Research & reports

FAO · FAO (FAOSTAT Analytical Brief) · Global

According to a FAOSTAT analytical brief, global agricultural use of inorganic fertilizers rose 34 percent, from 142 million tonnes in 2002 to 190 million tonnes in 2023. Per-hectare application rates of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium all increased over the period, and world production reached 208 million tonnes in 2023, up 40 percent since 2002.

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) · Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) · Global

According to FAO, disasters have recently affected 4.03 billion people, up 124% compared to the previous two decades, with direct economic losses reaching nearly USD 3 trillion, an increase of 182% since 1980–1999. Climate-related disasters accounted for 91% of direct economic losses globally and affected 3.6 billion people. Between 2008 and 2018, agriculture absorbed 26% of the overall impact of medium- to large-scale disasters in least developed and low- and middle-income countries. Some 2.5 billion people worldwide depend on agriculture for their livelihoods; FAO promotes disaster risk reduction through coherent implementation of the Sendai Framework, the Paris Agreement, and the SDGs.

Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, Singapore · Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, Singapore · Singapore

On 26 September 2025, Minister Grace Fu replied to a parliamentary question on progress toward the "30 by 30" goal, stating that less than 10% of Singapore's food consumption is currently produced domestically. She called the goal "aspirational," set before COVID-19 under more favourable conditions, while noting locally produced hen eggs exceed 30% and beansprouts exceed 50% of local consumption, and that the alternative protein industry faces high energy costs and insufficient consumer acceptance.

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) · U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) · Global

This is the Phosphate Rock entry of USGS's annual Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025. U.S. 2024 marketable production was 20,000 thousand metric tons (about 20 million tons, valued at $2 billion), with net import reliance at 13% of apparent consumption and import sources (2020-23) at Peru 98%, Morocco 2%. World mine production was estimated at 240,000 thousand metric tons in 2024 (China, Morocco, the U.S., and Russia leading), world reserves at 74,000,000 thousand metric tons, with Morocco alone holding 50,000,000 thousand metric tons. World P2O5 consumption in fertilizers was 47.5 million tons in 2024, projected to rise to 51.8 million tons by 2028.

Bauer W., Titz A. · Nature-Based Solutions · Malawi (Lilongwe)

Urban Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are promoted globally as multifunctional and cost-effective, and municipal interest is growing in cities of the so-called Global South. Yet research remains clearly biased toward the Global North, with particularly few studies on cities in Sub-Saharan Africa — leaving a high risk that maladapted NbS, modelled on examples from elsewhere that do not meet local requirements, get adopted. This article examines the barriers to adopting urban NbS in Malawi's cities and the opportunities for successful implementation, drawing on qualitative data (workshops, narrative expert interviews, group discussions) gathered over five research stays in Lilongwe between 2022 and 2024, and analysing in detail the strategies used by those implementing the Lilongwe Ecological Corridor Initiative (LECI), a large-scale NbS in the capital.

Luis Andrade · Quito Informa (Municipio del Distrito Metropolitano de Quito) · Ecuador

On 29 April 2025, Quito's Metropolitan Council approved the 'Healthy Food Neighborhoods' ordinance, allowing community gardens on idle municipal land and requiring new housing developments to include garden space. The city currently has about 2,000 urban gardens and aims to double that number by 2030. ConQuito, the municipal economic development agency, will provide seeds and training, and produce will be sold through organized bioferias to avoid affecting existing markets.

Equipo Actualidad Jurídica · Actualidad Jurídica (DOE) · Chile

A bill reported in Chile would have the state promote, foster, and oversee public policy on food security, environmental education, and urban agriculture. It defines urban gardens as cultivation plots of up to 500 square meters within urban territory, intended for growing vegetables, fruit, herbs, and flowers for self-consumption. Garden operators would be required to ensure safety and social integration, are allowed to hire workers with priority given to vulnerable groups and older adults, and may temporarily use abandoned lots that pose public-safety risks, though overnight stays or residing on the sites would be prohibited.

Hacemos Memoria · Hacemos Memoria (Universidad de Antioquia) · Colombia

A timeline from Hacemos Memoria tracing the search for people disappeared after military operations (including Operación Orión, 2002) in Medellín's Comuna 13, centered on the site known as La Escombrera. Comuna 13 as a whole records 5,912 disappeared people, with 502 expected around La Escombrera specifically; forensic excavations from December 2024 through 2025 recovered a total of seven sets of remains. The search is led by the national search unit for the disappeared (UBPD) and the transitional justice tribunal (JEP), which ordered precautionary protective measures in 2020.

