Research & reports

Laura Wynne, Laure‐Elise Ruoso, Dana Cordell, Brent Jacobs · Australian Geographer · Australia (Sydney)

This paper investigates metropolitan-level strategic planning documents in Sydney, Australia, using a Foucauldian governmentality approach, to understand how they relate to peri-urban agriculture. The analysis reveals that prevailing rationalities, including the global city, compact city, and sustainability agenda, frame the urbanization of peri-urban agricultural lands as necessary and inevitable. Consequently, peri-urban areas are not considered to have unique planning needs but are instead imagined as latent spaces for future housing and job development, integrating agriculture only when it aligns with the 'global city' narrative.

Azizan Marzuki, Ahmad Sahir Jais · PLANNING MALAYSIA · Malaysia

This qualitative exploratory review, based on a Systematic Literature Review of secondary data, investigated the connection between urban sprawl and its impact on agricultural productivity and food security in Malaysia. The study found that urbanization did affect Malaysia's food security self-sufficiency level, particularly for land-intensive food products like vegetables and livestock, due to the conversion of agricultural lands.

Meredith T. Niles, Molly E. Brown · Oxford University Press eBooks · Global

This chapter defines the expanding concept of food security, which now includes social and cultural issues beyond simply providing enough food, and introduces its four pillars: availability, access, utilization, and stability. It also explores urban agriculture and the use of satellite information and Internet-connected devices for farm management.

Colleen Hammelman, Alexis Saenz-Montoya · Journal of Latin American geography · Colombia (Medellín)

In Medellín, Colombia, large infrastructure projects by the local government, intended to transform the city, have contributed to a neoliberal sustainability agenda. Data from community meetings (2015-2017) with displaced people engaged in subsistence urban agriculture revealed that these projects exclude marginalized residents from newly valued "natural" commons. This territorialization strategy controls peripheral spaces by including approved actors while dispossessing less powerful residents of their right to the city.

Ilona Liliána Birtalan, Bernadett Kis, György Bárdos · Magyar Pszichológiai Szemle · Hungary

This literature review explored the subjective aspects of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) participation. The methodology involved selecting papers with specific word combinations and further studying references and recommended articles. The review found that CSA participation can be interpreted not only through factual advantages but also through aspects like Similar Thinking, Locality (urban-rural axis), Personal Care, Lifestyle Change, and Rewriting of Schemes, which are considered equally important.

Елена Глотова, И.А. Мохирева, В.В. Глотова · Экономика и предпринимательство · Russia

This article presents an analysis of urban agriculture research publications from 1999 to 2018, identified using keywords "urban agriculture" and "urban farming" in EBSCO, Scopus, and Web of Science databases, focusing on management, economics, and business categories. It also includes an assessment of urban agriculture development possibilities and prospects in the Primorsky Territory of the Far Eastern Federal District, Russia, based on an expert survey. The study identified and ranked factors influencing the formation and development of urban agriculture in the region.

Fabien Ilunga Mpanga, Michel Shengo Lutandula⃰ · The Global Environmental Engineers · Democratic Republic of Congo (Lubumbashi)

A study conducted in the Kasungami district of Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo, investigated the link between the use of polluted waters in urban agriculture and heavy metal contamination in soil and cultivated vegetables (amaranths, broccolis). Physicochemical and mineral analyses of water, soil, and plant samples revealed that heavy metals, except cobalt, were present in the water used for urban agriculture at concentrations below quality standards, but the soil contained heavy metals at phytotoxic concentrations. Only broccolis were contaminated with lead, while amaranths had heavy metals below quality standards. These findings suggest that urban agriculture in large agglomerations of the DRC could endanger consumers' health.

Alexandra Peña, M. Rosa Rovira‐Val · The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment · Global

This study conducted a literature review on the use of life cycle costing (LCC) in the urban agriculture (UA) sector, analyzing its evolution over a 22-year period from 1996 to July 2018. From 442 references collected from Scopus and Web of Science, 20 (4.5%) containing LCC and UA keywords were selected for analysis. Major findings indicated that urban horticulture was the most studied UA practice, LCC played a secondary role in its integration with life cycle assessment (LCA), very few papers appropriately applied the four main LCC stages, and essential costs like infrastructure, labor, maintenance, and end-of-life were frequently not included.

