Research & reports

Rustina Untari, Angelika Riyandari, Bernadeta Resti Nurhayati, Ekawati Marhaenny Dukut, Emilia Ninik Aydawati, Alberta Rika Pratiwi, Retno Yustini, Hotmauli Sidabalok, VG Sri Rejeki · Unika Repositor (Unika) · Indonesia (Semarang)

To mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women and children, the Center for Women's Studies (PSW) Unika Soegijapranata provided guidance to productive women in Tanjung Mas Village, Semarang, Indonesia, on urban farming using a "regrow" method for vegetables and herbs. The guidance, mostly online via WhatsApp, involved creating modules and video tutorials. Success varied significantly among participants, with some producing many vegetables and herbs while others showed no progress.

Akhmad Satori, Yogi Nirwanto, Sri Hardianti, Faisal Fadilla Noorikhsan · · Indonesia

The "Budikdamber" (fish cultivation in buckets) aquaponics method is presented as an urban farming solution for household food needs in Indonesia, especially for urban communities with limited yard space. This method allows fish and plants to grow in the same place, providing animal protein and vegetables. It aims to enhance food security, strengthen community cohesion, and support household economies through harvest sales.

Arief Subangkit, Dini Fajar Yanti, Lidya Maria Kusnadi, Mochammad Ikbal Sonuari · EMPATI Jurnal Ilmu Kesejahteraan Sosial · Indonesia (Jakarta)

This research describes the forms of social capital in urban farming development in Pengadegan Village, South Jakarta, Indonesia, using interviews, documentation, and observation. Social capital was found to manifest as ties of trust, social institutions, and social networks. While the community and local government share a commitment to greening and cohesion, two Gapoktan groups exhibit different approaches to network development.

Andi Iva Mundiyah, Ni Made Wirastika Sari, Sharfina Nabilah, Pande Komang Suparyana · Jurnal Pengabdian Al-Ikhlas · Indonesia (Makassar)

This study reports on a training activity in Makassar City, Indonesia, aimed at providing community members with skills in cultivating oyster mushrooms using limited land or home yards. The training was conducted using a Focus Discussion Group (FGD) method over three days, from January 12 to 15, 2020. Results indicated that some participants understood how to cultivate oyster mushrooms and produced growing media uncontaminated by other fungi.

Setiadi Setiadi · Jurnal Humaniora · Indonesia (Yogyakarta)

This case study examines Joglo Tani in Yogyakarta, an organization promoting new agricultural technology and urban farming for local food security. The research, using participatory observation and interviews, found that Joglo Tani's success stems from social entrepreneurship in its leadership and effective networks, which have driven social transformation in rural resource management and agricultural work organization. The study concludes that this bottom-up movement has successfully addressed food supply limitations and fostered sustainable food systems.

Pawana Nur Indah, Indra Tjahaja Amir, Umar Khasan · Agriekonomika · Indonesia

This study examines the role of urban farming community empowerment in improving food security in RT 02 and RT 03 of Awikoen village, Gending sub-district, Gresik, Indonesia, using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (SEM-PLS) with SmartPLS 3. The results show that the empowerment of urban farming community members had a substantial influence on improving food security in Gending sub-district.

Abdullah Abdullah, Indri Nuraeni · Prosiding Hapemas · Indonesia

A family food security empowerment program run by the Desa Berdaya Foundation in Indonesia, funded through Rumah Zakat's ZIS (zakat, infaq and sedekah) funds, operated from April to September 2020 across 60 desa-berdaya sites on the island of Java, prioritizing residents affected by COVID-19. Programs offered included bucket-based fish farming, urban farming, farmer assistance (seeds and fertilizer aid), egg-laying chicken raising, and fisher assistance (seed and feed aid), with aid provided in the form of seeds, tools and materials, alongside regular mentoring and monitoring. A survey of beneficiaries found bucket-based fish farming was the most frequently chosen program at 40%, followed by egg-laying chicken raising at 20%, urban farming at 16%, fisher assistance at 14% and farmer assistance at 10%. Of the 60 respondents surveyed, 100% reported that the family food security program was beneficial.