Jaime Mulet Martínez, Daniel Melo Contreras, Félix González Gatica, Consuelo Veloso Ávila, Rubén Darío Oyarzo Figueroa, Jorge Saffirio Espinoza · Cámara de Diputadas y Diputados de Chile — Datos Abiertos (WSLegislativo) · Chile

A private member's bill (moción) admitted to Chile's Chamber of Deputies on March 24, 2025, establishing norms for the promotion, development, and registration of urban gardens (huertos urbanos). It was introduced by six deputies led by Jaime Mulet Martínez. The open-data record shows it as admissible, with no voting record yet.

UNCCD, UN-Habitat · UNCCD & UN-Habitat · Global

A recent policy guide integrating urban-rural linkages from a land-management perspective, offering a governance framework across the three axes of land use, food and ecosystems.

Sultana N., Sharifi A., Haque M.N., Aghaloo K. · Journal of Environmental Management · Bangladesh (Dhaka)

GIS and multi-criteria analysis of Dhaka classified 9% of city area as highly suitable and 68% as suitable for rooftop agriculture, using seven criteria including building age, height, rooftop size, and water availability.

Johansson J., Roitto M., Steiner B., Alakukku L. · Cleaner and Responsible Consumption (Elsevier) · Finland

This Finnish study evaluates the co-creation of urban agriculture in residential settings with housing companies, finding that flexible modular planning and availability of key site actors are critical success factors for participatory urban farming initiatives.

Chari F., Ngcamu B.S. · Local Environment · Zimbabwe (Bulawayo)

This survey-based study of community garden farmers in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe assessed the effectiveness of community gardens in promoting social inclusion for vulnerable urban residents, finding that garden participation enhanced social networks, food security, and livelihoods among marginalized groups.

Maphosa M., Moyo P. · Frontiers in Sustainable Cities · Zimbabwe (Bulawayo)

This study evaluated climate vulnerability in Bulawayo's urban food system and found that the city's 2007 urban agriculture policy lacks climate change provisions, institutional coordination is weak, and extension services are severely understaffed, though NGO-led innovations and national conservation agriculture programs offer promising pathways for resilience.

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE-FSN) · FAO Committee on World Food Security (CFS) · Global

FAO policy report (June-July 2024) highlighting that ~80% of global population lives in urban/peri-urban areas, and >75% of food-insecure population concentrated in urban regions. Provides guiding principles and policy recommendations for reorienting food systems toward nutrition, environmental sustainability, and citizen agency.

· Sustainability · Global

Provides architectural design recommendations for residential rooftop urban agriculture. It addresses integrating low-cost growing infrastructure such as container gardens, raised beds, and vertical gardens onto rooftops.

Turner · Geographical Research · Global South

Explores motivations, practices, and political contexts of rooftop gardening in the Global South, examining how socioeconomic conditions and policy environments shape urban agricultural initiatives.

· GeoJournal of Tourism and Geosites · Jordan

Develops a spatial typology of urban agriculture initiatives aimed at achieving food security in Jordan.

· Latin American Perspectives · Cuba

Discusses urban agriculture in Cuba through the lenses of food security and food sovereignty.

· Discover Environment · Global (review)

A review documenting that urban roadside vegetables accumulate heavy metals such as lead and cadmium, arguing that health risks justify exclusion zones for cultivation away from high-traffic roads.

Cian O'Callaghan · Antipode · Ireland (Dublin)

Critical account of Dublin's 2008–2017 temporary-urbanism moment showing how the post-crash possibilities for community/garden uses of vacant land were foreclosed by governmental interventions that re-secured property relations, withdrawing interim uses once the market recovered.

FAO · Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations · Global

FAO presents strategy for achieving food security through strengthened urban and peri-urban food systems. Integrates policy frameworks, infrastructure investment, and market development approaches.

· MDPI Agriculture · Global

Examines paradox of urban expansion reducing agricultural land while urban agriculture offers compensation. Highlights importance of urban-rural food system integration.

Clara Pantoja Bohórquez, Karen Johanna Martínez Grisales, Jessica Paola Rincón Vivas, Linda Vanessa Boada Arias · Convergencia Revista de Ciencias Sociales · Colombia (Bogotá)

This qualitative multiple case study in Bogotá, Colombia, explores the role of women in seven community urban farming initiatives and their collective resistance practices. It found that women pursue food sovereignty, transform relationships with nature, and re-signify public space. Women play a significant role in community self-management, with high recognition of their knowledge and practices, and their networks of affection and intergenerational exchange strengthen female autonomy and leadership.

José Luis Chaves, Alexandre Boleira Lopo, G. M. OLIVEIRA, J. F. ARAÚJO, Luciano Sérgio Ventin Bomfim, J. A. CASTRO · Editora Científica Digital eBooks · Global

This systematic review investigated the viability of animal production in urban and peri-urban agriculture as a tool for food security, using the PRISMA methodology. The review found that while this practice offers benefits like domestic food security and income generation, it also presents negative aspects such as odors, noise, and the transmission of zoonoses. Public policies are needed to regulate the activity and minimize health risks.