Research & reports

Siti Aisyah Salim, Zawiyah Mohammad Yusof, Laili Farhana Md Ibharim, Siti Hajar Salim · Journal of Building Performance · Southeast Asia

This structured literature review examines urban farming activities, technology applications, and smallholder farming in Southeast Asia, where urban farming is limited and dispersed. The study selected 88 articles from ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and Scopus to provide a taxonomy and future research directions. It identifies the benefits, challenges, and recommendations for improving the acceptance and use of urban farming applications in the region.

Nizzatul Amaliyah, Sarwititi Sarwoprasodjo · Jurnal Komunikasi Pembangunan · Indonesia

This study of the Indonesian women's farming groups KWT Dahlia Indah and KWT Nusa Indah Lestari combined a quantitative questionnaire with qualitative in-depth interviews to analyze the relationship between individual characteristics, communication climate, and participation level in an urban farming program, and between participation level and program success. Individual characteristics were not related to participation level, but the communication climate within the groups was supportive and related to participation level, and participation level had a significant relationship with the program's success rate.

최지원, 오충현 · 한국환경생태학회 학술발표논문집 · South Korea

A study of urban agriculture in Gangdong-gu, Seoul, South Korea, reviewing about ten years of activity from the district's 2010 enactment of Korea's first eco-friendly urban agriculture support ordinance through its 2019 comprehensive plan, assessed across economic, environmental-ecological and social dimensions using Lee Chang-woo's (2016) functional classification and a resident satisfaction survey, to derive directions for the next urban agriculture master plan. On the economic side, following the district's first urban garden plots opened in the Gangil-dong area in 2009, by January 2019 there were 39 sites totaling 145,806 square meters across 6,873 plots, and in 2018 the Gangdong Urban Agriculture Support Center ("Ssingssing Dream") recorded produce sales of 348,218,000 KRW and donated 3,204 kg of produce to low-income households. On the environmental side, urban beekeeping begun in 2013 had grown to roughly 40 hives by 2018, alongside 25,923 box gardens and 121 rooftop gardens (totaling 1,828 square meters) established by 2018; on the social side, rooftop gardens at eight welfare facilities hosted a total of 107 horticultural therapy sessions by 2018.

Budijanto Chandra, Titin Fatimah · Seminar Nasional Pembangunan Wilayah dan Kota Berkelanjutan · Indonesia

A 2019 study examines green open space (RTH) development under land constraints in Kampung Luar Batang, a historic settlement in Jakarta located within the Kota Tua heritage district and home to the Luar Batang Mosque and the tomb of Habib Husein. The densely settled, unplanned kampung is prone to tidal flooding; using a qualitative descriptive method with observation and interviews focused on RW 02, the study proposes hydroponic and aquaponic (combined with catfish farming) urban farming as forms of green space suited to the area's limited land and irrigation water.

Tanushree Chakrabarti · Economic Affairs · India

A 2019 study examined the development and problems of urban agriculture in wards 28, 29 and 30 of the Chandernagore Municipal Corporation (CMC), Hooghly district, West Bengal, India. These three wards were rural before 1995, when they were added to the CMC as part of the town's expansion. A significant portion of the population remains dependent on agriculture, with fruit and vegetable crops in particular helping ensure food security for urban consumers.

Amanda C. J. Vincent, Saravanan Raj, B Suchiradipta · · India

A study in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad, India, examining information sources used by urban farming practitioners and the impact of urban farming on the cityscape. Online content and virtual knowledge were found to be the most important sources of agricultural knowledge, with practitioners using ICT services such as Facebook groups, online agri stores, and WhatsApp groups; neighbors with similar interests were also a major source of crop production knowledge. The study further found that urban farming was capable of recycling waste, restoring the urban ecosystem, and stabilizing the health of both residents and the cityscape.

Qijiao Xie, Yang Yue, Daohua Hu · Forests · China

Questionnaire surveys in eight sample communities in Wuhan, China, examined residents' attention to and awareness of urban edible landscapes. Nearly one-third of respondents were unaware of edible landscapes before the interview; 57.26% thought they could promote efficient land use and 54.64% valued their ornamental effect, but 37.10% did not believe edible landscapes could increase food output and 40.12% did not believe they could improve food quality. Among growers, 45.65% cultivated in private space and 32.73% in semiprivate space, and lack of public areas for agriculture was cited as the main barrier by 55.86% of growers and 59.51% of non-growers, alongside concerns about property manager opposition and conflicts or complex relationships with neighbors.

