Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
3465 results(11 / 139)
An innovative design of household-scale vermicomposting bin for domestic organic waste treatment
2025· International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology · Global
Proposes a household-scale vermicomposting bin using Perionyx excavatus to both treat domestic organic waste and grow vegetables; adding a ventilation pipe improved performance.
DIYCompostOrganic cycleExploring the utility of different bulking agents for speeding up the composting process of household kitchen waste
2025· Scientific Reports · Global
Compares different bulking agents for speeding up the composting process of household kitchen waste.
DIYCompostTechno-economic evaluation of decentralized community composting as a management model to valorize organic matter in small and medium-sized towns
2025· Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management · Global
Techno-economic evaluation of decentralized community composting as a model to valorize organic matter in small and medium-sized towns.
DIYCommunityEconomicsNon-sterile substrate cultivation of oyster mushrooms on fresh Giant Juncao Grass: a scalable strategy for sustainable nutrition in underdeveloped regions
2025· Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · Global
Proposes a low-tech, non-sterile cultivation method growing oyster mushrooms on fresh Giant Juncao grass. Presents it as a scalable, low-cost strategy for sustainable nutrition in resource-poor, underdeveloped regions.
DIYCommunityHealthDesign and Implementation of a Small-Scale Hydroponic Chamber for Sustainable Vegetative Propagation from Cuttings: A Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) Case Study
2025· Sustainability · Global
A low-cost, modular hydroponic chamber for early-stage vegetative propagation of cuttings was designed, built and functionally validated using readily available components for decentralized seedling production in space-constrained settings.
DIYOvercoming barriers to aquaponics adoption in schools: a practical implementation guide
2025· Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · Global
The study develops a practical, accessible guide for constructing small-scale aquaponics systems (plant bed, fish tank, mechanical and biological filters) tailored for educational settings.
DIYFood educationAn automated small-scale aquaponics system design using a closed loop control
2025· Environmental Challenges · Global
An automated small-scale aquaponics system (43x60x80 cm) is designed for compact urban spaces such as condominiums, using an Arduino to control lighting, feeding, misting and circulation while displaying real-time parameters.
DIYA narrative review on the potential reuse of greywater for irrigation in crop production: pros and cons
2025· Sustainable Water Resources Management · Global
Narrative review of greywater reuse for crop irrigation, summarising treatment advances and positive and negative effects on postharvest quality, and the need for proper treatment to reduce heavy metals and microbial loads.
DIYHealthImpacts of farm to school on children's perception of food
2025· Food, Nutrition and Health · Global
A study examining the impacts of farm-to-school programs on children's perception of food.
Food educationUnderstanding community garden volunteers' well-being transformation: an exploratory study from a liminality perspective
2025· Leisure Studies · Global
Conceptualizes community gardens as liminal spaces, showing that volunteering suspends everyday roles and opens avenues for psychological and emotional reorientation and well-being transformation.
WelfareHealthCommunityUrban and Peri-Urban Agriculture for Improving Human Nutrition and Protecting Planetary Processes
2025Acevedo-De-los-Ríos, Dyson, Claeys, Cardenas-Mamani · Environmental Impact Assessment Review · Global South
Comprehensive literature review of urban and peri-urban agriculture impact on nutrition and environmental processes using LCA approach.
HealthOrganic cycleUrban Agriculture in Neo-Austerity Times: Reflections on a Contested Policy Domain
2025Ferreira, Mélice Dias, Lopes · International Journal of Urban and Regional Research · Global
International analysis of urban agriculture policy in contexts of austerity. Examines tensions between citizen movements and governance, food sovereignty and self-determination.
CommunityPolicyPollinator communities in urban agriculture: Local-scale garden features structure pollinator communities
2025· Landscape Ecology · Global
Ecological study examining how local garden features structure pollinator communities in urban agriculture. Links biodiversity conservation to food production success.
BiodiversityPollinatorsOrganic cycleRethinking Urban Spaces to Improve Nutrition Security Through Urban Agriculture
2025Tolazzi et al. · Earth's Future (Wiley), 2025 · Global
Demonstrates that strategic reallocation of urban spaces to agriculture improves nutrition security for residents; evaluates household nutrition gains and community economic development.
