Research & reports

Qian Xiong Jin · Chinese Landscape Architecture · United Kingdom

An overview of the history and future of the allotment garden in the United Kingdom. It originated in the subsistence needs of people who had lost their land during urbanization, grew steadily under legislative promotion, and peaked during the two World Wars and the Great Depression driven by national mobilization, before declining during the postwar period of economic recovery. Since the 1990s it has shifted character from allotment garden to leisure garden, and in the context of a pluralistic contemporary society it has become recognized as an important cultural heritage due to its unique social significance and long history, gradually recovering within the framework of sustainable development strategy and the 21st Century Agenda.

Ratnawati Yuni Suryandari · · Indonesia

An essay arguing that in developing countries, including Indonesia, the fastest urban growth is occurring in city centers, and that unequal income, poverty, poorly functioning food distribution systems and shrinking farmland make food sources especially critical for the urban poor. It cites World Bank figures stating that 360 million urban residents in developing countries suffer chronic malnutrition, that five of six urban households in India spend 70% of income on food, and that in Kuala Lumpur 45–50% of residents' income goes to food, twice the share in the UK. The article frames urban agriculture as a holistic approach to meeting urban poor residents' needs and improving urban environmental quality, discussing urban agriculture's issues and challenges in Indonesia through the case of Jakarta and its surroundings.

Stephanie Co · Open Scholarship Institutional Repository (Washington University in St. Louis) · United States

This piece on urban agriculture and its role in transforming socioeconomic status and food security among refugee communities in the United States was published in the Washington University Undergraduate Research Digest (WUURD) in 2010, under mentor Peter Benson.

Xueming Li · Journal of University of Science and Technology Liaoning · China

Using statistical analysis, a study of Ganjingzi District in Dalian, China, examined the features and problems of construction land during rapid urbanization. It found that both urban and rural construction land scales are expanding simultaneously, that rural residential land use has serious problems, that current traffic land use results in low efficiency of the traffic network, and that profits from urban construction land need to increase. The study proposes an optimized design for the structure and layout of urban construction land.

Marie Hélène Dabat, Romaine Ramananarivo, Evelyne Ravoniarisoa Faramalala, Tovohery Ramahaimandimbisoa, Christine Aubry · HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe) · Madagascar

Little was known about the quantitative importance of urban agriculture in Antananarivo, Madagascar's capital, but recent studies on supply chains for commodities including rice, tomato, cauliflower, and leafy vegetables provide insight into agriculture's contribution to the capital's food supply and the comparative advantage that urban locations offer for these chains.

Marianne E. Krasny, Keith G. Tidball · Cities and the Environment · Global

This paper discusses community gardens as heterogeneous environments that integrate environmental restoration, community activism, social interactions, cultural expression, and food security. They provide a context for learning that addresses multiple societal goals, including fostering a scientifically literate populace, practicing environmental stewardship, and participating in civic life. Using preliminary evidence from the Garden Mosaics intergenerational education program, the study suggests the potential for community gardens to foster multiple types of learning.

Kanhaiya Sapkota · Geographical Journal of Nepal · Nepal

A study conducted between November 2005 and January 2006 in the Manahara river basin of Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, interviewed 20 vegetable growers to investigate their knowledge and practices regarding local versus modern agricultural inputs. Farmers have intensified production using improved green revolution techniques, showing a link between scientific and indigenous knowledge. They also recognize the necessity of institutional extension support for proper input use.

Heaven E Masashua, Frank George Haule Hawassi, Provident Dimoso · · Tanzania (Dar es Salaam)

A study in Kinondoni Municipal, Dar es Salaam, examined the contribution of urban vegetable production to poverty reduction using 59 respondents. The study found that urban vegetable production increased income for smallholder farmers, improved food security, and enhanced access to health and education services. It concluded that urban horticulture has significant potential for poverty reduction.

Sserunkuma Muhumuza, Kajenye Amadi · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Uganda (Kampala)

A study in Kampala slums, Uganda, investigated the impact of micro-finance support on urban agriculture expansion. A mixed-methods approach combining quantitative analysis of financial records with qualitative interviews of farmers was used. Micro-finance support significantly increased average farm yields by 15% compared to baseline, and farmer confidence in economic strategies improved by 20 percentage points.

Mirane dos Santos Costa, Marivaine da Silva Brasil, Alberto Feiden, Adalgiza Inês Campolim · · Brazil/Bolivia

An exploratory study was conducted in the border cities of Corumbá, Brazil, and Puerto Quijarro/Puerto Suarez, Bolivia, to investigate the socioeconomic profile of Brazilian and Bolivian sellers of leafy vegetables at street fairs and their relations with urban farmers. The study aimed to identify the origin, production system of leafy vegetables, and the socioeconomic characteristics of these fair sellers and farmers, with preliminary results presented.

马国珍, 代晖军, 田昌明, 张友录 · 青海经济研究 · China (Xining City)

"Farm-supermarket direct docking" (农超对接) refers to the direct entry of agricultural products into supermarkets, connecting agriculture and supermarkets. This model effectively reduces circulation links and costs for agricultural products, ensuring urban supply and consumption safety and benefiting consumers. Although still in pilot stages in China, it represents a development trend for agricultural product production and marketing.

Alec Thornton · Development in Practice · Fiji

This article examines the impact of Fiji's squatter-resettlement scheme on the livelihoods of 'farming squatters' engaged in urban agriculture. Interviews with key informants and squatter residents revealed contrasting attitudes and approaches, indicating that the scheme threatens these livelihoods. The article suggests a more participatory process to address the needs of 'farming squatters'.

