Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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Critical findings
438 results(2 / 18)
Determinants of Urban Farmers’ Acceptance of Faecal Sludge Compost in Urban Agriculture: Evidence from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
2026Isabela Thomas Mkude · TANZANIA JOURNAL OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY · Tanzania (Dar es Salaam)
In Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, the utilization of faecal sludge derived compost (FSDC) by urban farmers remains limited due to farmers' prejudice and hesitance. This study investigated factors influencing FSDC acceptance through a cross-sectional survey of 76 urban farmers. Results indicated that garden location in communal areas, income generation as the primary farming purpose, and accessibility of soil inputs were significantly associated with FSDC acceptance. Farmers' awareness and experience also played important roles.
Limited or null effectCompostOrganic cycleCommunityEconomicsUrban agriculture in a changing world: a thematic review of global trends, innovations, governance, and pathways to sustainability
2025· Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · Global
A thematic review synthesising global trends, innovations, governance frameworks and pathways to sustainability in urban agriculture, mapping the field's current state and future directions including citizen participation, policy support and environmental challenges.
CommunityOrganic cycleBiodiversityPolicyA Modular Agrivoltaics Building Envelope Integrating Thin-Film Photovoltaics and Hydroponic Urban Farming Systems: A Circular Design Approach with the Multi-Objective Optimization of Energy, Light, Water and Structure
2025Zhang Y., Chen T., Gasparri E., Lucchi E. · Sustainability (MDPI), 17(2):666 · Australia (Sydney)
Proposes a modular agrivoltaics building envelope that physically integrates thin-film PV and hydroponic farming into the building skin itself, rather than treating solar and agriculture as separate systems. Using a circular design approach with multi-objective optimization of energy, light, water and structure (case study: Sydney), it extends food-plus-energy production from rooftops to walls and facades, highlighting space-utilization and system-integration gains for net-zero urban architecture.
EconomicsOrganic cycleFrom cities to refuges for pollinators: Urban practices for enhancing pollinator habitats in changing landscapes
2025Ranalli et al. · Journal of Applied Ecology · Global (urban ecosystems)
2025 research on how urban agriculture and urban planning enhance pollinator habitats in changing landscapes. Urban environments offer benefits to pollinator communities: lower pesticide use, greater variety of floral resources, and increased landscape heterogeneity. Urban agriculture serves as a pollinator reservoir and source area for adjacent rural regions, contributing to food security, poverty alleviation, and pollinator conservation.
PollinatorsBiodiversityOrganic cycleUnleashing the Potential of Urban Agroecology to Reach Biodiversity Conservation, Food Security and Climate Resilience
2025Thompson, R., Climate & Food Security Research Initiative · Agriculture · Global
Analyzes urban agroecology as a key strategy to build climate-resilient communities and strengthen urban food systems. Examines multifaceted impacts of community-based agricultural practices on biodiversity conservation, local food security, and climate adaptation. Includes comparative case studies from Global South and Global North perspectives.
BiodiversityOrganic cycleAn innovative design of household-scale vermicomposting bin for domestic organic waste treatment
2025· International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology · Global
Proposes a household-scale vermicomposting bin using Perionyx excavatus to both treat domestic organic waste and grow vegetables; adding a ventilation pipe improved performance.
DIYCompostOrganic cycleUrban and Peri-Urban Agriculture for Improving Human Nutrition and Protecting Planetary Processes
2025Acevedo-De-los-Ríos, Dyson, Claeys, Cardenas-Mamani · Environmental Impact Assessment Review · Global South
Comprehensive literature review of urban and peri-urban agriculture impact on nutrition and environmental processes using LCA approach.
HealthOrganic cyclePollinator communities in urban agriculture: Local-scale garden features structure pollinator communities
2025· Landscape Ecology · Global
Ecological study examining how local garden features structure pollinator communities in urban agriculture. Links biodiversity conservation to food production success.
BiodiversityPollinatorsOrganic cycleCrop-Livestock Integration in Urban Agriculture: Implication for Urban Food Security in Ghana
2025· Food and Energy Security · Ghana
Examines how integrating crop and livestock production within urban agriculture affects urban food security in Ghana.
Organic cycleEconomicsWelfareUrban agriculture—An assessment of the potential of private gardens to cover the nutritional needs in four Swedish cities
2025Bengtsson · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems · Sweden
Assessment of vegetable production potential in private gardens across four Swedish cities. Demonstrates that current private gardens can produce up to 23% of recommended vegetable intake.
Organic cycleSupporting pollinators in urban gardens: floral richness and abundance influence flower visitor interactions regardless of the surrounding landscape
2025Emma Plant, Ria Dunkley, Davide M. Dominoni, Dominic J. McCafferty · Urban Ecosystems · Global
Empirical analysis of factors supporting pollinators in urban gardens. Demonstrates that floral richness and abundance are critical for pollinator diversity. Garden diversity prioritized over surrounding landscape influence.
