Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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The Role of Basic Sciences in Building Sustainable Smart Cities
2024Akpınar, Musab Talha, Korkut, Cem · Munich Personal RePEc Archive (Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich) · Global
This chapter surveys how the basic sciences -- physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics -- contribute to Sustainable Smart Cities. It states that physics underlies energy efficiency and structural design, chemistry drives sustainable materials and pollution control, biology supports green space, biodiversity and ecosystem services including urban agriculture, and mathematics/data science enable real-time monitoring and resource allocation, arguing for continued interdisciplinary investment in research and education.
PolicyBiodiversityClimate changeImpact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Welfare of Urban Agricultural Households in Vietnam
2024Linh Dinh Hong, Khiem Phuong Huu, Diep Vu Bach, Tien Vu Quyet · Transactions of the Chinese Society of Agricultural Machinery · Vietnam
Using a national Vietnamese household living-standards survey dataset, this study applies a difference-in-differences (DID) approach combined with propensity score matching (PSM-DID) to assess the short-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on urban agricultural households in Vietnam. It finds that while the pandemic did not significantly affect household income, it reduced household expenditure -- both total household consumption and per-capita consumption -- and increased the number of household members participating in agricultural work as a short-term response.
Economic viabilityWelfareEconomicsUrban agriculture and urban planning: a case of Bangalore between the 1950s and the 1970s
2024Elza D’Cruz · Landscape Research · India
This study examines the disappearance of a historic urban agriculture landscape in Bangalore, India, between the 1950s and 1970s, a period of post-independence urban planning, drawing on urban planning documents, government files and oral histories recorded with the Vahnikula Kshatriya, a traditional urban agriculture practitioner community. It finds that colonial frameworks embedded in post-independence urban development plans not only displaced urban agriculture but continue to affect it, and argues for changing how urban planning in formerly colonised places approaches urban agriculture.
Governance failurePolicyEdukasi Pemanfaatan Pekarangan Dengan Budidaya Sayuran Di Lingkungan Panti Sosial Bina Remaja Harapan Bengkulu
2024Nanda Andini, Muhammad Fikry, Rahma Yunita, Bayu Dwi Prasetya Bahari, Muhammad Firmansyah Zukhruf · Jurnal Dehasen Mengabdi · Indonesia
This project delivered a participatory-learning education program teaching backyard vegetable cultivation at the Bina Remaja Harapan Social Shelter in Bengkulu, Indonesia -- a residence and learning center for children mostly abandoned by their parents -- where yard land, despite sufficient space, was not being optimally used. Using selected crops such as eggplant, mustard greens, spinach, water spinach, tomatoes and chilies, the program improved the shelter children's practical understanding of planting techniques, maintenance and the benefits of urban agriculture, and showed the crops could be produced at affordable cost.
CommunityFood educationWelfareUrban Farming Framework, Benefits for Neighbourhood Development And Urban Sustainability
2024Albin Mathew -, Sanu K Thekkath -, N Sneha · International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research · Global
This paper is a review that surveys various forms and definitions of urban farming and discusses its role in implementing circular economy strategies and strengthening urban food security. Drawing on case studies within institutions such as schools and Anganwadi centres, it argues that urban farming initiatives can promote sustainability, community engagement and equitable participation, that urban farming and neighbourhood development are interconnected in ways that support an inclusive society and sustainable urban design principles, and advocates positioning urban farming as central to urban planning.
CommunityPolicyClimate changeFood educationComputer Vision and Machine Learning-Based Predictive Analysis for Urban Agricultural Systems
2024Arturs Kempelis, Inese Poļaka, Andrejs Romānovs, Antons Patļins · Future Internet · Global
A study on microclimate monitoring for urban agriculture (region unspecified) evaluated convolutional neural networks (CNNs) forecasting relative air humidity, soil moisture, and light intensity sensor readings from thermal images. Forecasts for relative humidity and soil moisture achieved higher accuracy, with Mean Absolute Percentage Errors of 10-12%, attributed to their strong dependency on thermal patterns captured by the CNNs, while light intensity forecasting was less accurate due to more complex and variable urban factors. The authors acknowledge that implementing these technologies in urban agricultural models still poses challenges.