Thomas Gilardi · Geography Notebooks · Argentina

In the Bonearense region, urban expansion is encroaching on fertile plains, impacting territorial characteristics. While urban and peri-urban agriculture contributes to food sustenance for the AMBA population, it has not been sufficiently recognized for green area recovery, organic waste recycling, and wastewater management. Regional authorities have begun to acknowledge urban agriculture's role in combating urban poverty, but local economic development faces challenges in mediating food security and recreational services amidst pressures from urban real estate and agro-industrial production.

José́ G. Vargas-Hernández · Practice, progress, and proficiency in sustainability · Global

This chapter analyzes the implications of urban sustainable growth, development, and governance structures for revitalizing open vacant spaces in agriculture and farming. Following an extensive literature review, the authors used critical socio-ecological analysis to identify key issues, trends, practices, and implications of urban vacant spaces concerning sustainable urban growth, urban agriculture use, and collaborative governance for revitalization. It concludes that transitional use of vacant land should be employed for developing sustainable green cities, but urban vacant spaces require stimulated utilization for revitalization purposes.

Sagnik Sinha Roy · · Sweden (Uppsala)

This paper states that urban agriculture (UA) can be a sustainable solution to the severe vulnerabilities climate change has caused for the global food production system.

David Acevedo · Syracuse University Libraries (Syracuse University) · Guatemala

This thesis explores how architecture can have greater agency in unifying people, especially distraught communities, by utilizing food and its inherent social properties. Guatemala is chosen as the zone of exploration for implementing such a collaboration at a ceremonial scale. The approach combines techniques from ecologically efficient urban food production, intimate domestic food consumption, and ceremonial food preparation to create a new edible landscape of socially sustaining architecture.

Sarah Taylor Lovell · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems · Global

Despite increasing awareness and proposals for urban agriculture implementation, broad integration into the urban environment has not yet been observed. In most cities, the level of food production has not expanded significantly enough to impact the supply of vegetables, fruits, or other products. Key barriers limiting widespread adoption of urban agriculture include land access, zoning and tax policies, risks of soil and air contaminants, and urban forestry plans neglecting food security.

Милена Йорданова, Вера Петрова, Цветелина Николова, Елена Цветкова, Milena Yordanova, Vera Petrova, Tsvetelina Nikolova, Elena Tsvetkova · Bulgarian Portal for Open Science · Global

This article considered the potential risks of contamination in urban agricultural products. Urban agriculture, particularly in large cities, areas with heavy traffic, or near industrial zones, can lead to the accumulation of heavy metals in vegetable crops due to air pollution, traffic pollution, and other sources. Consuming these contaminated fresh vegetables is noted to potentially deteriorate human health.

Angela Oyilieze Akanwa, H. C. Mba, E. B. Ogbuene, M. U. Nwachukwu, Charles C. Anukwonke · Apple Academic Press eBooks · Global

This chapter explores the potential of intensive agroforestry and environmental greening as measures to minimize climate change. It details agroforestry components such as urban agriculture, all-season farming, and forest conservation, alongside legislative actions against tree felling. Environmental greening measures include land surface greening, landscaping, gardening, and horticulture, with legislative efforts to minimize land exposure. These practices are presented as efficient ways to reduce greenhouse gas effects on the ozone layer and balance the earth's heat budget.

Djeugap Guedia Amélie Mermoze, Aristide Yemmafouo · European Scientific Journal ESJ · Cameroon

From April to August 2019, surveys (100 questionnaires per city) and interviews (25 per city) were conducted in Dschang, Mbouda, and Foumbot, three medium-sized cities in West Cameroon, to examine the daily practices of urban livestock farming. Findings showed that an average of 60% of city dwellers in these cities engage in livestock farming for commercial reasons, primarily encouraged by their urban conditions. While livestock farming is mostly a secondary activity (87%), professionals make significant investments, and space availability remains a major limiting factor for market growth.