BiodiversityPollinatorsOrganic cycleExploration of Composting Strategies for Sustainable Organic Waste Management in Urban Environments
2025Sustainable Waste Management Research Group · Global NEST Journal · Global
Evaluates various urban composting methods (traditional, vermicomposting, aerobic systems) for process efficiency and compost quality. Documents emergence of decentralized community composting in circular economy context.
CompostOrganic cycleSustainable Futures
2025Annamaria Alabiso, Giorgio Buratti, Fiammetta Costa, Matteo Meraviglia, Luciana Migliore, Attilio Nebuloni · · Global
A transdisciplinary research project investigated reusing treated kitchen wastewater for irrigating edible vegetable production in households. The project developed a prototype with an engineered biological filter to reuse dishwasher wastewater for growing vegetables and ornamental plants for domestic use. This approach aims to reduce water and fertilizer consumption, enabling the production of healthy, safe, and local food.
DIYOrganic cycleClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceINSTITUTIONAL INTERNAL SYNERGY: PARTICIPATION AND SUSTAINABILITY OF WASTE MANAGEMENT
2025Heru Purwandari, Arabella Faiza Mardhiyah Husni Putri · Journal of Social Science and Human Ecology · Global
This research investigated the correlation between KWT (women farmer groups) participation and the sustainability of the KRL Katulampa waste management program, which incorporates urban farming using processed waste. A census of all KWT Berkah members was conducted using questionnaires and in-depth interviews. The study found a correlation between KWT community participation and the program's sustainability, but noted that urban farming needs to be complemented by other activities to ensure significant economic benefits beyond social advantages.
CommunityWelfareOrganic cycleEconomicsHigh respiration rates induce net CO2 emissions in an urban allotment garden in Finland
2025Piaopiao Ke, Beñat Olascoaga, Pasi Kolari, Outi Tahvonen, Sami Haapanala, Tom Kokkonen, Leena Järvi, Markku Kulmala, Anna Lintunen · Urban forestry & urban greening · Finland
A year-round eddy covariance and soil chamber measurement in an urban allotment garden in southern Finland showed it functioned as a net CO₂ source (0.69 kg m⁻² yr⁻¹) despite 77% vegetation cover. High respiratory emissions (4.7 kg m⁻² yr⁻¹) exceeded photosynthetic uptake (4.0 kg m⁻² yr⁻¹), likely due to elevated soil organic carbon (13.4 ± 8.7%) and high soil C:N ratio from management amendments. These findings challenge assumptions about urban gardens as inherent carbon sinks and suggest carbon-smart management practices are needed.
Environmental trade-offsClimate changeOrganic cycleCommunityAGROECOLOGICAL APPROACHES TO SUSTAINABLE HORTICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT
2025Lokesh Ramachandran, Keerthivasan Ragupathi, Nithishkumar Govindaraju, Ajay Raja Anandhan, Dinesh Devarajan · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Argentina
This chapter examines agroecology as a sustainable production paradigm for the horticultural sector, facing challenges like climate change and resource depletion. It reviews the conceptual foundations of agroecology, its application to horticulture, and advances in agroecological practices. Case studies, such as peri-urban horticulture in Argentina, illustrate its promise, but note that a full transition remains incomplete.
BiodiversityPollinatorsOrganic cycleClimate changePeri-urban agricultureDinámica de productos ecológicos frescos y su aporte a la seguridad alimentaria en Sucre
2025Shamir Abujder · AGRO - ECOLÓGICA · Bolivia (Sucre)
This study analyzed the market dynamics of fresh organic products in urban districts of Sucre, Bolivia, examining their potential to strengthen food security and foster sustainable enterprises. The research focused on two groups: consumers and producers/marketers, within the context of urban and peri-urban agriculture. Using a qualitative descriptive approach, it aimed to provide knowledge on the economic viability of commercializing fresh organic products and contribute to citizen knowledge on responsible and healthy consumption aligned with agroecology.
EconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceOrganic cyclePeri-urban agricultureFrom knowledge to action: understanding coordination practices in community-led urban sustainability projects
2025Néstor Nova, Leidy Johana Palma Huertas, Nestor Nova · Open MIND · Colombia (Bogotá)
This study explores how community-based initiatives coordinate knowledge and collective action in urban agriculture and organic waste management in Bogotá, Colombia.
CommunityOrganic cycleThe Fertile Earth: Revolutionizing Agriculture with People and Nature at its Core
2025Morrell, Daniel · Figshare · Global
This paper examines a systemic shift in agriculture from input-intensive monocultures and dominant meat production to regenerative, organic, and agroecological systems, including urban agriculture. It analyzes the potential of reducing conventional meat reliance to free up land for ecological restoration and aims to restore soil organic carbon levels from 6-8 tonnes/hectare to 40-50 tonnes/hectare. The research quantifies potential global CO2 sequestration through soil carbon enhancement, land use change, and blue carbon initiatives, advocating for urgent policy reforms.
