Research & reports

Birgit Hoinle · Revista Iberoamericana de Economía Solidaria e Innovación Socioecológica · Colombia (Bogotá)

This chapter explores the emancipatory potential of urban agroecology in Bogotá, Colombia, and its surrounding Sabana region. Based on participatory action-research conducted between 2014 and 2017 with agroecological groups, it develops a theory of spatial empowerment. The study highlights the potential of solidarity economy within the urban agroecology movement to foster spatial empowerment, discussing both contributing and hindering factors.

Jiefu Wang, Yuepeng Sun, Kang Xia, Allison Deines, Ross Cooper, Karen Pallansch, Zhi‐Wu Wang · Water Environment Research · Global

This review examines the potential pivotal role of Urban Water Resource Reclamation Facilities (WRRFs) in sustainable urban agriculture. It highlights that reclaimed water can offer higher quality and less variable supply than other sources, while biosolids from wastewater treatment can be used as fertilizers or soil amendments. Additionally, WRRFs can produce renewable electricity, heat, CO2, and bioplastics, serving as essential resources for urban agriculture operations.

Caroline Petit, Barbara Redlingshöfer · HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe) · Global

This paper discusses food basin analysis, focusing on evaluating the food dependency and self-sufficiency capacity of territories. This boxed text is presented as part of Chapter 6, "Territorialized Food Systems: New Frameworks for Integrating Urban Agriculture."

Julieth Milena Jurado Chana, Irma Soto-Vallejo · Luna Azul · Colombia (Manizales)

A mixed-method approach was used to identify and understand the characteristics of urban agriculture practices in the San José commune, Manizales, Colombia, and their impact on sustainable urban development and territorial defense. Information collected through surveys, interviews, focus groups, and field observations was analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively with ATLAS.ti software. Findings indicated that urban agriculture is recognized in the commune as a strategy for territorial appropriation and defense, and community actions have led to more sustainable urban development.

Defne Sunguroğlu Hensel · · Global

This work, "Ecological Prototypes for Green Construction - 1", focuses on linking architecture and ecological engineering. Its purpose is to achieve integrated urban, agricultural, and ecological land use.

Vito D'Onghia · IGI Global eBooks · Global

This paper analyzes the cultural debate and policies in urban and rural fields, comparing various actions to outline new opportunities for developing more sustainable cities with inclusive projects. It considers how urban agriculture in policy contexts raises questions about integrating sustainable practices and spatial planning tools to guide local communities. Innovative experiments at national and international levels demonstrate how research and practical experiences can support urban agriculture.

Gopika Somanath Prathiksha I. · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Global

This paper discusses microgreens as an innovation in vegetable growing, which have gained popularity since their introduction to Californian restaurants in the 1980s. Microgreens are presented as a potential solution for malnutrition and food security, providing nutrient-rich and high-quality phytochemicals. Interest is rising due to their nutraceutical, fresh, and functional food properties, and their abundance of phyto-constituents and minerals.

Ehsan Rahimi, Shahindokht Barghjelveh, Pinliang Dong · Agriculture & Food Security · Global

This study reviewed 87 articles on the presence of bees in urban gardens and urban farms, summarizing bee diversity, host plant attractiveness, and the effects of landscape variables. Urban environments, especially urban gardens, contained a high diversity of bees, with honeybees and bumblebees being the most dominant species. Native plants were more attractive to bees than non-native plants, and while urbanization negatively impacted bee presence, the presence of green spaces or other farms and gardens positively affected pollinators.

Singapore Food Agency · Singapore Food Agency (SFA) · Singapore

Published by the Singapore Food Agency on 11 Nov 2022, this article explains that Singapore is vulnerable to supply shocks because it imports more than 90 per cent of its food, while less than 1 per cent of its land is set aside for farming, and sets out the country's '30 by 30' goal to produce 30 per cent of its nutritional needs locally by 2030.

