Research & reports

Paula Restrepo · · Colombia (Medellín)

As part of the Red de Huerteros Medellín (RHM) collective, urban agriculture in Medellín was mapped to identify its features and problems. A main problem found was a poor or non-existent connection between urban farmers and key organizations like seed keepers. Few urban farmers had knowledge about the ecopolitical implications of the seed business, and even fewer obtained seeds from seed keepers or showed consideration for their labor.

Mitchell McLarnon · · Global

This chapter describes the practice, processes, and ethical tensions of using cell phones for visual data collection, representation, and analysis in school/community garden research projects. The findings suggest that while gardens and cell phones have the potential for enhancing experiential learning, increased well-being, and ecological awareness, their use needs to be highly contextualized within critical discussions related to settler colonialism, consumerism, neoliberalism, and (green) gentrification.

Juliette Colinas, Francesca Ugolini, Mohammad Reza Khalilnezhad · Sustainability · Iran (Birjand)

In Birjand, Iran, a qualitative approach explored the usage and perception of public fruit trees and attitudes towards public usage and participation in two urban green spaces (Tohid Park and Akbarieh Garden). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twelve visitors, four administrators, and eight workers. Almost all visitors had a high interest in picking fruit, but usage in these green spaces was low, partly due to social norms.

Dongxiang Chen, Yuanming Wang, Haijun Bao · Habitat International · Global

This research extended the land sharing and sparing framework to urban land use, quantifying the impact of urban services, food production, and ecosystem services. The results showed that land-sparing scenarios had a 23.6% lower overall value loss than sharing scenarios on average. However, while land-sparing mitigates losses in food production and ecosystem services, it increases the cost of urban services, creating a trade-off that challenges achieving an optimal win-win situation.

Alessio Russo · Urban Science · Global

This paper synthesizes existing literature to examine the essential role of urban green spaces in fostering healthy living, emphasizing their strong positive associations with physical, mental, and social wellbeing. It discusses the importance of designing attractive and accessible green spaces that encourage physical activity and mental health, and the potential of local food production for diet improvement. The study also highlights disparities in access to quality green spaces, particularly between the Global North and South, advocating for equitable design strategies.

Imran Ahmed Khan, Altaf Hussain Lahori · Trends in Ecological and Indoor Environmental Engineering · Pakistan (Karachi)

This study assessed the hydrography and created a 3D model of Hub Dam, Karachi, Pakistan, using global bathymetric and remote sensing data. A 3D volumetric analysis estimated the total water volume at approximately 79.954 × 10^6 m^3, indicating enough water for Karachi's needs for 503 days. Topographic analysis identified key elements affecting dam performance, confirming the dam's water storage ability.

Waseem Ahmed Khattak · International Assulta of Research and Engagement (IARE) · Pakistan

"Go Green communities" in Pakistan were studied as grassroots movements promoting environmental awareness and sustainable practices. Using a Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach, activities included waste management, urban gardening, and policy advocacy. The initiative demonstrated increased community involvement in eco-friendly efforts, leading to tangible outcomes such as waste segregation systems and enhanced green spaces. However, challenges including financial limitations, resistance from industries, and restricted access to green technologies highlighted the need for stronger institutional support.

Anastasia Luise Gramatakos, Andrea Rawluk, Catherine Phillips · Ecosystems and People · Global

This paper explores how social ecological systems (SES) analyses can better integrate diverse experiences of time and temporality, drawing insights from social sciences and humanities. It discusses conceptual insights related to ongoing research in urban food forests and orchards to illustrate the usefulness of considering temporality. The study proposes questions for explicitly engaging with temporality, focusing on relational change, space and place, and bodies and practice, suggesting a critical temporal focus is vital for SES research.

Charleen Kepner · Anthós · Global

This essay analyzes case studies and academic research to explore urban agriculture and community gardens as sources of education and food production. It examines previous research showing that small-scale efforts can make lasting impacts in communities and contributes to discussions on alternatives to current farming practices. The essay suggests that policymakers and urban planners should support and expand community gardens as a feasible food production strategy.