Anders Sybrandt Hansen · Journal of Current Chinese Affairs · China

This article focuses on organic farming, which has grown in response to unsafe food on the Chinese market, based on ethnographic fieldwork at one such farm in northern China. While the farm's Community Supported Agriculture model relies on establishing personal trust with member households, the entire organic farming project is shown to be undergirded by strong expressions of solidarity with conventional farmers. The article proposes an extended concept of moral economies to capture the coexistence of differential care alongside horizontal solidarities within contemporary China's moral landscape.

Abdullah Abdullah, Abdul Haris, Annas Boceng · Prosiding Seminar Nasional Fakultas Pertanian UNS · Indonesia (Makassar)

A quantitative survey of 300 respondents in Makassar City, Indonesia, used the Theory of Planned Behavior to study factors influencing urban agriculture development. Environmental knowledge was not a direct driver of behavior but contributed through attitude formation. Urban agriculture knowledge directly drove behavior and positively influenced motivation, subjective norms, and behavior. Motivation directly drove attitude formation, and attitude acted as an intervening variable between motivation/subjective norms and behavior.

Sumardjo, Aldrin Yusuf Firmansyah, Manikharda Manikharda · · Indonesia (Majalengka Regency)

In Majalengka Regency, threats to food security are worsened by the conversion of agricultural land to non-agricultural purposes. This research investigated how urban farming innovations could be a solution to food security threats and how the community adapts to ecological changes, specifically land conversion and urban farming innovation, using participatory action research. The study found four types of adaptation to urban farming innovation: apathetic, reactive, proactive, and anticipatory, with field assistance facilitating increased community adaptation.

Rainer Einzenberger, Michaela Hochmuth · Digital Commons - Lingnan (Lingnan University) · China (Hong Kong)

An interview with Professor Kin-Chi Lau was conducted in March 2015 regarding the Urban Gardening Project at Lingnan University of Hong Kong. The interview portrayed the project's history, structures, and organizational characteristics, focusing on the challenges and difficulties participants faced in realizing the project.

Tri Andika, Waryenti Deli, P.E.Suryaningsih P.E.Suryaningsih · University Of Bengkulu Law Journal · Indonesia

Residents in Lebong Regency, Indonesia, experienced anxiety due to a landslide at PT PGE's Hulu Lais cluster A site. This landslide resulted in 6 deaths, sinking fish ponds, rice fields, and community gardens, and crop failure. Additionally, residents' drinking water sources were polluted, and drilling caused loud sounds, ground vibrations, hot steam, and dried plants. The drilling also drastically reduced water discharge from the Mubai river, impacting residents who relied on it.

Lisa Westholm, Madelene Ostwald · Agroforestry Systems · Africa, Asia, Latin America

This literature review of 104 scientific articles across Africa, Asia, and Latin America examined food production and gender relations in multifunctional land use systems. The review found that the specific role of landscape multifunctionality for women's food security opportunities is rarely explicitly studied. It also showed that products controlled by women are often secondary and far from markets, risking neglect by policymakers, and efforts to increase their value may adversely affect women's empowerment if powerful actors appropriate benefits.

Jessica Cook, Kate Oviatt, Deborah S. Main, Harpreet Kaur, John Brett · · India (Delhi)

This paper explores market-oriented urban agriculture along the Yamuna River in Delhi, India, from the farmers' perspective. Using a multi-method Rapid Assessment Process, the study investigates how urban agriculture is practiced and what factors influence farmers' livelihood decisions. The research argues against assuming the sustainability of urban agriculture, emphasizing the need to understand city-level conditions and their impact on farmers' economic viability.

Rikawanto Eko Muljawan · Prosiding Konferensi Nasional Pengabdian Kepada Masyarakat dan Corporate Social Responsibility (PKM-CSR) · Indonesia (Surabaya)

In East Java, Indonesia, rapid infrastructure development leads to approximately 100 hectares of agricultural land being converted annually, reducing food supply. In Surabaya, 2000 hectares are controlled by developers, with some loaned for farming, and the local government supports urban farming for 624 households on 400 hectares. The abstract suggests that developers, who benefit from extensive land conversion, should contribute to agricultural resource improvement through Corporate Social Responsibility funds for agro eco-technology programs.