Bjorn Low · OpenEdition (OpenEdition) · Asia

A case study reports on Edible Garden City, launched in 2012 in Singapore — a hyper-urbanized city-state that imports 90% of its food — which has built urban gardens with the aim of increasing the country's resilience and people's connection to food. Combining commercial activities with socially driven projects, from consultancy to community farming, the company had built 200 edible gardens and states its "Citizen Farm" could potentially produce 150 kg of leafy greens and 150 kg of mushrooms per month, an effort supported by a public-private partnership that made unused spaces available and reformed regulations; it also runs a farm on the rooftop of the Raffles City shopping mall supplying local restaurants.

World Economic Forum · World Economic Forum · South Korea

This 12 April 2019 World Economic Forum article reports that South Korea's food waste recycling rate rose from about 2% around 1995 to 95% today, attributing the shift to a 2005 landfill ban and a 2013 pay-as-you-throw system using biodegradable designated bags (costing a typical family of four about $6 a month, with bag sales covering 60% of recycling program operating costs). It cites Seoul's rollout of 6,000 automated weighing bins as reducing waste by 47,000 tons over six years and saving $8.4 million in collection costs.

Vij S., Narain V., Karpouzoglou T., Mishra P. · IIED Working Paper, International Institute for Environment and Development · India

This paper examines rural-urban transformations in India's neglected peri-urban areas in relation to food production, access, consumption, and nutritional quality, arguing peri-urban agriculture could be a major contributor to pro-poor food security and poverty alleviation.

박상희, 우은희, 황경미, 제의숙 · 인간식물환경학회 학술대회 · South Korea (Seoul)

This study investigated the current operational status of rooftop gardens in Seoul, South Korea. It aimed to present the situation of rooftop gardens across the 25 districts of Seoul, as the city expands various urban agriculture projects.

In-Kyoung Hong, Young Chae, Yoonah Jang, Sangmi Lee, Jung Nam Su · Journal of people, plants, and environment · South Korea

A study in South Korea surveyed 115 urban citizens to analyze urban agriculture's effects based on income level, identifying socially sustainable, negative, and economically sustainable factors. Findings showed psychological stability, connection with nature, and local agricultural vitalization correlated significantly with income level. However, the negative effect of urban agriculture showed no significant correlation with income level.

Jooseok 오주석Oh, Byunghak 민병학Min, Jungmin 최정민Choi, Seiyong 김세용Kim · 대한건축학회논문집 계획계 · South Korea

This study compared community gardener participation in general and public lease apartment complexes in South Korea, using interviews and statistical research with 319 participants. Results showed statistically significant differences in satisfaction and continuous participation between the two apartment types. Overall, female participation, public assistance, plot area, and exchange effectiveness were found to enhance continuous participation in community gardens.

장인수, 서동주, 김홍석 · 지역연구 · South Korea

This study in South Korea explored ways to revitalize urban agriculture based on empirical analysis of experience and subjective perceptions, defining its main functions as enhancing ecological, landscape, and participation values. Survey results showed that exposure to urban agriculture information was higher in large cities, and participation experience was higher with larger residential spaces. While positive responses were high for urban agriculture's functions, negative responses were high regarding perceptions of the surrounding residential environment.

김정식, 한미영 · Global Creative Leader Education & Learning · South Korea

This study aims to examine whether the current urban agriculture expert training curriculum, implemented nationwide in South Korea, is appropriate for training actual urban agriculture experts in light of urban agriculture development directions. The South Korean government has established an urban agriculture manager qualification system to provide explanations, education, guidance, and technology dissemination related to urban agriculture to enhance urban citizens' understanding.

Adi Firmansyah · · Indonesia (Bekasi)

A qualitative descriptive study in Bekasi Regency, Indonesia, investigated the impact of an organic urban farming program initiated by PT. Pertamina EP Tambun Field on agricultural behavior and institutionalization. The program led to changes in farming techniques from conventional to organic, and shifts in actor interactions, rules, values, norms, and resource management. These changes fostered institutionalization, strengthening the social, economic, and ecological benefits of organic farming.

Jung‐Min Choi, Yuna Kim, Dong‐Chan Park · Residential Environment Institute Of Korea · South Korea

This study explored the concept and desirable direction for Korean community gardens through Japanese case studies, semantic network analysis, field investigations, and an expert questionnaire survey. Semantic network analysis revealed that urban agriculture keywords focused on cultivation and economic effects, while community garden keywords centered on residents, exchanges, and community formation, suggesting a need for clear definitions. The study proposed a broad definition of Korean community gardens as vegetable gardening, categorizing them into four types: neighborhood, unused land utilization, housing complex, and foothold connection. A narrow definition, centered on horticulture, introduced the 'Nuri garden' with four sub-types: Nuri Participation, Nuri Sharing, Nuri Sympathy, and Nuri Loan garden. Expert surveys indicated a preference for joint cultivation types within residential areas, within walking distance, and with open designs.