Kingsley, Jonathan, Diekmann, Lucy, Egerer, Monika H., Lin, Brenda B., Ossola, Alessandro, Marsh, Pauline · Health & Place · Global

This Health & Place study analyzes survey responses from 3,743 gardeners collected internationally (including Australia, the USA, and Germany) between May and August 2020, examining gardening experiences during the early COVID-19 pandemic. It found gardens became safe spaces for social connection amid increased free time from lockdowns, while participants faced shortages of seeds and supplies and restricted access to shared garden spaces.

CONQUITO · CONQUITO (Agencia Metropolitana de Promoción Económica) · Ecuador

CONQUITO's presentation page for its AGRUPAR participatory urban agriculture programme, stating that more than 4,500 farmers participate each year, 84% of whom are women heads of household, and that around 105 organic products are handled through the programme.

Helena I. Hanson, Emma Eckberg, Malin Widenberg, Johanna Alkan Olsson · Urban forestry & urban greening · Sweden (Lund)

This study explored private gardens' contribution to urban biodiversity and garden owners' wellbeing (in terms of cultural ecosystem services) in Lund, Sweden, through a garden land-use inventory and interviews with 35 garden owners. Results showed that urban development influences gardens' biodiversity potential by limiting available space or garden vegetation, with new properties having small gardens containing few biodiversity features and large trees. Important cultural ecosystem services included social bonds, recreation, nature experiences, and relaxation, which were influenced by age and gender.

K. Wróblewska, Byoung Ryong Jeong · Environmental Sciences Europe · Global

This review presents the effectiveness of plants and green infrastructure in ambient particulate matter (PM) removal. It describes the mechanisms of PM capture by plants and factors influencing PM reduction in the atmosphere. The review refers to the effectiveness of plant utilization in various forms of green infrastructure, including trees, grasslands, green roofs, living walls, water reservoirs, and urban farming. Additionally, methods to increase PM removal by plants, such as species selection, biodiversity increase, PAH-degrading phyllospheric endophytes, transgenic plants, and microorganisms, are presented.

Fatima Haque, Rafael M. Santos, Yi Wai Chiang · Environmental Science & Technology · Global

This viewpoint article proposes incorporating enhanced rock weathering (ERW) into urban farming as an additional climate stabilization measure. Urban farming utilizes extensive urban surface areas for food production and atmospheric CO2 sequestration through air-to-soil contact. Combining this with ERW offers a further opportunity for this negative emissions technology to gain greater utilization.

Mitchell Klein, Bethany Cox, Kelsie Tuck, Tom Baker, Ryan Jones, Salene Schloffel‐Armstrong · New Zealand Geographer · New Zealand (Auckland)

This study examines how temporary urbanism contributes to the production of publicness, focusing on the Auckland Night Markets in New Zealand. It discusses how these events generate publicness through the attendees' experiences, control practices, and spatial configuration. The findings support the view of public space and publicness as pluralistic and dynamic.

Isabelle Jabiot, Claire Delfosse · Études rurales · Global

This paper highlights that urban livestock farming remains an underexplored field within human and social sciences, despite its significant global role. It notes that urban and peri-urban agriculture is a well-researched topic, but urban livestock farming, which accounts for an estimated 10% of the world's farmed animals in urban or peri-urban settings according to Robineau et al. (2014), has received less attention.

Lifei Xi, Mengyuan Zhang, L. Zhang, Tedrick Thomas Salim Lew, Yeng Ming Lam · Advanced Materials · Singapore

This review discusses how novel materials are crucial for advancing urban farming, offering benefits like controlled release of nutrients, improved seed health, and better water retention in substrates. Singapore is presented as an example where urban farming, supported by materials science, can address food production challenges in land-scarce cities. The paper highlights potential research directions and challenges in the field.

