Research & reports

Kaitlyn M. Fruin, Elizabeth L. Tung, Jean M. Franczyk, Ketaurah James, Andrew J. Koetz, Angela K. Mason, Wayne M. Detmer · Health Affairs · United States (Chicago)

An evaluation of VeggieRx, a produce prescription programme anchored to the Farm on Ogden — a 20,000-square-foot urban agriculture facility opened in 2016 in a historically disinvested food desert in Chicago, Illinois, by the Chicago Botanic Garden together with Lawndale Christian Health Center. Clinicians refer patients to the farm for free produce boxes, nutrition counselling and cooking classes. Using a retrospective, propensity-score-weighted cohort design covering January 2016 to December 2021, the study compared 680 VeggieRx participants with 978 weighted controls and found a mean body weight difference of −6.71 pounds (−4.7% of body weight) at eighteen months. Because the design is observational rather than randomised, residual confounding such as selection by motivation cannot be excluded.

Ermias Debie, Demsew Mengistie · Discover Sustainability · Ethiopia

This study investigated the determinants of Urban Agriculture (UA) and Green Infrastructure (GI) integration in Bahir Dar City, Northwest Ethiopia. Data were collected through surveys and analyzed using binary and ordinal logistic regression models. Findings revealed that a lack of awareness and lower education levels, such as no formal and primary education, significantly hinder the integration of UA and GI practices. Conversely, larger residential spaces and household sizes positively influence integration levels, with each additional household member increasing the score by 0.236 units for consumption needs, and each unit increase in residential site size raising the score by 0.004 units due to space availability.

Elnazir Ramadan, Suliman Zakaria Suliman Abdalla, Ali Al Ahbabi, Tarig Gibreel, Naeema Al Hosani · City and Environment Interactions · Asia

This study explored factors influencing agricultural technology adoption among small-scale urban farmers in pre-urban areas of the arid Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states. Using a structured questionnaire and ordinal logistic regression, it identified performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, trust, and cultural norms as key drivers of adoption. Perceived risk negatively influenced adoption, while compatibility was not statistically significant.

Nurudeen Issifu, Owusu Amponsah, Daniel Kwame Blija, Stephen Appiah Takyi, Abdul Majeed Issah, Abdul-Wahid Alhassan · International Planning Studies · Ghana

This study assessed whether mixed residential-agricultural land use can sustain urban agriculture and if residential landowners in rapidly urbanizing Ghanaian cities are willing to allocate plot space to agriculture. Researchers surveyed 280 landowners across four peri-urban settlements in Kumasi and used geospatial data to estimate available residential space. Nearly four out of five landowners were willing to cede their backyards for micro-farming, with geospatial estimates identifying 75.65 hectares of available residential area across the settlements, equivalent to approximately 0.03 ha per plot (about 23% of an average 0.13 ha plot). These findings suggest the potential of backyard micro-farming as a strategy for sustaining urban agriculture.

César Nunes de Castro · Instituto de Pesquisa Econômica Aplicada (Ipea) eBooks · Brazil

This chapter aims to provide an overview of urban and peri-urban agriculture (AUP) in Brazil and evaluate the inherent challenges of the activity, including the potential role of the National AUP Program (PNAUP) in promoting its development.

Maria de Nazareth Oliveira Maciel, Luann Yago Oliveira Maciel · Aracê. · Global

This descriptive review study examined whether urban agriculture aligns with SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) of Agenda 2030 and generates social benefits for producers, analyzing articles published from 2019 to 2022 from Scielo, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. The results showed that urban agriculture aligns with SDG 12, generating ten main social benefits, including improved quality of life, social inclusion, food security, and promotion of mental and physical health.

Hang Yu, Mohd Yazid Mohd Yunos, Mohd Nazri Saidon, Mohd Amirul Hussain · Landscape Research · China (Shenyang)

This study critically examined how community-led edible landscapes intersect with tensions of urban redevelopment, memory politics, and governance ambiguity in post-industrial Shenyang, China. Using a qualitative case study approach, including participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and spatial documentation, findings showed that while edible landscapes can revitalize neglected spaces and evoke industrial memory, they also face instability, informal governance, and socio-environmental risks.

Paul Β. Thompson · · Global

This article discusses urban agriculture, noting that the decline of grocery stores in inner cities and projected vulnerabilities in megacities outside the global West suggest distinct moral imperatives. It contrasts urban agriculture with rural resilience and sustainable intensification, highlighting its focus on consumption and present needs. The article describes two urban agriculture archetypes: one embracing high-tech solutions and another emphasizing local solidarities and urban-based control over the food system.