Christine Aubry, Nicolas Rouget, Giulia Giacchè, Joëlle Salomon Cavin · Territoire en mouvement · Global

At the IGU Congress in Paris in July 2022, two parallel sessions were held on urban agriculture. One was titled "Urban agriculture in the South and North: shaping practices and generating the urban fabric," and the other was "Towards an agrarisation of the city? The integration of agricultural practices into the generation of neighbourhoods." For both sessions, urban agriculture (UA) was designated according to a specific definition.

Arild Eriksen, Deni Ruggeri, Esben Slaatrem Titland · ˜The œGeojournal library · Norway (Oslo)

This essay discusses the motivations for co-creating urban agriculture in public spaces from the perspective of an architect and urban farmer/beekeeper practicing bottom-up, participatory design in Oslo. It critiques the current aesthetics of impermanence and temporality in urban agriculture and questions the idea that the joy and freedom it brings should be enhanced by future development and policy. The essay presents a rich collection of stories about regeneration, change, and collective action and cultivation, rather than a replicable model.

Svetlana Pyankova, Inna Mitrofanova, Olga Ergunova, Victoria Batmanova · Regionalnaya ekonomika Yug Rossii · Russia (Saint Petersburg)

This study analyzed urban agriculture as a sustainable solution for food security in megalopolises, exemplified by Saint Petersburg. It investigated key parameters affecting urban agriculture's efficiency, such as land area used, agricultural production, fresh food availability, and the introduction of modern technologies. Using quantitative and qualitative methods, including statistical data collection, modeling, comparative analysis, expert assessments, and forecasting, the study showed that urban agriculture in St. Petersburg has significant potential for increasing food security, reducing the carbon footprint, and improving municipal ecology.

Alishba Saqib, M Sana Ullah Khan, Irfan Ahmad Rana · Nature-Based Solutions · Global

A systematic review of 123 publications on green roofs and climate change identified recurrent themes including urban heat islands, stormwater runoff, thermal comfort, biodiversity, carbon footprint reduction, urban agriculture, and human well-being. The study proposes a Green Roof Resilience Framework (GRF) that integrates these concepts to enhance urban resilience.

С. С. Волков, Mihail Tarantin · Moscow Economic Journal · Russia (Perm)

This study retrospectively analyzed the formation of the microdistrict system in Perm, Russia. The analysis examined each microdistrict using indicators such as the year of incorporation into city limits, historical development prerequisites, and current status within the city structure. The study resulted in the construction of a map of Perm microdistricts in their conditional historical boundaries and an analysis of spatial and temporal transformations of the urban structure.

Juan Camilo Fontalvo-Buelvas, María Teresa Pulido Silva, Miguel Ángel Escalona Aguilar · Bitácora Urbano Territorial · Global

A bibliographic review identified that the main deficiencies in urban agriculture are inadequate management practices, a lack of organization, and absent or inefficient public policies. The study suggests that agroecology as a management system, policies for land access and sustainable financing, and dissemination processes are key leverage points for driving urban agriculture towards sustainability.

Ada Górna · · Singapore

This chapter discusses a case study of urban agriculture in Singapore, a rapidly developing metropolis almost completely reliant on food imports. Authorities are promoting modern technology-based food production solutions to improve food self-sufficiency. Research demonstrated that top-down administrative decisions are particularly crucial to the spatial distribution of urban farming, and due to dynamic changes in the city's spatial and functional structure, urban agriculture, especially instances not matching promoted development directions, faces challenges and will undergo spatial and qualitative changes in the coming years.

Kamalanathan Shanmugam, Muhammad Ehsan Rana, Ainun Sara Binti Nasri · The Journal of Applied Technology and Innovation · Malaysia

Malaysia is actively using internet-based technologies such as cloud computing, big data analytics, IoT, and AI to enhance its GDP and living standards, particularly through Smart Agriculture initiatives. These initiatives prioritize sustainable practices and urban agricultural solutions. Despite the promise of ubiquitous computing for Malaysia's agricultural industry, the country faces obstacles that must be overcome to realize its full potential.