Aleksandra Nowysz · Buildings · Global

This paper addresses the issue of food systems in urban development, describing residential area ideas that integrate cities with food production, particularly agrarian cooperatives. Historical projects aimed for self-sufficiency and sustainability, while contemporary projects demonstrate that urban agriculture performs key functions in residential architecture. Production in urban agriculture extends beyond private goods for market or own use.

Masato Kobiyama, Karla Campagnolo, Marina Refatti Fagundes · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Global

This study briefly evaluated the history of institutional and scientific aspects of hydrology, noting its increasing proximity to society and focus on urban areas. It revisited the concept of "ruralization of urban areas," proposed in 2000, from hydrological, philosophical, and applied practice perspectives. Ruralization actions like urban storage, rainwater harvesting, and urban agriculture were detailed, emphasizing their implementation with data from school-basins.

Ada Górna, Krzysztof Górny · Land · Global

A comparative study analyzed urban agriculture approaches in Singapore and Kigali using satellite imagery, legal document analysis, and 2019 fieldwork (mapping, photography, observations, semi-structured interviews). Despite urban agriculture being considered in both cities' planning documents, the scale and approach differ significantly. Singaporean authorities primarily support high-technology, land-efficient solutions, displacing low-profit agricultural activities from urban spaces. In contrast, Kigali, with a much larger scale of agricultural activity, allows residents freedom to cultivate unused land, enhancing food security and resilience to external stresses.

Pastory Salvatory Thomas, Wilbard Kombe, Aldo Lupala · Current Urban Studies · Tanzania (Arusha)

This study examined factors characterizing changes in the nature and value of urban agriculture in Arusha City, Tanzania, a rapidly urbanizing city, through in-depth interviews with 60 respondents in Daraja Mbili and Lemala wards. Findings revealed that limited access to ideal urban agriculture areas leads some farmers to acquire small plots in unlawful areas, restricting livestock numbers and crop types, and reducing their ability to meet food needs. While uncontrolled agricultural practices accelerate environmental degradation and pollution, they also support the livelihoods of needy farmers; however, the study concluded that urban agriculture cannot thrive without adequate access to agricultural land and a strong institutional framework.

Maryam Jahed, Seyed-Abbas Yazdanfar, Saeid Norouzian‐Maleki · فصلنامه علوم محیطی · Global

This study is a systematic review aimed at identifying physical design solutions for urban agriculture in allotment areas to facilitate its implementation. It analyzed 18 relevant sources extracted from six databases: Web of Science, Springer, IEEE, JSTOR, Science Direct, and Magiran. The lack of physical design solutions for urban agriculture is identified as a main obstacle hindering its expansion.

Miguel A. Altieri, Clara I. Nicholls · Magna Scientia UCEVA · Global

This reflection explores agroecology as a sustainable development alternative for a post-COVID-19 agricultural system, revitalizing peasant agriculture and enhancing urban agriculture. An agroecology-based system can minimize future food supply disruptions by improving links between small-scale food production and local consumption. Agroecology is presented as a strategy for autonomy and resilience, addressing global challenges like climate change and food insecurity.

Ralitsa Hiteva · · Bulgaria (Sofia)

This chapter examines fuel poverty in Sofia, Bulgaria, as part of the urban nexus of food, water, energy, and environment. It uses urban gardening, making zimnina (preserved food), and domestic heating/energy use as case studies to illustrate how these practices are interdependent and impact energy provisioning. The study focuses on low-technological ways of managing the urban nexus from the perspective of vulnerable users, aiming to address fuel poverty and air pollution.

Sara Bouzekri, Saïd Madani, Christine AUBRY · Bulletin de la Société Géographique de Liège · Algeria (Algiers)

This paper diagnosed the sustainability of urban agriculture in agriparks within the Chéraga commune of Algiers, Algeria. Applying a double sustainability method (internal and external) proposed by Ba and Aubry (2011), the study identified several major challenges to optimize urban agriculture sustainability, reduce deficiencies, and remedy observed imbalances.