Pierluigi Siano, Isam Shahrour, Silvano Vergura · Journal of Urban Development and Smart Cities · Germany

This study presents a participatory Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) framework for evaluating urban agriculture in compact cities, based on a two-stage German case design. A European expert survey (35 responses) identified priority sub-criteria, and a German stakeholder survey (141 responses) weighted these criteria. The AHP structure prioritized the environmental dimension (42%), with biodiversity receiving the highest priority and food quality and safety the lowest.

Florien Misago, Isaac Nzayisenga, Henri Jacques Ngirinshuti, Leon De Pere Irakoze, Richard Mind’je · East African Journal of Agriculture and Biotechnology · Rwanda (Kigali)

This study evaluated the potential of rooftop and wall-based urban agriculture to enhance food security in Gasabo District, Kigali, Rwanda. It used GIS and remote sensing to map suitable spaces and assessed 400 household heads using the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS). Findings showed that 41.5% of households experienced moderate to severe food insecurity, and approximately 32% of rooftops and walls were structurally appropriate for urban agriculture. While 57.8% of households expressed willingness to adopt rooftop or wall gardening, 67.4% cited structural and financial constraints.

Gokulakrishnan G, Navaneetha Krishnan T, Tamilselvan D, S Sanjeevkumar, Devaganesh A, Janani N, K. Arunadevi, Balaji Kannan · Madras Agricultural Journal · Global

This review explores vertical farming, a method that uses stacked layers in controlled environments for year-round crop production with reduced resource use. It assesses the environmental and economic advantages of vertical farming, while critically examining its limitations, including high energy demands and limited crop diversity. The study highlights that despite its potential, vertical farming faces challenges regarding economic viability due to high energy consumption.

Yogita Yogita, Ashutosh Kumar, Robin Kumar, Subhash Chander Verma, Abhay Saini, J. C. Das, Rajnish Kumar, Manjul Jain · Journal of Scientific Research and Reports · Global

This review discusses various sustainable practices in urban horticulture, including vertical gardening, hydroponics, aquaponics, rooftop gardening, composting, and rainwater harvesting. It analyzes the benefits and limitations of these strategies, highlighting their effects on urban ecology, climate resilience, socio-economic well-being, and environmental conservation. The review concludes with recommendations for policy integration, technological innovation, and public participation to enhance the sustainability of urban horticulture.

Elza D’Cruz · Landscape Research · Global

This article discusses the critical issue of reclaiming space for urban agriculture in contemporary cities, which is central to debates on urban food growing. It highlights that collective and individual food-growing is widely recognized as a means to address food-related challenges.

PC Trivedi, Shruti Walia Ar · International Journal for Research in Applied Science and Engineering Technology · Global

This research defines urban voids as idle, unused, or partly used urban lands that public agencies fail to utilize to their maximum capacity. It proposes that these urban voids can serve as valuable resources in sustainable planning by creating green infrastructure, fostering civic engagement, and enhancing biodiversity. Converting these spaces into parks or community gardens can encourage social interaction and improve urban living quality.

Arild Eriksen, Deni Ruggeri, Esben Slaatrem Titland · · Norway (Oslo)

This essay examines urban agriculture from the perspective of an architect and urban farmer/beekeeper practicing bottom-up, participatory design in Oslo. Critical dimensions of urban agriculture in public space include private and corporate claims on these landscapes, and its current aesthetics of impermanence are critiqued. The essay questions the notion that the joy and freedom urban agriculture brings to a community should be built upon and enriched by future development and policy.

Sandra Mallet, Baptiste Colin, Thomas Zanetti, Marc G. Dumont, Annette, Groux · HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe) · France (Bordeaux)

The TransUrba project investigates how different temporalities of action in urban space can be articulated by studying temporary urbanism initiatives. Through an analysis of three areas in France (Bordeaux, Lyon, and Lille metropolitan area), the project aims to understand how temporary urbanism is implemented, its innovative features, its impact on urban space, and how local public action can strengthen transitional urbanism.

Bernd Bonfert · Environment and Planning D Society and Space · Europe

This article investigates the role of 'commons networks' in organizing and scaling a commons-based economy, focusing on community-supported agriculture and energy communities in the UK, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Belgium. Data was collected from qualitative case studies using interviews, observation, and document analyses. The study reveals a trend towards centralization in network governance, different scaling approaches between the food and energy sectors, and challenges of commodification and institutionalization.