CommunityDigital agricultureConventionalization of Alternative Agriculture and the Intervention of External Investors: Case Sharing Community-Supported Agriculture Farm, China
2024Meiling Wu · Sustainability · China
A study of a Sharing Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm in China examined, through semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis, how external investment drives the conventionalization of alternative agriculture. The farm's low economic sustainability was the trigger that drew in external investment; investors then compelled the farm manager to relax adherence to organic agriculture's ecological values and principles and shift toward specialized, intensive farming to secure profitability, and a new business model was adopted that further entrenched this conventionalization.
Economic viabilityCSA & TeikeiEconomicsPolicyAdoption of terrace gardening by Urban Dwellers in Telangana state
2024G Charan Tej, P. Lakshmi, B. Savitha, A Meena · International Journal of Agriculture Extension and Social Development · India
A study in Telangana state, India, examined the adoption of terrace gardening as a response to urban space scarcity. Adoption was found predominantly at a moderate level (48.33%), driven by enthusiasm, a desire for chemical-free produce, and cost-saving motivation, with education, health consciousness, and media exposure (notably YouTube) playing roles in uptake. Among specific practices, potting-mixture proportions and harvesting at recommended stages showed high adoption, while removing virus-infected plants ranked lower, possibly reflecting limited awareness of disease spread.
Food educationHealthEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceA Means to an End? The Role of Technology in Growth and Post-growth Futures of Agrifood Work in a European Context
2024Constantine Manolchev, David Watson, Laura A. Colombo, Patrick Elf, James Scott Vandeventer · · United Kingdom
A chapter examines the role of technology across the European 'agrifood' system, an umbrella term for the agriculture, horticulture, food, and drink sectors. Placing the dysfunctional consequences of making economic growth the driver of food-system organization in historical context, it shows through a case study of a daffodil farm in South West England that when technology is deployed as an engine of efficiency, unbridled growth, and profit maximization, it vastly improves productivity through worker quantification—time, motion, and output tracking—while transforming worker-nature relationships in exploitative ways. By contrast, when used to prioritize non-exploitative, collaborative relationships, technology can support sustainable well-being and ecological production, illustrated through three alternative food network cases: a UK community garden, a UK Community Supported Agriculture scheme, and a network of social agricultural cooperatives in Italy.
Equity & displacementEconomicsPolicyCommunityAssessment of Urban Farming Production, and Contribution to the Households’ Livelihood: A Case of Kigali City and Musanze District
2024Gaspard Ntabakirabose, Maniriho Festus, Tuyisenge Jean Claude, Harold Ogwal, David Mwehia Mburu · International Journal of Environmental Protection and Policy · Africa
A study of smallholder vegetable- and fruit-growing households in Kigali City and Musanze District, Rwanda (Gasabo, Kicukiro, Nyarugenge and Musanze districts), used multistage purposive sampling on a population of 1,085 households, surveying 112 respondents. Of 14 factors examined, 10 positively influenced urban farming production and 4 influenced it negatively. Crops were grown in bags, baskets, hanging baskets, old tires, pallet gardens, open ground, trellises and window-box fences, doing well even in small plots enclosed within household compounds. Urban farming contributed to malnutrition control, household savings and food security, but was constrained by small plot sizes, limited farming knowledge and technology, crop maturation time, lack of capital, low awareness, housing arrangements and inadequate infrastructure.
EconomicsFood educationCommunityControlled-environment agriculture for an urbanised world? A comparative analysis of the innovation systems in London, Nairobi and Singapore
2024Victoria Dietze, Amna Alhashemi, Peter H. Feindt · Food Security · Global
Using the Urban Food Production Innovation System (UFoPrInS) concept, a 2024 study analyzed the urban contexts and enabling and impeding factors for implementing controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) in three contrasting locations — London, Nairobi and Singapore — based on document analysis and semi-structured expert interviews. Findings show Singapore as a favorable location because public policies support CEA implementation to reduce food import dependency and enhance the resilience of food supply. In London, high food import dependency is increasingly seen as problematic, but CEA implementation has been hampered by other policy priorities. In Nairobi, where over half the population lives in informal settlements without adequate food, water and sanitation, CEA is unlikely to make an economically efficient contribution to food security. The study concludes that CEA implementation is likely to be suitable in locations with ample capital and knowledge, stable political, social and infrastructure conditions, and limited space, where its value can be linked to hospitality and tourism and supported by favorable pricing for resource savings.
PolicyEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceIdentifying opportunities for invasive species management: an empirical study of stakeholder perceptions and interest in invasive species
2024Matthias Winfried Kleespies, Dorian D. Dörge, Norbert Peter, Anna V. Schantz, Ajdin Skaljic, Viktoria Feucht, Anna Lena Burger-Schulz, Paul Wilhelm Dierkes, Sven Klimpel · Biological Invasions · Germany
Surveying more than 2,200 people across nine stakeholder groups in Germany involved with invasive species—hunters and hunting association members, farmers, environmental and conservation organization members, allotment garden club members, animal welfare supporters, divers, zoo employees, regulatory authority administrative staff, and speleologists—this study investigated how these groups perceive invasive species. The number of invasive animal and plant species in Germany was roughly correctly estimated across all groups, but the economic damage they cause was substantially underestimated. Species named were mostly conspicuous ones such as raccoons (Procyon lotor) or Impatiens glandulifera, and while all groups showed notable interest in invasive species and regarded them as an environmental issue, the study found a need for greater education about inconspicuous invasive species and the damage they cause.
CommunityBiodiversityPeri-urban agricultureUtilization of solar energy in hydroponic systems for enhancing energy independence in farming communities
2024Lorenta In Haryanto, Tri Yuni Hendrawati, Darto Darto, Febri Yani, Firgi Adha Listanto, Dimas Yoga Pradipta Pratama · Abdimas Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat Universitas Merdeka Malang · Indonesia
A community-service report on introducing solar-powered water pumps for hydroponic systems with the farmer group Hidroponik Generik (HG) in Pesanggrahan, Indonesia, from April to October 2024, including training and assistance in vertical hydroponic technology and solar power generation. An 800 Wp solar panel supplied 1,600 Wh daily, powering pumps for 12-13 hours and cutting electricity usage by 66%, reducing monthly expenses by 10%. Combined with the vertical hydroponic installation, farm income increased by 15%, and participants' understanding of solar technology improved by 45%.
Peri-urban agricultureEconomicsCommunityClimate changeCalculating the effect of intensive use of urban organic waste on soil concentrations of potentially toxic elements in a peri-urban agriculture context in Norway
2024Anne-Kristin Løes, Sebastian Eiter, Tatiana Rittl · Environmental Sciences Europe · Europe
Using soil data from ten peri-urban case farms near Oslo and Bergen, Norway, this study estimated how quickly potentially toxic element (PTE) concentrations would rise in soil under intensive application of compost or digestate from food waste, composted garden waste, or horse and poultry manure applied annually to meet a theoretical carrot crop's nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium demand. Under this intensive fertilization scenario, Norwegian soil quality limits for PTEs would be reached within 20-85 years, faster in soils with more organic matter, with limits reached first for copper and zinc, both essential micronutrients. The urban waste-based fertilizers were also found to be poorly balanced in macronutrients, with rates covering potassium demand leading to high phosphorus and nitrogen surpluses. The study concludes Norway's PTE regulations are stricter than the EU's and do not support recycling organic matter and nutrients from urban waste.
Contamination & food safetyOrganic cycleCompostHealthAssessing the Growth Response of Gimakalmi (Ipomoea Aquatica) under Alternative Wetting and Drying (AWD) System as Influenced by Plant Growth Regulator (PGRs) Application in the Rooftop Garden
2024Khadezatul Kubra, Md. Rofekuggaman, Md. Habibullah Siddiki, Rebeka Sultana, Jakaria Chowdhury Onik, Md. Abubakar Siddik · Plant Science Archives · Global
A study at the rooftop garden of Habiganj Agricultural University, Bangladesh, examined the effect of combining alternate wetting and drying (AWD) irrigation with plant growth regulators (PGR, specifically gibberellin) on the growth of Gimakalmi (Ipomoea aquatica) during the Boro season (January-June 2024), in silt loam soil (pH 6.14, 2.25% organic matter, 0.12% total nitrogen). A randomized complete block design with four treatments and three replications compared a control (T0), 100% recommended fertilizer dose plus PGR (T1), PGR plus AWD (T2), and 100% recommended fertilizer dose plus PGR plus AWD (T3). At 21 days after sowing, leaf number was 3.83 in the control versus 7.50 in T3, and yield at the first harvest (21 days after sowing) was 5.68 t/ha in the control versus 11.51 t/ha in T3, with T3 consistently showing the highest leaf number, plant height and yield across all three harvests.
