Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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Review of urban agriculture as a strategy for building a water resilient city
2022Gizaw Ebissa, Hayal Desta · City and Environment Interactions · Global
This study extensively reviewed the literature on how urban agriculture (UA) can contribute to flooding risk management for building water-resilient cities. UA plays a key role in transforming linear water economies into circular ones, thereby reducing urban areas' dependence on rural areas for ecosystem services, including flood risk management. UA exhibits higher infiltration capacity, and urban flood-prone areas can be allocated to UA for flood management. The Sponge City Concept demonstrated the possibility of reducing 100-year storms to 25-year storms.
Climate changePolicyUrban–rural linkageThe Complex Character of Plaza de la Revolución
2022Susan Anne Mansel Fitzgerald · · Cuba (Havana)
In Havana, Cuba, at Plaza de la Revolución, La Sazón, an urban farming and market, utilizes interstitial spaces to provide fresh produce and meat to the local community. This garden contributes to Cuba's emerging entrepreneurial and sustainable economy by connecting cultivation to consumption and fostering close relationships with other businesses and community groups.
CommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageThe Future of Food
2022Amy Trauger · · Global
The contemporary industrial food system is problematic, producing diverse foods for a small elite and replicating past labor injustices rooted in colonialism. Urban agriculture is a growing global trend and is expected to be the future of food production. The future of food will also diversify what we eat, including aquaponic tilapia, sprouts, algae, fungus and yeast-derived foods, and imitation meats.
Equity & displacementFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageEconomicsThe Role of Urban Agriculture in Enhancing Urban Food System Sustainability and Resilience
2022Tong Zou, Ali Cheshmehzangi, Ayotunde Dawodu, Eugenio Mangi · Journal of Resilient Economies (ISSN 2653-1917) · Global
This study investigated how urban agriculture can improve the sustainability and resilience of the urban food system through the analysis of existing literature. The literature review, conducted on April 11, 2022, on the Web of Science database, included bibliographic coupling, co-citation analysis, and co-occurrence analysis. Findings highlighted that urban agriculture alone cannot substitute large-scale food systems in the short term, but it could be a promising approach in the future.
Urban–rural linkageClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsThe Contribution of Architectural Design Concepts for Sustainable Urban Farming: The Case of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
2022Bruk Getahun, Essayas Deribe · Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning · Ethiopia
A case study in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, assessed the contribution of architectural design concepts for sustainable urban farming in selected urban farms. The research evaluated urban farms using six criteria based on the three pillars of sustainability: ecological, social, and economical. Findings revealed that most urban farms in Addis Ababa did not fully achieve the sustainability criteria.
Urban–rural linkageEconomicsClimate changeCommunityUrbanization-environment conundrum: an invitation to sustainable development in Saudi Arabian cities
2022Abdulaziz I. Almulhim, Patrick Brandful Cobbinah · International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ecology · Saudi Arabia
This article reviews literature on urbanization and its implications for the urban environment in Global South cities, discussing eight implications of the urbanization-environmental conundrum with cases from Saudi Arabian cities. Findings indicate that the sustainable development agenda in Saudi Arabian cities is skewed towards socio-economic development with limited focus on environmental issues. This situation is threatening the sustainability of rapidly urbanizing cities.
Governance failurePolicyClimate changeUrban–rural linkageInnovative Internet Solutions for Suburban Community Farm Practices: A Study in Lowland Communities of Hangzhou, China
2022Jianren Shi, Qiaoyun Guo, Xiumin Zhao · Sustainability · China (Hangzhou)
This paper applies permaculture design concepts to an "air vegetable plot" urban farm in lowland communities of Hangzhou, China, combining urban life with traditional agricultural production. It proposes an "Internet + Agriculture" integration strategy to build a multi-functional industry of life, production, and ecology. The aim is to promote sustainable rural development and common prosperity through agricultural industry digitization.
