Research & reports

Erik Millstone · Nutrition & Food Science · Global

This reference volume surveys global food topics chapter by chapter, covering population and productivity, water pressure, under- and over-nutrition, food aid, mechanization and industrial farming, genetically modified crops, pesticides, urban farming, fishing, trade flows, food miles, processing, retailing and consumption, and organic foods. The abstract consists only of a table of contents; no specific findings are given.

郭霖 · 南京社会科学 · China

Using Nanjing's urban agriculture as a case, this article positions urban agriculture as one effective approach to resolving China's "three rural" (agriculture, rural areas, farmers) issues. After noting problems in its development, it proposes strengthening market-development capacity oriented to urban dynamic demand so that supply creates markets, cultivating pillar industries and enterprises responsive to domestic and international demand, building management organizations to lower market operating costs, channeling market capital to keep optimizing the agricultural industrial structure, and using institutional construction and innovation to sustain urban agriculture's development.

Zhang Luxiang · Nongye xiandaihua yanjiu · Global

A conceptual paper discussing the relationship between urban agriculture and the ecologic city. It positions urban agriculture as an advanced stage of agriculture and the ecologic city as an advanced phase of the city and its ideal model, with both embodying the pursuit of sustainable development. The paper notes that urban agriculture has many modes of expression and the ecologic city contains many connotations, characterizes the relationship between the two as one of "paragenesis" (co-occurring, symbiotic development), and argues that the relationship between exploring urban agriculture and constructing the ecologic city must be harmonized, following scientific planning and highlighting the distinct characteristics of each when developing both.

Wolschke-Bulmahn J., Gröning G. · In R. A. Etlin (ed.), Art, Culture, and Media under the Third Reich, University of Chicago Press, pp. 73–97 · Germany

Book chapter interpreting the Nazi garden and landscape ideal through the concept of 'Bodenständigkeit' (rootedness in the soil), showing how small-scale, landscape-adapted gardens using native plants and materials embodied Blood and Soil ideology.

Lynn A. Staeheli, Don Mitchell, Kristina Gibson · GeoJournal · USA (New York City)

Analyzes the Giuliani administration's 1998–1999 policy of transferring community gardens to housing development and auctioning 100+ gardens, exposing how a city 'greening then privatizing' policy reversed itself and treated public gardens as disposable exchange-value assets.

Karen Schmelzkopf · Urban Geography · United States (New York City)

This study examined the conflict over community gardens in New York City, arguing that it was a struggle concerning the right to space. The city, operating from an entrepreneurial governance perspective, claimed that the gardens represented a loss of exchange value and potential housing. The city used market economy rhetoric to dismiss incommensurable use values, thereby restricting rights to the city within a demonstration of power and "reason."

Deyi Zhou · · China

This study discusses the necessity and possibility of developing urban agriculture in the protected area of the Chang'an site of the Han dynasty. Based on the natural and socioeconomic conditions in this district and domestic and international market demand, urban agriculture items and relevant policies are proposed for this area.

Cindy Rosenthal · TDR/The Drama Review · United States (New York City)

In New York City, a group of NYU students and local community activists protested and performed against landlords and the city bulldozing community gardens. Their performance piece documented the transformation of garbage-strewn lots into lush, vital community havens and cried out against their destruction. This highlights a conflict over urban garden governance.

Charles W. Howe · Environment and Development Economics · Global

This study noted that in inappropriate legal and administrative settings, groundwater becomes an open-access resource, leading to excessive externalities. Competition between urban and agricultural sectors for limited groundwater can lead to crises if appropriate policy instruments are not used to mediate it. For non-renewable groundwater stocks, without economic and demographic development planned according to long-term criteria, there is a risk of overly rapid exploitation, unsustainable population levels, and inappropriate infrastructure investment.

Manon Boulianne · Anthropologica · Mexico

A study on community organizations and urban agriculture in Mexico City and Cuernavaca suggests that the very meaning of participation becomes an issue for community organizations engaged in popular entrepreneurship development programs. It illustrates how the structuring effects of market production activities lead to a renegotiation of the meaning attributed to participation among the individuals and groups concerned.

Patrick Henn, John Henning · International Journal of Environment and Sustainable Development · Cuba (Havana)

This paper argues for an extended assessment of the total economic value of urban agriculture (UA), encompassing social, environmental, and economic benefits, to inform optimal decisions on its role in urban sustainability. It presents results from a contingent valuation study on the value of popular gardens in Havana, Cuba. The abstract notes that despite significant benefits, UA remains marginalized in urban planning.

CAST · · United States

A twelve-member task force report examines the changing role of agriculture in urban settings within American society. The report frames urban agriculture historically and contemporaneously, detailing geographic, demographic, and economic changes. Policy issues such as land preservation, alternative market opportunities, sprawl, taxation, and food security are discussed, alongside research and educational challenges for institutions of higher education.

Nigel Poole, DS Bhupal, Fiona Marshall, Dolf te Lintelo · · India

New knowledge is presented on the impacts of urban and peri-urban (UPU) environmental pollution on food safety attributes of vegetable marketing systems in India. Air pollution reduces crop yield and nutritional quality, and is a major source of particulate contaminants that accumulate at toxic levels in edible crops. The study explores the balance between public and private quality assurance initiatives and identifies wholesale markets as a potential entry point for quality assurance.