Giuseppina Pennisi · AMS Acta (University of Bologna) · Global

This paper describes an international workshop held in Turku, Finland, and online from September 2-4, 2020, as part of the EU-H2020 project FoodE. The workshop gathered 15 contributions, including two plenary lectures and 13 short presentations from PhD candidates from nine countries, to discuss innovation and sustainability in City/Region Food Systems (CRFS). Topics covered innovative plant production systems, sustainability assessment, short food chains, food waste management, urban agriculture, business models, and the water-food-energy nexus within cities.

Piero Conforti, Giulia Ponzini, Alberto Zezza · Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks · Global

This chapter analyzes national household survey data on the prevalence of urban agriculture, its importance for livelihoods, and characteristics of engaging households in low- and middle-income countries. Approximately 25 million urban households in the studied countries practice crop or livestock activities, with over 20% of urban households involved in agriculture in almost half of these nations. The incidence of urban agriculture is not as extensive as sometimes claimed in the literature. On average, urban agricultural households are poorer and more deprived in both monetary and non-monetary dimensions of welfare.

Pozo Palacios, María Gabriela · · Ecuador (Cuenca)

This paper describes the context of urban agriculture in the historic center of Cuenca, Ecuador, highlighting challenges posed by urbanization and gentrification. It mentions the increase in urbanization rates in Latin America since 1950 and its impact on the food production sector. The paper also touches upon the tradition of private patios devoted to family farming in Cuenca's republican architectural typologies and the diminution of farming areas due to rising land prices, but it does not present specific research methods, findings, or conclusions.

HD Vashi, PK Dubey · International Journal of Chemical Studies · Global

This paper discusses urban farming and vertical farming as solutions for future urban food security and sustainability, addressing environmental changes and resource shortages. It highlights how urban farming, including green rooftops, can contribute to environmental, social, and economic sustainability by improving urban greenery and food systems. Vertical farming is presented as a method to produce large quantities of fresh food in densely populated areas with limited land.

Francisco Fransualdo de Azevedo, Helena Perxacs, Maria Angelis Alió · Mercator · Global

This study aimed to deepen the social dimension of urban agriculture by examining experiences in cities such as Barcelona, Girona, and Natal. It proposed a scheme of the various advantages urban agriculture offers to society, including contributing to urban poverty reduction and improving public health. The study concluded that urban agriculture represents a social phenomenon of territorial resistance and a transition towards a more balanced productive paradigm.

[PDF] [DOWNLOAD] Growing a Sustainable City?: The Question of Urban Agriculture (UTP Insights) [Full] · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Global

This abstract provides information regarding the download and reading of the book "Growing a Sustainable City?: The Question of Urban Agriculture (UTP Insights)" by Christina D. Rosan.

Mr. Isaiah ACQUAH, Dr.Sc. Joseph Ato FORSON, Dr.Sc. Theresa Yaaba BAAH-ENNUMH · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Ghana

This qualitative exploratory study in Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Ghana, investigated the effect of urban growth and concretization on urban farming households' livelihoods and food security. The study, using interviews and spatial imagery, found that urban farms face challenges due to inadequate land use planning and support, leading to a loss of farmlands. Significant challenges identified include limited farming space, limited resources, continuous increase in buildings, and inadequate education for urban farmers.

Salvatore Engel‐Di Mauro · Journal of Environmental Quality · Global

This review examines atmospheric sources of trace element (TE) contamination in cultivated urban areas (CUAs), noting that these sources are understudied and poorly understood despite extensive research on TE contamination in CUAs. Existing research often assesses atmospheric deposition indirectly or lacks controls for other TE contaminants, and shows little engagement with atmospheric sciences methodological guidelines, which reduces confidence in current findings. The review suggests combining atmospheric science techniques with existing robust methodologies for TE contamination studies in CUAs.

Catalina Cruz-Piedrahita, Caroline Howe, Audrey de Nazelle · Global Transitions · Global

This scoping review analyzed 138 papers to develop a conceptual framework on the impacts of urban horticulture (UH) on public health in the Global North. While UH is proposed as a tool for health improvement, the review notes a lack of systematic information on its benefits, barriers, costs, and risks in these regions. The framework visualizes relationships between UH and public health, providing evidence for both positive and negative connections regarding mental health, physical activity, diet, and socialization.