Social Science Review · Bangladesh (Dhaka)

This study identified spatio-temporal changes in rooftop gardening (RTG) practices in the Dhaka Metropolitan Area (DMA) between 2016 and 2021, using digitized Google Earth images. The DMA experienced a moderate 15% increase in RTG during this period, with the western part having a larger RTG area than the eastern part. Planned residential areas showed higher RTG areas, while most government/non-government buildings had less RTG across 20 zones and the Dhaka Cantonment area.

Amartya Deb · · Global

This chapter examines the multi-layered social construction of "ambivalent landscapes" in wild green spaces, connecting them to concepts like age-value in heritage conservation and guerrilla gardening. It argues that plant-built assemblages offer novel imaginations of urban nature and contribute to environmental justice. The chapter also explains that the isolation of spontaneous nature on buildings from a city's metabolic processes makes it difficult to value as green infrastructure, yet microsites of wild vegetation hold potential for greening resource-scarce neighborhoods.

Catherine Simpson, Cade Coldren, Ioana A. Coman, Caitlyn E. Cooper, Gad Perry · IntechOpen eBooks · Global

This review focused on urban vegetation, whose importance is growing with expanding urban environments, examining its multiple uses, significance for urban wildlife conservation and sustainability, and media portrayal. Previously, the importance of urban vegetation was often emphasized in narrow literature niches related to horticulture and landscape architecture. This study surveyed diverse uses of urban horticulture and considered the role urban vegetation plays in urban ecosystem services and biodiversity.

Michael Hardman, Katherine C. R. Baldock, Stuart Connop, Kenny Taylor, Ross Stirling · · Global

Against a backdrop of high interest in blue-green infrastructure (BGI), this chapter examines how developers, planners, engineers, architects, and other actors are incorporating BGI into urban and rural environments. It notes that evidence shows approaches are often basic, relying on traditional landscaping methods that fail to explore BGI's possibilities, and reflects on advances in more radical approaches. The chapter begins with a review of how pollinator biodiversity can be enhanced through innovative BGI systems, then addresses incorporating food growing into BGI strategies and co-benefits with low-carbon energy.

Prof. Dr. Hasan YILMAZ · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Global

This 2023 paper introduces the concept of Biodiversity Friendly Cities (Biofriendly City) as a response to climate change. Citing a UN development report projecting that nearly 70% of the global population will live in urban areas by 2050, it argues this trend is driving rapid loss of urban green spaces and agricultural land, alongside environmental problems including transportation, infrastructure, energy, health and nutrition issues, air pollution, visual pollution and solid waste. Inadequate open and green spaces, obstruction of wind corridors, misguided urban planning, and light reflection from glass and shiny surfaces are described as contributing to urban heat island formation, while insufficient attention to natural and ecological thresholds leaves cities with difficult-to-reverse ecosystem damage and greater vulnerability to disasters. Urbanization is described as degrading productive landscapes such as urban green spaces and agricultural land, fragmenting habitats and increasing pressure on urban biodiversity, even as cities also create new habitats and species — with vascular plant and bird diversity in some temperate cities reported to surpass that of the surrounding landscape. Citing the IPCC, the paper notes global temperatures have already risen by 1.1°C, progressing toward 1.5°C.

Lukas Egli, Judith Rüschhoff, Joerg A. Priess · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · Global

A systematic review of quantitative empirical research on the sustainability effects of community-supported agriculture (CSA) covered 39 studies. Fewer than 30% of the studies assessed ecological sustainability aspects, but where CSA farms were compared to reference systems, they mostly performed better on resource use efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions. Most studies assessed social aspects; many showed that CSA still fails to reach low-income households, so members do not represent the average population, while CSA membership was associated with improved health and sustainability behavior. Economic variables were assessed in more than half of the studies, but knowledge of CSA's relative economic performance remains scarce, though early studies indicate high economic viability. The review calls for more research on ecological aspects specifically, comparisons across farming and marketing systems, and integration of knowledge from theses and practical sources in multiple languages.

Samir A. Haddad, Hossam Abdelmageed, Abdelaziz Saleh, Samia Ahmed, M. M. Abd El-Azeim, Joanna Lemanowicz, Gaber E. Eldesoky, Omar Saad · Sustainability · Egypt

Incubation and pot experiments under controlled greenhouse conditions used clay and sandy soils collected from peri-urban agricultural areas near El-Minia, Egypt, to test how different biochar application rates affected faba bean growth, cellulose decomposition, nodulation, and carbon-cycling enzyme activities. Biochar at 3 kg/sq·m was the most effective treatment, followed by 2 kg/sq·m; counts of cellulose-decomposing microorganisms rose to a high level in both soil types by 60 days of incubation and then declined by 90 days regardless of biochar rate, while clay soil showed significantly greater fresh and dry weight than sandy soil, and biochar overall improved soil health, microbial communities, and faba bean nodulation and growth.