CommunityDigital agricultureUrban–rural linkageSpace Matters: Barriers and Enablers for Embedding Urban Circularity Practices in the Brussels Capital Region
2022Giulia Caterina Verga, Ahmed Z. Khan · Frontiers in Built Environment · Belgium (Brussels)
This study examined spatial factors fostering or hampering the embedding of urban circularity practices (UCPs) in the Brussels Capital Region (BCR) through a literature review and case-study research. It showed that access to spaces and land emerges as one of the most recurrent barriers to embedding UCPs. Beyond real estate prices, frictions in political agendas where the need for housing, productive spaces, urban agriculture land, and green-blue infrastructures compete for the same limited space also contribute to this issue.
Governance failurePolicyEconomicsUrban–rural linkageIntegrated Multi-Level Assessment of Ecosystem Services (ES): The Case of the Casal del Marmo Agricultural Park Area in Rome (Italy)
2022Davide Marino, Giampiero Mazzocchi, Davide Pellegrino, Veridiana Barucci · Land · Italy
This study investigated the role of Ecosystem Services (ES) assessment within a "place-based policy-mix model" for urban planning, testing and integrating three ES assessment methodologies: mapping and assessment, expert-based evaluation, and social perception. Results indicate that mapping assessment assigns higher values to regulating ecosystem services, expert-based evaluation assigns slightly lower values to regulating ecosystem services, and social perception highlights the importance of cultural ES but tends to underestimate other ecosystem functions. These methodologies lead to sectoral, non-dialoguing policies based on partial and non-integrated information.
PolicyClimate changeUrban–rural linkageAn Assessment of Land Use/Cover Suitable for Peri-urban Green Space Development: an Example of an Integration of GIS with the Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA) Approach
2022Eda Ustaoğlu · European Scientific Journal ESJ · Turkey (Istanbul)
This study assessed land suitability for urban agriculture, forest, and natural vegetation in the Pendik district of Istanbul, Turkey. It integrated GIS with a Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA) approach, using both deterministic and fuzzy membership methods. Key evaluation criteria included geophysical factors, transport and services accessibility, land cover/use, blue and green amenities, soil properties, geology, and erosion susceptibility.
PolicyPeri-urban agricultureUrban–rural linkageTransforming the Use of Agricultural Premises under Urbanization Pressures: A Story from a Second-Tier Post-Socialist City
2022Petr Klusáček, Stanislav Martinát, Klára Charvátová, Josef Navrátil · Land · Europe
This study investigated the drivers of de-agrarianization in post-socialist cities, using Brno, Czech Republic, as a case study through qualitative interviews. It found procedural issues in preserving architectural heritage during the redevelopment of a former Cistercian monastery site, often resulting in only fragments being preserved. The research also demonstrated a decline in the use of urban agricultural properties, which are rapidly transformed into new urban environments under intense urbanization pressures.
Governance failureUrban–rural linkagePolicyEconomicsClimate changeSpatial distribution and socioeconomic differences between urban farms' production and distribution points in Chicago, IL
2022Emmanuelle Melis, Emma Louise Armitage, Yuxin Ma, Amelia Weiss, Brian E. Robinson · McGill Science Undergraduate Research Journal · United States (Chicago)
This study investigated the location of urban commercial farms in Chicago, Illinois, and whether there is a significant disparity between the social demographics of production and sale points. All production and distribution points for commercial urban farming companies were geocoded and analyzed against socioeconomic indicator data from the 2016 US census, including median annual household income, mean home value, and percent racialized minority population. Findings revealed statistically significant differences in socioeconomic indicators between census tracts of farm and sale point locations, showing a skewness of farm locations towards lower socioeconomic status areas and sale point locations towards higher socioeconomic status areas. This suggests that while farms are more likely to be located in marginalized neighborhoods in Chicago, most produce grown by these farms is sold in more privileged areas.
Equity & displacementEconomicsCommunityUrban–rural linkageKeterkaitan Lahan Pangan Dengan Neraca Bahan Makanan Dan Pola Pangan Harapan Kota Jambi
2022Abdul Muis Muhammad, Dompak Napitupulu, Suandi Suandi · Jurnal Pembangunan Berkelanjutan · Indonesia (Jambi)
This study analyzed the decrease in food land and its relationship with the foodstuffs balance and expected food pattern in Jambi City, Indonesia, during 2001-2020. Jambi City's food land decreased by 24.77 percent per year, totaling -19018 hectares or 96.01 percent. The correlation between food land and foodstuffs balance was 0.416 kg/cap/year for every 1 ha, and the correlation between foodstuffs balance and expected food pattern was 0.125 per 1 kcal/cap/day for Energy Adequacy Number and 0.361 per 1 g/cap/day for Protein Adequacy Rate.
