Research & reports

A. N. Pokataev · Mezhdunarodnaja jekonomika (The World Economics) · Russia

A study on private subsidiary farms—a critical component of Russia's national agricultural sector—argues that developing horticulture is an inexpensive and stable strategy for improving household food security. According to estimates from the Union of Gardeners of Russia, 125 million Russians belong to households that obtain food from land they cultivate themselves, and Rosstat estimates that of Russia's 8.851 trillion rubles in total agricultural production (at actual prices) in 2022, households accounted for 2.071 trillion rubles, a quarter of the total. However, amid growing sanctions pressure on the agricultural sector, both the number of farms and production efficiency indicators for personal consumption and sale have declined significantly, hindered by regulatory obstacles including the inapplicability of the 'dacha amnesty' to most allotment gardens, serious cadastral errors, growing numbers of abandoned plots, and new legislative restrictions on keeping farm animals and birds on garden plots.

Md. Ujjal Husen, Nazmun Naher, Zannatul Firdaus Binte Habib, Hapsa Rahaman, Abdul Halim · Journal of Experimental Agriculture International · Bangladesh

A pot experiment at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University in Dhaka, Bangladesh, conducted from November 2021 to April 2022, examined the productivity of chili (BARI Morich 3) on rooftops of different building heights compared with a ground plot, using a Completely Randomized Design with four replications across four treatments: ground control (0.0 m), a three-storied rooftop (11.28 m), a six-storied rooftop (21.34 m), and a ten-storied rooftop (34.75 m). As building height increased, soil moisture, plant height, stem diameter, leaf/branch/fruit numbers, fresh and dry plant weight, single-fruit weight/length/diameter, and yield fresh and dry weight per plant all significantly decreased (ground > 3-story > 6-story > 10-story), while air temperature, soil temperature, and light intensity significantly increased with height. Ground level performed best, and the study suggests rooftops up to three stories can be selected as suitable for chili rooftop gardening.

Luiza Vigne Bennedetti, Paulo Antônio de Almeida Sinisgalli, Maurí­cio Lamano Ferreira, Fabiano Lemes de Oliveira · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · Global

Following the PRISMA protocol, a 2023 systematic review evaluated 26 studies on the interplay between urban agriculture (UA) and sustainability surveyed on Web of Science. While UA is increasingly recognized as an action to promote urban sustainability and inform public health policy for urban populations, the review confirms that its implementation still presents challenges in countries across both the Global North and Global South. The review identified numerous key challenges to UA adoption, including air and soil contamination, availability of green areas, layout of urban infrastructure, and food distribution, among others. Given the many socio-economic and environmental contextual factors involved — especially when comparing Global North and Global South realities — the review concludes there is a need to develop a model adaptable to these different contexts. It further concludes that the concept of sustainability lacks a universal understanding, and that one of the most important remaining gaps is addressing social issues in relation to environmental ones.

Ahmad Shukry Yahya, Nur Bahiah Mohamed Haris, Jasmin Arif Shah, Nurulnadiatulamira Ahmad Zaki · International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences · Global

A concept paper aiming to explore the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) factors influencing the adoption of urban farming. It outlines urban farming's potential benefits — improved access to fresh produce, reduced food transportation costs, community health improvements, and contributions to greenhouse gas reduction and biodiversity — and reviews existing approaches that treat KAP factors individually versus as a holistic model, aiming to deepen understanding of the KAP model as applied to urban farming adoption. No empirical data is presented.

Meike Rombach, David Dean · Frontiers in Horticulture · Global

A study on urban food foraging examines key factors determining consumers' willingness to try foraged food, spend time and effort on it, accept risk, and commit to food foraging. A conceptual model — in which general perceptions of nature, food foraging, and COVID-19 shape three specific attitudes toward food foraging, which in turn drive four behavioral intentions — was tested using partial least squares structural equation modelling. Results show the strongest drivers of willingness to try are approval of responsible foraging activities and individual benefits of foraging. For willingness to spend extra time and effort, all predictors had some impact. For willingness to accept risk, approval of responsible foraging activities and societal benefits were influential. For commitment to food foraging, individual and societal benefits were the most important drivers.

Muhammad Mushahid Anwar, Juergen Breuste, Ayaz Ahmad, Asad Aziz, Ali Aldosari · Sustainability · Global

A study of how urbanization affects urban agriculture and food security in the megacity of Lahore, Pakistan. Regression and statistical analysis used food consumption and food quality as independent variables and local residents' monthly income as the dependent variable, yielding a food security assessment with R = 0.857 and adjusted R² = 0.728. The results show extensive change in food security and land use driven by urbanization, large-scale loss of agricultural land, and biodiversity loss, as natural land is converted to built-up areas that threaten food security.

