Research & reports

Riska Oktavia, Akhmad Faqih, Agus Riyadi · Jurnal SOLMA · Indonesia

This community program in RT/RW 01/05, Rejosari, Semarang, Indonesia, empowered women members of the PKK (Family Welfare Movement) through socialization, training, mentoring and monitoring around urban farming practices, including cultivation of chili, eggplant, cassava, shallot, bitter melon, pandan, melon, Brazilian spinach, celery and citrus leaves in shared and home plots. The program report concludes that PKK empowerment through urban farming was effective in improving family welfare in Rejosari, contingent on active community participation, local government support and continuity of mentoring and training.

Fadhil Adi Nugraha, Ira Malihatun, Siwi Gayatri, Titik Ekowati, Sumarsono Sumarsono · AGRICOLA · Indonesia

In Semarang City, Indonesia, a survey of 86 farmers from four Women Farmer Groups (KWT) who received the government's Sustainable Food Yard (Pekarangan Pangan Lestari) program — using questionnaire interviews, descriptive analysis, and a literature review — assessed the program's social, economic, and environmental impacts. The social impact was rated "less" (score 31.10%), the economic impact "low" (28.88%), and the environmental impact "very low" (18.60%). The program strengthened social relations among farmers but was not effective in improving farming skills or public health; economically it had potential to contribute to household expenditure but had not optimized income growth or job creation; and its environmental impact remained limited, particularly in preserving biodiversity and reducing chemical use.

Aprilia Martika, Amelia Sari, Disti Macela Putri, Misbahul Munir · Inisiatif Jurnal Ekonomi Akuntansi dan Manajemen · Indonesia

Focusing on the Parit Lalang area of Pangkalpinang City in Bangka Belitung, Indonesia, this qualitative case study used participant observation, in-depth interviews and documentation studies, analyzed thematically and via SWOT analysis. Urban agriculture there is carried out mostly in small home gardens and on vacant land, using hydroponic and traditional methods, with productive-age residents and housewives as the main participants. The practice increased household food availability, reduced living costs, and generated additional income, strengthening local economic resilience. However, challenges remain, including limited technical skills, financial constraints, and inconsistent government support, and the study concludes that strengthening training programs, improving access to finance, and developing pilot projects are needed.

Eka Sariyanti, Ahmad Yani T · JP2M (Jurnal Pendidikan dan Pembelajaran Matematika) · Indonesia

In Indonesia, a descriptive qualitative study using observation, interviews and documentation examined project-based learning (PjBL) that draws on school assets, including school gardens, to teach social arithmetic (profit-and-loss calculation). The learning project had students process garden produce into sellable products and analyze profit-and-loss calculations, incorporating cross-subject collaboration with Indonesian Language and Social Sciences (IPS). Implementing school-asset-based PjBL was found to increase student motivation, engagement, and understanding of social arithmetic concepts, but the study also identified challenges including time constraints in project management and students' difficulty understanding the concepts of profit and profit margin calculation.

Lizhi Lu, Jue Cai · Planning Perspectives · China

A historical analysis of the Third Front period (1960s-70s) in China examines urban-agricultural integration in the industrial city of Panzhihua. Factory-operated agriculture established a labor pattern combining industrial and agricultural tasks that partially sustained workers, but the article notes this also produced tensions in worker identity and friction with external realities. The analysis is based on examining urbanization's characteristics and the interplay between individuals and their environment during this period.

Shaikh Tanveer Hossain · Organic Eprints (International Centre for Research in Organic Food Systems, and Research Institute of Organic Agriculture) · Asia

A report by Dr. Hossain discusses the transformation of organic farming through technological, ecological, and social innovation, citing examples including precision farming, community supported agriculture, biological pest control, and digital traceability systems. Case studies of an organic sack-garden for household nutrition, integrated rice-duck farming for pest control and soil health, and a Zero Energy Cold Chamber (ZECC) for post-harvest storage are described as demonstrating low-cost, replicable models that improved smallholders' incomes and sustainability. The report cites the Asian Productivity Organization's "Green Productivity" framework as linking productivity gains with environmental stewardship across the Asia-Pacific region.

Ayu Amanda Sulistiana, Titik Akiriningsih, Made Prasta Yostitia Pradipta · JELAJAH Journal of Tourism and Hospitality · Indonesia

A descriptive qualitative study—based on observation, interviews, and documentation—examined community empowerment and environmental management practices in Kampung Glintung Go Green, a community-based tourism village in Malang City, Indonesia. It found organizing structures, training and education, active participation, cooperative and local-economy support, awareness campaigns, monitoring and evaluation systems, and partnership-building; environmental management incorporating urban farming promotion improved environmental quality and community awareness, but the study identified needs to strengthen education, partnerships, technology use, regular evaluation, and promotional efforts going forward.