HealthCommunityEconomicsSustainability in urban agriculture: The role of biochar in enhancing the productive capacity of compost-based growing media for rooftop farming
2025· Science Direct · Global (technology focus)
Composting the organic fraction of municipal solid waste enables recycling nutrient-rich by-products as agricultural substrates. For rooftop farming, integrating biochar with compost-based media enhances productive capacity. Supports nutrient recycling between urban residents and agriculture, contributing to sustainable urban ecosystems.
CompostCrop-Livestock Integration in Urban Agriculture: Implication for Urban Food Security in Ghana
2025· Food and Energy Security · Ghana
Examines how integrating crop and livestock production within urban agriculture affects urban food security in Ghana.
Organic cycleEconomicsWelfareA carbon-centric evaluation framework for building-integrated agriculture: a comparison of three farm types and building standards
2025Imam M., Glaros A. · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · Global
A carbon assessment of building-integrated agriculture (vertical farms, rooftop greenhouses, soil-based urban farms) concluded that BIA does not consistently deliver climate benefits over conventional agriculture and can be less resource-efficient, with soil-based urban farms carrying the highest embodied carbon per kilogram.
PolicyEconomicsTowards Sustainable Vertical Farming: A Systematic Review of Energy Return on Investment Efficiency and Optimization Strategies
2025Aborujilah A. · Sustainability · Global
A systematic review of 52 studies concluded that, despite efficiency advances, large-scale adoption of vertical farming remains impeded by high energy requirements and costs, leaving its energy-return sustainability in question.
EconomicsPolicyVertical farming limitations and potential demonstrated by back-of-the-envelope calculations
2025Lovat S., Noor E., Milo R. · Plant Physiology · Global
The analysis shows vertical farming requires large amounts of energy and, under the recent average electricity mix, could substantially increase greenhouse gas emissions with limited land benefit; it is not cost-competitive with cereals or pulses and only marginally so for tomatoes and lettuce.
EconomicsPolicyThe emergence of indoor agriculture as a driver of global energy demand
2025· npj Sustainable Agriculture · Global
A meta-analysis of 116 studies across 40 countries finds that controlled-environment agriculture has substantially higher capital and operating costs than open-field cultivation because of its energy use, translating into higher prices and substantial business risk.
EconomicsDeveloping indicators to assess the viability of small- and medium-scale farms: a case study of market gardening farms at the regional scale
2025Heine B., Gaspart F., Biot N. · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · Belgium
Analyzing 17 market-gardening farms in Belgium, the study finds low economic viability: many farms survive only because farmers pay themselves below minimum wage, rely on unpaid labor, or depend on off-farm income.
EconomicsVertical farming: productivity, environmental impact, and resource use. A review
2025· Agronomy for Sustainable Development · Global
This review states that although vertical farming is claimed to use land, water, and nutrients efficiently, its high energy use lies behind several recent major bankruptcies and hinders large-scale uptake of the technology.
EconomicsIntegrating urban and peri-urban agriculture in planning systems. Barriers, policy tools and recommendations
2025· Planning Practice & Research · Global
The paper identifies structural barriers to embedding urban and peri-urban agriculture in planning systems, including outdated zoning, fragmented governance, weak interdepartmental coordination, and inadequate financing, which leave agriculture routinely sidelined in favor of real-estate development.
PolicyUrban agriculture—An assessment of the potential of private gardens to cover the nutritional needs in four Swedish cities
2025Bengtsson · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems · Sweden
Assessment of vegetable production potential in private gardens across four Swedish cities. Demonstrates that current private gardens can produce up to 23% of recommended vegetable intake.
Organic cycleEvaluating Food Resilience Initiatives Through Urban Agriculture Models: A Critical Review
2025Federico Lopez-Muñoz, Waldo Soto-Bruna, Brigitte L. G. Baptiste, Jeffrey Leon-Pulido · Sustainability · Global
Critical review of how urban agriculture contributes to food resilience. Analyzes role of urban farming in supply chain shortening, food access improvement, and waste reduction.