Climate changeBiodiversityFood sovereignty & justiceOrganic cycleHuerto Pedagógico Comunitario: Estrategia para fortalecimiento de la Educación Ambiental en Instituciones rurales de Colombia
2025Carmen Natalia Bermudez Acosta, Julian David Otalora López, Valentina Vásquez Ramírez · Revista Ecosistema · Colombia (Cali)
This study designed school gardens as an educational strategy in five campuses of the La Buitrera Educational Institution in Cali, Colombia, involving 1,689 students and 73 teachers. Using a qualitative participatory action research approach, it found significant differences in garden area (e.g., San Gabriel with 2,650 m² and 161.67 m²) and student concentration (e.g., García de Toledo with 579 students). The characterization revealed infrastructure and population differences, a predominance of aromatic-medicinal species, and student-teacher complementarity, indicating a need for adapted strategies for sustainable school gardens.
Food educationCommunityBiodiversityOrganic cycleImplementing Decentralized Composting in Urban Areas in Romania - between European Models and Local Initiatives
2025MAGDALENA DRĂGAN · Journal of Settlements and Spatial Planning · Romania
This paper examines the potential for implementing decentralized bio-waste management in urban Romania, a country with low municipal waste management performance. It analyzed three EU decentralized composting systems to identify best practices and explored local bottom-up initiatives in Romania. The study concludes with policy recommendations for adapting these practices to local conditions and engaging with local initiatives to develop context-specific composting solutions.
CompostOrganic cycleCommunityPolicyReplacing Commercial Substrate with Millicompost: A Sustainable Approach Using Different Green Wastes Combined with Millicompost for Bell Pepper Seedling Production in Urban Agriculture
2025Luiz Fernando de Sousa Antunes, André Felipe de Sousa Vaz, Giulia da Costa Rodrigues dos Santos, Talita dos Santos Ferreira, Renata Rodrigues dos Santos, Renata Alves, Jaqueline Carvalho de Almeida, M. A. de A. Leal, Maria Elizabeth Fernandes Correia · ACS Omega · Global
This study investigated millicompost as a sustainable peat-alternative substrate for bell pepper seedling production, combining it with regional agro-wastes like coconut coir, gliricidia shavings, and elephant grass. Seven novel growing media formulations were tested. Substrates S4 (33% millicompost + 33% gliricidia + 33% coconut fiber) and S8 (50% millicompost + 50% gliricidia) produced seedlings of similar quality to pure millicompost and commercial substrate.
CompostOrganic cycleDIYCultivating ecosystem conviviality through soil arts and urban gardening
2025Janna Holmstedt, Jenny Lindblad, Christina Fredengren, Cecilia Åsberg, Malin Lobell, Karin Wegsjö · · Global
This chapter explores the notion of ecosystem conviviality through soil-centered practices in urban gardening and art, using a transdisciplinary and mixed methodology of soil arts. This concept helps draw attention to sites of local empowerment and ecological belonging often overlooked in urban environments. Gardeners are positioned as entangled co-creators of open-ended ecosystems, suggesting a needed shift in Cultural Ecosystem Services (CES) focus from benefits and human well-being to ecosystem relations and values.
CommunityBiodiversityOrganic cycleInnovation in Technosols to promote urban agriculture in Barranquilla, Colombia
2025Andrea liliana Moreno rios, Daniela Paola Lugo Sierra · Latin American Developments in Energy Engineering · Colombia (Barranquilla)
This study proposes the use of Technosols, artificial soils developed from domestic solid waste, to promote urban agriculture in Barranquilla, Colombia. Technosols improve soil quality by reusing organic and inorganic materials, fostering revegetation and biodiversity in urban areas. The development process ensures the final product has no toxic effects and a suitable structure for plant growth, offering a sustainable solution for waste management and urban environmental improvement.
Organic cycleCompostBiodiversityComparative analysis of organic and conventional farm sustainability in peri-urban zones of Rabat, Morocco: insights and perspectives
2025Fatiha Hakimi, Sara Sehli, Abeer Hashem, Graciela Dolores Ávila-Quezada, Elsayed Fathi Abd Allah · Cogent Food & Agriculture · Morocco
In peri-urban Rabat, Morocco, a study compared the sustainability of 30 farms (15 organic, 15 conventional) using the IDEA method, assessing agro-environmental, socio-territorial, and economic dimensions with 18 indicators. Organic farms excelled in agro-environmental sustainability and demonstrated long-term economic resilience. Conversely, conventional farms, while more productive, faced socio-territorial limitations and economic dependence on external inputs.
Peri-urban agricultureEconomicsBiodiversityOrganic cycle