Food sovereignty & justicePolicyUrban–rural linkageThe Importance of Urban Green Spaces for Pollinating Insects: The Case of the Metropolitan Area of Port-au-Prince, Haiti
2022Pierre Michard Beaujour, Frank Cézilly · Caribbean Journal of Science · Haiti (Port-au-Prince)
This survey assessed the distribution of pollinating insect orders in 16 urban green sites in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, from January to April 2018. Researchers collected 2,747 pollinating insects and found that insect order richness was significantly higher at agroforestry plantations compared to unexploited forest remnants. Site area, elevation, and built area percentage had no significant influence on the total number of insects collected.
BiodiversityPollinatorsUrban–rural linkageMultifunctionality of urban agriculture and its characteristics in Latvia
2022Madara Dobele, Aina Dobele, Andra Zvirbule · Rural Sustainability Research · Europe
This research aimed to identify the main functions of urban agriculture and evaluate their significance in Latvia. The study identified 14 functions of urban agriculture, classified into five groups: political, economic, social, environmental, and technological. The most significant functions in Latvia were found to be social (promotion of social cohesion and public health, education, and maintaining traditions and values) and technological innovations.
PolicyEconomicsCommunityClimate changeUrban–rural linkageEthnic vegetables for urban nutrition
2022R V S K Reddy, J. Omprasad, T. Janakiram · Current Horticulture · India
In India, indigenous ethnic vegetables are underestimated for their nutritional and economic value and are underutilized, despite their potential to improve human nutrition. Urban populations often prefer less nutritious exotic vegetables due to the greater availability of ethnic vegetables in rural areas. The study suggests increasing the cultivation of these nutrient-dense vegetables in urban and peri-urban areas through home gardening and urban farming to enhance supply for urban residents.
HealthFood educationUrban–rural linkageEconomicsProcesos de empoderamiento espacial de mujeres en la agroecología urbana en Bogotá
2022Birgit Hoinle · Revista Iberoamericana de Economía Solidaria e Innovación Socioecológica · Colombia (Bogotá)
This chapter explores the emancipatory potential of urban agroecology in Bogotá, Colombia, and its surrounding Sabana region. Based on participatory action-research conducted between 2014 and 2017 with agroecological groups, it develops a theory of spatial empowerment. The study highlights the potential of solidarity economy within the urban agroecology movement to foster spatial empowerment, discussing both contributing and hindering factors.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageWelfareDAMPAK PERUBAHAN PENGGUNAAN LAHAN BAGI PERTANIAN PERKOTAAN DI KAPANEWON KASIHAN
2022Adam Abraham · Jurnal Riset Daerah · Indonesia
This study aimed to identify the impacts of land use change experienced by urban farmers in Kapanewon Kasihan, Indonesia. Using a deductive-qualitative approach, it was analyzed that urban development has both positive and negative impacts on farmers. The most significant negative impacts included pollution, decreased productivity, and the squeezing of urban agricultural land, which could lead to long-term environmental quality degradation and further spread of land use change.
Contamination & food safetyUrban–rural linkagePolicyEconomicsPivotal role of municipal wastewater resource recovery facilities in urban agriculture: A review
2022Jiefu Wang, Yuepeng Sun, Kang Xia, Allison Deines, Ross Cooper, Karen Pallansch, Zhi‐Wu Wang · Water Environment Research · Global
This review examines the potential pivotal role of Urban Water Resource Reclamation Facilities (WRRFs) in sustainable urban agriculture. It highlights that reclaimed water can offer higher quality and less variable supply than other sources, while biosolids from wastewater treatment can be used as fertilizers or soil amendments. Additionally, WRRFs can produce renewable electricity, heat, CO2, and bioplastics, serving as essential resources for urban agriculture operations.