Fang Zhao · · Japan

This paper discusses Japan's utilization of farming land and related promotional policies. It notes that while progress was made before the 1960s, farming land utilization has continuously retrogressed since then. Despite a series of measures taken to correct this, the results have been unsatisfactory. However, the paper suggests that lessons can be learned from these measures regarding policy guidance, renting/contracting systems, wasteland control, land information, and urban farming garden construction.

Adriana Maria de Aquino · · Cuba

This study analyzes the geographical scope and organizational structure of urban agriculture in Cuba. It identifies organic matter as one of the key bases for urban agriculture and describes modalities for producing fresh vegetables and condiments.

Takashi Watanabe, Makoto Yokohari · Journal of the City Planning Institute of Japan · Japan

This study investigated the implementation status of urban agriculture promotion policies by local municipalities in Japan's National Capital Region, specifically those involving urban residents. It aimed to clarify the actual conditions of these policies, some of which predated the revised Production Green Land Law of 1992. The research emphasizes the importance of urban residents' understanding and active involvement in urban agriculture, necessitating proactive intervention by local governments.

Kwaku Obosu-Mensah · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Ghana (Accra)

This paper examines the initial negative attitudes of officials towards urban agriculture in Accra, Ghana, and the factors that led to a shift towards more positive support. It notes that officials began encouraging urban agriculture after recognizing its importance and due to external compelling factors. The study emphasizes that official attitudes are crucial for the profitability of urban agriculture.

Gina E. Castillo, S. Langeveld · WIT transactions on ecology and the environment · Africa

This paper examines the contributions of civil society organizations working on urban agriculture in Africa and Latin America. It argues for the need to develop land use policies that incorporate the social, economic, and environmental benefits of urban gardens. The paper concludes that both urban agriculture and civil society organizations are essential for creating livable cities.

Han-Cheol Hwang, Sun-Yong Park, Kyongsoo Han · Journal of Korean Society of Rural Planning · South Korea (Seoul)

This study examined farmers' intentions and attitudes towards farming in Seoul to support urban agricultural development strategies, using survey data analyzed with contingency tables and Chi-square tests. It found that leaseholders were more satisfied with their jobs than landowning farmers, and small-scale farmers with greenhouses showed greater job satisfaction than ordinary large-scale farmers. Farmers' views on farming in Seoul varied by their status, suggesting that agricultural strategies should consider these differing attitudes.

L.M. van den Berg · WIT transactions on ecology and the environment · Africa, Asia

Urban agriculture, despite severe competition for space, plays roles such as fresh food supply, leisure, supplementary income for the urban poor, and green space management. Case studies in Africa and Southeast Asia demonstrate the difficulty of maintaining these roles due to public health and environmental degradation concerns. Urban agricultural producers may rely on polluted streams for irrigation, cause soil erosion through inappropriate farming techniques, or poison surrounding residents with pesticides. The paper suggests that urban agriculture could be more beneficial to the urban system if treated by town planners as a normal urban function requiring both regulation and protection.

Mpho Tshepiso Khumalo, Nomsie Makhubela · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · South Africa

This mixed-methods study investigated urban youth engagement in community gardening initiatives in six South African cities, using surveys, ethnographic observations, structured interviews, focus groups, and participant observation. Participants reported a significant 34% increase in self-reported empowerment levels after engaging in these initiatives. The findings suggest community gardens can be effective for youth empowerment, but further research on long-term effects and scalability is needed.

Ren Wei-na · · China (Beijing)

This analysis states that the development of urban agriculture in Beijing aligns with current productivity demands. Urban agriculture is considered important for solving land and water resource shortages, fulfilling environmental protection and recreational functions, and promoting bidirectional development between town-suburbanization and suburb-urbanization.

E. Albertse, Technikon Pretoria · · South Africa (Atteridgeville)

This article identifies and defines three extension domains among urban farmers in the informal settlements of Atteridgeville, South Africa: home gardeners, community-project gardeners, and users of open urban spaces. A survey (n=120) with face-to-face interviews, structured interview schedules, semi-structured interviews, and observations gathered information on farming space, crops, resources, and socio-economic characteristics. The study concludes by calling for greater government and public extension involvement in urban agriculture in the area, identifying specific constraints for each domain.

Xiang Xu, 吴敏 · 南京社会科学 · China (Nanjing)

This article explores the "vegetable basket" economy in Nanjing, China, as an extension of the "vegetable basket project" and a strategic choice for developing urban agriculture with Chinese characteristics. By analyzing the high-level supply and demand and circulation status of Nanjing's "vegetable basket" economy, the paper discusses its market positioning and development prospects. The findings aim to provide a basis for the government to formulate development strategies for the "vegetable basket" economy.

Ausaf-ur Rahman, Mohammad Ait Kadi, Johan Rockström · Water Science & Technology · Global

A synthesis paper from a 2002 workshop reports that competing demand for water between agriculture and urban users is generating severe stress on water resources, with virtual water trade (importing food instead of pursuing self-sufficiency, to conserve real water resources) and water reuse (irrigation with treated urban wastewater) emerging as the two dominant proposed responses. It states that virtual water trade carries serious political and economic risks, with one proposed remedy being an international virtual water trading council.