Roghayyeh Khabbazi · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Iran (Tabriz)

This mixed-method study aimed to identify drivers influencing the development of a nature-oriented urban landscape with an emphasis on urban agriculture in Tabriz metropolis, Iran. Data analysis used the partial least squares model in Smart-pls software and content analysis. Findings showed that management, laws and regulations, economic, social, physical, and design components, respectively, had the greatest impact on nature-oriented urban landscape development with urban agriculture. Key sub-components included developing a strategic plan, forming partnerships, developing binding laws to prevent the destruction of urban garden lands, reviewing agricultural laws to support urban agriculture, and using modern agricultural equipment.

Micol Sonnino, Simona Zollet · Urban Planning · Italy (Rome)

This article investigates how framing urban agriculture as a "common good" shapes governance and fosters participatory processes in Rome, Italy. In October 2024, the City of Rome approved a new regulation on urban agriculture, marking an evolution in its legal framework. Field research, including interviews and archival data analysis, found that urban agriculture practices in Rome exemplify collaborative governance, enabling cooperation between citizens and local government.

Much Faisal Syaputra · Jurnal Administrasi dan Kebijakan Publik · Indonesia (Makassar City)

This qualitative case study critically examined the governance structure of Makassar City's Lorong Wisata program, which integrates urban farming for food self-sufficiency. The study found a fragmented governance network dominated by the municipal government's vertical authority, with weak cross-sectoral collaboration, particularly with universities and private actors. Institutional fragility was evident due to the absence of functional task forces, leading to symbolic rather than substantive coordination.

William D. Schanbacher, Dhalia Bumbaca, Luciana Jones, Ana Vidal, Christiane Barros-Adwell, A. N. Olivieri, Jennifer Kue · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United States (Tampa, Florida)

This study reflects on the collaboration between a university and community partners in Tampa, Florida, to develop a community-based food sovereignty assessment and toolkit for two underserved, food-insecure communities. Using community-based research methods, the project explored how to develop and deploy the concept of food sovereignty in an urban environment, identified gaps in urban agriculture education, and ultimately led to the creation of a food sovereignty toolkit.

April Tiodora Manik · Jurnal Ilmiah Mahasiswa Ekonomi Akuntansi · Asia

This quantitative study examined the implementation of Indonesia's Law Number 11 of 2020, particularly the 20% community plantation development facility (palm oil plasma), by seven oil palm plantation companies from 2019 to 2023. Statistical tests concluded that these seven companies had not properly applied the palm plasma system, indicating a failure to implement the law. Potential reasons include financial constraints, lack of infrastructure, limited stakeholder support, unclear guidelines, land acquisition difficulties, and weak coordination.

華奈 中塚, 基 小林 · Institutional Repositories DataBase (IRDB) · Japan

This paper clarifies the effectiveness and challenges of JA-led agricultural experience farms, using JA Kitakawachi as a case study. It extracts elements for JA to support farmers and manage operations, aiming to revitalize local urban agriculture and maintain urban farmland by sharing it with residents as a common resource. The study suggests involving diverse stakeholders in managing experience farms for joint land use and sustainable development.

Assyifa Fauzia, Evi Frimawaty, Hadi Susilo Arifin · RISALAH KEBIJAKAN PERTANIAN DAN LINGKUNGAN Rumusan Kajian Strategis Bidang Pertanian dan Lingkungan · Indonesia (Jakarta)

This study aimed to provide recommendations for community-based urban agriculture sustainability in Cempaka Putih District, Central Jakarta, facing challenges like limited land and environmental changes. Using SWOT analysis and FGDs with stakeholders, the findings indicate that strategies can be implemented through agricultural technology and strengthened collaboration. However, the study implies that supporting policies, incentives, investment facilitation, and continuous infrastructure and assistance are currently lacking for implementation.

Kejela Gnamura, Michael Akwasi Antwi, Abenet Belete · Research of Economic and Financial Problems · Ethiopia (Addis Ababa)

This mixed-methods study in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, compared 446 households (223 displaced and 223 non-displaced) to investigate the effects of urbanization-induced displacement on economic capital and food security. Evicted households showed a 72.7% lower likelihood of achieving economic capital security and 93.4% reduced odds of maintaining food security compared to non-evicted households, indicating significant negative differences.