Organic cycleClimate changeUrban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justicePerspectives critiques et analyse territoriale. Applications urbaines et régionales, Hélène Bélanger et Dominic Lapointe (dir.), Québec, Presses de l’Université du Québec, 2019, 224 p.
2022Yannick Baumann, Emanuel Guay · Nouvelles perspectives en sciences sociales · Canada
This is a book or article titled "Perspectives critiques et analyse territoriale. Applications urbaines et régionales," edited by Hélène Bélanger and Dominic Lapointe, published in 2019 by Presses de l’Université du Québec. It is an article from the journal "Nouvelles perspectives en sciences sociales" on the theme "Urban agriculture: towards a reconfiguration of social and territorial ties."
Governance failureCommunityUrban–rural linkagePolicyThe Adaptation of Export-Scale Urban Farmers Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic in Bandung Metropolitan
2022Kinanti Safitri, Oekan S. Abdoellah, Budhi Gunawan, Parikesit Parikesit, Yusep Suparman, Akhmad Mubarak, Margareth Pardede · The Qualitative Report · Indonesia (Bandung)
This mixed-method study, involving 107 export-scale urban farmers in the Bandung metropolitan area, Indonesia, investigated their adaptation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Farmers prioritized commercial agriculture and adapted through market access, agricultural management, and financial resource strengthening. However, some adaptation methods were not environmentally friendly, as farmers increased reliance on synthetic inputs and used cold storage on open land, leading to intensive, non-environmentally friendly agricultural practices.
Environmental trade-offsEconomicsClimate changeUrban–rural linkageConflict and oppositions in the development of peri‐urban agriculture: The case of the Greater São Paulo region
2022André Torre, Brenno Fonseca · Sociologia Ruralis · Brazil (São Paulo)
A study on the development of peri-urban agriculture in the São Paulo Metropolitan Region, Brazil, was conducted based on expert interviews, analysis of the regional daily press, and local information sites and blogs. It was found that territorial opposition between different land uses is one of the main factors preventing food production in urban and peri-urban areas. The study investigated local conflicts, their location, their link to agriculture, the consumption of agricultural soils, and the typology of opponents and supporters of this activity.
Governance failurePeri-urban agriculturePolicyUrban–rural linkageEconomicsChanges in the ways of using plots in allotment gardens in Poland. A case of selected gardens in the Łódź Voivodship
2022Roman Szkup · Journal of Geography Politics and Society · Poland
Changes in the ways of using plots in allotment gardens in Poland were investigated. A direct inventory and questionnaire survey were conducted among users of five gardens: one in Łódź and four in its suburban zone. Analysis revealed that the farther from the center of Łódź, the less dominant the leisure and recreational model was. Additionally, users' professional activity and age were identified as socio-demographic features currently determining the way plots are used in these gardens.
CommunityUrban–rural linkageEconomicsPersepsi dan Minat Masyarakat Terhadap Urban Farming di Kota Pekanbaru
2022El Syabrina, Rosmaina Rosmaina, Risqiana Dani, Purwati Purwati, Nadya Hermantika Sari · JIA (Jurnal Ilmiah Agribisnis) Jurnal Agribisnis dan Ilmu Sosial Ekonomi Pertanian · Indonesia (Pekanbaru)
A descriptive qualitative study in Pekanbaru City in August 2022 surveyed 102 urban farming managers to assess their perceptions and interest in urban farming. Respondents generally agreed with the social, economic, and ecological benefits of urban farming, scoring 3.17 on a Likert scale, with social benefits (3.34) being highest. The study suggests that commercializing urban agriculture on vacant land could maximize community socialization and boost economic and ecological benefits.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsUrban–rural linkageEncadré 6.1. Les analyses de bassin alimentaire: entre évaluation de la dépendance et de la capacité d'autonomie alimentaire des territoires
2022Caroline Petit, Barbara Redlingshöfer · HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe) · Global
This paper discusses food basin analysis, focusing on evaluating the food dependency and self-sufficiency capacity of territories. This boxed text is presented as part of Chapter 6, "Territorialized Food Systems: New Frameworks for Integrating Urban Agriculture."
Food sovereignty & justicePolicyUrban–rural linkage