CommunityAssistance in Urban Farming for the Cultivation of Chili Peppers in a Greenhouse Based on Internet of Things Systems
2024Aisyah Aisyah, Paranita Asnur · ETHOS (Jurnal Penelitian dan Pengabdian) · Indonesia
A report describes assistance in cultivating large chili peppers (Capsicum annuum L.) using an Internet of Things (IoT)-based smart farming system in the greenhouse of the Ulul Ilmi Islamic Boarding School in East Jakarta, Indonesia. The program introduced IoT technology for automated irrigation, greenhouse temperature monitoring and fertilization maintenance, aiming to improve cultivation efficiency and productivity through guidance and technology implementation. The assistance results show that the IoT implementation improved efficiency in water, fertilizer and energy use and optimized the growth of the red chili plants, enabling more accurate and responsive crop management in response to environmental changes and healthier, more productive plant growth.
Digital agricultureSELECTION OF PILOT FARMS
2024AZOLLA Projects · Open MIND · Europe
This document, prepared under Activity 2.1 of the Carbon Farming MED project, defines the criteria for selecting pilot farms for a carbon-farming program across two Mediterranean regions, Italy and Spain. Farms practicing regenerative agriculture or agroforestry were required to meet mandatory conditions — legal compliance, access to internet and car transport, and the economic capacity to dedicate 0.5 ha to the study — plus preferable conditions such as soil free of heavy-metal contamination, historical soil analysis data, pollinator habitat and biological corridors, efficient water management, participation in farmers' markets or community-supported agriculture, a track record with circular-economy practices, and potential for scaling. Three farms in Catalonia and three farms in Spain were selected, with primary activities of viticulture, olive growing, horticulture, and agroforestry; on-farm data will be collected from these farms to monitor and validate soil organic carbon (SOC) content.
PolicyClimate changeA review on urban farming: Potential, challenges and opportunities
2024Shu Hua Teoh, Gwo Rong Wong, Purabi Mazumdar · Innovations in Agriculture · Global
A review combining scientific literature analysis and interviews with urban farmers examined urban farming models including community, indoor, rooftop and vertical farms using techniques such as aeroponics, hydroponics and aquaponics. It found that sustainability and yield remain major challenges to fully realizing urban farming's potential, identifying limited land and water resources, pest and disease incidence, financial constraints on setup and maintenance, knowledge and skill gaps among participants, and a lack of effective collaboration between universities, government and industry as the key barriers.
Economic viabilityCommunityEconomicsPolicyGeneral Category
2024Nova Southeastern University · NSUWorks (Nova Southeastern University) · United States
A description of the "Get Well" Community Garden and Eat Well Project — the Community Health Intervention Program in Neighborhood Gardens (CHIPING) — in the United States. The project's stated aim is to determine whether providing community gardens in diverse low-income neighborhoods promotes health by increasing knowledge of healthier food choices and increasing access to foods rich in micronutrients.
CommunityHealthFood educationPertanian Perkotaan Inovatif: Strategi Menunjang Program Pangan Bergizi Gratis Berbasis Lokal
2024Asaduddin Abdullah, Dikky Indrawan, Anggi Mayang Sari, Asep Rakhmat · Policy Brief Pertanian Kelautan dan Biosains Tropika · Indonesia
A policy brief on the urgency of developing innovative urban farming in Indonesia as a response to challenges in urban food security and nutrition. It discusses urban farming's role not only in increasing food availability but in achieving locally based nutritious food, preserving local wisdom, supporting a free nutritious food program, and contributing to poverty reduction and environmental quality. It states that implementation remains constrained by existing policy limitations, and calls for comprehensive policy change including integrating urban farming into urban spatial planning, building community capacity, and providing infrastructure, technology, and public awareness support.