Piyapong Boossabong · Amsterdam University Press eBooks · Thailand (Bangkok)

In Bangkok, most vegetables consumed in the city are transported from remote rural areas and contaminated with chemicals. Governmental policies have failed to control chemical use, while monopolistic food corporations constrain the sustainability of local food systems. This chapter highlights the collaboration of urban farming networks in Bangkok that aim to produce alternative food sources and create alternative markets, arguing that these networks can construct alternative urban spaces for social action.

Wiwandari Handayani, Prihadi Nugroho, Dini Oktaviani Hapsari · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Indonesia (Semarang)

This study used descriptive and spatial analyses with secondary and primary data to assess the potential and co-benefits of urban farming in Semarang City, Indonesia. It identified two types of urban farming: conventional approaches in the city outskirts and hydroponic or limited-space methods in the city center. The study found various potentials, including vegetables, cassava, sugarcane, durian, and mushrooms, and noted co-benefits across environmental, economic, social, health, education, and tourism aspects.

Mohammad Rondhi, Pravitasari Anjar Pratiwi, Vivi Trisna Handini, Aryo Fajar Sunartomo, Subhan Arif Budiman · Land · Indonesia (East Java)

This paper investigated the inter-relationship between land economic value and agricultural land conversion (ALC) in East Java, Indonesia. It calculated the land economic value for agricultural and non-agricultural (housing) uses in two areas: a peri-urban agricultural area facing rapid urbanization and a rural agricultural area with zero ALC. Results showed that agricultural land yielded a higher economic benefit in rural areas, whereas in urban areas, housing yielded a value seven times higher than agricultural land.

Wildani Pingkan S. Hamzens, Meidy Widayanto Moestopo · Jurnal Pengembangan Kota · Indonesia (Palu)

This survey identified necessary efforts for developing urban agriculture potential in the Palu River area, Palu City, Indonesia, a location considered suitable for urban agriculture due to the city's green city aspirations and potential population increase from a Special Economic Zone. Based on observational data and descriptive analysis, the study found that efforts should include land consolidation, activity type determination, recruitment and human resource development, infrastructure and facility preparation, and sustainable management.

Nurlina Subair, Risma Haris · Seminar Nasional Hasil Penelitian & Pengabdian Kepada Masyarakat (SNP2M) · Indonesia (Makassar)

This qualitative descriptive study in Bongaya Village, Makassar, Indonesia, examined community participation in the "Garden Lorong" program, which integrates green open space management with urban agriculture. The research found that the community actively participates in organizing and maintaining green open spaces in alleys, demonstrating enthusiastic engagement in cleaning and greening efforts. This active role extends to spatial planning and controlling space utilization.

B. Lee, Seong-Woo Nam, Young-Hyeon Kim · Journal of the Urban Design Institute of Korea Urban Design · South Korea

This study aimed to establish concepts for introducing smart city facilities in existing urban areas and systematic maintenance plans for smartifying existing urban facilities in Gamcheon2-Dong, Busan, South Korea. Based on field surveys and resident demand surveys, it proposed smartification and networking of facilities connecting public spaces, and smartification of public/welfare facilities and resident-led projects like urban agriculture to enhance efficiency and promote profitable ventures. Legal improvements were also suggested, including exceptions to area regulations and modularization of smart city facilities, to facilitate their integration with urban regeneration projects.

Huahua Zou, Hai Long Yu · Rikkyo University academic repository (Rikko Roots) (Rikkyo University) · China (Shanghai)

The Knowledge and Innovation Community Garden in Shanghai illustrates the shift in urban regeneration from capital-driven space production to community empowerment. By offering natural education and gardening methods to children, this garden brings urban people back to a walking-friendly world, creates a user-centric space, reinstates residents' power to shape and improve their living space, and rebuilds bonds among community members.

I-Jin Choi, J.J. Lee, Sang Tae Cho, Yoon Ah Jang, Joo Nyung Heo · Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture · South Korea (Seoul)

This study surveyed 599 elementary schools in Seoul, South Korea, finding that 161 schools operated school gardens with a total area of 65,493m2, averaging 363m2 per school. The primary difficulty in operating these gardens was management (34.2%), and the most needed elements for sustainable operation were physical environment improvement and hiring paid garden staff (each 32%). The main purpose of school gardening was creating educational environments (81.6%), and all schools reported positive educational impacts.