Irada Ismayilova, Sabine Timpf · AGILE GIScience Series · Global

Allotment gardens, a type of Urban Green Space (UGS), offer environmental, social, and health benefits but are often not recognized as a distinct category in land use maps due to their specific characteristics. This research proposes an identification approach utilizing semantic features such as the presence, density, and height of garden huts, proximity to water bodies and railroads, and the presence of pathways. The three-step workflow, combining a Random Forest classifier, hut extraction, and density-based clustering, accurately identified 78% of allotments in Augsburg and 88% in Wuerzburg.

S. Akbarnezhad Nesheli, Alenka Temeljotov Salaj · IFAC-PapersOnLine · Global

This study explores urban farming, examining stakeholders, challenges, typologies, methodologies, and societal impacts. It identifies three strategic orientations for urban farming products: Sustainable Food Production, Education and Social Commitment, and Urban Qualities. The research also scrutinizes innovative methods like hydroponics and diverse spatial configurations, highlighting the complex relationship between high-yield urban agriculture and its environmental and economic aspects.

Ricardo Jacobs · Oxford University Press eBooks · Global

This chapter argues that rapid urbanization and global capitalism are destroying established livelihoods faster than creating new ones, leading to a growing surplus population. Dispossessed rural classes are reproducing themselves in urban spaces and converging with wage laborers to create agricultural livelihoods in cities of both the global South and North. This makes urban agriculture an important arena for land struggles and a livelihood option, shaping urbanization and socioecological relations.

Ronald O. Muchelo, Thomas F. A. Bishop, Sabastine U. Ugbaje, Stephen Akpa · Land · Uganda (Kampala)

This study examined urban growth and agricultural land loss in Kampala (1989-2015) and Mbarara (2002-2016), Uganda, using multi-temporal Landsat imagery. Kampala's urban area surged from 7.14% to 55.10%, and Mbarara's from 6.37% to 30.95%, while agricultural land decreased significantly in both cities. A substantial portion of urban growth encroached upon agricultural land (66.7% in Kampala, 57.8% in Mbarara), and unsustainable practices also converted wetlands and forests to agricultural land.

Beata Sirowy, Kelvin Knight · ˜The œGeojournal library · Global

This chapter proposes Aristotelian concepts of eudaimonia (human well-being), virtues, and civic friendship as guiding principles for urban development, particularly in the design of urban public space. It argues that urban public space development should consider citizens' participative practices, rather than solely administratively conceived functions. Urban agriculture is presented as an example of a practice in urban public space that cultivates ethical virtues, sociality, and productive skills, contributing to the common good.

Eleni Oikonomaki, Ilektra Papadaki, Christina Kakderi · Land · Global

This paper examined 100 citizen-led urban greening projects globally, categorizing them by greenery type, stakeholders, implementation mode, and smart technology use. Fully citizen-led initiatives often focused on urban farms and food growing, while scaling projects frequently received support from public authorities or NGOs. Websites and social media facilitated participation and knowledge sharing, but advanced digital technologies for real-time monitoring and evidence-based decision-making were rarely integrated.

Sonia Gatchair · · Jamaica (Kingston)

In Kingston, Jamaica's largest urban space, systematic efforts to stimulate the adoption of commercially viable urban agriculture have lagged. This study examines the facilitators and impediments to commercially viable urban agriculture, arguing that knowledge transfer and the adoption of innovative, technology-driven approaches to farming, financing, and marketing are needed for success.

Marta Rudnicka-Bogusz · Civil And Environmental Engineering Reports · Global

This study presents three lesser-known theories of W. Czerny, L. Zimowski, and O. Hansen regarding the “agricultural city,” alongside theories by L. Migge and F.L. Wright. It focuses on the role of agriculture within the city framework and its implications for future urban built structures. Urban farming is positioned as a multifunctional tool contributing to food security, ecological sustainability, community resilience, and social cohesion within the concept of a regenerative city.