PolicyFood sovereignty & justiceFood educationAnalyzing the Socio-Ecological System of Bees to Suggest Strategies for Green Space Planning to Promote Urban Beekeeping†
2024Hojun Choi, Min Kim, Jinhyung Chon · Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture · South Korea
A study structurally analyzed the socio-ecological system of honeybees, as pollinators, using systems thinking, in order to propose green space planning strategies to revitalize urban beekeeping. It analyzed the ecological structure of bees' foraging and pollination activities and the social-ecological structure of urban beekeeping through individual causal loop diagrams, then synthesized these into an integrated causal loop diagram. The resulting proposed strategies were citizen participation programs, local government investment, and the creation of urban parks and green spaces on idle land.
PollinatorsCommunityBiodiversityAfetividade pessoa-ambiente nas hortas comunitárias: promoção da saúde e da sustentabilidade
2024Eduardo Chierrito de Arruda, Gabriela Costa Alves, Catherine Menegaldi Silva, Barbara Macedo Soares de Araujo, Rute Grossi Milani · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Brazil
A study in Brazil used the Affective Map Generator Instrument to interview 40 community garden users aged 45 to 80 about their emotional experiences during gardening activities. Analysis of the images produced showed that experiences in these gardens were mediated by feelings of pleasantness, belonging and restoration, with connection to nature and social interaction as the most cited senses.
CommunityHealthFood educationWelfareAgricultura urbana conhecer para promover: um despertar no Território de Identidade do Vale do Jiquiriçá/BA
2024Adriana Martins da Silva Bastos Conceição, Márcia Bento Moreira, Hélder Ribeiro Freitas · Peer Review · Brazil
A study in the Território de Identidade do Vale do Jiquiriçá, Bahia, Brazil surveyed municipal agriculture-department professionals through an online questionnaire (stages I and III) and field research (stage II). Online questionnaires initially identified only 12 urban and peri-urban agriculture experiences, but field visits raised that count to 62 active experiences. Stage III data showed professionals lack understanding of the urban agriculture concept and its potential, and that the legal provisions regulating the practice need much wider dissemination for implementation; the data indicate that urban agriculture in the territory's municipalities goes largely unnoticed and is not addressed in public policy.
PolicyCommunityPeri-urban agricultureEvaluation of brinjal and tomato scions for enhancing yield and quality attributes in grafted brimato plants
2024Anant Bahadur, Anish Kumar Singh, Hare Krishna, Rajeev Kumar, V. K. Patel, Tusar Kanti Behera · Indian Journal of Horticulture · India
Over three years (2019-2022) at ICAR-IIVR, Varanasi, India, researchers grafted four brinjal cultivars and three tomato cultivars as scions onto the vigorous, waterlogging- and salinity-tolerant brinjal rootstock IC 111056 to produce dual-fruiting 'Brimato' plants. The Kashi Manohar scion combined with Kashi Aman or Kashi Chayan gave the highest brinjal fruit numbers, while Kashi Aman combined with the Kashi Sandesh rootstock hybrid gave the highest tomato fruit numbers; the Kashi Sandesh + Kashi Chayan combination produced the highest total fruit yield at 2.58 kg/plant, and Kashi Aman + Kashi Sandesh reached a cumulative yield of 5.98 kg/plant. Photosynthetic rate and chlorophyll fluorescence varied significantly by scion, with Kashi Manohar and Kashi Aman showing the highest photosynthetic rates, and grafted plants showed higher vitamin C and β-carotene content.
Peri-urban agricultureEconomicsFood educationAgricultural Resilience in Indian Cities
2024Rahul B. Hiremath, Sheelratan S. Bansode · Practice, progress, and proficiency in sustainability · India
This book chapter examines the use of treated urban wastewater to support agricultural resilience in Indian cities amid rapid urbanization that strains water supplies for farming. Using an interdisciplinary approach, it evaluates current practices, policy frameworks and stakeholder engagement to assess the practicality and efficiency of incorporating treated wastewater into urban agricultural systems, addressing both the potential benefits and the difficulties involved rather than reporting a specific measured outcome.
Environmental trade-offsPeri-urban agricultureHealthEconomicsPolicy