Daniel Kelly · Agriculture and Human Values · New Zealand

This case study examines volunteer engagement at Farm X, an urban farm with a strong volunteer culture in Tāmaki-Makaurau Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, drawing on extended researcher participation and 11 in-depth interviews with volunteers and project coordinators. Engagement was helped by strong leadership, learning by doing, socializing around plants, and a sense of contributing to a movement. It was hindered by time scarcity, economic hurdles, and struggles over direction. Building on McClintock's (2014) account of the hybrid and contradictory nature of urban agriculture as a tool for social change, the paper identifies two trade-offs in both farm management and movement-building at Farm X: focused leadership versus volunteer agency, and asking more versus less of volunteers.

Katie Jane Tollan, Mike Ross, Ocean Mercier, Bianca Elkington, Rebecca Kiddle, Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, Amanda Thomas, Jennie Smeaton · MAI Journal A New Zealand Journal of Indigenous Scholarship · New Zealand

This study analyzed 40 public entries submitted to the 2017 Imagining Decolonised Cities (IDC) competition in Porirua, New Zealand, organized by Ngāti Toa Rangatira, to explore how participants understood decolonization enacted in an urban setting. It identified two overarching themes linked to Corntassel's theory of sustainable self-determination: food security, expressed through designs for community gardens, seafood harvesting stations, and larger food transportation systems, and "re-storytelling," centering Māori identities and stories.

Winalyn Denzon, Meraflor C. Estose, Krysha Camille Villanueva, Joa H. Jao · Multidisciplinary Science Journal · Global

A descriptive study surveyed 50 randomly selected respondents from designated areas on their acceptability of a container gardening program designed for BTVTED (technical-vocational teacher education) students, to gauge whether it could serve as a food augmentation strategy. Analysis using means and standard deviations found most participants were female, and acceptability was highest on the economic dimension — producing one's own food, generating income and supplying household subsistence. The researchers recommended that local governments run education campaigns to expand participation in container gardening.

Muradiye Ateş · Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Fakültesi Dergisi · Global

A qualitative study on the role of social innovation in poverty alleviation and sustainable development examined two cases — the KIVA microcredit system and community-supported agriculture — assessing each for innovativeness, sustainability, social impact, target audience, and institutional structure. It concluded that both cases contribute to poverty reduction and regional development in terms of these dimensions.

Corporación de Promoción Económica CONQUITO · CONQUITO · Ecuador

CONQUITO's 2023 annual accountability report. It confirms the corporation's founding under Quito Metropolitan Council Resolution No. C 0193 (March 28, 2003), and reports that the AGRUPAR urban agriculture project's 2023 target of training 20,000 people in production techniques and food security was exceeded, reaching 20,808 people (104.04% of goal), with a month-by-month breakdown of participants trained.

Andrea Fantini · Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems · Global

This paper analyzes the functions of urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) as a strategy for sustainable and resilient urban food systems and for coping with global emergencies. It identifies various functions of UPA and how they connect, but also discusses obstacles to its large-scale implementation. The paper highlights that despite its potential, significant barriers hinder UPA's widespread adoption.

Aleksandra Nowysz, Łukasz Mazur, Magdalena Daria Vaverková, Eugeniusz Koda, Jan Winkler · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · Global

This study explored urban agriculture (UA) as an alternative source of food and water security, employing a mixed-method approach including literature survey, case studies, and comparative analysis. It compared 25 existing projects in the global north, including allotment gardens, community gardens, and urban farms, categorizing UA into architectural-urban, ecological, social, and economic aspects. The analysis concluded that UA fulfills economic, social, and environmental functions, aligning with the concept of sustainable development.

Pierrette Hondagneu‐Sotelo · Journal of Latin American geography · Global

This edited book explores how various displacements lead people to re-engage with plant life, creating meaning and sustaining biodiversity. It examines how gardening, seed saving, and cooking restore social and cultural continuity, connecting past and present. The volume, rooted in anthropology, discusses plant-human engagements in movement ("itineraries") and emplaced efforts of belonging ("sanctuaries").

Elisa Appolloni, Giorgio Gianquinto · Frontiers for Young Minds · Global

Rooftop agriculture, a form of urban agriculture where food is grown on buildings, is presented as a solution to urban food insecurity and environmental protection. This practice offers benefits such as reducing urban heat, decreasing urban poverty, fostering socialization, and benefiting buildings. Rooftop agriculture is gaining global popularity due to these advantages.

Elisabeth Meyer-Renschhausen · Journal of Contemporary Central and Eastern Europe · Global

This article provides a historical overview of small-scale, subsistence farming, primarily by women, spanning two centuries from the early 19th century to the 21st century. It traces the evolution from the loss of commons in Prussia to urban farming in contemporary cities across Europe, America, and Africa. The discussion includes subsistence farming in towns, garden cities, post-war initiatives, and the significant role of unacknowledged family production in Eastern Europe.