Riska Rahma Arriani, Mardwi Rahdriawan · Teknik PWK (Perencanaan Wilayah Kota) · Indonesia (Jakarta)

A qualitative study using purposive sampling investigated the reasons for decreasing community participation in the government-initiated Urban Farming Program at Rusun Marunda, Jakarta, Indonesia. The program, which started with 50 farmers in 2014, saw participation drop to only 5 farmers by 2019. The study found that obstacles in farming demotivated farmers, leading to a decline in participation, particularly among those with economic-egoism motivations.

Setyo Parsudi · Berkala Ilmiah AGRIDEVINA · Indonesia (Surabaya)

This study in Surabaya, Indonesia, aimed to identify urban farming models, community motivations, and obstacles faced in implementing urban agriculture. The study found that the most common urban farming models were hydroponics, followed by verticulture, fisheries, and rooftop gardens. Community motivations primarily included increasing income, utilizing empty land, pursuing farming hobbies, and using green open spaces. The main obstacles faced by the community were plant pests, lack of capital for development, extreme weather, and insufficient experience and knowledge in urban agriculture.

Yasinta Ratna Esti Wulandari, Anastasia Tatik Hartanti, Bernard Atviano · Jurnal Perkotaan · Indonesia

A hydroponic experiment in Indonesia tested the effect of plant growth regulators on water spinach (kangkung, Ipomoea aquatica) yield. Treatments included a control (AB-Mix), IAA (indole acetic acid) at 0.5 ppm, BAP (benzyl adenine purine) at 0.5 and 1.0 ppm, and combined IAA/BAP at 0.5/1.0 ppm, measuring leaf number, plant height, antioxidant content and water content. Morphological growth was most optimal under 0.5 ppm IAA, while 1.0 ppm BAP produced the shortest average plant height, fewest leaves and shortest root length. Chlorophyll testing showed 0.5 ppm IAA had the highest total chlorophyll content, averaging 9.55 μg/ml, and the authors conclude 0.5 ppm IAA had the most positive effect among the treatments tested.

H N Vidya · Iconic Research and Engineering Journals · Asia

This is a discursive paper arguing for the need to raise awareness of women's empowerment through home gardening as a means of household food security. It presents home gardening as a form of urban agriculture offering self-sufficiency from home-grown produce, increased self-confidence, and household food security, while noting that expanding home gardens in metro cities is constrained by water supply shortfalls, insufficient garden space, deficient sunlight, and competing land use as apartments and shared housing outnumber individual homes. No specific study population, sample size or data-based results are presented.

Camille Frazier · Journal of Political Ecology · India (Bengaluru)

This article examines the motivations and practices of organic terrace gardeners (OTGians) in Bengaluru, India, who grow food in private spaces. While OTGians successfully create a vibrant community driven by food safety and environmental concerns, their efforts are limited to the middle class due to class-specific concerns and production practices. The study highlights that urban gardening in this context remains an intervention primarily for the middle class.

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.

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.

Nanik Furoidah, Muhammad Juhan · Prosiding Semnas PPM 2018 · Indonesia

This PKM activity aimed to empower PKK groups in RT 45 and RT 46, Dawuhan Lor Village, Sukodono, Lumajang, through urban farming to achieve economic productivity and family food security. The program provided soft skill training in urban farming, hydroponics, and portable cultivation, resulting in an approximately 80% increase in partners' urban farming knowledge, an approximately 80% increase in portable agriculture and composting skills, and a 40% increase in hydroponic skills. Consequently, about 15% of family fresh food needs could be met through self-cultivation, and family food security cadres capable of initiating sustainable urban farming activities were formed.

Hari Iswoyo, Katriani Mantja, Nuniek Widiayani, Rahmansyah Dermawan · Jurnal Dinamika Pengabdian (JDP) · Indonesia (Makassar)

This paper describes an urban farming initiative in Makassar, Indonesia, aimed at empowering two schools, SMPN 4 and SMAN 17, to utilize school land for productive cultivation. The project transferred knowledge and skills in urban farming technologies, including those for limited spaces, to support food self-sufficiency. Methods included socialization on land utilization potential and participatory activities involving students in creating urban farming devices and practicing land management.