W. Van Averbeke · Water SA · South Africa (Pretoria)

This study in five informal settlements of Atteridgeville, Pretoria, South Africa, used a pilot study, household survey, and multiple case studies to assess urban farming's contribution to food security and household income. While over half of households participated in urban farming, its contribution to total household income and food security was generally modest. Main constraints included lack of space and limited access to irrigation water.

Vicente Araguas · Revista de libros · New Zealand

This kaupapa Māori research explored the motivations and role of Māori community gardens (māra) in health promotion in Aotearoa New Zealand, interviewing seven māra initiative leaders. Findings indicate māra development is driven by a desire to empower Māori collectives and reconnect them with ancestral lands. Māra foster community development, intergenerational connection, and the practice of Māori language and cultural heritage, contributing to social cohesion and collective efficacy.

Vikram Bhatt, Leila Marie Farah, Nik Luka, Jeanne M. Wolfe · Open House International · Canada (Montréal)

The "Edible Campus" project, launched in Montréal in spring 2007, was an action-research initiative aimed at transforming underutilized urban spaces into productive areas. It involved citizens in creating green community spaces by incorporating productive container growing on a concrete-covered part of McGill University's downtown campus. This project investigated how to enhance urban food security through increased urban food production and demonstrated how "edible landscapes" can be integrated into urban spaces.

Remi Adeyemo, F. Kuhlmann · Tropicultura · Nigeria

This paper evaluates the efficiency of resource use in urban food crop production in five districts of two cities in southwestern Nigeria, based on an effective sample of 120 respondents. The analysis showed that urban food crop production is profitable, with an average revenue of N51,294 per hectare and a gross margin of N23,688. However, there was disequilibrium in resource use, with planting seeds and agrochemicals used efficiently, but land and labor used inefficiently, indicating that urban food crop production has not yet attained an optimum level of resource combination.

Roberta Sonnino · International Planning Studies · Global

This paper analyzes emerging integrated food policies in cities like New York, Rome, and London, which extend beyond traditional urban agriculture. It argues for a new research agenda on urban public food provisioning and policy-making to facilitate knowledge-building and exchange. The paper concludes that comparative studies of urban food strategies are needed to understand cities' potential for sustainable linkages with surrounding regions.

Clara Irazábal, Anita Punja · Journal of Urban Affairs · United States (Los Angeles)

This qualitative case study analyzes the destruction of the 14-acre South Central Farm in Los Angeles in July 2006, arguing it was a landscape of resistance against discriminatory legal and planning practices. The study contends that environmental justice and planning ethics provided a substantive rationale for the city to prevent its dismantling. This case highlights a failure in governance to protect community gardens threatened by dismantlement in capitalist societies.

Bolanle Wahab, M. K. C. Sridhar, Aramide Ayorinde · Urban Agriculture Magazine · Nigeria (Ibadan)

The Sustainable Ibadan Project (SIP), established in 1994 by UNCHS (HABITAT), identified waste management and conversion to organic fertilizer as top priorities for Ibadan. Participants at a 1995 City Consultative Forum jointly identified aerobic composting technology using windrows as a viable method to collect and recycle waste, generate income, and use compost for urban agriculture.

Zhu Jie-fang · Tangdu Journal · China (Xi'an)

A SWOT analysis of urban agriculture in Xi'an city, China, identified several countermeasures for its promotion. These include the municipal government providing guiding functions and overall plans, establishing socialized service systems and favorable external environments, enacting complete rules and laws, increasing investments and circulating funds, training modern farmers for technical support, and perfecting the municipal government's management system.

Isabelle Anguelovski · Urban Agriculture Magazine · Ecuador (Quito)

Marginalized urban communities in Quito, Ecuador, residing in informal settlements or on fragile hillsides, are highly vulnerable to climate change impacts like floods, landslides, droughts, and food scarcity. Many of these communities rely on urban agriculture for sustainable livelihoods and food security.

Luciana Morais de Freitas · REVISTA BRASILEIRA DE AGROECOLOGIA · Brazil

This project in the Federal District and surrounding areas of Brazil aimed to improve and expand food production and promote agroecological practices in settlements and pre-settlements. Implemented in partnership with MDS and Via Campesina, the urban and peri-urban agriculture initiative has enhanced production conditions in these settlements. It also strengthens the productive chain by training producers in agroecological practices.

Graciela Ottmann, Eduardo Sevilla Guzmán, Antonio Lattucca · REVISTA BRASILEIRA DE AGROECOLOGIA · Argentina (Rosario)

This paper examines the environmental dimension of agroecological productive experiences, focusing on a specific case in Rosario, Argentina. It demonstrates that by articulating various agroecological experiences into productive networks, these networks gain political content, influencing transformation processes with participatory and popular education. Examples include the Network of "Huerteros/as," the Green Life consumer network, "Huerta" Parks, and Social Agroindustries, which are agroecological actions integrated with Rosario's municipal Urban Agriculture program.

Marielle Dubbeling, Laura Bracalenti, Laura Lagorio · Open House International · Argentina (Rosario)

In Rosario, Argentina, city planners and university staff collaborated with two low-income communities to design and implement a multifunctional neighborhood park, public square, and road reserve for urban agriculture. A step-by-step participatory design process was followed. This participatory design contributed to improving socio-economic and environmental conditions in the city.

Yamila Santana Esponda, Ramiro Renol Ortega Vera · DELOS Desarrollo Local Sostenible · Cuba

This work aims to provide guidance on urban agriculture as a beneficial option for food production in cities and their peripheries in Cuba, especially given rising food prices and global economic crisis. It seeks to enhance knowledge about urban agriculture as a path to sustainability in upper secondary education, focusing on Sagua la Grande, Villa Clara province.