Betty Mntambo · Huria Journal of the Open University of Tanzania · Tanzania (Morogoro Municipality)

This study examined land tenure security in urban agriculture among 69 male and female vegetable farmers in Morogoro Municipality, Tanzania, using snowball sampling and a cross-sectional design. Findings revealed that farmers access land informally by renting from legal landowners, with social relationships determining tenure security. Land tenure insecurity negatively affects vegetable cultivation and generates uncertainty and animosity between farmers and landlords.

Mosammat Rowshan Ara · Khulna University Studies · Bangladesh (Khulna City)

This study surveyed 361 household heads in Khulna City, Bangladesh, to assess the contribution of urban agriculture to the sustainable livelihoods of low-income people. Agricultural activities observed included vegetable cultivation, livestock rearing, aquaculture, crop cultivation, and innovative gardening. The Index of Agriculture for Sustainable Livelihood (IASL) showed that landowners engaged in more sustainable activities, with sustainability increasing by 0.218 units per decimal of land, and male respondents contributed more to agricultural activities than females. The findings suggest agriculture can help fulfill basic needs for low-income urban residents.

Bernd Bonfert · Sustainability · Wales

This paper investigated local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) networks in Wales and Germany using semi-structured interviews and observations. It found that local collaboration enables CSAs to integrate supply chains, engage communities, and participate in food councils. However, the study also revealed competitive tensions between neighboring CSAs, which presents a previously unknown challenge to CSA's potential scalability.

Carmen Cantuarias-Villessuzanne, Mathilde Vignau · Nouvelles perspectives en sciences sociales · Global

This paper aims to analyze urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) projects in France through the notion of environmental capital. Interest in UPA has grown in Western countries since the late 19th century, and this study seeks to clarify its economic models and ultimately formalize a new mapping of contemporary UPA projects in France.

Michael G. Parkes, Duarte Leal Azevedo, Tiago Domingos, Ricardo F. M. Teixeira · Atmosphere · Global

This literature review, covering 28 articles from 2015–2022 on 68 active urban agriculture (UA) installations, systematizes narratives about the benefits of controlled environment agriculture (CEA) and soil-less growing systems in urban buildings. The review found that data quantifying the claimed benefits are limited, and thus the exact environmental effects of CEA remain undetermined.

Claudia Ortega Realpe, Edna Katalina Medina, Óscar Fernández · Boletín Epidemiológico Distrital - Bed · Colombia

Bogotá's District Health Secretariat implemented agroecological urban gardens from January to September 2021 to address COVID-19's social impacts. The community environment showed the highest healthy and sustainable food production, with Sumapaz, Usme, and Ciudad Bolívar having the largest planted areas. Vegetables and greens were the most relevant crops, while medicinal and aromatic plants were common in home gardens. The community showed good reception and acceptance, contributing to food security and environmental health.

Ionat; id_orcid 0000-0001-9080-2282 Zurr, Oron; id_orcid 0000-0002-2893-5364 Catts · UWA Profiles and Research Repository (University of Western Australia) · Australia

The "Sunlight, Soil & Shit (De)Cycle" project, presented by SymbioticA in February 2022, is a performative experiment exploring agricultural technology (AgTech) and its aim to remove natural elements like sunlight, soil, and organic waste from food production. This project considers whether the precursor to sustainable food systems will be the creation of a metabolic rift, where the means of production grow ever distant from nature. It highlights a critical environmental tradeoff by questioning the separation of humans from nature in technological farming.

Claudia Marcela Puerto Layton · Interdisciplinary Journal of Environmental and Science Education · Colombia

This article reports the systematization of an experience with home/school gardens in an educational institution in Bogotá, involving high school students (seventh and eighth grades) in face-to-face and remote modalities. Results include the reconstruction of the strategy and didactic process, highlighting aspects that affect or support the educational process in each modality. Reflections with students indicated that while home gardens can contribute to food security, pesticides can pose a risk to food security in Colombia.

Sofia Kourmpetli, Natalia Falagán, Charlotte A. Hardman, Lingxuan Liu, Bethan R. Mead, Lael Walsh, Jessica Davies · International Journal of Postharvest Technology and Innovation · Global

This perspective paper presents 'rurbanisation' as a strategy for a resilient food system, focusing on postharvest benefits of urban agriculture for sustainable supply chains, enhanced nutrition, and access to fresh food. It identifies challenges for upscaling urban agricultural systems, including the need for improved technologies, local infrastructure, and knowledge transfer to new farmers. The paper also highlights research gaps in postharvest quality and safety.