Usha Baniya, Sachin Khaniya, Rojan Karki · Nepalese Journal of Agricultural Sciences · Asia

This review paper positions hydroponics—a soilless cultivation technique—as a method of urban agriculture addressing confined land availability, food security, and environmental concerns from urbanization, focused on Kathmandu, Nepal. It synthesizes existing insights on setup costs, operational challenges, and profitability against global trends and local constraints, and, framing setup costs and operational challenges as barriers to adoption, recommends subsidies, training, and integration into urban planning as pathways to foster the uptake of hydroponic farming.

Amelya Bella, Melinda Putri Sukmana, Aril Rada Candra, Riski Mahatir Tharuddin, Briliana Fara Ardiyanti, Rinjani Intan Maylani · Jurnal Aplikasi Sains dan Teknologi Agrisevika · Indonesia

At SDN Terusan 1 elementary school in Terusan Village, Gedeg District, Mojokerto Regency, Indonesia, a community service program run by the Faculty of Agriculture student executive board of UPN "Veteran" East Java introduced and taught microgreen cultivation—mustard greens (sawi), pakcoy, and water spinach (kangkung)—to build students' understanding of urban farming. Through socialization, discussion, and hands-on cultivation practice covering planting, care, and nutritional benefits, the program reported active student participation in the cultivation practice, improved practical skills, and increased student awareness of the importance of consuming fresh vegetables.

Dian Prihardini Wibawa, Ayu Wulandari, Herry Marta Saputra · Wikrama Parahita Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat · Indonesia

A community outreach program in Jerambah Gantung Village, Pangkalpinang City, Indonesia, trained the 12-member Kenanga Women's Farmers Group in hydroponic urban farming through socialization, training, and mentoring. Average pre-test to post-test scores rose from 70 to 95, and harvest yield increased 37 percent, from 35 kg in the first harvest to 48 kg in the second.

Saputra A., Abdoellah O., Utama G., Wulandari I., Mulyanto D., Suparman Y. · Sustainability · Indonesia

Interviews and a survey examined how residents of Bandung perceive the ecosystem services of homegarden-based urban agriculture. Residents themselves judged the gardens' contribution to overall food security to be only supplementary, even though they supply fresh produce. Their value was widely recognised elsewhere: biodiversity conservation, microclimate regulation, disaster risk reduction, social cohesion and mental well-being. Limited space, lack of knowledge and competing land uses emerged as the barriers, and the authors conclude that education and policy support are the levers for wider uptake.

Puneeth G. M., Gowthami R., Katral A., Laxmisha K. M., Vasudeva R., Singh G. P., Archak S. · Scientific Reports 14:10712 · India

Documents 671 landraces of 60 crops across 24 sites in the Western Ghats, identifying suitability, cuisine, medicinal use, cultural significance and economic value as determinants of on-farm conservation by custodian farmers.

Paturu P., Varadarajan S. · Science of The Total Environment · India

Combines product-service-systems thinking and life-cycle assessment to compare the environmental impacts of hydroponic urban-farming business models (greenhouse, indoor, cabinet selling with remote monitoring) for lettuce production in Tamil Nadu, India.

Giyarsih S.R., Armansyah, Zaelany A.A., Latifa A., Setiawan B., Saputra D., Haqi M., Fathurohman A., Lamijo · International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development · Indonesia (Bandung)

This study finds that Bandung's Buruan SAE urban farming programme meaningfully contributes to household food security, with diverse produce meeting community food needs, some participants achieving farming independence, and urban agriculture providing supplementary income. The research documents a transformation in citizen attitudes toward farming as a viable urban livelihood.

· Sustainability · China

Uses provincial panel data to analyze how urban–rural integration affects food security across China.

· Frontiers in Sustainability · China (Beijing)

Discusses urban agriculture as a landscape approach for sustainable urban planning, using Songzhuang in Beijing as a case study.

· Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · China (Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei)

Studies land-use optimization to accommodate nutritional transformation of food systems in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region of China.

· Agriculture · China (Shanghai)

Assesses the sustainability of urban agriculture across Shanghai's nine agriculture districts (2010–2020) using a triple-bottom-line framework, finding overall gains but declining economic sustainability.

· Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · China (Shanghai)

Examines problems and countermeasures for Shanghai's food system under the COVID-19 lockdown.

· Sustainable Cities and Society · China (Xiamen)

Builds a framework to evaluate, diagnose, and optimize multi-functional urban agriculture in Xiamen, China, finding strong social but weak ecological functions.

· Landscape Ecology · China

An analysis of how urban green space expansion affected grain production through cropland loss in Chinese cities from 2000 to 2020, with implications for national urban greening schemes.

· Nature Cities · China

A study evaluating the potential of urban rooftops in China for both food production and energy generation.

· Forests · China (Wuhan)

Case study in Wuhan, China, examining urban dwellers' willingness to support community gardening and its determinants.

· Buildings · China (Beijing)

Survey of residents in Beijing resettlement communities on their engagement in community gardens and preferences for garden features, arguing gardens boost interaction and help resettled residents integrate.

Kushawaha A. · MethodsX · India

A compact, smart home-based hydroponics system is proposed that uses IoT technology to precisely monitor and automate environmental conditions and nutrient delivery.