Jean Pascal · Biodiversity online journal. · Global

Noting that insects constitute most of the biodiversity on Earth and provide a wide range of services to society while being threatened by human activities such as habitat destruction and urbanization, this article assesses advances in understanding the impact of insects on sustainable food production in low-income countries. It focuses on two research topics that have emerged in recent years: entomophagy combined with the creation of small household farms rearing insects for sale (the Thai example), and the use of insects to improve soil fertility and nutrient availability (the Zai example). The article advocates considering the diversity of solutions and adaptations found in nature, arguing that the ways local communities and ethnic groups use natural resources are vast and should be seen as a source of inspiration for scientists developing sustainable food systems.

· Philippine Journal of Systematic Biology · Philippines

A survey of 204 ground leaf litter samples from ornamental woody shrubs and herbaceous flowering plants, collected from elevated gardens in eight low- to high-rise buildings in Metro Manila, Philippines, used the moist chamber technique to examine the occurrence of myxomycetes (slime molds). Fourteen species from nine genera were identified, with overall moist chamber productivity ranging from 43% to 45%. Arcyria cinerea and Perichaena depressa were the most frequently recorded species. The survey provided evidence that rooftop gardens serve as suitable habitats for myxomycetes.

Aikaterini N. Martini, Μ. Papafotiou, Ioannis Massas, Nikoleta Chorianopoulou · Plants · Greece

Origanum dictamnus, a perennial herb endemic to Crete, Greece, was grown at two cultivation sites in Athens — an extensive green roof and ground level next to a moderate-traffic road — in two substrate types at 10 cm depth, to examine growth along with nutrient content (N, P, K, Na) and heavy metal accumulation (Cu, Pb, Ni, Mn, Zn, Fe) in its tissues. Plant growth was favored by the soil substrate but was also satisfactory in the soilless substrate. Cultivation site affected heavy metal accumulation, with higher concentrations found in leaves and flowers at street level, though no differences appeared in roots. Washing reduced heavy metal concentrations only in leaves grown at street level. Substrate type significantly affected manganese concentration in all tissues and iron concentration in roots, with the highest values in the soil substrate. The species could be cultivated on sustainable green roofs, preferably on a soilless substrate to reduce structural weight, but careful selection of the cultivation site was identified as necessary to minimize contamination with environmental pollutants when human consumption is intended.

Maulana Andinata Dalimunthe, Noviawan Rasyid Ohorella, Nabila Fahira Nasution · Journal of Peasants’ Rights · Global

This bibliometric literature review analyzed research using the keyword "urban farming" published between 2010 and 2023 to map the field's development. The reviewed literature characterizes urban farming as a way to improve food security and economic conditions in urban areas with potential positive impacts across economic, social, and environmental dimensions, and as commodity production it is concerned with distribution, marketing, and land area; the review itself does not report primary data from a specific location or population.

Kamal Prasad Acharya, Chitra Bahadur Budhathoki, Birgitte Bjønness, Krishna Prasad Duwadi · Advances in educational marketing, administration, and leadership book series · Nepal

A participatory action research study (observe-plan-act-reflect) involving students, teachers and parents as co-researchers examined a school-garden project at a public school in Nepal. The garden functioned as a "living laboratory" for learning about flora, fauna and their interrelations, and transformed teaching into a mix of indoor and outdoor sessions. Students developed a sense of responsibility for environmental conservation and were positioned as "junior scientists" caring for the garden, with parents, teachers and students engaging in it as a co-curricular activity.

Mark A. Goddard, Helen Glanville, Carla Comadran‐Casas, M. Ehsan Jorat, David A.C. Manning, Miranda T. Prendergast‐Miller, Kevin Stott · · Global

A book chapter on the role of soil within urban blue-green infrastructure (BGI). It outlines the characteristics of urban soils and their contribution to ecosystem services such as food production, flood mitigation, carbon storage and recreation, and discusses challenges and opportunities in managing and creating soils within urban BGI. The chapter closes with land-use-specific management recommendations and a call for greater recognition of urban soils in planning policy. It is a review/discussion chapter and reports no original data, study site or measurements.

Maria Korkou, Ari K.M. Tarigan, Hans Martin Hanslin · Urban forestry & urban greening · Global

A systematic literature review examines the multifunctionality concept in urban green infrastructure planning, identifying a knowledge gap in the planning literature regarding multiple ecosystem functions and a lack of methods for quantifying and monitoring ecological services and biodiversity at different spatial scales. The reviewed literature clustered into five main themes — planning methods for urban green infrastructure, assessment approaches, ecosystem services and their benefits, sustainability and climate adaptation, and urban agriculture — which the review found were interconnected. It identifies a knowledge gap in incorporating multifunctional green infrastructure into planning principles and proposes five critical elements for ensuring multiple functions: spatial distribution, optimal distance, integrated network, accessibility, and public participation and engagement.

FAO, Rikolto, RUAF · Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Rikolto & RUAF · Global

A comprehensive guide co-published by FAO, Rikolto and RUAF for local decision-makers, urban planners and practitioners. It frames urban and peri-urban agriculture from production through to urban food systems and policy, promoting reduced food loss via short supply chains, biodiversity protection, social inclusion, and urban-rural linkages.